Rochester Academy Charter School in New York boasts impressive test scores, as do most schools that select their students.
But is it a Gulen School connected to Fethullah Gulen’s national network?
One thing it is not is a neighborhood school or a community school.
Although three of the board’s seven members are Turkish, that is not conclusive evidence that the school is funneling money to Gulen for his political activities.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“One thing it is not is a neighborhood school or a community school.”
Nor is it a public school!
All should read the article to see the prevaricating and obfuscating the school’s spokesperson does to maintain it is not connected to Gulen.
I heard a new ed reform argument for privatization the other day.
The US health care system. The US health care system is one of the most inequitable systems in the world, and gets lousy results in terms of dollars for value.
They might want to go back to comparing public schools to Uber.
You marvel at the cluelessness though. They all must have excellent insurance.
What’s interesting about the Gulen schools is how they’re like a political third rail. Politicians are terrified of this subject. Sherrod Brown isn’t generally a coward and even he won’t touch this subject.
Some enterprising journalist could win a big award if they unravel this. What IS this? How did this religious sect get such clout?
I’ve found similar evasiveness from Brown’s staff in answer to the question about whether charter schools have given him campaign donations.
If it quacks like a duck… And if when questioned, it ducks like a quack, it’s probably a quack. (Banal play on words, I know, but I couldn’t resist.) I’m just saying these charter apologists are quacks.
Enjoyed the word play.
So many politicians have gone on the junkets to Turkey; don’t know if the news media keep quiet about Gulen schools due to political pressure. Chicago Sun Times deserves credit for covering the FBI raids on the Concept charter chain.
Any follow-up report by the FBI?
Part of the oligarchs’ strategy to defund public education, is to untether schools from communities. Tax levies succeed because schools have an impact on property values. When there is no connection between property values and schools, support for schools erodes. Local tax dollars, possibly benefitting foreign regimes instead of local students, icing on the P.R. cake.
Unusual for the employee to show the kickback from his salary and to have some “unauthorized” participants on camera. USDE has been foot dragging on its investigation of these schools. I imagine that DeVos will kill those investigations.
The investigations, FBI and otherwise, never go anywhere.
I think it’s interesting how Turkey is thrusting itself upon our attention these days. I grew up thinking of it as just another developing Middle Eastern nation. But having studied history, I now realize it is a fallen superpower bristling to reassert itself –like the US and Russia. Erdogan, Putin and Trump are all powered by national nostalgia for a semi-mythical past virility. Turkey used to be synonymous with autocracy, like Russia. Trump is an oriental despot in the seat of Western liberal democracy. Let us hope our republican, Enlightenment traditions are stronger than him and his ignorant fascist followers.
I cannot untangle……Trump stood by Flynn for the longest time……Flynn eventually got fired…….Flynn will soon be telling Congress stuff…….Flynn definitely wanted Gulen extradited so Erdogan’s people could punish him for attempted coup………how much money American tax payers furnish Gulen through his schools…..how many tax dollars will somehow be used to help prop up Erdogan……and—40 percent of the teachers’ paychecks?
DeVos will probably straighten it all out.
Now that Gulen and Erdogen don’t get along, wonder where the Turkish Gulen teachers send the tithe from their paychecks? Guess the Post Dispatch will never cover this.
Here’s more on the 1 billion dollar voucher program:
Click to access a-ed.pdf
DeVos will be back before Congress selling it again June 6th. Yet another DC debate that excludes public schools.
It’s (supposedly) targeted at rural schools although there’s nothing in there about that that I can see. Perhaps it’s the transportation piece because obviously they’ll be busing these kids all over the place.
“The Title I Program at a Glance
In the 2014-2015 school year, the most recent year for which complete data are available, the Title I program served approximately 25 million students, or nearly half of the total student population. ”
The vast, vast majority of whom are in public schools. The schools that are barely mentioned in ed reform debates and are treated as a disfavored “default” that no one is much interested in. The Status Quo. Government Schools.
It’s lunacy.
Paul Ryan can’t find a public school that “works” in Wisconsin, apparently:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/29/paul-ryans-favorite-charter-school-215201
Maybe the constituents in his district could give him a map.
In other news, the US Department of Education can’t locate a single successful public school student. You start to think they aren’t looking real hard.
look at today’s box scores for yesterday’s baseball game. The world is full of statistical information, often presented in lists. I would like to see a list of the Gulen schools, with several different significant categories….budget numbers, student numbers, teacher numbers….a comprehensive list of information which is available, and information which is not available.
Gulen is a special category. A comprehensive list would be a way of breaking through the massive amount of silence regarding charter schools in general. It would give people a few things to think about regarding what is appropriate regarding schools paid for, at ;least partly by tax paying citizens.
I would venture a guess that some politicians or bigwigs have some stake (i.e., $$$$) tied up/invested in Gulen charters. After all, everything is about money, right?
Aside from the instability (to say the least) of the Turkish Government, one wonders why the protection (sanctuary, actually) of Fetullah Gulen has gone on for years.
&–does he pay taxes in Pennsylvania?
Last but not least, my FAQ: does ANYONE who reads this blog know who owns stock in Pear$on? (Mercedes, Jennifer Berkshire–that’s a question for you–have at it!)
4 out of 7 are Turkish. William Middleton was born in Istanbul, Turkey. Changed his name after he became US citizen.
Ersin,
Thanks for the info. Gulen schools always have a board that is majority Turkish. I was puzzled that it was 3 of 7. You explained it is 4 of 7.