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Hide & Seek: TNDOE hides Common Core

8/19/2014

Our last Momma Bear blog focused on the external makeover of the TNDOE: website, email, and Bill's staff's letter to teachers. However, there was one huge difference that deserved its own blog. Did you catch it? Take a look at their new website, again, in the previous blog and see if you can tell what is missing:

Do you notice anything "common"?
Bingo!!! All references to Common Core have been removed!

You'll see plenty of the word, "CORE," because of TNCORE. They can't really eliminate "TNCORE" because they have a whole different website devoted to it with its own logo and all. Obviously, the TNCORE website hasn't gotten a makeover yet because Bill's picture is still at the top along with Kevin Huffman's name just like on the old website:

But notice that even this TNCORE website doesn't even mention the word, "common," on its main page. You have to play hide & seek with your mouse to find the actual words, "Common Core," anywhere at all on the subpages. There is also no ketchup-mustard-onion-swirl Common Core logo:

Does that mean we aren't doing Common Core in Tennessee???
Oh, don't we wish! Unfortunately, there are lots of people making lots of money on this Common Core gravy train, so it is still chugging along the tracks full-steam ahead whether parents and teachers like the direction the train is heading or not.

Here is what the TNDOE has sneakily done, they have renamed the Common Core standards to:

 "Tennessee State Standards" 

Teachers told us that this renaming quietly happened over the past year. Teachers and Common Core coaches have been told to call it by the new name from now on and not to use the words, "Common Core" to avoid controversy or conflict. The name is toxic.

We are not stupid. Taking "common" out doesn't make it any less "common". It doesn't change the developmentally inappropriateness of the standards one bit.

Wait, can they do that???
Now, everyone knows that Tennessee didn't write these standards. Even so, our state is branding them as their very own, which any English teacher can tell you is plagarism. Some would even consider it "stealing," "theft," or "lying" to take someone else's property and put your name on something you didn't write. Whatever you call it, it is undeniably sneaky and underhanded. If the owners of the Common Core don't object to it, (and why would they? they just want the standards implemented no matter what it takes) Tennessee can do it.

The TNDOE thinks that by not using the toxic name people won't be so upset. Think again. It is even more infuriating to know they are blatantly trying to trick us, isn't it?

So, what can we do about it, Momma Bears?
Our elected officials need to hear from parents and teachers. Contact your State Representative and Senator and politely tell them you don't want Common Core in Tennessee no matter what they call it or how they sugar-coat it with fancy marketing.

Click HERE to find your legislators and send them a quick email, make a few quick phone calls, or even handwrite some letters (We've heard that snail-mail letters are the best at getting their attention). You could even make an appointment to meet with your legislators when they are in town and bring your kids along!

The Legislative Session in TN doesn't start until January, so we're stuck with the Tennessee State Standards (aka Common Core) until then. Now is a crucial time to contact legislators because November is prime time: Elections.

Our elected officials need to hear from you, parents. Most legislators' children are grown or in private schools; they are out of touch with what is really going on in public schools. They get biased information from highly-paid lobbyists who work for organizations funded by corporations that profit from Common Core and other lucrative reforms like charter schools. It is up to you, parents, to use your voice to advocate for your children and their education.

And, for pete's sake, be sure to vote in November!!!
There are candidates running for Governor against Bill in November. He scared away many candidates with his massive campaign warchest, but there are some underdogs still in the game. Their chances are slim since they are all waaaaaay outspent by corporate millionaire Bill... but it could happen! If every informed parent in TN voted and/or if every teacher in TN voted, it is entirely possible Bill could be defeated. Two of Bill's candidates are opposed to Common Core and the federal takeover of our public education system. Here are links to more info about them:

Shaun Crowell, Constitution Party
Isa Infante, Green Party

Remember:

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Rebranding the TN Department of Education

8/18/2014

Remember the bid for a PR firm that that TN Parents wrote about in the spring? The TN Department of Education desperately sought the help of marketing professionals to fix their dreadful image. Well, obviously, a firm was hired and is working their makeover magic because there's a monumental difference in the propaganda coming out of the TN DOE lately.

First, check out the TN DOE website makeover:

BEFORE:
(website screenshot from March 2014)

The old website had an overcast, almost foreboding, grayish blah color scheme. Kevin Huffman's name and Governor Haslam's picture were both prominently displayed at the top of every page. Photos on the page included important people posing with other important people. Like the other government pages, the watermark at the top and bottom of the webpage showed mountains, which could imply the federal Race to the Top program that everyone hates, or it could be interpreted to mean that East Tennessee is more important than the flat land in the western part of the state. Take your pick.

AFTER:
(screenshot from August 2014)

As you can see, the new website has lots of changes. There are large pops of happy colors and candid pictures of cute kids. There's a tab for "community". Gone are the banners with Kevin Huffman's name and Governor Haslam's smirk on every single subpage because maybe that expensive PR firm realized that people's blood pressure skyrocketed every time they saw it. Or maybe, just maybe, this is a foreshadowing that Kevin Huffman may not be around much longer? Momma Bears can only hope! Also missing from the new webpage are the smoggy mountain images. We guess we are not racing to the top anymore now that the entire $500 million prize we won is spent?

It is kinda funny how the new website says, "We've redesigned and reorganized our site from the ground up with you in mind." Gee, thanks, for keeping me in mind, when in all honesty, we are sure that the only thing on your mind was: "How On Earth Do We QUICK Fix This Awful Image Problem That Governor Haslam and His Appointed Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, Have Created Before Election Time in November So That The Governor Gets Re-elected And We All Keep Our Jobs?"

And, of course, this dishonest image is still on both websites:

Because that is the ONLY thing that the Governor has to cling to. TCAP scores this year were flatter than a puddle of water on Tennessee asphalt in August. There is no miracle, not from Common Core, not from this new RTI2 mandate, not from the awful teacher evaluation rubrics or TVAAS system, and most certainly not from giving a chunk of our poorest public schools to charters through the ASD because those schools are lower than ever.

TCAP scores weren't even released in time for student's final report cards in the spring because they had to adjust the cut scores, take out the non-common core questions to boost scores, and figure out a way for this new PR firm to triage the massive outrage and somehow put a positive spin on the dismal results.

Here is why that claim of "Largest Growth on 2013 NAEP" is not truthful:
The Governor and Huffman keep saying it everywhere they go, and probably even mutter it in their sleep, but they neglect to mention one ginormous fact: TN passed a new law the year before the 2013 NAEP test which drastically changed the pool of students eligible to be tested for NAEP. This new law prohibited 3rd graders in Tennessee from being promoted to 4th grade if they were not proficient. So, for the first time in TN history, 3rd graders were not socially promoted to 4th grade. The low-scoring students were left behind in 3rd grade! Voila! Don't let the non-proficient kids in to 4th grade to take the test and you magically lift the whole state's average score compared to other states in the nation!
(A note about NAEP tests in case you don't know: the NAEP is given every 2 years to randomly selected 4th and 8th graders in every state in the nation. It is required by the Federal Government to get our federal tax dollars for our schools. Click HERE and HERE to read more about the NAEP and how is manipulated to suit politicians).

Next, NEW Emails from TNDOE:
I Heart You soooooooo much!!!

Subscribers to the TNDOE weekly emails noticed a big difference in the weekly emails, too. Prior emails were cold, factual, and condescending. The paragraphs were blocky and had the attitude of "Do This New Policy Or Else".

The new email sent to subscribers last week had hearts, smiles, friendships, relationships, unicorns, and rainbows. (Okay, so not the last 2, but we're not exaggerating about the difference being night and day.) Here's an excerpt from the new email:

See? They are not meany-pants dictator bullies... They are a "team" wearing cute matching shirts and holding signs of love! (Bonus points to those who can pick out the former Teach For America overpaid staff).

Another big change to the emails is that they are now being sent through Mailchimp, which is an email service that allows the sender to track opens, clicks on links, reports, etc. The TNDOE loves, loves, loves data so they are probably in data heaven.

Save the best for last, a special LETTER:
U R MY BFF 4EVR! <3, Bill XOXOXO

Tennessee teachers were shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you! - last week to receive personalized emails from the Governor himself. These letters were addressed to their first names, which left some wondering if they are now considered friends with the Governor. Bill (we can call him by his first name now, right?) wrote about the way he traveled across the state and had 12 secret meetings with pre-screened teachers and how he listened, oh how he listened, and he just loves teachers and wishes he could pay them more but he has to take care of corporations first. Okay, so Bill didn't blatantly say that in the letter, but if you read between the lines and know the recent news, it is what our friend, Bill, really meant.

We bet someone from that fancy new PR firm wrote the letter anyway. Bill doesn't write letters. He certainly won't respond to any of ours. Of course, he has staff that sends out blanket responses because Bill does not have the time to correspond with commoners unless you are pre-screened and agree with Bill's views.

Not all teachers were fooled by the use of mail-merge fields or by the use of their school email address to try to gain their vote for Bill in November. Other candidates for Governor certainly don't have the luxury, ability, or staffpower to send personalized blanket emails to teachers using their school email addresses, but Bill does. (Click HERE if you want to see one of those blanket letters Bill sent to a TN teacher)

So, what has changed within the TNDOE?
Nothing. Zip. Zero.

The same people are still doing the same jobs at the TNDOE and they have the same intentions of forcing Common Core on our children, requiring high-stakes tests on our children, punishing and firing our children's teachers based on our children's test results, and crushing our children's public schools to expand more charter schools in TN so their friends can make big bucks.

The difference is that our tax dollars are now being spent on the best Public Relations Firm our tax money can buy with the goal of fixing the horrible image of the TNDOE, Commissioner Kevin Huffman (for as long as Bill keeps him around as a puppet), and the person who just happens to be up for re-election in November: Bill.

Lipstick on a pig, anyone?

Coming up in the next Momma Bear blog:
HIDE & SEEK - THE TNDOE hides Common Core
See how the new PR firm has removed the toxic name from TNDOE's vocabulary to fool people

Beware: Another reformer coming to TN

8/12/2014

The hair on the back of my Momma Bear neck stood up when I saw that a reformer is coming to a suburb of Memphis, TN to speak. One of the biggest shams of the reformer-world, Geoffrey Canada, will be at a mega-church to talk about himself. He is President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone Charter Schools. He’s been invited as part of a fundraiser for a non-profit organization called Agape, that actually does some great things for the poor of Memphis. Whether the Agape Organization leaders know the truth about Mr. Canada, or if they merely were flattered by his star-power and hoped he could raise a lot of money for their organization, is unknown. The church where this fundraising event is being held, Hope Presbyterian Church, claims no affiliation to the event. It is allowing use of its building and also selling tickets to the event through its box-office and website.

These are some facts about Mr. Geoffrey Canada:

Salary: at least $400,000 per year, plus bonuses
Kicks students out of his charter schools to make his schools look better: Twice, he kicked out entire grade levels of students for poor performance and low test scores.
Lies: He claims to have 100% graduation rates at his charter school, but this is completely untrue. He kicks students out of his school if they aren’t going to graduate so he can boast 100%. He also makes the same claims about college acceptance being 90% for his schools, but when you factor in all the students he kicked out, the rate is nowhere close.
His "miracle" schools aren't miraculous at all. The test results of his school are unimpressive and comparable to nearby public schools. Some scores are higher, some are worse. Clearly, his charters are not a miracle cure.
He starred in a documentary called "Waiting for Superman" that was created to convince people that public schools are failing, that teachers are to blame for its failure, and that charter schools are the solution to fix the crisis. The lies and claims in the documentary are numerous and false. The documentary was financed by hedge fund investors who stand to profit from charter school income through the public's consistent tax dollars and children.

To be fair, his charter schools do provide a lot for students including a higher student to teacher ratio and free healthcare for children. But also to be fair, more money is spent on the students in his charter schools than the children in public schools. If public schools had that sort of money to spend, they, too, could provide the same perks as Mr. Canada’s charter schools. Instead, his charter schools leech money, students, and involved parents from the remaining public schools. This leaves underfunded, underutilized public schools struggling to stay afloat and educate the remaining students who have disabilities, students who don't speak English, and students who were kicked out of charter schools.
Public schools educate EVERY child, charters do not. Public schools are accountable to the public, charter schools are not (hence the exorbitant salaries of those at the top of the charter chains like Geoffrey Canada).

Geoffrey Canada says, “Enough is enough about our failing schools!” He evokes emotion from the audience and pulls at their heartstrings with stories of poor students he claims to save through his charter schools. He compares himself to Superman. He bashes public schools and calls them “lousy”. While public schools may not be perfect, and there is always room for improvement, totally destroying the public school system in favor of a privately owned and operated education system with the public's tax dollars is not the answer. We should strengthen public schools, adequately fund them, and provide rich educational opportunities for every student in every neighborhood including Art, Music, Sports, languages, etc. School should not exist to produce test scores and data. And, by no means, should school exist to make entrepreneurs even richer.

Diane Ravitch, author of Reign of Error and prolific blogger, writes, "I just wish that Canada would use his celebrity and media access to advocate that all public schools should have the resources he has, instead of castigating them for not being as good as the school he runs, with such munificent provisions." Wouldn't that be nice? This Momma Bear doesn't think he's coming to Tennessee to do that at all. He is here to bash public schools. With Memphis schools ripe for the pickin and profiting, Geoffrey Canada hears opportunity knocking.

Mercedes Schneider, who is author of A Chronicle of Echoes: Who's Who in the Implosion of American Public Education, a high school teacher, and a respected blogger, hits the nail on the head with her comment that, "Even with those “munificent provisions,” Canada cannot “make” students score high on standardized tests. So, he sends “his failing kids” back to the public schools, then insults the public schools for accepting them. And all to please those with money. By Canada’s “firing” an entire class, as far as his schools go, it is not his schools that are failing the students – it’s the students failing “his” schools – and “his” investors. Kinda blows a hole through the reformy logic of “no failing kids, just failing schools,” eh?"

Momma Bear's motto: “Follow the money and the motives”

Hide & Seek: TNDOE hides Common Core

Rebranding the TN Department of Education

Beware: Another reformer coming to TN

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