Step One: Remember to Breathe

I’m Ashley Fahey and I’m a May 2010 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences/College of Education where I majored in secondary education and broad field science with a chemistry emphasis.  I student taught in Fall 2009 at Wauwatosa East High School in physics and chemistry and I also held TA positions in the Departments of Chemistry and Physics.  I’m currently employed as a 9^th grade Physical Science teacher at Prairie Point Middle School & 9^th Grade Academy in Cedar Rapids, IA.

After completing my student teaching, I decided to return to Marquette. I was petrified of not finding a job in the middle of the school year and a national recession.  I also really wanted (read: needed) health insurance and going back to school was the best and cheapest option for me.  I took “fun” classes, raised my GPA, and was able to fully enjoy my last semester in college.  That is, until I realized I needed to find employment.

My story is a little different and a lot fabulous.
I knew that I was moving with my boyfriend wherever he went to graduate school, and he applied to seven programs.  In the end, two schools gave him a substantial amount of funding – Georgetown and the University of Iowa.  In March, he visited both schools and I told him I wasn’t applying anywhere until he told me where he was going – thus buying myself more time to procrastinate on the application process.  I had started some applications, but hadn’t written essays or personal statements.  I had really just filled out the personal information portions (i.e.: my name).  On April 1^st, I got the call that we were moving to Iowa and I had better start applying for jobs.

Is Ravitch Right About the “Business” of Education? A Link To a Telling Q&A

FYI, there’s a brand new Q&A with noted educational policy analyst and historian,  Diane Ravitch, in  the NYU Steinhardt School’s e-newsletter, At A Glance. Dr. Ravitch serves as a research faculty member in the School of Culture, Education, and Human Development there,  and in this feature, she responds to questions related to her most recent book, Death and Life of the Great American School System.

Let me just say that the significance of her new work centers on the 180 degree turnabout she’s taken in  her beliefs about public schooling.   In short, she now dismisses almost entirely the very  business-related principles and strategies that she has espoused for several years, most especially that competition will make public schools better.  She now holds that, “What works for selling toothpaste or cars can’t be transferred to education.” Her defection from the ranks of those who shared those beliefs has stunned the education world.

The Q&A is worth a look regardless of where you come down on the issues.  Since the feature largely speaks for itself, I’ll simply provide the link:

http://blogs.nyu.edu/blogs/dbw1/ataglance/2010/03/qa_with_diane_ravitch_author_o.html

Hope you find the feature to be valuable reading.

And if you’d like to learn more, check out Alan Borsuk’s March 27 piece in jsonline.  He notes there that Milwaukee plays a significant role in Ravitch’s book and to whet your appetite for debate, I’ll share one last statement she made in her book:   ”I concluded that curriculum and instruction were far more important than choice and accountability.”

BH

MPS Minus $175,000,000 Equals Lots of Questions

By Bill Henk — Last week our State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Tony Evers, officially threatened to withhold $175 million in federal funds from the Milwaukee Public Schools.   The penalty comes as the result of five consecutive years of the district failing to meet its No Child Left Behind AYP (average yearly progress) targets.  It represents the full extent of the empowerment he can currently exercise over MPS.

In effect, Superintendent Evers notified MPS that all administrative and programmatic Title I funds would be forfeited if greater compliance with the district’s corrective action plan did not occur.  Although the notice is not final, it takes on enormous gravity because it is low income children who would be denied services.

MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos and School Board President Michael Bonds both believe that the official notice is tied essentially to disagreements about how the district is remedying a special education lawsuit.  That may be the predominate motivation for Evers’ action, but by law the sanction is justifiable on the basis of the missed AYP targets alone.

Of course, the ultimate question begged by the State Superintendent’s action centers on whether or not he’ll actually pull the trigger on the threat.

Toto, I Don’t Think We’re In a Public School Anymore

by Amanda Lloyd, First Year Teacher Blogger

I am a product of public schools.

From kindergarten through senior year of high school, I attended the public schools in my small hometown. To be honest, there didn’t seem to be many other options. The one exception was the lone Catholic school which served the 30-minute radius around my hometown. That little Catholic school boasted the largest graduating class ever of eight students when we finished eighth grade, which many parents did not seem to find appealing.

In my young mind, Catholicism and education were two separate entities. I was raised in a Catholic church, but was never baptized. I went to Sunday school on Sunday, to Mass with my parents, and, every once in a while, I got to sing at church. It was a weekend event. It was certainly important, but was never an inherent part of my lifestyle and daily activity.

That was, until I went to Marquette.

This News Just In…

Talk about good timing.  On the heels of our Monday post about Mayor Barrett and the proposed takeover of MPS comes a substantive Education Week article on that very topic as it plays out nationally.  He’s even mentioned in it.  Read, learn, and enjoy.

BH

Does the Mayor REALLY Want Control of MPS?

by Bill Henk
On the surface, this question seems downright nutty — odd at best and stupid at worst.

“Well, of course Mayor Barrett wants control of the Milwaukee Public Schools, Dr. Ivory Tower.  Where have you been?”

That response makes perfect sense coming from almost anyone who knows the unfolding of this story.  The Mayor’s intent to take over MPS is no secret.  The “news” has been pretty much splattered all over our local Milwaukee media.

And no wonder.  The theme of mayoral control has anchored high profile public announcements and abundant press releases by key players, especially in recent months.  Position statements, including joint ones, have been put in play by the governor, the mayor himself, the state superintendent, the  school board and teacher association presidents, state senators, aldermen, and almost every public official with a stake in the fight.  It might be easier to cite who hasn’t voiced an opinion.

Ten Harsh Facts and Sarcastic Questions about the Milwaukee Public Schools

This title literally speaks for itself.  My ten points below have their roots in reality and are borne largely of frustration and disappointment — hence the sarcasm.   

We need to overcome all of the harsh realities that confront MPS, and must lose our profound cynicism, unless it can somehow motivate systemic changes in our beleaguered urban public school district.  

But most of all, our Milwaukee education community as a whole must never lose hope or succumb to the enormity of  the struggle.   Far too many young lives hang in the balance.   

With that vital caution in mind, here are the realities as I see them:

MY Choices on School Choice

Last week I shared some of my history with school choice and posed some questions for readers to consider about the use of public tax dollars, accountability, and what we should expect of them.  Now let me tell you what I think…

First of all, I should say that my beliefs about school choice continue to evolve.  This is simply the truth, not a cop out.   It’s been an ongoing process of trying to refine my thinking.

I also need to own up to being a purebred K-12 public school product myself.  Before coming to Marquette, every college and university I’ve attended or held faculty rank has also been public.  All things considered, public education has been very good to me.

That’s probably why, early in my Milwaukee stint, I found myself not so much favoring or opposed to school choice as not fully grasping the need for it.  Over time, though, I couldn’t ignore the community’s growing disenchantment with our public school system.