In another great post, Anthony Cody explains why he is fed up with all the mud being thrown at teachers by politicians, foundation heads, corporations, and pundits.
He asks, why no accountability for the banks and rating systems that lied and hid data and caused millions of people to lose their homes?
Why no accountability for the big corporations that greedily soak up tax cuts while refusing to pay their share of the taxes needed to support public education (all the while, blaming teachers in underfunded public schools)?
Why no accountability for the testing corporations that foist failed online programs on students while raking in millions?
Yes, it is time for accountability.
Paul Thomas used the occasion of Cody’s post to reprint a piece he wrote in 2011, which shares the same lesson. He reviews the failures of Rhee, Duncan, Gates, Canada, and Co. and concludes:
“Accountability appears to be something those driving the reform are using to mask the lack of expertise or accomplishment among the reformers themselves. And the media is playing right along, unwilling and possibly unable to hold the reformers themselves accountable — unwilling and possibly unable as well to discern that the education reform debate is being misrepresented as badly as education is itself.”
A bonus in Paul’s piece: He includes the great poem “Ozymandias,” reminding us and the reformers that their feckless and fruitless efforts will soon blow away and be forgotten.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It’s kind of like Revenge of the Nerds or something. The ugly girl at the prom never matters to the beautiful people. It goes back to the priorities of our culture–there is a lot of “skin deep” going on. It isn’t just the poor who have poor ways anymore, a lot–sometimes; I think.
Media is making mega bucks in advertising for this private for these profit bearing education ventures.
It pays their bills and stokes their paychecks. At the top is a private school mentality, so what is it to the decision makers other then a money stream? They are bought and paid for!!!
“Media is making mega bucks . . . ”
Yep, just take a look at the political process as to how the FCM (Fawning Corporate Media-not my term but Ray McGovern’s) makes serious jack during the election season. This is even better as the jack to be made will come every year.
And don’t overlook your post from a week or so ago describing the “accountability” of high level officials in the NYC schools…
Mr. Cody, Mr. Thomas,
THANK YOU!!! Awesome pieces, both.
Accountability is for the little people. Recent history – lies about WMD in Iraq, refusal to pursue malfeasance in finance, the persistent failure of so-called education reformers, even according to their own degraded benchmarks, etc. – amply demonstrate the truth of this.
When Michelle Rhee is given a widely publicized perp walk for fraud, conspiracy and racketeering, when Gates and Broad are repudiated as usurpers of democracy, then we can begin to talk about accountability for the Overclass.
Accountability for the overclass???
You and I will be long dead and so will our children’s children’s children’s children before there is any accountability for the overclass unless one from the overclass is stupid enough to attempt to fleece them a la Madoff.
Well, as the FDR era shows, when there are divisions in the Overclass, then it is possible to have a dram of accountability for these characters.
Unfortunately, in a brilliant and sinister act of bait-and-switch, they gave us Obama, whose entire reason for existence is to forestall that possibility.
This IS an excellent post! And yes, it IS it time to flip the script when accountability is discussed! But in a world that lets Arne and Pitbull stand and speak for education…well, hats off to everyone for keeping focused and getting the truth out there.
The Fish Rots from the Head. That is how it is and always will be. It is always leadership or lack thereof.