I keep looking at that headline, "Possible shell corporation," and I want a curmudgeonly old assistant city editor to say, "There's no such thing as a possible shell corporation, genius. It's a shell corporation or it isn't. Which is it?"
Regardless, management schools are going to study the takeover for a long time to come for its failures. It takes a special type of leadership to get every political party united against you!
You know, L Man, I think you and I may finally agree on something or at least part of something here. What the Miles regime lacks is immediate political legitimacy, local legitimacy. I could argue that it springs from a larger deeper legitimacy, in that it was imposed by law under laws adopted by the legislature, but then that would require me to speak reverentially about the Texas Legislature, which I could not do even at gunpoint. The problem for democracy fans like myself in Houston is that the democratically elected school boards in Houston for years produced an egregious catastrophe of a school district. How on earth do you manage to violate basic standards of fairness and social justice in Texas, where most people think social justice is communist? Are the failure of the democratically elected school boards in Houston and the success of the fiat regime, taken together, an indictment of democracy? I think the jury is still out on that. But that's where your "management schools" would need to look.
"Are the failure of the democratically elected school boards in Houston and the success of the fiat regime, taken together, an indictment of democracy?"
No.
They're a failure of "governance", as defined by John Carver.
The board sets policy and procedures for accomplishing goals. The superintendent executes or implements those policies and reports progress or shortfalls toward those goals. NEITHER should be establishing the actual goals of the institution.
The board and the superintendent are only two legs of a three-legged stool codified into Texas Law and intentionally trained OUT of superintendents (by TASA [ https://tasanet.org/ ] ) and boards (by TASB [ https://www.tasb.org/ ]. The third and neglected leg of the stool should be the MOST 'democratic' component. (not the party, 'democratic' but the 'empowered people' == democratic) The public -- parents, taxpayers, teachers, and community leaders -- set goals. The legal body at district level to evaluate situations and form goals is the "Improvement Committee". Parents and teachers, mostly. Barely staff.
Parents and others in what should be a balance-of-powers, democratically governed local institution are wholly shut out. Regarded as "complainers" -- there were TWO sessions last month training boards and superintendents how to shut down, shut out, or shut up community members who exercise First Amendment democratic rights to voice concerns.
(Also, training school boards and superintendents how to "get out the vote" from their supporters on "important issues", like getting re-elected, passing a giant tax increase to fund construction bonds, and opposing state education vouchers...)
A goal is something like: "All children should be able to read". A policy or a procedure is more like "the district ensure that reading textbooks are aligned with the most current 'science of reading' ". A performance review will include "STAAR results show the fraction of children reading on grade level this year is higher than last year and so is approaching our goal of 'all'. "
THAT'S how governance is supposed to work. HISD hasn't done that. In fact, though I tend to support Miles, he isn't doing it, either. He's more what is called a "tyrant". When governance and democracy fails, tyranny steps in. Sometimes a lucky institution winds up with a benevolent tyrant.
Thank you for the thoughtful response, but if this fiat regime was such a success why not do it everywhere in the state? I think deep down you know the answer. What happens when an entire state never reads a book in school throughout their educational career? What happens to college readiness when every concept has to be distilled to an answer that can be checked every 4 minutes or less? I think these are more important decisions to grapple with.
Yes! I agree with a lot of what you said here. Most teachers would too! However it can’t ALL be rote. There’s no deeper meaning being discovered in Houston. You’re an author- you create and I think that’s important. The suffering servant you write so much about doesn’t demonstrate he thinks it’s important.
Exactly. I’m not even sure Miles is the same guy here as he was in Dallas. I need to read more about that time. And Jim, all schools weren’t failing in HISD before he arrived. What HISD is experiencing is a one trick pony, cookie cutter approach.
I believe that every member of the leadership of the Houston Teachers Union is a publicist and a political consultant. They've been pushing their line for decades and need no outside help.
I keep looking at that headline, "Possible shell corporation," and I want a curmudgeonly old assistant city editor to say, "There's no such thing as a possible shell corporation, genius. It's a shell corporation or it isn't. Which is it?"
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The retiree’s blade went snicker-snack!
He left the Observer dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
I was a soprano and sang that in a chorus with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Philharmonic. Really.
Just gonna say, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton#Gell-Mann_amnesia_effect
Regardless, management schools are going to study the takeover for a long time to come for its failures. It takes a special type of leadership to get every political party united against you!
You know, L Man, I think you and I may finally agree on something or at least part of something here. What the Miles regime lacks is immediate political legitimacy, local legitimacy. I could argue that it springs from a larger deeper legitimacy, in that it was imposed by law under laws adopted by the legislature, but then that would require me to speak reverentially about the Texas Legislature, which I could not do even at gunpoint. The problem for democracy fans like myself in Houston is that the democratically elected school boards in Houston for years produced an egregious catastrophe of a school district. How on earth do you manage to violate basic standards of fairness and social justice in Texas, where most people think social justice is communist? Are the failure of the democratically elected school boards in Houston and the success of the fiat regime, taken together, an indictment of democracy? I think the jury is still out on that. But that's where your "management schools" would need to look.
"Are the failure of the democratically elected school boards in Houston and the success of the fiat regime, taken together, an indictment of democracy?"
No.
They're a failure of "governance", as defined by John Carver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_Governance
The board sets policy and procedures for accomplishing goals. The superintendent executes or implements those policies and reports progress or shortfalls toward those goals. NEITHER should be establishing the actual goals of the institution.
The board and the superintendent are only two legs of a three-legged stool codified into Texas Law and intentionally trained OUT of superintendents (by TASA [ https://tasanet.org/ ] ) and boards (by TASB [ https://www.tasb.org/ ]. The third and neglected leg of the stool should be the MOST 'democratic' component. (not the party, 'democratic' but the 'empowered people' == democratic) The public -- parents, taxpayers, teachers, and community leaders -- set goals. The legal body at district level to evaluate situations and form goals is the "Improvement Committee". Parents and teachers, mostly. Barely staff.
https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._educ._code_section_11.252
The TASA/TASB administrations pretend parents' committees don't exist. Look at the joint conference committee program, the list of training sessions.
https://issuu.com/tasb-org/docs/txedcon24_program
Parents and others in what should be a balance-of-powers, democratically governed local institution are wholly shut out. Regarded as "complainers" -- there were TWO sessions last month training boards and superintendents how to shut down, shut out, or shut up community members who exercise First Amendment democratic rights to voice concerns.
(Also, training school boards and superintendents how to "get out the vote" from their supporters on "important issues", like getting re-elected, passing a giant tax increase to fund construction bonds, and opposing state education vouchers...)
A goal is something like: "All children should be able to read". A policy or a procedure is more like "the district ensure that reading textbooks are aligned with the most current 'science of reading' ". A performance review will include "STAAR results show the fraction of children reading on grade level this year is higher than last year and so is approaching our goal of 'all'. "
THAT'S how governance is supposed to work. HISD hasn't done that. In fact, though I tend to support Miles, he isn't doing it, either. He's more what is called a "tyrant". When governance and democracy fails, tyranny steps in. Sometimes a lucky institution winds up with a benevolent tyrant.
We can only keep our fingers crossed.
Thank you for the thoughtful response, but if this fiat regime was such a success why not do it everywhere in the state? I think deep down you know the answer. What happens when an entire state never reads a book in school throughout their educational career? What happens to college readiness when every concept has to be distilled to an answer that can be checked every 4 minutes or less? I think these are more important decisions to grapple with.
schutzejim.com
Yes! I agree with a lot of what you said here. Most teachers would too! However it can’t ALL be rote. There’s no deeper meaning being discovered in Houston. You’re an author- you create and I think that’s important. The suffering servant you write so much about doesn’t demonstrate he thinks it’s important.
Exactly. I’m not even sure Miles is the same guy here as he was in Dallas. I need to read more about that time. And Jim, all schools weren’t failing in HISD before he arrived. What HISD is experiencing is a one trick pony, cookie cutter approach.
I didn't think there could be a human being as tough as Mike Miles. But I'm glad I was wrong.
How involved are the publicists for the Houston Teachers’ Union? The political consultants? The lawyers? This must be a gravy train for them.
I believe that every member of the leadership of the Houston Teachers Union is a publicist and a political consultant. They've been pushing their line for decades and need no outside help.
Point well taken. Thank you
I'll take odds against.
We are not accepting those bets at this time. Please check back later.