Tennessee Parents - Reclaiming Public Education for our children
  • HOME
  • OUR VOICES/BLOG
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • CONTACT US

Parents aren't fooled

8/27/2014

 
These are 2 recent articles, shared with permission, from the Momma Bears of Tennessee about TN's Department of Education makeover:

Rebranding the TN Department of Education
08/18/2014

Remember the bid for a PR firm that that TN Parents wrote about in the spring?  The TN Department of Education desperately sought the help of marketing professionals to fix their dreadful image.  Well, obviously, a firm was hired and is working their makeover magic because there's a monumental difference in the propaganda coming out of the TN DOE lately.  

First, check out the TN DOE website makeover:
BEFORE:
(website screenshot from March 2014)
Picture
The old website had an overcast, almost foreboding, grayish blah color scheme.  Kevin Huffman's name and Governor Haslam's picture were both prominently displayed at the top of every page.  Photos on the page included important people posing with other important people.  Like the other government pages, the watermark at the top and bottom of the webpage showed mountains, which could imply the federal Race to the Top program that everyone hates, or it could be interpreted to mean that East Tennessee is more important than the flat land in the western part of the state.  Take your pick.
AFTER: 
(screenshot from August 2014)
Picture
As you can see, the new website has lots of changes.  There are large pops of happy colors and candid pictures of cute kids.  There's a tab for "community".  Gone are the banners with Kevin Huffman's name and Governor Haslam's smirk on every single subpage because maybe that expensive PR firm realized that people's blood pressure skyrocketed every time they saw it. Or maybe, just maybe, this is a foreshadowing that Kevin Huffman may not be around much longer?  Momma Bears can only hope!  Also missing from the new webpage are the smoggy mountain images.  We guess we are not racing to the top anymore now that the entire $500 million prize we won is spent?  

It is kinda funny how the new website says, "We've redesigned and reorganized our site from the ground up with you in mind."  Gee, thanks, for keeping me in mind, when in all honesty, we are sure that the only thing on your mind was: "How On Earth Do We QUICK Fix This Awful Image Problem That Governor Haslam and His Appointed Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, Have Created Before Election Time in November So That The Governor Gets Re-elected And We All Keep Our Jobs?"

And, of course, this dishonest image is still on both websites: 
Picture
Because that is the ONLY thing that the Governor has to cling to.  TCAP scores this year were flatter than a puddle of water on Tennessee asphalt in August.  There is no miracle, not from Common Core, not from this new RTI2 mandate, not from the awful teacher evaluation rubrics or TVAAS system, and most certainly not from giving a chunk of our poorest public schools to charters through the ASD because those schools are lower than ever.  

TCAP scores weren't even released in time for student's final report cards in the spring because they had to adjust the cut scores, take out the non-common core questions to boost scores, and figure out a way for this new PR firm to triage the massive outrage and somehow put a positive spin on the dismal results.

Here is why that claim of "Largest Growth on 2013 NAEP" is not truthful:  
The Governor and Huffman keep saying it everywhere they go, and probably even mutter it in their sleep, but they neglect to mention one ginormous fact:   TN passed a new law the year before the 2013 NAEP test which drastically changed the pool of students eligible to be tested for NAEP.  This new law prohibited 3rd graders in Tennessee from being promoted to 4th grade if they were not proficient.  So, for the first time in TN history, 3rd graders were not socially promoted to 4th grade.  The low-scoring students were left behind in 3rd grade!  Voila!  Don't let the non-proficient kids in to 4th grade to take the test and you magically lift the whole state's average score compared to other states in the nation!  
(A note about NAEP tests in case you don't know:  the NAEP is given every 2 years to randomly selected 4th and 8th graders in every state in the nation.  It is required by the Federal Government to get our federal tax dollars for our schools.  Click HERE and HERE to read more about the NAEP and how is manipulated to suit politicians).


Next, NEW Emails from TNDOE: 
          I Heart You soooooooo much!!!

Subscribers to the TNDOE weekly emails noticed a big difference in the weekly emails, too.  Prior emails were cold, factual, and condescending.  The paragraphs were blocky and had the attitude of "Do This New Policy Or Else".

The new email sent to subscribers last week had hearts, smiles, friendships, relationships, unicorns, and rainbows.  (Okay, so not the last 2, but we're not exaggerating about the difference being night and day.)  Here's an excerpt from the new email:
Picture
See? They are not meany-pants dictator bullies...  They are a "team" wearing cute matching shirts and holding signs of love!  (Bonus points to those who can pick out the former Teach For America overpaid staff).

Another big change to the emails is that they are now being sent through Mailchimp, which is an email service that allows the sender to track opens, clicks on links, reports, etc.  The TNDOE loves, loves, loves data so they are probably in data heaven.  
Save the best for last, a special LETTER: 

U R MY BFF 4EVR! 
<3, Bill   XOXOXO

Tennessee teachers were shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you! -  last week to receive personalized emails from the Governor himself.  These letters were addressed to their first names, which left some wondering if they are now considered friends with the Governor.  Bill (we can call him by his first name now, right?) wrote about the way he traveled across the state and had 12 secret meetings with pre-screened teachers and how he listened, oh how he listened, and he just loves teachers and wishes he could pay them more but he has to take care of corporations first.  Okay, so Bill didn't blatantly say that in the letter, but if you read between the lines and know the recent news, it is what our friend, Bill, really meant. 

We bet someone from that fancy new PR firm wrote the letter anyway.  Bill doesn't write letters.  He certainly won't respond to any of ours.  Of course, he has staff that sends out blanket responses because Bill does not have the time to correspond with commoners unless you are pre-screened and agree with Bill's views.  

Not all teachers were fooled by the use of mail-merge fields or by the use of their school email address to try to gain their vote for Bill in November. Other candidates for Governor certainly don't have the luxury, ability, or staffpower to send personalized blanket emails to teachers using their school email addresses, but Bill does.  (Click HERE if you want to see one of those blanket letters Bill sent to a TN teacher)

So, what has changed within the TNDOE?  
        Nothing.  Zip.  Zero.
The same people are still doing the same jobs at the TNDOE and they have the same intentions of forcing Common Core on our children, requiring high-stakes tests on our children, punishing and firing our children's teachers based on our children's test results, and crushing our children's public schools to expand more charter schools in TN so their friends can make big bucks.

The difference is that our tax dollars are now being spent on the best Public Relations Firm our tax money can buy with the goal of fixing the horrible image of the TNDOE, Commissioner Kevin Huffman (for as long as Bill keeps him around as a puppet), and the person who just happens to be up for re-election in November: Bill.  
Picture
Picture

Hide & Seek:  TNDOE hides Common Core
08/19/2014

Our last Momma Bear blog focused on the external makeover of the TNDOE: website, email, and Bill's staff's letter to teachers. However, there was one huge difference that deserved its own blog.  Did you catch it? Take a look at their new website, again, in the previous blog and see if you can tell what is missing:
Picture
Do you notice anything "common"? 
Bingo!!!  All references to Common Core have been removed!   

You'll see plenty of the word, "CORE," because of TNCORE.  They can't really eliminate "TNCORE" because they have a whole different website devoted to it with its own logo and all.  Obviously, the TNCORE website hasn't gotten a makeover yet because Bill's picture is still at the top along with Kevin Huffman's name just like on the old website: 
Picture
But notice that even this TNCORE website doesn't even mention the word, "common," on its main page. You have to play hide & seek with your mouse to find the actual words, "Common Core," anywhere at all on the subpages.  There is also no ketchup-mustard-onion-swirl Common Core logo: 
Picture
Does that mean we aren't doing Common Core in Tennessee??? 
Oh, don't we wish!  Unfortunately, there are lots of people making lots of money on this Common Core gravy train, so it is still chugging along the tracks full-steam ahead whether parents and teachers like the direction the train is heading or not. 

Here is what the TNDOE has sneakily done, they have renamed the Common Core standards to: 

          "Tennessee State Standards"

Teachers told us that this renaming quietly happened over the past year. Teachers and Common Core coaches have been told to call it by the new name from now on and not to use the words, "Common Core" to avoid controversy or conflict.  The name is toxic.

Wait, can they do that???
Now, everyone knows that Tennessee didn't write these standards.  Even so, our state is branding them as their very own, which any English teacher can tell you is plagarism.  Some would even consider it "stealing," "theft," or "lying" to take someone else's property and put your name on something you didn't write.  Whatever you call it, it is undeniably sneaky and underhanded.  If the owners of the Common Core don't object to it, (and why would they? they just want the standards implemented no matter what it takes) Tennessee can do it.  

The TNDOE thinks that by not using the toxic name people won't be so upset.  Think again.  It is even more infuriating to know they are blatantly trying to trick us, isn't it?
 

"No, thank you, Mr. Haslam" - TN teachers aren't fooled

8/26/2014

 
The following was originally published at www.tnedreport.com.  Reprinted and shared with the kind permission of its author.  

NO THANK YOU, MR. HASLAM
by Andy Spears

On August 14th, Governor Bill Haslam sent a “Welcome Back” letter to teachers across the state. In the letter, he thanked teachers for their hard work in helping Tennessee improve its student achievement scores. He said he appreciated what they did for Tennessee students every day.

Apparently, some teachers haven’t forgotten that this is the same Bill Haslam who promised to make Tennessee the fastest improving state in the nation in teacher pay in October of 2013 and included a teacher pay raise in his 2014 budget address … only to break that promise in April.

Some teachers sent responses directly back to Haslam. And some of those same teachers sent their responses to TN Ed Report under the condition we keep their names anonymous.  Here are some of the responses we received:

Teacher Response #1:

I appreciate your attempt to understand the inner workings of a classroom and appreciate your words of appreciation for those of us who chose to serve others through teaching. However, I am highly disappointed at the turn of events in which you announced that teachers would not receive pay raises. We already make much less than other TN State employees and much less than teachers of other states.

It is easy to make promises and to break them:
http://tnreport.com/2013/10/04/raising-teacher-pay-a-top-budget-concern-for-haslam-administration/   

I am personally insulted in your lack of support for the teaching profession. My colleagues and I work hard for the families we serve. A normal day for most of us is  7:45 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Though we are only paid to work 8:00 until 3:15, our jobs cannot be completed in those hours. Many times we take student work home with us and are constantly looking for ways to improve our teaching on our own time.

Teachers are generally told “no one teaches for the money”. TRUE, but teachers never expected to be put on the “budget cutting” chopping block each time raises are considered. We feel betrayed with popular campaign promises and rhetoric.

In closing, make no mistake that our hard work is not completed for you or any elected official. Our hard work is for the children we PROMISED to educate when we accepted our jobs. Your letter of appreciation proves that WE have not failed those who have put their trust
in us, including you.



Teacher Response #2

Please tell the PR firm that suggested you send these letters that we teachers are well educated and therefore insulted that they would believe a letter full of empty words could ever make up for what you and your administration have done and are doing to ensure the destruction of public education in Tennessee.

Teaching is more than a job to me. Teaching is my calling. I sincerely love all of my students and work tirelessly for them. I most often work six full days a week to ensure that they have exactly what they need to succeed. I spend hundreds sometimes more than a thousand dollars of my own limited income every year to make sure that their needs are met. I was always proud to be a teacher but, not so much these days. Mostly these days my heart aches for my children. I spend many hours crying for them. Your administration has stripped our classrooms of all joy. Teacher morale is low because we are working in hostile conditions.

Finally, please keep your empty words. This letter is too little, too late.



Teacher Response #3

I am in receipt of your letter of August 14, 2014.
 
I appreciate the welcome back to school. And it is nice to hear the words “thank you.”
 
In your letter, you note that Tennessee is the fastest improving state in the nation in terms of student achievement. You attribute this success directly to teachers.
 
I seem to remember that in October of 2013, you also promised to make Tennessee the fastest improving state in teacher pay — an acknowledgement of the hard work so many Tennessee teachers are doing every single day.
 
Your budget, proposed in early 2014, also indicated at least a nominal raise for teachers was forthcoming.
 
Then, in April, you abandoned that promise.  When the state revenue picture changed, the budget was balanced on the backs of teachers. Not only did your new budget take away promised raises for teachers, but it also reduced BEP funding coming to school districts. Now, teachers are being asked to do more with less.  And students suffer.
 
Your words ring hollow when your actions make it clear that teachers don’t matter. That our schools can wait just one more year for the resources students need to succeed.
 
As for your “thank you” for the work I do, I’d note that I can’t send it to the bank to pay my mortgage. A thank you isn’t going to fix my car when it needs repair. When the price of groceries goes up, I can’t simply use your thank you letter to cover the increase. And when my health insurance premium inevitably rises in January, your letter won’t put money back in my paycheck to cover the cost.
 
The raise you promised but failed to deliver would have helped with all of these things. But your letter does nothing but remind me that you say nice words and shortchange our schools.
 
In my classroom, I place a high value on integrity. That means doing what you say you’re going to do. On that scale, sir, you rate an F.



We received copies of other responses that mentioned the poor communication style of Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and the loss of collective bargaining rights. While teachers may not have a viable alternative to Haslam on the ballot in November, those sending us copies of their responses made it clear they won’t be supporting Haslam.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow@TNEdReport

TN Parents thought legislators, Superintendents, School Board members, parents, and the Governor should read these important letters.  We are grateful to TN Education Report for allowing us to share it with our followers.

Teachers' working conditions are children's learning conditions. We want happy, respected, and fairly compensated teachers for our children. Teachers deserve better than this.  


TN DOE messes up. Again. 

8/21/2014

 
The TN Department of Education notified schools last week that were placed on one of 3 of their lists:
  • Priority: bottom 5% of schools in TN (TN DOE gives these to the Achievement School District to turn around)
  • Focus: 10% of schools with largest achievement gaps (regardless of overall performance)
  • Reward: schools with highest growth

But this week, some of these schools were told there had been a big mistake.  Apparently, the TN DOE was going against what was written in the NCLB waiver and ended up having to take about 40 schools off the focus list and add some that were originally reward schools. 

From an anonymous teacher in Washington County:
We were on the cusp of reward after the 2012-13 school year. We were told at the beginning of last year that we probably would make it and then my principal said we missed it by a minor tenth of a point.  We are definitely on the focus list this year. That I know for sure. 

Our school had such good growth and achievement!  Our sped kids - bless them - can't compete and keep up - too much of a gap. A resource/sped teacher is next door to me. She came to me yesterday in tears about this.  

Our sped students are being double punished by our DOE. 1st- they are being strapped with the unfair burden of our school's failure. It doesn't matter how the TN DOE spins it.... If your school makes the priority or focus list, the local newspaper tells everyone that your school is a failure!    2nd- some of our sped kids made AMAZING gains from one year to the next. These students were ranked in the below basic category and moved all the way to the top of the basic category - one as much as 87 points. But their gains and hard work are not valued by state department.  These students are still in the basic category and deemed a failure. Gaps are measured by where students fit in the 4 categories: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. They are not measured on growth, true ability, and effort. This is shameful and WRONG!

My sped/inclusion kids last year worked like beasts. They totally out worked my reg ed students hands down. They deserve medals not labels!

Errors such as this one, the awful TCAP delay in the spring, and the questionable waivers granted by Commissioner Huffman to cover their problem make everyone question and doubt the current leadership. 

From their ivory tower in Nashville, the TN DOE wields a heavy hand of accountability over teachers and our local school districts, but its motto seems to be:
 “Accountability for thee, but not for me.”



    Authors:
    real parents & real teachers
    from TN

    They are afraid to speak up and risk their jobs... They want to protect their children... This blog is for them:  Their voices need to be heard.

    These blogs are emailed to these TN officials:  
    the TN Board of Education, 
    the TN Commissioner of Education,
    the 99 TN House Representatives,

    the 33 TN Senators,
    the Governor of TN,
    every Superintendent in TN,
    hundreds of locally elected school board members across TN,
    and parents... lots and lots of parents.

    Categories

    All
    ALEC
    Arne Duncan
    ASD
    Barbic
    Campaign Contributions
    Charter
    Common Core
    Consultants
    CRA
    Crisis
    EOCs
    ESL
    Evaluations
    Faux Parents
    Governor
    Haslam
    Huffman
    Kindergarten
    KIPP
    Laws
    Legislators
    Lobbyist
    Mcqueen
    NAEP
    Next Gen Science Standards
    Opt Out
    PARCC
    Parents
    Petition
    Plan
    Pre-K
    Protest
    Pta
    Ravitch
    Reform
    RELAY
    Resolution
    Rocketship
    RSD
    SAT10
    School Board
    School Board
    Score
    Sneaky Politician
    Student Data
    Student Privacy
    Students
    Studentsfirst
    Superintendent
    TCAP
    Teachers
    Tenure
    Testing
    Tfa
    TNDOE
    TNReady
    Tree
    Tripod
    TVAAS
    University Of Memphis
    US DOE
    Vouchers

    Archives

    March 2017
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.