Category: Teachers

More beans... #TrashTNReady

3/15/2016

Our blog last week about "Spilling the Beans" caused what some might call a "bean explosion." Teachers and parents have been contacting us all weekend confirming what we had written about TNReady and also telling us even more horrible stuff about TNReady. In keeping with the bean theme, we shall serve up another helping of anonymous spilled beans. Please read, share with your friends, get tootin' mad, and then do something about it!

from a teacher who gave the test:

Momma bears, I just read your post which highlighted anonymous teacher and parent comments, and I felt relieved. Please find a way to add this complaint to your great list:

We are not supposed to look at the test (LOL since we constantly circulate and are told to ensure students are taking it correctly), and this is extremely ridiculous: on the ELA part 1 essay, the students had several pages of texts to read before they saw the prompt. The wording was so vague at the beginning that several had no idea what they were doing. They asked what they were supposed to do, and I couldn't even tell them that the prompt was at the very end. In my opinion, this is intellectual bullying. A 4th or 5th or 6th grade student should not have to read so much before they have a clue what to do with it. Simply stating the prompt at the beginning would give them a needed purpose for the arduous reading, and it would allow them to write to the prompt. Many, I think, wrote about each text before they ever knew the actual "writing task", which is a big shift in terminology. If we want to see how well our students can WRITE, why not put the "task" at the beginning? Why not set them up for success while still getting an accurate picture of their ability to write about the texts? Test taking savvyness shouldn't be a measure. RIDICULOUS. INTELLECTUAL BULLYING!

from a teacher who followed what the state told them to teach:

I have 5th grade and we took the ELA tests. There were THREE passages for the kids to read for their first essay. The TN Blueprint, once again, has it wrong. It clearly states that kids in grades 3-5 will only read TWO passages. We never practiced with 3.

from a middle school teacher:

Sorry but out of fear for our jobs, we (the teachers) cannot disclose our names. We've been threatened not to speak or post anything on FB. The middle school test did NOT match what we were instructed to teach our kids. They were to write an argumentative essay & that was NOT even given on either of the Part 1 or Part 2 test. How can our students trust us when we tell them that this is what we're preparing them for then they're tested on a narrative? Really, a narrative??? We're told that we must teach rigor. Making up a story is rigorous?

from a high school teacher:

The high school Algebra II test was ridiculous. My students said the majority of the test was constructed response and they had no idea where to begin or what the questions were asking. I would love to show my classes your "For Students" page, but I'm afraid I'd really get in trouble.

from an observant teacher:

1. ELA computer tests showed the reading selections simultaneously on the same screen as the writing prompt. On the written test, the writing prompt came after the reading selections so that students, who have been trained to read questions and prompts first (as deemed best teaching practices by various research-based professional development sessions offered by local and state entities), were confused on what was being asked of them. Having proctored more than one grade-level, I was asked by nearly every student tested, "What do they want me to do?" I had to flip to the page containing the prompt, and tell then to read it first.

2. Because there were so many questions concerning the prompts, I was able to notice that one test asked kids to "write a magazine article" in response to the reading. Every single practice question on the MICA and MIST sites asked students to write an essay.

3. Rather than read literature and analyze it, our kids are being asked to analyze concepts that they may have, or may not have, been exposed to in life. They are given anywhere from one to three pieces of writing related to the concept, and they are having to draw from those pieces. Students from certain backgrounds, who have not been exposed to these concepts, would have to basically write the entirety of their essays by paraphrasing the articles. Sure, some may be able to "bs" their way through it, but most would not do well with formulating an essay that required some outside knowledge of a concept coupled with the reading selections to compose a well-written, well-thought out essay. What 7th grader is going to know or understand the "Value of Cooperative Play" unless he/she has been reading parenting magazines in his/her spare time? The reason I am even aware that this was part of a prompt is because most testers asked me the meaning of it. Even with the reading selections given for this prompt, some prior knowledge of the concept would have to have been given for a child to create well-thought out responses

from a Veteran teacher:

I am a 35 year veteran teacher. I have been a level 5 teacher for years, and will now see my level and the level of my students possibly plummet. I urge you to go on the site for state standards and look at the massive amount of standards we must cover by February. The social studies standards are pages and pages of info that must be taught by testing dates in February. I do not know many parents, legislators, or teachers that could master a test over these standards.

from a middle-school librarian:

I'm a middle school librarian. Our ELA teachers said that they were told repeatedly during summer trainings by the state that there would be no narrative essays, so they didn't practice those with their students. In two separate testing settings, students asked out loud, what's a narrative? The teachers DID NOT look at the test. They only way they knew was because the students were distraught and were panicking.

from a scared, broken-hearted teacher who was surprised to see a SURVEY on the test:

I am a teacher whose district started testing this past week. After the group of students I tested where through with Math, I administered the survey. I was very upset by the last question. It basically stated:

How did you find this test?
A. Harder than the math tests I take at my school.
B. Easier than the math tests I take at school.
C. About the same as the math tests I take at my school.
D. It is difficult for me to answer because it was harder than the math tests at my school.

This leads me to believe that the state is preparing to blame the schools for not preparing the students properly, which is inaccurate.

The look of defeat on the students faces broke my heart and almost made me cry (I had to look away several times so I wouldn't cry). I was doing my best to reassure them, but I could tell it didn't work. The fact that we have two more days of testing left and then another testing period in April is disheartening. The fact that the State said part 1 counts 20% and part 2 counts 80% of the students grade is just wrong, especially after saying it wouldn't count.
When is enough enough?

***Please do not use my name, I do love to teach and work with my students, but I fear using my name could affect me negatively.

from another observant teacher who also wondered about surveys on the tests:

I was surprised to see survey questions on these tests. I thought parents had to be notified before students could be given surveys? The questions asked students about their writing habits, their opinions about the TNReady test, and about their school. Don't parents have to give permission before students are given surveys? Where is all that information going?

Response from Momma Bears: Yes, dear teacher, you are correct. Tenn. Code Annotated 49-2-211 says this:

This law is pretty clear: parents or legal guardians shall have access to review all surveys PRIOR to being administered to the child. AND parents have the right to opt their student out of participating in a survey. AND section (c) says the district should disclose the purpose of the survey and who gets the data. Is your district breaking the law? Or is the Tennessee Department of Education breaking the law??? Hmmm... Might be worth a persuing legal action?

from a 3rd grade teacher willing to lose her job:

The TNReady test is so far from acceptable that I may just have to lose my job. My class took the TNReady test on Monday before the computers crashed. The computers were working fine, but the test was awful. My students were having meltdowns. One of my straight-A students was hitting himself in the head, pulling his hair, crying, and saying "this is too hard!" I couldn't help but look at the test. I am horrified. I am broken-hearted.

There was only 1 question on this third grade Social Studies TNReady test, and it was to write an essay. They had to tab between two different reading passages, and write an essay (with their little fingers hunting and pecking for letters on the keyboard because they don't know how to type yet, nor are their hands big enough to type properly), and they had to be sure to cite evidence from the text (that means "copy" to third graders). But the material was about the Oregon Trail, which is a fourth grade standard!!! Third grade Social Studies standards cover world geography, not the settlement of America! The Westward Expansion isn't covered until 4th grade (TN Social Studies Standard 4.48). You can look at the standards yourself and see:
Third grade standards: https://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/std_ss_gr_3.pdf
Fourth grade standards: https://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/std_ss_gr_4.pdf

My students had no idea what the Oregon Trail was. They had no clue what old-fashioned words like "lo" meant, especially the students who speak English as a second language. Even worse, the standard to read and compare a primary and secondary source is a SIXTH grade standard, not a third grade one! This was the very first question on the TNReady Part I Social Studies test and my students all felt like failures.

Even worse, the system apparently crashed, but we weren't notified about it until after our testing time was completed. So, my broken-hearted students had to take the same test AGAIN this week! It was on paper and pencil, this time, but it was the exact same passages and essay question they had on the first computer test. How fair is that to other students?

from a silenced, bullied teacher:

On my personal Facebook page, I posted a link about Representative Stewart opting his child out of the test. My principal told me I should not state my opinion on social media.

from a grateful teacher:

Thank you for speaking the truth about this awful testing. I am an elementary school teacher and your blog is talked about frequently in my school. You are saying so many things that teachers are afraid to say for fear of losing their jobs. Please keep up the good fight. I am willing to speak anonymously.

Momma Bears, here, again...

Readers, you should realize that teachers are risking their jobs telling us all this. Before they administered the test, teachers and proctors had to sign an agreement saying they wouldn't look at the test or talk about it. There's even a law about it:

Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) 49-1-607 states: Any person found to have not followed security guidelines for administration of the TCAP test, or successor test, including making or distributing unauthorized copies of the test, altering a grade or answer sheet, providing copies of answers or test questions, or otherwise compromising the integrity of the testing process, shall be placed on immediate suspension, and such actions will be grounds for dismissal, including dismissal of tenured employees. Such actions shall be grounds for revocation of state license. [Acts 1992, ch. 535, 4.]

Are teachers "compromising the integrity of the test"? Well, Momma Bears question if the test has any "integrity" to compromise in the first place!!! This test is full of flaws, makes children cry, and has no value in helping our children or schools. Results, which are projected to be much lower than past TCAP tests, aren't even supposed to be back until the fall when students are well into the next grade level!

Honestly, these teachers should be called heroes!
These courageous teachers are whistle-blowers, speaking truth about an injustice affecting innocent children who are powerless to do anything about it.

We are grateful to a news station in Nashville for covering TNReady Opt-Outs. And we're ecstatic about this news coverage of a school in Chattanooga that had 41% of parents opt their kids out of TNReady! Parents are coming to realize that these tests are far too secretive, and far too powerful. Parents must do something about it because teachers can't.

We Momma Bears never signed any confidentiality agreement, and you can't take away our parenting licenses, so we will continue to expose this harmful, abusive testing for the monster that it is. We will keep informing and empowering people to do something about it:

Want to refuse the tests for your children?
  Click HERE for step-by-step instructions.

Want to do something about it?
Contact Governor Haslam.
Twitter: @BillHaslam
    Email: bill.haslam@tn.gov
Phone: (615) 741-2001
(And click HERE to find your legislators to contact them, too!)

Be sure to follow Momma Bears on Facebook and Twitter:

Hopeless situation on Hope Street

3/11/2015

Apparently, Momma Bears stirred up a hornet's nest with our last blog, Hope Street is a Dead End for TN and TEA. Concerned members of TEA contacted their elected leaders, then TEA contacted one of our Momma Bears to clarify their position, then we sent the TEA board even more worrisome info we'd found about Hope Street Group (we posted it below so you can see it, too), and TEA was forced to address the issue at their big board meeting this past weekend. Like "Alice in Wonderland," things are not quite as they seem.

First, we are posting the response to our first blog from the TEA Executive Director, Carolyn Crowder:

TEA's number one priority is always improving public education for Tennessee students and teachers. We are a member-driven organization which fights for the issues our members tell us are important to them. That is why TEA is leading the fight for a significant pay increase to attract and retain the best teachers, to reduce the state's over-reliance on testing and increase respect for the voice of Tennessee educators.

TEA has formed a partnership with the HOPE Street Group around teacher leadership. Teachers will have the opportunity to apply to be a part of a cadre of Teacher Fellows who gather information on policy issues approved by the partnership. These partnerships have been successful in other states in making teacher-driven policy changes. Each state partnership is made up of the largest teacher organization in the state (in Tennessee, that is TEA); the most active public policy voice (SCORE in our state) and the State Department of Education.

We agreed to the partnership based on the understanding that the three entities had to agree before an issue was researched by the Fellows. There is no money being given to TEA from the HOPE Street Group and no money from TEA is going to them. The research is based on surveys and focus groups with teachers who have shown an interest in the chosen topics. It is giving our organization an opportunity to determine which topics are sent out in surveys and focus groups to Tennessee teachers (which helps us make sure the issues our members have identified are actually discussed). The partnership provides our members another opportunity to have their voices heard. Our members will have the opportunity to become one of the Fellows and/or respond to the research.

The unique part of this partnership is that the State Department has to agree to work on implementation regarding the priorities that are identified through this process. It is a way to insert our members’ voices into a system that does not always take action on the ideas of the real experts - our Tennessee teachers.

This will in no way replace our own methods of interacting with our members and representing their interests in shaping public policy, but it could supplement our efforts in an important way. If the three entities agree on a topic that we know our members want to be heard on -- and the information that comes back verifies that our members want certain changes or verifies that our members DO NOT want certain changes that affect their practice -- results gathered by the third party will bring extra credibility to the policy issues TEA is already advocating.

Some things Momma Bears need to point out:

TEA isn't receiving any money or paying any money for this arrangement. We are so glad to hear that! We knew National Education Association has received money from Bill Gates in the past (click HERE to see all those grants), so we're glad that the state level isn't being manipulated with Gates' money.
Carolyn Crowder called SCORE, "the most active public policy voice in our state." Really? SCORE doesn't represent our students, SCORE represents their donors. We didn't elect SCORE. SCORE is here because of money from Bill Gates. (Click HERE for our previous blogs on SCORE). In fact, SCORE's latest golden egg from Gates was just last year for nearly $1 million dollars paid over 22 months to "amplify voices on reforms" in TN.
So, that's 2 out of 3 organizations in this arrangement who depend on Bill Gates' philanthropy for their paychecks. SCORE and Hope Street Group are both signed up for the Gates Meal Plan, so why would those organizations ever bite the hand that feeds it? Why would they tell the Emperor he has no clothes on when the money flows into their bank accounts if they keep telling him how dashing he looks in his reformy underpants?
This partnership has an "understanding" that all 3 organizations must agree to an issue before it is researched by the Fellows, and the TDOE has agreed to work on whatever issues are brought forth from this partnership. Read the above bullet point again. What issues are the other 2 organizations firm on? Teacher evaluations using standardized testing, charter schools, privatization of public education, high stakes testing, Teach for America teachers, Common Core, etc. Basically, the same things TEA is battling against.
Carolyn Crowder wrote that Hope Street Group has had "successful partnerships" in other states, but she didn't mention the states. It is important to know that this "partnership in states" is a pretty new concept for them (even though they have a National Teacher Fellowship to influence national policy). Their website says, "Hope Street Group’s state teacher fellowship program was launched in Kentucky in 2013 and in Hawaii in 2014 in partnership with teacher associations." Um, that is more like 1 and a half state partnerships so far. Let's look at those 2 states:

Hawaii: They've barely had time since 2014 to go through the teacher selection process, training over the summer, and a full legislative session (Hawaii's starts the 3rd week of January). So in actuality, the Hope Street Group hasn't done a darn thing yet in Hawaii to influence policy or laws. We wouldn't call that "successful."
Kentucky: That leaves Kentucky. ONE state that has had ONE year of this partnership between their Education Association and Hope Street Group. We did find out that Kentucky teacher evaluations are now using student surveys as part of their evaluations. Ugh... TN teachers have experienced the biased surveys (and parents, too), and have plenty to say negative about that. We asked Carolyn Crowder to give us an example of something positive that has come from the Kentucky Education Association partnering with Hope Street Group, but she couldn't tell us even one thing. She did say she would ask them and let us know. We'd be happy to publish details if she responds.

TEA is clearly outnumbered in this Gates-funded conversation. Despite TEA having a larger membership than SCORE's well-paid staff and Hope Street's army of lobbyists, TEA will be the minority. Gates' money will dominate the conversation, as they intend to do, and will dominate the outcome, as they fully intend to do. And, honestly, can anyone think of ANY organization funded by Gates that doesn't push for his reforms? Anyone??? Nope. Because there isn't one. He's deliberate and strategic in who he funds for a reason.

We have some major questions about this partnership, and we found some alarming information about Hope Street Group. Stay with us, readers...

Who gets to pick the teachers that become the Hope Street Fellows?
There is a application process, including: narrative questions, recommendations, and an interview.
But who gets to narrow down candidates, interview, and pick the fellows?
If a teacher doesn't agree with common core and/or merit-based pay, will their application be quietly discarded or do they have a real chance?
Does TEA have any input whatsoever on this process, interviewing, or selection of teacher fellows? Does SCORE??
We asked the Carolyn Crowder those questions, but were surprised to learn that she didn't know the answer to any of them. She did say that "TEA requested to be invited to the training." Um, that doesn't sound like TEA will have any control over which teachers will be picked or what they will be trained to do as citizen lobbyists. Hope Street Group obviously has a plan; the process is already on their website for teachers to apply. So, it appears that TEA doesn't get a say in that Fellowship process. Are you surprised? We're not.

Grab a bucket to puke in, because we found some sickening stuff about Hope Street Group you need to know about:

On Hope Street's website, we read this:

"Hope Street Group assisted the U.S. Department of Education in designing Race to the Top (RTTT) in 2009. Since then, the organization has partnered with multiple states including the first two Race to the Top winners, Delaware and Tennessee, working on new ways to engage practitioners, complement work efforts and support work product."

Oh, my, we have opened the can of worms with this one...

Nobody. Nobody. Nobody likes Race to the Top in Tennessee!!! So, we're going to allow an organization that assisted the USDOE in designing that horrible RttT program, AND who worked with teachers to get us to the horrible, horrible evaluation system we have now, TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THE CONVERSATION?

Hope Street Group got us into this mess. They need to leave TN. Just go away. Don't use our teacher voices to further your donor's agenda. Don't use our children to profit your investors and yourself. Don't influence our legislators. Just go back to your own little cushy offices and leave us alone. Tennessee can control our own education thankyouverymuch!

Wait, it gets worse... this isn't a worm, this is a monster!

Look at this publication from Hope Street Group that we found on their website (image below). It appears to be a two-page advertisement of sorts for politicians and state leaders to tell them what Hope Street has done in other states and can do for their state:

Do you see that? The very first PRINCIPLE of Hope Street Group says they are COMMITTED to making student test scores AT LEAST 50% OF TEACHER EVALUATIONS!

That document doesn't have a date on it, but judging by the past tense verbs they used to describe TN and Delaware winning Race to the Top grants and the summer training of teachers by Hope Street Group, this document could not be more than 4 and a half years old, and perhaps newer. Four and half years ago they were "committed" to 50% of teacher evaluations being test scores.

Note: this has been deleted from their website now after we sent it to TEA and TEA asked them about it. Their first priority now says that student achievement must be "a major component." Hmmm... Sounds like they watered down the wording because the percentage was offending some people. Even so, "a major component" is still "major."

Here's the thing, we Momma Bears don't want our children's test scores evaluating any teacher or school. That burden should not be on any child's shoulders. There is no fair way to do it. Momma Bears oppose this.

We found more dirt about Hope Street Group, but this blog is wormy enough already. We'll leave you with some red flags (other than the pointy-arrow American flag logo that Hope Street Group uses) so you can dig on your own if you'd like. Our links to Hope Street Group may not work since their website says they are getting a brand new website this month (probably just as soon as Bill Gates' check clears the bank). Lucky for you, we downloaded the documents before they were deleted by Hope Street Group a few days ago. Click to enlarge any of these:

Red flags all over this Hope Street Group Braintrust list above.
Wendy Kopp from TFA? Sir Michael Barber?? All those politicians and charter school investors???

The boxed quote above was on the advertising for a Hope Street Group 2012 Summit. For only $25,000 per person (or $100,000 for a group of 5, which is clearly a better bargain), you, too, can get your major pieces of legislation signed into law!

If you've got a few minutes, watch the above interview of former Commissioner Kevin Huffman with Hope Street Group's CEO (posted May 2012). You'll see how he planned to correlate the TVAAS scores with teacher's observation scores, and his intent to rid the workforce of ineffective teachers.

Momma Bears' recommendation = TEA should run away from this lopsided arrangement and should apologize to their members for making Momma Bears do all this research.

Momma Bears think it is shameful how an out-of-state organization gets a say in our state's public education simply because they have a ton of money. This is America, for goodness sakes! Because of money, Bill Gates and special interest groups have bought their way into Tennessee with plans to control the conversation and outcome regarding our children's educations. This is not okay.

We're just a group of concerned Moms volunteering our time to research and advocate for students, teachers, and strong public schools. TEA can brush off our little blog and all these facts we've shared, but they can't say they didn't know. We kindly gave them all this evidence last week before this blog was published. The staff and board of TEA know exactly who and what they are dealing with and their motives. TEA's leaders don't need to explain why they decided to partner with these shady organizations to Momma Bears, but TEA members who give up part of their already small paychecks for TEA membership dues might just want an explanation why TEA is giving so much power to these underhanded organizations.

This message that TEA's Executive Director sent us over the weekend might help, or it might not:

TEA leads the fight against privatization, defeating vouchers last year. TEA leads the fight for the teaching profession, getting the General Assembly to make basing teacher licenses on TVAAS illegal. TEA leads the fight for fair evaluation, filing lawsuits on the unfairness of value added scores. TEA leads the fight on testing, on funding, on class size, on so many issues critical for teachers, students, and parents. TEA has earned the trust of members and persons who care about schools.

We are engaged in the fight right now. With so many threats to public schools, students, and teachers, everyone who cares about education needs to be focused on those fights, not spending time on ancillary stuff.

This weekend, after seeing that the HOPE Street Group (1) responded to our call to drop a support statement that stated 50% of a teacher's evaluation should be based on student achievement and (2) accepted our partnership statement that said we would not engage in any issue that went against our mission and core values, the TEA Board of Directors turned their attention to important issues such as the fight for school funding solutions and state standards that are appropriate for all students regardless of age, ability or zip code.

HOPE Street Group can help with the fight to include authentic teacher voices in the debate around education policy. If they do not, TEA will stop working with them. Now, how about joining with TEA as we get back to the real fight?

Why does it take Hope Street to bring everyone to the table?
TEA politely partnered with these Gates-funded organizations because they say, "It is a way to insert our members’ voices into a system that does not always take action on the ideas of the real experts - our Tennessee teachers." TEA may have been invited to the Mad Hatter's "tea" party, but the sloshing and spinning of Bill Gates' teacups will not get them where they need to go.

Hope Street is a Dead End for TN & TEA

2/27/2015

There is yet another shiny new organization in Tennessee with a feel-good name: the Hope Street Group. It sounds all hopeful-ish and Main-Street-ish and warm-and-fuzzy Groupy-ish. Momma Bears did some digging, though, and found out that this new "non-profit" organization is pretty much the same package with a new ribbon on top. Or as we like to say, "same pig, different color lipstick."

This Hope Street Group gift has been given to Tennessee courtesy of none-other than Bill Gates. Surprise surprise. He just loves paying for reformy stuff in TN. He's been through here once or twice, right? Let's open this "gift" and see what we find, shall we?

Yep, Hope Street Group is heavily funded by Gates, with nearly $5 million from Gates so far. Less than 1 year ago in April 2014, we see that Bill Gates gave a big fat $468,433 grant to expand Hope Street to TN. This would have fallen under the reign of former Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, and it might lead some to think that this plan has been simmering for awhile just waiting for the new Commissioner of Education to be appointed. Obviously, there's some strategy in choosing TN and waiting until February 2015 for this to become public.

A very helpful comment on Diane Ravitch's website gives insight to this type of organization [emphasis added by us]:

Finding front groups for foundations and other agencies that are hostile to public education is useful. A good place to start is with the USDE website and the publications of The Reform Support Network, created to propagate the agenda for teacher evaluation in RttT to every state, including pay-for-performance and offering “a solution” to evaluating the estimated 70% of teachers who have job assignments for which there are not statewide tests.

That “solution" is the infamous SLO (student learning objectives) process now required in at least 26 states (most recently Maryland), with not even a smidgen of research to support it as reliable, valid, a means of improving student learning in the subjects for which it is supposed to be most relevant.

The policies of Race to the Top (RttT) are so in-credible that USDE hired marketing experts to sell them via a grant of $43 million. The marketing is directed toward the “winners” of the competition and for “scaling” the agenda to every state.

Of special interest, this “Reform Support Network” issues publications to state and district officials on “messaging strategies” that are needed to secure the compliance of teachers with high stakes evaluations based on the SLO process and increasingly ties to pay-for-performance.

One of the “messaging strategies” (there are at least 40 in multiple publications) is to enlist “teacher swat teams” who are paid in time or money to deliver the message that this new system will improve student learning (no proof, of course).

Another method is to by-pass unions where these exist and function to protect teachers due process. The by-pass, promoted in USDE’s publications, is to enlist is so-called “teacher voice groups” as advocates for the rating systems needed in pay-for-performance plans.

A “teacher voice group” is the Reform Support Network’s name for a non-union advocacy collective funded by private foundations favoring pay-for-performance. Five voice groups are mentioned by name. All have received major funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Teach Plus ($9.5 million), Center for Teacher Quality ($6.3 million), Hope Street Group ($4.7 million), Educators for Excellence ($3.9 million), and Teachers United ($942, 000). Other foundations are supporting these groups. For example, Teach Plus receives “partner” grants from eight other foundations including the Broad, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Joyce and several major investment firms.

See the propaganda for yourself, including one of the latest updates.
Reform Support Network (2012, December). Engaging educators: A reform support network guide for states and districts. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/implementation-support-unit/tech-assist/engaging-educators.pdf

Diane Ravitch writes, "We have not seen so many front groups since the 1930s. Today, as then, they represent no community, no one but the funders and the elites and those with a hidden but anti-democratic agenda."

The agenda of Hope Street Group is clearly to push testing, evaluating teachers based on test scores, and common core. They will hand-pick some naive teachers to be their "Fellows" (or as we like to say, "follows" or "foolows" since they will be following foolish orders on what to say and do), give them a little extra $3500 boost to their paychecks, and train them in how to sweet-talk legislators to vote for the reforms that their donors want. So, it is just like the Teach Plus organization that has already been doing dirty work here in TN, except with a more hopeful-ish name and a rosier-pink lipstick.

In a nutshell, that is why Hope Street Group is coming to TN. Well, that, plus all the money they'll make from their donors. Their CEO, Monique Nadeau, made a whopping salary of $352,000 last year according to their tax return. (Remember what we've taught you, class, just because is is a "nonprofit," doesn't mean someone isn't profiting!) And Monique Nadeau is indeed prospering, even if teachers won't be! So even though Hope Street claims to be "dedicated to expanding prosperity for all Americans," Hope Street Group won't be advocating for the things that would truly "expand prosperity" in TN for students or educators. No, Hope Street Follows will be advocating for merit-based pay for teachers using our children's standardized test scores and common core.

To be fair, Bill Gates isn't the only one paying their massive paychecks and light bill. Look at their website* and you'll see other reform-pushing corporate-interest donors such as: The Joyce Foundation, Foundation for Excellence in Education (that's Jeb Bush's reformy group that he just resigned from so he could run for President. Bush's FEE pushes testing and common core bigtime), The Hewlett Foundation, Walmart Foundation (the Waltons love them some reformy standardized testing and low-wage employees!), and Carnegie Corporation. So, lots and lots of rich businessmen who wouldn't dream of putting their own children in public schools with Common Core and rich businessmen who would love to drive down the cost of labor. (*Note: Hope Street is getting a shiny new website in March 2015, so if our links don't work, it isn't our fault. Reformers like to buy themselves new websites with all that money they get from their sugar-daddies).

So, what's so bad about this Hope Street Group?
All this money being spent to hear teacher's voices? This isn't going to help students one little bit. This is clearly in response to the negative publicity swarming in Tennessee around common core, standardized testing, and using test scores to rate teachers and schools.

Call us simple, but... If people really want to hear what teachers think, just ask them! DUH!!! Do an inexpensive survey. Visit their schools and have lunch with teachers. Invite them to join you for a cup of coffee. Whatever you do, don't hire an over-priced consulting firm that will spin whatever the teachers say into what their donors want it to sound like! Hope Street may say they want "conversation," but they will be the one guiding what legislators hear.

What is a reformer to do if they can't find real teachers to support their reforms for FREE?
Why, buy yourself some, of course! They need to buy some voices quick because:

Several lawsuits are currently pending that contest the constitutionality of the test-based TVAAS evaluation system. The lawsuits are gaining some negative attention for TVAAS.
Citizens are hearing about teachers who are evaluated on the test scores of students they don't even teach and saying, "Hey, that isn't fair!" and "No way will my child's test scores be used to hurt their kindhearted, hardworking teachers!" Parents are refusing to allow their children to take the tests (aka "Opting Out").
Common Core has become a dirty word in TN, so they've stop calling it by its real name. Instead, they call it "college and career standards" or "TN Standards" to fool everyone. While that tricks some people temporarily, it backfires when people realize they have been duped. Uh oh, now they've got some angry people on their hands who reeeeally don't trust them now for that sneaky move.
The Tennessee Education Association has been stirring up a bit of trouble by hosting enlightening Road Trips across the state, inviting parents and elected officials, and telling them the truth about the testing... how much testing costs, how much time testing is eating up from instruction time, and how frequently these tests are occurring. (If you're able to catch a TEA Road Trip in your area, please do! You will learn a LOT! Click HERE for the schedule. You don't have to be a TEA member to attend.)

Speaking of the Tennesseee Education Association, Momma Bears are disappointed that TEA has apparently aligned themselves with this money-grabbing, policy-influencing organization. Based on the press release, TEA is collaborating with Hope Street Group. A statement by TEA President, Barbara Gray, said, "We very much look forward to working with the Hope Street Group Tennessee State Teacher Fellows to increase teacher input regarding what works in our public schools."

Why on earth TEA is participating with this?!?!? either they are just very naïve, they are getting money from it (and if that's true, they better do some splainin' to all their members!), or they want to look like a team player to Commissioner McQueen. Hope Street is a dead end for TEA... just like selling their organization's name and their member's souls to the devil. Isn't the whole purpose of TEA to represent the voices of teachers??? Then why the heck are they giving another organization your platform and endorsement?

If you are a member of TEA, you neeeeeed to speak up about this!!! Do it do it do it!

Tell your TEA Board you don't want your organization to have anything to do with Hope Street Group. We'll make it easy for you, just click here for all the TEA Board emails and phone numbers. We recommend sending your email to every board member, which might take awhile with the extra clicks, but your voice will definitely be heard that way. Bombard their inboxes and tie up their phone lines! Share this blog with your teacher friends. Speak up!!! You pay all that money in membership dues, so demand they represent you and not Bill Gates!

"This is a reminder to teachers who want to stay home and say, "Well, I don't want to get my hands dirty with political stuff" that they are opting out of making the decisions that they have to live with. And it's a reminder that "Why must you make this so political?" is another way to say, "I'd like you to go back to being uninvolved and ineffective, please."
- Peter Greene, Curmudgucation blogger extraordinaire

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

Petition warfare

7/9/2014

Momma Bears are flattered that our petition (Stop Hurting Our Schools: Remove Kevin Huffman as Commissioner of Education) is receiving so many new signatures in the past 48 hours! Apparently, it is now in a little petition popularity contest!

See, Kevin Huffman's fan club (people who wouldn't like him if they weren't getting so rich from his "leadership"... who would surely hate his guts if their own children attended public schools and were forced to do all these standardized tests and crazy common coreishness... or if their spouse worked in a real public school for an honest paycheck and was judged by that mathematical TVAAS cattle-growth formula to show her worth), well, they need to protect their pocketbooks. They know Huffman is in hot water after the whole TCAP mess, his tampering with the TCAP questions and cut scores, his illegally granting waivers to districts, and just last week his harsh announcement that there will be no mercy for SPED students when it comes to testing.

Rumors abound about Huffman's time left in Tennessee, but you gotta admit he's a tough booger for taking the heat for Governor Haslam's awful decisions for so long. (Governor Haslam is only doing what Jeb Bush tells him to do following the step-by-step list on how to ride on coat-tails to the White House.) The word that has trickled down to us common folks that Governor Haslam was so stinking mad at the 15 brave legislators who signed a letter to remove Huffman that Governor Haslam decided to keep Huffman around a little longer just out of spite.

Speculation about who will replace Huffman range from Freddy Krueger to Voldemort. The profitability of either villain bodes well for reformers (both did well in the movie Box Office), so the future looks bleak for public schools under Governor Haslam's leadership. Unless Haslam suddenly grows a heart and puts a real educator with compassion in that position, public education in Tennessee looks bleak.

By the way, we are hearing great things about 2 candidates for Governor! John McKamey (Democrat) and Shaun Crowell (Constitution Party) are both against Common Core and support strong public schools! They don't have nearly the war chest of campaign money that Governor Haslam has, but we Momma Bears believe in miracles, happy endings, and the power of voting parents.

Anyway, read all about the pathetic petition to save Huffman's neck at this link. You can see all the fancy-pants people that signed it who send their own kids to private schools and also about the naive young'uns at TN DOE, ASD, and TFA who are recently out of college and have nice, cushy jobs bossing hardworking teachers around.

My Children, and Their Teachers, are Guilty

7/2/2014

The following is a guest post from New Mexico parent, Wendy Small (originally posted by Kris Nielsen at www.atthechalkface.com, reposted with permission)

Let me start by telling you that my children are guilty. Guilty of being born to middle class–not wealthy–parents, guilty of having special needs, guilty of being the kind of poor test takers who falsely convict their teachers of being bad at their jobs. Most of all they are guilty of being children living in New Mexico.

Perhaps the most guilty among them is my daughter, Jennifer*. She has committed the most outrageous crime of having dyslexia. Despite interventions from teachers, and thousands of dollars spent on outside diagnostics and remediation, Jennifer, age 12, continues to test “not proficient”. She is guilty, and for this both she and her teachers must pay.

Nina, Jennifer’s next youngest sister, age 10, while bright and articulate, must pay. She is guilty. Guilty of wanting so badly to get a perfect score that she will do and redo her answers. Days will go by when Nina, in the fourth grade, will sit and write and erase her answers until she explodes. Nina’s explosions are harbingers for her classmates, who know her to be a steady and capable student. They become guilty of perceiving Nina’s anxiety and inflicting it upon themselves. “It must be really hard for me if it’s hard for Nina,” they think. Then, classmates of Nina’s explode too. They cry, they yell, they come home feeling frustrated and defeated. They are punished.

The youngest of our children are not exempt; they too must be punished. I know this because Ashley, my first grader, had to endure the punishment of standardized testing as well. For her criminal act of being a child in this state, Ashley was required to sit in her chair and interpret and respond to test questions that were abstract and completely inappropriate for her developmental age. Other students in Ashley’s class must be even more guilty because when I opted Ashley out of testing and sat with her in the school office, I could hear the wailing of her classmates begging their teacher to help them understand the questions. These students were being punished for wanting to do well on their tests. To warrant that kind of experience, they must have been deemed guilty.

I am certain that Ashley’s first grade teacher is guilty, too. She was the most punished of all of them. Tears were in her eyes, frustration in her voice. Her hands were tied and her voice silenced as she unwillingly inflicted this test on her students knowing it would forever alter the emotional safety they experienced in her classroom. Ashley’s teacher is guilty of loving her students, and for this crime she was punished.

As parents, my husband and I are guilty. We decided to raise our children here, and for that we must endure the horrific consequence of watching our children be punished. Together, we must watch while the happy childhoods of our children are replaced with anxiety. We are made to stand by while their curiosity is extinguished, while they learn to fear authority, while they learn that they are “not proficient”. We are punished. As we watch the promise of three bright futures fade, we are beaten.

The good news is that, while my children are guilty, they area not as guilty as the 29% of New Mexico children who commit the criminal act of being poor. For their criminal acts, poor children are the most punished. I know this because teachers, for many [these kids'] only reliable adults, are leaving at a rapid rate. Approximately 500 teachers will leave APS alone this year, many of them from schools with children who have committed the criminal act of being poor. [Seeing] the way they are being punished–these children and their teacher–they must be criminals.

Please free our children, offer them amnesty and, in so doing, liberate us all. This is a punitive system where schools, once safe havens, have become jails. Principals serve as unwilling wardens, and the [state education department] is the head of our prison system. Please shed light on this reality by paying attention, spreading the word and serving as advocates for children in our community. We are all called to be up to the task, our children are crying for the childhoods they deserve. The clock is ticking, and time is running out. Teachers are not speaking out because they are terrified that it will harm the job and schools they love. Ask them to speak, and listen. Use your voices and protect our schools, protect our teachers, protect our children.

*All names have been changed

Momma Bears spills the beans & makes new friends

6/11/2014

3 Comments

One of our Momma Bear bloggers was flattered to be invited to speak at the State Education Editors convention in Denver, Colorado last week. You'll never guess who she sat next to on the flight home... a charter school teacher who just quit! Divine intervention? You decide. Here is her blog about the trip:

SPEAKING DEBUT...

Thursday, I was cleaning up macaroni and cheese noodles. 24 hours later I was in a 4-star hotel giving a speech to a convention room full of really important people. I kept thinking "somebody pinch me" so I would wake up. All these people seemed to want to hear what I had to say (or if they didn't, they were really good at hiding it).

My speech was called "Listen to your Mommas!". This was my first real public speaking engagement. To say I was nervous is an understatement! Even though my presentation was an hour and fifteen minutes long, I didn't see anyone's eyes glazing over or notice anyone playing candy crush on their phones. The audience members were all smiling and nodding along with the things I said. Since technology and I sometimes have issues, I was thankful that my PowerPoint presentation worked flawlessly. I don't think I stammered or said "like, um, like, uh, ummm..." (I was like really scared I would umm like end up like doing that like some people do when, uh, you know, they like get nervous). I made it through my presentation and was flabbergasted to receive a standing ovation.

So, what did I talk about?
I told them about the magical way that some ordinary moms in Tennessee came together and how we started Momma Bears. Less than one year ago, we launched our Momma Bears website & blog. The first month, we were ecstatic to reach 50 readers on our blog... Now, 11 months later, we are amazed to have had over 800,000 readers! Seriously, we're just moms who have no clue what we're doing. We've spent a whopping $17 total for the website domain name. That's it.

I also spoke about what we've accomplished through our blog and social media... how we've educated parents on many issues and forced inappropriate surveys to be stopped in school districts. We've encouraged parents to take action with easy steps and links to contact elected officials. We've supported teachers and shared their voices when they do not have the freedom to speak up. We've been a voice for students, parents, & teachers.

(*I'll post a link to my PowerPoint presentation at the end of this blog so you can see my mastery of PowerPoint. If you want, you can click through the slides and pretend you were there.)

Surprise!
A few were astonished to learn that Momma Bears are opposed to Common Core, so they asked quite a few questions about why. They seemed surprised that we're not extremist, radicals, Tea party, crazy, misinformed, or ignorant like the politicians portray opponents of the core to be. We just don't fit in to that stereotype that Arne Duncan and the reformers have labeled us to discredit us. We're normal moms concerned about our children's education. I supported our positions against common core with evidence and facts. And I told them, "Don't believe me: read the Race to the Top agreement (and especially Appendix C) and decide for yourself." One person joked that I knew more facts and information than their company's research department, and asked me how on earth I knew all of this. I told them it was because the Momma Bears research and share information. We read a lot of other bloggers, too, and I told them about the many awesome ones out there (they are listed on the PowerPoint). I even quoted some of our favorite bloggers including: Diane Ravitch, Mercedes Schneider, Mother Crusader, Edushyster, and my new personal favorite: Curmuducation.

I couldn't talk about the Momma Bears without talking about the BATs. If you don't know about the BATs, you should. Don't let the name scare you, BAT is an acronym for "Badass Teacher Association." The BATS are a force to be reckoned with and they won't be ignored. The BAT movement started about the same time as Momma Bears last summer and has since grown to nearly 50,000 members! There are now groups for special BATs, State groups, secret BATs, retired BATs, and even BAT Parents! Like the Momma Bears, the BATs have advocated with little or no money. Our success has come thanks to the power of social media and people who put their foot down and said "Enough!" Warning: if you see a teacher with a BAT symbol in her classroom or on her clothing, you know she's committed to fighting for her students and her profession. Momma Bears have the utmost respect for the BATs.

I also talked about bad teachers. I asked the audience to think of the worst teacher they ever had. Did you learn something from him/her? Did you learn how to deal with difficult people? (because we're all going to have to deal with a difficult person at some point in our lives whether it is a teacher, boss, family member, neighbor, IRS agent, 3 year old toddler throwing a tantrum, etc.) Did you learn patience, tolerance, compassion, or that you're not as smart as you thought you were from your "bad" teacher? Was your worst teacher someone else's favorite teacher? (mine was). You just can't put a numerical rating on the worth of teachers. I spoke about how teachers are unfairly targeted and blamed in our society, and how we need to elevate and respect the teaching profession. We need to give them the support they need to teach. Lots of heads nodded, so I am pretty sure I was preaching to the choir. I think someone even said "Amen!" (or maybe it was a cough?)

To close out my presentation, I quoted one of my brave BAT friends who said, "We enjoy the shade of trees that we did not plant". The public schools are our trees. They were created before we were born with the intention of them lasting indefinitely for future generations. The reformers are chopping down those trees, though. When you chop down trees, you can't just put them back and have shade again. We must protect our public schools for our children. Don't let the reformers chop them down to make a quick buck. Public schools belong to the public.

MY AWESOME BUMPY FLIGHT HOME
So, after nearly missing my flight home because of the crowded airport and, of course, being selected for a random security check (because I guess I looked like someone who builds bombs?) I rush like a BAT out of youknowwhere to get to the plane (because the gate is of course at the very end just my luck), and made it in the nick of time only to find out our flight was delayed due to thunderstorms. We eventually took flight and, of course, the plane started bumping as it went through turbulence. Now, I'm not fond of roller coasters, but I am usually okay if I keep my mind on something else. The young woman next to me seemed to be a little worried, though, so I struck up a conversation with her to get her mind off the flight. Lo and behold, I find out she is a teacher! or, she WAS a teacher. Sadly, she burned out after 5 years of teaching, some in public schools and some in charter. She did not seem to mind that I asked her a bunch of questions. She even said I could blog about her if I didn't use her name. So, here is the sad, but hopeful, story of the teacher I flew with.

Picking her brain...
Why did you leave teaching? Is there anything that would convince you to stay? What would you change if you could? "Support" was her answer. She told about having virtually no support, from administrators in the building or from the program she went through to get a job (TNTP). She said she broke away from the teacher placement agency as soon as she could, and continued to teach for several years. She told of the bad leadership at the charter school she worked for, and the extremely strict discipline. She said she tried to talk to students, to relate with them on a personal level, and she believes that because she did that, she didn't have the behavior problems like other teachers seemed to have. Even so, she said students at that charter school were not allowed to talk, it was like they were little prisoners. She told me how kindergartners in the charter school were held back a grade level due to mediocre test scores, but how those kindergartners were really ready for first grade. She suspected the charter school just did it to boost their test scores.

Her eyes lit up when she talked about wanting to help students with special needs, just like her nephew. I felt her pain when she told about how frustrated she was that she couldn't get the help for students that she knew they needed. I wanted to give her a high-five when she told me how she secretly talked to parents after IEP meetings and told them they needed to keep fighting and what to do to help their child... because parents just don't know the system or what their child is entitled to.

After 5 years of teaching and high evaluation scores, she was just burned out. She was moving north to accept a job working as a consultant, and she was also seriously considering returning to law school to become a lawyer to fight for SPED students. I hope she does. They need her voice. And I hope our paths cross again someday. I believe it wasn't a coincidence that she was on that flight in that seat next to me.

If you'd like to see the Powerpoint presentation,
here is the link to download it: