JOHN MERROW: Success Academies are obviously doing something right. Last year, 93 percent of Success Academy students passed the state’s math test, compared to just 35 percent in the city’s traditional public schools.
Could out-of-school suspensions be a factor in the network’s academic success? Eva Moskowitz’s critics think so. They accuse her of suspending very young children over and over to persuade parents to change schools before state testing begins in third grade. Could that be true? We do know that some Success Academy students are suspended over and over.
The 44 suspensions at this school were issued to just 11 kindergartners and first graders. One child was suspended 12 times. Eventually, the family withdrew the child. At another Success Academy, 101 suspensions went to just 32 students.
...
JOHN MERROW: Do you ever use out-of-school suspension as a way to persuade parents that…
EVA MOSKOWITZ: No. No. We don’t suspend in order to boost our academics. Like, that’s just crazy talk.
JOHN MERROW: But our sources, including several public school principals, quite a few former Success Academy parents, and one person inside her organization, charge that is exactly what she does, repeatedly suspend certain kids to push them out. However, none of these critics were willing to publicly confront Moskowitz.
EVA MOSKOWITZ: Well, the numbers just don’t support that, John. I mean, what you get is what you see, which is suspending kids doesn’t lead to high attrition rate. That is what the data shows.
JOHN MERROW: In fact, the attrition rate is at least twice that of another major charter network, KIPP. A Success Academy representative told thaws for every 100 new students, at least 10 leave before the year’s out, most of them in the first few months. They are then replaced by students chosen from the waiting list.
Had Moskowitz run for mayor, this was the kind of thing that would have gotten zoned in on during the campaign - and I guarantee you, Eva and Success would not stand up to real scrutiny.
Not with those suspension numbers, not with those those attrition numbers and especially not with the anecdotes from former students and their parents.
Since when does Success Academy ever replace students who are pushed out?
ReplyDeleteLets see...high suspensions of low achieving students and no one from Success ever tests into a competitive NYC high school...Hmmm. Have to wonder about those types of outcomes! Not going to be mayor soon--and highly overpaid right now!
ReplyDeleteFunniest blog piece ever!!! Does Eva use suspensions to dump retarded kids?? Unmmm, OF COURSE!!! We do it in my school too. It's been going on since they created mini schools. The running joke at my "campus" was when one of the mini schools in the bldg didn't want one of these dumb ass kids, they called and harassed the parents every single day. The principal actually told me this is how they get them out. It worked big time!!!! So where did these retarded kids go next? That's correct, same bldg BUT back in the phasing out school. Let that schools grades tankeven more, doesn't matter since they're closing. Haaaa! So funny. This is just coming out now? This is a consistent practice. Dump the stupid kids on purpose. Watch your rates skyrocket. Imagine dumping just 5 kids. That's 5 retards not on your register anymore. No scores from the 5 retards. There are none of "these" types in Succcess Academy. The parents are harassed until they don't want their kid in "that place". Each time one of the retards is discharged, it's a VICTORY for a charter.
ReplyDeletemoskowitch is the clown face for the reformies like bllomberg and klein, gates and whee. bottom line. charters are presenting to the public smoke and mirrors and people like moskowitch are phony balony piece of garbage who love the money - moskowitch makes $500 grand while Carmen Farina NYC schools chancellor makes half that. Charter school blowhards like bllomberg are destroying our society and our neighborhoods so that they can do it their way with a fist full of dollar bills. The shit is going to hit the fan though as NYC public schools will always win out as NYC public schools accept every student and keep every student not like our phony moskowitch and "success scholars" smoke mirror bull shit
ReplyDeleteGreat post. ALso I read this about charters and reformie bull shit:
DeleteJohn Thompson, historian and teacher, explains why corporate reformers are in a bad mood. Nothing seems to be working out as planned. The word is getting out that Néw Orleans was not a miracle. Worse, black communities are angry at the white elites who took control of their schools.
Eva Moskowitz is a liar. It sickens me that taxpayer dollars are being given to her. I feel sorry for the kids in the SA schools. Politicians like Senator John Flanagan and Governor Andrew Cuomo will never get my vote after shamelessly supporting the charter movement for their own selfish purposes related to campaign contributions and striking back at NYSUT for not endorsing them. Both are the worst kind of politicians.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/blogs/schooled/2015/10/13/success_academy_suspends_kindergartners_and_first_graders_is_that_why_its.html
ReplyDelete"Like, that's just crazy talk"
ReplyDeleteRiiiigggghhhtt, Eva