Archives for category: ALEC
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A Trifecta of Reform Rhetoric

By dianeravitch
August 23, 2012 //
1

Here you can see a rare event: a trifecta of school reform rhetoric.

A spokesman for Jeb Bush’s organization writing an article praising the “parent trigger” in Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, espousing the principles of the rightwing ALEC.

This is a splendid demonstration of how the rightwing carefully uses progressive terminology to promote its agenda.

And by the way, the 1925 Supreme Court decision that this guy writes about had nothing to do with publicly funded school choice or a parent trigger. It came about because far-right groups in Oregon pushed through a law and a referendum that threatened to close down private and parochial schools. The rhetoric from the far-right then was that all American children should attend public schools, not any others. The law was challenged by the Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, whose school was at risk of closure. The Supreme Court upheld the right of parents to send their children to a nonpublic school. Nothing was said or implied about public funding for nonpublic schools or about the current rightwing assertion that parents should have the right to seize control of their public school and hand it to a private corporation. Connecting this court decision with the parent trigger is a wild stretch.

Categories ALEC, Education Reform, NYC, Parent trigger

Where Are the Unions?

By dianeravitch
August 22, 2012 //
36

This teacher (from the west) agrees with a previous post that the real goal of the reform movement is to do away with unions. That would leave them clear sailing to cut budgets even more, lay off teachers, increase class size, encourage for-profit ventures, and privatize at will, with no one powerful enough to stop them. What is sometimes called the “neoliberal” agenda is actually the old rightwing agenda, and it starts with union-busting and concludes with privatization.

I’ve often thought this mess boils down to busting the unions. Once that’s done, it’s smooth sailing for the “reformers.”From where I stand, the union appears to be silent. What gives? I thumbed through a recent national magazine from the NEA. Nothing on what’s currently transpiring. Our local representation is always “looking into that,” yet provides no answers when asked about the union’s stance on privatization. I thought the front page of the NEA website would be bursting with anti-privatization articles. Instead I found all kinds of back-to-school tips for teachers.Anyone here a union rep? In the know? What is going on?
Categories ALEC, Budget Cuts, Corporate Reformers, Unions

Who Wants to End Local Control of Schools?

By dianeravitch
August 15, 2012 //
5

It’s kind of funny when a blog talks to a blog, which then talks back to the other blog.

I wrote today about how the State Superintendent of Schools in Georgia came out in opposition to a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would allow a commission appointed by the governor to override the decisions of local school boards that reject charter schools.

The news story about him said:

“I cannot support the creation of a new and costly state bureaucracy that takes away local control of schools and unnecessarily duplicates the good work already being done by local districts, the Georgia Department of Education, and the state Board of Education,” Barge said in a prepared statement. “What’s more, this constitutional amendment would direct taxpayer dollars into the pockets of out-of-state, for-profit charter school companies whose schools perform no better than traditional public schools and locally approved charter schools (and worse, in some cases).”

Then, in response to my post,  Jonathan Pelto wrote that Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy pushed for the same authority in Connecticut, to allow his Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor (who founded a charter school and is a strong proponent of charters) to intervene in low-income districts with almost unlimited authority to impose the changes he prefers.

And here is the funny part: The idea is promoted by the conservative group called ALEC, which advocates for vouchers, charters, the parent trigger and opposes unions, tenure, and certification. As an organization of some 2,000 conservative legislators, ALEC would normally be in favor of small government and local control. But ALEC advocates that governors should be able to appoint a commission with the power to overturn local decisions about charter schools, so that more charters will be created despite local opposition. This is a case where ideology trumps ideology.

ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) supports privatization and promotes a free-market ideology. It gained some unwanted attention this spring for its model “stand your ground” legislation, which figured in the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida by George Zimmerman.

Strange world we live in.

Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Connecticut, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, Malloy, Dannel

Amazing News from Georgia

By dianeravitch
August 15, 2012 //
10

In Georgia, the Republican party has lined up to support a constitutional amendment this fall that would give the governor power to override the decisions of local school boards and open charters whether the local boards like it or not.

Obviously, such a law would eviscerate local control and also raid the local school budget to fund the charters.

Where did this idea come from? Not surprisingly, from the rightwing organization called ALEC, which values privatization over local control.

But here is the amazing news: the state superintendent of education, a loyal Republican named John Barge, has come out in opposition to the measure, which will be on the ballot in November.

This is from Maureen Downey’s blog in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“I cannot support the creation of a new and costly state bureaucracy that takes away local control of schools and unnecessarily duplicates the good work already being done by local districts, the Georgia Department of Education, and the state Board of Education,” Barge said in a prepared statement. “What’s more, this constitutional amendment would direct taxpayer dollars into the pockets of out-of-state, for-profit charter school companies whose schools perform no better than traditional public schools and locally approved charter schools (and worse, in some cases).”

Barge said the passage of the amendment, the restoration of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission and state funding for the charter schools it approves would be too costly for the state.

“Until all of our public school students are in school for a full 180-day school year, until essential services like student transportation and student support can return to effective levels, and until teachers regain jobs with full pay for a full school year, we should not redirect one more dollar away from Georgia’s local school districts — much less an additional $430 million in state funds, which is what it would cost to add seven new state charter schools per year over the next five years (the annual average of the Charter Commission that would be revived if the amendment passes),” Barge’s statement read.

Categories Accountability, ALEC, Charter Schools

What You Need to Know about For-Profit Online Schools

By dianeravitch
August 8, 2012 //
5

This is a stunning article. A real journalistic achievement.

It shows in remarkable detail how certain politicians and investors and entrepreneurs are working together to privatize public education and to generate huge profits for certain companies.

Read this.

Categories ALEC, Bush, Jeb, Charter Schools, Florida, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, K12 Inc., Luna, Tom, On-Line Education

Why Governor Christie Can’t Wait

By dianeravitch
August 7, 2012 //
9

As this article shows, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has decided that the state needs charter schools so badly that he can’t wait for the Legislature to act. He plans to do by regulation what the Legislature has thus far failed to do: To allow more charter schools and possibly an online charter school as well.

What’s the hurry?

The evidence is clear that charters don’t get different results from public schools when they enroll the same children. And the evidence is equally clear that online charters get worse results than public schools. There is no miracle in calling a school a charter, although it is true that nearly 90% of charters are non-union. Maybe that’s the point of having more charters: to get rid of union jobs.

There may be another reason for the governor’s impatience. As an article in the Star-Ledger showed last April, many of Christie’s bills are closely aligned with the ALEC model legislation. ALEC calls for charters that receive the same funding as public schools, and for for-profit online schools.

The Legislature is dragging its feet.

But Governor Christie can’t let Bobby Jindal and other rightwing governors outdo him in putting the ALEC plans into action.

Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Education Reform, New Jersey

Is CNN Shilling for ALEC?

By dianeravitch
August 4, 2012 //
52

A reader wrote this morning to complain about a biased and ill-informed CNN program.

Teachers, parents: When you see shows like this, call the network’s 800 number and tell them you want to complain. Be specific. Next time Rhee is on a program complaining about the “failure” of U.S. schools, tell the network to ask about the cheating scandals in D.C. and the achievement gaps in D.C.

They take notes. If they get hundred of calls, they listen:

This morning, CNN devoted two segments on how American education is failing compared to the rest of the world. Of course, Michelle Rhee was interviewed and the segment was completed one sided with no counter arguments presented. I wish they would have had you on to debunk Rhee’s false claims. I wrote the following complaint to CNN:
This morning 8/4/12 you had a completed one-sided story about US education which included Michelle Rhee. The entire premise of the segment is that the US is failing in education compared to the rest of the world. You even used a biased chart of nation rankings in education from the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC. Rhee, other corporate “reformers” like Bill Gates, and ALEC has one mission-to privatize public education. Rhee’s organization, Students First demonizes teachers and wants to set up more charter schools which perform in many cases no better than public schools. Rhee and other “reformers” never talk about how the US has one of the highest poverty rates of all the industrialized nations. Research indicates poverty has the greatest impact on student performance. So instead of dealing with poverty issues in America, Rhee looks to blame teachers and unions. Moreover, when controlling for poverty, the US ranks in the top 10 of nations in education. In fact American schools have been improving not failing. The National Assessment of Educational Progress shows steady gains in reading and larger gains in math over the years. Why doesn’t CNN act like a responsible news organization and do some actual research about education before having someone like Rhee on the air? Why not have someone to counter her false claims about education like Diane Ravitch? Shame on you CNN for not doing your homework!
Categories ALEC, Corporate Reformers, Rhee, Michelle, US Education

ALEC in Salt Lake City This Week

By dianeravitch
July 24, 2012 //
13

I just learned that ALEC is holding a meeting this week in Salt Lake City.

One block away, ALEC critics will meet to discuss privatization, school vouchers, and other ALEC activities that undermine the public sector.

If you are in SLC, consider stopping by.

Categories ALEC, Privatization

Which CEO Made $5 Million Stealing Your Kid’s Lunch Money?

By dianeravitch
July 21, 2012 //
8

At last, someone who knows and cares about public education has made a Youtube video that tells the story of ALEC and the privatization movement, linking them to the outpouring of legislation against teachers and public education. Share this with your friends and neighbors. The narrator is Julie Mead, the dean of education at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Karran Harper Royal is a founding member of Parents Across America. Gary Miron of Western Michigan University wrote the National Education Policy Center’s report on K12.

The video is called “Which CEO Made $5 Million Stealing Your Kid’s Lunch Money.” Help it go viral.

Categories ALEC, Education Reform, For-Profit, On-Line Education, Parent trigger, Privatization

You Should Read This Article

By dianeravitch
July 15, 2012 //
21

One of the nice things about having your own blog is that you can do things like recommend an article that appeared last November.

I recommend this article by Lee Fang that was published in The Nation.

It is a stunning piece of investigative journalism about the corporate reform movement, its leaders, its methods, its goals.

The article centers on events in Florida but the context is national.

It is a shocking story, well documented, and very important.

When I read it, I tweeted it.

It deserves to be read and widely circulated.

Categories ALEC, Bush, Jeb, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, On-Line Education
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