From scathing Purple Musings
by Bob Sykes
The Miami Heraldhas published a comprehensive look at Florida’s new teacher evaluation system the state will have under SB736. Reporters Laura Insensee and Sarah Butrymowicz interviewed several people for their article, including Rep. Erik Fresen of Miami.
The Herald reporters demonstrated considerable professionalism in not pointing out that Fresens’ family owns several Academica charter schools in Miami. Perhaps they should have. Fresen let loose with a real whopper. After fairly articulating the state’s previous school and district grade focus, he made this prediction about how the new system would work out:
Rep. Fresen envisions the new system giving incentives to teachers to move from high-performing schools to struggling ones where their students can make bigger gains and they can earn more money.
Oh, my word.
Fresen knows that he and his allies haven’t even made an attempt to fund such a merit pay program. Nevermind that SB736′s value-added system doesn’t recognize poverty as a variable making it more likely that teachers will leave struggling schools to keep from getting fired. Those same struggling schools he’s talking about are currently in danger of being closed . Fresen is sure to support Rick Scott in his efforts to pass a parent trigger law which would replace struggling schools with those like his family operates. Yet he makes excuses for failing charter schools.
Fresen’s clearly advancing a false prophecy. How come? Is it just that ed reform advocates like him only listen their own rhetoric and completely buy in to dismissives of opponents? Or is his spin an effort to shield their agenda to privatize education?
http://bobsidlethoughtsandmusings.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/erik-fresens-false-prophecy/
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