It seems my worst fears have been realized, albeit in a delayed form.
Last year, like so many others, I sounded the alarm on the so-called “rotisserie league” system of teacher evaluation, using stats like baseball cards to determine effectiveness. At the moment, I thought my lesson had been learned, at least when using Alex Rodriguez as an example.
(By the way, he again is a failure this season, according to NCLB standards)
The recent release of teacher data by the Los Angeles Times has shown the ghastly effects of such unscrupulous shaming. Morale is at a new low. Attrition is rampant. Few would want to enter a school system where taking the courageous stand of teaching children with special needs could land you on the front page with a noose over your head. Most shockingly, one teacher committed suicide over perceived low scores, even though colleagues and administrators alike touted him as an exemplary teacher.
Now, the grand poobahs in New York City want the same thing.
Last week, the UFT went to court to stop the New York City Department of Education from publishing Teacher Data Report scores for 4-8th Grade teachers in the city. The TDRs, as they were called, were a program designed to show teachers—and only teachers—how their students have done over time via standardized testing and other assessments.
The move is so controversial that even the CSA, the principals’ union, broke ranks with the DOE and sided with the teachers. When the TDRs were implemented last year, principals explicitly told their teachers that the data would be for their eyes only. Publishing these scores would not only undermine teacher morale, but also the integrity of administrators citywide.
Yet even with the injunctions, motions, stoppages, etc. teachers may probably still face the prospect of public data reports.
Harping about the validity (or lack thereof) of the data or the data collection will do little good. Nor will the constant chirping of union reps and teacher advocates, since the education reform crowd has already labeled teachers as the enemy.
What’s needed now is a counter-proposal.
If the city is going to publish teacher data, it must publish student and parent records alongside each teacher’s evaluation.
If the city wants to make everyone accountable in education, then all the cards should be face-up on the table. Let’s make data evaluation truly public—after all, we know all the intangibles and background that surround the stats in baseball, basketball, football, etc. There’s the differences in field surfaces, in flooring, in wind directions, fan attendance: all of which add up to some effect on the overall performance of the individual athletes.
The same could be said for teachers. If a teacher has a class that cannot read at their grade level, show the records that indicate their improvement, as well as any individual needs, problems, situations that help or hinder the classroom experience. If a teacher misses some phony cutoff in test scores for bonuses or whatnot, make sure the record shows the anecdotals of the little bastards who never do squat in the room.
Parents shouldn’t be off the hook, either. Alongside the data reports should be the page upon page of meeting notes with parents—parents who never show up for meetings, parents who get belligerent, parents who “yes” the teacher to death in order to get her off their back. Yet also show that parents who genuinely try to help, but are often frustrated with the curriculum themselves. The problem rarely just stops at teacher and student.
Thanks to privacy laws, this proposal will probably never see the light of day. Yet what makes teachers so worthy of exemption from professional courtesy?
It can’t be because of our status as public employees: no other public agency would allow such open pillorying of their staff. Nor is it because of our special relationship with children: parents have an even more intense bond, yet their results are hardly scrutinized in public.
Perhaps it’s because the inhuman, artificial nature of data allows administrators to show that they care about children without ever being involved with children. It’s like the old line about the imperious city planner Robert Moses, “He loves the public, but he hates people.”
Publishing student and parent data, while a pipe dream, can be an even better way to evaluate a teacher’s performance. It provides a holistic, broad-based picture of the circumstances each teacher must deal with. Then, and only then, should test data be considered.
After all, how can you score a baseball game if you haven’t watched a single inning of it?
Mr. D's Neighborhood 
Hollywood History: Possible Scripts to Pitch in LA
Next week, I will be in the sunny confines of southern California, home of the proverbial swimming pools and movie stars. Since Mr. D is just too ravishingly handsome for the screen, he should probably have some sort of treatment with him in case he gets discovered…you never know.
In researching possible script ideas, I’ve noticed that many incredible stories from history have not gotten their proper Hollywood treatment. Some, such as Giuseppe Garibaldi and Enrico Fermi, I’ve discussed before. On this trip, however, let’s look at other stories that have been overlooked—as well as some interesting casting ideas.
1. Andrew Jackson
Why? – The guy, like so many characters in history, is custom-designed for great moviemaking. Orphaned at a young age, wounded in the Revolution as a teenager, taking revenge on the British, the Seminoles, the Creeks, the Cherokee and anyone who slandered his two-timing wife—Jackson can make up a miniseries, let alone a multi-reeler.
The Lead? – tough, but I have in mind Jon Hamm and Nick Nolte: Hamm as the younger Jackson through 1815, and Nolte as the presidential figure. Either of them could take a pistol shot and whip a man into oblivion, a necessary trait for the role.
2. DeWitt Clinton
Why? – Clinton is the complicated hero-politician that has been so overlooked by Hollywood, largely because of location. Clinton is a New York guy, doing New York things that affected the whole country. He also had an outsized reputation: any man called “Magnus Apollo” in his lifetime deserves a treatment.
The Lead? – Colin Firth, no question. Firth has the gravitas to build the Erie Canal, the height that matched Clinton’s stature, and he already did a splendid turn in Regency attire in Pride and Prejudice. He almost matches the paintings.
3. William Johnson
Why? – Dances with Wolves meets Last of the Mohicans. There’s something about Europeans going native that drives moviegoers into theaters. Furthermore, Johnson’s exploits with his Iroquois army are legendary, including Crown Point, Fort Niagara and the siege of Montreal. The subplot of his Irishness helping him win friends with the natives can also guarantee an Oscar nod.
The Lead? – At first, I thought Liam Neeson, but in retrospect it doesn’t really work with the historical Johnson. A better choice would be the crazy Irishman from Braveheart, David O’Hara. I’ve seen him in other roles, and he has a toughness and a stature that could make this a breakout role for him. Being Irish also helps.
4. James Michael Curley
Why? – Curley is the kind of outsized, megalomaniacal, controversial political kingpin that audiences love. As mayor of Boston, Congressman, governor of Massachusetts, and convicted felon, Curley was the father of modern ethnic politics. Taking cues from New York’s Tammany Hall, he created a similar apparatus in Massachusetts, mobilizing the Irish—much to the disdain of the Boston Brahmins that dominated the state until that point.
The Lead? – I really wish he got his shit together, because Tom Sizemore would be perfect to play Curley. The guy just oozes Boston tough guy, but with just enough polish that could make him give respectable speeches to demure New England citizens.
5. Victoria Woodhull
Why? – Many forget that Woodhull was the first American woman to run for President in 1872. On top of that, she was incredibly controversial, even among women suffragists—free love, labor reform (of the quasi-Marxist kind), eugenics and spiritualism were also on Woodhull’s agenda. That was enough to make Susan B. Anthony soil her bloomers.
The Lead? – Not really sure, could use some help from the Neighborhood on this one. Most of the actresses in mind are pretty long in the tooth for this role, but any ideas are welcome.
6. Al Smith
Why? – Smith was a run-of-the-mill Tammany hack until March 25, 1911. After the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he became a driving force for workplace and social reform in New York—the true father of the New Deal. The climax could be his 1928 presidential run, where he faced anti-Catholic and anti-Irish prejudice in a humiliating defeat.
The Lead? – J. K. Simmons. I first saw him in the HBO series Oz, as the neo-Nazi Vernon Schillinger. Yet even then I saw a command of the screen, coupled with a human touch, that would be just right for the role of the Happy Warrior.
7. The Healys (Patrick, Michael, and James)
Why? – The subplot alone is compelling: an Irish planter takes a mulatto enslaved woman as his common law wife. They have three sons illegally, as interracial marriage is forbidden in antebellum Georgia. To educate them, the three are sent to Catholic schools in the north, as education for blacks is forbidden. Each of the Healys is light enough to pass as white: another conflict as their exploits are shown.
The Lead? – I’m really confused here. Because the Healy boys were so light-skinned, I’m not sure whether to use white talent or Black. I’m not even sure which actors would really fit well. Again, some help from the Neighborhood would help.
8. The Culper Spy Ring
Why? – looking for a great espionage thriller, full of sex, intrigue, double-crossing, violence and plot twists? Look no further than the Culper Ring, a ring of spies in New York and Long Island that spied on the British for George Washington—even as many posed as loyal Tories. They are the ancestors of the modern CIA, and their exploits probably make them more successful, on average.
The Lead? – We have little, if any, information on the true identities, let alone the appearances, of the members of the ring: their identities were not divulged until the 1930s. Casting, then, is wide open to traditional leading men, leading ladies, action heroes, you name it.
9. Robert Moses
Why? – The Power Broker himself: for a half a century, Moses was the most powerful man in New York State without holding a single elected office. He rammed highways, bridges, tunnels, parks, beaches and housing projects all over the state—and didn’t care who got in the way. That is, until Jane Jacobs, Nelson Rockefeller, Joseph Papp and a slew of New Yorkers finally turned their pitchforks on the Master Builder.
The Lead? – If I could find an actor that’s a composite of Michael Gambon’s size and Paul Giamatti’s grit, that would be perfect. Headshots, anyone?
10. H. L. Mencken
Why? – apart from being one of my all-time favorite authors, the Sage of Baltimore’s whit and biting cynicism covered most of the first half of the 20th century. He was cosmopolitan and provincial at the same time: a thinker who fancied himself above the “booboisie” while still able to mix in the dives and gin joints of the Baltimore waterfront. Why Barry Levinson isn’t all over this I have no idea.
The Lead? – It has to be someone intelligent who can play a real asshole. Sam Neill might work, or maybe even Eddie Izzard—I’m leaning more towards the latter.
As always, these ideas are not nearly exhaustive—nor do I really have scripts ready. If anyone has any other ideas, or if they have treatments ready that I can pitch, please let me know.
Don’t worry, you’ll receive due credit—minus my percentage, which we can negotiate later.
This is Hollywood, after all 😉
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Tagged as Al Smith, American History, Andrew Jackson, Anti-Irish racism, Comedy, Commentary, Culper Spy Ring, DeWitt Clinton, Education, H. L. Mencken, Healy family, History, Humor, Humour, J. K. Simmons, James Michael Curley, Media, motion pictures, movies, Native Americans, Nelson Rockefeller, New York, New York City, New York History, Opinion, Robert Moses, Social studies, Tammany Hall, television, Travel, U.S. History, United States, Victoria Woodhull, William Johnson