Monthly Archives: June 2011

The Workshop That Got Me Banished From The Institute

Posted on June 27, 2011 by garyrubinstein

After my first year of teaching, I developed some ideas to have a more successful second year.  They worked, and I began spreading the word, informally, for the next couple of years.  Then in 1995, I created a workshop about … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching Advice | 11 Comments

@2011s Can You Handle The Truth?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by garyrubinstein

I believe that TFA does not think so, and I will use this post to explain what evidence I have for this claim and also speculate why that choose to underestimate you in this way. When I was growing up … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching Advice | 18 Comments

Expulsions from New Orleans Charters

Posted on June 21, 2011 by garyrubinstein

The most compelling argument for charter schools is that they serve as places where educational innovations can be tested.  After a small charter school, or even a charter network, proves that it is able to be successful on a small … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | 24 Comments

Bring Your Vulnerabilities To Work Day

Posted on June 19, 2011 by garyrubinstein

Last Monday I completed a 20 year Odyssey that began my first day of teaching in August of 1991.  Back then, I had a lot of theories about teaching, some of which was suggested by some oversimplified advice in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Teach For America | Leave a comment

Why did TFA place a 2011 CM as a Phys Ed Teacher at a KIPP school?

Posted on June 17, 2011 by garyrubinstein

Another excellent question! TFA, according to its website, spends between $60,000 and $120,000 in a combination of taxpayer money and private donations to train, recruit, and support one new corps member. The government gives them taxpayer money, many people donate … Continue reading →

Posted in Teach For America | 35 Comments

Same Kids, Same Building, Same Lies — Redux

Posted on June 16, 2011 by garyrubinstein

A few months ago after attending the 20th anniversary summit, I wrote a post about my progress in investigating a school that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan singled out in his keynote speech. Urban Prep is a small charter school … Continue reading →

Posted in Debunking | 2 Comments

Made it to Twitter!

Posted on June 16, 2011 by garyrubinstein

I know that I’m behind the times on this one, but if you love my blog then you’ll really love following me on Twitter. In two weeks I’ve already gotten 62 followers (is that good?) mainly because of this welcome … Continue reading →

Posted in Teach For America | Leave a comment

Why does TFA value quantity over quality?

Posted on June 9, 2011 by garyrubinstein

Another good question. So the first question, again, is how do I know that TFA values quantity over quality?  First let me clarify that this means that TFA is more concerned with growing the corps than it is with making … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | 37 Comments

Why did 1/6 (so far) of the 2010 Mississippi Delta CMs quit?

Posted on June 6, 2011 by garyrubinstein

(Note: As you will see in the comments to this post, the numbers are currently being challenged by TFA. There is a chance that my numbers are not accurate, though the numbers they are claiming do not agree with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | 66 Comments

Turnaround every now and then I get …

Posted on June 3, 2011 by garyrubinstein

I’ve recently written three posts about so-called ‘turnaround’ schools in Chicago, Memphis, and again in Chicago. Since none of these schools have achieved the test scores that are so emphasized by the rheeformers, I’ve been thinking about how these examples … Continue reading →

Posted in Debunking | 5 Comments