Thomas Ultican has yet again performed a public service by investigating a reformy think tank, where people get huge amounts of money from billionaires to tell the world that public schools are terrible and private management is the way to go.
In the linked post, he delves into the philosophy and fundraising genius of the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington.
As Tom shows, it is very lucrative to knock the public schools. Foundations stand in line to offer millions for more evidence that our nation’s public schools, which educated 90% of us (but NOT Donald Trump!), are rotten.
We have been waiting thirty years to see the miracle of charter schools and vouchers and the portfolio model, but no matter. It’s a good living for them that bring bad news.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I read them and it amazes me they’re considered “agnostic” in ed reform circles.
They’re blatantly and obviously pro-charter and pro-voucher and anti-public school.
I think the fact that they’re considered “agnostic” says more about the insular and closed nature of ed reform than it does about the Center for Reinventing Education. Sure, they’re not ranting about “government schools” and “socialism” but the policy is identical to those in ed reform who do. There’s not a dime’s worth of difference between what they promote and what DeVos promotes. It’s the same policy.
Go look for yourself. Compare DeVos’ speeches and plans to this ed reform group. Total alignment.
Here’s a typical ed reform forum:
“Former US Secretary of Education John King and Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, share success stories and emerging new practices. Presented by the Walton Family Foundation”
Always. No one outside the circle is ever invited. The Walton Family restrict the viewpoints offered by limiting the forum to people who already swallow the entire ed reform agenda. They’re assured there won’t be any real dissent or debate because they invite the same national ed reformers over and over and over. They don’t limit views expressed at the forum! That would be censorship and that’s very, very bad.
Instead they just limit those invited to promote their views to ed reformers. Actual advocates for public schools and public school students need not apply to the Aspen Ideas Forum. Some “ideas” are not welcome.
Deformers act as though they have all the answers, but they only look for answers in the private sector that is led by billionaires and corporations. They never want to put their big ideas up to a public vote because it would invite actual tax paying stakeholders to have a voice. Their perspective is all top down imposition by the wealthy class.
What was the question?
With all of the answers
But none of the questions
Deformers are dancers
Without genuflections
Here’s The 74:
https://www.the74million.org/
Every single article about charter and private schools is positive. Every single article about public schools is negative or neutral. You’ll recognize the orgs cited in the positive coverage of charters and vouchers, too. They’re all orgs that promote charters and vouchers.
It’s an echo chamber but that’s not what bothers me- promoting charters and vouchers as superior to public schools is a view and The 74 and all the rest are allowed to hold it.
What bothers me is the complete absence of ATTENTION to existing public schools. I think that is reflected in national and state government, when ed reformers are elected. They simply don’t do any work to benefit our schools, which is understandable! They don’t believe our schools should exist. However, this is a real problem for public schools and families because our schools DO exist.
I think we see the ed reform focus and priorities reflected in the federal government and in state governments where they are in a majority. The focus on charters and vouchers at the federal level and in states means no one does any work on behalf of public schools.
Ohio, my state, is utterly captured by this “movement”. What that means for public school students and families in the state is we expand vouchers and charters every year, but we still don’t have a coherent public school funding plan and haven’t for the last 20 years. They never get it done. Instead they launch yet another voucher program or rework the charter law again.
90% of students in this state aren’t served at all by their own government, but ed reform is getting their entire wish list met! Priorities!
Public schools, and public school students are an afterthought, AT BEST. That’s the best we can hope for- often ed reformers are an actual detriment to our schools. They’ve presented public school families with two choices- we’ll either ignore and neglect your schools or actively oppose and undermine them- pick one.
I reject that. I think there’s a third option- we could hire people who actually value our schools and provide some real , tangible, practical benefit to them.
A con of a swindle of a fraud of a racket of a deceit of a hustle of a hoax of a grift of a bamboozle of a fleece of a bilk of a money-making and power hungry scheme?
Rhee-Inventing Public Education
Rheei-magine, Rhee-invent
Rhee-formation, Rhee intent
Rhee-construct and Rhee-enact
Rhee-incarnate Rhee, in fact
(Hat tip to KrazyTA wherever you are)
why we never move far from the sticky, endlessly suffocating morass: “Foundations stand in line to offer millions for more evidence that our nation’s public schools…are rotten. “
If you will allow me to versify your most excellent summary
CRPEs are creeps
And quackademics
Gatesly seeps
Who write polemics
I believe that’s called WordPressification when WordPress puts a response after the wrong comment
This is a detailed account of one of the major policy-works for destroying public schools. Tom has done a great job of showing the history and the current funders of this operation. Thank you Tom.
To summarize, CRPE is a pseudo-academic organization funded by profiteering, white billionaires to promote systemic racism and other forms of antidemocratic inequality; it’s bull-CRaP enabled by rich CReePs.
I feel SO fortunate to not have to return to teaching. I really don’t see how anyone can go back in person. I’m not that skilled on the computer and it isn’t a good way to teach. In-person isn’t being helped by our DeVos/Trump ‘choice will be all that matters’ to solve all education problems.
Get Ready for a Teacher Shortage Like We’ve Never Seen Before
If we force teachers to return to schools during an out-of-control pandemic, I don’t know how many will stick around.
By Kelly Treleaven
Ms. Treleaven teaches middle school English
Aug. 17, 2020
…Even before Covid-19, teachers were leaving the profession in droves. According to a report by the Economic Policy Institute, the national teacher shortage is looking dire. Every year, fewer and fewer people want to become teachers.
You would think states would panic upon hearing this. You would think they’d take steps to retain quality teachers and create a competitive system that attracts the best, brightest and most passionate to the profession.
That’s not what they do.
They slash the education budget, which forces districts to cut jobs (increasing class size), put off teacher raises and roll back the quality of teachers’ health care. They ignore teachers’ pleas for buildings without black mold creeping out of ceiling tiles, for sensible gun legislation, and for salaries we can live on without having to pick up two to three additional part-time jobs.
So, a lot of good and talented teachers leave. When state leaders realized they couldn’t actually replace these teachers, they started passing legislation lowering the qualifications, ushering underqualified people into classrooms.
This has been happening for years. We’re about to see it get a lot worse.
My school is filled with the kind of teachers you would handpick for your own kids if you could. When the pandemic started shutting our area down in March, we dived into remote learning, going above and beyond.
We called weekly — sometimes daily — to check on students whose parents had lost their jobs, whose family members had contracted Covid-19 or who we just knew were struggling. It was the hardest thing any of us remember in our careers, including teaching during Hurricane Harvey, which flooded tens of thousands of homes in this area. We were proud of ourselves, of each other, of our students.
And then the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, told us — while Covid-19 numbers continued to surge — to get back in the classroom.
I’ve signed my contract to teach in-person starting Sept. 8. I care fiercely about my students, and I feel as though my purpose is still in the classroom. (I also don’t have the financial flexibility to resign.)
But even if I teach in person this year, I may not continue doing so if teachers’ perspectives continue to be minimized or dismissed. Already, I’ve learned of some of the most treasured teachers in our building turning in their resignation letters, and I worry that more of my colleagues may make the gut-wrenching decision to walk away.
It’s our students who will suffer. Who could possibly replace the history teacher who created an improv comedy class that had kids laughing so hard they could be heard four doors down? Or the science teacher whose students’ projects have been sweeping various science contests, including one group whose research proposal was selected to be completed on the International Space Station?
Americans who care about teachers can’t just tweet platitudes during Teacher Appreciation Week. They have to back policy changes that would make teaching an honorable, attractive profession, as it is in the many countries that outshine us in academic performance in math, science and reading.
We must commit to funding that goes past school supplies and includes things like mental health support for our students and great health care and retirement benefits for teachers. And it is urgent that we include current teachers in all of the conversations about reopening schools during Covid-19.
If we force teachers to return to schools at their own peril, I don’t know how many will stick around. The politicians know they can’t replace us. But they’ll lower teaching qualifications until they do.