Barbara Stam describes what passes for “reform” as “the rich folks hoax.”
The hoax is the idea that constant testing and test prep improves education.
This is a hoax.
It is not for their children.
But it is good enough for other people’s children.
So what if the teachers of art and music and PE lose their jobs?
Someone else can do it, even though it is not their subject.
It is good enough for other people’s children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I don’t think it’s “rich folks” as a class. Until I see any firm statistics to the contrary, I am willing to assume that the majority of “rich folks” are way too busy enjoying what pleasures wealth can bring to pay much attention to this arena. The problem arises from a special subclass of con artists who wish to get rich and richer off the resources that belong to the public at large.
There was a time when “beyond the dreams of avarice” got its meaning by way of referring to the actual bounds of avarice. There are evidently no actual bounds anymore.
It is the rich, and corporate school reform has been strategized in conservative (ie:wealthy) think tanks for decades. Their efforts are coming to fruition. The current rich and wanna be rich are all salivating over reform profit margins. Bloomberg, Broad, Gates, Walton Family, Murdoch et al are already rich and using vulture philanthropy 501(c)3 to ensure a future stream of reform/charter public largess will flow directly into their nets. The wanna be wealthy (many have fulfilled this mission) are hatchet men of the movement; Rhee, Emmanuel, Duncan, and so many other neo-liberals. Sadly, Obama thinks ALEC’s education agenda will help the poor. Boy, is he orbiting Pluto! Corps are for corps, and nobody else.
It is real easy and cheap to buy off these puppets. When you consider what they spend to gain this control vs. their percentage of wealth expenditures and the available profits it is exceedingly cheap and “Good Business” to buy your way into permanent wealty addition. This is called “Buying Revenue.” Very standard in the business world especially concerning property. Buy and then collect. I have recently looked at a lot of property wherein after the purchase 1/2 of all revenue after all bills are paid is profit. How would you like some of that action?
It’s so sad that what we once viewed as “all our children” has become “those other kids.” No more village.
This is called “Eliteism.” That is the plan. The small community of the Elites who know best and the rest of us as the indentured servants. What do you think they are doing by lowering the passage of bonds for different projects from a 2/3 vote to 55%. “Permadebt” is what it is as are those “Crazy School Bonds” called Capitol Appreciation Bonds which do not start to be paid off for 20 years and the payback is from 12-20/1. 200 school districts of the about 1,100 in California have already purchased these “Crazy Bonds.” Now there is legislation proposed to limit the payback to 4-1 which will end them. Only one state currently has legislation against the “Crazy Bonds.” More need to do the same and end this financial destruction of school districts. Districts which purchase these bonds are financially dead for 35-50 years as the interest will prevent them, in California anyway, from the ability to purchase more bonds as they are limited to 2.5% of the assessed value of property in the area. The interest piling up for 20 years before payment and for the 20-30 after that to pay them off prevents more purchase until under the 2.5% threshold. What are the laws in your state?
It’s more than that Jon- it is the strip mining of education to a degree that as Diane says is good enough for “other people’s children” but not for their own. Why do these reformers and the upper classes send their kids to schools where 1) teachers are not judged by test scores and 2) the curriculum is actually negotiable between student and teacher while public school teachers who want to provide that same education are often belittled sometimes by their own colleagues….Without shared experiences like public education, America as a nation cannot stand.
The school “reform” ideas come from several sources, I believe. They come from parents who prefer to homeschool for various reasons — religious, non-religious, conservative, liberal, anti-tax, anti-progress, anti-science, anti-lower class, anti-people of color — you name it. They have bound together against publice education for any, many, or other reasons. The main goals I have seen are 1) to undermine the cost of paying teachers salaries that are of a professional stature, 2) to avoid scientific presentations, 3) to avoid having students self-determine or using higher level thinking skills (so they won’t question authority), and 4) to avoid exposing their children to people and ideas that may not be the same as their own. They want to isolate their children from being part of the American community let alone the world community. They are wearing blinders on their eyes, ears, and hearts. Oddly enough, they seldom cover their mouths.
As a former vice president for FDR said I think in 1946-47 “The fascists have wanted the U.S. since the 20’s. They learned something from Hitler and Mussolini and that is to take time and not use guns. Their patience has paid off as technically we have been a fascist country for a long time now and both parties are now almost one as they are bought and paid for by the same “Wrecking Crew.” Just look at our Supreme Court, do you really think they make decisions for the people?