The Miami Herald reports that the leading candidates in both parties have accepted money from for-profit institutions of higher education, many of which have preyed on veterans and the poor.
Bill Clinton was paid $16 million to “as “honorary chancellor” of Laureate Education, the world’s largest for-profit college company. The firm is being sued by several online graduate students for allegedly dishonest practices, and a 2012 U.S Senate report found that more than half of Laureate’s online Walden University revenue went to marketing and profit.”
“The GOP field of 2016 presidential hopefuls is filled with candidates who have close ties to for-profit colleges. Marco Rubio listed two for-profit executives (and the industry’s former top Florida lobbyist) as “contributors” to his 2006 book, 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future. Jeb Bush gave a keynote speech at the for-profit industry’s Washington trade association last year, for which he was paid $51,000.”
Jeb Bush’s ties to the for-profit education industry are far more extensive than a single keynote speech. Jeb’s “Digital Learning NOW!” proposal was funded by the tech industry and recommended unregulated digital learning as the answer to every education problem. His FEE (Foundation for Educational Excellence) is a prime advocate for the expansion of online learning in every aspect of education.
“Republican front-runner Donald Trump is being sued by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman over his now-shuttered “Trump University” business school. Schneiderman has said Trump University used false promotional materials and “was a scam from top to bottom.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article31216595.html#storylink=cpy
Diane Ravitch's blog 
So do you think prospective college students can rely on information or advice from government agencies as far as college, given what looks like widespread and virtually unchecked capture of government actors by this industry?
A lot them will need advice. They’re very young or recently discharged veterans or first generation college students. Can they rely on these government folks to give them sound information or is that too risky as far as their long term financial situation? Student debt can’t be discharged. They’ll carry it for life. Who can they trust in this free wheeling, survival of the fittest environment where there doesn’t seem to be a “cop on the beat”, as Sen.Warren might say?
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OMG, terrible.
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I am not surprised by any of this. The 99% must begin paying attention.
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This is a Reddit site where thousands of people are discussing their experiences in for-profit colleges. I’m glad they have some way to share information (warn others) but what’s disturbing about it is some of them were directed to these places by presenters at high schools and such, and they believe it was because they weren’t top students or the school were lower income.
So it sounds like they’re getting lousy advice from some adults who are supposed to be looking out for them. Are they just like sitting ducks? Why are these places allowed to pitch in schools, to kids?
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Money and candidates – it’s a necessary and poisonous relationship. I think about Bill Clinton taking that money to offer his credibility to a profoundly corrupt organization and know that je would never let anyone he personally cares about use their services. But other people’s children? Especially the poor? Good enough for “those people.” Virtually every candidate has multiple connections that should embarrass them. I wonder what the cost of integrity is? Not so much that it isn’t routinely sold off like indulgences.
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How much money do they need? Jeb Bush needs 60k a year as a “consultant” so badly he couldn’t decline this offer?
I mean really. I expect to see our former national leaders on tv pushing payday loans next.
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I do not know whether these following links would be helpful for educators who are too busy and too frustrated to have time to read and to cultivate parents and students to be educated VOTERS
1) https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/contracts/history.aspx
The History of NAEP Contractors
NAEP has grown and changed in many ways since the first assessment in 1969–1970. Changes are illustrated in this brief history of NAEP contractors from the present to the beginning.
• 2013 to 2017—Current Contracts
• 2008 to 2012
• 2003 to 2007
• 1996 to 2002
• 1994
• 1989
• 1983
• 1969
2008 to 2012
Pearson ++
Pearson is a global provider of applications, services, and technologies for education, testing, assessment, government, and complex data management. This division, based in Iowa City, it is the largest commercial processor of K-12 tests in the U.S. NCS Pearson operates as a business of Pearson Education, the world’s largest integrated education company, which in turn is part of Pearson. Test processing began in the 1950’s at the University of Iowa who sold the business in the late 1960’s. NCS was founded in 1962 and was purchased by Pearson in 2000. NCS Pearson has been a NAEP contractor or subcontractor since 1989. Website: http://www.pearson.com
Pearson holds this contract:
• Materials Preparation, Distribution, and Scoring: To prepare and package the assessment and all auxiliary materials; to distribute assessment booklets and materials to the test administrators for each school; to develop training and scoring materials; and to score all assessments.
2) https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/naephistory.aspx
NAEP: Measuring Student Progress Since 1964
After much exploration in the early 1960s, the idea of a national assessment gained impetus in 1963. NAEP planning began in 1964, with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation to set up the Exploratory Committee for the Assessment of Progress in Education (ECAPE) in June. This was followed by the appointment of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in 1965.
The first national assessments were held in 1969. Voluntary assessments for the states began in 1990 on a trial basis, were made a permanent feature of NAEP every two years. In 2002, selected urban districts participated in the state-level assessments on a trial basis, and continue as the Trial Urban District Assessment. (TUDA)
3) About the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA)
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/district.aspx
I find that I could understand a bit regarding PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTED or the SENATE APPROVAL/CONSENT to be MEMBERS in American National Board of Education who are limited to be 15 members who qualify to vote in certain agenda related to American Education. Back2basic
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Here is the part 2 of what I find interesting and is related to Education Reform.
4) State Education Reforms (SER)
Compiles and disseminates data on state education reform activities
Publications & Products|Table Library|Staff
http://nces.ed.gov/quicktables/result.asp?SrchKeyword=&topic=Elementary%2FSecondary&Year=2015
Table 4.4. States with charter school caps, automatic exemptions …
nces.ed.gov
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab4_4.asp
Table 4.4. BY STATE IN FISCAL YEAR: 2014–15
1) States with CHARTER SCHOOL CAPS, – NO (there are 21 yes)
2) AUTOMATIC EXEMPTIONS, – YES (there are 27 yes)
3) REQUIRED teacher CERTIFICATION, and – NO (there are 36 yes)
4) identification of special education RESPONSIBILITIES for charter schools, – NO (there are 30 yes)
HERE IS A LIST of all states that have accordingly 1, 2, 3, 4 conditions
Alabama x,x, x, x ( the best)
Alaska 1, 2, x, 4
Arizona 1, 2, 3, x
Arkansas x, x, 3, x
California x, 2, x, x
Colorado 1, 2, x, x
Connecticut x, x, x, x (the best)
Delaware 1, 2, x, 4
District of Columbia x, 2, 3, x
Florida 1, 2, x, x
Georgia 1, x, 3, x
Hawaii 1, x, x, x
Idaho x, 2, x, x
Illinois x, 2, x, 4
Indiana 1, 2, x, 4
Iowa 1, x, x, x
Kansas 1, x, x, 4
Kentucky n/a
Louisiana 1, 2, 3, x
Maine x, 2, x, x
Maryland 1, x, x, 4
Massachusetts x, 2, x, x
Michigan x, x, x, x (the best)
Minnesota 1, 2, x, x
Mississippi x, 2, x, x
Missouri x, 2, x, x
Montana n/a
Nebraska n/a
Nevada 1, x, x, 4
New Hampshire x, 2, x, x
New Jersey 1, x, x, x
New Mexico x, x, x, x (the best)
New York x, 2, x, x
North Carolina 1, 2, x, x
North Dakota n/a
Ohio x, 2, x, x
Oklahoma x, 2, 3, x
Oregon 1, 2 x, x
Pennsylvania 1, 2, x, x
Rhode Island x x, x, 4
South Carolina 1, 2, x, x
South Dakota n/a
Tennessee 1, x, x, 4
Texas x, 2, 3, x
Utah x, x, x, x (the best)
Vermont n/a
Virginia 1, 2, x, 4
Washington x, 2, x, 4
West Virginia n/a
Wisconsin x, 2, x, 4
Wyoming 1, x, x, x
http://ies.ed.gov/director/board/index.asp (under INSTITUTE of EDUCATION SCIENCES)
The National Board for Education Sciences consists of 15 voting members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The following serve as nonvoting ex officio members: The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), each of the four Commissioners of the National Education Centers, the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Director of the Census, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, and the Director of the National Science Foundation.
The DUTIES of the National Board for Education Sciences are to:
• Advise and consult with the Director on the policies of the Institute;
• Consider and approve priorities proposed by the Director to guide the work of the Institute;
• Review and approve procedures for technical and scientific peer review of the activities of the Institute;
• Advise the Director on activities to be supported by the Institute, including the general areas of research to be carried out by the National Center for Education Research;
• Present the Director with recommendations for strengthening education research and the funding of the Institute;
• Advise the Director on the funding of applications after the completion of peer review;
• Review and regularly evaluate the work of the Institute to ensure that its research, development, evaluation, and statistical analyses are consistent with the standards set out in the Education Sciences Reform Act;
• Advise the Director on ensuring that activities of the Institute are objective, secular, neutral, and no ideological and free of partisan influence and racial, cultural, gender, or regional bias;
• Solicit advice and information from the field regarding priorities for the Institute;
• Advise the Director on opportunities for the participation in, and the advancement of, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in education research, statistics, and evaluation activities of the Institute;
• Recommend to the Director ways to enhance strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts among other federal and state research agencies; and
• Recommend to the Director individuals to serve as Commissioners of the National Education Centers.
The National Board for Education Sciences also approves research priorities for the Institute of Education Sciences.
.
MEMBERS of the National Board for Education Sciences
On January 31, 2014, David J. Chard was elected chair of the presidentially-appointed board of directors for the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. Susanna Loeb was elected vice chair. The Board is composed of prominent researchers, school administrators, and business executives.
Other Board members include:
• Dr. Anthony S. Bryk, President of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Stanford, California
• Dr. David J. Chard, Dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University
• Dr. Darryl J. Ford, Head of School for William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Dr. Michael Feuer, Dean of Graduate School of Education and Development, George Washington University
• Dr. Adam Gamoran, President, William T. Grant Foundation
• Dr. Kris D. Gutiérrez, Professor of Literacy and Learning Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
• Dr. Larry V. Hedges, Board of Trustees Professor of Statistics and Social Policy and Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
• Dr. Susanna Loeb, Barnett Family Professor of Education, Stanford University
• Dr. Bridget Terry Long, Academic Dean and the Xander Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
• Dr. Deborah Phillips, Professor of Psychology and Associate Faculty in Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University
• Dr. Judith D. Singer, James Bryant Conant Professor of Education and Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity at Harvard University
• Dr. Robert Teranishi, Morgan and Helen Chu Endowed Chair in Asian American Studies at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
• Dr. Robert A. Underwood, President, University of Guam
• Dr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Courtney Sale Ross University Professor of Globalization and Education, New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
To learn more about the board, please contact Dr. Kenann McKenzie-Thompson.
http://ies.ed.gov/director/board/bios.asp#chard
BIOGRAPHICAL Information on the Members of the National Board for Education Sciences.
I hope that parents in this website will find these links as much helpful and interesting as I do. Back2basic
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