Mercedes Schneider dug into the background of Chris Clemons, the Atlanta charter school principal, who has been accused of stealing $600,000 from his school.
She found an article from his days at MIT, explaining how he developed a passion for teaching “impoverished children in urban areas.”
He trained as a school leader at “Building Excellent Schools,” a Boston-based program to prepare principals to open and run charter schools. He launched a charter school in Denver, his hometown. And then he went to Atlanta to open charter schools. He was charged by the FBI with theft, not only for the missing $600,000 from his current school, but for another $350,000 that was missing from two other charter schools that he ran.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The charter school “industry” is quite a magnet for grifters, especially that type that wants to enrich themselves with money and power while appearing to be selfless warriors for the underserved. (See Eva Moskowitz)
LikeLiked by 1 person
The irony of Chris Clemons is palpable and a snapshot of all that is wrong in “test scores equal success” reform ideology. We can imagine Chris had excellent test scores, getting into MIT. Then, after MIT he was “groomed for success” by those that believe market-forces and profit and the “guiding objectives” of educational reform.
Well, apparently, the tests he passed and the mastery he showed severely lacked proof of affective-domain objectives, like morality, empathy and self-sacrifice/altruism. I guess Chris never had a class on ethics or morality.
He was tested about content; we assume passing with “flying colors”. Yet, he never passed a test about conscience, and maybe that in and of itself shows the weakness of “reform” curriculum (for “reform” guided by nothing but capitalistic market forces will never bring about liberation).
LikeLike
Rick, I’m guessing that you are like me, of a certain age when values had value. Today I’m to understand that right or wrong don’t matter; but winning matters at all costs. Perhaps with the easy Madoff and derivative funds gone, they who can are “investing” in our children instead. I’m outraged with how the US population is so focused on minor issues ( a subterfuge by the media?) and not alarmed with the facts of the education reform. Then again, the Spin Doctors can make even the most vile information look good.
LikeLike
They gave a 28 year old with no experience a public school and “multimillions” in public funding with absolutely no oversight other than a rubber-stamp private board full of true believers who were overly impressed with a high-status, selective college?
“Fellows are paid an $80,000 stipend to start a charter school and ultimately run it. The year-long experience of launching the charter school changed Clemons forever. “It really expanded my world in a number of ways. I got excited about how to design a school, but what really got me excited were the structural aspects of running a school, like finance, and accounting, and becoming a sophisticated leader of a multimillion dollar organization.” …
Reckless with other peoples’ money. Just like Wall Street.
LikeLike
This, in a nutshell.
The reformers will grab onto anyone who can present a public face for their PR and won’t ask too many questions to open their schools.
The shocking thing is not what he did that was illegal. It’s that he was too stupid to understand that he could have legally paid himself just as much money — or hired the consulting company of a friend or pal — with the happy approval of the overseers, as long as he was willing to do “whatever it takes” to insure the kids who bring down test scores went missing.
LikeLike
He’s an education reformer, so, by definition, whatever he did was For The Children…
LikeLike
Clemons is in the custody of the FBI. It will be interesting to see what happens. Will he get a white collar slap on the wrist fine or will go to jail for fraud? Maybe like Michael Milken he will emerge from prison “a philanthropist.”
LikeLiked by 1 person