You can find links to a number of articles about the Success Academy charter school chain over at The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools.

Today, The New York Times has another one, and it shares a secret video recording of a teacher tearing-up a first graders paper.

Here’s an excerpt:

Five-of-the-teachers

Listen, I suspect most of us teachers have had sixty seconds of our actions in the classroom where we have been terrible teachers, though I’d like to think that – in my worst moment – I wouldn’t do what that teacher did. What’s most disturbing to me, though, is that it appears the teacher is implementing a practice recommended by the school itself!

This latest news, along with the string of other reporting on Success’ practices, I think certainly takes the shine off the former golden child of charter schools….

NOTE:

Experts Discuss the Success Academy Video is from The New York Times and Success Academy hammers New York Times for excellent viral story is from The Washington Post. Those are follow-up articles the Times video. By the way, I showed that video to all my classes and asked if anyone had ever experienced something similar in school. Many of my ELL students shared stories from education in their home countries, and a surprising number of others talked about experiences in the U.S. I told students that if anything like that what they saw in the video happened to them at our school, they should immediately speak to one of our administrators. I emphasized that I had confidence that they would act on it.