In tonight’s e-mail to parents, Judi Kennedy of PCHS BOD writes:
Unfortunately, while they do this it is only affecting the current parents,
students and staff and our ability to bring in the level of student that
will help Pencader continue to succeed.
Sounds like Kennedy & the board are following in Lewis’ ways of telling the public to mind their own business. The public is the source of the problems according to the letter.
John, how can I email you privately?
@pencadermom: jyd1988@gmail.com
Crap. The ‘They’ are out to get Pencader?
To me the statement would seem to reflect what we all know is true: a school’s “success” right now – across the board – is less to do with effective programs & teachers able to help students that struggle to make big strides and more to do with marketing & pr that can attract and retain a critical mass of the type of kids (less poor, with involved and striving parents) who are more likely to test well and contribute positively to the school culture.
I’d hope we’d all agree that a truly successful school could and should do both. It feels rare.
I posted this on another blog as well, but you seem to have many legislative connections so I am re-posting here too
Saw this online while doing a little more research on these so called degree and diploma mills -
“The use of such degrees are restricted in Oregon, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, North Dakota, Nevada and Washington where improper usage can result in misdemeanor charges punishable by fines. For instance, the state of Washington passed a bill in March 2006 “prohibiting false or misleading college degrees.” The state senate “unanimously amended and approved a bill that would make issuing or using a false degree a class C felony, a crime of fraud that could warrant five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.”
Wonder how long it will take our elected officials to now follow suit?
Wonder why DE didn’t act back then? I seem to recall another diploma mill discussion happening downstate, though several years ago, can’t remember who it involved, kept thinking it was an elected official, but I could be wrong, does anyone else remember that?
Please excuse the profanity, but “Holy shit!” I’m tired at screaming at windmills. This is what I’ve been saying for years and Coolspringer says so well above. It pretty much confirms a certain unspoken (or, rather, now “typed”) elitism among many of the families who send their kids to these schools (Newark Charter, Wilmington Charter, Pencader, etc.). Screaming at those windmills only to be called some class-warmonger has not fazed me. All of our schools can be great. But until we stop these absolutely unfair comparisons of schools that serve such varying populations based on some schools’ highly selective admissions and retention policies does no one any good. Stop labeling my damn school “Academic Watch” and a school like Newark Charter “Superior” when the conditions under which those schools operate are so drastically different. In fact, let’s stop labeling and stigmatizing schools all together.
This email is damning. I’m tired of this foolishness.
Found the incident I was thinking of, apparently it was now Representative, Don Blakey and the article was also in the News Journal back in 2006 – so this is the second time they have done a story exposing these Diploma Mill operations…
Here is a blurb from the article, the whole one was no longer on the NJ site (too old)
‘Diploma mill’ degree becomes campaign issue in Kent race
delawareonline: “Kent County Levy Court Commissioner Donald A. Blakey’s doctoral degree from an institution labeled a diploma mill by congressional investigators has become an issue in Blakey’s race for the 34th District House seat against Democrat M. Jeanine Kleimo.
Kleimo says it is a “misrepresentation” for Blakey to tout his doctoral degree from Pacific Western University, a nonaccredited institution now owned by a Florida chiropractor.
Blakey, 70, calls it a low blow. Blakey holds a bachelor’s degree from Delaware State College (now University), a master’s degree from the University of Maryland at College Park and has taken ancillary courses at Springfield (Mass.) College and the University of Delaware.”
Valid bachelor’s. Respectable master’s. Why do they always cheat themselves (and others!) on the PhD?
Posted by editor at 11/02/2006 08:37:00 AM