Peter Cunningham was Arne Duncan’s spokesperson in the first Obama term. He was assistant secretary in charge of communications. I once heard him described as “Arne’s brain.” He now runs a billionaire-funded website called “Education Post,” which advances the “reform” agenda. .

Here is an interview with Peter, in which he expresses his view that public schools are on the way out and the public is turning its back on them, preferring charter schools, home schooling, and vouchers. His answer: more accountability. I guess that means more testing. But when everyone takes the same tests, the public schools usually outperform the students in charter schools and voucher schools.

Since public education is an integral part of a democratic society, I am not sure what he is suggesting or why he thinks it is a good thing for people to turn towards privatization. Privatization produces inequality; it produces segregation; it produces some excellence and some squalor and plenty of mediocrity. The real problem is that we have an inward turning society of deepening inequality where it is every man, woman, and child for him/herself. We lack visionary leadership. We lack the kind of leaders who would call upon the better angels of our nature and inspire us to pursue the common good instead of our own self-interest.