Mar 21, 2012
WestSeattleDan commented on Teach for America Signs Deal With Nation's Largest For-Profit Charter Schools Company.
Kitts you might profit from looking at Huntsville, Alabama's involvement with TFA.
http://www.rocketcitymom.com/?s=teach+fo…
http://www.rocketcitymom.com/?s=teach+fo…
Mar 21, 2012
WestSeattleDan commented on Teach for America Signs Deal With Nation's Largest For-Profit Charter Schools Company.
Kitts about those reputable studies look here =>
http://www.school-truth.com/TFA_letter_3…
Please note that the Mathematica study involved comparison with a group of teachers many of which did not meet certification requirements.
Seattle has a large supply of fully certificated teachers. The comparison group in the mathematica study was nothing like Seattle's situation.
TFA is a glorified well funded TEMP agency. Its product is not needed in Seattle.
The Board and Superintendent violated WAC 181-79A-231 to put this fiasco in place.
http://www.school-truth.com/TFA_letter_3…
Please note that the Mathematica study involved comparison with a group of teachers many of which did not meet certification requirements.
Seattle has a large supply of fully certificated teachers. The comparison group in the mathematica study was nothing like Seattle's situation.
TFA is a glorified well funded TEMP agency. Its product is not needed in Seattle.
The Board and Superintendent violated WAC 181-79A-231 to put this fiasco in place.
Mar 20, 2012
WestSeattleDan commented on At What Point Do We Start Deriding Public Schools as Just Another "Entitlement"?.
@ PEM 12:14 PM
And while TFAers may not be better than certified teachers, the districts they're going into need all the help they can get--the inner-city and impoverished schools TFA serves are already practically hiring any body with a pulse and a vaguely relevant degree.
I thought this discussion was about TFA in the Seattle Public Schools?
What are you talking about?
TFA newbies are not better than Traditionally certified new teachers. TFA teachers leave their assigned schools far sooner than Traditionally certified new teachers.
In Memphis where there is a large TFA presence: In four years, the TFA teacher return rate drops to under 9%. That just over 91% of TFA teachers will have to be replaced every four years.
TFA is a TEMP agency for teachers .... why are they in Seattle? Ask the 1% ers.
or ask Directors DeBell, Martin-Morris, Carr, or Smith-Blum.
And while TFAers may not be better than certified teachers, the districts they're going into need all the help they can get--the inner-city and impoverished schools TFA serves are already practically hiring any body with a pulse and a vaguely relevant degree.
I thought this discussion was about TFA in the Seattle Public Schools?
What are you talking about?
TFA newbies are not better than Traditionally certified new teachers. TFA teachers leave their assigned schools far sooner than Traditionally certified new teachers.
In Memphis where there is a large TFA presence: In four years, the TFA teacher return rate drops to under 9%. That just over 91% of TFA teachers will have to be replaced every four years.
TFA is a TEMP agency for teachers .... why are they in Seattle? Ask the 1% ers.
or ask Directors DeBell, Martin-Morris, Carr, or Smith-Blum.
Mar 20, 2012
WestSeattleDan commented on At What Point Do We Start Deriding Public Schools as Just Another "Entitlement"?.
@ Chris Jury ... about as far off track as possible.
Seattle is an outlier for the program. Most of the areas served have an impossible time finding anyone to teach, so it makes good sense to pay trainees a low wage to come in and commit to 2 years.
We are talking TFA here not Americorps of Jesuit Volunteer corps. TFA Corps Members get the same wage as a beginning fully credentialed teacher and perform as the teacher of record. This is not a situation of paying a low wage to trainees.
Committing to two years is unacceptable in a place like Seattle or Huntsville. Why create even more instability with a rapid turnover of marginally trained teachers in schools with high at risk student populations?
WHY? because this is all about TFA as an organization not about students.
Seattle is hardly an outlier. The TFA strategy is to do this in as many school districts as possible. Check out Huntsville, Alabama.
This is clearly a strategy from the Eli Broad play book. TFA in Seattle originated in a complex web of deception. Maria Goodloe-Johnson bought every plan fed to her by the Eli Broad Academy (she even got to sit on the Broad board).
Here are my two letters:
(1) to Tony Martinez of the State Auditor's Office in Seattle
http://www.school-truth.com/3-18-2012-Ma…
(2) to the Seattle School Directors
http://www.school-truth.com/TFA_letter_3…
Goldy has this TFA scam correctly identified.
Now let's see what those four current directors that voted for this TFA crap on several occasions do this time. (DeBell, Carr, Martin-Morris, Smith-Blum)
More...
Seattle is an outlier for the program. Most of the areas served have an impossible time finding anyone to teach, so it makes good sense to pay trainees a low wage to come in and commit to 2 years.
We are talking TFA here not Americorps of Jesuit Volunteer corps. TFA Corps Members get the same wage as a beginning fully credentialed teacher and perform as the teacher of record. This is not a situation of paying a low wage to trainees.
Committing to two years is unacceptable in a place like Seattle or Huntsville. Why create even more instability with a rapid turnover of marginally trained teachers in schools with high at risk student populations?
WHY? because this is all about TFA as an organization not about students.
Seattle is hardly an outlier. The TFA strategy is to do this in as many school districts as possible. Check out Huntsville, Alabama.
This is clearly a strategy from the Eli Broad play book. TFA in Seattle originated in a complex web of deception. Maria Goodloe-Johnson bought every plan fed to her by the Eli Broad Academy (she even got to sit on the Broad board).
Here are my two letters:
(1) to Tony Martinez of the State Auditor's Office in Seattle
http://www.school-truth.com/3-18-2012-Ma…
(2) to the Seattle School Directors
http://www.school-truth.com/TFA_letter_3…
Goldy has this TFA scam correctly identified.
Now let's see what those four current directors that voted for this TFA crap on several occasions do this time. (DeBell, Carr, Martin-Morris, Smith-Blum)
Mar 20, 2012
WestSeattleDan commented on Taking Education Reform Advice From the Blethens Is Like Taking Sex Advice From Rick Santorum.
So how are we spending the money to get TFA corps members? I mean as a society and total dollars dumped into TFA.
(1) TFA CMs are costing Seattle and Huntsville Alabama a cool $4,000 / CM / year sent to TFA.
(2) The total annual budget of TFA divided by CMs teaching in schools = $20,000+ / Corps Member (2010 data)
So where is TFA getting all this money to run its operation?
Gates Foundation, Broad Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Federal Government are some of the funders.
TFA once only provided CMs only to districts with severe teacher shortages ... but now its like a Giant Pyramid Ponzie scheme taking advantage of High Minority / High Poverty populations in places that can be tricked into giving it $4,000 per corps member per year.
But Seattle had the Seattle Foundation headed by Norm Rice providing the $4,000 bucks per CM for 2011-2012. --- put the Seattle Foundation on the donor list.
Hey put the UW on the donor list as well .... for creating and running its only alternative certification program, which is 100% TFA. Others seeking alternative certification need to look elsewhere ... only "5 week" TFA newbies allowed at UW. A entire program is now in place serving less than 15 corps members.
More...
(1) TFA CMs are costing Seattle and Huntsville Alabama a cool $4,000 / CM / year sent to TFA.
(2) The total annual budget of TFA divided by CMs teaching in schools = $20,000+ / Corps Member (2010 data)
So where is TFA getting all this money to run its operation?
Gates Foundation, Broad Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Federal Government are some of the funders.
TFA once only provided CMs only to districts with severe teacher shortages ... but now its like a Giant Pyramid Ponzie scheme taking advantage of High Minority / High Poverty populations in places that can be tricked into giving it $4,000 per corps member per year.
But Seattle had the Seattle Foundation headed by Norm Rice providing the $4,000 bucks per CM for 2011-2012. --- put the Seattle Foundation on the donor list.
Hey put the UW on the donor list as well .... for creating and running its only alternative certification program, which is 100% TFA. Others seeking alternative certification need to look elsewhere ... only "5 week" TFA newbies allowed at UW. A entire program is now in place serving less than 15 corps members.
Nov 16, 2011
WestSeattleDan commented on Peaslee Pulls Ahead of Incumbent Maier in School Board Race.
Nov 16, 2011
WestSeattleDan commented on Peaslee Pulls Ahead of Incumbent Maier in School Board Race.
Goldy has it correct ...... Peaslee wins.
Nov 16, 2011
WestSeattleDan commented on Peaslee Pulls Ahead of Incumbent Maier in School Board Race.
Sharon leads Peter by 91 votes now .... but Peter only won in the first two days of ballot counting. He has been losing each day's counts by progressively greater amounts. Peter lost Tuesday's drop by an 11.7% spread.
It appears that there are about 10,000 more votes (no counting write-ins) to count which will bring the total to around 145,000.
If Sharon takes 54% of the remainder and Peter 46%, she will increase her lead by 800 votes and a lead of 891 will not merit a recount.
725 or less an an automatic machine recount is required.
150 or less an a manual recount is required.
It appears that there are about 10,000 more votes (no counting write-ins) to count which will bring the total to around 145,000.
If Sharon takes 54% of the remainder and Peter 46%, she will increase her lead by 800 votes and a lead of 891 will not merit a recount.
725 or less an an automatic machine recount is required.
150 or less an a manual recount is required.
Nov 15, 2011
WestSeattleDan commented on Peaslee Pulls Ahead of Incumbent Maier in School Board Race.
It appears that those voters that voted later took more time to examine the evidence. Early voters may have used the Seattle Times as a guide to voting. ....
Hopefully Peaslee's 91 vote margin gets bigger.
Hopefully Peaslee's 91 vote margin gets bigger.
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Servants of the Paraclete—is a Jesuit-run psychiatric facility for troubled priests in Jemez Springs, New Mexico.
It is not run by the Jesuits.
Try wikipedia for Servants of the Paraclete --- very interesting.