Shavar Jeffries ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Newark; he was beaten by Ras Baraka. He is now executive director of the Democrats for Education Reform, the organization founded by hedge fund managers to promote the privatization of public education.
Jeffries published an article in the New York Daily News attacking Bernie Sanders for his opposition to charter schools, although he supported them in the past. He makes false claims about the “success” of charter schools, never mentioning that they impose militaristic discipline on black children and that national studies have repeatedly shown that they are no more “successful” than public schools unless they cherrypick their students and kick out the hardest to educate.
Jeffries throws a compliment to Hillary for backing off her accurate statement that charter schools don’t enroll the most challenging students.
And, biggest insult of all, he implies that Martin Luther King Jr. has something in common with the Wall Street predators that are promoting charter schools. Of course, we know they work in Wall Street because they wake up every morning wondering what they can do to help the poor children of America. And their conclusion: destroy public education. That’ll do it.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Jeffries throws a compliment to Hillary for backing off her accurate statement that charter schools don’t enroll the most challenging students.
She backed off that statement? I didn’t know that. When did that happen? Not happy to hear that.
When Eli Broad was hedging on writing a check to Clinton’s campaign, both Bill and Podesta reassured him that she supports charter schools and school privatization.
This isn’t surprising; but I assume that her rival, Bernie Sanders, feels the same way? Has there been any indication that any of the candidates really have a clue about what test-score/charter-
school reform does to our public school system?
I have to restate my question: While I have heard both Hillary and Bernie occassionally argue against charter schools, has there been any direct statement made by either candidate that we must not simply cut back on testing, but eliminate it — and thus stop segregating our students through a subsequent creation of score-funded charter schools?
Hillary backed off of her statement about charters once she secured Weingarten’s embarrassingly premature endorsement that unfortunately carried with it the consent-free endorsement of the AFT.
With these kinds of folks at bat for working teachers, it’s hard to imagine a reason to not get your résumé together. Oh wait, Walmart doesn’t need a résumé, just an application.
ciedie aech,
Yes, there is a presidential candidate who has “a clue about what test-score/charter-school reform does to our public school system?” Her name is Jill Stein, Green Party who will be speaking in Philly this coming weekend at the United Opt Out conference. If you’re anywhere near come and join us (I’ll be driving in from here in the Show Me State.)
Hooray for Bernie!
Yes, good for Bernie.
Heck, many years ago, when charter schools were just beginning, and being started by interested parents and teachers, I was in favor of charter schools, schools which offered things like Montessori or a classical education, or a totally bi-lingual curriculum to immerse kids in a foreign language.
There are still a few of these around, but they are fewer and far between.
When the charters began to proliferate and get taken over by the for-profit entities, by people like Eva Moskowitz, etc, and when they began to drain taxpayer dollars away from public schools, with no public accountability, that’s when they lost me.
People are always allowed to look at changed circumstances and change their minds, and I’m glad that Bernie did.
Just more reason to support Bernie Sanders! The DEFR (neoliberal) group wants to help republicans to destroy public schools and cash in on our tax dollars to turn education into their cash cow. As a lifelong Democratic Party member, this hideous group is also helping to destroy the original populist tenants or the party that cares for the oppressed! Hillary is the epidemy of DEFR! DEFR is our enemy!
FEEL THE BERN!
DFER is indeed one of the most serious enemies!!!! Agreed!
Of course DFER supports charter schools, Charter school debt returns 10-18% to Wall Street.
We should ask our senators to deny confirmation of John King to the Dept. of Ed.
Then, we’ll have more information, when we see the Democrats’ votes and, which candidate they support for President.
AFT should have waited to endorse, like the AFL-CIO did.
Of course the real reason Jeffries is allowed by his bosses to speak against Bernie is that they are targets of new taxes in a Sanders administration.
Sent from my iPhone, with keys way too small for humans.
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I liked this piece about Bernie Sanders. I don’t know the demographics or the “data” behind Sanders – I’ll leave that the giant billion dollar campaign industrial complex- but it rings true to me and I’m glad they’re speaking up:
http://bitterempire.com/bernie-sanders-and-all-those-damn-millennials/
DFER Jeffries IS AN IDIOT. It’s DEFORM.
Just GOT A RUDE call from a DFER in Seattle. Told this yahoo to go fly a kite. Talk about pushy and rude. I am “sick” in bed and told this DFER as much. He rattled on and on thinking I am stupid. My husband told him off and shut the phone.
Go BERNIE!
Ironic that a candidate whose democrat credentials are supposedly suspect…recognizes the instituional racism inherent in the reality of how charter schools are run……if he can adequately explain it….his support from miniorities should increase.
I love that half of the voters in both political Parties are in open revolt and the response of both political Parties is to deploy political lobbying groups to yell at them.
Not getting it, in some deeply profound way.
Another reason the AFT should not have backed Hillary without assurances. Then again, how many promises did she make? And you can bet the one she will break is her promise to support public schools. After all, she wants to follow in Obama’s footsteps.
Forget about assurances.
AFT should have polled its members for their choice of candidate.
Robert,
AFT does not concern itself with rank and file opinion.
She and the AFT never did, never will.
Got my AFT mailer yesterday with a tear-off postcard to send in to help HRC with her campaign. I am debating whether to toss it in the recycle bin or mail it back with a message saying that I’m volunteering for Bernie … and BTW, thanks for asking me to weigh in on the endorsement …. NOT!
“All the king’s horses,
And all the king’s men…
Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty
Back together again”.
So much that Jeffries tries,
So much more the DFR’s fall.
Another attack against Bernie,
Another brick crashes reformer wall.
Wow, NPE!
Bernie is getting attacked by the right stupid wing?
I think we ALL need to support Bernie, no matter who we are or what perspective we are coming from.
Fair readers, if you think you feel furious now, go see Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next”. My wife and I just got back from seeing it tonight, and it was pure, unadulterated brilliance. . . . Getting you to think, laugh, and then think and act. You will leave magnified and enhanced, fortified and informed, inspired and furious, bewildered and in the know, tickled and bruised.
In one part of the film, Moore visits Finland and interviews teachers there. It’s an eye opener all the way. Shocking, horrifying, illuminating, and motivating.
Most of all, the film makes you think about why we need Bernie Sanders 10 trillion times more than stinky, duplicitous Hillary . . . .
Hill will just contiunue Obama’s policies.
Does Hillary actually know anyone whose kids attends public school? Or any public school teachers? Does she talk to them, or their kids? Does she know that tuition at a public university isn’t $3000 a semester any more, like it was when we were there? I honestly can’t tell from listening to her.
I’m sure that the public schools in Chappequa aren’t “failing”.
It should come as no surprise that the DFER would blast anyone the supports public schools. The members of the DFER are sellouts that support the destruction of democratic public education rather than working to improve existing public schools to ensure they are more equitable and adequately funded. The members of DFER are corporate puppets that have joined ranks of conservatives whose objective is to destroy neighborhoods and an institution that has built the middle class in this country, public education. What started as an idealistic, innovative idea has morphed into an ugly, exploitative money making, tax credit seeking, corrupt corporate hydra whose tentacles have grabbed policymakers and the media. The goal is to use public funds to make profit while they quash the voice and will of the people.
Exactly!
If this is wrong and its to dupe people, please delete it. If its real and can make a difference, however: http://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/RobertReichSuperdelegates/?source=dfarr160211
Any Presidential candidate that supports anything but “get the feds out of education” is a threat to public schools. You people naively believe that a President can run to your rescue and fight back the deformers. All along the feds make things worse. Without federal support it will be easier, not easy, to fight for public schools.
Obama used federal leverage to do MORE harm to public education than the Republicans could ever dream of accomplishing. Yet you sheople still look for a federal hero that will NEVER exist.
Fl,
The concept that fighting on the state level is easier is pure mythology.
Abigail, I don’t agree. Congress doesn’t listen to what parents or teachers say or think. Members of Congress seldom think about education at all. They leave it to their staff, most of whom are young, many of whom are from TFA.
You can actually meet your state legislator. You can vote him out of office. You can band together with others who care about education and have a voice. You do not have a voice in Washington, DC, because there are so many competing issues and it is a very big country.
Wrong!
Sanders wants federalized funding combined with LOCAL control of schools. . . . It’s OUR tax dollars. They should be returning to us. Look at “Where to Invade Next” and see how much of our federal tax dollar does not flow back to us. There little to no accountability for the way it gets spent.
No one here is a sheeple; it’s time to move towards a Finnish or Western European model.
Once upon a time, the country believed that black people should only be slaves and that women could never vote.
Guess that did not go so well . . . . Change is inevitable. The idea is to get OTHER like minded candidates into federal office to support Sanders. He said bluntly that we ALL must get inviolved.
Feel the Bern. . . .
Diane,
I live in New Jersey. Christie is gutting my pension. The law requiring me to make contributions to my health benefits and increased pension contributions was passed by the legislature. My state senator Ruiz was the sponsor of the amended tenure law. I am on the verge of being brought up on tenure charges. Booker brought Cami Anderson to Newark. Baraka has switched horses midstream. Should I contact break the public schools monopoly Cuomo?
Abigail, you sure won’t get any help from DC. Vote the rascals out.
The people of New Jersey support policies that are devastating to public schools teachers as do voters in many other states. We are considered to be parasites.
Abigail, simple principle: no teachers, no education.
Abigail,
For wha it is worth, I just met with my state legislator for an hour and forty minutes. . . . She was all ears. I don’t know if it will make a difference, but doing nothing is always guaranteed to make no difference.
I contacted Ruiz twice.
Well said, those Bernie supporters. This is PART of the reason I have supported him from the beginning.