Former Badass Teacher Discusses Two Means Through Which the BATs Have Lost Their Way

Brian Crowell is a former  member of the Research Team of  the national Badass Teachers (BATs). He identifies as an organizing member of the Badass Teachers of Color Organization, co-founded with 13 peers and BAT founder Mark Naison.

Sometimes Bats can be unreasonable. 

Via Naison's blog With a Brooklyn Accent, Crowell details areas in which he feels the BATs have lost their way. As a former member who was kicked out of their groups and who was asked to remove a certain post on this EduStank regarding * Common Core as child abuse,* -- effectively asked to self-censor -- in order to garner even the consideration of re-admittance,  I am certain there are other aspects where the organization has failed to live up to its once high standards and continues to fail. 

My most-recent disappointment with them came today, in fact, when I noticed I'd been completely blocked from seeing their twitter feeds despite not having direct contact or issues with them for some time. I'd still tweet to them from time to time with info I thought they'd want to know about, and I'd read their feed for info I thought needed retweeting or attention. Now, though, I can't even do that. It's a shame too, because if BATs are good for one thing, it's being a one-stop repository for great articles  regarding education reform nationwide. 

Control the information flow and access, and you control voice. Guess the BATs have learned a thing or two from the ed reformers after all. 

Dr. Naison left the BATs a while ago, and unconfirmed reports suggest he found the group too hung up on "playing nice" while not engaging in tough critical discourse with those whose opinions might have been aligned (ahem) with some BAT stances but not others. 

Crowell suggests, "The National BATS Organization has no interest in restoring the true left and progressive roots of Labor" and sees this as one evolution of the group that deviates from its initial intent. Furthermore, he feel the BATs' union-friendly stance has become extreme in the face of reason. As a BAT who was pro-union "mostly" but wasn't and still isn't afraid to critique unions or even suggest some things they allow support bad practice and fiscal waste (rubber rooms, anyone?), I feel Crowell's pain.

And my guess it is true pain, too. I don't agree with everything Naison writes and I probably wouldn't agree with all of Crowell's opinions either. But to see an organization take on traits of the things it wanted to fight and  turn to extremism must be devastating if you were among the founding members. I know not renewing my NCTE and CEE memberships based on principles (I'd like to see a more hard-lined anti-Common Core stance from the groups and don't want to support duplicitous, wishy-washy stances the main NCTE leadership has supported) was hard enough for me, and NCTE has been around since 1911, long before I walked the Earth. 

Read more about Crowell's critiques *here*.

As well, it should be noted that critiquing the BATs publicly or even on their private pages  -- and especially critiquing the moderators -- is an offense for which one can be banned that group. Maybe the BAT motto should be "Align, Resign, or Pine" given their tactics and how they are indubitably  driving away their former leaders and potential future allies. 

Time to Talk About VAM in Teacher Education Programs

You may know about the Value-added Models (VAM or VAMs) of accountability for K12 teachers and schools which are supported by those who seek to tie school districts' reputations -- and individuals' salaries or job security --  to how well students do on standardized tests. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) required a sort of VAM accountability in that K12 schools could be closed and principals and faculties fired if multiple student populations didn't make significant growth (defined by scores on standardized tests) from year to year. Race to the Top (RttT) funds seem tied to similar accountability measures as well, connecting them to the slate of new tests aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Prominent pro-corporate education reformers like Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee, and *Arne Duncan* support VAM as a means to evaluate public school teachers.

NCLB has been credited with forcing schools to focus on under-represented populations more than they had previously, and that is a claim hard to refute. However, NCLB also required all students everywhere in the United States to meet basic literacy proficiency by 2014, a completely unrealistic goal which illustrates the "failure by design" measures inherent in VAM systems. Teachers in accountability-hot states might have found their "efficacy" ratings printed in local newspapers, another VAM-like aspect of the increased pressure on public schools to show often-arbitrary and meaningless "growth."

Now folks at the federal Department of Education seek to establish VAM as a means of evaluating teacher preparation programs, which suggest to me it is only a matter of time before individual college professors are held accountable for how well their students' students perform on Common Core State Standards assessment and/or other state-mandated standardized tests.

The American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) reports:

On December 3, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education released its long-anticipated proposed regulations for teacher preparation programs for public comment through the Federal Register. Right now, AACTE staff members are reading and analyzing the regulations. 

See AACTE's concerns regarding these proposals *here,* and see information about the actual proposal from the U.S. Department of Education * here and here.*

You may note when clicking that last link that there is a "comments period" underway. Both AACTE and I encourage you to share your concerns about VAM applied to teacher education by the February 2, 2015 deadline.

My response is listed as the second comment received as of now and begins "The Value Added Model (VAM) is one of the greatest scams perpetrated in the name of education reform in the 21st century." Only seven responses have been gathered as of this blog post's live status.

Essentially, the proposed VAM system adds another layer of accountability Hell for those involved in teaching.

Just as K12 teachers might be retained or fired based partly on their students' progress on standardized tests, this next step would allow the government to reward, deny funds to, or even contribute to the elimination of teacher preparation programs with graduates (teachers) in the field (public schools) whose K12 students do no perform what is considered "well" on standardized tests. And who determines "well?" The feds, of course.

Again, programs -- and I believe individual professors too, given the trickle-down hierarchies  inherent in higher education and academics' reputation for accountability-shirking (Yes, we brought much of this on ourselves) -- will be awarded or perhaps fired (especially if they're untenured) or see their programs or departments shuttered if K12 students taught by their graduates do not do well on measures the government deems important.

Just as current K12 reforms are supported by the same interests who invest in alternatives to the public schools their policies bastardize, I suspect privateers are investing in and eager to market more private/corporate alternatives to university-based teacher education programs or will fund competing programs alongside traditional routes to teacher licensure (See recent news about changes in teacher education at the University of Memphis and Eastern Michigan University, for example). Teach for America  has a template for investors to follow already.

As well, the reformers and politicians continue to define the terms of success, the same terms which suggest many teachers and now maybe professors are failing in their missions.

Essentially, the government wants to answer "Why can't Johnny read [such that he can pass standardized tests]?" with the answer "Because Dr. Jones and/or peers at Any State University's Teacher Ed program didn't do a good enough job teaching Sally Santos, Johnny's teacher, how to turn Johnny into a standardized test-taking automaton. Perhaps others should avoid Mrs. Santos' fate be enrolling in a new program financed by a philanthropist who has found a way to profit from her involvement." 

Central to VAM proponents' claim is that the teacher is the most important part of any classroom, even though research suggests socioeconomic status (especially poverty) affects students more than a teacher can. Indeed, no study suggests a more than 20% impact rating regarding the teacher's role in assisting students' learning or achievement on standardized tests, themselves poor metrics of student growth, and from what I've read, 20% is generous.

While making a comment doesn't equate to making change,*I do encourage all to comment *  such that the DOE can see many of us have important, fact-based worries regarding these proposals, proposal which are not based in realities or research and clearly are part of the larger plan to destroy and privatize public education and use the most narrow and meaningless metrics to define "success" for American students, teachers, and teacher educators to do so.

Common Core-Connected Lawsuits Gaining Traction: See McQueen v. Huppenthal

Brad McQueen has posted information related to his and the Goldwater Institute's lawsuit against an Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction.

 McQueen is an outspoken critic of Common Core State Standards and penned the book The Cult of the Common Core: Obama's Final Solution for Your Child'es Mind nd Our Country's Exceptionalism. Goldwater attorneys claim Arizona officials mistreated McQueen when he was employed as a teacher within that state and that the poor treatment stemmed from his views:

  In February 2014, Brad McQueen, a Tucson elementary public school teacher, courageously spoke out against the new Common Core standards that are being implemented in Arizona. McQueen, an insider to the new Common Core standards, had participated in numerous Common Core committees. Over time, McQueen grew skeptical about Common Core and began expressing his concerns publicly.

Unhappy members of the Arizona Department of Education swiftly retaliated against McQueen by removing him from all teacher committees, even those not related to the new Common Core standards. They disparaged McQueen inside the Department along the way.

As a result, McQueen lost a source of supplemental income and other teachers have witnessed the consequences of speaking out against the Common Core. This Goldwater Institute lawsuit seeks to end the retaliation against McQueen and to ensure that teachers’ free-speech rights are protected.

Courtney Van Cott and Kurt Altman, McQueen's primary legal representatives in the suit, also claim "an increasingly militant ideology has developed around Common Core. The retaliation against McQueen illustrates efforts to silence dissent,"

Or at least an effort to define the term "f*cktard." Seriously. Read * here * to get more details on the case, how and why McQueen might have met oppressive opposition, and just how deeply-rooted a corporate-political entity Common Core is in American public education.

Good luck to the plaintiffs, and why do I get the feeling this is among the first of many lawsuits to be filed somehow connected to the Common Core State Standards?

View Short Film "Refuse the Tests"

I keep a running list of great education-related film *here,* but please follow *  this link * to a new short film from Michael Elliot. The film, entitled Refuse the Tests, run just over 3 minutes and supports notions associated with United Opt Out.

Teachers as Conscientious Objectors to Ed Reform, Over-Testing?

Please read *this article* from Valerie Strauss on the notion of teachers as conscientious objectors. 

Strauss points to Diane Ravitch's profile of NY teacher Rick Bobrick:

"Bobrick, a veteran teacher in New York who is tired of being forced to administer to students high-stakes tests that he thinks are punitive and antithetical to real learning. He wants teachers to have the right to opt out of administering standardized tests they think are harmful to students. As it is now, teachers can be fired for refusing to administer a mandated test."

I'm hip to Bobrick's efforts and desires and will raise ya one: What if there was an effort from citizens to conscientiously object to paying taxes to national and local governments supporting abusive educational policies?

Sarah Blaine Offers MUST-HAVE List of Questions Parents Should Ask Ab Standardized Testing, Technology, Data Mining

A few weeks ago, coinciding with the start of the new academic year, I posted a series of questions teacher education majors could ask their professors -- especially their teacher education profs -- to help them determine how their courses might be influenced by the current education reform movement. See the questions  *here.*

I intended to follow up that post with one featuring a list of questions for parents. That post was to offer questions parents might ask teachers and administrators about Common Core, standardized testing, opting out, and other ed reformy-wormy sorts. I didn't get around to it, but, recently Peter Greene, one of Edustank's favorite education activist bloggers, did:

"Sarah Blaine blogs over at *parentingthecore,* and while she is not a very prolific, her posts are often thoughtful and thought-provoking," says Greene, of *Curmudgucation.* Blaine has posted a series of "skeptical but respectful" questions parents and guardians might want to ask teachers, administrators, board members, etc. regarding time spent on testing and other concerns. 

The list is MUST-READ material for any parent with a child in public schools. See the list *here. *

Seriously. Must-read. 

Building the Machine Documentary Releases New Footage: Parents Weigh In; It Ain't Pretty.

A must-view documentary on the creation and critique of the Common Core State Standards has updated its footage with testimonials from worried parents. A few weeks ago, I posted a link to the original film, Building the Machine, along with links to a TED talk from Joshua Katz and to the documentary The Inconvenient Truth About Waiting For Superman. (View that post *here*). But, the parent conversations are new and troubling.

A note: Some will worry about the funders for "Building the Machine," which is apparently a shill group for private education/home schooling. While I'm a strong advocate of public schools, I have no qualms with private education or home schooling strong enough to keep me from sharing the film and its updates.

Click *here* to see the newly-released footage and access the original film as well. The original film is especially helpful because it features two prominent professors who were part of the CCSS committees on English Language Arts and Math standards, respectively, but who would not approve the final versions once they saw how ceremonial their roles were and how little the CCSS leaders respected their recommendations. Neither Sandra Stotsky (ELA) nor James Milgram (Math) were listened to when they stated their concerns with the standards. That fact needs constant attention, and Building the Machine features both professors prominently.

While some may feel the new parents-centered footage is melodramatic and might even seem under-informed, when paired with commentary from Stotsky and Milgram, the overall product is one of import to many stakeholders in American education and to all who stand to oppose current economics-based and corporately-tied education reform.