Harmony Charter Schools — Not Really ‘Miracle Schools’ ”
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.
==============================
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
==================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony School of Excellence in Harris County (101858) — Exemplary — 1,828 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d101858.html
===================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony School of Science in Harris County (101862) -- Exemplary -- 438 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d101862.html
======================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of El Paso (071806) -- Recognized -- 891 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d071806.html
=====================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Ft. Worth (220813) -- Recognized -- 1,415 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d220813.html
===============
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Lubbock (152805) -- Academically Acceptable -- 346 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d152805.html
===================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of San Antonio (015828) -- Academically Acceptable -- 586 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d015828.html
===================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Waco (161807) -- Recognized -- 1,711 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d161807.html
======================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Harris County (101846) -- Recognized -- 1,885 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d101846.html
====================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Austin (227816) -- Recognized -- 1,392 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d227816.html
====================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Brownsville (031803) -- Academically Acceptable -- 313 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d031803.html
======================
2011 TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATING
Harmony Science Academy of Laredo (240804) -- Recognized -- 477 students
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2011/static/summary/d240804.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2011 AVERAGE YEARLY PROGRESS – NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND RATINGS
While I was looking at the 2011 TEA accountability rating data (released by the TEA on 7.29.11), I also looked at the average yearly progress/No Child Left Behind data that was released by the TEA on 8.4.11.
Two of the twelve Harmony “mother” schools did not meet AYP.
Please notice also how many of the Harmony School campuses are new; therefore, parents really do not know whether these campuses are meeting AYP requirements or not.
Link to the 2011 AYP data on Texas Education Agency website: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/ayp/2011/distcampfinal11.pdf
“66% of Texas public schools met AYP…Schools and districts must have 80 percent or more of their students in grades 3-8 and 10 pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading or English language arts test and 75 percent must pass the TAKS mathematics test to meet AYP. They also must achieve a 90 percent attendance rate or a 75 percent graduation rate, depending on the grade levels they serve.” (TEA press release — 8.4.11)
HARMONY ISD 230905 — MISSED AYP — MATHEMATICS
HARMONY H S 001 — MISSED AYP — MATHEMATICS HARMONY JUNIOR HIGH 041 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY ELEMENTARY 101 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL 102 — MEETS AYP
====================
2011 AYP:
HARMONY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE 101858 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE 001 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE – E 002 — MEETS AYP NONE
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – BRYAN/ 003 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCHOOL OF ADVANCEMENT – 004 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCHOOL OF DISCOVERY – HOUSTON 005 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – HOUSTON 006 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
=========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE – HOUSTON 101862 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE - HOUSTON 001 -- MEETS AYP
======================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (EL PASO) 071806 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (EL PASO) 001 –MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF INNOVATION - E 002 -- MEETS AYP
=========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (FORT WORTH) 220813 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (FORT WORTH) 001 –MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY GRAND PR 002 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – EULESS 004 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF NATURE & ATHLE 005 -- NOT EVALUATED -- NEW CAMPUS
======================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (LUBBOCK) 152805 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (LUBBOCK) 001 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY - ODESSA 002 -- NOT EVALUATED -- NEW CAMPUS
===========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (SAN ANTONIO) 015828 — MISSED AYP — MATHEMATICS
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (SAN ANTONIO 001 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF INNOVATION - S 002 --NOT EVALUATED -- NEW CAMPUS
=========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (WACO) 161807 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACAD (WACO) 001 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – GARLAN 002 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – DALLAS 003 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCHOOL OF INNOVATION - D 004 -- NOT EVALUATED -- NEW CAMPUS
===========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY (HARRIS COUNTY) 101846 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY 001 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF INNOVATION – H 002 — NOT EVALUATED –NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCHOOL OF INGENUITY 003 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – BEAUMO 004 — NOT EVALUATED –NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – HOUSTO 005 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS AND 006 -- NOT EVALUATED -- NEW CAMPUS
==========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY (AUSTIN) 227816 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – AUSTIN 001 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY NORTH AU 002 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE – AUST 003 — NOT EVALUATED — NEW CAMPUS
HARMONY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE 101 -- MEETS AYP
===========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – BROWNSVI 031803 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY - BROWNS 001 -- MEETS AYP
===========================
AYP:
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – LAREDO 240804 — MEETS AYP
HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY – LAREDO 001 — MEETS AYP
OTHER ARTICLES ON THE GULEN-COSMOS FOUNDATION-HARMONY CHARTER SCHOOLS
Winter 2009, pp. 55 – 66 — The Middle East Quarterly — “Fethullah Gülen’s Grand Ambition: Turkey’s Islamist Danger” by Rachel Sharon Krespin, director of the Turkish Media Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Washington D.C.
http://www.meforum.org/2045/fethullah-gulens-grand-ambition
==================
7.22.11 — “Wrong Person Takes the Fall — Another Gulen Situation” — by Donna Garner
http://educationviews.org/2011/07/22/wrong-person-takes-the-fall-another-gulen-situation/
==================
List of Gulen Charter Schools in the United States:
http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/list-of-us-schools.html
======================
7.17.11 — “Another Turkish Charter School in Trouble” by Donna Garner —
http://educationviews.org/2011/07/17/5358/
==================================
7.14.11 — “How Blind Can People Be?” by Donna Garner —
http://libertylinked.com/posts/7745/how-blind-can-people-be—/View.aspx
=================
7.14.11 — “Harmony Science Academies Tied to Gulen Charter Schools” by Donna Garner –http://libertylinked.com/posts/7744/harmony-science-academies/View.aspx
=============
7.10.11 — “Is a Changed Muslim Kosher in a Taxpayer-Funded Texas School” by Peyton Wolcott — http://peytonwolcott.com/
=============================
7.10.11 — “Are Taxpayers Paying for Free Trips to Turkey?” by Donna Garner —
http://libertylinked.com/posts/7714/are-taxpayers-paying-for-free/View.aspx
=========================
6.30.11 — “Personal Accounts: Gulen Harmony Schools” by Donna Garner
http://educationviews.org/2011/06/30/personal-accounts-gulen-harmony-schools/
============================
6.29.11 — http://libertylinked.com/posts/7624/tx-investigating-gulen/View.aspx
The Texas House General Investigating & Ethics Committee has begun its investigation of the Gulen Turkish charter schools (Cosmos Foundation, Harmony Schools, Rainbow Turkish House, etc.).
=================================
6.29.11 — Texas Legislature Investigating Gulen/Cosmos Foundation/Harmony Schools: http://libertylinked.com/posts/7624/tx-investigating-gulen/View.aspx
==================================
6.19.11 — Austin American-Statesman article by Laylan Copelin and Mike Ward, “Some Texas Lawmakers Have Second Thoughts about Turkey Trips” —
=======================
“The Gulen Movement — How It Operates in Turkey and in the U. S.” — Parts 1, 2, 3 — YouTube
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izjnSb0owbI&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eD19xG-7rM&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Vwt_LIrAc&feature=related