California BATS are calling for an investigation of the Gulen charter chain. They invite people to sign their petition. Their post includes a list of Gulen schools, which have different names in different states but are allied with a reclusive Turkish imam who lives in the Poconos. Fethullah Gulen is a controversial leader of a political movement in Turkey, which is opposed by the Turkish government.
There are 155 Gulen schools, which makes the chain either the largest or second to the largest charter chain (after KIPP) in the nation. Gulen schools in certain states have been investigated by the FBI. They have paid for legislators to take trips to Turkey. The boards of their charters typically consist of Turkish nationals.
Some people hesitate to criticize Gulen schools for fear of appearing anti-Muslim.
But this makes impossible to have a rational discussion of the wisdom of turning over public schools to a chain controlled by foreign nationals. Would it make sense if Russian citizens began operating tax-supported charter schools in the US? Or Ecuadorians? Or Cambodians? Or any other nation?
It seems we are outsourcing public education to citizens of another nation, with no public debate about it.
Why does it matter? The primary purpose of public education is not college-and-career readiness. It is not getting high test scores. It is not global competitiveness. The primary purpose of public education is to prepare young people for citizenship in American society. That’s why taxpayers are responsible for them. Can schools operated by foreign nationals teach the essentials of American citizenship?
If foreign nationals want to open private schools in the US, that’s fine. If parents want their children to attend those schools or schools in other nations, that’s their right. They will pay for it, because it is not a public responsibility to send children to a lycee or a gesampschule.
But it is strange indeed to see a chain of schools operated by foreign nationals replacing a community’s public schools and paid for with taxpayer dollars. Public schools should be integrally connected to the society and communities they serve. The Gulen phenomenon is puzzling.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
With Turkish Muslim faculties, how could the Gulen schools not be comparable to regular sectarian private schools? And isn’t it violative of the First Amendment and most state constitutions to divert public funds to faith-based schools? — Edd Doerr (arlinc.org)
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In regards to your last question: Tell that to all those voucher (and some charter) supporters here in the good ol US of A.
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I don’t know why politicians who support the Gulen charters are never questioned on bringing in Turkish teachers to staff the charters. I don’t believe the vast majority of people in Ohio would agree with this use of public funds. It’s one thing when private sector employers are bringing in foreign workers. It’s another when people in these states are actually footing the bill for the whole thing.
Does Turkey bring in US workers and pay them with public funds collected as taxes in that country? If not, why are we doing this?
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I just finished reading a news article that said that Fetullah Gulan is the publisher of a newspaper in Turkey that the government has raided and closed down.Mr. Golan is against the present president.
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Gulenist Terror Organization (FETO) is the target of recent arrests and demands that Gulen be extradited to Turkey. Turkey has made this designation of Terrorist organization.
Should our tax dollars be going to support Gulenists? Why has the FBI not followed through?
Why have we allowed several of these charters to be operating on our military bases on our soil?
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Two entities seem to be missing from the list…………..Gulen in Arizona has Accord Institute for/of Educational Research, the management arm of the Gulen charter schools, and Daisy Early Learning Academy, a charter and Daisy Education Corp. a parent company. It is difficult to separate the charter from its management company.
Nine of the charter schools that I could research had male, Turkish principals. I’m not really sure why parents are so ready to outsource their child’s education paying for a dual system. I think most of them don’t look beyond the superficial public relations strategies.
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Polly; The FBI has a lot of information on the Gulen Movement, myself and others have spent many hours giving testimony. But remember the FBI knew about the Boston Bombers (Tsarnov Brothers) and had in fact interviewed them many times and were warned by Russian intelligence to follow them. You do know the connection to the Tsarnov brothers their “Uncle Ruslan” and CIA Graham Fuller to the Gulen Movement.
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I do know of the connection. Keeping the unrest in Turkey is their goal. The gatekeepers are the problem.
Documentary movie re Boston Marathon bombing is due soon. One of the young women who was wounded, died in an auto ‘accident ‘ in Dubai along with her friend, two days ago. Dangerous times.
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Hillary Clinton gets big money from this guy…
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Do you have a paper trail or source for this, or any other candidates for office who have accepted money from Gulen?
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Yes, source please. Would love to spread the good word.
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Followers Of A Mysterious Turkish Islamic Cleric Have Donated Heavily To Hillary’s Campaign And Family Charity
http://dailycaller.com/2015/11/22/followers-of-a-mysterious-turkish-islamic-cleric-have-donated-heavily-to-hillarys-campaign-and-family-charity/
Islamic Cleric May Be Laundering Taxpayer Money Into Clinton Campaign — Hillary Under Pressure To Return Donations
http://dailycaller.com/2015/12/10/islamic-cleric-may-be-laundering-taxpayer-money-into-clinton-campaign-hillary-under-pressure-to-return-donations/#ixzz42FAHmAY6
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The Daily Caller is not a legitimate news source. They’ve been exposed many times for misrepresentations and lies. Here is 1 example:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dominican-official-links-daily-caller-to-alleged-lies-about-menendez/2013/03/22/d81470d0-930a-11e2-8ea1-956c94b6b5b9_story.html
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Jogrim….I suggest reading all the Daily Caller material, especially the very legit links. Hillary is indeed implicated and has accepted money from Gulen and his agents donated through the Clinton Foundation and maybe in other ways. See the photos as well as the text.
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Yes she does and so does hubby Billy, All campaign contributions are usually done via their layers of Turkish Cultural dialogue centers that are in each of the 5 regions hierarch. When they donate over $100 their name and occupation/employers must be listed, here is a partial list note how many of their “employers” are tied to charter schools. This is merely a tip of the iceberg given they are also known for undeclared bags of cash. Put pressure on these public officials in their pockets quite a few have been taken down: Tom Horne, Tom Filner, John McGee, Jean Schmidt, Dennis Hastert and many more.
Here is a slidehare of names, etc., this is all public information – http://www.slideshare.net/GulenCemaat/gulen-movement-clinton-campagn-donors
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U.S.A. Today had 2 stories on Gulen junkets to Turkey. Oct 2, 2015 is one date. The other U.S.A. article on campaign contributions can be googed. Don’t have it memorized. Washington Post has had several articles too, not just Gulen.
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I posted the USA Today articles about Gulen-paid trips to Turkey for politicians
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Edd, being Turkish doesn’t automatically make one a Muslim. It may be a heavily Muslim-populated nation, but it is officially secular.
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If Erdogan, the current leader, has his way, it won’t be secular for long.
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Patrick…please do some homework on Erdogan and his regime. And on the demographics in Turkey. The US has spent much money on propping up his govt. under the aegis of keeping Turkey secular…but Erdogan is a devout Muslim as are most of his followers. Not too different in his views than Gulen who seeks to overthrow him and make Turkey an Islamic nation en toto.
You can find endless information online that is from legitimate sources.
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Gulen and Erdoman are of opposing Muslim sects. Thus the problem.
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At a shop I met a lady and she told me her son just had a horrible year at Magnolia Academy (MSA) at Santa Clara. There was lots of bullying and lots of bad things were going on but the worst was that the boys bathroom was habitually used for having sex during and after school time and nobody cared. And somehow the kids were scared to talk about this to their parents. This parent told me that the way she discovered it was that she came to school after hours and was waiting for her son. Then she noticed boys AND GIRLS coming out of boys bathroom while pulling up their pants and zippers. She asked her son. He said it is happening all the time, this is why he had to hold for hours during school time so that he could use bathroom at home.
This year she put him in private school and he is enjoying. I encouraged her to complain about this, but she said there is no point because at this school there were many Muslim boys who grew up in the families where their mom was very young when she married
(9-12) so these boys have a different culture where many things were accepted and we should not interfere. I said this should not be happening at a school, because school is not a place for sex. She said she agreed but just wants her son to have a peaceful life onwards at a different school.
The Magnolia charter school lease was not renewed last year (thanks goodness) but the charter school was moved to Alum Rock neighborhood in San Jose, CA which is a low-income neighborhood. Poor kids at Alum Rock!
This is not a question of charter or not charter, it is that the school authorities fail to maintain any decent order at the school.
I was shocked to hear this report from a parent and mostly the complaints about this school that I heard before was about bullying that went to without any action from MSA administration.
Perhaps San Jose school board should setup an anonymous web site so that students
and parents can speak up…
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America, NATO, CIA et al want to keep Turkey in chaos as they use Turkey as a base for many of their “operations” America has no interest in Turkey being united but rather divided by chaos and sect. BTW did you know that the theology of Christianity was actually born in what today is called the “Republic of Turkey established in 1923. Even the mosques that all the teachers and Gulen travelers visit in Istanbul was a Church (St. Hagia Sofia) which was shamelessly converted as the town of Constaniople was plundered by invading Turkic Mongolian tribes of Central Asia . If you are teachers, you all should know this history instead of the fabricated version that the Gulenists peddle on their staged tour of Turkey. Constaniople was a symbolic destruction as it was considered the eastern most Vatican satellite center…final insult -erase history and change names of towns, churches, etc.,
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If anyone has specific experience as a teacher or as a parent in a Gulen school, particularly California, please e-mail me. I am a complainant in the case in CA and the attorney would like to speak with anyone who has experience in these schools. tmandres1@gmail.com
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I did not single out the Gulen schools for the religion if those who operate them. I singled them out because they are operated by foreign nationals.
Also, the Illinois Speaker of the House (a Democrat) has gone to Turkey several times, thanks to Gulen.
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They are not recognized by most Muslim groups, in fact Gulencis have had little luck infiltrating other so -called Islamic group. Gulen is a cult, based on GREED. They love money and only worship money, greed and growth of power. They have nothing to do with Islam except using it as a “shield” when they get boxed into a corner with their lies, lack of transparency, etc., they create other arguments. This is a detraction from the core of their issue which are fraud, money laundering, stealing of public funds, illegal wire transfers, illegal fraudulent use of H1-b Visas, labor and human rights abuses, test cheating, lying on charter school applications, IRS violations, just to name a few. Don’t get detracted from the real argument which is their lying and misrepresentation. In California they are boxed in and using Public School vs. Charter School debate (hot topic) that we all just are against charter schools so they are trying to drag other charter schools into their fight. They use “islamophobia” but it’s a weak straw man argument.
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Truebright Charter High School in PA is fighting closure. Readers should realize that the schools are frauds aside from any concerns over the national origin of the leaders. For instance, they are able to boast very high college acceptance rates by having their students apply to for-profit colleges run by …that’s right … the Gulen movement! Not surprisingly, all the students get in.
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Thought that Truebright was ordered closed? They don’t go away quietly remember what they did in Georgia, now their Fulton Science Academies are private schools.
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In January I wrote a post about the “Magnolia Public School” here in San Diego. I was surprised to discover that the leader of the Imam’s schools in LA is Caprice Young, founder of the Charter School Association of California and former assistant LA mayor to Richard Riordan. https://tultican.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/magnolia-public-schools/
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Thanks for the link to your accurate and informed article, T.. Yes, Caprice Young “is a menace” as you say to all public education. She has made big bucks tearing down public schools in many ways, and her association now with Gulen and his Turkish directed schools should make her a serious contender for oversight by the SEC and the FBI.
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Caprice Young has denied the Gulen link and I don’t know how she gets away with it. Opportunist par excellence of the LAUSD board of education.
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An aside to Joan…sorry I could not get to the March 3 meeting, but hope you will give us a rundown of the event and suggestions for future action. My health since my huge auto accident on Dec. 21, remains tenuous.
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It will be interesting to see how far Caprice Young takes her defense of Magnolia Science Academy. All 7 of their new applications were denied or withdrawn, they were caught in lies on the applications and she has stated she doesn’t plan on re submitting. There was too much opposition showing up at the board meetings which is what should be done throughout the USA. Their business plan is a mess, they need to grow desperately to stay open. Caprice is using tactics of intimidation (threatening one school district of suing) IMO, she has and is shooting herself in the foot. No school district wants anything to do with a charter school group that uses lawfare to get their way. She also has tried to drag other charter schools into the fight making it a Public School vs. Charter School fight but I think this too will fail, as other charter schools may not want to be associated with her or a gulenist operated school. Watch Caprice’s performances and meltdowns at local school board meetings, she is clearly falling apart. Time to make another exit and find the next best great opportunity for Education Reform. I have challenged Caprice to a deposition with her Gulen staff under oath anytime she is ready we are waiting. http://www.magnoliascienceacademy.blogspot.com
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Caprice young keeps denying that there is any connection between Magnolia and Gulen. Here she is at a recent board meeting applying for a new charter in Fremont, California:
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Caprice became completely frazzled and had a meltdown, she glosses over the lies on her applications making this a public school vs. charter school fight. It will backfire, unless she does what she always does ….and that is look for another opportunity to be an “Educational Reformer” – Magnolia needs to grow, without it they will have to close.
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Very important to watch this video…and also at the end it shows 4 others to select. Please click on the lower left corner and watch Kathy Karoll give testimony on the state of California and how it operates with Gulen and other charters. Kathy is a singular credible voice in our battle, and she is a well known attorney in Sacramento, where many try to silence her. I have known her for some years and admire both her superb intellect and her indomitable spirit.
There is more info online and in Diane’s archive on the complaint recently filed with the State of Ca. by this male attorney speaker at the LAUSD BoE meeting…on behalf of complainants against Gulen and Young. Vital to read this complaint.
Thanks mama for posting this.
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God forbid any presidential candidate be asked to offer their expertise regarding the Gulen schools.
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I would like to simply hark back to Diane’s point. How is it that we have in the U.S. a [large] chain of charter-schools– successful solely by virtue of operating on public taxpayer funds– which is directed by a foreign national? This could only happen because our states’ charter laws — enamored of the idea that schools can perform better witjout onerous govt regulations– are grossly lax. We have already seen how the determination that charter schools, though spending public money, are in many states not subject to audit nor any kind of transparency, has resulted in numerous closing shift due to gross financial fraud. This particular chain is able to take advantage of those lax laws to import foreign teachers and export profit to their particular foreign political cause. Galen schools are a good example of what’s wrong with charter laws.
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Watch the final Fremont board meeting and how the Public Teachers Association of Fremont does a great job breaking down the deficiencies in the Gulen operated Magnolia Science Academy application. More teachers need to show up at board meetings and vet their flawed applications – great example of teachers fighting for the rights of public education https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWLdIyDSrkc
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I have just watched KILLING ED. BRAVO… Given the current situation in Turkey this is a MUST watchvideo. I have followed Gulen charter growth in the US for years with growing concern as to Gulenists entrenchment in our Republic.
There are Gulen charters on 2 of OUR military bases.
The testimony of the Turkish men on.this video are beyond compelling and frightening.
Thanks to Sharon Higgins who has been a front line warrior for years. And to you Diane, with whom i have differed politically, but who openly admits that you were wrong about charters.
Why we seem to be protecting Gulen is troubling. That is the Islamic elephant in the room, isnt it?
How many young Turks are now in our police, judiciary, and other business enterprizes just waiting to acquire enough power and influence to take critical control HERE?
Erdogan has heavy handed control in Turkey. Is it possible that Gulen has been given a Western Hemisphere base to establish a Caliphate?
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