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Created page with "Tom Torkelson is the founder and CEO of IDEA Public Schools, a charter operator originally founded as IDEA Academy by Torkelson in 2000. At the time, he was “Texas’ younge..."
Tom Torkelson is the founder and CEO of IDEA Public Schools, a charter
operator originally founded as IDEA Academy by Torkelson in 2000. At the
time, he was “Texas’ youngest-ever charter school founder.” Torkelson
served as IDEA’s first board president and founding principal. Prior to
founding IDEA, Torkelson worked for Teach for America in Donna, Texas,
from 1997 to 2000, teaching fourth grade.<ref name="lead">IDEA Public Schools, [https://www.ideapublicschools.org/our-story/leadership/tom-torkelson Leadership: Tom Torkelson], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>
Torkelson “has been widely recognized in a variety of publications,
including being featured in 2009 by Time magazine as Wendy Kopp’s pick
for the 100 most influential global citizens.” He received the 2009 Peter
Jennings Award for Civic Leadership, the 2008 Freddy Fender Humanitarian
Award, and was named the University of Michigan Ross Business School’s
2010 Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Torkelson has a degree in economics from Georgetown. He was a
member of Broad Academy from 2015 to 2016 and currently serves on the Broad Center’s Alumni
Advisory Board.<ref name="lead"/><ref>The Broad Center, [https://www.broadcenter.org/alumni/directory/profile/tom-torkelson/ Tom Torkelson], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref><ref>The Broad Center, [https://www.broadcenter.org/about/our-team/alumni-advisory-board/ Alumni Advisory Board], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>
__TOC__
==Education Reform Efforts and Ties==
The Walton Family Foundation has made multi-year funding commitments to IDEA Public Schools. The
Walton Family Foundation has supported school privatization and given millions of dollars to support
charter schools throughout the U.S. over the last two decades. Other pro-education reform donors to
IDEA include the Broad Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Charter School Growth
Fund, Choose to Succeed, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and the Michael and Susan Dell
Foundation.<ref>IDEA Public Schools, [https://www.ideapublicschools.org/support-idea/our-donors Our Donors], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref><ref>Valerie Strauss, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/03/17/the-walmartization-of-public-education/?utm_term=.5e14a0b5cc69 The ‘Walmartization’ of public education], "Washington Post", March 17, 2016.</ref><ref>Max Brantley, [https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/12/18/public-school-takeover-watch-the-waltons-designs-on-kansas-city Public school takeover watch: The Waltons' designs on Kansas City], "Arkansas Times", December 18, 2017.</ref>
Torkelson serves on the Board of Trustees of Reasoning Mind, an education reform non-profit with a
focus on mathematics.<ref>Reasoning Mind, [https://www.reasoningmind.org/who-we-are/board/ Board of Trustees], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>Reasoning Mind, [https://www.reasoningmind.org/who-we-are/ Who We Are], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref> In 2007, he also served as Chairman of the National Charter Schools
Conference.<ref name="lead"/>
==Problems with IDEA Public Schools==
While IDEA Public Schools has boasted strong student performance, high acceptance of its graduates to
colleges, and rankings among the top charter schools, IDEA has instituted problematic policies in order
to inflate these rankings. First, IDEA has exclusionary policies, whereby students can be excluded from
enrollment for “a history of disciplinary problems that include a criminal offense” or “a juvenile court adjudication,” which limit the types of students that can enroll in their schools. This practice has been
criticized by charters, whereby they “skim” the “best and brightest students for admission,” leaving
behind special education, minority, and low-income students. Second, IDEA has been found to lose “a
greater proportion of lower-performing students than higher-performing ones,” which boost its scores
on standardized tests, along with its graduation rates. In addition, IDEA’s handbook was found to require
students to be accepted into a four-year college or university as a graduation requirement, “a surefire
way to guarantee a continued college acceptance rate of 100% for exiting seniors.”<ref name="mac">Erin McIntyre, [https://www.educationdive.com/news/idea-public-schools-reports-success-amid-questions-around-data-reporting/408616/ IDEA Public Schools reports success amid questions around data reporting], "Education Drive", November 5, 2015.</ref>
Furthermore, in May 2017, IDEA provided data to the Washington Post that placed two IDEA schools in
its top 10 ranking of the best, most challenging schools, but Torkelson responded one month later that
the data provided was incorrect, dropping IDEA’s ranking into the top 25 and claiming that the data
error was “an honest mistake” and not done to inflate rankings.<ref name="mac"/><ref>Tom Torkelson, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/statement-from-idea-public-schools-on-data-error/2017/06/25/427a1b6c-5834-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html?utm_term=.870a89f2ab0c Statement from IDEA Public Schools on data error], "Washington Post", accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>
In May 2011, several private emails between Torkelson and his senior management team at IDEA were
leaked to local business and education leaders, which discussed sensitive hiring practices. For instance,
some emails “exposed — often quite bluntly – the potential, or lack thereof, for teachers to advance
into leadership roles.” Other emails also showed “IDEA’s preference for Teach for America [TFA] recruits
and hiring formulas.” In particular, Torkelson wrote in an email “that IDEA would increase its hiring of
TFA members to sustain its regional corps in the face of deep state budget cuts to TFA and other districts
who hire the group’s recruits.” One parent was enraged at those emails, as she had seen “many of her
favorite teachers let go” from IDEA schools, only to be replaced with “young and inexperienced” TFA
recruits.<ref name="morton">Neal Morton, [http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/leaked-idea-public-schools-emails-reveal-private-conversations/article_a5afe711-cca9-514e-a84b-22108caaf6bc.html Leaked IDEA Public Schools emails reveal private conversations], "The Monitor", May 25, 2011.</ref>
Another email from Torkelson showed him criticizing an administrator from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo
(PSJA) public schools that was hired by IDEA “to help lead a multimillion-dollar federal grant for teacher
and principal development.” Torkelson wrote that he was “irritated” by “her incompetence,” and other
IDEA executives stated that her salary was inflated, “even by THEIR standards” [emphasis in original].<ref name="morton"/> Nevertheless, Torkelson’s own salary has been a “public point of contention,” with The Monitor
reporting in 2012 that his compensation package of up to $397,000 could make him “the highest paid
school administrator in Hidalgo County.<ref name="mac"/><ref>Andrew Kreighbaum, [https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/idea-board-approves-k-salary-offer-for-ceo-tom-torkelson/article_6532104a-1fd8-11e2-8c8a-001a4bcf6878.html IDEA Board approves $299k salary offer for CEO Tom Torkelson], "The Monitor", October 26, 2012.</ref> According to the 2016 Form 990 for IDEA, Torkelson’s total
compensation was $465,015.
IDEA also faced backlash from parents and community members in 2012, after it had taken over an East
Austin elementary school. The Austin Chronicle reported that one teacher refused to work at the school
due to the “consensus of opposition” to it throughout the community. Others detailed that staff felt “a
chilling effect” where they weren’t supposed to discuss criticisms of IDEA. For this reason, in 2012, the
Austin School Board trustees voted to end IDEA’s contract with the school at the end of the 2012-13
year. Parents were reportedly elated at the meeting, which was “standing room only, with another 200-
people gathered outside,” the majority of which spoke out against the partnership.<ref>Richard Whittaker, [https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2012-02-01/at-the-snap-of-a-finger/ 'At the Snap of a Finger'
Anti-IDEA activists keep up due diligence for AISD], "Austin Chronicle", February 1, 2012.</ref>
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Education]]
operator originally founded as IDEA Academy by Torkelson in 2000. At the
time, he was “Texas’ youngest-ever charter school founder.” Torkelson
served as IDEA’s first board president and founding principal. Prior to
founding IDEA, Torkelson worked for Teach for America in Donna, Texas,
from 1997 to 2000, teaching fourth grade.<ref name="lead">IDEA Public Schools, [https://www.ideapublicschools.org/our-story/leadership/tom-torkelson Leadership: Tom Torkelson], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>
Torkelson “has been widely recognized in a variety of publications,
including being featured in 2009 by Time magazine as Wendy Kopp’s pick
for the 100 most influential global citizens.” He received the 2009 Peter
Jennings Award for Civic Leadership, the 2008 Freddy Fender Humanitarian
Award, and was named the University of Michigan Ross Business School’s
2010 Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Torkelson has a degree in economics from Georgetown. He was a
member of Broad Academy from 2015 to 2016 and currently serves on the Broad Center’s Alumni
Advisory Board.<ref name="lead"/><ref>The Broad Center, [https://www.broadcenter.org/alumni/directory/profile/tom-torkelson/ Tom Torkelson], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref><ref>The Broad Center, [https://www.broadcenter.org/about/our-team/alumni-advisory-board/ Alumni Advisory Board], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>
__TOC__
==Education Reform Efforts and Ties==
The Walton Family Foundation has made multi-year funding commitments to IDEA Public Schools. The
Walton Family Foundation has supported school privatization and given millions of dollars to support
charter schools throughout the U.S. over the last two decades. Other pro-education reform donors to
IDEA include the Broad Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Charter School Growth
Fund, Choose to Succeed, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and the Michael and Susan Dell
Foundation.<ref>IDEA Public Schools, [https://www.ideapublicschools.org/support-idea/our-donors Our Donors], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref><ref>Valerie Strauss, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/03/17/the-walmartization-of-public-education/?utm_term=.5e14a0b5cc69 The ‘Walmartization’ of public education], "Washington Post", March 17, 2016.</ref><ref>Max Brantley, [https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/12/18/public-school-takeover-watch-the-waltons-designs-on-kansas-city Public school takeover watch: The Waltons' designs on Kansas City], "Arkansas Times", December 18, 2017.</ref>
Torkelson serves on the Board of Trustees of Reasoning Mind, an education reform non-profit with a
focus on mathematics.<ref>Reasoning Mind, [https://www.reasoningmind.org/who-we-are/board/ Board of Trustees], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>Reasoning Mind, [https://www.reasoningmind.org/who-we-are/ Who We Are], accessed September 26, 2018.</ref> In 2007, he also served as Chairman of the National Charter Schools
Conference.<ref name="lead"/>
==Problems with IDEA Public Schools==
While IDEA Public Schools has boasted strong student performance, high acceptance of its graduates to
colleges, and rankings among the top charter schools, IDEA has instituted problematic policies in order
to inflate these rankings. First, IDEA has exclusionary policies, whereby students can be excluded from
enrollment for “a history of disciplinary problems that include a criminal offense” or “a juvenile court adjudication,” which limit the types of students that can enroll in their schools. This practice has been
criticized by charters, whereby they “skim” the “best and brightest students for admission,” leaving
behind special education, minority, and low-income students. Second, IDEA has been found to lose “a
greater proportion of lower-performing students than higher-performing ones,” which boost its scores
on standardized tests, along with its graduation rates. In addition, IDEA’s handbook was found to require
students to be accepted into a four-year college or university as a graduation requirement, “a surefire
way to guarantee a continued college acceptance rate of 100% for exiting seniors.”<ref name="mac">Erin McIntyre, [https://www.educationdive.com/news/idea-public-schools-reports-success-amid-questions-around-data-reporting/408616/ IDEA Public Schools reports success amid questions around data reporting], "Education Drive", November 5, 2015.</ref>
Furthermore, in May 2017, IDEA provided data to the Washington Post that placed two IDEA schools in
its top 10 ranking of the best, most challenging schools, but Torkelson responded one month later that
the data provided was incorrect, dropping IDEA’s ranking into the top 25 and claiming that the data
error was “an honest mistake” and not done to inflate rankings.<ref name="mac"/><ref>Tom Torkelson, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/statement-from-idea-public-schools-on-data-error/2017/06/25/427a1b6c-5834-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html?utm_term=.870a89f2ab0c Statement from IDEA Public Schools on data error], "Washington Post", accessed September 26, 2018.</ref>
In May 2011, several private emails between Torkelson and his senior management team at IDEA were
leaked to local business and education leaders, which discussed sensitive hiring practices. For instance,
some emails “exposed — often quite bluntly – the potential, or lack thereof, for teachers to advance
into leadership roles.” Other emails also showed “IDEA’s preference for Teach for America [TFA] recruits
and hiring formulas.” In particular, Torkelson wrote in an email “that IDEA would increase its hiring of
TFA members to sustain its regional corps in the face of deep state budget cuts to TFA and other districts
who hire the group’s recruits.” One parent was enraged at those emails, as she had seen “many of her
favorite teachers let go” from IDEA schools, only to be replaced with “young and inexperienced” TFA
recruits.<ref name="morton">Neal Morton, [http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/leaked-idea-public-schools-emails-reveal-private-conversations/article_a5afe711-cca9-514e-a84b-22108caaf6bc.html Leaked IDEA Public Schools emails reveal private conversations], "The Monitor", May 25, 2011.</ref>
Another email from Torkelson showed him criticizing an administrator from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo
(PSJA) public schools that was hired by IDEA “to help lead a multimillion-dollar federal grant for teacher
and principal development.” Torkelson wrote that he was “irritated” by “her incompetence,” and other
IDEA executives stated that her salary was inflated, “even by THEIR standards” [emphasis in original].<ref name="morton"/> Nevertheless, Torkelson’s own salary has been a “public point of contention,” with The Monitor
reporting in 2012 that his compensation package of up to $397,000 could make him “the highest paid
school administrator in Hidalgo County.<ref name="mac"/><ref>Andrew Kreighbaum, [https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/idea-board-approves-k-salary-offer-for-ceo-tom-torkelson/article_6532104a-1fd8-11e2-8c8a-001a4bcf6878.html IDEA Board approves $299k salary offer for CEO Tom Torkelson], "The Monitor", October 26, 2012.</ref> According to the 2016 Form 990 for IDEA, Torkelson’s total
compensation was $465,015.
IDEA also faced backlash from parents and community members in 2012, after it had taken over an East
Austin elementary school. The Austin Chronicle reported that one teacher refused to work at the school
due to the “consensus of opposition” to it throughout the community. Others detailed that staff felt “a
chilling effect” where they weren’t supposed to discuss criticisms of IDEA. For this reason, in 2012, the
Austin School Board trustees voted to end IDEA’s contract with the school at the end of the 2012-13
year. Parents were reportedly elated at the meeting, which was “standing room only, with another 200-
people gathered outside,” the majority of which spoke out against the partnership.<ref>Richard Whittaker, [https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2012-02-01/at-the-snap-of-a-finger/ 'At the Snap of a Finger'
Anti-IDEA activists keep up due diligence for AISD], "Austin Chronicle", February 1, 2012.</ref>
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Education]]