Andre Agassi was a great tennis star. Although he never finished high school, he decided to open a charter school in Las Vegas. He talked it up as a model for education in America, he predicted that all its graduates would go to four-year colleges, and he downplayed the results, which didn’t live up to the hype. Like the revolving door of principals and teachers, and a host of other problems, such as a cheating scandal and the coach of the cheerleading squad who was charged with prostitution.
But in this society, you can count on journalists to swallow hype and ignore investigation. (For more about Agassi’s charter in Las Vegas, see “Reign of Error,” pp. 170-171.)
So now Agassi is an “education capitalist,” sponsoring charter schools in many cities despite the troubling experiences of his showcase charter.
Agassi has teamed up with a hedge fund, partners who know as little about education as he does:
“But some parents don’t buy the sales pitch.
“It kind of makes my stomach turn,” says Brett Bymaster, a parent in San Jose where the Agassi-Turner fund has been active.
“He’s taken it upon himself to dig into their business model, though one can only dig so far. While they’re building public charter schools, there’s very little disclosure, including what they charge tenants.
“We need to partner with people outside, but I don’t think the solutions to problems in my community are one-percenters getting filthy rich,” he says.
“Bymaster wonders what happens to one of these buildings if the charter has to shut down, and many do. So far, all 39 schools built by the fund are still up and running. A spokesman says if one closed, the building could be rented to another charter operator.
Even among charter school advocates, there is some quiet suspicion of partnering with hedge funds. First, there’s cost. One charter founder said a deal with Agassi was 25 percent above any other option.”
He and Deion Sanders should compare notes.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
We, as a nation, have lost any moral stature we might have once possessed.
I remember seeing a feature on Agassi when he opened his first school in Las Vegas. My first thought was I hope he knows what a grand undertaking this is. I guess he got involved with the vulture capitalists to keep the lights on.
It’s probably really appealing to cowardly lawmakers, though.
“New schools! No upfront investment or involvement by the public!” “Looow, LOW taxes!”
It’s such a bad idea, long term.
If the public isn’t in on the building phase,and they aren’t “owners” , aren’t we just going to end up with fewer and fewer people feeling they have any duty or responsibility to public education?
It’s hard to go thru public channels and persuade everyone in the community to support a new school, but it’s probably worth the aggravation and loss of control a democratic, public process entails. When they build it, they own a piece of it. They all (well, those who vote) made a conscious decision to support it.
What if “blended learning” loses market share and these schools lose students//revenue down the road and close? What happens to the public schools in that community, then? Does anyone care, or are the “fallback” schools just assumed to be standing by until they’re called into service?
That isn’t how public schools work. They don’t remain static, frozen, waiting with sufficient staff and capacity for whatever charters decide to do. One piece effects all the others in a system, and it’s ridiculous to imagine that all effects will be be 100% positive. That’s a fantasy.
This Walmart backed group are hosting an edu-planning session in Chicago,
If you are curious about what national ed reformers who aren’t elected and don’t live in your state or have any idea what your public schools needs are planning,, you may read the exciting agenda at the link.
They have big plans for our public schools! All of them involve privatizing them.
It’s several hundred bucks to attend, so I don’t expect they’ll be much “grass roots input” at this thing.
I guess closing 50 schools in Chicago wasn’t enough. I wonder which schools they’re targeting next?
http://edfuel.org/chicagolabs/
I heard him on NPR recently; he said, in terms of education: “Philanthropy is not scaleable.”
Hubris, lack of respect, and in his memoir he discusses his (former) meth use, so I am a bit confused why he feels that he can vilify public schools and teachers, when he is a money grubber and a former substance abuser. He would not tolerate that in a public school teacher or leader.
“Anyone can open a Charter” (close one too)
Start a charter, anyone can
Even a former tennis man
Football pros are welcome too
Charter schools a cinch to do
Nothing succeeds like failure —
When you’re failing with other people’s money.
Which is pretty much the definition of capitalism.
The less you spend on the shoddy product
The more you spend on phony packaging.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-andre-agassi-brooke-shields-20141110-story.html
I take it Agassi didn’t name his charter school Matt LeBlanc Junior High.
Sounds to me like he’s serving up quite a racket, with no love, but plenty of balls . . .
Only when the charter school concept, the “businessfication” of education, moves into the successful suburban districts will anything meaningful be done to slow or stop the process. And, I may be an optimist!