The New Jersey Star-Ledger published news of a secret agreement that was leaked to the paper.
The state of New Jersey entered into an agreement with the Broad Foundation to meet the foundation’s demands; the money awarded to the state is available only so long as Governor Chris Christie remains in office.
This suggests that New Jersey has outsourced its education policy to the Los Angeles-based Broad Foundation. The foundation is known for its desire to control its grantees, but the idea of controlling a large northeastern state seems audacious indeed.
A crazy idea, but then the state’s Acting Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf is a graduate of the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy, as are a few other of the state’s superintendents.
Remember when we thought that the policies of the public schools were determined by the citizens of the district or the state?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
One truly can’t even make this stuff up, It’s surreal what’s happenning in American education these days. People with no relevant training or experience in education running entire state’s education policy; mba’s, lawyer’s, TFAers with two years of teaching experience and no other training or experience, graduates of alternative training programs run themselves by similarly ill-qualified predecessors, all running schools, districts and entire states departments of education. Truly a country where the barbarians are in charge.
After 42 years of observing NJ get to where it is in education it looks like it will go back to 1960’s level in the rankings when all these “reformers” finish their work. The kids and taxpayers will pay for it big time. Corporate will walk away with the $$$$$$$$$$$. Maybe I should invest the little I have in an upcoming company or two.
Head exploding.
Another book in the offing? “How to Outsource Your State’s Department of Education”.
So sad that NJ is now going to experience something similiar to the Rhee and DC/DCPS mess. Those funders, their conditions, and the subsequent lack of funding have put DCPS in a bit of a fiscal mess.
And to think, New Jersey was a top-rated state. But then again, this is Jersey style corruption.
I just have to add how disappointed I am that the price was so low, $430,000 to double the number of charters and the mind boggling (and I believe it would not be upheld by a court) confidentiality agreement. It will probably cost more to defend this and produce documents for potential court cases than the state will be getting in return.
People like Eli Broad and Donald Trump, who put their name on EVERYTHING, think wealth is synonymous with wisdom and more important than understanding.
Maybe they are correct. With almost six hundred superintendents in the state, the silence and meek capitulation does not bode well for the youth of our state.
Most disturbing though, is seeing how cheaply we have sold public school system.
Diane,
Cami Anderson was involved with Teach for America, Rhee, Klein. Even though the correlation is at 99.9%,I don’t believe she was an actual Broad grad as Cerf. .
The other candidate for Newark Sup Goodloe-Johnson was a Broady but she did not work on Mayor Booker campaign as Cami did!
Thanks for the correction. I changed the post.
Broad certainly loves her though!
Forget all the details. Just remember this: the forces of the far right of what used to be the GOP, the billionaire elite, the corporate hegemony crowd, Wall Street are moving forward with their mission to take it all, everything. Why are the citizens of Michigan surprised at their governor’s deceit? Let’s get past the “I can’t believe it”, the “can you imagine,” “the nerve of some people,” etc. In our great failure of meritocracy, where power is the ultimate gold ring, the common weal is being negated, bought out, sold and traded on Wall Street. The extremist ALEC, Koch, Broad, Adelson, Rove, Rhee, and Romney are out to dismantle the fabric of, the very means of our right to life, liberty, and welfare. Know that and get into action mode. The time for the looks and shrieks of horror has passed. It’s time to sign up as a soldier in the war against the elitist class. If there is no strong push back to the ongoing destruction of the public weal, there will be no liberties left us.
Agreed. it’s time to stop playing nice,thoughtful, rational and making intellectual arguments against the reformy nonsense. This game is hardball and these people are ruthless. Individudals from both political parties included.
The AFT & TEA should fund national adds similar to this by environmentalists to expose Exxon: Exxon Hates Your Children:
http://exxonhatesyourchildren.com/watch.html#.UMo5qrZrphY
Replace Exxon with any billionaire boy’s name or pol running in a reformy agenda.It works like this:
Arne Duncan Hates your children. Jeb Bush Hates your children. Michelle Rhee Hates Your Children. Michael Bloomberg Hates your Children, etc.
Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
I have some bad Broad news for educators in Massachusetts. Our governor announced his new choice for secretary of education today and it’s Matthew Malone, Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2003.
Swampscott managed to get rid of him, and Brockton was close to ending his contract, but he has friends, if not in high places, at least under the baseboards in the Patrick administration.
http://thebroadreport.blogspot.com/2011/03/matthew-malone-broad-superintendents.html
This is a joke, right?
No, Tim, alas it isn’t a joke.
http://www.enterprisenews.com/topstories/x65614739/Brockton-superintendent-reportedly-will-be-next-state-secretary-of-education
From the breathless boosterism in this “press report” about our new Republican “rock star” education secretary, you’d never guess there has been any controversy or disagreement about him at all. His great accomplishment is that he brings in “competitive grants”.
People should be aware that Randi Weingarten has been doing workshops for the Broad Foundation Superintendents Academy for ten years on labor/management collaboration. In The Broad Foundation Mission Statement of 2009 (Page 11) it stated:
“Teacher unions have always been a formidable voice in public education. We decided at the onset of our work to invest in smart, progressive labor leaders like Randi Weingarten, head of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City for more than a decade and now president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). We partnered with Weingarten to fund two union-run charter schools in Brooklyn and to fund New York
City’s first incentive-based compensation program for schools, as well as the AFT’s Innovation Fund. We had previously helped advance pay for performance programs in Denver and Houston, but we were particularly encouraged to see New York City embrace the plan.”
http://www.broadfoundation.org/asset/101-2009.10%20annual%20report.pdf (This is a PDF.)
Also, on March 11, 2009 in Gotham News there was this article:
Eli Broad describes close ties to Klein, Weingarten, Duncan
http://gothamschools.org/2009/03/11/eli-broad-describes-close-ties-to-klein-weingarten-duncan/
Shouldn’t the Newark, New Jersey contract which includes merit pay for teachers, which Weingarten was instrumental in engineering, be seen in this light?
I think Broad’s decision to purchase Weingarten was a masterstroke. We’re literally crippled by it, at so many levels. I’m looking this morning for ways to counter the appointment of Broad-trained superintendent Matt Malone as Massachusetts secretary of education, but can’t see a way around the Massachusetts Teachers Association!
MTA president (and Aspen fellow) Paul Toner is already jumping for joy:
“MTA President Paul Toner welcomes Malone appointment”
http://www.massteacher.org/news/archive/2012/malone.aspx
Yes, that’s my own union’s website. Where can we go to oppose this corrupted leadership? They cripple action groups like Citizens for Public Schools, using our own dues money to “support” retreat from the issues.
The corporate reform sellouts in my own union privately negotiated an “agreement” with Students First for a “compromise” teacher evaluation system, by regulatory fiat, with no teacher, voter, or even legislative input.
Sorry. Looks like Matt Malone got the job. Broad trained, eh?
I see he was also a Marine Corp veteran. He was certainly too rough for San Diego. Hard to believe, from what I heard him say here…really just a bully…that he has been promoted.
He was in charge of setting up small high schools..Bill Gates thought that up. We’ve had to undo the damage.
Now our district is up for the Broad Award. Brand new superintendent here, taking bows and pandering to private interests, with public money.
AFT under Weingarten is …
We knew about Broad in San Diego, when he backed Alan Bersin. Our local NEA, SDEA was so far up the oubliette of these fat cats, yes, back in 1997, and to even have mentioned it meant SDEA retaliation. Matt Malone was there too, BTW. So corrupt, so crazy, and speaking out cost many of us our jobs, which the SDEA colluded in with Bersin/Broad/Malone/Gates etc.
Grace,
I read another post by you, concerning Staci Monreal. You may already know, but as of May, 2013, she’s Chief of Staff, to the new superintendent, Cindy Marten. Staci, with the lowest API score in 2010 at Marshall Elem. and her best friend, Central principal, now Superintendent..Whaaaat? Strong school board looking for a puppet. And as you mentioned, SM..like a bad penny. Bersin’s back.
Lynn