The Education of Eva Moskowitz
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educational philosophy of, 342–47
Education Institute Library of, 342
educators attacked by parents at, 203–4
electives program in, 231, 344
employees’ workload at, 223, 224
English language learners at, 201–2, 298
expansion into Brooklyn, 194–202
facilities needed for, 80, 81–83
first school of, see Success Academy Harlem 1
fun activities for students of, 161–62, 344
gifted children at, 231
Greece and Turkey visited by students of, 302–3
growth and budget of, 158, 160, 222–23, 337
gyms and athletic fields of, 137–38, 168–69, 173, 174, 196, 230, 286
hand signals used in, 62
impact of, 305
journalistic treatment of, see journalists
Kim as lawyer for, 167–68, 174
lateness and, 78, 191
literacy curriculum at, 188–89
lotteries held by, 59–60, 90, 163, 201
mathematics curriculum of, 64–65, 79–80
Moskowitz’s children as students at, 60, 76, 162–63, 204, 207, 233
Moskowitz’s concerns about managing, 222–27
Moskowitz’s focus on, 159, 304–5
Moskowitz’s office at, 161
Network management organization in, 160–61, 206–8, 224, 229–30, 313, 316
opening of, 46, 53–54, 56–60, 61–66, 300
orthodoxies rejected in, 224
parental participation and, 77–78, 190
philanthropists and, 339
and physical interactions between teachers and students, 159–60
principals at, 33, 45, 64, 78–79, 161–63, 185–92, 203–4, 232, 311–18, 345
private or suburban schools vs., 327
safety issues at, 283
SED and, 53, 56, 65
soccer program of, 230–31
standardized test preparation at, 105–9, 206
standardized test results at, 110, 163, 188, 192, 207–8, 268, 297–98, 300, 318
start-up costs for, 240, 259
suspensions at, 308, 309, 311
teachers at, 61–64, 76, 78, 162–63, 189–90, 203, 345, 346
teachers’ salaries at, 224
teaching techniques in, 61–62
teachers’ unions’ opposition to, 113, 135, 137; see also United Federation of Teachers
THINK literacy curriculum of, 64
training for principals, deans, and teachers at, 64
triumvirate leadership of, 226–27
Web site of, 342
see also specific schools
Success Academy Cobble Hill, 195–202, 263, 327
light fixtures at, 238–39
Success Academy co-locations, 81, 83, 84, 86, 143–44, 162, 196–97
AstroTurf field and, 137–38
Blue Book and, 138–40
Building Utilization Plans for, 145, 168, 173–74
challenges of, 162
chart on capacities and utilization rates of, 139
Community Education Council hearing on, 165–66
de Blasio’s revoking of, 263, 264–69, 270–78, 279–82, 286–87, 298, 304
Educational Impact Statements and, 129–30, 168, 265
elderly former teacher and, 162
fair allocation of space in, 168–69, 173–74
gyms and, 168–69, 173, 174, 196
Kappa II, 140, 143
and law prohibiting city from charging rent or revoking existing co-locations, 275–76, 278, 279
light fixtures at, 238–39
negotiations on, following de Blasio’s actions against, 279–87
PS 123, 57–59, 65–66, 125–28, 140
PS 123 protests and, 125, 128–29, 137
PS 145, 165, 166
PS 149, 26, 28–33, 54, 86
PS 165, 167
PS 241, 81, 83, 84, 86, 138–40, 333
renovations and, 65, 200–201, 238
rent and, 240, 259, 261, 275
and schedules for sharing common space, 65–66
storage space and, 162
UFT and NAACP lawsuit against, 168–74
UFT’s manufactured conflict and protests against, 125, 128, 130–31, 144
weapons and, 162, 168
Success Academy Fort Greene, 311–18
Success Academy Harlem 1, 28–33, 42–46, 53–60, 79, 109, 188
ACTION values of, 33
appearance and maintenance of, 31–32, 55
challenges faced by students at, 44–45
culture of, 32–33, 35, 44, 76
dean of, 44–45, 54–55
DOE and, 30, 45, 54, 56–57, 59
first days of, 28–30
founding of, 19–27, 297, 299, 336, 339
Fucaloro at, 37–41
library of, 32
name of, 20, 24–25, 46, 65
additional schools opened following, 46, 53–54, 56–60
principal attacked at, 203–4
principal let go at, 33, 45
PS 149 co-location with, 26, 28–33, 54, 86
SED and, 24–25, 46, 53, 56, 65
students’ behavioral issues and, 34–36
students recruited for, 25
Success for All reading program in, 9–10, 23, 37–41
SUNY and, 53–54, 56
supplies at, 36–37
teachers at, 25, 29, 34–37, 42–46, 54–56
uniforms of, 23, 28, 30, 31
Success Academy Harlem 2, 81, 84, 115, 140, 143
in chess tournament, 207
Success Academy Harlem 3, 162
in chess tournament, 207
Fofana’s death and, 283–85, 287
National Blue Ribbon Award won by, 192
Seigler at, 185–92
Yoanson family at, 190–91, 193
Success Academy Harlem 4, 81, 185
Success Academy Harlem Central, 264–68, 270–72, 274, 276, 283, 298
PS 811 and, 265–67, 274, 279–80, 312
Success Academy Union Square, 265
Success Academy Upper West, 165, 174–75, 200, 265, 298, 327
lawsuit against, 167–68, 174
Success Academy Williamsburg, 196, 199, 200, 202
Success for All reading program, 9–10, 23, 37–41
Suh, Sung-Hee, 97
Sullivan, Brendan, 120
Sullivan, “Big Tim,” 4
SUNY, see State University of New York
suspensions, 308, 309, 311, 343–44
Szurpicki, Sarah, 21
Taratko, Tom, 126
Taylor, Kate, 311–19, 329–29
teachers:
American Federation of Teachers, 77
bad conduct by, in district schools, 325–26
classroom routines and, 161
contracts of, see teachers’ contracts
direct instruction and amount of talking by, 56
DOE training for, 19, 64
effects of dysfunctional school system on, 220, 331, 332
emotions of, 108–9
fingerprinting of, 220, 331
at Harlem Success Academy, 25, 29, 34–37, 42–46, 54–56
hiring process for, 220, 252–53, 290–92, 295
layoffs of, 93
lesson plans of, 252, 343
low expectations in, 76
at Madison Square Garden rally, 330
and making things easy for students, 231–32, 347
observation of, 189–90, 343
parents called by, 55, 78, 79
as part of team, 192, 345–46
pedagogical beliefs of, 62, 192
physical interactions between students and, 159–60
planning meetings for, 189–90
principals and, 162–63, 187
principals’ guiding and coaching of, 189–90, 346–47
sabbaticals taken by, 251–52
school closures and, 129
seniority system and, 220, 290–92, 295, 330
student assaults on, 220
at Success, 61–64, 76, 78, 162–63, 189–90, 203, 345, 346
at Success, salaries of, 224
teaching styles and, 62
tenure for, 6, 12, 129, 330
termination of, 12, 63–64, 162–63, 252–57, 289–90, 295, 296
in theoretical ideal, 335
training of, 346
transfers of, 255–56, 290–91
“turn and talk” technique and, 61–62
unions of, see teachers’ unions; United Federation of Teachers
U ratings (unsatisfactory ratings) for, 253–56, 289, 290
see also education; schools
teachers’ colleges, 64
teachers’ contracts, 6, 8–9, 12, 42, 86, 189, 221, 333
Bloomberg and, 6, 12, 42, 236, 330, 334
length of, 245
Moskowitz’s hearings on, 221, 244–46, 250–58, 289–93, 295, 330, 332–35
renegotiation of, 330
teachers’ unions, 133, 134
charter schools and, 135
pre-K and, 113
see also United Federation of Teachers
Teach for America (TFA), 62–63, 133
Teamsters, 92
tests, standardized, 103–7, 337
careful work and, 107
English, 110, 163, 188, 192, 193, 207–8, 297–99, 324, 325, 333, 334
importance of, 300
math, 103–5, 107, 110, 163, 192, 207–8, 268, 297–300, 318, 324
monitoring schools with, 78
poor children and, 105, 298, 325
reading, 105–7, 110
SAT, 104
SED and, 163
skills for taking, 104
Success Academy preparation for, 105–9, 206
Success Academy results on, 110, 163, 188, 192, 207–8, 268, 297–98, 300, 318
UFT school results on, 298–300
university admissions and, 104–5
textbooks, 178, 331, 332, 343, 345
THINK literacy, 64
Thompson, Bill, 241
Tilson, Whitney, 9, 10, 133
timeouts, 343
Tisch, Merryl, 113, 114
Titanic, 180
Title 1 students, 298
transit workers, 91, 95
Trivedi, Maria Monforte, 193
Trump, Donald, 152, 157
Turkey, 302
Twain, Mark, 267
Uncommon Schools, 32, 261
union contracts:
Moskowitz’s hearings on, 221, 244–58, 288–96, 330, 332–35
of teachers, see teachers’ contracts
unions, 4, 9–11, 156, 269, 305
campaign contributions and, 5
charter schools and, 81, 82
education reform and, 229
front groups for, 197
New York City Central Labor Council, 250–51, 333
painters’, 65, 250
school governance structure and, 210
strikes and demands by, in 1960s and 1970s, 91–92, 95
teachers’, see teachers’ unions; United Federation of Teachers
United Federation of Teachers (UFT), 6, 7, 8–9, 125, 130, 136, 137, 140, 156, 169–70, 197, 210, 241, 262, 267, 270, 288, 333
ACORN and, 83–84, 128, 130
Alliance for Quality Education and, 197, 237, 277, 299
Bloomberg and, 6, 12, 42, 236, 330, 334
Building Utilization Plans and, 145, 168, 173–74
charter school hearings and, 86
charter schools of, 21, 116, 297–300
contracts and, see teachers’ contracts
de Blasio and, 140, 241
and DOE hearings for Success Academy facilities, 82
Educational Impact Statements and, 129–30, 168
Harlem Success Academy and, 23–26
lawsuit against charter school colocations brought by NAACP and, 168–74
legislation-passing strategies of, 130–31, 170
Madison Square Garden rally of, 330
mayoral forum held by, 239
and Moskowitz as Education Committee chair, 183
and Moskowitz’s campaign for borough president, 9, 12
and Moskowitz’s hearings on teachers’ contracts, 221, 244–46, 250–58, 292, 330, 332–35
NAACP and, 170, 172
protests organized by, 125, 128, 130–31, 144, 167, 170
strike of 1968 by, 209–10
Success Academy schools opposed by, 23–26, 58, 59, 82–85, 125, 128, 130–31, 144, 167
teacher hirings and, 290
teacher terminations and, 63–64, 290
in union-political-educational complex, 87
Working Families Party and, 11
United Negro College Fund, 172
university admissions, 104–5
University of California, Berkeley, 18, 49, 69
University of Edinburgh, 118
University of Pennsylvania, 102, 117–18
US Department of Education, 201–2
Race to the Top program, 134, 141, 145–46
Vallone, Peter, 176, 177, 179
Vanderbilt University, 123–24
Vann, Albert, 213
Vespi, Michele, 313
Vietnam War, 69
Vignola, Chad, 255
Village Voice, 140, 233–34
Virshup, Amy, 326–28
vocabulary, 232, 338
Voskerichian, Virginia, 94
Wall Street Journal, 218–19, 275–76, 278
Walton Family Foundation, 56, 339
Washington, D.C., 120
Washington Monthly, 318
Washington Post, 267, 310
Watson, Pamela, 82
Wayland, Joseph, 114–15
Weiner, Anthony, 239, 241
Weingarten, Randi, 12, 20–21, 41, 42, 90, 229, 245, 250, 330
McLaughlin and, 251, 333
school governance hearing testimony of, 212–13
UFT school and, 21, 297, 299
at union contract hearings, 288–92, 295, 333
Weinstein, Tali Farhadian, 303
Weisberg, Daniel, 257–58, 293–94
Welch, Jack, 43
Westin, Jonathan, 143
Westway, 129
White, H. F., 16
White, John, 82
White, Walter, 172
Whitman, Walt, 336
Wilde, Oscar, 61
Wilkins, Roy, 172
Williams, Joe, 132, 133, 135
Williams, Reba White, 156–57, 176
Witkowski, Teresa, 159
WNYC, 309, 318–19
Working Families Party (WFP), 11
Wright, Keith, 83
Ye, Jenny, 318
YMCA, 230
Yoanson, Christian, 191, 193
Yoanson, Emile, 190–91, 193
Yoanson, Segnonble, 191, 193
Yu, Sara, 205–6
Zaccaro, Ed, 231
Zalkind, Paola, 190, 192, 229
About the Author
EVA MOSKOWITZ is the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools and a former New York City council member. She has a PhD in American history from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School. She lives in Harlem with her husband and their three children.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Eva Moskowitz
In Therapy We Trust: America’s Obsession with Self-Fulfillment
Mission Possible: How the Secrets of the Success Academies Can Work in Any School (with Arin Lavinia)
Credits
Cover design by Robin Bilardello
Cover photograph by Blair Getz Mezibov
Copyright
THE EDUCATION OF EVA MOSKOWITZ. Copyright © 2017 by Eva Moskowitz. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of th
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* http://www.nysun.com/editorials/a-mess-to-clean-up/77974/.
* https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/dst2007/2008455.pdf.