From the Daily News:Schools Chancellor Joel Klein often lauds a small group of Harlem charter schools founded by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz.
But few New Yorkers are aware of the access Moskowitz has to the chancellor or the special support he has bestowed on her program, whose four schools enroll just 1,300 of the city's more than 1 million public school students.
Since Moskowitz launched her first Harlem Success Academy in August 2006, Klein has attended at least 13 events for her schools, including several fund-raisers and private meetings with her, 125 e-mails between them show.
The e-mails, obtained by the Daily News under a Freedom of Information request, provide a glimpse into the close relationship - one that would make most principals green with envy.
They show that in addition to Klein's visits, Moskowitz:
- Secured the chancellor's help last year in landing a $1 million donation from a private Los Angeles foundation.
- Got Klein to intervene on her behalf in clashes she had with his subordinates.
- Boasted to him of organizing parent "armies" to advocate for Mayor Bloomberg's educational policies - and of flooding politicians with thousands of pro-charter school postcards.
And there's more.
21 comments:
"His action led the United Federation of Teachers to sue..."
You know when I was a public high school teacher way back when, UFT President Albert Shanker used to say that his union members had the best teeth of all the city's union members. That's because the taxpayers gave UFT'ers free, that's right-free, dental care - root canals, fillings, crowns, etc. Just curious. Does this wonderful benefit, among so many others, still exist for teachers?
FOIA's have done a lot of good in revealing information since the late 1980's.
Ah yes, charter schools with a touch of No Child left behind testing programs. Keep up the smash up job there klein and company.
he showed her his jumpshot,and she must have been impressed.
he claims to have been a ball player.
a Bryant H.S. jock.
Are you against Charter Schools?
When Moskowitz was on the City Council, she was about the only one who stood up to the teachers union and publicized the harm that the union and its contract does to the schools.
Eva shakes it and Joel takes it.
So they take a school, like say Queens' own Newtown, and effectively "close it"
In the same building, you plan to put in three separate "schools"
Same kids, same facilities, and same funding, but now since its 3 schools you have three sets of administrators (principals, VPs, etc).
How is that better?? I mean, if you are an admin is great, but for everyone else? the students? the taxpayers?
ah, but it may not be the same kids in the "special" small schools in the building. and if those kids who struggle the most, or who have families that don't have the time, knowledge or inclination to get them to all the open houses necessary to get priority on the application to the small schools, are shuffled off to some other school...domino effect...
Eva received 1/2 million and for what? For dressing up Harlem student in cute uniform and feeding them healthier lunch meals. That's about it. they still failed miserably the national tests.
"How is that better?? I mean, if you are an admin is great, but for everyone else? the students? the taxpayers?"
It's not better. It's just more bureacracy. The decisions Klein is making are undermining our public schools in order to benefit charter schools.
Better schools for a select few. To hell with everyone else.
actually charter schools are not any better. the students still failed miserably the national test. charter schools just offer nicer uniform, healthier lunches and smaller classrooms and overpaid unexperienced teachers/administrators. more money for nothing accomplished.
what charter school does is caused segregation and provides private public schools in the rich ares in manhattan.
A lot of bad information being thrown around here. Get your facts correct. Charter schools are in poor neighborhoods, are open to whoever applies, and outperform public schools by a mile and at lower cost. The big difference? No union rules holding back the educational process.
please Bloomberg and his paper New Joke Post are trying to blame the UFT for the failed system when it is Bloomberg and his no bid contracts that has diverted the money to his cronies.
please Bloomberg and his paper New Joke Post are trying to blame the UFT for the failed system when it is Bloomberg and his no bid contracts that has diverted the money to his cronies.
WRONG!!!
Get your facts straight.
Charter schools say they are open to everyone and then proceed to "counsel out" students they feel will not perform well on tests i.e. ELL and special ed. kids.
Case Study
Deborah Kenny runs a few charter schools in Harlem called Harlem Village Academies. One school opened up for 66 5th graders 4 years ago.
That class, now eighth graders has 31 kids. How do you explain that?
If it's so wonderful wouldn't parents be getting their kids in there at all costs?? They are obviously eliminating kids that won't perform well by telling the parents they don't have the "resources" for them. Then proclaim stellar reading and math scores. The public schools wish they could be able to throw out their trouble kids.
And this is where charters go wrong. They should be for the neediest kids, not the kids with the savviest parents.
From the look of the pic, I think Joe Klein has the hots for Eva Moskowitz.. thus the 'special treatment'.
I mean the only way to get things or projects going that fast in any *government bureacracy* is always some special connection between the requester and the giver.
Try have some average Joe asking what Eva had asked to Klein and see how long it will take..if any action does take place.
A logical fallacy exists keeps being repeated - that due to some incompetent teachers and the teachers union that charter schools are better. People never make the case for this though, they just complain about the existing structure and say the charter schools must be better. I think this is wrong, whatever problems the existing system has, charter schools are worse. Paterson, Obama, Bloomberg etc. are all 100% behind charter schools, so you charter school boosters have a lot of friends in the government right now.
Aside from the special treatment, they are raising money for the charter schools. So with these fund raisers, the charter schools look better. You think all of this raised money will keep coming in once the existing school structure is destroyed? I can't believe Bloomberg and Paterson have conned middle class people into thinking that all of these charter schools are being built for the benefit of the middle class. They're not. The destruction of the public school system will be a disaster for the American middle class. Time for me to look for grandma's Irish birth certificate and apply for that Irish (EU) citizenship. This country is half way down the tubes and will be completely down the tubes in a few more years.
Primadonna wrote:
"They are obviously eliminating kids that won't perform well by telling the parents they don't have the "resources" for them. Then proclaim stellar reading and math scores."
===========================
That's not my experience with those type of learners. It seemed every effort was made to get them up to speed (special instructors and all). Sure there were consequences (failing out) when a child wouldn't apply themselves (although I've never witnessed one), but that's a needed mechanism. There has to be consequences to a students actions, or lack of. Children need to learn that important life lesson.
And this Charter was in the bowels of Astoria. Children of well off parents, they were not.
There are exceptions to every rule, and some charters take high needs kids. But that's not the rule, and if you want to know what really goes on you need to read Diane Ravitch's new book.
While Klein emails Eva, my school's at 250% capacity and he doesn't give a golly gosh darn. He won't care until and unless Eva wants to use it.
I'll bet her kids, unlike mine, won't be sitting in a trailer out back.
when are the school teachers going to report the "pupils" of the 1.5 million illegal aliens that crowd their class rooms.
that should get you out of the trailers......
why can't you and your U.F.T. be heard loud and clear?
taxpayers could use your talents for lobbying the politicians.
Eva and Joel: those two peas are getting it on inside that pod!
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