Mercedes Schneider decided to analyze how the conservative journal “Ednext” gauges public opinion about one of its favorite reforms, charter schools.
She reviews the wording of the questions asked over several years.
She notes that Ednext never mentions charter school scandals, which are a hot topic in states like Michigan, Ohio, and Forida.
“There’s a lot of unregulated money to be made in “school choice”– so much so that the FBI is conducting investigations nationwide on criminal behavior rampant in America’s charter schools.
“That the gross negligence of states to regulate “choice” has yielded fertile ground for criminal activity appears to have escaped any survey question posed by EdNext.
“The hidden component of “choice” is the systematic dissolution of the traditional, local-school-board-run public school system. Indeed, EdNext is a corporate-reform-promoting nest that is especially fond of defunding traditional public education via under-regulated charter schools.”
She wonders about the wording of the questions:
“He never addresses charter scandals at all. Imagine if he had asked this version of his charter question:
“As you may know, many states permit the formation of charter schools, which are publicly funded but are not managed by the local school board and are exempt from many state regulations. Charter schools are prone to scandal, as evidenced by a recent nationwide, FBI investigation. Do you support or oppose the formation of charter schools?
“I’m thinking the “completely oppose” category would suddenly become rather popular.”
Schneider suggests a way to improve the poll:
“If Peterson and his EdNext followers really wanted to know what charter school parents think of “choice”– and the degree to which “choice” is “forced choice”– they could ask in their survey. They could ask charter parents why they do not “completely support” their “chosen” schools.
“They could also ask charter parents what exactly has them “somewhat supporting” or “neither supporting nor opposing” their “choice” schools.
“The opinions of the general public on charter schools are not as telling as the opinions of those actually utilizing the charter schools.
“But it appears that EdNext minds are already made up. Charter schools are good–and there will be no asking for potentially contradictory specifics from those who actually *choose* them.
“And certainly no questions connecting charters and the FBI. I mean, that would be really bad for charter “choice.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is what Think Tanks and Think Half-Tracks do. They are the mobile artillery in the War Of Mass Deception.
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Duncan makes it clear that he thinks we really can’t afford smaller class sizes…
http://m.deseretnews.com/article/865610346/Tradeoffs-and-payoffs-Washington-voters-asked-to-make-murky-choice-on-class-size.html
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Oral arguments for the White Hat charter case are 9/23. The main issue is “who owns assets purchased with public funds?” Great question! Might like to know that, before we commit to complete privatization! Wonder why the legislature won’t address it?
Scroll down and look for White Hat. The Ohio supreme court streams oral argument live so you should be able to listen.
If you listen, you’ll know more about charter schools than any of our lawmakers, and you’ll know more about White Hat than anyone outside of the owners of White Hat 🙂
I guess charter school law will be made by judges, since the other branches have apparently “relinquished” public education to litigants who can afford to bring private lawsuits and pursue them for 5 years. The judicial branch can’t dodge this as effectively as the other two.
http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/Clerk/calendar/default.asp
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Here’s a study on for-profit colleges. Public community colleges are a better value for students, but the funding for public community colleges has been cut, so the for-profits are filling that hole created by lawmakers.
It’s not a happy study.
I have a degree from a public community college and I thought it was both more challenging and a better value than the four year college I attended after, and law school.
Why would US lawmakers disinvest in such an egalitarian, accessible public system? Did the create the hole that for-profits are filling deliberately, in response to lobbyists? If so, that’s repulsive and completely immoral behavior.
Click to access 11434354.pdf
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Here’s John Oliver explaining who college students have so much debt. Send it to any you know. They can ask their lawmakers how this happened, and what they plan on doing about it. “Accountability” shouldn’t begin and end with third graders and their public school teachers.
http://consumerist.com/2014/09/08/john-oliver-on-for-profit-colleges-you-might-as-well-go-to-hogwarts/
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I’m about 2/3rds of the way through ON THE ROCKETSHIP by everyone’s favorite hagiographer, Richard Whitmire. In one of his more candid sections, he reveals that even the rephormers know that “choice” isn’t where it’s at. Pages 118-119:
“What went wrong? [Regarding the less-than-stellar results of Milwaukee’s 20+ year “choice” experiment] “When we got started on this in 1989 school quality was not the driving force,” said Fuller as he was having breakfast with [Rocketship founder John] Danner later on in Milwaukee. “The driving force was choice. And what was also operating at the time – that we now know is not true – is that parent choice alone will drive quality. There was this notion that parents are going to choose really great schools, and if there are terrible schools, parents will leave them. In reality, it doesn’t work that way.”
Really? Who would have guessed?
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Update from my lunch reading (p. 207):
“These [Ed tech venturers] are the people Diane Ravitch has in mind when she warns of dark forces trying to “privatize” education. In truth, there were few privatizers in this crown. They were just aspiring capitalists trying to make a buck off the hundreds of billions spent each year on K-12 and college education.”
It would be funny if they weren’t doing so much damage.
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Unfortunately, fraud is hardly exclusive to one type of school. It would seem fair to mention that specifically in a question about charters. http://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/mar05/030205.htm
-jpr
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Sounds like the fraud is being systematically addressed. Is that happening in the charter sector? How many of the charter school scandal perpetrators have been charged with a crime?
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Yes, as soon as you open the link you see the word “audit”. A large part of the problem with charters is that they’re exempt from audits.
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…or they close and reopen under another name. The charters aren’t really regulated in Ohio.
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Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
As you may know, many states permit the formation of charter schools, which are publicly funded but are not managed by the local school board and are exempt from many state regulations.
In addition, Charter schools are prone to scandal, as evidenced by a recent nationwide, FBI investigation.
Do you support or oppose the formation of charter schools?
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She nails the problem here in my view. Public pollsters get the results they want by the way questions are asked. The answers sound legit unless one looks at the questions and the way they are posed. All legitimate pollsters understand this but those who wish to make the results come out the way they wish carefully word the questions. Integrity is lost when this occurs obviously but who cares, they can twist public opinion, and do. Hitler had Goebels. We have corporate CEOs who own the media AND tragically, our politicians.
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