‘A Tale of Two Cities’ Call-In Show – 5/25/10 at 3pm

Alert Detroit...New Orleans is not the model to follow. You can develop a better process than this chaos.

Discussions of high school graduation rates seldom focus on the importance of K-3 skill proficiency and learning success. Are you using a model that gives support and careful scrutiny to early learning success?

Yea, Sarah. What you are experiencing with RSD is not innovative.

RSD and others talk about innovations in education in New Orleans. What are those innovations that will put New Orleans in a position to compete with the rest of the industrialized world.

If the innovative practices of the charter schools are so effective, why aren't we seeing vast improvement in RSD direct run schools using those practices? The improvements we are seeing in all schools are really not much different than the improvement rate seen pre takeover of the schools.

Surprising that in its own way, this show compounded the issues around a forcibly closing school and its effort to continue to serve the school children and youth of the far east side of Detroit. There are two pieces of misinformation that must be corrrected.

To begin: Colin Powell Academy is NOT a failing school. Since the inception of the No Child Left Behind accountability requirements in 2002, Colin Powell Academy has made Adequate Yearly Progress. It is not now nor has it ever been on a "watch list," for failing to evidence growth as measured by the state of Michigan Educational Assessment Program. In fact in 2009, Colin Powell Academy students evidenced a tremendous across the Board average gain of 21 % across all subjects and grades tested on the MEAP. Two of Colin Powell Academy's 5th Grade students are among the highest performers in the state, missing only one item on the MEAP each (one in science; the other in math). On average the Academy performs at the median point for CMU authorized schools.

Further, upon the issuance of a single year contract 2009-2010, Colin Powell Academy was led to believe that the so-called probationary status would be removed IF there was evidence of a "trajectory of achievement", however, despite that evidence, the university chose to proceed with its termination of authorization based on year-old, rather than current data.

Additionally, CMU states the school had financial problems; this is patently false. At this writing, the school has nearly one million in fund equity, at or above the required amount/percentage. The academy's real estate assets appraise out to be in the several millions.

Finally, while it is important to clarify the reasons surrounding the school's closure, one has to ask, "What lessons were learned in the course of this investigative report?" Was it a forum for the opposing sides to raise their issues? Or was it the story of a school community trying to retain its honor based on truth rather than politics or convenience or the need for an authorizer to diversify its portfolio to be better poised to participate in the new ARRA dollars sure to come in the second sweep of funding.

That an educated citizenry is essential for a vibrant democracy underpinning civic, political and economic well being is affirmed by liberals and conservatives alike. From the elite colonial Dame Schools there was a steady effort to extend education to all culminating in 1954 with the Supreme Court Brown v Board of Education decision followed in the ‘70s by legislation assuring children with special needs appropriate education. All of our children were now assured by our government of educational access.

Less attention was given to how to deliver effective, quality education. The consequences of the subsequent neglect and starvation of our public school system consumes much of our public discourse.

In 1991 Jonathan Kozol,s Savage Inequalities documented the deplorable neglect of urban children and their opportunities for education. Then, as now, blame for failure was plentiful; resources and supportive attention absent. President Obama speaking at the University of Michigan extolled the role of government from railroads to national parks to Medicare. When it came to education - several paragraphs later - he said, “At times we’ve neglected the role that parents, rather than government, can play in cultivating a child’s education.”

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) posited the lofty goal of assuring quality education to all. Districts were expected to do this without resources. Failure meant draconian repercussions rewards came only after achievement thus increasing the incentive to remove those children who were not already successful.

The solution touted by the current administration and the media is to look to charter schools, supported with public monies but privately administered. The idea that essential social goals can be achieved by free market practices is a delusion. Dependence upon private initiatives to accomplish such a hard won, vital public role serves those who would undermine public responsibility in the name of unfettered personal freedom.

Charters are simply enabled to bleed students – and their accompanying dollars – from the public, universal system. Although Charters must accept students on a first come, first serve basis, they can limit enrollment numbers thus leaving many out. Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem program is rightly honored yet children are accepted by lottery, many who wish to participate are left outside. Nor do Charters address the needs of children whose families are in disarray or marginalized in their communities and thus unable to effectively research and advocate for the quality education that they may wish for their children.

Rather than allocating 4 billion dollars to encouraging charter schools this government should take responsibility for improving public schools and making real the promise of educating well all of our children.

Here is a note from the website of the School Mental Health Project newsletter of April, 2010. I think it speaks to concerns for how Detroit's school reformation is done:

"One of the byproducts of the charter school reforms in New Orleans is that the selective admission charters and the unique discipline and expulsion policies of charter schools as a whole--have resulted in a new kind of public school comprised almost entirely of students who have been expelled from the charter schools for behavior or learning problems. Most of these students suffer from trauma stress related to hurricane Katrina. By isolating and concentrating these students in a "second tier" public system, we have created a unique classroom subculture.
. . . the students have created what I would characterize as an "oppositional subculture" that makes it impossible to implement positive behavioral supports. If a teacher praises a student, all the other students verbally attack and ostracize the compliant student.

The concentration of students with challenges has reached "critical mass" in which the students have created a dysfunctional group cultural adaptation. Thrust into a setting where their self-worth is measured by academic skills they do not possess and are not like to acquire in the overcrowded, chaotic atmosphere, and bereft of any peer role-models who can model cooperative behavior or successful learning, the students have improvised their own sub-culture that awards status and respect by opposing authority of the teacher and punishes compliance and rewards resistance. The students who demonstrate their loyalty to the resisting student group achieve status and respect, which replaces the status and respect that successful learning provides in the teacher's model. This is not unlike the anti-authority subcultures that we find in prisons. "
(end of quote)

What's to keep this from happening in Detroit?

That's what I'm talking about.....we are already seeing this in DPS as more students leave to attend the charters. The ones that have behavior or learning issues are quickly "kicked back" to DPS. BUT, not until after the 4th Wednesday count so the $$ sits at the charters.