Bruce Baker of Rutgers is one of my favorite education analysts. He is adept at sorting through claims and demanding evidence.
In this post, he gives Jeanne Allen a civics lesson.
Jeanne Allen founded the Center for Education Reform twenty years ago to advocate for charters and vouchers, anything but public schools. She was formerly the education aide at the Heritage Foundation. The media often call her for quotes, thinking that the center is nonpartisan and independent.
Allen reacted with fury to the decision by the court in Louisiana to declare unconstitutional the funding of vouchers with dedicated public school monies. She thinks that Jindal should appeal the state court’s decision to the U. S. Supreme Court.
Bruce Baker explains that Jeanne Allen doesn’t understand basic principles of federalism and may not have read or understood the Supeme Court’s 2002 decision permitting Cleveland’s voucher program.
A post well worth reading.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The La Supreme Court is the final authority here. The issue is over the state constitution and state money.
If taxpayers are funding private schools, doesn’t that make them public schools? And if they are now public schools, should taxpayers have a say in how the formerly private schools are run? That would include elected boards, curriculum, and policies.
John White’s goal is not to fund private schools so much as it is to bankrupt public schools. He does not care to restrict the money he takes from community public schools and gives to private schools, charters, or online providers. He is satisfied to destroy the public system.
I know that it is difficult to interpret a Constitution but to realize that the State Constitution set limits on how the public money is to be spent is not that difficult.
Jeanne is a trip. Her group is well funded and she is making some serious coin spouting misinformation. I’m glad she isn’t teaching anyone civics or government. In addition, her children went to a parochial school in Potomac MD and her husband teaches at one. I guess she’s another public school parent?
The Form 990 makes for an interesting read.
Click to access 2011-521847187-08bf3cef-9.pdf
The Walton’s have been very good to Jeanne Allen:
Center for Education Reform $500,000 2009
Center for Education Reform $518,273 2010
Center for Education Reform $930,662 2011
Center for Education Reform $809,209 2012
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2013/02/follow-money-walton-family-foundation_3.html
Thank you Diane! Having studied political philosophy and con law for 6 years, I can’t wait to respond. I look forward to doing so when my schedule lightens up later this week.
Hard to ignore the money trail.
Ms. Allen: Because you don’t allow readers to add their comments on your blog page, I left you a message to ask you what, specifically, on this blog made reference to “your family”. As I mention in my comment below, one reader made an oblique reference to your family. And it was not insulting or inaccurate.
Can you cite any other references to your family here on this blog?
Is there any possibility that you’re citing this claim in order to shift attention from the substance of the original posting—regarding your claims about the decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court—to make some readers believe that you and your family have been subject to an ad hominem attack?
Also, I’m curious as to the distinction you’re making between a “parochial” school and an “independent, catholic school”.
I know, from my many friends who have taught at or sent their children to, Catholic schools, that they almost always refer to their own school as “Catholic”, and rarely as “parochial”.
However, isn’t “parochial” also widely used and understood as a descriptor for certain types of schools, including Catholic schools?
Is there a reason you appear to be splitting hairs about this?
Again, is there any possibility that you’re citing this claim in order to shift attention from the substance of the original posting—regarding your claims about the decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court—to make some readers believe that you and your family have been subject to an ad hominem attack?
Can you not respond directly to the substance of Mr. Baker’s critique and deal directly with it, on its merits?
Super touchy no Ms. Allen, why don’t you just address the argument itself? I could care less about your family. We are all busy raising and caring for our own. Back to the topic please…your deflection is lame.
Jeanne,
Your transparent fabrication of victimhood
—“Help! Help! Bad people are attacking my loved ones!!! Boo-hoo… sniffle, sniffle…”—
can be seen by anyone reading this for what it is… an attempt to dirvert attention away from what you’re actually doing, and who’s funding that activity.
He who pays the piper calls the tune.
Seriously, do you really that you should be exempt from any skepticism or criticism of you based on those funding you, and what their true motivations and end game are all about—the privatization fo public education?
Please…
Wow…you are super whiny. And full of self-importance. I just read your blog and could see why you chose the fetal position, because you are acting like a little baby over some well-deserved criticism. You are on the wrong side of this issue, Jeanne, and so is Jindal. John White is about to get the boot in this state and so should Jindal. If you have any sense at all, you should read MORE of Diane Ravitch and less political philosophy. Charters and vouchers sound good in THEORY, just like socialism, but not in practice. Maybe if you had done more than just STUDY political philosophy and had to be one of the “little people” who has to implement those policies (like me) then you would understand why your reform fantasies DON’T WORK in real life.
Jeanne responds a bit here: http://www.edreform.com/edspresso-shots/i-should-be-curled-up-in-the-fetal-position/
WOW, I’ll comment about Jeanne and start with her quote from her response:”Diane Ravitch’s blog is full of comments about me and my family… apparently in an attempt to discredit my integrity.” Till now, there was just 1 comment about her family and it’s lack of connection to public education. Now there’s still just one and a reference to it. When you misrepresent what others have said you have thrown your own integrity out the window with no help from anyone else. Also, since the blog post was a response to something Jeanne had written, how would it be possible for there to be no comments about her? I detect a persecution complex among other things. True discussion? Not so much.
I’ll echo what “CitizensArrest” just said: One comment—just one—makes an offhand, incidental comment that refers to her family.
Here it is: “In addition, her children went to a parochial school in Potomac MD and her husband teaches at one. I guess she’s another public school parent?”
And the “full of comments” refer to what, exactly? Anything more than this one (1) comment?
And how is that comment attempting to “discredit your integrity”? Isn’t it just a simple observation?
As many of you stated, and I thank you; the comment I made was just an observation. Nothing more. No malicious harm was meant. I’m just tired of those with no skin in the game suggesting and arguing for policies they would never subject their child to. I’m also offended by those same people, far removed from the realities of urban life deciding what’s best for children of color. As a white male, I cringe each time I hear from these ‘experts’. I just wish to say: You have no idea what is really going on.
Now, my definition of parochial seems to differ from Jeanne’s. I define parochial as a religious education combined with a conventional one. I did not indicate the religious affiliation or its linkage with Opus Dei.
However Jeanne has a habit of misinterpreting comments just like she has misinterpreted the LA state Supreme Court ruling. She went off on a fellow Rutgers student, Stephanie Rivera this fall in regards to the movie, Won’t Back Down.
http://www.edreform.com/2012/09/parents-vs-the-blob/
This former and current attack and hyperbole is just another example of the whoa is me, ad hominem attack on me and my family; and no doubt, a lead for a fund raising letter or blog post. I’m honored.
Jeanne, I’m local. We can meet for lunch and discuss if you wish.