Devos is In

by Herbie Green 2017-02-07, 17:29

Huge blow not only to public school education, but to fact-based science. Goose must be pissed

http://gizmodo.com/science-teachers-on-why-devos-is-a-monstrous-mistake-1792094786

by **Floyd Robertson** 2017-02-07, 17:59

This appointment will never make $ense.

I wish experience & qualifications would have been taken into consideration.

by Herbie Green 2017-02-07, 19:06

This is bad and never should have gone through.

Is there any action we can take to stop Pruitt? How the fuck can we get someone that is pro pollution to head the EPA?

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2017-02-28, 14:16

School of choice?

Devos is In 502811600

by **DWags** 2017-02-28, 14:39

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:School of choice?

I can't explain to anyone not in the field. But you measure kids in two ways. "Growth" that is how far they've grown under a specific teachers. Most teachers I know love this because they can prove their self worth. Teachers know if they're moving their class along. They know they are making progress and they know they've been working hard. Republicans don't like growth because it does show the effectiveness of teachers which in most cases is pretty good. Then there is proficiency. How proficient are your kids for their age and grade level. This measures where they're at compared to where they should be at. School districts in poverty hate this measure because study after study shows that kids in poverty just are so far behind. Many have only two or three books in their house or apartments through the age of 5 and join preschool never having had anything read to them. Children in wealthier homes have heard literally 1000's times more words than children in poverty. Republicans love to test poor kids proficiency level because they can put them on a low performing school list, show the world they aren't meeting standards, say that it's a failing school, shut it down and charter it up. Pretty simple. So, proficiency is what right wing "school of choice" "voucher" people want, growth is what most teachers would like to be judged on.

When Sen Franklin asked her about this during her hearing, I was waiting for a boxed answer. BUT THIS IDIOT DIDN"T KNOW THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM. Had no clue. I was just blown away. I'm telling you it's such a hot topic if you're in the field that it's like not knowing the difference between punt coverage and kick coverage if you're a head coach. Not joking, it's that fundamental. So, until she shuts her department down, nothing will surprise me as to what she says. She is obviously a front man for her husband and the charter people who see dollar signs. She's absolutely out of her mind stupid. I wish she'd just shut the DOE down and be done with it.

by Guest 2017-02-28, 14:44

Franken.

by **DWags** 2017-02-28, 15:02

LooseGoose wrote:Franken.

Schtein? Or Frahh ken Scheeeen?

Miss Gene Wilder.

My bad on the good senators name.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2017-02-28, 15:20

by Guest 2017-02-28, 15:20

DWags wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:Franken.

Schtein? Or Frahh ken Scheeeen?

Miss Gene Wilder.

My bad on the good senators name.

lol, I was just poking at you. In 4 years it'll be President Franken. Completing a parlay that would have paid $1Billion to $1 back in 1990. Trump followed by Franken as POTUS.

by **InTenSity** 2017-02-28, 15:27

I told my parents that the way they voted helped to take away from their grandchildrens education. They were silent about that, because I think they know I'm right.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2017-02-28, 15:39

LooseGoose wrote:
DWags wrote:

Schtein? Or Frahh ken Scheeeen?

Miss Gene Wilder.

My bad on the good senators name.

lol, I was just poking at you. In 4 years it'll be President Franken. Completing a parlay that would have paid $1Billion to $1 back in 1990. Trump followed by Franken as POTUS.

by **GRR Spartan** 2017-03-01, 10:07

Another deflection

by **The_Dude** 2017-03-01, 13:44

Great news.

We need a drastic overhaul of our public education system. Its broken. Its pathetic. It does not work.

I know Democrats are scared of change though. It might 'gasp' actually improve the lives of minorities, something Dems are normally against. Have to ensure the blacks and browns stay dumb and poor so they vote D every election.

by Guest 2017-03-02, 08:47

After they ridiculed DeVos for saying teachers in Idaho/Montana might need to arm themselves because of bears.....she was actually ahead of the curve. ;-)

Ellen L. Carmichael‏ @ellencarmichael 8m8 minutes ago
.@ChrisMurphyCT lambasted DeVos for "bears and guns" ordeal, but two CT schools on lockdown Tues. due to black bear

Bear spotted near Southington schools

SOUTHINGTON, CT (WFSB) -
Two schools in Southington were placed in "Secure School Mode" after a black bear was spotted nearby on Tuesday morning.

According to Southington Superintendent Tim Connellan, there was a bear sighting near DePaolo Middle School. Connellan added that the animal was moving in the direction on Spring Lake at the time.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2017-03-02, 09:35

LooseGoose wrote:After they ridiculed DeVos for saying teachers in Idaho/Montana might need to arm themselves because of bears.....she was actually ahead of the curve. ;-)

Ellen L. Carmichael‏ @ellencarmichael 8m8 minutes ago
.@ChrisMurphyCT lambasted DeVos for "bears and guns" ordeal, but two CT schools on lockdown Tues. due to black bear

Bear spotted near Southington schools

SOUTHINGTON, CT (WFSB) -
Two schools in Southington were placed in "Secure School Mode" after a black bear was spotted nearby on Tuesday morning.

According to Southington Superintendent Tim Connellan, there was a bear sighting near DePaolo Middle School. Connellan added that the animal was moving in the direction on Spring Lake at the time.

Devos is In 1414002394909_Image_galleryImage_Three_days_a_week_Madelin

Agreed. This is who should be packing heat while around a bunch of kids. No way will a gun accidentally go off in her purse while reaching for a Werther's Original.

by **DWags** 2017-03-09, 00:04

One of Devos cronies said to a committee of white guys "I wanted to shake her like I shake my wife. Talking about a public official. He has to resign.

Member when guys could just shake their wives and grab em by the pussy? Well evidently school choice advocates still are into that.

by **tGreenWay** 2017-03-09, 00:27

DWags wrote:One of Devos cronies said to a committee of white guys "I wanted to shake her like I shake my wife. Talking about a public official. He has to resign.

Member when guys could just shake their wives and grab em by the pussy? Well evidently school choice advocates still are into that.

Gary already resigned. The only thing we ever agree on is our love for the Spartans, but he's a real good guy who said something really stupid, and he knows it. Ive never heard him talk like that before, at least not around me. He was among friends and got too comfortable, forgetting where he was.

by Guest 2017-08-03, 08:22

Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks.

What 5 Michigan teachers said about their meeting with Betsy DeVos

Devos is In -55b3da45542cc04cjpg-369683802d73c577

Devos is In -55b3da45542cc04cjpg-369683802d73c577

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2017-08-03, 08:26

LooseGoose wrote:Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks.

What 5 Michigan teachers said about their meeting with Betsy DeVos

solid mainstream media link promoting their biased liberal agenda.

I wonder when they'll apologize for this?

by **DWags** 2017-08-03, 08:59

LooseGoose wrote:Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks.

What 5 Michigan teachers said about their meeting with Betsy DeVos

Jesus, Here's what they said:

“Meeting the needs of all learners starts with empowering practitioners. Educators need to have professional learning that is ongoing, it’s sustainable, it’s focused on students and their learning. It starts there with supporting educators as learners first.”[b] Horodyski said she’s disappointed the Trump administration’s education budget would eliminate the $2 billion federal Title II program,[/b] which funds teacher professional development and efforts to reduce class-sizes. wrote:

Devos is actually in favor of the budget cut in her own department

“Having teachers all on the same page and getting that same professional development and training is big and not their right now,” said Dixon, whose district is north of Grand Rapids. “That’s lacking.” [b]Cutting federal teacher training dollars would likely make it even more difficult to give educators that professional development, she said. “Everything is based around time and money, and if the money’s not there, you can’t get the inquiry-base and questions that kids need to have to be successful,[/b]” Dixon said. wrote:

Again, Devos is in favor of cutting this budget

Guiterrez, who was Michigan’s Teacher of the Year in 2002-03, said it’s important for DeVos to maintain professional development funding for districts. [b]While districts like hers can seek assistance funding such efforts through booster clubs, not all districts can do so, she said. “We do have resources internally,” she said. “But so many districts don’t have the resource internally.[/b]” She also said i[b]t’s important that teachers aren’t forced to miss class to participate in professional development. “[/b]I don’t want my teachers away from their classrooms,” she said. “They are their kids’ best teacher, and so professional development has to happen at alternate times.” wrote:

There will be no money for professional development outside of teaching, unless teachers pay for it on their own, taking money from teachers who have had their salaries frozen for the past six years

[b]He said one impediment to moving in that direction is an accountability system that largely consists of multiple choice tests, in which students “almost have to just know things or be a really good reader to be able to perform well.” “That can sometimes cause schools and teachers to feel that their role is only to impart knowledge on students,”[/b] he said. “They can then sometimes inadvertently skip over the processes, the skills, and the things that students might be able to need to do in science that go beyond just the content knowledge.” wrote:

Devos is in favor of more testing to "Hold accountable" teachers and districts on her report card.

[quote="“If you think about what you need to be successful in whatever career you go into, it’s not necessarily knowing the answers. It’s knowing how to get the answers,” she said. “The process is much more important than the final result a lot of times.[/quote]

In other words, stop this insane amount of testing our kids every month. (remember when Devos didn't even know the types of outcome testing with her questioning from Al Franken?) Yet, she keeps pushing for more.

For those who won't read Gooses links, these five teachers (actually three are not, they are now an administrator and two "consultants") actually in a way nicer way than I would have, told Devos that her budget is draconian, her methods are full of shit, and her measuring sticks are fucked up beyond recognition

by **GRR Spartan** 2017-08-03, 09:04

The sage from Mio came in right on cue.

How w can one person have their heads kissing Trump's Pence's and Betsy's ass all at a once?

Her sole goal is to privatize the US K-12 system so she and her fellow oligarchs can be the middle man for billions of state and Federal money and add to their billions.

I know several teachers who were asked if they wanted to participate in "a controlled meeting" with Sec DeVos. Controlled in this case meant scripted so Betsy wouldn't be recquired to respond to anything that she hadn't been prepped.

by **InTenSity** 2017-08-03, 09:05

I didn't really see a lot of praise in the article. Most of them did say they appreciated that she came to speak with them, although very convenient for DeVos to talk to educators on the west side of MI. The biggest thing I got out of it, is that the cut to funding is going to hurt the public school systems.

by Guest 2017-08-03, 09:05

DWags wrote:For those who won't read Gooses links, these five teachers (actually three are not, they are now an administrator and two "consultants") actually in a way nicer way than I would have, told Devos that her budget is draconian, her methods are full of shit, and her measuring sticks are fucked up beyond recognition

"Her" Methods and measuring sticks? Wags? Are you saying she implemented all of that bullshit? Not hardly. She may be key to dismantling it though.

by **DWags** 2017-08-03, 09:18

LooseGoose wrote:
DWags wrote:For those who won't read Gooses links, these five teachers (actually three are not, they are now an administrator and two "consultants") actually in a way nicer way than I would have, told Devos that her budget is draconian, her methods are full of shit, and her measuring sticks are fucked up beyond recognition

"Her" Methods and measuring sticks? Wags? Are you saying she implemented all of that bullshit? Not hardly. She may be key to dismantling it though.

She wants to hang on to "measuring sticks" make it more punitive for school districts while cutting budgets where teachers can't get professional development.

Look, I can't believe I'm having this conversation. I'm a fucking dumb ass in many things, but I've been on the inside of this shit. I've juggled budgets and I've fought the fight in classrooms. These five teachers just told her she was full of shit and your headline tells me in a way only fox news could that it seems these teachers were all for her.

I will bet you a nice blueberry tort vs my prized eagle's "hell freezes over" tour hat in which I sat in front of steve Yzerman who had a halo screwed into his skull, that she will only meet with teachers in a controlled hand picked way for her tenure as Ed Sec. Those five are more calm and thought out than I could ever hope to be. They handled it well and said things that adults would say. God bless them. No way I could

by Guest 2017-08-03, 09:28

DWags wrote:For those who won't read Gooses links,

BTW - I have to wholeheartedly endorse this practice. There is no better way to avoid having to change the way you think about something than assiduously avoiding exposure to a point a view that might clash with the conclusion you jumped to.

by Guest 2017-08-03, 09:31

DWags wrote:She wants to hang on to "measuring sticks" make it more punitive for school districts while cutting budgets where teachers can't get professional development.

Wags? Just for the record who implemented those measuring sticks? Which administration? Bush I? Clinton? Bush II? Obama?

And aren't they the ones that deserve your anger?

by **DWags** 2017-08-03, 09:41

LooseGoose wrote:
DWags wrote:She wants to hang on to "measuring sticks" make it more punitive for school districts while cutting budgets where teachers can't get professional development.

Wags? Just for the record who implemented those measuring sticks? Which administration? Bush I? Clinton? Bush II? Obama?

And aren't they the ones that deserve your anger?

If you want an administrative discourse on it, they started in 1932, but Johnson put federal teeth into them in 65 because backwoods states like W.Virginia, Kentucky, Missippi, bama, et al diddn't give a fuck about black or poor kids. Bush took it way further in 2001 with his NCLB that grabbed state districts by the balls, caused administrators to be fired, or 50% of your teaching staff to be laid off if goals weren't met. Obama did nothing to help relieve the stress due to politics even though he probably had 70% of the teachers vote, and now Trump and DeVos will take an auger and finish the job.

We are becoming a country that says "educate your own, fuck you". I won't be around for the real chaos in 20 years or so, but we'll see a huge rise in crime. I have no doubt.

I'm not here telling you that Trump and Devos cause this shit, but I'm here telling ylu that a ship was in trouble, and the government on January 21, 2017 helicoptered a new captain down to the ship to try to save it. That Captain was Edward J. Smith.

Good luck, the system is fucked. Wakes, get the fuck out.

by **tGreenWay** 2017-08-03, 10:09

LooseGoose wrote:Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks.

What 5 Michigan teachers said about their meeting with Betsy DeVos

Praise the Lord that Betsy Devos herself isn't political.

by Guest 2017-08-03, 10:28

tGreenWay wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks.

What 5 Michigan teachers said about their meeting with Betsy DeVos

Praise the Lord that Betsy Devos herself isn't political.

It's terrible that she's meeting with people in education to get ideas. She deserves more flogging for this shit.

7 2 DeVos gets an earful from Michigan school superintendents

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2017-08-03, 10:29

I'll keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.

On a side note, would anyone like to by some Amway dish detergent?

by **tGreenWay** 2017-08-03, 10:45

LooseGoose wrote:
tGreenWay wrote:

Praise the Lord that Betsy Devos herself isn't political.

It's terrible that she's meeting with people in education to get ideas. She deserves more flogging for this shit.

7 2 DeVos gets an earful from Michigan school superintendents

You said: "Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks."

To which I replied: "Praise the Lord that Betsy Devos herself isn't political."

That's it. That's all I said. You called us political hacks. I pointed out Betsy herself is exactly what you condemned. She's probably a bigger political animal than the rest of us combined. Don't let her fake godliness fool you; Betsy likes her politics bloody and with many casualties. And yeah, she's a bigger hack than the rest of us, too.

by **tGreenWay** 2017-08-03, 10:48

One last question: If this wasn't a political op, why invite all the news outlets? Betsy can't stand reporters. Seems to me they'd only be a distraction from getting done what you assume she set out to do for her trip to West Michigan.
I submit she got exactly what she intended. Plenty of news coverage for her photo op. That's as political as it gets.

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2017-08-03, 10:49

tGreenWay wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:

It's terrible that she's meeting with people in education to get ideas. She deserves more flogging for this shit.

7 2 DeVos gets an earful from Michigan school superintendents

You said: "Interesting what actual teachers have to say about DeVos - compared to political hacks."

To which I replied: "Praise the Lord that Betsy Devos herself isn't political."

That's it. That's all I said. You called us political hacks. I pointed out Betsy herself is exactly what you condemned. She's probably a bigger political animal than the rest of us combined. Don't let her fake godliness fool you; Betsy likes her politics bloody and with many casualties. And yeah, she's a bigger hack than the rest of us, too.

but she's a (fake) blonde who wears a cross around her neck.

How can she possibly have a "fake godliness" attribute?

by **GRR Spartan** 2017-08-03, 10:57

Betsy DeVos is and has been a political animal for decades. In fact, much better operating in the political environment than her husband Dick.

Here's a long and factually accurate article about Betsy. Her growing up as Betsy Prince and after joining the DeVos family by her marriage to Dick DeVos, the eldest son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/betsy-devos-secretary-of-education.html

by **Rocinante** 2017-08-03, 11:01

I am friends with a woman from the GR area that will be running for office of some sort soon as a Republican. She is just the kind of person they love to put up for office: She's smokin, she married into money, she has a compelling backstory, she's passionate but not too smart, she toes the party line so that she doesn't have to think too much. She's white.

by **DWags** 2017-08-03, 11:33

LooseGoose wrote:
tGreenWay wrote:

Praise the Lord that Betsy Devos herself isn't political.

It's terrible that she's meeting with people in education to get ideas. She deserves more flogging for this shit.

7 2 DeVos gets an earful from Michigan school superintendents

Meeting = listening and implementing. Devos is In 502811600

Nobody can be this naive. Well, forget it, I'll take it back.

by **tGreenWay** 2017-08-03, 16:30

Rocinante wrote:I am friends with a woman from the GR area that will be running for office of some sort soon as a Republican. She is just the kind of person they love to put up for office: She's smokin, she married into money, she has a compelling backstory, she's passionate but not too smart, she toes the party line so that she doesn't have to think too much. She's white.

Are they putting her up in the primary vs Justin Amash?

by Guest 2017-08-03, 16:33

DWags wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:

It's terrible that she's meeting with people in education to get ideas. She deserves more flogging for this shit.

7 2 DeVos gets an earful from Michigan school superintendents

Meeting = listening and implementing.

Nobody can be this naive. Well, forget it, I'll take it back.

Yours responses today show that no matter what she does you'll find fault. Your partisanship has blinded you.

by **DWags** 2017-08-03, 16:39

LooseGoose wrote:
DWags wrote:

Meeting = listening and implementing.

Nobody can be this naive. Well, forget it, I'll take it back.

Yours responses today show that no matter what she does you'll find fault. Your partisanship has blinded you.

No I lived it. But tell me as an outsider how fucking blind I was to what I was living. Later you and I can go tell auto engineers how to do it correctly.

Here's the bet: $100 she does not ask for increased budget money or for the tests to be toned down.

by Guest 2017-08-03, 17:15

DWags wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:

Yours responses today show that no matter what she does you'll find fault. Your partisanship has blinded you.

No I lived it. But tell me as an outsider how fucking blind I was to what I was living. Later you and I can go tell auto engineers how to do it correctly.

Here's the bet: $100 she does not ask for increased budget money or for the tests to be toned down.

Give me the baselines for the above so there is no dispute. My point is that she should be getting credit for getting out of DC and listening. Shouldn't she do that before acting?

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