Dear Ms. Rhee 29 August 2012

Dear Ms. Rhee,

I write to you often but I am not even sure you pay attention as you have never responded. If you responded, I would be shocked as it would mean you had to deal with facts which were presented. Since you are more inclined to manipulate facts, I am not expecting responses any time soon.

So, it would appear that Aspire Public Schools has taken a page, well maybe a chapter from the playbook of  regular public schools. This is not the first time I caught the problem; I have addressed this issue at other junctures. I just keep pointing out the facts so that you don’t lose track of them as you campaign against teachers.

https://rn11.ultipro.com/ASP1000/JobBoard/listjobs.aspx?Page=List&__SVRTRID=E95F1B34-D54F-4D0E-BD91-8AE59C55609E is the URL I used on 29 August 2012 to check that once again, Aspire was exceeding what a regular public school would be doing at this time in the school year as Aspire indicates IT IS SUPERIOR to what is down the street.

Here is what I found at 10:45 AM-

12 open teaching positions, including the sciences and language arts K-12 AND things such as music, Gr 9-12, journalism and so forth. This did not include the four open substitute position postings or the Dean of Educational Capacity (clearly a name for a position which is  in no way living up to its potential), two HR managers (assumedly it is their job to find the teachers to fill the classrooms), three residency campus recruiters (to find even more teachers to fill classrooms), five substitute positions-one of which was long-term, college readiness teacher (who knew that Aspire needed a teacher to do the task of a counselor….), Senior Manager of Talent (apparently also responsible for filling empty classrooms), two recruiters…. to find teachers which the residency campus recruiters could not find??, and two SPED teachers. I did not list every open position as I pretty much matched My true love gave to me (sung to the 12 Days of Christmas) chorus usually reserved for public schools.

And so I begin to ask myself the following questions, in no particular order:

(1) There is 8.5% unemployment in the U.S. (rhetorical of course as the RNC has been bandying this about for weeks).

(2) Why don’t teachers wish to work for a charter school (Aspire is not the only gig in town, just the most self promoted in CA and now TN)?

(3) How is Aspire’s problem different from regular public schools as charter schools are supposed to be better and these numbers of empty positions after school has started indicate equal to or worse than.

(4) Why are my tax dollars paying for this unacceptable level of administration of an education program and why is Aspire not shut down when it is NOT meeting its own goals?

(5) Does anyone else know or am I the only person  who has an actual interest in education?

(6) Did Ms. Rhee or James Wilcox ever manage to read “The First Days of School” by Harry K. Wong (the supposed handbook Aspire support(s)/supported?

The list continued, however it became general reflection as to why I still believe charter schools are not an answer to what ails the American education system.

I know you like the word anomaly and use it to explain data which you are unable to manipulate to your liking so I understand you might wish to use it in this example. My problem is that something is an anomaly when it happens once or rarely  (deviation from the common rule)- not regularly so it is not appropriate this time….the problem(s) cited above are regular and ongoing.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Michelle Rhee And Anomaly Theory

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061302073.html

<a href=”http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anomaly”>anomaly</a>

Based on what I can gleen from a few different views of anomaly on various dictionary and dictionary/thesaurus websites, what occurred during the last two years of Michelle Rhee’s reign is, in her view “not normal”.  Interestingly, any teacher would have told her to actually expect the problems which occurred, had she only asked.  Any teacher with 10 years experience would have stated that there are bound to be pitfalls and most likely elucidate what they expected the pitfalls to be and how to possibly avoid the problems.

A person who is a reformer should seek counsel from the best and brightest about how to transform something (aka-damage control in the corporate world) so entrenched. Clearly her decisions were based upon her  own ideas or she would have graciously indicated who she had cultivated relationships with and thus consulted. Furthermore, whomever she consulted with, if they are ‘hiding’ in the wings, should have seen the what if scenario and did everything in their power to stanch the flow of problems by ANTICIPATING the problems.

Ms. Rhee clearly has good intentions.  She wants to change a school system and restore dignity and learning to children. It is unfortunate she is going about this in a way which is causing such dismay among so many. I believe the saying is ‘you only get one chance to make a good impression’. Much of what I read in the above noted article made me think of new undergrads, not quite ready for grad school but they know it all and are out to conquer the world.  Students who have completed graduate school, most especially in education, tend to be consensus builders and do the research/work necessary to turn the ship instead of trying to right the wheel while in the middle of the ocean in a storm.  Education is not, happily, a zero sum game.  Ms. Rhee has turned it into a battlefield – winner take all.

Even three consecutive years of test scores demonstrates nothing.  A longitudinal study takes 10 or more years to eradicate the anomalies by obtaining more data.  Even people with basic stats background can see through the fog of little data.   Unless Ms. Rhee has a great marketing firm who can put spin on an object with great inertia, the test scores will not mean doodle.  Everyone can have an opinion or interpret the test scores, much in the way everyone has a mouth.

 I feel sorry for the educators and principals who have to deal with Ms. Rhee’s ego.  I feel even more sorry for the children who have become the pawns in the experiment.