Tom Aswell, investigator journalist and blogger, is covering and uncovering evidence of fraud in the Louisiana Course Choice program.
Hundreds of students were somehow registered for online courses without the knowledge of the students or their parents. How did this happen? This would mean a massive transfer of funds from Louisiana taxpayers to online corporations based in Texas, connected to former Secretary of Education Rod Paige.
What a tangled web of connections.
Course Choice is part of Jindal’s privatization plan, along with vouchers. The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled recently 6-1 that Jindal may not use the funding dedicated to public schools to pay for vouchers and course choice. But John White is undeterred by inconveniences like court rulings.
New Yorkers will be interested to note that former NYC Deputy Chancellor Eric Nadelstern, who worked for Joel Klein and was John White’s boss, endorsed the online courses that are part of the scandal.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Shades of Huey Long with out the love or services he delivered! I see Jindal and White’s star dimming and both of them going down.
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Sorry about that spacing problem in word without.
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Actually, the better comparison is with Edwin Edwards, who eventually served times for his corrupt activities.
Or maybe even avowed racist, David Duke, a failed gubernatorial candidate who must be heartened by the newly segregated schools of Louisiana, since Jindal started “reforming” that state’s school system. Duke was actually one of the first politicians in Louisiana to advocate for charters and vouchers, arguing that it would allow all families to “choose” a racially segregated class if they wanted to.
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I did not like John White when he was deputy chancellor in NYC. His apathy towards school closings and his automaton speeches he gave at all the public hearings was felt by all stakeholders with uneasy crinches. White follows his master’s order.
Nonetheless, all the blame of misusing the funds should go to Jindal. White is doing exactly what he did in NYC; he follow his new master.
Will there be an investigation? It depends if the sensationalism behind this egregious crime is worth the paper is printed on. Powerful political people don’t get investigated; they get primetime in the media to apologize for their faux pas.
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Few get punished via the legal system. Few are held accountable. No matter how ironic the crime. A state superintendent of education destroying the state’s public schools. That is sadly ironic.
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In his capacity as US secretary of Education, Rod Paige’s awarding grant money to the pro-privatization National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ) was the subject of a Gov Accountability Office (GAO) audit and censure:
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Has anyone nailed down where they’re getting the names and addresses of public school students?
I’m wondering because I’m now getting advertisements in the mail from charters. I have no idea who operates these places. Are they buying lists of public school students?
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LDOE supplies these to “approved” course providers.
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