....in case you're local paper won't print it. Take a look.
Dear Editor,
Tony Bennett’s plan to give letter grades to schools has turned into a fiasco. Last January, all 35 speakers in the only public hearing on his plan opposed it, including representatives of all education groups and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Bennett did not attend the hearing. Nevertheless, he pushed the plan through in February without any of the recommended changes, despite information from his own department that the plan would result in 22% D’s and F’s for Indiana schools. In comparison, Florida last year gave D’s and F’s to 6% of their schools. Indiana schools are not over 3 times worse than Florida schools! This fact is certifiably grounded in data from the National Assessment, which is a test taken in common by all states and is known as “the nation’s report card.” On the National Assessment, Indiana consistently outscores Florida in 4th and 8th grade math and in 8th grade reading, and Indiana consistently scores higher than the national average. Tony Bennett’s A-F system has demeaned the performance of Indiana’s schools compared to Florida. Conveniently, low grades would feed more schools into his pipeline for state intervention which in Indianapolis and Gary has resulted in for-profit corporations taking over schools, accompanied by discord, litigation and fragmented communities.
Mayors have complained that unfairly low school grades damage local economic development efforts to attract new jobs. The calibration of this A-F system is simply wrong. It will hurt our schools and our economy.
This fall implementation has seen major delays, the director of the program took another job in the midst of the roll out, and local school officials say they can’t get answers to their questions about the flawed growth statistics. We need a change. I support Glenda Ritz for State Superintendent who stands for a revised system of grading our schools.
Dr. Vic Smith
Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Citizens for Public Education
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Indiana Education Reform: Community Conversation
Calling All Parents, Guardians, Community Stakeholders
“New Indiana Education Laws and our Children”
Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Light of the World Christian Church, 4646 N. Michigan Road, Indianapolis, IN
Join Us in Discussing How New Laws Affect Our Children’s Education
Special Guest Panelists: Representative Greg Porter, City County Councilman Leroy Robinson, Washington Township Teacher Glenda Ritz,Ed Power CEO Marcus Robinson, Indianapolis Deputy Mayor Jason Kloth, and Attorney Brenda A. Roper, National Council of Negro Women
Be informed about how several of the following laws impact our children:
-Teacher Evaluation and Performance System
-School Accountability-New Federal Waiver of NCLB
-Growth Model -Charter School Expansion
-Discipline -Turnaround Schools
-Vouchers -Minority Teacher Recruitment
“We can’t ADVOCATE, if we don’t KNOW.”
Co-Sponsored by the Greater Indianapolis National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Indianapolis Alliance of Black School Educators (IABSE), National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), and the Indianapolis Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW)
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