Why does this olive branch have thorns?
There's yet another pro-charter op-ed in the Seattle Times. This one by Robin Lake of the Center for the Reinvention of Public Education.
While pretending to offer cooperation and reconciliation to charter school opponents following the passage of the new charter school law, Dr. Lake takes a number of shots at the other side and defines cooperation as "You abandon your position and adopt mine."
While pretending to offer cooperation and reconciliation to charter school opponents following the passage of the new charter school law, Dr. Lake takes a number of shots at the other side and defines cooperation as "You abandon your position and adopt mine."
Comments
The fact of this thread is every indication of that. Robin Lake does, in fact, offer an olive branch and Charlie sees thorns and stomps it into the ground.
Go check out Charlie's rah-rah for WEA's lawsuit in the comments on the ST article. Melissa and Charlie have no interest in partnerships and trust-building with ANYONE in the "corporate reform movement." They get too much juice from sowing discord and inciting rancor. Melissa doesn't even think of charter school parents as "real" public school parents. Why would she trust them?
Gag Reflex
Charter supporters won't run a multi-million dollar campaign in support of McCleary - they're too busy shoveling money into the charter campaign (Gates alone has spent over $50,000,000 trying to buy policy, trying to insert charters into Washington, over the last four years.)
Gates also pays Lake's salary - CRPE is well known as a Gates-supported pro-charter "institute." Her opinion piece isn't an olive branch; it's a dismissal of valid critiques of charters, which is what we would expect from her. You think CRPE would cast a critical eye on charters?
Why would anyone want to partner with an unconstitutional entity? Why would anyone trust an industry that has spent years being untrustworthy, via its massaged data, its rainbow and unicorn celebration of free market schools, its misinformation about public school teachers and efficacy.....Why on earth would anyone who has watched this trashing of public schools "trust" Lake or charters?
Gag Reflex
The new charter law is in the courts and we have a teacher shortage. Grant funding will be used to provide teachers for Rainier Prep charter school:
"Over the next two years, grant funding will support 16 new teachers for Sumner and Rainier Prep and lay the foundation for further expansions of UW's teacher preparation programs."
https://education.uw.edu/news/pumping-washingtons-teacher-pipeline
Unless they undertake a feel-good "we're all in this together" sort of action, not heartfelt (and already too late) but designed only to build public opinion....Remember the charter email from one charterite suggesting charter kids do a bake sale, like those public school supporters were doing, in order to get media attention on charters?
Lake's piece is yet another PR piece, designed to malign those of us against charters. While she claims to want to build bridges, she spends a large part of her piece disrespecting those against charters and very little discussing the failings of charter supporters....Why would we trust her? Or, really, any charter industry rep?
All we can do is wonder what WILL Strategies 360 (the preferred PR team of the Gates charter warriors) do next to sell charters, through CRPE, OSC, P4L, or any other of their astroturf mouthpieces?
Hers is a tack opposite rational discourse. Where democracy allows discourse in its process (particularly through law: proposed; comment; legislative; executive; court...repeat as necessary), she would just say, "let's move on, nothing to see here..."
Bah. Phooey on that.
Tax dollars will be used for legal fees for another charter bill.
According to K5, it may take two months to develop filing.
http://www.king5.com/news/education/teachers-union-to-challenge-new-charter-school-law-in-court/126187819
What is to become of I 1240? I 1240 is still in the court system.
I wrote that the olive branch had thorns because it did. I could point them out if anyone really does have trouble finding them.
--GL
And Charlie, even if you think there are thorns, don't you at least attempt to reach for it? Probably not, right? Besides, did you offer an olive branch yourself, thorny or no? Of course not, your MO is to launch grenades. [Excuse my mixed metaphors.]
Gag Reflex
In all of these calls for action, was there anything at all about McCleary funding? Did a parent or student testifying give a single sentence for the unconstitutional underfunding of ALL WA schools? I didn't hear about it if they did, and I'd be glad to be proven wrong.
So it's particularly galling to have Lake come back now, after charters got what they wanted but McCleary supporters didn't, and say that there's no reason we can't all get along with the legislature and work toward common goals. If they had any interest in working toward McCleary, they would have said something in the last session. A couple of sentences would have done it. But they didn't. They (and their advertising backers) made it abundantly clear that the only education issue that was important in their minds was charters. And that's why they have to make the next move on trust-building. Because they just told us with their actions that they aren't interested in working together.
Summit charter school's population was not entirely from the south end; the population for which they were intended. North-end families, and students from mid-level private schools are enrolled in Summit Sierra.
Charter schools drain funds from public schools, and the legislature has NO intention of limiting charter schools in cities.
I know, add it to the pile. Thanks anyway - Mark
• Commitment among charter supporters to help fully fund our public schools
• Acknowledgement of fact that charter schools are resegregating public schools
• Acknowledgement of fact that charter schools help defund public schools
• Any mention of massive charter school fraud
• Any mention of charter schools recreating the school-to-prison pipeline by disciplining black kids at for times the rate of white kids
• The Milwaukee charter school that's shutting down in the middle of the year
• Any reference to the massive mobilization against charter schools among people of color in urban areas across America
Robin Lake is making it very clear all she cares about it helping rich people profit off of the privatization of public schools. She doesn't get to declare victory and demand we all just quietly fall in line.
Guess what, Robin? This battle is only just getting started.
Public education works just fine in areas that have cash (go figure) and in areas that don't it is "broken" -- but of course "more money won't 'fix' it" claim the reformsters. Yet, that is the exact approach they take with their own children -- higher per pupil spending on students with limited needs and lower per pupil spending where students need it most.
The corporate charter approach of sitting students from poorer backgrounds in front of a computer screen with a first year "teacher" with no training isn't "innovation", it should be illegal. I hope a parent bilked by these charters sues for false advertising -- like the Summit claim that 100% of their students go to college (see the public hearing transcript before the defunct charter commission as proof they made this statement).
I'm still (and will probably always remain) disgusted with Governor Inslee for allowing this bill to become law (again). No wonder no one respects Democrats, they don't even stand by their core principles.
I am, at times, a rabble-rouser who is trys to get people worked up so they will take action. Not in this case. There is no action to take. The process will work itself out and the law will either survive the court challenge or it won't. Either way we all still need to go forward and do our best for all children whether they are in public, private, or charter schools.
The charter movement morphed from a laboratory model in support of publuc schools into a beast that thrives on the destruction of public schools. Their advertising, their "research," their advocacy is all geared to painting publuc schools as "failing" and public teachers as "union."
The modern charter industry is the arson, burning public schools so as to build charters on the smoking ruins.
Fighting against arsonists isn't arson.
And the fact that you operate in a self-righteous and self-justifying manner only adds to the confrontational demeanor you project.
And the fact that you don't see this is what is ridiculous.
GR
You're right, of course. Most "ed reform" crappola DOES get my hackles up. And since I can send half a million to the Times, like Gates did, all I have is this little blog...community...within which to spew my vitriolic rancor.
I mean, why WOULD I hold rancor against ed reformers? They LOVE public schools, just like I do!
;)
Let's take a peek at you two comments on this thread, shall we? Here's the meat of them, your points:
Comment 1: "Eric B, that's a laugh. The charter schools [could support McCleary yet] blogger supporters like Melissa/Charlie and Dora/Carolyn would still work just as hard to kill charter schools....Charlie sees thorns and stomps it into the ground....Charlie's rah-rah....Melissa and Charlie have no interest in partnerships and trust-building...They get too much juice from sowing discord and inciting rancor. Melissa doesn't even think of charter school parents as 'real' public school parent..."
Comment 2:"seattle citizen and NO 1240 continue to clearly articulate their "burn, baby, burn" mentality...And Charlie...your MO is to launch grenades."
No vitriol there, GR! Nope, not you!
Try addressing the points, the issues, instead of attacking us. You can do it!
:)
I'm not here to sow discord but to ask hard questions in all directions which is surely not the goal of corporate ed reform.
My point in say "real public school parents' is because to have parents who are in "public schools" go to Olympia, week after week, and none of them raise their voice in unison with their schools for McCleary makes me very sad. After all, their schools will benefit from McCleary fulfillment as well.
Here's part of my comment at the Times:
"The question in Washington is: what now? Can we recognize that creating a small number of schools designed to serve our neediest students need not detract from our fight to improve all public schools? Can we find ways to build collaborative relationships between district and charter schools to share best practices? Can charter and district parents join forces to push the Legislature to fully fund public schools? Can we consider what’s best for all of Washington’s students, regardless of what their school is called?"
Disingenuous and wrong.
What is the question? The REAL question is how Ms. Lake - or any corporate ed reformer - truly knows how Washington State Schools are doing without them being fully funded. How does she - or any legislator - know for certain that if our real public schools were fully funded, that we would not be doing better for ALL students across the board? And the answer is....she doesn't.
I will have a thread on this uptick of personal attacks on Charlie and myself. Clearly, we must be doing something right if pure discourse and argument are leading a few to go hardcore personal. It won't work and I would remind readers to watch their tone,please.
As it became clearer to me that the entire movement was not about improving public education, but rather destroying it, I stopped waiting for that conversation. Robert's list of subjects that Robin Lake should have, could have addressed -- had she wanted to actually bridge the divide and work collaboratively with those who are working to preserve what is left of public schools -- is a great list. The fact that Ms. Lake is fully enmeshed with those who seek only to destroy public education by privatizing it is, of course, why none of those issues would never be addressed.
Likewise:
Integrity/credibility is something you generally only get to lose once.
-JulietteF
Your second point? I think people make mistakes (intentional or not) in their lives and it would seem unfair to say a person is done for one thing (obviously not something major like murder, perjury, etc.)