There is a lot of smokiness that follows a Charter schools testing results.  This past year we’ve see charter test results challenged in Florida, Indiana, Washington DC, Atlanta,  and Chicago.  Pennsylvania challenge them the year prior(2012).

Most notable was Tony Bennett who stepped down from head of charters in Florida, after the public was shown he adjusted the score of his Indiana flagship charter school’s test results, because they were failing.

Now it is Kevin Huffman’s turn in Tennessee.

When prime Tennessee Republican funders had a charter school whose grade did not pass, Kevin Huffman, Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education (and former husband of Michelle Rhee)…  made an “adjustment”.

“Here is how it breaks down:  Charles Gerber is Promise Academy’s board president, and Andrew Taylor serves as the school’s board treasurer. They also own Gerber/Taylor Capital and are heavily invested in the struggling school. Gerber, Taylor, and three of their associates at the company each made separate, generous contributions to Bill Haslam’s campaign in 2010.

In summary:
* Promise Academy is run by Gerber/Taylor.
* Gerber/Taylor gave a nice pile of cash to Haslam.
* Haslam’s education commissioner bailed out Promise Academy by fixing the school’s grades.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/158222468/Kevin-Huffman-Promise-Academy

    This would be a good time to review why charter school always underpreform public schools…

  • They don’t have sufficient supportive infrastructure to do their job.
  • They don’t have trained professionals. experienced at doing what is required.
  • They don’t have experience, but fly by the seat of their pants.
  • They don’t have knowledge of all the administrative demands a school is required to respond.
  • They rid themselves of low performers so they look better than public schools who can’t remove them.

Bottom line this controversy is brewing in Tennessee.  Top of the line, is that no one in America who supports Charter Schools and vouchers, has so far been able to make it work.  it’s a sham.