If ever evidence was needed about the bizarre mind meld between the Obama administration and the far-right of the Republican party, here it is.
Secretary Arne Duncan is giving the keynote to Jeb Bush’s Excellence in Education summit in Washington, D.C. on November 28. Another keynote will be delivered to the same gathering of the leaders of the privatization movement by John Podesta of the Center for American Progress, who headed the Obama transition team in 2008. This is sickening.
Jeb Bush’s organization supports vouchers, charters, online virtual charters, and for-profit organizations that run schools. It also supports evaluating teachers by student test scores and eliminating collective bargaining. Jeb Bush believes in grading schools, grading teachers, grading students, closing schools, and letting everyone “escape” from public schools to privately-run establishments. The free market is his ideal of excellence, not public responsibility, not the public school as the anchor of the community, but privatization.
Here is the press release (Podesta’s keynote was announced earlier):
Arne Duncan to Give Keynote at the
2012 National Summit on Education Reform
WASHINGTON – The Foundation for Excellence in Education today announced U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver a breakfast keynote address for the fifth annual Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform. This keynote will take place at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC, Nov. 28.
Prior to becoming the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan served as the chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the longest-serving big-city education superintendent in the country. Among his most significant accomplishments during his tenure as CEO, an all-time high of the district’s elementary school students met or exceeded state reading standards, and their math scores also reached a record high. At high schools, Chicago Public Schools students posted gains on the ACT at three times the rate of national gains and nearly twice that of the state’s. Also, the number of CPS high school students taking Advanced Placement courses tripled, and the number of students passing AP classes more than doubled.
Unfortunately, we have reached maximum capacity for the Summit, and registration is closed. However, you can enjoy this exciting event from the comfort of your own computer. All keynote speeches and general sessions will be streamed live at www.ExcelinEd.org/Everywhere, and all strategy sessions will be filmed and available after the event. Click here to view this year’s agenda.
Members of the press are welcome to cover the conference, including keynote and strategy sessions, however, participation in Q & A times are reserved for attendees. For more details and to apply for credentials for this event, please click here.
The Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform annually immerses lawmakers and policymakers in two days of in-depth discussions on proven policies and innovative strategies to improve student achievement. For all things related to the Summit, check out the #EIA12 app at http://bit.ly/W6wubM. This mobile app puts the event agenda and information about speakers, strategy sessions and our partners at your fingertips.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/quality-controls-lacking-for-dc-schools-accepting-federal-vouchers/2012/11/17/062bf97a-1e0d-11e2-b647-bb1668e64058_story.html?hpid=z3
The Washington Post is a “bit” late on the depredations of vouchers, but better late than never.
Nov 28th?
I think most teachers will be teaching in their classrooms. (I wonder if EdinExcellence would have allowed a teacher to bring his class to attend.)
Maybe he will make his asinine milk analogy and then can all laugh and pat each other on the back…..and Jeb was supposed to be the smart, sensible one..HA!
He will now start parading his son around, another George.
they have to stay with the same first name otherwise they get confused
I really hope all of these Educators for Obama idiots are wallowing in their victory glow.
Many public school teachers did not vote for him nor did they vote for Romney.
I live in NY and I voted for the Green Party candidate. Also when Cuomo ran I didn’t vote for him because he favors the so called reforme movement. Educators have to end voting for some one because they are the lesser of two eviles.The key to defeating the reform movement lies with the parents. Once they understand what it really is and that it takes away their voice ,they will rebell against reform.
Ditto retired teacher and concerned citizen.
I voted the same way. No for Obama and Cuomo. Yes for the Green. I also voted for the Green for NY US Senator, because I know that all the Democrats are on the bandwagon with Obama for Wall Street’s education overhaul.
Having stopped voting for these Democrats, I breathe easier knowing I am not behaving like a masochist who votes for the saboteurs of her profession, a profession that is so vulnerable to these mad scientist-corporatist tinkers who have not a clue about or, more accurately, not a CONCERN for what real education is all about … or the havoc they are wreaking.
Can anybody find ONE teacher who approves of Obama’s education policy? That is, besides some drive-by (drop in and out of the classroom in record time) TFA types?
Really, I’d like to know.
I also voted for Jill Stein. I never vote for a Democrat at the national level again if they continue to support RttT or its latest incarnation at the time.
The politics of deceit. Bush & Duncan have 0 interest in improving education.
The Bush family has a long history of trading their influence for personal gain. Read Kevin Phillips book “American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush” and a book review in Salon here: http://www.salon.com/2004/01/27/phillips_7/. Phillips reveals the dark aspects of the family’s wealth and influence over international and domestic policies to their benefit.
We can now add Duncan, Podesta & Obama to that list of influence peddlers.
One more prediction. Jeb Bush is positioning for a run for president in 2016.
I’m thinking Hillary for the Dems. Dynasty vs. dynasty? This could be interesting, in a plutocratic sort of way.
Agreed.
I don’t doubt that you’re right about Hillary running for the nomination, but it just boggles the mind how unself-aware she would be to run again. She lost to a previously unknown no one from the crony capital of the nation. That kind of rejection should sting pretty badly, and most of us would slink off the stage with our tails between our legs. It reminds me of people who hop around the country constantly auditioning for American Idol because they don’t understand that they were rejected the first time around because they suck.
My predictive track record is abyssmal, but I really would like to believe that Democratic voters will give Hillary the smack-down if she runs again. You will proably be serving me a thick slice of humble pie four years from now, however.
Clinton dynasty? Really? As compared to the Bush family?
Both Clintons come from middle class backgrounds, both graduated from public high schools, neither is related to a seemingly endless chain of of senators, presidents, congressmen, and fortune 500 types.
Now the Bush family on the other hand…..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_family
Generations of wealth and power married to generations of wealth and power.
Fine to not like, agree with, whatever, the Clintons…but lets not confuse successful couple with political dynasty.
Maybe “dynasty” is not the right term, but the democrat (small d) in me recoils at the possibility of our next two presidential candidates being related to former presidents. That being said, I would support Ms. Clinton in a heartbeat.
Don’t mourn, organize.
There is a solution.
Do not endorse candidates who support the privatization and corporatization of public education.
Do not vote for candidates who support the privatization and corporatization of public education.
If you endorse and vote for a candidate who supports the privatization and corporatization of public education, do not be surprised when his chief lackey at the USDOE heads off to shill for the privatization and corporatization of public education.
Sorry to be shrill here, but this story is getting old – progressives who voted for Obama who are outraged by the Obama administration’s privatization and corporatization of public education agenda.
In 12 step programs, they say the mark of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
The way to break the cycle is to STOP doing the same thing over and over again.
This lesson can be applied to politics.
Many progressives, teachers, and supporters of public education need to learn it.
If you endorse and/or vote for a politicians who supports the privatization and corporatization of public education, then you are going to get a privatization and corporatization of public education agenda.
And you are, in part, responsible for those policies.
After all, you voted for them.
Yes, I voted for him again, with my eyes open. Here’s why:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9687383/President-Barack-Obama-meets-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-on-historic-Burma-visit.html?frame=2402704
Damn, that man can wear a suit, and his bare feet are magnificent. Namaste.
You get the whole package, and then you just have to repack it, I guess. We owe it to history to back him down, now that it’s safe to do so.
Is a list of policy making attendees available? Sometimes I think that those who don’t follow education policy issues, including elected officials, get sucked into the notion that we all want “reform” and they just buy into the privatizers’ notion of reform. They go to conferences like this for a quick education so they can sound like they k ow what they are talking about. We need to reach out to them and say this is NOT universally agreed upon – and in fact there are plenty who think that this “reform” path will be (and perhaps already has been) catastrophic. The Arizona Democratic Party recently had Kevin Johnson speak at their annual dinner. I wrote them and urged them to rescind the invitation, pointing out that Kevin Johnson’s positions are antithetical to Democratic principles. Of course they did not bother replying to me (and of course they did not rescind his invitation), but honestly I am not even sure that they understand how divisive and controversial he is. We need to be reaching out to policy makers, community leaders and the media, letting them know that this “reform” thing is awful. Am I giving them too little credit? Sadly, I doubt it.
Keep on doing what you’re doing; I’m doing the same thing in my state, Washington. The Democratic Party invited the odious phony, Cory Booker, to be their keynote speaker back in June, at the state convention.
Maybe they didn’t realize that less than a month earlier, Booker was cheered and applauded wildly by a group of right-wingers at an ALEC sponsored, anti-public schools conference in Jersey City, NJ.
I wrote the Democrats, asking them not to do this, but they didn’t listen, of course. But, we HAVE to keep educating people on this:
“Education Reform is Phony. It’s been a dream of the ultra-right wing for years; and now they’re trying to hoodwink Democrats into getting on board. Please don’t do it!”
People like me might be having an effect: The Wash. State Dems met again in September and voted to oppose a billionaire funded charter ballot initiative: It lost 500 to 0.
Maybe the message is finally breaking through. Keep pushing.
Its getting worse in the mitten state: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012311180296
How fitting for the Thanksgiving season–two turkeys!
It is my hope that some S.O.S.ers or PAA members attend, get together, and perform some mic checks!
As George Carlin stated, an educated, critically thinking populace isn’t in the corporate fascists interests.