The Network for Public Education has worked recently with “Documented,” an organization that defends democracy. Its executive director Nick Surgey led a panel at our 10th conference in D.C. in October. Nick and his colleagues described their very well documented work to expose the plot to destroy public education. As I left the room, David Berliner said to me, “That was a terrifying hour.”
Here is the video. Please take the time to watch.
Nick is an expert on the extremist Alliance Defending Freedom, which has led attacks on public schools and on abortion rights. The Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was a lawyer for ADF.
Please read the Documented brief describing their work.
It will open your eyes to a well-funded plot to destroy our public schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Becket Law 7-13-2023,
“Seventh Circuit tosses lawsuit challenging employment standards for religious schools…Michelle Fitzgerald v. Roncalli High School and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis….”
Key words- ministerial exception-anticipate more wins for ADF and Becket law
LikeLike
So frustrating when panelists and speakers don’t repe
LikeLike
Diane, you’re amazing! I’m up in years, but you always make me feel guilty with your stamina! There is just so much work to do….. Thank you. thank you for posting the Vimeo “The Secret Plot….” on one of your emails today. I really didn’t think I had an hour I could turn loose to watch it, but I am so grateful I did. I live in Loudoun County, VA, about twenty minutes from Patrick Henry “College” and Mr. Farris. I read about this stuff all the time, still I learned just an incredible amount about the structure, tactics, pure strategy of these groups from this panel. Your closing comment was brilliant: something to the effect that they control the narrative, we need to rewrite ours and focus on the issues (not the dog whistles) so that uninformed voters do not continue to vote against their own self interests. Well put. I think all prospective Democrat candidates should be required to watch the vimeo!
LikeLike
Dear Joan Henry,
Thank you for taking the time to watch the video. I was in the audience. Everyone who was there was astonished by what we saw. The audacity!
I hope others watch it.
Diane
LikeLike
Awareness and knowledge are what we must spread to the unsuspecting. Billionaires allied with religious zealots are a toxic brew that want to install minority rule by whittling away at democracy, plundering the commons and replacing the rule of law with a Christofascist regime. Democrats need to be informed and ready to defend our democracy. We should share this video on social media with our friends and colleagues.
LikeLike
So, when does the national Democratic Party start running nationwide ads to educate voters on particular issues? We have a PROFOUNDLY IGNORANT populace. Half of them have no idea that they have been voting against themselves all these years. This will not be fixed by running campaigns on vague slogans like Build Back Better.
LikeLike
Expecting the corporate toadies who run the Dimocrap Party to “educate voters” as you suggest is expecting the impossible.
LikeLike
I often think that that’s probably so, Duane. They get too much money from the healthcare lobby, for example, to explain to ignorant Americans what the OECD is, that the US is the only OECD member without a national healthcare plan, that our healthcare costs are TWICE the OECD average and the highest in the OECD, and that by almost every measure, our health outcomes are worse. One could easily do this in a 60-minute commercial. But the DIMs aren’t going to do that. Same with explaining what could be paid for by bringing back the Eisenhower-era upper tax rates.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe teachers and parents that support public schools should find someone in their district to primary the corporate democrats that take the money and look the way while they aid and abet the great public school heist. Maybe that is the only language they can understand.
LikeLike
cx: look away
LikeLiked by 1 person
Retired teacher
Rhetorically, do you think the battle can be won with an all-encompassing term for the enemy, like, for example, “religious zealots”? Which religious is it? The Baptist Global News supports public schools as does Pastors for Texas Children.
Is it your assessment that the winning generals in the Civil War and WWII rejected a targeted strategy, selecting instead, a shotgun approach based on the understanding that the enemy was the generalized zealous in the south who supported the Confederacy and the generalized zealous folks supporting the Axis in the areas of Germany and Japan, respectively?
How do the generals in the battle for public schools craft a plan against religious zealots?
The targeting against M4L, naming specific people like Ziegler, and the work of the SPLC seems effective, maybe that could be a model for public ed’s generals? Just a thought.
LikeLike
I have nothing but respect for religious people that support public education. We need their support. The dangerous ones are the Christian right wing extremists and the Christian Nationalists.
LikeLike
You’re opposed to the work product of Notre Dame Professor and Manhattan Institute Fellow, Nicole Stelle Garnet, described as the most influential legal scholar advancing religious charter schools?
Your thoughts about Catholic University of America’s new initiative described as Constitutional Originalism and Catholic Intellectual Thought. Allegedly, Garnet is on the board and Alito is the honorary chair.
Your thoughts about the prior work history of the Colorado Catholic Conference executive director, EdChoice and the Koch network?
Your thoughts about the dioceses of Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland’s expenditure of almost $1,000,000 against democracy in Ohio (Issue 1 on the ballot in August 2023)?
LikeLike
As far as organizing to oppose privatization, most of it has to start at the local level. NPE has helped alert the public to the war on public education and educate them about the issues. I am opposed to unaccountable funds going to private schools, religious or otherwise. I do think we should continue to resist, push back and vote out those that want to destroy the commons.
LikeLike
Adding to what you wrote, retired teacher-
The state level is where privatization began in Ohio and Indiana.
Indiana Catholics took credit, publicly, in a publication a couple of years ago, for the initiation of privatization and, its legislative passage in the state. The goal of tax money for Catholic schools was written about in the Akron Beacon Journal, Dec. 14. 1999, “Whose choice? How school choice began in Ohio.”
The main fight is at the state level, and money that encourages charter schools is at the federal level.
Convincing state level politicians requires overcoming the influence they are getting from right wing religious operations which include lobbyists and sophisticated voter mobilization. Ignoring that front will result in failure.
LikeLike
Happy New Year! Here’s what I know…When I taught American Government, it was made very clear that I was not to “indoctrinate” any student into a particular way of thinking. If I discussed one platform, I had to equally discuss another platform. There was no favoritism towards one group or another. I had no problem with that because I taught students “how to think” and “not what to think.” It was all about natural inquiry and my at-risk students were excellent independent thinkers. I made sure they saw all the debates and then we discussed how politicians use rhetorical devices to move voters in their direction. When Samuel Alito was being interviewed for the Supreme Court, I played CSPAN for them. I wanted the kids to understand how it all worked. Every time (as Bob stated) I hear regurgitated sound bites out of pure ignorance on the subject that teachers are “indoctrinating” their students I cringe. All I know, is any teacher I knew who spewed their personal views (as they way) on students was around for too long. We (as in our oath to earn our credential) stated we were “agents of the state” and if we decided to stray “outside the lines” we were called to carpet on it. We were told to maintain the students’ “natural inquiry.” But it is obvious if we teach people to be independent thinkers, they just might challenge the system. Uh, I remember something like this when Gutenberg invented the printing press.
LikeLike
Just a bit of scuttlebutt-
Allegedly, Alito is honorary chair of a new initiative at Catholic University of America about Constitutional Originalism and Catholic Intellectual Thought (allegedly, the initiative is receiving funding from one of Leonard Leo’s groups). Allegedly, the legal scholar credited as most influential in advancing religious charter schools who is also a Manhattan Institute Fellow is on the Board of the initiative.
LikeLike
“any teacher I knew who spewed personal views . . . on students wasn’t around for too long”
My experience as well, Mr. Charvet!
LikeLike
And what does the r in rcharvet stand for? Richard? Rascal? Renee? Rolf? Roman? Rhett? Rumpelstiltskin? Rory? Reuben? Romeo? Rock ‘n’ Roll?
LikeLike
Rebel, but sometimes “Bobo the Rodeo Clown.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know now that you gave me a chance to think about it…I started out as Mr. Charvet. Then as I coached sports over the years, I was known as “Coach.” But, once I got to the continuation high school, I was known as “Charvet” just like Reacher states, “Reacher, not Mr. Reacher.” At a graduation ceremony I introduced myself as “Mr. Charvet, errr…Charvet. I said, “The kids know me as Charvet, but like Prince I may soon become a symbol; I hope it’s a good one!” But, my given name is Richard and I go by Rick or RC (easy to type and my sister is known as CC — yeah, both colas). Occasionally I have been known to be a “Dick” as well. Love the double entendres.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dick. IKR? There is no adding dignity to the name Bob. But I’m good with that. I almost wrote, “I’m cool with that,” but I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I think that I am “one of the cool kids.”
About that expression. Often my kids would say something like, “Dad, you are so not cool.” And I would tell them that aspiring to be cool was something I gave up at the age of 11.
LikeLike
I get you. Just like I jumped off the “fashion train” 40 years ago. My colleague told me, “Charvet, you have been wearing Cargo shorts before they were in and to this day.” I am built for comfort, plus I loved having pockets for picking up art supplies and the like. Yeppers, a beanie, hoodie, and my Cargo shorts…I am just fine.
LikeLike
I worked in public schools in two states for thirty-seven years where I sometimes team taught academics. I never witnessed any teacher “indoctrinating students.” This notion is largely right wing propaganda designed to undermine trust in public education.
LikeLike
Scalise, a supporter of school choice, endorsed trump for 2024.
LikeLike
Yikes. Good to know about this effort on part of Christian Nationalists/Republicans to use the courts when voting doesn’t work in their favor. Is there not a corresponding effort for using the courts on the left? I fear so many are not aware of the consequences of their vote (or non-vote) if voting is the answer. Do we have a “how to save a democracy” list of action items, to shed light on what is happening? Just watching the video doesn’t seem like enough!
LikeLike
Awareness about the source of influence at the state level is important. The Akron Beacon Journal wrote about the source in a Dec. 14, 1999 article available on-line, “Whose Choice? How school choice began in Ohio.”
The call for a parallel school system is in the Paul Weyrich training manual posted at Theocracy Watch. Weyrich’s efforts were funded by Charles and David Koch. Weyrich was a co-founder of ALEC (drafts state laws for Republican legislators), the secretive Council for National Policy, the Heritage Foundation and the religious right.
He was right wing Catholic.
The Catholic Conferences (the political arm of the bishops) advance school choice through lobbyists and sophisticated voter mobilization efforts. The credentials of the executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference are not unique. She was formerly with the Koch network and EdChoice.
The Alliance for Catholic Education at Notre Dame hosts regular school choice events. The legal scholar credited as most influential in advancing religious charter schools, is a friend of Amy Comey Barrett, Notre Dame Prof. Nicole Stelle Garnet.
LikeLike
The written synopsis of the Documented piece identifies the role of Ginni Thomas,
William Barr(said religion should be introduced at every opportunity) and,
Leonard Leo. The three are right wing Catholic. Leo has 9 children. Both Barr and Leo (Federalist Society) have received awards from Catholic organizations.
Reportedly, the Jones Day law firm had 12 lawyers in the Trump administration. J-D’s current managing director and former managing partner were, respectively, on an advisory council for Notre Dame law school and, on the Notre Dame board of trustees. Don McGahn who helped in the selection of Trump appointees to judgeships was a J-D lawyer.
LikeLike