I swear Whitney Tilson must have been rubbing one out as he was writing about the wonderfulness of KIPP (nationwide charter school, Knowledge Is Power Program). You can read the entire love letter here, but I have chosen to excerpt just a few passages myself in no particular order.
Whitney blabbered; "It would be hard to think of a better case study of what KIPP is all about: in the face of unexpected adversity, the students didn't give up, the entire adult KIPP community rallied around them, and big mess was instead turned into a home run --"
Yes Whitney only at KIPP in the unexpected face of adversity do the students not give up, and the entire KIPP community rallies around. This never happens in a public school, especially in New York City. Been to my school? Been to any other public school in the city? I doubt it. Yes there are bad schools, bad teachers, but what is worse are the bad administrators who don't give a sh**. Do you ever rail against these people? But guess what Whitney, there are bad, nasty, White, investment bankers with an uncompromising air of superiority working out their white liberal guilt, which doesn't make all White, investment bankers with an uncompromising air of superiority working out their white liberal guilt a**holes does it?
Why don't you mention KIPP's dirty little secret? The contract. Yes, the contract students, and parents must sign a contract on goals, behaviors, etc.... And if you fail to live up to signed contract the student is removed. I have been a KIPP school quite frequently in the past Whitney, I know how it works.
Also from Whitney's warped mind; The KIPP Infinity students were about a minute into their performance of an intricate, choreographed salsa dance when the sound system died. With any normal group of 8th graders, in the biggest performance of their lives, you'd expect them to stop and/or chaos to ensue.
Define "normal" Whitney. Sounds pretty racist to me. Do you mean kidz in da hood? Dat what you mean? Easy to keep 8th graders in control, any 8th graders in fact. But you get on your high horse and feel you need to disparage the inner city youth. Hey, Whitney, your slip is showing. Could it be they stay in control becuase that contract is hanging over their heads?
Why don't you take your gazillions of moolah and get your rich friends and start pumping money into the school and subjects that really need it? Any school with a music program that is not cut can have a first rate orchestra. Any school with an art program that is not cut can have and will produce Pollacks, Van Goghs, Picassos. Any school that does not have its science program cut will produce Einsteins, Hawkings, Opeenheimers.
Get off your horse of superioty Whitney. There is an entire wolrd out there you do not know of.
Oh one more thing. The challenge does stand. I am awaiting word from you with proof of what that so-called teaching fellow wrote.
Wow. You are pretty ridiculously bitter. I'm only sorry you don't know better what you are talking about. There is nothing legally binding about the KIPP contract--it is a form used to communicate the expectations for students and parents, something that good teachers do in their classes every year when they send home their classroom expectations with a spot for parents to sign after reviewing it. This is just done on a whole-school level. Education reform is not a competition--there is plenty of work to be done for all of us. KIPP is doing some of that work, and I hope you are, too.
ReplyDeleteNo, Whitney is pretty ridiculously bitter. Have you ever read the blog, or is this actually Whitney "Two Taps To The Stall Next To Me Means I Love You" Tilson? A-Duh, I know there is nothing "legally" binding to the KIPP contract, but students are still expected to adhere to it.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they don't adhere to it, they are treated like dirt. At least they were at the school I worked at, which was a charter fervently modeled after the KIPP design. I left because I couldn't stand being a slave driver.
ReplyDeletePlease share more with me. Email me at sobronxschool@gmail.com ASAP
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