Paul Thomas recognizes that the big corporate media have bought into the corporate education spin and hype.
But he was baffled that PBS used most of an hour to recycle Rhee’s self-promotion.
By the way, our one consistent ally on national television is the great Jon Stewart. His mother was a teacher, and he knows how hard she worked. Having The Daily Show on our side is great stuff. Jon is more influential than all the others put together. When I appeared on his show, his booker told me I would never be invited on Stephen Colbert’s show because his booker is Jonathan Alter’s wife. Alter is one of the media cheerleaders for corporate reforms. He appeared in “Waiting for Superman” to say, “We know what works. Accountability works.” I am not sure who that “we” referred to.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
New Year’s Resolution…Get Diane Ravitch on The Colbert Report!
Emily Lazar, Supervising producer, “The Colbert Report” emily.lazar@thecolbertreport.org (212) 649-6226
Nice Title!
Four Words …
Corporation For Public Broadcasting
And the last three don’t count …
Another “liberal” institution in the pocket of the corporate reform drive is MoveOn.org, although at least they refrain from outright promotion. I’ve spent some time considering possible reasons.
Here’s a link to the survey they sent me last week, asking members to choose priorities. The defense of public education isn’t on the menu.
http://moveon.org/tracking/index2.html?id=60449-3525403-nY2ZZcx&t=1
I answered emphatically, as I always do, but I haven’t actually cancelled my membership (yet). I knew (and liked) the young founders almost 20 years ago, when they were riding their flying toasters to success in an early computer tech boom, and our sons were in the same class at a Montessori school.
I know some economically advantaged progressive people (on my husband’s side) who keep mute, not because of direct intimidation or bribe, but because of the patronage jobs the political supporters of ed reform can pass out to their children, or because of the hope for start-up sponsorship of their offspring’s short-lived techie projects. As the middle class is hollowed out from under us, which way will the professional class, the media creatives, and even the intelligentsia, fall?
To PBS and moveon.org, we can add WNYC, the NPR affiliate inNew York, which is a loudspeaker for charter schools and corporate ed reform premises. Last year Mother Jones printed a fawning, uncritical piece on Wendy Kopp. The list goes bleakly on.
One of the more dispiriting aspects of this whole era is the willful ignorance and opportunism of self-identified liberals/progressives, many of whom are grossly disinformed, and some of whom are themselves feeding on the spoils of corporate ed reform. Call for Josh Edelman on Line One.
Perhaps, Diane, in addition to your Honor Roll, we can all pitch in and create The Wall of Lame, where we highlight the most egregious examples of liberal support for so-called education reform. It might go a step toward leading some of these folks to re-examine their assumptions. If nothing else, they should be called on their casual disregard of the union busting that’s part of all this.
Why don’t you start that Wall of Shame (or did you call it Wall of Lame).
Some teachers here in CT made up fliers in the style of “Wanted” posters for one of our most egregious Rheeformers (Special Master Adamowski – yes, that’s his real title). They passed them out at a BOE meeting at which he was speaking.
Oh, Mother Jones? Really??? I am running out of sources I can trust.
Yes, Diane, variety is nice, so I proposed The Wall of Lame instead of the usual standby.
And at the moment I can’t even imagine where to begin. So many, many deserving candidates.
The Wall of Lame and Shame is an even better.
I remember Atler’s meltdown on misEducation Nation back in September on the MHP show/segment. He was quite spirited in his defense of KIPP.
http://leanforward.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/23/14046545-education-experts-debate-the-merits-of-charter-schools?lite
The Atler altercation:
What? Prove that booker wrong, Mr. Colbert.
Wow. I used to like watching Colbert. I’ll probably never watch again.
Colbert has had Melinda on more than once and always treats her with kid gloves. I emailed the show to complain, and I did ask that they put you on, Diane. I received no response.
Thanks, Natalie, for the #. We should all call.
Mother Jones:
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2011/02/teach-for-america-wendy-kopp
Comments are spirited.
Wendy Kopp’s Lesson Plan for America:
http://www.thenewscollective.org/display-related-news.php?itemHeadline=Wendy+Kopp's+Lesson+Plan+for+America