Black Agenda Report calls Teach for America part of a Ferguson Trojan Horse agenda

“Teach For America” Trojan Horse Among Ferguson Activists? by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon / Black Agenda Report 12/10/2014

Teach For America recruits young, mostly white grads from elite colleges to undergo a 5 week training program which supposedly enables them to replace experienced, mostly black teachers in inner city schools. Although TFA used to claim it sends its recruits to “underserved” schools where experienced teachers don’t want to go, the facts are that underprepared TFA temps have replaced tens of thousands of experienced teachers in Newark, Chicago, St. Louis, and dozens of other cities around the country. Teach For America contends that inner-city public schools are NOT underfunded, that chronic poverty, joblessness, homelessness and short staffing are merely “excuses” used to protect the “bad teachers” which its mostly white temps are replacing. This is precisely the opposite of what knowledgeable young activists like the Dream Defenders Phillip Agnew will tell you.

For those not up on the criminal role Teach For America plays in black communities around the country, here are a few links….

Read entire post here ………………………….

More bad news for Teach for America; shoots self in ass!

Teach For America could miss recruitment mark by more than 25 percent By Valerie Strauss December 15, 2014 ; The Washington Post

Growing criticism about Teach For America and a polarized education reform debate is affecting recruitment of new corps members and the organization “could fall short of our partners’ overall needs by more than 25 percent” next year, TFA officials say.

Critics of TFA are likely to read that paragraph and say that TFA itself is partly responsible for a perception that teaching is not a stable profession. TFA, which has received millions of dollars from the Obama administration, has come under increasing criticism in the last few years for its longtime practice of recruiting new college graduates, giving them only five weeks of summer training and then placing them in classrooms in some of America’s most needy schools. Furthermore, TFA only  requires a two-year commitment from its corps members to stay in the classroom — which some corps members don’t meet — creating a great deal of turnover in classrooms with students who most need stability. TFA says it has filled an important need by placing teachers in hard-t0-fill positions, though critics note that in many cases TFA corps members have replaced veteran teachers. TFA has successfully lobbied Congress to define a “highly qualified teacher” — as required by the No Child Left Behind law — as a student teacher which, of course, covers its own corps members.

Teach for America losing luster with improved economy!

As recruitment dips, TFA leader says New York training site to close by Sarah Darville on December 12, 2014 6:37 pm Chalkbeat

Teach for America is having trouble recruiting candidates to teach in New York City schools and will close its New York training site in anticipation of declining numbers, the organization’s New York City leader told program alumni on Friday.

Economy get’s better and the Ivy League college graduates heads jobs better suiting them? 

TFA has long faced criticism for putting new teachers into classrooms before they are ready or without an understanding of the cultures of the students they will be teaching. In the past year, the organization’s national leadership has been calling attention to new efforts to keep its teachers in the classrooms after their initial two-year commitments, diversify its recruits, and place teachers in schools and cities where they have personal ties.

Yea how can we call TFA highly qualified without degrees in education with five weeks student teaching in summer school programs? Next thing you know they’ll show up at DE DOE in high profile jobs 😉  

Read all about it , Jeb Bush bails on own education foundations and leaves DE Sec Ed Murphy without a head chief

JEB BUSH RESIGNS FROM ALL BOARDS, INCLUDING HIS OWN EDUCATION FOUNDATION by DR. SUSAN BERRY 1 Jan 2015

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has resigned from all his corporate and nonprofit board memberships, including chairmanship of the education foundation he founded–more evidence that he is considering a 2016 presidential bid. Read entire story here ……………………….. 

So what becomes of Chiefs for Change and who will be mentoring Chief Murphy?  

Lizzie comes out of blog coma spitting AYP fire re: Moyer Academy

Why Wasn’t Moyer’s AYP Clock reset in 2012? Are you ready for Super-Charters? By Elizabeth Scheinberg; Children and Educators First 

2006 – “Old” Moyer receives its charter and begins operating.

2010 – DeDOE revokes that charter and orders closure

Later in 2010 – DeDOE grants “extraordinary authority” to K12 Classrooms Delaware, Llc to operate the school.

2012 – The New Maurice J. Moyer Academy Inc, applies to DeDOE to assume operations of the K12-State venture. DeDOE affirms.

Now, let’s take a good look at AYP –

2011/12 -Planning Year – School Operated by K12

2012/13 – New Moyer is alive and on life support.  No AYP calculations.  Why?

2013/14 – School fails to make “Original Model” AYP in its first “countable” year. And does it matter that New Moyer did not exist in 2010/11?  Is the baseline data approach flawed? If it’s Moyer-centric data, wouldn’t the data be inapplicable as the school under the charter that coaxed that data does not actually exist anymore? And If I am wrong in my approach to thinking about this – I hope my fellow bloggers will interject and explain DOE’s rational for 10-11 baseline data.

Read entire post here ……………….

Local blogger request board seat on Family Foundations charter school

Both Moore & Brewington Out At Family Foundations Academy, Looking For New Board Members….Should I? Posted on January 4, 2015 Exceptional Delaware

Hi Ms. May, 

I saw (and posted on my blog, Exceptional Delaware) that FFA is looking for new board members.  I thought I would throw my hat in the ring.  I believe I could lend expertise like this board has never seen before.  How many board members write a blog?  With the word Delaware in it at that!!!!  I write about charter schools ALL the time on my blog.  And Rodel.  And the DOE!  I have zero board experience, but I should fit in pretty well.  I am NOT a Sixers fan, but that’s good because there would be more money for the students.  My kid wouldn’t attend the school, so there would be no conlict of interest.  I don’t even live in the same town!  If you need any references, please contact Mark Murphy, Paul Herdman or Kendall Massett.  To see my resume, just take a gander at my blog. 

Let me know if you think I have a shot.  My time is short for this opportunity, as there may be other charters in Delaware looking to self-implode soon!  Thanks, 

The Exceptional Delaware Guy

Read entire blog post here……………………………