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Chicago teachers need to know Broad Foundation mercenaries — who they are, how they are trained, and why their mistreatment of parents and teachers are part of their mission, — and not an accident

John Kugler - April 15, 2012

While doing some research on answers as to why the Chicago Public Schools have fallen so low in terms of morale and public perception, I can across the following write up on the Website "Seattle Education." It pretty much sums up what has happened in recent times to Chicago Public Schools and the infiltration to the highest levels of administration by Eli Broad’s corporate-trained administrators. One of the most amazing things about the warnings we received a year ago, when Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel announced that he was going to make Jean-Claude Brizard the CEO of CPS, was that everything we've seen since was predicted by those who knew the "Broadies" back then: misuse of data; financial mismanagement; attacks on teachers and parents; lies, greed, and deception.

While Dolores Umbridge is running Hogwarts, the entire curriculum is reduced to ridiculous test-prep to get wizards and witches ready for the infamous OWLS test, the standardized test mandated by the Ministry of Magic. The Jean-Claude Brizard (and Arne Duncan) of the OWLS era is Umbridge, who, along with Filtch (above with mop) forces everyone to bend to an irrelevant curriculum that only assists the enemies of Harry Potter and his friends. Wikopedia has a more detailed description of Umbridge (above) but leaves out the fact that she served as a role model for the characters of Arne Duncan and Jean-Claude Brizard in the Chicago version (with Voldemort played in tu tu by Rahm Emanuel). Wiki: "Umbridge is subsequently installed at Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor by order of the Ministry. Her teaching consists only of defensive magical theory, due to Fudge's paranoid fear that Dumbledore intends to use his students as an army to bring down the Ministry. She is soon appointed the first "High Inquisitor" of Hogwarts, in which position she is given extraordinary powers over the students, teachers, and curriculum. She fires Sybill Trelawney as a teacher and later creates the "Inquisitorial Squad", which rewards some students for reporting on others and sanctions them to act as enforcers of Umbridge's rules. Ultimately, she deposes Dumbledore, and has herself instated as Headmistress by the Ministry. However the Headmaster's Office (the room itself) rejects her authority by sealing her out. Towards the final chapters of Order of the Phoenix, Umbridge tries to attack Hagrid, but her attempt is thwarted partly due to Hagrid's half-giant heritage which grants relative immunity to spells, no matter how powerful."The Eli and Edyth Broad Foundation, even more than the Gates Foundation, has been providing corporate training for prospective school administrators for more than a decade. Most of those administrators have little or no classroom experience, knowledge, or interest. An MBA from anywhere is considered a better recommendation for a job bossing around teachers and misleading parents than any kind of educational experience or training in teaching real children.

The Broadies are supposedly trained to be "administrators" without having had to have the experience of classroom teaching, trying to run a school from the principal's office, or any other contact with the real world of urban public schools. They are also trained to fill multiple Power Point presentations with nonsense, garbage, and outright lies, while presenting the information as if it's truth were self-evident, and maintaining smiles and calm voices no matter how often the rage caused by their greed and lies is expressed.

Since Rahm Emanuel became mayor in May 2011 and appointed Broadie Jean Claude Brizard as "Chief Executive Officer" of CPS, the Broadies have proliferated across Chicago, at the highest salaries in history, like head lice during an elementary school epidemic.

The Broad Foundation sponsors two major training grounds for corporate ed reform administrators. The Broad "Residency" takes business graduates from elite universities and supposedly trains them to become public school administrators. The Broad "Superintendent's Academy" trains superintendents.

Chicago's controversial "Chief Executive Officer" Jean-Claude Brizard (above, surrounded by part of his "leadership team" while presenting the Power Point against the schools on the Hit List at the February 22, 2012 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education) was a 2007 graduate of the "Broad Superintendents' Academy." Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.As of April 2012, according to the Broad residents website, there are 26 Broad residents holding administrative positions in Chicago's public schools. From a cursory review of the CPS records, about half of them have been hired since Jean-Claude Brizard (Broad Superintendents Academy) was made CEO by Rahm Emanuel in May 2011.

The 26 Broad residents currently listed by Broad as holding administrative positions in CPS are:

Alan Anderson (Class of 2010 – 2012) MBA

Molly Burke (2006 – 2008), MBA Duke

Akeshia Craven (2006 – 2008) MBA Northwestern

Aarti Dhupelia (2007 – 2009). MBA Harvard

Kirsyn Fields (2009 – 2011). MBA Northwestern

Ryan Hudak (2005 – 2007) MBA University of Texas

Sophia Kamberos (2009 – 2011). MBA University of Chicago

Monica Lee (2009 – 2011). MBA Harvard.

Tim Ligue (2010 – 2012). MBA University of Chicago. Erin Linville (2011 – 2013). MBA Northwestern.

Matthew Lyons (2011 – 2013). MPP Brown

Tyra Mariani (2011 – 2013). MBA Stanford.

Broad resident Akeshia Craven has been placed in several executive jobs at CPS during the past three years, despite the fact that she had no teaching experience and no knowledge of teaching or children's education. Her MBA and Broad residency were enough to promote her to one of the highest paying and most powerful jobs at CPS. Above, Craven during the March 28, 2012 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Diane Matthews (2007 – 2009). MBA Northwestern

Nyasha Nyamapfene (2006 – 2008). MBA & MPP University of Chicago

Joanne Pearlman (2008 – 2010) MBA Georgetown

Jill Regan (2010 – 2012). MBA Harvard

Lisa Rushing (2006 – 2008). MPP University of Chicago

Monica Santana Rosen (2004 – 2006). MBA Harvard.

Andrea Saenz (2010 – 2012). MA University of Pennsylvania.

Jacqueline Statum (2007 – 2009) MBA Northwestern

Wendy Thompson (2007 – 2009). MBA University of Chicago.

J. R. Tomkinson (2004 – 2006). MBA Northwestern.

Carmita Vaughn (2005 – 2007). MBA Northwestern.

Veenu Verma (2005 – 2007). MPP University of Chicago

Vlayton Virgil (2009 – 2011). MBA Northwestern.

Kathleen Weaver Hytros (2007 – 2009). MBA Northwestern.

One of the Power Points utilized during the reign of Umbridge at Hogwarts applies to the students and tries to get all of them to play the infamous game of "Good Kid/Bad Kid" (A similar decree was issued to teachers and professors (but not reported) in order to facilitate the game of "Good Teacher/Bad Teacher". Some members of the Order of the Phoenix (and the Chicago Teachers Union) noticed a similarity between the plot of the Dr. Seuss book "The Sneeches" and have begun referring to teachers (many of them produced by organizations like "Teach for America" and "Teach First") as the "Star-Bellied Sneeches" (see photograph below).The expansion of the Broad impact on Chicago in less than one year is already showing the same signs that the "Broads" showed in other school districts. One that summed it up for Chicago was Seattle:

Seattle studied and wrote about them a year ago. Here is the link http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/how-to-tell-if-your-school-district-is-infected-by-the-broad-virus/

How to tell if your School District is infected by the Broad Virus, Posted on April 19, 2011 by seattleducation2011

Chicago has just learned that it will inherit Rochester, New York’s controversial and unpopular school superintendent, Jean-Claude Brizard (Broad Superintendent’s Academy “Class of 2007″).

Those of us who have experienced the “leadership” of L.A. billionaire Eli Broad’s corporate-trained superintendents send Chicago our condolences. We have been there, done that, with scars to show for it, and nothing in the way of real academic or positive gains for our schools and kids.

In fact, the Broad brand has been seriously tarnished lately, to the point where it really should be considered a liability rather than an asset. Here are just a few examples of Broad supts who have been ousted or left their districts in a cloud of controversy: LaVonne Sheffield (Broad Superintendents Academy “Class of 2002″ resigned), Rockford, Ill.; Maria Goodloe-Johnson (Broad “Class of 2003″ - fired), Seattle, Wa.; Matthew H. Malone (Broad “Class of 2003″ resigned) former superintendent of Swampscott, MA; Deborah Sims (Broad “Class of 2005″- resigned), Antioch, CA.

Meanwhile, Detroit can’t seem to shake its power-hungry Emergency Financial Manager Bob Bobb (Broad Academy “Class of 2005″) whose illegal control of the Detroit School District was stopped in court, but has been recently ratified by a law signed by extremist Republican Governor Rick Snyder.

And now Brizard of Rochester is going to bring his brand of Broad magic to Chicago.

What’s striking is the similarity of the reigns of terror and error of these Broad ‘graduates.’ Disturbingly so, in fact. Many of the above earned No Confidencevotes from their district’s teachers, and from parents too. All meted out a top-down dictatorial approach. Most alienated parents. Many closed schools. A number had questionable audits on their watch. More than one had false or questionable data to support their reforms. All commanded large salaries with perqs, while at the same time slashing services for kids and closing schools in the name of financial scarcity. A number of them avoided informing the elected school board of their plans or actively withheld information from them, effectively bypassing democracy.

Scandal, controversy, animosity followed them all, inevitably out the door.

If this trend continues, Brizard’s tenure in Chicago will likely be short-lived too. But he still could do some serious damage while he’s there. So, heads-up, Chicago.

To help our fellow school districts throughout the nation, here is a guide to diagnose whether your school district has come under the influence of the Broad Foundation (and what you can do about it).

How to tell if your School District is Infected by the Broad Virus

-- Schools in your district are suddenly closed.

-- Even top-performing schools, alternative and schools for the gifted, are inexplicably and suddenly targeted for closure or mergers.

-- Repetition of the phrases “the achievement gap” and “closing the achievement gap” in district documents and public statements.

-- Repeated use of the terms “excellence” and “best practices” and “data-driven decisions.” (Coupled with a noted absence of any of the above.)

-- The production of “data” that is false or cherry-picked, and then used to justify reforms.

-- Power is centralized.

-- Decision-making is top down.

-- Local autonomy of schools is taken away.

-- Principals are treated like pawns by the superintendent, relocated, rewarded and punished at will.

-- Culture of fear of reprisal develops in which teachers, principals, staff, even parents feel afraid to speak up against the policies of the district or the superintendent.

-- Ballooning of the central office at the same time superintendent makes painful cuts to schools and classrooms.

-- Sudden increase in number of paid outside consultants.

-- Increase in the number of public schools turned into privately-run charters.

-- Weak math text adopted (most likely Everyday Math). Possibly weak language arts too, or Writer’s Workshop. District pushes to standard the curriculum.

-- Superintendent attempts to sidestep labor laws and union contracts.

-- Teachers are no longer referred to as people, educators, colleagues, staff, or even “human resources,” but as “human capital.”

A (self-anointed, politically connected) group called NCTQ comes to town a few months before your teachers’ contract is up for negotiation and writes a Mad Libs evaluation of your districts’ teachers (for about $14,000) that reaches the predetermined conclusion that teachers are lazy and need merit pay. ["The (NAME OF CITY) School District has too many (NEGATIVE ADJ) teachers. Therefore they need a new (POSITIVE ADJ.) data-based evaluation system tied to test scores…”]

The district leadership declares that the single most significant problem in the district is suddenly: teachers!

Teachers are no longer expected to be creative, passionate, inspired, but merely “effective.”

Superintendent lays off teachers for questionable reasons.

Excessive amounts of testing introduced and imposed on your kids.

Teach for America, Inc., novices are suddenly brought into the district, despite no shortage of fully qualified teachers.

The district hires a number of “Broad Residents” at about $90,000 apiece, also trained by the Broad Foundation, who are placed in strategically important positions like overseeing the test that is used to evaluate teachers or school report cards. They in turn provide ― or fabricate ― data that support the superintendent’s ed reform agenda (factual accuracy not required).

Strange data appears that seems to contradict what you know (gut level) to be true about your own district.

There is a strange sense of sabotage going on.

You start to feel you are trapped in the nightmarish Book Five of the Harry Potter series and the evilly vindictive Dolores Umbridge is running your school district. (Seek centaurs and Forbidden Forest immediately!)

Superintendent behaves as if s/he is beyond reproach.

Superintendent reads Blackberry (Goodloe-Johnson, also see comments ) or sends texts (Brizard, see comments) while parents and teachers are giving public testimony at school board meetings, blatantly ignoring public input.

A rash of Astroturf groups appear claiming to represent “the community” or “parents” and all advocate for the exact same corporate ed reforms that your superintendent supports ― merit pay, standardized testing, charter schools, alternative credentialing for teachers. Of course, none of these are genuine grassroots community organizations.

Or, existing groups suddenly become fervidly in favor of teacher-bashing, merit pay or charter schools. Don’t be surprised to find that these groups may have received grant money from the corporate ed reform foundations like Gates or Broad.

The superintendent receives the highest salary ever paid to a superintendent in your town’s history (plus benefits and car allowance) � possibly more than your mayor or governor ― and the community is told “that is the national, competitive rate for a city of this size.”

Your school board starts to show signs of Stockholm Syndrome. They vote in lockstep with the superintendent. Apparently lobotomized by periodic “school board retreat/Broad training” sessions headed by someone from Broad, your school board stops listening to parents and starts to treat them as the enemy. (If you still have a school board, that is ― Broad ideally prefers no pesky democratically elected representatives to get in the way of their supts and agendas.)

Superintendent bypasses school board entirely and keeps them out of the loop on significant or all issues.

School board candidates receive unprecedented amounts of campaign money from business interests.

Annual superintendent evaluation is overseen by a fellow named Tom Payzant.

Stand for Children appears in town and claims to be grassroots. (It is actually based in Portland, Ore., and is funded by the Gates Foundation.) It may invite superintendent to be keynote speaker at a political fundraising event. It will likely lobby your state government for corporate ed reform laws.

Grants appear from the Broad and Gates foundations in support of the superintendent, and her/his “Strategic Plan.”

The Gates Foundation gives your district grants for technical things related to STEM and/or teacher “effectiveness” or studies on charter schools.

Local newspaper fails to report on much of this.

Local newspaper never mentions the words “Broad Foundation.”

Broad and Gates Foundations give money to local public radio stations which in turn become strangely silent about the presence and influence of the Broad and Gates Foundation in your school district.

THE CURE for Broad Virus:

Parents.

Blogs.

Sharing information.

Vote your school board out of office.

Vote your mayor out of office if s/he is complicit.

Boycott or opt out of tests.

Go national.

Follow the money.

One of the Power Points utilized during the reign of Umbridge at Hogwarts applies to the students and tries to get all of them to play the infamous game of "Good Kid/Bad Kid" (A similar decree was issued to teachers and professors (but not reported) in order to facilitate the game of "Good Teacher/Bad Teacher". Some members of the Order of the Phoenix (and the Chicago Teachers Union) noticed a similarity between the plot of the Dr. Seuss book "The Sneeches" and have begun referring to teachers (many of them produced by organizations like "Teach for America" and "Teach First") as the "Star-Bellied Sneeches" (see photograph below).Question the data especially if it’s produced by someone affiliated with the Broad or Gates Foundations or their favored consultants (McKinsey, Strategies 360, NCTQ, or their own strategically placed Broad Residents).

Alert the media again and again (they will ignore you at first).

Protest, stage rallies, circulate petitions.

Connect and daylight the dots.

Sue P.

For more information on the Broad Foundation, see: A Parent Guide to the Broad Foundation’s training programs and education policies by Parents Across America.

(this post was updated from the original version, to add more information, 4/19/11 � sp.)

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