Film-maker Brian Malone of Malone Media has completed a documentary about the corporate assault on public education. the film is called Education, Inc.
Please take a look at the trailer and let Brian know what you think. His email is brian@malonetv.com
Find it here:
https://www.facebook.com/edincmovie
Trailer
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Truth to power; got to love it.
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How do we get this video on YouTube so I can tweet. I am not familar with Vimeo.
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Agreed – schools often block Vimeo. This would be powerful to share with teachers. This is one of the best trailers on the subject yet! Can’t wait to see the movie. When can we plan screenings?
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It looks promising! They need a way to get it into wide distribution. Maybe a guest appearance on Bill Maher? How about a dinner-fundraiser at the NYC public library with supporters of public education like Matt Damon and other celebrities to attract the press? They should try to make a splash like “Waiting for Propaganda.”
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Taylor Swift recently announced that she will donate all of the proceeds of her #1 hit, “Welcome to New York” to NYC public schools.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/taylor-swift-donate-hit-single-earnings-nyc-schools-article-1.1991678
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This guy is no amateur. He is an award-winning documentary filmaker who lives in Colorado. He has already made a film exposing the take-over of the Douglas County School Board. Using the email address that Diane posted, I made some editorial suggestions on the trailer. It is not obvious where he is in the production process, who is footing the bill, and so on.
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I think it looks great. Two things come to mind. I’d like to see more about the complicit behavior of unions in the destruction of public education. Within UTLA, for example, leaders travel the world using union dues, but don’t even bother to tell members where they are traveling and how much they are spending. Secondly, groups supposedly rallying around fighting off reforms are really not doing so. Badass Teachers Association, for example, banned me from their facebook group, with a leader writing, “We do not celebrate free speech in BATs.” https://www.facebook.com/groups/utlaaccountability/
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It may help for all of you to think of yourselves as serfs in the Middle Ages. You have the same amount of power. Once you fully understand how powerless you are, then you can go back to watching Netflix, shopping at a big box store, or whatever. Don’t worry about things you cannot control. Quit pretending you live in a representative Democracy. It’s getting pathetic. Unless the whole system changes, this is the future.
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Hey John,
I challenge you to identify yourself like I have/do. What’s your legal name? If not why do you fear using your real given name? Where do you work, or at least what do you do for a living? Why are you interested in ” a site to discuss better education for all”? How about a hint of age perhaps by how long you’ve worked in the public education sector?
Duane
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John’s real name must be TINA.
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Tina??????
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Is it not possible that John feels demoralized and defeated?
It does not sound like he is against us nearly as much as he is scared and vulnerable. . . . . . .
John. . . . . Man up and offer solidarity. . . . . There is power in numbers.
Never give in or give up!
And with regard to education politics and the whole gestalt in the USA: Don’t get angry; get even . . . . . . ..
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Robert,
TINA, as in There Is No Alternative.
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Oh, so you must be one of the slackers, the 66% of Americans who, while eligible to vote, chose not to vote in the last election, giving us the very government you bemoan.
I’m glad you are moving into the shadows of our society. You’ll be out of the way of the workers, the strivers, the people who make a difference.
You can go back to reading your dystopian fiction now.
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My name is John, and I have taught in a public high school for just over 15 years. I have as much a right to comment here as anyone else. How I differ from most of you is that I don’t believe that we will win this. It’s too bad. It would be much more constructive for us to talk about moving to a better country (even Canada). I think it is wrong to mislead people into thinking that they have any power to alter any of this. It would be more honest to tell people (especially the new teachers) to move to another country as fast as possible. Telling people to stay and fight in an oligarchy is a recipe for disaster. Whether you agree or not, the result will still be the same. I don’t like being right about this, by the way. I read this blog just to keep up to date with the level of destruction – that’s about it.
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John, if you have no hope, why don’t you leave? I’ll admit I have my days where I am ready to head for Canada, but if people felt the way you do, we would have ceased to exist as a democracy a long time ago. This is not the first time that monied interests have decided that they should be the de facto rulers. I doubt that I will live to see a return to democracy, but there is evidence of significant pushback. Nobody has said it will be easy, and if you don’t think it is worth fighting for fine. However, this is not a blog to discuss the way to decamp to a country that seems to have its act together. Do you really think anyone wants a massive influx of Americans?
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John,
Thank you for reading. Yes, we are fighting an oligarchy. It is a tough battle. They have the money, we have the numbers. We can beat them at the polls if we organize and awaken the public. I am sorry you have given up. I hope others are ready to stand and fight for our democracy.
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John… I wish you were able to be more hopeful. I understand the sense of futility but fortunately I use history to make me see the possibility for change. Most of the world in the WW II period never believed it would be possible to defeat Hitler. But thank god on behalf of those millions who perished or barely survived, that the world did not give up. The end result supports those who believe that public education will not be eradicated in this period of US history. In the most dire of circumstances, the truth will eventually surface. As you teach in high school use the opportunity to act in a way that shows you believe that change can come. Social justice is definitely a concept that high school students can be exposed to!!! You can certainly be the enabler of this kind of awakening. Don’t give up!
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John,
Thanks for the response and I completely agree that you have as much right to comment here (unless Diane decides otherwise and I don’t think you have to worry about that). My purpose in asking the questions I did was to get a sense of “where you come from” as it then helps me understand your comments better. And I understand your frustration but as some have mentioned, history indicates that we’ve been through periods like these and have eventually overcome the avaricious bastards. It’s just that this time the powers that be seem to be stronger (and I think a lot of us would argue that they are not, as Diane says “we’ve got the numbers and the truth on our side”-much like the Afghani’s have had/done for many eons and how the Vietnamese did to the French and American invading forces in the 50s-70s. It may take a while, but. . . ).
. . . We will win this fight!
But if you would please answer my one question you left unanswered: If not why do you fear using your real given name? And now one more: What subject do you teach?
Gracias,
Duane
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John, the owner of this blog is a historian and no slacker in understanding the political power of “the people.” If you have not done so, type in her name with the key word Poland.
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Hi, John. It is too bad when some “progressive” people who comment on this site won’t allow you to express a different opinion. I hope they will learn to engage with you with an attitude of respect. We do not know your personal and professional experiences or even the tone in which you wrote, so they are making a lot of assumptions. I hope you will continue to read this blog and not be turned off.
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John, I understand completely– & tho I don’t understand Duane’s insistence that you use your real name here; I & many others do not. In my case, I often use my sons’ educational experiences to illustrate a point. I would not feel free to be frank if I knew such comments could be outed & passed around w/a simple google search.
Recognize that your hopelessness is partly due to your age. At 65, I have lived thro more than one situation where atrocities carried out in the name of untrammeled capitalism (disguised by govt propaganda) — seemingly insurmountable, bulldozer policies– were turned around by the persistent, long-term efforts of ordinary voters.
In my view the US is in the midst of a long-simmering backlash against liberal policies enacted in the ’60’s– promulgated by fogies older than I.
They will die, & we can simply wait for the worm to turn. Or we can hasten a return to sanity by working together nationally & in our communities.
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Diane, I cannot WAIT to see this documentary. GOTTA see it! I cannot WAIT to send it to everyone I know, and even some I don’t.
PLEASE keep us posted.
Wishing you healing energy for your knee. . . . .
And happy holidays and peace and justice to all who read this blog. . . . . . .
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Looks great ! Well done – we need massive distribution ! Maybe it will make a difference like Blackfish did. Blackfish just plainly and simply told the truth and people responded.
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Watching the trailer and visiting this site daily can any of you feel a sense of de·ja vu? Do you see this happening in your school district? I see it in Houston every day and I absolutely agree with Diane. This issue is a matter to be resolved at the polls. At our Houston watch site many of us bring that point up. Our school board elections are no less important than voting for President. Get involved, get people to run for candidates who will work with you and bring awareness to your community and teachers to get out and vote.
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Corporate titans, or thugs in three piece suits?
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I absolutely understand John’s frustration and feeling of helplessness, as being a public educator in Indiana fosters the very same feelings and trepidations as he expresses. Being a media specialist makes that vulnerability all the more cogent.
Hoosiers have seen a Napoleonic former governor who targeted public educators get himself appointed grand poo-bah of a major university at a salary five times what he was making as governor by stacking the board of regents with cronies. Yet, there was little outcry from a sleeping electorate.
Hoosiers now have a governor who is hell-bent on negating (and intimately vanquishing) the electorate’s mandate that ousted one of the biggest political hacks (a.k.a.Tony Bennett) in state history, who has since been identified as one who engaged in wire fraud and other illegal acts. This governor and many other Hoosier GOP legislators have very strong ties with ALEC and the Koch Bros. The votes just shrug and say “Alec who?”
We’re seeing the possibility of another Bush campaigning for the White House; one who championed the actions and and methodologies of the aforementioned political hack and was instrumental in getting said hack appointed to a similar position in the $un$hine $tate. Fortunate for Floridians that the hack had to resign under pressure; too bad they keep putting the same corporate thug in the guv’s digs.
The current president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce (a.k.a. an unelected politician) wants the Indiana State Superintendent to be appointed. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce state that that this has been their position for the past twenty years, The unelected politician states “the Chamber plans to speak up ‘louder this session than ever before’ with respect to proposed legislation in favor of appointing the position.” The unelected politician adds, “I would challenge every one of you to watch just one meeting of the State Board of Education, and you will see how incredibly dysfunctional this is, and how poorly it is serving the children and the parents of the state of Indiana.” One must assume that this is because the current elected state super. of public instruction was elected and does not march in lock-step with Heir Pence? Gee Kevin…you never complained while the former Super was in charge…Just shut your cake hole, will ya? No one voted for you!
Yes… I can see why John is concerned. I too am concerned, but I intend to stay active in the fight. But it’s going to take more than just the polls.
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DE–We have the same mess (& it’s gonna get messier, no doubt) here in ILL-Annoy.
Our State Supt. of Ed. has been in the news, of late, for threatening PARENTS about opting out of the PARCC, basically saying it’s against the federal guidelines &, so, ILL-Annoy schools will lose money (esp. NOT–now, w/RTTT defunded). He has also been attempting to repeal statutes pertinent to class size regulation TE: special education students. (Fortunately–& this should stand as some hopeful info. for you, John–due to the enormous amount of push back from parents, & education/community groups–the issue was dropped–twice.)
And, of course, reading this blog, the reader sees–time and again–that the same is happening ALL across the USA (with, perhaps, Vermont being an exception?). But–again, John, the majority of states have opted out of CCSS (of course, many are calling it something else–how clever!)–because pressure has been brought to bear.
And there are so many other examples. I’m not naive–in fact, a big cynic at heart, having seen & done much in attempts to preserve public, excellent education.
So–I still say: yes, WE can, yes we HAVE & yes we WILL!
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Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.
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