Jenny Shanker, the wonderful daughter of legendary labor leader Al Shanker, alerted me to a very important protest planned for Monday in Philadelphia.
The Gates Foundation and their showcase Mastery Charter, plan to meet at the Union League Club, the symbol of elitism in Philadelphia. How appropriate.
Read the link and do your part.
I wrote to Jennie and said, “We live in a mad time, where billionaires are treated as royalty, teachers are disdained, and unions are scapegoats.
This is a democracy. Do your part
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Historically, our billionaires would be called “robber barons.” Gates, the Koch brothers, etc. are the modern-day robber barons! The undue influence they seek to exert on our political systems, the economy, and society through the educational systems make them every bit the equals of the John D. Rockefellers, Andrew Carnegies, J.P. Morgans, and other robber barons of the Gilded Age. Today, just like then government officials are in collusion with the robber barons. Mark Twain supposedly said (in essence), “History does not repeat itself. At best, history rhymes.” Today’s events with with the educational deformers had a very familiar ring. It rings hollow now just as all that glittered during the Gilded Age was not gold.
LikeLike
Did anyone read my post on the finances from the 2013-14 Philadelphia budget? Doesn’t look like it. They are not broke. Their teachers are not super highly paid. The teachers are a small percentage of the budget. They are paying $6,000/student/year less for the 55,000 charter students than the regular students and that is over $300,000,000 back into the state coffers with this game. Convert to charters, pay $6,000 less/student, own control, only teach what you want them to learn and then you have the “New World Order” just for you. All the money and all the power are now yours. Nazi Fascist Amerika is now complete.
Now the question is are you there in Philadelphia going to do the necessary financial work on the budgets to sink them as we do here in L.A.? If you are not willing to do the financial work just go home and save the energy as with nothing but platitudes and ideology which is where it is now you lose. You must kill them where they live with the money and the public process or you “LOSE.” When you lose the youth and society loses in the long run. Stop being lazy and do the math. I have yet to hear from another person on this blog who knows a thing about the finances of these districts as there is no information unless we put it up. What is wrong out there with you?
LikeLike
George,
Have you ever read the comments under any education story in the philly inquire? People in that city And surrounding atea have little to no respect for teachers. They cheer on the reform. How can anyone make progress being heard when no one will listen?
LikeLike
Some of us pay attention.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130906_Schools__Really__who_knows_anything_.html
LikeLike
This is a representative REPUBLIC… DO YOUR PART.. There, fixed it..
LikeLike