The Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce announced an “education summit” on February 8, featuring the ever-controversial Michelle Rhee (who canceled out of our debate at Lehigh University on February 6). The original sponsors, in addition to the Chamber, included Target, General Mills, and Thomson Reuters. But then something strange happened, as investigative journalist Sarah Lahm discovered. All the names of the sponsors were removed.
Why?
Lahm writes that “controversial education reform purveyor Michelle Rhee will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Summit, and her pending appearance, along with the Chamber’s national support for the Common Core State Standards, sparked protest from some local and national advocacy groups that organize against corporate education reform movements. Word quickly spread through social media, and some of the local groups, such as Minnesotans Against the Common Core and Save the Kids, organized a call-in protest to the Chamber of Commerce and the event’s corporate sponsors. These groups are also planning a “Stand for Kids” rally at the Summit.
“The details of the Summit, which will include not only Michelle Rhee’s speech but also an appearance by former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak, among others, were also brought to the attention of the Minnesota Badass Teachers Association (MN BATs), which is the local off-shoot of the National BAT Association, started in 2013. Their Twitter account, as well as that of other local education Tweeters, includes information about the Summit and appeals to Target, in particular, about their alleged sponsorship of the event.”
Lahm tried to find out why the sponsors disappeared or merely hid their names but she was rebuffed at every turn.
The moral of the story: corporations don’t like controversy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Actually, the conference, which I’m currently attending, is not “announced” by the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. It has been, from the beginning a project of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Although an earlier report on the conference that appeared here said the conference was taking place in Minneapolis, it’s actually taking place in St. Paul.
As I’ve made clear, I strongly disagree with many of Michelle Rhee’s positions. I will be writing about this and will post a link.
For the record, I had no input into which speakers were invited.
I think it would have been better if, for example, the Minnesota state teacher of the Year had been invited to speak. She teaches one block from the hotel where the conference is taking place.
I also think it would have been better to include a public school principal whose school is showing significant gains had been invited to share her/his experiences.
I dunno. I don’t think I’d be a part of any group that chose to have Michelle Rhee but not the state teacher of the year or any public school principals. But that’s just me.
Dienne, I am covering the conference for a group of newspapers for which I write a weekly column. I also write a regular blog for the same on-line publication that publishes Sarah’s columns.
Incidentally, a person is currently speaking at the conference who has been identified as a 30 year public school teacher. He was president of the Washington DC Teacher Union for 6 years. He does have extensive experience teaching in urban public schools. I’m sure he is controversial.
Joe,
Very exciting, you covering the event for the newspapers.
Will you report on/ inform your readers of the controversy regarding Ms Rhee?
You know:
The duct tape.
The unverifiable resume.
The cheating scandal.
The failure to properly investigate the possible cheating..especially in light of the Atlanta investigation.
Just curious.
Yes, Ang, I will be pointing out that award winning journalist John Merrow has raised numerous concerns about cheating in DC while she was the Supt.
I asked that question today at the meeting and her response was that there had been 6 different investigations, “none of which found widespread cheating.” I’ll be checking with Mr. Merrow about his response to that.
Joe
The “30 yr educator” at the MN Chamber of Commerce event was George Parker, who is part of StudentsFirst and has, obviously, aligned himself directly with Rhee’s policies and promotional tours. His appearance at the Education Summit does not equate, I am sure most would agree, with having a panel of MN teachers, parents, and students to help inform the business community of what is going on with education in MN.
Corporations do all they can to control the message or counter attack (with spin) any piece in the media that might hurt profits.
For instance, think big tobacco as the corporate role model. If you want to see how they fooled people for decades to keep smoking, watch the following video. You may see the similarities between Big Tobacco and the corporate war against the public schools.
In fact, corporations have another strategy to destroy their critics financial. It’s using the legal system, the courts. Corporations learned they could file frivolous law suits against their critics to tie them up in court and drive them to bankruptcy.
Another example: Monsanto versus organic farmers:
Or the Mad Cowboy and Oprah story the ended up with the $100 billion dollar corporate meat industry suing both of them in one regional court after another to shut them up about how unhealthy the (non-organic) meat is in America.
They are afraid of the truth.
Maybe the fact that corporations don’t like controversy will enable some conversations to occur about what corporations really want to promote. Strong communities result from strong public schools; corporations like strong communities. I think up until recently (maybe) there were just blind assumptions that any organization that claimed to help education and promoting “strong choices in schools for parents” Ii’ve heard that one on public radio). I know there is the view of corporations taking over. . .but they would, eventually, defeat their cause if they did not have strong corporations who patronized their services or bought their products.
I see it like the NFL. Janet Jackson created a lot of attention for the Super Bowl . . . but the NFL wants a family atmosphere. I am assuming that corporations (hopefully) are just a bit behind the 8 ball in realizing what they are supporting when they give money to events like this one. If they have not studied the politics that is now pulling and tugging at public education dollars, they might not even know what implications or other unintended consequences can and do occur from education reform.
There has to be balance in our country. . .even for corporations. (I understand some have truly committed to an agenda regarding education, like Walmart has; but I find it hard to believe that EVERY American corporation has the same agenda as Walmart in terms of privatizing education. . .that just does not make sense).
Hopefully corporations are catching up to the controversy.
I will just bet that some same sponsors from recent reform will eventually want to distance themselves from it (like the many politicians who have dropped out of ALEC).
There is hope.
“. . . corporations like strong communities. . . ”
Yep, that’s why for the last 30 or so years many of the major corporations decided that those “strong communities” in third world countries, China, etc. . . where there is no minimum wage, non-existent worker protection laws, no environmental protection, etc. . . would be the best places to manufacture their products.
Correction, Duane:
China does have minimum wage laws.
In China the minimum wage is set locally and ranges from 830 RMB per month, 7.50 RMB per hour in Guanzxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to 1,400 RMB per month, 15.2 RMB per hour in Beijing.
In addition, China does have environmental laws. Science Magazine.org reported on them in July 2013, but there are problems due to an environmental legal system that is incomplete causing trouble implementing and enforcing those laws.
In fact, the EPA (the US Environmental Protection Agency) reported that: “China has been working with great determination in recent years to develop, implement, and enforce a solid environmental law framework. Chinese officials face critical challenges in effectively implementing the laws, clarifying the roles of their national and provincial governments, and strengthening the operation of their legal system.”
http://www.epa.gov/ogc/china/initiative_home.htm
The US started to implement its environmental laws in the 1970s and still hasn’t cleaned up the environment 100%. China didn’t get started until the 21st century. Give them time, because they can’t afford not to and they know it.
And due to what’s going on in China with rising wages and implementation of environmental laws, some US manufacturers have already moved operations back to the US or relocated to Vietnam.
Sorry, I put the wrong link in my comment. I meant to put the link for the Science Magazine and ended up with one for a Chinese New Year Celebration in San Francisco.
Lloyd: gong hey fat Choy.
Thank you. 马年大吉
Do we really need another “summit” devoted to bashing public schools? It’s practically the national hobby at this point.
Enough already. They can drop the hard sale’s pitch and the constant repetition. We surrender! Public schools suck! 🙂
Oh, but these “bold” reformers are taking such a “brave” stance, doncha know! It’s high time someone finally called out the “status quo” and took on the “sacred cow” of teachers unions.
Ah, yes, the sainted reformers versus the evil labor unions.
You’ll notice which groups are entirely missing in this narrative they’ve created: public school students and public school parents. It’s as they believe that the only people who could POSSIBLY value a public school are the people who work there. The rest of us are just “stuck” in a “failure factory” and yearning to enroll in a charter.
Actually, one of the business people who helped lead the conference described himself as a pleased parent of a local St. Paul (district) public high school. He also said he knew too many youngsters who also attended the high school but had not graduated.
Go away, Joe Nathan–you and the “school choice” Gates-funded horse you road in on.
There was an active phone campaign to both Target and General Mills protesting their involvement in this so-called education summit. Within hours, both company names vanished from the event promotions. Love an “education summit” on a Thursday morning, when no actual educators can attend.
Truth is much more amazing than fiction!
What are the sponsors ashamed of that they do not want their names attached to this summit?
More like they don’t want to loose paying customers. LISTEN UP coorporations like Target and Walmart. I will not spend a cent in your stores. Further, I will tell others to do the same.
Seriously disgusting. Mayor Rhybak is speaking. Attended private school, sent his kids to private school. Daugher is a TFAer helping to destroy MPS schools by working for low wages at a charter school.
#OutOfTouch
First I had to get a new American Express credit card because of Target’s lack of security and Now sponsoring an event promoting ideas contrary to our constitution! Our family will no longer shop at a Target store. We have other options. Thank you for informing us.
I wonder if the Minnesota Governor attended – he sees some of the TFA problems:
Office of Governor Mark Dayton
130 State Capitol. 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Saint Paul, MN 55155
May 24, 2013
The Honorable Sandra L. Pappas
President of the Senate
Room 120, State Capitol Building
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
Dear Madam President:
I have received, approved, signed, and deposited in the Office of the Secretary of State Chapter 99,
Senate File 1236, the Omnibus Higher Education Bill, with the exception of the line item vetoes listed
below:
The following items of appropriation are vetoed for the reasons below:
• Page 5. line 5.29: A $750,000 item of appropriation in FY 14 and a $750,000 item of
appropriation in FY15 for Teach for America.
Teach for America (TFA) is a well-established, national program with revenues totaling $270
million for fiscal year 2011 (its most recent annual report). With total expenses of$219 million, TFA’s net
assets increased by over $50 million and now total over $350 million. With those financial resources
available, it is not clear why a $1.5 million grant from the State of Minnesota is required to continue or
expand the organization’s work here.
My principal concern, however, is the way in which TFA was selected as the recipient ofthis
grant. To my knowledge, no competitive grant program was established; no other applications were
solicited; and no objective review was made by an independent panel of experts. Instead, the funds were
inserted into the Senate’s Higher Education bill, directed to this organization, and retained in the
Conference Committee’s report.
If the Legislature deems it is in our state’s best interest to encourage programs like TFA, a formal
grant program should be established within the Minnesota Department of Education, and all qualifying
organizations should be allowed to apply for funding. The legislation should establish the goals for such a
program and the results by which its effectiveness will be evaluated. This type of competitive grants
process would be a fairer way to distribute public funds.
Sincerely,
Mark Dayton
Governor
cc: Senator Thomas M. Bakk, Senate Majority Leader
Senator David W. Hann, Senate Minority Leader
Senator Terri E. Bonoff
Representative Paul Thissen, Speaker of the House
Representative Kurt Daudt, House Minority Leader
Representative Gene Pelowski, Jr.
The Honorable Mark Ritchie, Secretary of State
Ms. JoAnne Zoff, Secretary of the Senate
Mr. Albin A. Mathiowetz, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives
Voice: (651) 201-3400 or (800) 657-3717
Website: http://governor.state.mn.us
Fax: (651) 797-1850 MN Relay (800) 627-3529
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Target was not named as a sponsor at the Summit this morning. It was refreshing to end the program with actual current Minnesota NAEP data from Katie Haycock (instead of assertions that we have the worst gap or aggregate data from the entire nation used to demonstrate that our kids are failing) that indicates MN is making significant progress on reducing our achievement gap and that we are at the top of the heap nationally in both scores and reducing the gap, at least at 4th grade. Unfortunately, she jumped from “still need to do more” to here are the reforms that must happen without the analysis of what policies or practices changed to make our scores rise. It would make sense to do more of what is working. Can’t be the suggested reforms, because they haven’t happened. It would have been interesting to involve the education community to inform the Chamber about what is really working to make those achievement gains. We could use their support for what is working.
Target was originally named. Their name was removed after a coordinated phone campaign.
Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.
Diane, I know a Moral Monday marcher and they’re having a huge march this Saturday. The NC teachers will be wearing their “decline to sign” buttons to oppose the 500 dollar bonus bribe they’re being offered.
Here’s the link for info on the march:
http://www.hkonj.com/
If a Michael Graves-Target tea kettle, the why not a Rhee-Target student data base?
Subaru and TFA. TFA special edition, with two year warranty. (which is pretty good for a car designed by public policy majors with five weeks training)
Justice Denied…
http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6767
“DCPS seems to have redacted every piece of one-to-one email correspondence between Ms. McGoldrick and Dr. Sanford that occurred between August 2008, when State Superintendent Deborah Gist first informed Chancellor Rhee of the suspicious erasures, and January 30, 2009, the date of Sanford’s confidential memo warning DCPS that the evidence pointed to widespread erasures by school principals.”
Joe Nathan, it’s curious how people like you and MinnPost (MythPost) “reporter” (Kramer family publicist) Beth Hawkins, try and distance yourselves from Rhee when you both spew the same corporate reform rhetoric as Rhee. Just exactly how do your views differ from Rhee’s? Thanks goodness at least TC Daily Planet will print something true about the education reform plutocrats actively dismantling public education in the Twin Cities. Go away, Joe and quit working to skim tax dollars to spread charter with your Gate’s
funded Center for School Change. Shameful. @kathleen, you must have missed reading the linked article which contained a link to Target and a General Mill, etc. as sponsors, who the chose to hide. https://mobile.twitter.com/sarahrlahm/status/429553084843323392/photo/1?screen_name=sarahrlahm
First, we strongly disagree with Rhee about a number of things, including vouchers. I’ve written a column criticizing her.
Second, we used Gates funds to help create small schools within large district buildings in Cincy & St. Paul. Both projects had clear positive benefits for students.
Thanks to interest in our work from an array of organizations, including teacher unions, school districts, we’re continuing to work with both district & chartered public schools.
Minnesotans are tough! This shows real dedication to the cause. Protesters braved a -12 degree with -23 windchill temperature to stand outside and make their voices heard.
http://www.mn2020hindsight.org/view/video-community-schools-not-company-schools
Sorry, meant to leave the above comment on the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce/Michelle Rhee post.
Wrong again. It’s in the right place. Time for bed!
Here’s a link to the closing “keynote” presentation by katie Haycock at the conference, which was held in ST Paul, not Minneapolis:
http://www.edtrust.org/dc/presentation/achievement-and-opportunity-in-america-and-minnesota-what-business-can-do
People who take the time to review it will find that she focused both on income inequality and on changes that were needed in public schools.