# Corporate Education Reform Outline Format: Longform stories to be punctuated by a documentary and a podcast miniseries. The overarching topic of these pieces would be “Privatization and Profitization of Public Education in Texas”. The series would investigate the structures at play that are expediting the transition of Texas public schools to public charters and the growing influence of private education consultants and contractors over education in the state. Outline of Stories: 1. The Education Reform Model Nationwide, in Texas, and Dallas 1. Intro to reform model: 1. Charter schools are selective with which students they will accept - in New Jersey, Charters will not accept students with learning disabilities, ELLs, and often deny students of color 1. Education reformists are antidemocratic 1. Teacher turnover - no pension costs, low-wage workforce, keeps costs low 1. No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and the closure of failing schools 1. Mike Morath: Dallas ISD, Partnerships, Commit 1. Mike Morath and Commit in Dallas 1. TEA Chapter 100 adopted September 18, 2014 - allowance of charters 1. Rollout of Excellence Initiatives and PTECH/Early College Partnerships 1. Equity for Teachers/Students at Choice Schools v Neighborhood/high needs schools 1. Distributions of teacher salaries, resources 1. School STAAR Points School STAAR scorecard scores 2018-2019.xlsx 1. Manipulation of Data to show results from programs: 1. IR Schools in Dallas ISD Dallas ISD had 43 IR (failing) schools 2013/14, started funding schools more equally, then only had 4 by 2017/18 1. STAAR Score Inflation vs. NAEP Scores 1. Detroit Overview XR 1. Investing Early Shows Promise in Dallas ISD 1. Students in Dallas and Fort Worth continue to struggle on national assessments 1. PR Campaigns, local media republishes messaging of Commit 1. DISD's Eric Hale Is One of the Nation's Best Teachers 1. 1. Mike Morath becomes TEA Commissioner 1. https://lakewood.advocatemag.com/2018/02/26/dallas-isd-board-trustees-education-reform/ 1. Mike Morath as TEA Commissioner 1. Fails to copy TEI statewide during 2019 legislative session, money from HB3 may be used to applied to pay for performance models 1. Takeover of Houston ISD 1. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/Q-A-How-will-the-state-s-takeover-of-HISD-s-14817575.php 1. Mike Morath: 1. The Pipeline of School Board Trustees in Dallas 1. Sudden emergence of funds funnelling into Dallas School Board Elections 1. Wealthy Donors 1. Dallas Chamber of Commerce Accelerates Attack on Public Schools 1. PACs - Dallas Kids First, Educate Dallas, Real Estate Interests, 1. Kids First: Model for school board election PAC 1. Tied to non-profit education Partnerships like Commit 1. Educate Dallas - Tied to Dallas Chamber of Commerce, businesses that partner with education non profits 1. Vinson & Elkins PAC - Edwin Flores, Miguel Solis 1. Vinson & Elkins Summary 1. Real Estate Interests 1. Real Estate developers interested in closing public schools in poor neighborhoods in order to pressure poor people move people out of neighborhoods in order to gentrify neighborhoods. 1. Board Members with conflicting interests - closing public schools in poor neighborhoods and opening charters 1. Edwin Flores - Board member of Charter ILT and Dallas ISD Dallas ISD Board Continuing Conflict of Interest 1. 1. Possibly a member of a law firm funding candidates like Solis (look into) 1. Blackburn - Dallas Can Board and Dallas ISD Board 1. Local Real Estate Associations/Board 1. The Pipeline of Administrators in Dallas ISD 1. Teaching Trust 1. Partnership Initiatives in Dallas ISD - Excellence Initiatives, Early College, Look4Ward/LookBack PLCs 1. Uncommon Schools > Bambrick > Look 4Ward PLCs 1. An Uncommon Critique: How A Charter Networks Success Safeguards Student Experiences – Educ 300: Education Reform, Past and Present 1. Counseling of students to go to Dallas Can. 1. Tardy Sweeps, Dress Code, excessive policing and monitoring keep students out of class and out students desperately behind in school. Students withdraw/parents pressured to withdraw student, student is removed from data pool, school test scores increase 1. Teachers and administrators pressured/incentivised not to teach lower performing/struggling students Nationwide, the Education Reform movement seeks to transform the education system. Reformists profess goals to close the achievement gap, and train a new workforce to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing economy. [What laws allowed charter schools to exist? §100.1002 adopted to be effective September 18, 2014 19 TAC Chapter 100, Subchapter AA] As a reaction to these legal changes, networks of charter schools have sprouted up around the nation. But what separates charter networks from traditional public school districts? At a structural level it is how they are run. Much like other state and federal entities, public schools are structured in a bureaucratic fashion. This has the effect of ensuring the level of public accountability is high, while the ability to make systemic changes is quite low. Charter schools, however, are run like a private company. Charter schools receive far less oversight compared to public schools in terms of measure that are not attached to state test scores. A student’s right to an education is skirted for the sake of improving test scores, the sole measure by which charter schools are held accountable. A back-and-forth has been playing out, as charter districts have been struggling to meet state accountability scores, and public districts have been seeking to transform themselves to meet the needs of a changing economy. At the local level, conflicting interests of board members that serves on the boards of both public schools and charter schools. The situation is further complicated by the incentivizing of public schools to transition toward public partnerships by laws like SB 1882, which awards higher dollar amounts per students of partnertship schools (charters) than public schools. Between partnerships of private industries and promises of delivering educational results without raising property taxes, the reform movement has captured the imagination of the public. However, what the reform movement has actually accomplished should be put into question. Greg Abbott is advancing the profitization and privatization of public schools. His pick for TEA Commissioner, Mike Morath, is advancing the Dallas Model for Privatization of Public Schools across the state. This model includes the use of PACs to lock down local school board members into the “Reform Model”. - SB 1882 - Higher funding for students of partnership schools (charters) - HB 2820 - repealed requirement for financial product sellers to register with TRS. Eliminated the 2.75% annual expense ceiling on products sold to teachers in their 403(b) accounts. Teachers aren’t required to save through a 403(b) plan, but can invest elsewhere. The “Privatization/Profitization Reform” Model of education is finding its roots in Dallas ISD. Partnerships with Nonprofits like Committ and Teaching Trust - Committ/Todd Williams and Mike Miles - Mike Morath and Committ - Committ and Teaching Trust The purchasing of school board seats: - Dallas Kids First PAC - Kids First PACs across Texas - EducateDallas - Realestate Board Dallas - Gentrification of Dallas using schools The pipeline of Administrators: - Teaching Trust The False Narrative of the Reform Community: - Teachers Excellence Initiative Saved the District This investigation will take multiple angles: SB1882 - Partnerships, Mike Morath - partnership with Committ and the use of Dallas ISD as a laboratory for the education reform movement Explosion of Choice Schools, Excellence Initiatives Education PACS buying the school board - Dallas Kids First, Austin Kids First, Kids First of El Paso 5 data directions Turn over rate/retention Salary compensation of DISD vs. Salary Schedules Mean vs. Median Salary Distribution Insurance rates too expensive for families Vacancies (233 for teachers) Equity for Teachers/Students at Choice Schools v Neighborhood/high needs schools Distributions of teacher salaries, resources (from board briefing) 70 schools at risk of IR. Where are they found? 43 IR schools drop to 8 (district claims) Which students were hurt the most by school closures? South Dallas students? Student Achievement STAAR points unevenly distributed across district TSI Data (rosie) drop under TEI Gap between Dallas and the State grows under TEI ACT results and ACP results - no correlat