Harmony Charter Schools — Not Really ‘Miracle Schools’ ”

Aug 15, 2011 by Donna Garner Education Policy Commentator EducationViews.org

by Donna Garner

A friend contacted me because she had received a slick, full-color brochure in the mail from Harmony Charter Schools. She wanted to know what I thought about her sending her children there.

After reading the well-illustrated brochure with its glowing claims, I could see why my friend was enticed by the idea of sending her children to Harmony. After all, who would not want to send her children to a school with press clippings that proudly state, “Harmony Schools Named As ‘Miracle Schools’ by Newsweek”?

Because these Gulen-Turkish-Cosmos Foundation-Harmony Charter Schools are supported by taxpayers’ dollars, just as the public schools are, parents are not required to pay extra for their children to attend Harmony.

My friend’s question led me to search the Texas Education Agency’s website to see how the Harmony Charter Schools were rated during 2011, and this is what I found.

2011 ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS BY THE TEA

The Texas Education Agency released the accountability data for 2011 (TAKS scores) on 7.29.11. To establish a total student enrollment figure for the Harmony Charter Schools, I went through all of the Harmony school listings and totaled up the number of students who took the TAKS tests — Reading/ELA. The total number is 11,975 students.

Because I was curious to see whether Harmony schools are living up to the hype and publicity sent out by the Gulen network (e.g., “Harmony Schools Named As ‘Miracle Schools’ by Newsweek“), I used the data from the 2011 Texas Education Agency accountability ratings.

When I looked at the Harmony Charter Schools to see how they were rated according to the TEA’s data, I found a somewhat different organizational pattern from the one used to list the regular ISD’s.

Because all of the Harmony schools around the state are under the direction of one superintendent and one school board, the TEA has posted what looks to be a long list of Harmony schools. However, in actuality, there are only 12 “mother” schools. These “mother” schools are given a six-digit ID number. Then under each “mother” school are the separate campuses with three-digit ID numbers.

The “mother” schools have been designated with an overall accountability rating, and I have put those ratings in italics in the information posted further on down the page.

To see the individual ratings for the various Harmony campuses, please go to the link I have posted under the name of each of the “mother” schools.

HOW DID HARMONY CHARTER SCHOOLS RATE?

Out of 12 “mother” Harmony Schools

16.6% — Exemplary

50% — Recognized

33.3% — Academically Acceptable

In my opinion, since only 16.6% of Texas’ Harmony Schools are rated as Exemplary, Newsweek overstated its case when it labeled them as “miracle schools.”

Perhaps the people who run Newsweek have taken a few too many “free” indoctrination trips to Turkey or have spent too much time with Karen Hughes who is the public relations spokesperson for Harmony Charter Schools.

YouTube from 2.15.11 of Karen Hughes publicizing Harmony Charter Schools — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngyEhjc8cGQ

OTHER SERIOUS CONCERNS WITH THESE GULEN TURKISH SCHOOLS

To read about the many other very serious concerns that all Americans should have about the Gulen-Cosmos Foundation-Harmony Charter Schools, please read my article, “Gulen-Led Coup — Turkey Falls to Islamists” published on 8.1.11: http://libertylinked.com/posts/7915/gulen-led-coup—-turkey/View.aspx

What we also need to remember about using the TAKS scores to rate the Harmony Charter Schools is that:

(1) Nobody monitors these Harmony Schools during the administration of tests. Other regular public schools have site monitors who unexpectedly visit the schools during TAKS testing, but I doubt if site monitors ever drop in on the Harmony Charter Schools during TAKS testing days. What is to prevent the H-1B visa teachers who proliferate the Harmony Charter Schools, who are from Turkey, and who have no commitment to the American value system to give their students the answers to the TAKS tests?

(2) The Wikileaks cable from the U. S. Ambassador several years ago revealed that the Gulenists are taking over the Turkish Security Forces by giving applicants the answers to the tests. If this is their mode of operation in Turkey, it very well could be the way they raise their students’ test scores on the TAKS tests in order to bring favorable publicity to their schools.

(3) Dr. Ed Fuller’s research showed that over half of the students who start at Harmony leave. This would certainly be a major factor in raising their TAKS scores — weed out the weak students.

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Link to the TEA’s 2011 accountability ratings system: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/H.html

EVALUATION OF HARMONY SCHOOLS USING THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY’S 2011 ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM

Harmony ISD in Upshur County (230905) — Academically Acceptable — 693 students

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d230905.html

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