Edward Berger is a blogger who lives in the southwest and is passionate about preserving public education and democracy.

In this post, he writes an eloquent tribute to “Reign of Error” and expresses his understanding of the organic connection between communities and their public schools, an insight that seems to elude those who call themselves “reformers.”

He writes:

“American communities are democratically operating groups of citizens who tax themselves to pay for bond issues to build schools and who vote to pay taxes to provide better education for all. They do not do this for the wealthy or for those who want access to our tax dollars for personal or corporate profit. They do this because they know that education is their access to the dream.

“As our failed political-economic system has allowed a few to accumulate the nation’s wealth, those few, by nature of their power, work to destroy the voice of the people. To maintain their power, they destroy communities and their schools, and any form of democracy – i.e., elected school boards. They force top-down coercive destruction that squashes the hopes and dreams of the people – i.e., the present US Department of Education, Pearson, Melinda and Bill Gates, Eli Broad, and several dozen more destructors. They buy and manipulate elected officials, subverting Democracy – i.e., ALEC and a list of individuals like the Koch Brothers. They have taken over and destroyed education, communities, and workers – i.e., Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Louisiana , and parts of NY City, Pennsylvania ,and Ohio, to name a few. It seems to many that Americans will soon be enslaved by the few.”

And more:

“The people of America, in order to preserve a vital and necessary public education system, now have a source of correct information. The few will fight to destroy the America of the people, but We The People are stronger and we can stop the stupidity and greed, heal the damaged teachers and community schools, and come out of the reign of error with improved schools, and the freedom to elect our leaders and work to serve every American.”

You might even meet the brilliant, beautiful, elusive EduShyster!

CPS Presents Diane Ravitch
in Cambridge, Oct. 24

Citizens for Public Schools is proud to present Diane Ravitch, speaking on her new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools. Reign of Error picks up where Diane left off with her ground-breaking book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System.

Excitement is building for Diane’s talk in less than a week. Register now so you do not miss out.

When: Thursday, October 24, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Memorial Church, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
Ticket Donations: $12 (To register online today, click here.)

Come join us and learn how corporate reforms threaten public education as a cornerstone of democracy. Stay to hear Diane’s proposals for reasonable and achievable solutions to the challenges our public schools face.

As Jonathan Kozol, our speaker from last fall, wrote in The New York Times, “Those…who have grown increasingly alarmed at seeing public education bartered off piece by piece, and seeing schools and teachers thrown into a state of siege, will be grateful for this cri de coeur — a fearless book, a manifesto and a call to battle.”

Thanks to our generous co-sponsoring organizations, including: AFT Massachusetts, Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts, Boston Teachers Union, Brookline Educators Union, Center for Collaborative Education, Center for Law and Education, Educators for a Democratic Union, Educators for Social Responsibility, Harvard Students for Education Reform, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Massachusetts Jobs With Justice, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, METCO, National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), Save Our Schools.

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