Bruce A. Dixon of Black Agenda Report asks a simple question: Why does the national media ignore mass closings of public schools? He says that if the national media gave as much attention to the school closings as it did to the privatization propaganda films “Waiting for Superman” and the “Won’t Back Down,” the public would be informed and outraged.
Frankly, the idea of blaming schools for low test scores and treating them as “failing” public schools is a brand-new concept, hatched in the late 1990s. Now, the media take it for granted, but the local public is angry. Their anger, however, is seldom reported by the media. And no one is willing to connect the dots.
The privatization of public education is underway, abetted by both Republicans and Democrats who crave the favor of the monied people who contribute to their campaigns and by the innocent idealism of those who believe the free market solves all problems and government is the enemy. There are answers to all these claims, and there will soon be organized efforts to supporters of public education to set the record straight. Stay tuned!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Mr. Dixon answered his own question: “…if the national media gave as much attention to the school closings as it did to the privatization propaganda films “Waiting for Superman” and the “Won’t Back Down,” the public would be informed and outraged.”
The longer I read this blog the more it becomes apparent to me that the struggle in American education reflects the general struggle in the culture between capitalism and socialism. That struggle has been going on in the west since the revolution in France of 1848. That the working class want more of the national wealth is axiomatic and sometimes try to get it by changing society, as is happening under President Obama, rather than working within the capitalist system. That the capitalists want to control the labor market is axiomatic too and continue to struggle to do so by having as many operations of manufacture done by technology, and are trying to do that in education as well through on-line courses, virtual academies, and the like. A robot needs no pension, nor does an iPad.
What distresses me most is that the public school defenders seem totally opposed to working within a capitalist framework but won’t acknowledge that they want to see fundamental changes in how the society is governed. In spite of President Obama’s attempts to govern by rule and regulation rather than through legislation, some small vestige of constitutionalism remains, and my impression is that the society in general is simply waiting out Obama’s second term in hopes of being able to elect someone of a capitalist frame of mind. The crucial test is really already upon us as we look to the 2014 elections, when the President hopes to take back the House of Representatives so that he can implement legislation like Obamacare that will enable to government to take over even more of the economy in the presumed interests of the working classes.
If he does succeed in stigmatizing Republicans sufficiently, perhaps he will have the political strength to reverse the current trend toward privatization. In the meantime, the poor kids are caught between the capitalist privatizers who are inexperienced in running educational entities and the socialist public-izers who want more and more tax money so the schools can be everything to everyone regardless of their family interest in supporting education as a way out of dependency. Also caught between the two different philosophies of government is the low income worker, who cannot find a job and so goes on food stamps and disability because he can’t find a job in a stagnant economy.
Meanwhile the cost of government goes up as it sustains more and more non-working people and the middle and upper class who are hauling the freight for the whole society get more and more rebellious about doing so. They KNOW that the higher the taxes the more depressed the economy, and remain puzzled, as I do, how a policy of punishing the rich investing class is ever going to promote economic growth and thus benefit the working class. Socialist systems never work, but advocates of more and bigger government seem to have forgotten that. A large crash of some sort may be needed to wake up the general populace that something has gone wrong. Meanwhile, Diane, who is morally right but economically wrong, keeps trying to plug the leaks in the dyke of public education. If labor could just see that their only future requires a strong capitalist economy and get over their sentimental anti-corporate marxism, this country, and perhaps public education along with it, would flourish and blossom.
Get real. Low-Wage Workers Employed Mostly By Large, Highly Profitable Corporations: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/low-wage-workers-_n_1687271.html
Trickle down economics benefits no one but the elites at the top who make their wealth off the backs of exploited workers whom they pay unlivable wages. 60% of the people in poverty are the Working Poor. Your wonderful Wal-Mart capitalists give their employees brochures about how to apply for Food Stamps, so the government can subsidize the exploitation of their employees in the trenches.
And BTW, we had our melt down in 2008 and no one has profited more from it than the very capitalists who caused it.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/Wealth-Inequality-in-America-viral-video-Politizane/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D278339
This video was posted on AOL. Also Richard Wolf was a guest on Bill Moyer recently. Both pieces are well worth watching.
Thanks so much for both of these terrific resources, 2old2tch!
Harlan, I’ve worked in two charter schools and know they are not the model for America. Why? The CEO is more preoccupied with making money for himself and his family rather than providing needed supplies to staff and students. Also, it is a poor example of American liberty, freedom of expression, and free speech. They completely undermine the 1st ammendment in so many ways. They are a scam. One of these days you will see the light and return from the Dark Side. Start interviewing charter teachers past and present and you’ll be shocked at what you find. Heaven help us all if this becomes the dominant model of education in America. What do Fidel Castro and charter CEOs have in common? They rule with impunity, empower non-elected family members, and funnel public money into their own coffers. One of these days you will realize how wrong you were.
I stopped reading at the “Obama is a socialist” tripe. If you want to be taken seriously, you really should not start off with such ridiculous nonsense.
Obama seems pretty capitalistic to me; I think neo-liberal is the term. I can no longer distinguish between political parties, as they both seem pretty plutocratic.
Me too.
BTW, this was meant to be a reply to Harlan, not to Diane’s post. Sorry.
Let’s respond by promoting the new Report on Equity and Excellence in Education that points to POVERTY as the leading cause of failing children and hence failing schools. Closing or privatizing is no real answer. Diane states the truth , , . no one is willing to stand up to the monied so-called experts with names like Gates, Walton etc. Not our President, for instance. But with people upset with taxes and gridlocked government, it is hard to see how we Moms can launch a real War on Poverty in today’s world.
Here’s a link to that report: http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/eec/equity-excellence-commission-report.pdf
Oh, the poor rich capitalist class! What will become of them if unions and working people get ahead? Did anyone read the lead front-page story in NYTimes today Mon Mar 4? Poor corporations are now capturing a record percent of all income in the US while percent claimed by working folks was this low last in 1966. Corp profits have rebound handsomely since Wall St criminals crashed the econ in ’08–profit margins averaging 20%/yr for equities. Good times are back on Wall ST!!
By abdicating any civic responsibility, the elites have basically seceded from the union without having the decency to actually leave our borders.
Here’s a link to that article: Recovery in U.S. Is Lifting Profits, but Not Adding Jobs http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/business/economy/corporate-profits-soar-as-worker-income-limps.html?hp
The same reason it ignored plant closings…because the media was told to ignore it by those who truly control the media (murdoch…et al).
So why doesn’t most of the national media pay attention? Because they are owned by the plutocrats deconstructing public education.
Answer: FOX News!
Michael Moore. We need Michael to create a film on Education, the Real Story.