tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post7719854438212948023..comments2023-05-05T03:15:17.710-05:00Comments on D181 Parents for Accountability and Transparency: Continuing Series, Part 5: A Critical Analysis of the "Doctors in Training" at the helm of D181 and their Questionable Qualifications – The Assistant Superintendent of Learning (Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-24643867042267372072013-12-10T07:30:54.398-06:002013-12-10T07:30:54.398-06:00I have just caught up on all the blog comments sin...I have just caught up on all the blog comments since T'giving break. It is not just Kevin Russell who has sold his "educational soul" for a pay check. So has Doug Eccarius. I thought Kevin Russell would have made a good middle school principal (he was asst. principal at CHMS before principal at Walker.) Kevin Russell's elevation to the central administration position of assessment and now learning is the most blatant example of the "Peter Principal." Kevin is in so very over his head and all the teachers know it. Also, Marty Turek only is one vote on the BOE. As BOE President, he has absolutely no authority to solely consent to any action in the district. Any action in D181 requires the vote of all 7 BOE members. If Turek has given permission for 4 D181 Administrator to present at this Tash conference, then he has over stepped his authority. It doesn't surprise me. I think that Turek's performance as a BOE member demonstrates why the Hinsdale Village Caucus DID NOT support him as a school board candidate after he interviewed with the caucus. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-53897320450795429862013-12-06T14:48:14.144-06:002013-12-06T14:48:14.144-06:00Our district needs a TRUE leader, and Mr. Russell ...Our district needs a TRUE leader, and Mr. Russell has shown that he is not that guy. He is following along the learning for all road like a lemming. It is uncomfortable to watch someone that many believed had potential follow Schneider like a puppy. Helping him present at the TASK conference is pathetic. Is it inexperience? Is it a paycheck? Is it just not being a Leader?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-66411225796329045932013-12-06T11:12:15.329-06:002013-12-06T11:12:15.329-06:00While I think it's unacceptable for all 4 to b...While I think it's unacceptable for all 4 to be present at the TASH conference, are they really all that useful if they were back in the office? <br /><br />I think Mr. Russell could be (I used to think very highly of him), but I have no use for the other three, especially Benaitis and Schneider. It's absolutely ridiculous the way they have to do everything together in lock step. <br /><br />If the Board was truly looking at ways to be fiscally responsible, they would start with cutting Dr. Schuster's bloated and ineffective staff and applying those resources to the education of our children right in the schools. We don't need anymore useless 150-page presentations with manipulated data. <br /><br />Monroe ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-31410081737506722202013-12-06T09:50:49.956-06:002013-12-06T09:50:49.956-06:00Turek is apparently all in with the agenda represe...Turek is apparently all in with the agenda represented by the Learning for All Plan and the related buzzwords of empowerment, culture change, and achievement gap. What can he say now? Whoops, sorry I put the entire district in the hands of people devoted to stamping out inequality at the expense of children with no data or support. If he had moral courage he would do it. But apparently he lacks what is needed to be a leader.<br /><br />Schuster has him in her hands. He can't say no to her requests, because that would be an admission that it doesn't work. She wants her whole team to go play Bill Ayres for the week, go ahead and attend the conference. I think I need to go into Restraint and Seclusion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-9229333208673773632013-12-06T07:37:03.887-06:002013-12-06T07:37:03.887-06:00How much would you like to bet that Turek has alre...How much would you like to bet that Turek has already given the green light to Schneider and his TASH presenters for all to present? Let's see - that's 3-4 days out if the office. Will they be using their generous personal or vacation days since this gang of 4 won't be working? How shameful.<br />Also, according to the Learning for None plan, all students will start with the ACE curriculum next fall at the middle schools. Parents better get those checkbooks ready to pay the tutors!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-33693276955308651802013-12-06T00:42:20.090-06:002013-12-06T00:42:20.090-06:00Go to the following "sessions" link on t...Go to the following "sessions" link on the TASH conference website: http://conference.tash.org/schedule/?event_id=503<br />What you will see (at least as of midnight tonight) is that there are still 4 D181 administrators listed as presenters -- Schneider, Russell, Igoe and Benaitis. Weeks ago, Schuster told the Board during a meeting that only 2 administrators were going to present. Since Schneider is now on the TASH "board of directors," you'd think that he would make sure that the information posted on the conference website as it relates to his presentation would be accurate. I bet it is, which means that Schuster was "incorrect" about what she told the Board. What else might she be "incorrectly" representing to the Board and community?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-25029340370343219122013-12-05T22:53:39.602-06:002013-12-05T22:53:39.602-06:00Is it true that all 4 administrators are going to ...Is it true that all 4 administrators are going to this TASH conference? So not only is Dr. Schneider checked out, now we have three more, highly paid administrators joining him. You have got to be kidding me!!! They are all truly joined at the hip. It doesn't really look like any of them are needed if they can all leave and attend conferences. The schools will run themselves. The bureaucracy in this district is unbelievable. No to ISATs sounds good!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-17301029953856903242013-12-05T21:07:52.495-06:002013-12-05T21:07:52.495-06:00As a parent of two children in this district, one ...As a parent of two children in this district, one in middle school, the other a fourth grader, I can respect the differences of political opinion our community represents. So be it. We can debate political affiliation and ideology until we're blue in the face, but that will not change the state of the district, which is in distress. I think we can all agree on that. We can also agree, apparently, that our school board, at least the five in majority, are not serving in the best interest of our children. If they were, they sure as heck wouldn't be sitting back staring blankly into space or at computer screens while Schuster and her crew spew out more nonsense concerning their new programs and district philosophy. The discussion is so limited and controlled, you would think one of these majority board members would grow tired of generalities and demand some solid answers to questions. I'm very concerned about what's coming down the road for my fourth grader because next year and afterward, we parents will not recognize the middle schools. I can already tell that the education my eighth grader receives is vastly different than what my fourth grader is currently struggling with on a daily basis. I have heard next fall begins with ELA for ALL at our middle schools, along with continued math acceleration. Is this realistic in the face of the Common Core? Haven't we already spent enough on tutoring? Apparently, the administration believes we are the gifts that keep on giving, so they are going full steam ahead with these ridiculous programs, and next year greater experimentation starts at the middle schools. Politics aside, this is what will happen unless the board wises up and stops this trainwreck.<br />Oh, and FYI - All the central office administration: Russell, Schneider,Benaitis, Igoe, etc have year to year contracts that always start on July 1 and end on June 30. According to IL policy, they have to be terminated by April 1 before a contract extension is issued by the BOE. All these alley cats are short-timers, and if the BOE were truly serving the community, they would be insisting on a radical change in the administration so new experienced professionals can take over and fix this mess. As for Schuster, well, her expiration date is June 30, 2015 - plenty of time to do more damage, unless there are enough parent voices of discontent to send her to Cactusland early. <br />Regardless of politics, I would vote for that and the April 1 notifications. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-28446892720810334812013-12-05T18:09:45.697-06:002013-12-05T18:09:45.697-06:00I absolutely disagree with the comment that the bo...I absolutely disagree with the comment that the board is a "tea party" board. This board's agenda is an ultra left wing agenda led by Marty Turek. Just look on the website of the organization, TASH, where Schneider is speaking, it is all ultra left left wing gobbledygook about culture, and empowement, and community change. The entire purpose of the program in our district is to stamp out inequality as though we were an urban district with significant underachievers who had been excluded from honors programs because of inherent racism. (Notably, as an aside, Schuster and the board have appeared unable to hire anyone of color to help run the district and the two women of color who have been on the board have been marginalized or even assaulted. Next time you see one of the committees count how many Asian parents are included--those numbers are always interesting. So much for equality)<br /><br /><br />There is no way anyone can call this grand movement "Learning for All" a tea party or right wing movement. <br /><br />On the other hand, as I noted above in an earlier comment, I don't think it is fair to call the Learning for All plan a democratic or republican plan because the extreme left wing politics that Turek promotes through this program is so far left, so far out of the mainstream, that it can't be considered anyting other then the washed up debris from the 1960's baby boomer left wing tidal wave. <br /><br />We in this community can't make this a typical left wing right wing debate because the concepts being rolled out are without any foundation and are 100% ideological and therefore change is an empirical necessity, not a political one. It would be easy to equate the learning for all plan to Obamacare, or to a tea party issue, or some other national hot button item, but we should not do so. We need to unite around the facts in support of our children.<br /><br /><br />Sure, I know that Turek and company pretend to adhere to conservative policies, but anyone who was actually a conservative, let alone a tea partier (and I am not one) would never vote for an ultra left wing "Learning for All" plan that dumps all children in one unified classroom in the name of "social justice", hires layers of administrators, gives the administrators huge raises, and bumps up the budget. <br /><br />Google social justice and education and see if any "tea party" sites come up. Is it possible that the people who voted for the ulta left wing plan are too limited in vision and ability to actually understand what they voted for? I am not interested in answering that question. I would just urge people to focus on the data and results and resist partian urges.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-43146093571759407242013-12-05T16:41:24.855-06:002013-12-05T16:41:24.855-06:00Follow the money. This is all about shifting risk...Follow the money. This is all about shifting risk and resources from D181 to parents. <br /><br />The majority of the BOE are bean counters / tea party fiscal kamikazes that are willing to sacrifice our children's education in order to promulgate their ridiculous, short-sighted ideology. <br /><br />Turek, Nelson and Yaeger should resign immediately.<br /><br />Monroe Dad <br />(btw, Dawn Benaitis really is the Antichrist. Enjoy her incredible incompetence at the District level!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-37168464054104018742013-12-05T14:50:10.582-06:002013-12-05T14:50:10.582-06:00http://nymag.com/news/features/anti-testing-2013-1...http://nymag.com/news/features/anti-testing-2013-12/index2.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-33073396673366154152013-12-05T13:31:47.294-06:002013-12-05T13:31:47.294-06:00So Kurt Schneider is ok with his boss putting stud...So Kurt Schneider is ok with his boss putting students in padded rooms in her old school district? Kurt Schneider does not care about our "kidos" as he refers to them sometimes. It is disappointing to read about his multiple certificates from Harvard which are really short summer seminars or conferences he attended in looking at this resume from an earlier post. He also has Capper and Fratura listed as references who seem to have been his main source of references for his social justice message. Why would Kevin Russell further his career in this manner by aligning himself with administrators that do not have the best interests of all of our children at heart. Mr. Russell would have done well in our district anyway based on his reputation as a principal without selling out and jumping on the band wagon and showing unwavering support for a hollow plan. How is Ms. Benaitis going to help when all she did was leave a big mess at Monroe school. At the risk of repeating what has been said numerous times, this would not be acceptable in the real world, why is it okay to let this happen in our neighborhood schools, to our children, the most important people in our lives...Why should we be treated like charity cases when we pay premium home prices and high taxes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-11800652189110911722013-12-05T12:07:32.265-06:002013-12-05T12:07:32.265-06:00It appears that Dr. Schneider's idea of social...It appears that Dr. Schneider's idea of social justice is having parents provide and fund their own children's special needs, while he makes cuts specialists from the teaching staff. Meanwhile, he and the other administrators reap the benefit of the savings. That is what he has done to D181. I don't think anyone in the inner city would be impressed by his theories. No wonder he is in Hinsdale - no one from an impoverished area wants him anywhere near their school. I don't think that poor parents could afford $65/hr for tutors there! If we can't even afford it, but are expected to provide it, how can they?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-36414792075015030882013-12-05T10:43:56.132-06:002013-12-05T10:43:56.132-06:00Our local administrative star will be showcasing o...Our local administrative star will be showcasing our district this month!!<br /><br />From an upcoming TASH conference showing that we are now lined up with "urban" schools trying to close the "achievement gap" and supporting his many presentations about raising the learning level of "all learners." <br /><br />"Kurt Schneider<br /> <br />Dr. Kurt A. Schneider is currently an Assistant Superintendent of Learning for the Community Consolidated School District 181 in Hinsdale, Illinois, and is co-leading the Department of Learning. He also serves as part-time adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison teaching courses within the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education Departments, and is co-developer of the National Leadership for Social Justice Institute. In 2012, he was nationally recognized by both the National Center for Educational Outcomes (Moving Your Numbers) and the TASH (June Downing Award) organizations for his work around systems change and the raising of achievement of all students through integrated comprehensive services. In 2011, he was elected to the national ASCD Leadership Council, and in 2009 was recognized by them as an Emerging Leader. Dr. Schneider has also served as an ASCD Wisconsin Board Member. His work to raise the achievement of all learners has been repeatedly presented at the local, state, and national levels. In addition to his training at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, he has undergraduate and masters degrees in Special Education; superintendent, curriculum/instruction, principal, and special education administrative licenses; and has earned multiple certificates from the Harvard Graduate School of Education for studying the Achievement Gap and Critical Issues in Urban Special Education."<br /><br />You see, no more achievement gap here!!! Everybody is in the same classroom doing the same work. Hooray for mandated equality and social justice.<br /><br />There is one workshop, unrelated to the current curriculum issues, that our beloved Dr. Schuster should attend for sure based on what happened in Missouri.<br /><br />"<br />Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Stories<br /> <br />TASH has long been a national leader in the movement to end the use of aversive behavioral interventions of all kinds, and most recently, toward the prevention of the use of restraint and seclusion in public schools. TASH partnered with Dan Habib at the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability and the National Center on Trauma Informed Care (funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) to tell the story of restraint and seclusion from the perspectives of students and parents in film – and will screen Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Stories during this session. Participants will have a chance to discuss the film, meet some of the individuals featured in the film, learn what is happening in states and nationally to end this practice, and discover multiple ways that they can participate in this national prevention campaign"<br /><br /><br />Seriously, though, a review of the conference demonstrates that what is being done in D 181 is not based on current research. The conference is devoted to assisting children with disabilities or who need special assistance of some type. I am unaware of any person in D 181 who was against this type of mainstreaming or assistance. Where are the workshops and research that support what is being done to our children.<br /><br />We are a guinea pig for the world.<br /><br />Your Friend<br /><br /><br />Schnurt KiederAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-80105883529674820442013-12-04T21:56:10.751-06:002013-12-04T21:56:10.751-06:00I'll tell you what happened to Kevin Russell: ...I'll tell you what happened to Kevin Russell: he has sold himself out for a paycheck. Any good principal knows that what Schuster and Schneider have perpetrated on the teachers and children in this district is educational malpractice, to use Dr Moon's term. Our children are paying the ultimate price, which is an education that is nowhere the quality it was just 5-10 years ago. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-77806946714213878802013-12-04T14:32:39.978-06:002013-12-04T14:32:39.978-06:00Sadly, Mr. Russell went from being a charming smal...Sadly, Mr. Russell went from being a charming small elementary principal to an over his head administrator who does not care to listen to the parents who truly need his help. What happened to him? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-63247931209758842852013-12-04T11:26:21.911-06:002013-12-04T11:26:21.911-06:00My children will not be taking ISATS. There is no...My children will not be taking ISATS. There is no law that forces them to. Why should I force my children, who have "exceeded standards" every year on the ISATS, to sit through 2 weeks of ISAT prepping, and then, another week of testing, just so the administrators can pat themselves on the back? D181 has eliminated services for children, routinely denies special education services, (unless you hire an aggressive advocate/lawyer - or, are naive enough to believe that the PPS department will provide adequate services for your child.) If the district doesn't believe in gifted children and their needs, let's see what happens when suddenly, ALL of these children stop taking ISATS. Dr. Schneider and Schuster have heavily relied on parental concern and finances to supplement their gaping holes in curriculum for too long, and are counting on our tutored children to prop them up. These are perks that economically disadvantaged schools do NOT have, so why are we comparing our schools to theirs? Should the standards and expectations be the same in D181 as in Chicago City Schools? Have you noticed that Chicago City schools HAS magnet schools and that they all outperformed our schools? Probably because their administrators know what they are doing, and they train and coach their teachers. <br /><br />If the district does not care about my children, and suffering children like the one mentioned above, I certainly feel no obligation to highly paid administrators! Let them sob in their pillows at night. Nor do I feel any obligation to my neighbors who feel that the schools are doing a great job, just because their children received wonderful services 5 or 10 years ago! Just because some people have been convinced by the schools and Mike Nelson that it is normal and acceptable to pay $65/hr for tutors to fill in the holes in their kid's basic, K-8 educations does not mean that I am that foolish, too. I am sorry that the community's property values will go down, but, if they don't feel that my children's educations are as important as their children's, I am not concerned about their dropping property values. If I am expected to tutor and supplement my children myself, simply to teach my children the basics, and to provide differentiation, my neighbors can figure out another way to raise their property values. I could care less about my own property values. Children come first.<br /><br />If I ever see the administration actually making improvements instead of philosophizing about them, I could change my mind, and allow my kids to take the ISATS. But D181 has taken a disturbing turn. After years of attending community engagement meetings, filling out surveys, and talking to the principal, I know that nothing will change. Not allowing my children to take the ISATS is my own contribution to Social Justice. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-51285461401618636732013-12-04T09:45:31.662-06:002013-12-04T09:45:31.662-06:00This is all part of a grand, dare I say it, far le...This is all part of a grand, dare I say it, far left wing vision battling perceived inequality. Marty Turek is leading the way as head of the board. Inequality is the new far left wing buzz word and so these programs, created without any data or analysis, reflect a desire to treat every child the same and stamp out inequality, regardless of circumstance, to scratch the latest trendy political itch. Let me be clear--I am not saying that this is a Democratic issue, or that the Republicans are the answer--this is a movement of the far far left wing, outside mainstream political beliefs and championed by Turek, for whatever reason to advance his ideological agenda. Even the name, Learning for All, seems to be straight out of Animal Farm, (the Seventh Commandment, "All animals are equal") and the techniques used to push the program including propaganda sessions with no questions are straight out of the ultra left wing playbook.<br /><br />The reason in my view the administration is so secretive about he origins of this program is that if they actually stated the reason, to fight academic inequality, rather than help children learn, the entire community, Democrats Republicans and everyone else except for the ultra left wing, would say that is absurd. In my view, this has nothing to do with helping children learn and everything to do with bringing a community in line with a Utopian vision of dreamers and climbers who will be long gone by the time the full extent of the damage is known.<br /><br />Of course, reality often intrudes on such Utopian visions and here, when these children get to high school, will the complete failings be exposed.<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-71542885577858149242013-12-04T09:23:55.878-06:002013-12-04T09:23:55.878-06:00We should all threaten to opt out of taking the IS...We should all threaten to opt out of taking the ISAT - use that as leverage if they do not start listening to us. There is a huge opt out movement in New York that was started by parents. How would the administration feel if all the Oak parents (who pay tons of money on tutoring to keep their children above grade level) opted out of the ISAT? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-30356368675447413242013-12-03T20:30:43.520-06:002013-12-03T20:30:43.520-06:00I would like for the administration to know that n...I would like for the administration to know that nothing good can come from having gifted/advanced readers in the same class as those that are average or below average. I hope the administration is happy to know that my child spent 20 minutes sobbing because he couldn't understand why he wasn't good enough and why he wasn't smart enough. Thank you for making my 9 year old feel worthless. I hope you sleep better tonight. <br /><br />But a sincere thank you to the Parents for Part 5!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961215159419443702.post-84921312194374292692013-12-03T20:12:22.826-06:002013-12-03T20:12:22.826-06:00What I don't understand from a group of educat...What I don't understand from a group of educators is how can any one of them hear even one story from a parent about how their child is struggling with anything the district is doing and no one in the district appear to have any compassion for that struggle or that child. Does the school board think it is just one child, one parent? If it is just one child, shouldn't that matter? During this time of the year when we reflect and honor the effect of just one child on this world, I hope we will soon see our school board and administrators thinking about the importance of each and every child, not just a philosophy or dogma. When we care honestly for the success of each and every child with a compassionate heart then we truly show who we are and what we really value.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com