Our regular reader and diligent researcher Laura Chapman writes:
It is not difficult to see who is busy publicizing and brokering ideas for federal action on pre-K-12 education and who is not. The active players are all in for school choice and they have a “perfect” opportunity to dismantle and starve brick and mortar public schools. Federal policies will jumpstart what happens in states, districts, and communities.
The transition from NCLB to ESSA took longer than expected. Most states put their new DeVos-approved plans for accountability and school improvement in place during 2019-2020, later than expected.
Those plans have been pruned by the pandemic. Since April 3, 2020, every state is eligible for a range of ESSA waivers including tests and how state education agencies “permit LEAs (local education agencies) to use Title IV, Part A funds to best meet its needs without regard to customary requirements for
–content-areas,
–spending limits on technology infrastructure, or
–completing a needs assessment.”
In addition, “the definition of professional development” is modified to allow LEAs s to provide effective teacher training for distance learning. https://oese.ed.gov/files/2020/04/invite-covid-fiscal-waiver-19-20.pdf
Although these flexibilities are in place now, no one has a clear idea about how the pandemic will shape the 2020-2021 school year, or what proposals presidential candidates will put into play for reshaping ESSA and the scheduled reauthorization of ESSA after the 2020-21 school year.
I think that the accumulated national debt will lead to massive budget cuts for federal and state funding and full-out marketing of choice programs.
The choice advocates have a clear policy package in the works, and big bucks now from the billionaires to market it. Bellwether Partners is playing a role in this work, and so is the 74Million, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, California Community Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Charles Strauch, Doris & Donald Fisher Fund, Gen Next Foundation, Karsh Family Foundation, Park Avenue Charitable Trust, The City Fund, Walton Family Foundation, and William E. Simon Foundation.
The pandemic and special federal legislation to shore up the social safety net, including grants to schools, has accelerated the activity of groups intent on expanding federal support for choice in education.
Here is an example: “FEDS MUST HELP ALL TYPES OF SCHOOLS REOPEN: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act will support millions of workers and industries hard-hit by COVID-19. About $13 billion from the bill will make it to K-12 schools across the country for uses such as classroom cleaning and teacher training.” … “State governments, at the urging of Washington and epidemiologists, have closed all schools, public and private. This is an unusual (and necessary) instance of equal treatment for schooling sectors that normally operate under different rules. But all schools, and all sectors of out pluralistic system of public education, will need support when they are allowed to reopen; a coherent policy that supports non-public schools and homeschoolers — along with charters and traditional districts that already receive public funds — will not be a luxury. It will be an essential element of how the country’s children recover from the COVID-19 disruption.” https://mailchi.mp/the74million/t74-virtual-charters-targeted-in-school-closures-equity-access-the-federal-stimulus-video-keeping-college-bound-students-on-track-virtually?e=5cdda43764
This marketing campaign for “our pluralistic system of public education” is gibberish for choice in education, including private and religious education. This agenda has been reinforced with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ March 27, 2020, proposal that Congress provide “Continue to Learn Microgrants” to disadvantaged students whose schools have “simply shut down.” Federal funds would be allocated for “educational services provided by a private or public school” with the priority for students in special education and eligible for food stamps. Funds could be used “to buy computers and software, internet access, and instructional materials like textbooks and tutoring. For children with disabilities, the grants could be used for educational services and therapy.”
This proposal is a variation on her push for “Education Freedom Scholarships” authorizing federal tax credits to people who donate to school scholarship programs for private school tuition and other education expenses. https://www.the74million.org/devos-proposes-microgrants-amid-coronavirus-school-closures-continuing-push-for-school-choice/
Then there is news on this blog and elsewhere that charter schools are eligible for “Small Business Loans,” if, they affirm they are a “non-government entity.” That affirmation is a non-trivial and legal redefinition of charter schools with implications for how these are marketed, authorized, and supported (or not) by billionaire foundations and Congress, whether Republican or Democrat. Charters that have been profiteering from public dollars will probably move into double dipping (once for students, another as a small business) with little fear of legal action.
https://www.publiccharters.org/cares-act-low-or-no-cost-lending-programs-charter-schools
Over multiple years, experts in “follow the money” have identified major ‘idea brokers” and the federal policies that have emerged from their work. Some legacy brokers from the Obama Administration are still at it—promoting digital learning, charter schools, pay for success contracts, alternative certifications, and more. If the pandemic accelerates I think that the de-professionalization of education will accelerate along with the unschooling of instructional delivery. In that case, many brick and mortar buildings once known as public schools are likely to repurposed or rot, except in wealthy suburban communities.
Daily Kos quoted an activist who said, the stimulus package, which doles out money to religious organizations, is the “most drastic attack against separation of church and state in history”.
U fortunately, I think Laura is closer to the reality here: the pandemic is going to accelerate stuff like “Pearsonalized learning” rather than signal its end.
Parents and teachers don’t like that, but if what has happened over the last 20 years tells us anything, it is that the parents and teachers don’t count in decision-making circles. It’s whoever has the money.
As Rahm Emanuel said “Never let a serious crisis go to waste”.
He actually reiterated that just recently in the specific context of the pandemic.
These people are nothing if not shameless.
So pleased to have Laura Chapman, Mercedes Schneider, and Carol Burris heading up the Research Department of the Resistance! Formidable!!!!
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Carol!
Formidable is the right word 🙂
a coherent policy that supports non-public schools and homeschoolers — along with charters and traditional districts ”
Public schools, and students, are always LAST in ed reform circles.
Always. They dismiss 90% of students and families in this country as an afterthought to their ideological project. The ideological objective comes first, always.
They simply don’t serve students in public schools. Our schools are ideologically incorrect, so therefore a lower tier priority.
This is a constant theme in ed reform:
“Glenn Beck
glennbeck
· Apr 10
“K-12 education has been very static and stuck in one method.” U.S. Secretary of Education BetsyDeVosED believes that this pandemic has led parents to rethink education, and will hopefully give families a lot more say when school starts back up.”
Glenn Beck and Betsy DeVos don’t believe public schools should exist so they take that belief and blithely apply it to every parent in the country- assuming we’re all thrilled that the “government schools” are closed and just dying to replace public schools with whatever cheap, faddish gimmick they come up with.
I just don’t think it’s true. I think most kids miss school and I know most parents do. Of course, Glenn Beck and Betsy DeVos would never know that, living as they do in millionaire and billionaire enclaves.
Laura, many many thanks for the research and writing you do. Some of the very best! Have you thought of putting it all together in a book?
Laura knows more about the Deformers and their billionaire funders than they themselves do.
She’s like Sponge Bob’s Brain office
https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Brain_Office
Only Bill Gates brain office
All we need is a Plankton to control Bill Gates brain
I was thinking the same thing.
My growing concern is that the incredible national debt from Trump’s horrible policies and now a gigantic pandemic will result in more states trying to legitimize distance learning as a cheap alternative to traditional public schools. Parents need to mobilize to push back, and everyone needs to vote for Biden, even if you are not excited by doing so.
The debt wouldn’t be a problem if the rich were taxed, as the American people want.
An attack on Social Security is also part of GOP planning.
Trump has stopped funding the WHO. If China had never reported, what impact would the infection have had?
Typical Trump- criticize and blame others and ignore the constraints under which they operate, while he pretends he’s perfect.
The WHO funds from the US only represents 15% of the total, and I read a piece this morning that predicted others would step up to make up that difference in the short term, anyway. The piece said that Bill Gates, for example, donates 10% of the annual funds that the WHO uses to pay the bills.
Trump will always find someone to blame for his failures.
Arrggghhhh!!!!! Laura Chapman- thank you for once again alerting all to the BS of the “education reformers”. One huge thing I have learned from you, way back at the beginning of NCLB, is that the public must be diligent in monitoring the language and wording of policy – loopholes must be closed, worst case scenarios must be considered. What looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily transfer to reality. Everyone needs to keep eyes on this.
The self-appointed lackeys of the oligarchs are masters at deceit.
Many of their tactics reflect propaganda style that was perfected in Russia where their favorite style of leader rules- a white dictator.
When vultures sense the possibility of soon-to-be-dead meat to eat, they start to circle waiting for the last breath before they land and pluck out the eyeballs first.
But sometimes that smorgasbord the vultures want to feed off of survives, gets up and becomes stronger, grabs his or her twenty-two rifle, or a bow and arrow, or a slingshot, and starts shooting bullets, arrows or rocks at the vultures scattering them to the wind.
“Let’s create more individualized instruction that is not based on the old factory model,” Caprice Young, tireless charter school pusher, exhorts in a Los Angeles Times article. Without a doubt, privatizers see the current forced reliance on online “instruction ” as a golden opportunity. See her comments near the end of the article.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-14/la-schools-coronavirus-reopening-changes-social-distancing
Caprice Young led the Ca Charter School Asocuatiin. Now she leads a Gulen charter chain.
Wow, planning, videoconferencing, emailing, faculty meeting, and grading online is so time consuming sometimes! I didn’t get to read any posts until just now. It’s almost 6:30 pm here. Sheesh!
Sounds like you have a lot of your students involved.
About half the students are involved. It’s a myriad of little things that eats the day. Type your password. Click on one student’s work at a time and wait for it to load. Type a comment instead of just saying it aloud. Solve technical problems for your students. Write an announcement with the meeting ID and password of each of your class sessions instead of just opening your classroom door. A thousand tiny technical albatrosses hanging on your neck.
How many is half?
For instance, when I landed my first full-time teaching job back in 1978-79, I taught six-periods with 204 students.
After a long fight with district admin that took years, our local teachers’ union negotiated a planning period, and I ended up with five periods with 170 students.
Twenty years later, I was one of the fortunate teachers that landed a grant that lowered my class size down to 20 students in each class for a couple of years. Working with 100 students spread out over five classes was like heaven.
Correcting even half of the students when your classes add up to 204 is still a lot of work.
Edit: …one at a time…
Half is about 100. And only some of them are turning in work. When I started teaching secondary, there were class size caps for my grade level and subject. 20 students in each of 5 classes. This year, I have about 33 students in each of 6 classes. Before we this year got the class size reduction from the strike implemented, I had classes with over 40.
Over 40 will age you really fast. The more students crammed in a classroom, the more challenges teachers face in maintaining a learning environment. Managing the classroom becomes the primary challenge so teachers can teach.
You said it, brother!
One of the amazing gifts of the blog is that there is a forum for Laura’s impeccable research, easily linked to spread its findings.
Brava, Laura!
Thank you, Diane!
Laura Chapman is a true treasure!
Agree