by David Safier
I've listened to a number of people and read quite a bit of material, and I've come to the conclusion there is no reason to condemn Sonoran Science Academy. In fact, the Sonoran Science schools appear to be very serious about their educational mission, and the students appear to benefit from going there.
I've been in email contact with some parents and ex-parents at the schools, and even the criticisms leveled by the critics seem to be minor. Not every teacher is terrific. Some programs aren't inspired. But many teachers and programs are excellent and the students are learning, often at an accelerated pace if they show interest and ability. From my experience as an educator, it sounds like these are strong schools with areas of weaknesses. "Very good, but could be better" is a strong recommendation for any school.
And I haven't gotten the sense that students are being indoctrinated by the teachers or the administration.
In other words, the Sonoran Science Academy schools are successful charters which conform to state guidelines, and parents who object to the nationality of the teachers or anything else about the schools can remove their children and take them elsewhere.
That's my opinion unless I am shown strong evidence to the contrary.
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Three board members seem to reside in Tucson. But their hearts are in Anatolia.
This is the difficult part to explain. The US has never seen anything like the Gulen schools before. Looking for parallels with other schools doesn’t really work. These schools have their good points, if evaluated purely in terms of the academic curriculum. Not so good for students with IEPs, and the law is quite explicit that charter schools need to accommodate students with IEPs just as any other public school. I think this law is not enforced seriously enough. (I’d say, either enforce it or change it – as it is now it is frustrating for some parents because they really don’t know where they stand.) Even though there are areas of academics where SSA could use improvement, I agree that this has to be seen relative to other area schools which also have drawbacks.
Overall, the main complaint is not about the educational program as it stands presently, although there are concerns about where it is headed in the future.
The Gulenist method is to keep the schools good enough to survive. This is not out of any burning desire to give Tucson students a better education. It’s because these schools further the Gulen Movement’s activities and goals in the US. Inevitably, here and there on a regular basis, things creep in that are not in the interest of the schools or students, but are for the Movement. The more strongly the school is established, the more assertive they get about this. Then, when parents and students complain, they try to patch it up. That doesn’t change the underlying dynamic, though. It’s a conflict of interest, arising because 100% of the board members belong to the same organization that has a goal other than education.
Some of the things you’re talking about express concerns I have about charter schools. Lots of schools all over a state have boards in common, which takes away local control. I object to that on principle, but SSA is one of many using that model.
The same thing with expansion to new schools. It can create problems.
Many schools scattered around the country have linkages, even if they are under different ownership and leadership. The linkages you’re talking about may be stronger than others. The question is, are they educationally constructive or destructive connections?
You say one board member is from Phoenix. Are the others from the Tucson area?
I am 100% certain that all board members are Gulenist. The Gulen Movement does not have official “membership cards” – they evolved under Turkey’s secular government to be very secretive. But it is still possible to be certain that someone is Gulenist. It is absolutely possible to provide real information about this, but this forum isn’t the appropriate place (there isn’t enough space, for one thing).
One board member, Metin Yildirim, lives in the Phoenix area.
Sonoran Science Academy was initially a single school on Tucson’s northwest side. Then came a school in Phoenix that serves a completely different demographic. Then the Broadway school. Somewhere along the way, the Paragon Science Academy in Chandler came under Daisy Education Corporation. Then the Ahwahtukee school. Now there are plans for a Flagstaff school, another school in the Phoenix area, etc. All these schools seem to be under the same district office (Daisy Education Corporation) in Phoenix, where the district superintendent (who is also Gulenist) is based. So this is like a diffuse district spread across Arizona, with management in Phoenix.
The new schools drain resources off the already established ones.
Also, many policies are obviously set at the national (if not international) level, since they are the same in all Gulen schools, so you could almost think of it as a giant nation-wide district, with teachers and administrators circulating around.
Anonymous, do the Board members live in Tucson? I don’t know the answer. If they do or a significant number do, then they represent part of the Tucson community. I would imagine any charter board will be a very selective group within the community. My concern is when the people who are supposed to be overseeing the school are nowhere near the school’s attendance area.
Do you know the board members are “members” of the Gulen movement as a certainty, or is that your impression?
I’m very interested in any information that may cast SSA in a seriously bad light, but I want real information, not allegations. I haven’t seen enough to make me think there are serious problems with the leadership of or the education at the schools.
You may be interested in this page from the Arizona DOA website which lists lots of names connected with Daisy Ed Corp:
http://www.ade.az.gov/edd/NewDetails.asp?EntityID=79049&RefTypeID=1681&SchoolType=CS
From the Arizona Daily Star, Dec 24, 2009
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/senor-reporter/article_e217723a-046a-11df-a792-001cc4c03286.html
[begin quote]
The board make-up bothered Tucsonan David Safier, a retired high school teacher, Democratic activist and researcher of charter schools at Blog for Arizona.
“One of the big red flags about charters is, does this school have a board that is representative of the community? If not, then you’ve got a real problem,” he said.
[end quote]
The board of Daisy Education Corporation, the charter holder for Sonoran Science Academy can be seen here:
http://www.sonoranacademy.org/district/OrganizationGovernance/tabid/58/Default.aspx
It consists entirely of Turkish men who are members of the Fethullah Gulen community and movement.
Is that representative of the Tucson community?