LS4C1 Interviews Bruce Louder on Chicago Education Reform

Back in 2010 when we were just a fledgling operation with a $12,000,000 operating budget and no idea how to spend it, it was Bruce Louder who suggesting we come to Chicago and make a stand for education reform.   The rest, as they say is history.  Chicago has just been through a very tumultuous week and a half as the greedy Chicago Teachers Union turned its collective back on the children and went on strike.  In an attempt to save face, we we lucky enough to be granted an interview with Mr. Louder.

LS4C1:  Welcome Mr. Louder.  Since the Chicago teacher strike, you've been outspoken in your criticism of the Chicago Teachers Union.  You have called the new contract the first step in a continuing war with the teachers union.  What is your issue exactly with the union.

BL:  First, let me say we have no problem with the hard working teachers of Chicago.  They work long hours on and off the clock, spend their own money to buy supplies, and generally make great sacrifices for the children of our city.  Our problem is with the union who believes they should be somehow entitled to a fair wage and good working conditions.   

Union bosses like Karen Lewis and her horde are basically politicians.  They haven't taught a class in 2 years.  Worse still, none of them has the business sense or skill to manage a hedge fund.   That should tell you something right there.

LS4C1:   You mention hedge funds.  I take it this is because of your belief that business style competition is the key to improving education?

BL: Look, one of my hobbies is dog fighting.  I raise pit bulls and if you've ever heard the expression, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog, that's true.  In order to get the best fighters we reward the winners and destroy the losers.  We don't congratulate the dog that loses the fight?  We should be doing the same type of competition to find the best teachers.   

When you look at the strike vote only 98% of the people voting voted to authorize the strike.   We need to find that other 2% and start there.   Let's separate those outstanding teachers from the union that rewards mediocrity.  Parents too will be our natural allies once they realize that because their teacher is pleasant and their child seems to be learning doesn't mean they're being prepared for rigorous standardized testing.

LS4C1:  We took some criticism for radio ads we did after the strike authorization vote and during the strike itself.  Do you think that was fair?

 

BL:  No of course not.   I think that for some reason, criticizing teachers is just something that's not allowed in the mainstream media.

LS4C1: Thank you Mr. Louder.  I can't wait until you are our governor and we can see some real reform.

BL: Thank you Myron.

Chicago Teachers Refuse to Return to Work

A funny thing happened on the way to ending the strike.  The Chicago Teachers Union refused to vote on a tentative agreement and instead demanded to be able to read the agreement before voting.  This unreasonable demand meant that school children would be unable to return until Wednesday and earned the ire of several Chicago alderman.  The alderman had set a great example for the untrusting teachers by agreeing to several contracts like selling off Chicago's parking meters without reading the contracts.

Obviously, the greedy teachers are striking over pay and their own cushy jobs.  Mayor Emanuel attempted to get an injunction today, because the greedy teachers refused to negotiate over pay and instead attempted to negotiate over classroom learning conditions that they are prohibited from striking over by law. 

Unfortunately, the teachers are attempting to take over the system.  They wish to have input in education policy instead of leaving it to the bankers and business people who belong in charge.  The only good thing is that a hundred parent groups have popped up in the week since the strike began--well financed by hedge fund managers and ready to channel the rage of the 1/3 of CPS parents who don't support the teachers in the strike.   Whether it's Children First, Students First, First Children, First Students, Parent Power, Power for Parents, or any existing group, there are now enough parent groups that organizations like Stand for Children will soon no longer be alone as the only parent group with only 1 member.  In fact, one parent group made all parents automatic members.

CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It)

The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have agreed to a framework for ending the week-long teacher strike in Chicago.  While this is not a done deal, it seems like the strike is over if the CTU wants it to be.  At this time, I have not seen the final contract details nor have I seen casualty figures or the total cost of the property damage inflicted on this city by the rampaging crimson hordes of striking teachers. Still, as reformer we can't deny that our noses have been bloodied.  We have a long list of things that must be done as we go forward:

There are over 140 schools in Chicago that do not have libraries, but there are many more that do.  We must do something about them,

Air Conditioning is something sought after by many teachers who believe that their rooms are too hot.  I think it was a wasted opportunity not turning on the Hyatt heat lamps on striking teachers on Thursday. 

Speaking of the Hyatt, now that we are building the Pritzkers a new hotel, it looks like a conflict of interest with Penny Pritzker on the Board of Education.  We need to fix this immediately by building hotels for the Hilton, Sheraton, and Holiday families.

Finally, there are a lot of organizations like Stand for Children and Democrats for Education Reform that are very well funded, but lack members.  We need to get Chicagoans to join these organizations as soon as possible.  It's getting kind of embarrassing to have Michael Butz speak for Stand for Children everytime they need to produce an actual parent.

The strike mat or may not be over, but our work rebuilding the city will not end when we have cleaned up the debris left by marauding teachers.

Teacher Calls Out CTU

My name is Alyssa Crown and I am a Teaching America fellow.  When I entered teaching, I made a very serious commitment to put my career in the financial services industry on hold for two years while I changed a generation by teaching.  Teaching America training was an intense five week boot camp, but I suffered it gladly knowing that my own classroom was my prize at the end.

In the four days, I have been teaching I have had some low points like when my lap top was stolen or when the students playfully locked me out of my classroom for two hours or when I called Pedro Cabrera's parents and talked with them on the phone for 15 minutes before I realized they didn't speak English.  However, I've also had tremendous highs.  I've counseled 7 of my students into quitting the gang lifestyle and even my most challenging students have started to come around to my mix of tough love and high expectations.

Unfortunately, all of this was threatened when the Chicago Teachers Union went out on strike.  I gladly crossed the picket line, but when I did there were no students inside for me to teach.  There were only 4 students in the Children First program and I couldn't get the bus driver watching them to give them up.  Adding insult to injury, I saw many of my students outside with their families picketing our school with the other teachers.  Now, I must say the other teachers at this school are very jealous of me and I have a lot of work to do to unbrainwash these children.

The teachers' demands border on the ridiculous.  Let's look at some of their issues:

1. Class Size - No less an expert on the Chicago Public Schools has shown us evidence that Chicago schools have an average class size of 16.

2. Salary - Students are being asked to work a much longer day and a significantly longer year.  They want an increase in pay, but Chicago teachers are already overpaid.  The average CPS teacher makes over $98,000 per year--more than double the average salary of investment bankers.  This is why most teacher's parking lots are full of Focus's and Corollas.

3. Air Conditioning - Temperate breezes off of Lake Michigan keep Chicago cool in the Summer and mild in the winter.  The weather is rarely above 75 degrees or below 65 degrees and while we have been experiencing an extreme heat wave since I've been in town, it obviously won't last.

4. Social Workers - No offense, but the sociologists at my college were always the worst students.  I don't even think of it as a real major.

Teachers also do not want to be evaluated and have the right to walk into any principal's office and demand a job.   Only Mayor Emmanuel cares about the children of Chicago enough to stand up to the marauding hordes of teachers, parents, and students who wish to take control of the school district from the people who know best.

Parent input is great and we're happy to allow it when it's funneled through a recognized organization like Stand for Children or Last Stand for Children First.  However, these free agents pose a threat to the order.  If the Chicago teachers care about children, they will come back to work and listen to my many great ideas to improve instruction in the classroom.  Let's all work together to help our kids.

Chicago Teachers Strike Day 3: Principals and Practice

The strike has now entered day 3 and it looks like a tough one.  Among CTU's outrageous proposals was giving teachers with good evaluations who lost their jobs because their school was turned around or the enrollment dropped first crack at jobs ahead of hiring new teachers.

While it may make sense at first glance that in a field where half the people quit in the first 3-5 years to give a nod to proven successful teachers, it ignores some key facts.  As Rahm Emanuel put it, "I don't think downtown should be in the business of selecting teachers that the local school principal should select if you're going to hold them accountable,

Emanuel spoke yesterday at Tarkington School of Exodus where several principals including former principal Mahalia "Mommon" Hines who said, "If I'm a principal and you're going to hold me accountable, you're going to fire me. I want to pick my people."

She makes an exceptional point.   Who in their right might would sit still for an evaluation that was based on the people you manage when you didn't even pick those people?  It would be pretty stupid to hold somebody accountable for what their employees were doing when you didn't pick them.  Still, it was these recall rights and also evaluation that seemed to be the big holdups?  I am very disturbed by how scared these teachers are of being evaluated by the success or failure of their students.   A good teacher should welcome this kind of evaluation.

Of course if Rahm goes through with long rumored plans to close 100 schools, there will be an awful lot of students in the recall pool.  Still, I have to agree with Rahm, it must be principal's perogative.

Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad

We couldn't stand it anymore.  With our kids locked out of their beloved schools, we jumped into action with an ad buy aimed at getting the Chicago teachers to call off their strike and think of the most vulnerable in our society.

Teachers Strike Day 1: Keep Calm and Continue Testing

Today, the nearly 30,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union descended on downtown with 20,000 of their parent and community allies to wreak havoc and correct grammar and spelling.  Now, is not the time for us to panic.  Our leader, Mayor Emanuel has described the differences between the teachers union and the city as being minor.  In fact, it seems like the main thing that has prevented a contract is that the differences are so small, it hardly seems worth anybody's time to compromise.

The big problem with the strike is that students are missing valuable school time.  They need 15 days for standardized testing and if the strike goes on long enough, the tests will be very much delayed.   It occurs to me that the Children's First Centers set up at 144 public schools might be the perfect place to test.  While they aren't allowed to teach, testing isn't the same thing as teaching and with students in air-conditioned rooms with 5 or 10 teachers for every student, this is  a great testing environment.

Teachers continue to be greedy.  Just look at some of the things that the city has already caved on:

• A lunch period for clinicians (These are psychologists, nurses, social workers)
• Text books on the first day of school
• A quiet place for social workers and psychologists to meet with students.
• A solid 2 percent raise for working 13 extra days.

Eventually, we will crush these teachers and continue to put in high quality charters school or at least marginal quality ones in their place.  We just need all parents to keep calm and continue testing.