Gaslit School Nation Redux: The Democratic Version

 

Education policy may be the one place real bipartisanship exists in Washington, but that may not be a good thing for children. 

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 almost exactly one year after Covid-19 closed most of the nation’s schools, Dr. Miguel Cardona, Joe Biden‘s new Secretary of Ed kicked off his first big public event: a 3-hour virtual Return to Schools Education Summit. The summit featured an all-star cast and almost flawless supporting company. 

The opening speaker was well loved and revered, Dr. Jill Biden and the summit wrapped up with the President himself.

This was President Joe Biden’s chance to convince the teachers and parents of America not only that the disastrous four years of Trump and DeVos’ corruption and lies were done, but that we have collectively turned the corner on C19 and are now ready to re-open our school buildings and our communities for the children and families of the country. What great news to deliver! 

Dr. Cardona’s second major speaker of the day was Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new head of the CDC who has been on most major networks every day for weeks already assuring the nation that though we are not ready to reopen adult venues completely, we are ready to reopen children’s areas at the reduced 3ft distance (as long as they all wear masks). Both Dr. Cardona and Dr. Walensky both referenced lovingly their own children. Each of whom would be able to graduate this coming year. The new Covid variants were given a short phrase, “Yes, we’re concerned,” but there was little about the high plateau of cases, or the potential for post spring break outbreaks. The message was: 3 feet is safe. 

This first Summit was also the moment when the Biden administration and Secretary Cardona had the chance to establish the direction, vision, and positions they would chart for the future of US Schools. In today’s view of the education landscape, divided between billionaire investors and working class teachers and parents, everyone was waiting to see. 

Who would they listen to? 

Whose perspective would they deem valid? 

And whose expertise would they respect with action, not just well worn phrases?

 Were it not for the weary reality on the ground, the smiles and cheerful demeanors might have gone completely unchallenged, and the determinedly intense, unbreakable smile of Dr. Cardona (who is under fire for requiring Spring 2021 standardized testing) might have been convincing. 

 The presentation team consistently portrayed gratitude, chipper determinism, and plucky optimism, but more importantly the selection of presenters was perfectly designed to affirm and uplift the past and future reform-charter-business model of school management. 

 Reports from the field kicked off with Cleveland Ohio’s CEO (not superintendent) Eric Gordon and Chief of Schools Lisa Farmer-Cole, who had been integral to implementing the charter-portfolio-schools Cleveland Plan.

Cleveland is one of a minority of places that still is under “takeover.” It has a mayoral controlled and appointed school board, and 15 charter schools that represent over half the students in the 32K district. Gordon in his presentation even gave a shout-out to JEB Bush’s Chiefs for Change. 

No mention was made of the study from Stanford’s Hoover Institute that showed Ohio charter students learn 36 days less math and 14 days less reading than traditional public school students.

The second district featured was Tulsa Oklahoma’s Superintendent Deborah Gist, who was the DC State Superintendent during Michelle Rhee’s tenure as superintendent and is a proud alum of both the Kennedy School of Government and the Broad Academy class of 2008. Tulsa is about the same size district as Cleveland, but has fewer charters, with 7 in a 32K district. At least three of which have experienced newsworthy scandals in the last several years: Epic, Dove Science Academy, and Langston Hughes Academy. 

For labor coverage, the two representatives were Cleveland teachers’ new union president Shari Obrenski (AFT), and NYC’s UFT President Michael Mulgrew both of whom messaged the importance of collaboration with administration. Notable is that none of the major leaders of the unions, grassroots movements, nor large districts that have fought for their staffs’ safety during the pandemic were there. 

The pedagogy reports were about exciting summer programs that should be offered this year and was coordinated by long time presidential ed advisor, Stanford’s Linda Darling-Hammond. 

She brought with her a collection of teachers expressing deep gratitude for being allowed to be there and cheerfully reporting “best practice” plans to teach first graders how to learn outside and choose a job path this summer as part of their social-emotional learning. After a year of traumas like their family losing jobs, homes, and lives, it is bound to be great fun for first graders to learn how they can one day fill a slot in the corporate-worker-world of the future economy. 

 The Portrait of a National School System painted by the new Democratic administration is a picture of positively resilient school managers, lots of messaging about collaboration and data, with Spring 2021 universal testing, all buildings open, large scale summer school, a business model management plan, a high value for school choice and charters, and lots of well-trained workers for US companies. 

By the time President Biden came on to announce the $130B for schools included in the Covid relief package, the four note chord that sounded in my head, was 

“That’s great! 

What strings are attached?

Whose pocket is that earmarked for?

And the American Enterprise Institute is going to love this!”