You remember Ben Austin? He is the guy in Los Angeles who started an organization called Parent Revolution whose purpose was to organize parents to seize control of their public school and turn it over to a charter operator. This process was made possible by a law passed in 2010 called the Parent Trigger, which says that a majority of parents can sign a petition to grab control of their school and fire the principal, the staff, or give the school to a private charter operator.
A bunch of billionaires, including Eli Broad, gave him millions of dollars to pay organizers to train parents to sign petitions. For a few brief shining moments, the Parent Trigger was the New Coke of education. Rightwing billionaire Philip Anschutz funded a movie to sell the Parent Trigger, but it flopped in the blink of an eye.
Seven years and many millions of dollars later, Parent Revolution can claim the capture of one public school for the charter industry. One. And they got a dedicated Hispanic principal fired. That’s it.
So it’s time for Ben Austin to start a new organization with another pile of money, including billionaire Eli Broad. It is called Kids Coalition. Apparently Austin’s new strategy is to sue and sue until every child has a great education.
That will work about as well as the Parent Trigger, but hey, it’s a living, for as long as the money keeps coming in. Eli has so much. What’s another few million?
The most interesting part of the story is the photograph of Austin. I tried to decipher the books behind him. There is Michelle Rhee’s “Radical.” Steve Brill’s paean of praise to DFER (“Class Warfare”), something by David Brooks. The thinking of a reformer. A real radical. A guy who knows how to start organizations with catchy names. A guy who has his hand on the pulse or purse of very wealthy donors.
My favorite quote from the story:
“He also noted that when he drops off his daughters and walks them into their classrooms, the classroom looks, smells, and operates the same way his LA Unified classroom did 40 years ago.”
Maybe he could succeed in changing the smell of the classrooms of L.A. Distribute a spray can to every teacher. That will definitely produce a new smell.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
People are mad and blame their anger on public schools and public school teachers. This is called the BLAME GAME … DEFLECT from where the problem really is.
Seems the USA is the ONLY country, which blames the ills of society on public school teachers.
THANK YOU, Diane.
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From what I’ve read the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand all have had heavily financed Alt-Right propaganda campaigns blaming teachers for all the problems their countries face.
The only English speaking country that “blames the teachers for everything so the Alt-Right can take over the schools and program future generations” hasn’t worked is Canada.
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Imagine what all of these billionaires could do if they set their goals around ACTUALLY helping people. Although, if people really were really uplifted and empowered, there wouldn’t be billionaires to begin with.
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They wouldn’t be billionaires if they cared about humanity.
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Meanwhile, The alligators taxpayers support are inhabiting the USDE.
According to Politico today, (Sept 19) Trump/ Devos will seek confirmation today of Carlos G. Muñiz as the general counsel for the US Department of Education.
Lamar Alexander expects Muñiz to advise DeVos on ESSA plans and implementation. Muñiz will be able to decide which cases to pursue, such as special education, or sexual assault cases.
According to Wikipedia, Muñiz served as deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, deputy general counsel for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, deputy chief of staff and counsel in the office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and as general counsel of the Florida Department of Financial Services.
In 2013, Muniz was involved in the discussions with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi that led her to take NO action on consumer complaints against Trump University. The FOT principle is at work. Muñiz is a Friend of Trump and of for-profit education.
I was unable to listen/watch hearings on his confirmation but some protesters were expected, based on his handling of high-profile sexual assault cases at Florida State University and the University of Florida. Muñiz was the lead attorney defending Florida State University in a case finally settled for over $900,000.
You can bet that Muñiz will have lots of support from the corporations who look upon education as a market not fully exploited for profit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirby-dick/how-florida-state-covered_b_9421824.html and
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/university-of-florida-hit-with-title-ix-investigation-over-handling-of/2329062
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All the operators originally involved in the parent trigger have turned against each other. Parent Revolution and its leader Ben Austin originally worked hand in hand with then-California state Sen. Gloria Romero to get the parent trigger law passed in 2010.
Now Ben Austin, Gloria Romero and Parent Revolution have all become each other’s enemies. Romero has a whole new operation trying to wreak parent triggers, having shed the original parent-trigger operators. Romero’s outfit is working on one in Anaheim, Calif., that could FINALLY be the second consummated parent trigger, sad to say. Considering Austin predicted that the parent trigger would immediately transform dozens of schools into charters (and at times has falsely claimed that HAS happened), it’s quite a collapse.
Parent Revolution gave up on the parent trigger and has a whole new operation designed to scam more money out of the billionaire funders — it’s supposedly guiding parents through the school choice process in LAUSD.
Austin went to work for a union-busting operation after Parent Revolution, and now has this new hustle going.
The funders just keep pumping money into these snake-oil operations, one after another — it’s amazing to watch. My grandma would have told them, “Fool me twice, shame on me…” — but i guess those billionaires’ grandmas weren’t as wise as mine.
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Slightly off topic, something just happened that roiled me. I just now received an advertisement from the Eli Broad funded Essential Education division at the LA Times. Yes, that LA Times that sued my school district (losing) for the unhinged privilege of publishing my name alongside my VAM rating. The flier advertising Eli Broad’s education page was mailed to my home. It was addressed to me as a teacher. I am on the federal and state do not mail and do not call lists. I am exceedingly careful with my identity on the internet. I wouldn’t be here commenting if this blog didn’t have an https URL. How the heck did Broad’s Times get my home address and occupation? Did my school district give it out? Did one of the several personal data bleeding websites I am forced to use to teach sell my information? I find this very upsetting. The Times needs to cease and desist immediately.
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LCT,
ask the UTLA to hire a lawyer to get a cease and desist order.
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Yes.
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UTLA is on the side of LAUSD/Broad. Many teachers have been kicked under the bus by them. Hire a lawyer instead.
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And to Ben Austin: The bloom is off the corporate takeover rose, pal. Get a clue.
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Why do the billionaires keep funding what goes bust? You think they’d have found something new to waste their fortunes on. This guy is a loser, as are all of his mentors. One after another, they are either run out of town, or found stealing, or…… It needs to end. These are the reformer heroes? Sheesh. All that money and they buy crap.
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It shows the billionaires are having fun, don’t take it seriously, laugh as They ruin schools and lives
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All of the hyper-wealthy deformers have one personality disorder in common, an absolute belief in the supremacy of their own ideas above all others. All of the inner circle yes men they are surrounded by keep their jobs in part by massaging this delusion. The next layer, a swarm of con men & grifters (parasites) like Ben Austin feed off of their hosts seemingly limitless wealth by kow towing and pushing their absurd agendas, for a price. A motley assortment of camp followers from places like the Broad Academy and TFA makes up the next ring out. Corporate entities like DFER and The 74 also fit into this overall model in spite of being much more self contained. We have never rid ourselves of the decadence and corruption of the royal courts of old. Gresham’s Dynamic explains how the amoral and unethical continue to outcompete those who act in the best mutual interests of all.
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