There are few investigative writers in education journalism these days. It is disturbingly rare to find writers who look behind the press releases, the hype and spin.
One place that cries out for investigative journalism is Louisiana, the locus for the most extreme privatization schemes. The governor is now imposing the New Orleans model on the entire state, and many hold up New Orleans as a national model. That means wiping out public education.
So here is an excellent article that does what journalists are supposed to do: Matthew Cunningham follows the money. He looks closely at the money flowing into the state school board races. In 2007, the total spent was about a quarter million dollars. In 2011, it was multiplied by ten times, to $2.6 million. Read the article to see where the money came from.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Perfect analogy. Public education in Louisiana compared to drone warfare. Public educators in this state have never been under attack like this before. And you’re right – I never should have changed my college major from journalism to education. Effective investigative journalism is what’s needed here.
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Reblogged this on Crazycrawfish's Blog.
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http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/20652.xlsx
Here is a link to the letter grades assigned to Louisiana schools by school district based on the state tests given to ALL public school students each spring. Note the schools listed at the end. These are the charter schools that are listed separately from the districts. Almost all of the charter schools scored F or D. Even the famous KIPP schools did poorly. So much for charter school success.
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There are few investigative writers in journalism period these days – education or elsewhere. “Journalism” school could consist of two courses: short hand and typing. Most “journalists” are no more than stenographers. That’s why most Americans, especially most Democrats, believe that Obama’s drone campaign is working wonders, that it’s imperative for our national security to keep “traitors” like Bradley Manning locked up due-process free and that Obama’s banking and healthcare “reforms” are the most sweeping, middle-class friendly reforms since the Great Depression.
Read Glenn Greenwald, TomDispatch or other similar sources to see that what’s happening in education neatly tracks with what’s happening in every other foreign and domestic sphere.
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Add Democracy Now to the list – http://www.democracynow.org
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Why do we need journalists, when we can get our news from Fox? Every where I go, I hear people repeating the latest “news report” from their favorite Fox program!
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Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
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