A BROAD CONNECTION TO THE ATLANTA SCANDAL?

●●smf: the troublemakers, whackos, agents provocateur and conspiracy theorists find conspiracies under every rock. In this particular case the Fulton County Grand Jury+District Attorney found racketeering.

By Diane Ravitch from her blog | http://bit.ly/10vL5fH

March 30, 2013   ::  This commentary (following) , written two years ago, connects the dots.

The Atlanta school board was trained by the Broad Foundation.

Key officials were trained by Broad. Beverly Hall was not a graduate of Broad’s unaccredited training academy but she was sufficiently in step to speak at Broad training conferences, get Broad funding, and Broad-trained helpers. And she absorbed the Broad message that tests scores=performance, and nothing else matters.

The Broad philosophy, as best it can be deciphered from afar, is management by targets. Goal-setting. It is a business plan, not an educational vision for children. As Eli Broad once said, “I know nothing about curriculum and teaching, but I know management.”

With Broadies running many urban districts and placed strategically in key leadership positions, the Broad approach shows its flaws. It has nothing to do with understanding the needs of children, families, and communities. It has nothing to do with learning and knowledge. It is all about reaching the targets. Reach the targets and you get a bonus. Fail to reach your target and be fired or see your school closed.

Now schools across the nation are closing because they did not meet their targets. That too is part of Broad’s philosophy. If they don’t succeed, close them.

Who will hold Eli Broad accountable for the destruction of urban public education in the United States?

Atlanta cheating scandal/ Broad connections

pure reform (Pittsburgh) | http://bit.ly/14NKXOb

Wednesday, July 6, 2011  ::  On another post Anonymous wrote:

"NEW POST: Atlanta Cheating Scandal

Under the headline "America's Biggest Teacher And Principal Cheating Scandal Unfolds In Atlanta," the Christian Science Monitor (7/6, Jonsson) reports that Gov. Nathan Deal (R) announced on Tuesday that some "178 named teachers and principals" had allegedly perpetrated "what's likely the biggest cheating scandal in US history." Noting that 82 of the alleged individuals have "confessed," the Monitor adds that the charges "point an ongoing problem for US education, which has developed an ever-increasing dependence on standardized tests." The Monitor describes the deleterious impact the scandal has on the image of outgoing Superintendent Beverly Hall, "who was named US Superintendent of the Year in 2009 largely because of the school system's reported gains."

Just so we are all on the same page here, Atlanta's Board was trained by the Broad foundation in 2006:

http://broadeducation.org/news/53.html ("Broad Institute Trains 29 New School Board Members on Leadership Strategies to Improve Student Achievement")

The connection does not end there:

• RANDOLPH BYNUM, The Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2007 Associate Superintendent for High Schools.
• But we are not done yet! PANYA LEI YARBER, The Broad Residency Class of 2006-2008, is the Chief Strategy Officer for Atlanta Public Schools.

And yet we need not stop with the Broad connections: Beverley Hall, APS outgoing superintendent, is chair elect of the Council of Great City Schools (long Pittsburgh's partner of choice when Superintendent Roosevelt needed a third party to study a problem for 24 to 48 hours and print a report that reached his conclusions).

In fact, in 2009, the Council bestowed its Richard R. Green Award, "the nation's highest urban education honor," upon Atlanta Public Schools.

Won't you sleep better at night knowing Pittsburgh Public Schools keeps the same company?"

Posted by Questioner at 10:39 AM

 

Questioner said...

The link to the Christian Science Monitor article, dated July 5, 2011, is:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2011/0705/America-s-biggest-teacher-and-principal-cheating-scandal-unfolds-in-Atlanta
From the article:
"This appears to be the largest of dozens of major cheating scandals, unearthed across the country. The allegations point an ongoing problem for US education, which has developed an ever-increasing dependence on standardized tests."

July 6, 2011 at 10:42 AM

Questioner said...

Another quote from the article:
"The [Atlanta] teachers, principals and administrators wanted to prove that the faith of the Broad and Gates Foundations and the Chamber of Commerce in the district was not misplaced and that APS could rewrite the script of urban education in America and provide a happy, or at least a happier, ending for its students," writes the AJC's education columnist, Maureen Downey.
"And that’s what ought to alarm us," adds Ms. Downey, "that these professionals ultimately felt their students could not even pass basic competency tests, despite targeted school improvement plans, proven reforms, and state-of-the-art teacher training."

July 6, 2011 at 10:45 AM