An article describing the situation in North Carolina defines the four steps needed to attack and dismantle public education. It is a scenario based on ALEC model legislation, which is now being faithfully implemented in many states.
Step one is to cut the budget of the public schools.
Step two is to divert public school money to privately-managed charter schools.
Step three is to divert more public school money to private and religious schools, either through vouchers or tax credits.
Step four is to declare that the public schools will get better because of competition and to declare them failures when they don’t, due to budget cuts and the exodus of motivated students to the publicly-funded alternatives in steps two and three.
And don’t forget: It’s all about the children!
Diane
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane,
The game plan also includes blaming the public union teachers for low student scores and high taxes.
RIHOPE
LikeLike
Yes, but North Carolina is a right-to-work state (a misnomer, if there ever was one), so there are plenty of places in the state with low union membership and participation.
LikeLike
The financial and political players and beneficiaries need to be continually outed in a visible and widespread way. They need to be asked questions in public forums and forced to explain their actions and intentions clearly-not with “reform speak” that avoids discussion of the aftermath. They need to back up claims of benefits to the public and address the inequity that is inevitable-especially when their own existence is insulated from the devastation their policies bring. If they avoid these conversations and clarifications, or conveniently disappear from the front page to go on the mega-bucks speaking tour (posing as an “expert”), their avoidance needs to be above the fold,not their cleverly crafted talking points. If public funds are used to fund/finance any PR policy push in this way, especially if publically elected and paid officials are involved, communications and meetings/notes should be a matter of public record-even if private money is used to jet our elected officials to meetings with policy-pushers. They are still our “elected” officials, representing us and our interests (supposedly) and on our public company clock. They are not our CEOs, they are our servants. To allow our government to progress down this path is to turn our democracy into mere theater. Our “rights” and our “votes” then are only tickets to the show. The script is written, the end has been determined.
LikeLike
Steps one through three are definitely In high gear here in Georgia. Problem is, many GA citizens think they are in favor of privatization/vouchers/charters. They want what they want for their own children (like scholarship money to attend sweet little private Christian school). They do not foresee the other fallout…maybe they don’t care. Others are just oblivious to the agenda. But the politicians are working hard. They have been making “austerity cuts” for ten years or so now, long before recession brought real need for austerity. They passed special needs vouchers to open the door on vouchers for all (haven’t succeeded yet). They have been funneling money into pots for private school scholarships and even boasting about how parents can play that game to get funds for their own children (advocating circumvention of the law), and they are passing legislation to pave the way for more special state-approved charter schools. Nevermind that the state supreme court struck down the constitutionality of special state commission charters rejected by local boards…citizens will now vote in November on a misleadingly worded constitutional amendment.
Yep, ALEC is running the show in Georgia.
LikeLike
Yes, exactly right, impoverish public schools by cutting budgets and imposing narrow testing regimes instead of spacious learning, then dismantle t hem as “failures.” One other item needed in this campaign is vast media coverage on how public schools are failing kids, families, the poor, and the nation, constant media demolition of reputation of public sector weakens the broad public support schools have, and along with a parade of official govt, foundation, and academic studies, create the rhetorical context for enabling the pvt sector to devour vast resources of public education.
LikeLike
Very enlightening as usual!
Diane, I am also trying to understand Mr. Villaraigosa and wondered what he had done that made him anti-teacher’s union so I googled him. I discovered that prior to being the Mayor of LA and a CA State Assemblyman, he was a labor organizer for the United Teachers of LA. He was national co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and is slated to be the Chair of the 2012 Dem. National Convention.
What are your thoughts on this, please?
LikeLike
There must be more to the story to explain how Villaraigosa flipped. I don’t know. Maybe some of the other readers may know, but I don’t. When he launched his fruitless campaign for mayoral control, it was obvious that he had joined the anti-teacher group.
LikeLike
That about sums it up. Charters represent the “big tent” that covers everyone from center-left (suspicious of unions) folks and residents of decaying cities who really believe public schools are failing, through free market ideologues, all the way to those who find in charters an indirect way of accomplishing what they could not with vouchers and religious education. I wonder how long the honeymoon will last, and if our community-governed public schools will survive long enough to matter.
LikeLike
Don’t forget funding think tanks to generate studies supporting your reform agenda and condeming neighborhood schools’ practices. Own the media that publishes the studies (Murdoch, Gates) Then base policy on the the “research” and get it passed by the legislators you’ve bought amd paid for.
LikeLike