Archives for the month of: November, 2012
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Why Do Hedge Fund Managers Love Charters?

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
40

Julian Vasquez Heilig has a scintillating new post on one of the most interesting questions of our age:

Why do hedge fund managers adore charters?

Many sit on charter boards.

They have their own PAC called Democrats for Education Reform to spread campaign cash to charter-friendly candidates.

What is the connection between hedge fund managers and charters?

Some of their friends think they are kind philanthropists with big hearts.

Some think they have a profit motive.

Some think it is a really fun hobby (“my charter has higher test scores than your charter”).

Some believe that they look down on public schools because they went to elite private schools.

Others opine that it is the old colonialist impulse, taking up the “white man’s burden” to care for children of color.

What do you think?

Categories Charter Schools, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization

Indifferent to Kids–and Proud of It!

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Three teachers in training from Louisiana State University went to a meeting of the state board of education and were stunned by what they saw.

This is the board that Governor Jindal worked so hard to install, the board whose last election attracted an avalanche of out-of-state money.

Categories Childhood, Pre-K, K, Corporate Reformers, Louisiana

Good news from Colorado

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Stand for Choldren endorsed five Republican candidates in Colorado, and all five lost!

A friend in Denver reports:

“In addition to going for Obama tonight, Colorado stood up to Stand for Children. All 5 Democratic candidates where SFC supported Republican opponents won, albeit one by 115 votes.

“Maybe they have overstepped their “power.” And earlier in the day I heard the Colorado Executive Director of said organization resigned.

“Now back to getting public education back.”

Categories Charter Schools, Colorado, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Obama, Privatization, Stand for Children, Teacher Evaluations

Who Tried to Buy School Elections?

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
6

Robert Valiant has launched a website to gather information about who funded campaigns for charters and vouchers and against teachers, unions and public education.

If you have links to newspaper articles or other reliable sources, please post them to this website.

I hope that a law firm or investigative journalist will find out where Rhee collected money and which races she supported. She certainly influenced the legislature in Tennessee, where she helped Republucans gain a super-majority, enabling her ex-husband TFA State Commissioner Kevin Huffman to impose the full rightwing reform agenda.

http://dumpduncan.org/forum/discussion/42/registry-of-attempts-to-buy-education-elections-by-prizatizers.

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, Broad Foundation, Bush, Jeb, California, Charter Schools, Connecticut, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Indiana, Klein, Joel, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Luna, Tom, Merit pay, Privatization, US Education, Walton Foundation

President Obama Re-Elected, and Now…

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
26

Now that President Obama has been re-elected, supporters of public education must redouble our efforts to end educational malpractice and rejuvenate American education.

It’s time to stop the privatization of public education.

It’s time to stop using invalid methods to judge teacher quality.

It’s time to stop high-stakes testing.

It’s time to stop closing schools.

It’s time to stop teaching to the tests.

It’s time to end the obsession with data and test-based metrics.

It’s time to support students and teachers and public schools.

It’s time to enrich the curriculum with the arts, history, civics and foreign languages for all children.

It’s time to think about what’s good for children, what will really improve education, and what will truly encourage creativity and ingenuity.

It’s time to think about reviving the spirits of educators and the joy of teaching and learning.

The election is over. The struggle for the heart and soul of American education continues.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, For-Profit, Obama, Privatization, Race to the Top, Segregation , Racial Isolation and Integration, US Education, Vouchers

Meet Glenda Ritz

By dianeravitch
November 6, 2012 //
19

Glenda Ritz upset Tony Bennett.

She stands for genuine education reform. She believes in teachers. She was a teacher for 33 years.

She opposes vouchers, merit pay, letter grades for schools, and evaluating teachers by test scores.

She is a breath of fresh air.

Categories Indiana

Georgia Charter Amendment Likely to Pass

By dianeravitch
November 6, 2012 //
11

With half the vote counted, Georgia voters are likely to pass an amendment to the state constitution re charters. The governor will be able to create a commission to approve charters, giving charters a way to bypass local school boards.

Since the governor is a strong advocate of charters, his commission will likely be a rubber stamp for charter proposals.

This idea to gut local control is an ALEC priority.

Since all money for charters is deducted from public schools, the latter can anticipate layoffs and budget cuts.

Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Georgia, Privatization

UPSET: Tony Bennett Loses in Indiana!

By dianeravitch
November 6, 2012 //
26

Tony Bennett has conceded.

Bennett is the quintessential reformer: pro-charter, pro-voucher, pro-privatization. Anti-union, anti-teacher, surrounded in state education department by 11 TFA staff.

Head of Jeb Bush’s rightwing Chiefs for Change.

Rumor in Florida is that the state board of education wants Tony Bennet as state commissioner to implement the rightwing agenda in that state.

Congratulations to the educators in Indiana! Time to reform and rehabilitate your state’s education system.

Congratulations to Glenda Ritz, a genuine educator!

Categories Bush, Jeb, Charter Schools, Chiefs for Change, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Vouchers

Possible Upset in Indiana?

By dianeravitch
November 6, 2012 //
5

Watch this one.

Glenda Ritz is running ahead of Tony Bennett for state superintendent. Bennett is for charters, vouchers, teacher-bashing, anti-union, privatization, for-profit charters and cyber charters. He is head of Jeb Bush’s rightwing Chiefs for Change. He outspent Ritz 5-1.

The latest:
3,686 of 5,319 precincts – 69 percent
Glenda Ritz, Dem 970,768 – 51 percent
Tony Bennett, GOP (i) 918,172 – 49 percent

As of Oct. 30 finance reporting deadline, Bennett had raised more than $1.5 million; Ritz was slightly over $325,000.

Categories Charter Schools, Chiefs for Change, Corporate Reformers, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Testing

More on Defeat of Corporate Reform in Bridgeport

By dianeravitch
November 6, 2012 //
6

In Bridgeport, voters said no to mayoral control. Jon Pelto has the details on his blog, linked here.

Rhee dropped $100,000 into the Bridgeport contest and lost.

Would be interesting to know whose money she is funneling and where she is placing her bets. There must be laws requiring disclosure, don’t you think?

Categories Education Reform
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »