Tom Ultican, a teacher of high school physics and math, here explains who is behind the privatization movement in California. The vehicle for privatization is the California Charter Schools Association.
He begins:
The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) and the Republican machine destroying public education in California or at least trying to privatize it; are promoting their jaded cause.
Three key players in the assault on California’s public schools are Walmart heiress, Carrie Walton Penner, Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings and nativist republican politician, Steve Poizner. In 2001, they started EdVoice an organization that claims California schools are broken and must be reformed. In 2003 Poizner founded the CCSA. Walton Penner and Hastings remain as board members of both EdVoice and CCSA.
Why are billionaires so invested in charter schools?
He writes:
Many super-wealthy education reformers are not fans of democracy. There is a natural and dark human tendency to desire control over others. With their massive wealth, billionaire’s are capable of subverting democracy and enforcing their frequently uninformed opinions.
Ultican then goes on to show what a gravy train this charter industry is for all those who jump on board. He lists the salaries of many of those who loudly proclaim “It is For the Children.” Are they doing good or doing well?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I just received this notice from Council for Exceptional Children’s Policy network. The Obama Administration, the Senate & Congress are being influenced by a coalition of for-profit teacher education entities that want to influence the direction of teacher education. Notice that CEC calls them “teacher related” organizations. Here’s CEC’s e-mail & link to the letter:
New Teacher Prep Coalition Calls for Federal Policy on Accountability
A group of 9 teacher related organizations has created a coalition which will provide “a series of letters to federal officials that will guide efforts to strengthen teacher preparation programs across the country.” The new coalition is made up of: Urban Teachers, Aspire Public Schools, Blue Engine, Boston Teacher Residency, Match Teacher Residency, National Center for Teacher Residencies, Relay Graduate School of Education, Teach for America and TNTP.
While the coalition does not specifically call on the Department to issue the teacher prep regulations which have been under development for 4 years, it does call on the Department of Education and Congress to “provide states with specific guidance around developing systems where all teacher preparation programs are accountable for collecting and publicly sharing outcomes data on the success of their programs, participants and graduates.”
Click to access CoalitionLetter.pdf
It is necessary that the world knows that it is not only Republicans who are California deformers. The Billionaires like those who head Allicance, Eli Broad, the Wassermans, Milken, and others like Tilson in NY, are all DFERS…declared and registered Dems.
Public and private colleges and university education departments had better figure out how to collaborate with each other, or they are going to have corporate privateers telling them how to run their programs. I am happy to support any efforts put forth by these departments, but it is their job to lead on this one. They can be party to the destruction of the teaching profession if they choose to do nothing or they can be a force for positive development of public education. They can’t sit this one out although I admit I have trouble seeing them “in the streets.”