EduShyster explains the back story on the new team that has been assembled to eliminate teacher tenure wherever it still survives.
The lead player in this docudrama is Campbell Brown, a one-time CNN anchor who now works full-time to oust sexual predators from our classrooms. EduShyster says she will be rewarded with more airtime and media FaceTime.
Then there is the ex-Obama communications team, free from their D.C. duties to make war on teachers.
EduShyster reminds us that this will be a PR war, so get ready for the anecdotes about how “bad teachers” ruined someone ‘s life. This, of course, is the civil rights issue of our time, far more important than funding inequity, poverty, or budget cuts.
Best of all, Edushyster prepares us for mass confusion when the PR war begins:
“Is it pronounced *tenYEAR* or *tenYUR*? Why do teachers want to establish a caliphate in upstate New York anyway? Who broke the status quo? And when we fix it, will it still be the status quo? How many anecdotes does it take to make data? What exactly is the Levant? And is there any problem that *grit* can’t solve?”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
EduShyster has is right again.
The parable of the blind men enlisted to describe the elephant in the room comes to mind.
The history of demagoguery in America goes back to when, the Thirties? But, it is alive and well today in the ongoing education discussion. The demagogues are not necessarily political leaders, but people who have manufactured the crisis and in the process created cottage industries that promote themselves.
At least the 1880s. The Gilded Age was all about demagoguery.
The Gilded Age was one of the greatest periods in history of rapid and sustained economic growth. Real wages increased over 60% in about thirty years. Immigrants flocked to the US to share in the prosperity.
Good thing most were white European, eh Jimbo!
I was hit once more with an overwhelming feeling of extreme exhaustion. How much more attack crap can we take? How can we be even more defiant? I’m gonna need stronger vitamins!!
Sacramento Bee op-ed, 7/1/14: Bruce Maiman: A cautionary tale for those applauding teacher tenure ruling
Bruce Maiman tends to tilt more conservatively on the political spectrum, so this was an interesting editorial to read from him.
One of the comments here makes a very good point: “Tenure existed long before teachers had unions. There was a reason for it, and the reason still exists. Abuse of a system does not mean the system is bad.”
I completely agree with wdf1 that “Abuse of a system does not mean the system is bad.”
Life is very simple to people who are considerate and noble, but becomes very complicated to people who are ignorant and snobbish.
To people who are manipulative and lusty for control and power, they are snobbish and cause chaos in society whether in academe or in government, or in workforce like banking system, legal system…
To people who are naive and passionate for human rights and civil rights, they are noble, but easily tricked by masterminded person or puppet master due to emotion without intelligence or experiences.
Tenure-track position or due process in education system is to prevent puppet master who loves to bring democratic system down and creates two tiers system of rich or poor; of learning or uneducated; of master or slaves.
Whoever tries to criticize tenure-track and due process in education system, must be a follower of devil. Whoever tries to maintain or gain back tenure-track and due process in education system, must be very sage and noble.
Please do research on primary, junior high school, senior high school, and higher education system in communist countries. Please remember that it is always better to have rights to protect public education than NOT, or NEVER to have protection.
Every good policy has its own purpose. People who are in the political power, are being corrupted, and are being manipulative and controlled by money, or fame, or fear of exposed their past, or a combination of two or all by devil (puppet master).
Please always remember the four guiding principles from Buddha:
DO NOT quickly believe in the saying from:
1. People with authority, scientific knowledge, and wealth (due to their own gain)
2. People with old age, claimed to be a Wise-man (due to his lust of control and power)
3. Any written old testaments (due to possibly fake)
4. Any mystery, unfounded truth, and lack of proof of science (due to rumour or legendary).
I would use two powerful quotes from Horace Mann, the father of American Public Education as my conclusion, as follows:
“Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity” and “Education is our only political safety. Outside of this ark, all is deluge.”
Please note that I have learned a lot from Dr. Diane Ravitch and participants who are lawyer, educators, and politicians…in her website. Back2basic
I am sorry to write an incomplete thought in the sentence, as follows:
People who are in the political power, but are being corrupted, and are being manipulative and controlled by money, or fame, or fear of exposed their past, or a combination of two or all by devil (puppet master) will inevitably succumb to order from puppet master without dignity, honesty and conscience.