Archives for category: Corporate Reformers
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The Lowdown on $tudents for Educational Reform

By dianeravitch
November 11, 2012 //
17

EduShyster has done the research and digging on Students for Educational Reform that has thus far eluded mainstream journalists.

(This should not be surprising since few journalists have paid much attention to Democrats for Education Reform, the Wall Street hedge fund managers group, which is able to direct millions of dollars to state and local political elections from a small number of very rich donors. Typically DFER is described in news stories as just another Democratic advocacy group interested in education reform rather than as a small group of billionaires who want to promote privatization of public education.)

EduShyster gives us insight into their $uccess, their board, their ties to the financial elites, and the current focus of their activities (demanding tougher teacher evaluations, a curious preoccupation for university students).

She invites readers to offer a slogan for them. One suggestion she offers: “Pawns of billionaires.”

Maybe you can think of others.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, For-Profit, NYC, Students, Teacher Evaluations, Testing

Privatization Picks Up Steam in Memphis

By dianeravitch
November 10, 2012 //
4

A teacher writes to report that the privatization movement plans to take over her school and several others in Memphis.

The schools slated for privatization are not the district’s lowest performing.

She is not pleased and feels sure that the charter operators picked her school because it is doing well, not failing.

Tennessee now has a solid rightwing majority in the state legislature, a rightwing governor, and a TFA state commissioner dedicated to advancing privatization.

Stand for Children is a major presence in the state, assuring that Wall Street money will be available to facilitate privatization and portray it as part of the “civil rights issue” of our day.

The leader of the state’s all-charter Achievement School District, Chris Barbic, who is also TFA, expressed disappointment that the scores in his new district were so low. But it is customary for administrators to low-ball scores when starting new so they have nowhere to go but up. In the new district, teachers will be paid by test scores, not by degrees or experience. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and it Is never too soon to learn that lesson.

Tennessee was one of the first two Race to the Top states in the nation, and we should soon expect to see Tennessee at the very top. It’s fulfilling all of Secretary Duncan’s expectations. Charters and TFA are flourishing. Collective bargaining rights were eliminated. Teachers are being evaluated by test scores. The Common Core has been installed. Public schools are being handed over to every manner of entrepreneur. What more is needed for success?

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, Merit pay, Stand for Children, Tennessee

EduShyster Has Discovered an Entire Family of Rephormers

By dianeravitch
November 10, 2012 //
11

Who knew? An entire family in the reform/privatization business.

The pater familias is a major publisher in Minneapolis. And all the offspring are busily closing the gaps. They are paving the way for a dramatic expansion of the charter sector.

If you read the link in the post by EduShyster, be sure to read the comments that follow.

I find these stories about miracle schools really annoying. The implicit assumption is that if we can do it, why can’t everyone else? Such stories are inherently self-aggrandizing and egotistical because they cast aspersion on all those incompetents and dullards who lack the brilliance of the super star. They and they alone work miracles.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Minnesota, Privatization

Milkens Join with University of Pennysylvania

By dianeravitch
November 9, 2012 //
11

I received this communication from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Just think: You too can earn a cash prize for formulating the best business plan for education.

Maybe it would be like the Milkens’ very own K12 virtual school business, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, makes millions of dollars, and provides a shoddy education. Study after study shows that the students in the Milken virtual schools have a high attrition rate, low test scores, and low graduation rates. They sit at home in front of a computer and guess the answers to questions on the computer. But what a great business plan! It makes a lot of money for its investors.

University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education

and the Milken Family Foundation Launch 2013 Education

Business Plan Competition

Share your idea. Change the world.

Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2012 – The University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) and the Milken Family Foundation have opened submissions for the 2013 Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC) at the newly re-launched web site www.nestcentral.org. Penn GSE’s Executive Director of Academic Innovation Dr. Bobbi Kurshan announced the competition today. The first education-focused business plan competition ever now features a total of $120,000 in prize funding, and is part of Penn GSE’s expanding NEST initiative. The 2013 EBPC will take place on Penn’s campus May 7-8, 2013.

The Milken-Penn GSE EBPC stimulates cutting-edge ideas that serve the world’s educational needs, from Pre-K to adult learning. Last year, EBPC judges selected ten worldwide finalists from over 200 applicants to compete in a live competition in Philadelphia judged by a panel of industry leaders. This year’s competition will also feature the Penn GSE NEST Conference, a gathering of industry leaders for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to gauge the pulse of entrepreneurship in education and explore new ways of fostering a culture of continuous innovation in the field. In coming months, Kurshan will announce a greatly expanded slate of NEST programming that will take place throughout the year.

The $120,000 in total funding is awarded through the following six prizes:

· The Milken Family Foundation:

o First Prize ($25,000)

o Second Prize ($15,000)

· The American Public University System Prize for Innovation in Online Education ($25,000)

· The Educational Services of America Prize for Innovation in the fields of Special Education and At-Risk Students ($20,000)

· The Erudient Education Prize for Innovation in Borderless Education ($10,000)

· The Startl Prize for Open Educational Resources ($25,000)

Penn GSE NEST launched the EBPC in 2010 as a partnership between Penn GSE and the Milken Family Foundation. The EBPC culminates with a live competition, judged by a panel of industry experts, and has more than doubled the amount of prize money and number of prizes since it was first launched. Last year’s winning plans ranged from an effort to leverage mobile technology to educate in Africa (and beyond) to a powerful text-to-audio application that is revolutionary for individuals with visual impairments and those with literacy needs around the world.

Penn GSE NEST

A worldwide leader in education practice, policy, and philosophy, Penn GSE is consistently at the forefront of education innovation. As part of the school’s expanding entrepreneurial effort, each summer Penn GSE invites the best, brightest, and most influential professional educators, education entrepreneurs, business leaders, and venture capitalists to the campus of the University of Pennsylvania for the annual Penn GSE NEST Conference. The Conference is a unique way to generate new ideas, debate policy, forge new collaborations, discover investment opportunities, and conduct social networking and research.

The Milken Family Foundation

The Milken Family Foundation (MFF) was established by Lowell and Michael Milken in 1982 with the mission to discover and advance inventive and effective ways to help people help themselves and those around them lead productive and satisfying lives. MFF has been at the vanguard of education reform for three decades. From founding the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program to creating the country’s most successful comprehensive education reform system, the foundation continues to champion innovative strategies that elevate education in America and around the world. Learn more at www.mff.org.

About Penn GSE

Penn GSE is one of the nation’s premier research ed schools. A small percentage of education programs in the U.S. offer doctoral degrees, with only a tiny fraction located at flagship research universities. No other education school enjoys a University environment as supportive of practical knowledge-building as the University of Pennsylvania. Penn GSE has long been known for excellence in qualitative research, language and literacy studies, practitioner inquiry and teacher education. Over the past 15 years, Penn GSE has also developed remarkable strengths in quantitative research, policy studies, evaluation, higher education, and psychology and human development. The School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals and unique partnerships with local educators. For further information about Penn GSE, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Higher Education, K12 Inc.

Privatizers Capture Control of Indianapolis School Board

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
5

It was very exciting that Glenda Ritz managed to oust uber-privatizer Tony Bennett in Indiana, but meanwhile the privatization movement gained ground in Indianapolis, where a group called the Mind Trust has called for the abolition of the school district.

Its candidates captured control of the school board in yesterday’s election, promising the moon, the sun, and the stars once public education was abolished and replaced by private management.

And the voters fell for it.

As the linked article shows, Ritz will have a rough time dealing with the new governor and legislature, who are firmly opposed to public education and antagonistic to the wisdom and experience of a veteran educator.

Being politicians, they think they know how to reform schools. No experience necessary.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Indiana, Privatization

Indiana GOP Insists that Votes for Ritz Mean Nothing

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
4

In an article today, Indiana GOP leaders announced their determination to pursue Tony Bennett’s anti-teacher, pro-privatization agenda even though Bennett lost his bid for re-election.

Bennett’s challenger, Glenda Ritz, collected more votes than Mike Pence, the Republican who won the governor’s seat.

She won despite Bennett’s expenditure of  ten times as much as she had for the campaign.

She won despite the support of national rightwing groups promoting Bennett as the exemplar of school “reform.”

But the GOP thinks the voters didn’t really mean it, or made a mistake, or maybe the voters didn’t know what they were doing.

They hope to ignore the mandate at the polls.

Ritz has a Herculean task moving forward with a Republican governor, a Republican legislature, and laws mandating policies intended to destroy public education.

All she has on her side are the votes of 1.3 million Hoosiers.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Teacher Evaluations, Testing, Vouchers

Privatization Leaders Praise President Obama

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
4

I received the following news release from the National Alliance for Charter Schools.

They of course were crowing about the passage of the ALEC-inspired initiative in Georgia, where the governor will be free to open charter schools everywhere across the state without consulting any local school board.

I knew Nina Rees when I worked in the George H.W. Bush administration. She is smart and personable and very, very conservative in her education views. She subsequently worked for the Milken brothers, who own K12, the for-profit virtual charter corporation.

Then she worked as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation in the George W. Bush administration.

She was co-chair of the education policy committee for the Romney campaign, whose agenda was a flat-out privatization program for education.

And now she is praising President Obama for his leadership in the charter movement!

 
From: Nina Rees <Nina@publiccharters.org>
Subject: Public Charter Schools Win Big in Election

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Dear charter school supporter,The 2012 election is an important moment in the public charter schools movement.In two states, voters sent a clear message that they want public school options that are unique partnerships between teachers, parents, and students and that respond to the specific needs of their communities.Voters in Georgia rejected the status quo and created conditions that support the growth of high-quality public charter schools that are accountable for student achievement. Now, charter applicants who are rejected by school districts will have access to a fair appeals process.In Washington state, where votes are still being counted, voters are on the verge of making their state the 42nd with a public charter school law. If the results hold up, families and children in Washington will have the chance to attend schools that are as innovative as the companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing that drive the state’s economy forward.In addition, the re-election of President Obama maintains leadership for charter schools at the national level. In his first term, President Obama created an environment where charter schools could thrive through the incentives in Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, Promise Neighborhoods, and other reform programs. Over the past three years, almost half of states have revised their charter school laws to support growth and quality. Over the past four years, enrollment in public charter schools has risen by almost 1 million students. Today, more than 2 million students attend these unique public schools that serve the needs of students and their parents.

With the support of voters in Georgia, Washington and other states, and with the leadership from elected officials in state houses and Washington, D.C., the best days are ahead for the public charter school community.

Regards,

Nina Rees
President & CEO

© Copyright 2006 – 2012, The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
1101 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 1010. Washington, DC 20005.
(202) 289-2700
Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, K12 Inc., Obama, Privatization, Romney, Mitt

Georgia Charter Referendum Passes Easily

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Voters in Georgia passed an amendment to the state constitution enabling the governor to set up a commission to approve charter schools over the objection of local school boards.

The margin of victory was 58-42.

This is an ALEC-inspired model law, meant to strip away the powers of local school boards.

It had major financial support from Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, Alice Walton of the Walmart fortune, a member of the Gap family, charter school operators, and other supporters of privatization.

Critics fear that charters will restore racial segregation.

One certain result is that public schools’ budgets will be cut to pay for charter schools of uncertain quality across the state.

Chalk up a big win for the rightwing privatizers.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Georgia, Privatization, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst, Walton Foundation

Usdin Wins in New Orleans

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Sarah Usdin won a school board seat in New Orleans, unfortunately.

She is a major advocate for privatization of public education.

Her background is Teach for America, the New Teacher Project (founded by Michelle Rhee), and New Schools for New Orleans (which opens charters).

She had the advantage of more than $110,000 in contributions from Wall Street hedge fund managers (“Democrats for Education Reform”), and others committed to wiping out public education in New Orleans and elsewhere.

Her campaign chest far exceeded that of her opponents, who included parent activist Karran Harper Royal.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, Education Reform, Klein, Joel, New Orleans, Privatization

Bill Ayers Writes a Letter to the President

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
11

I won’t go into the baggage associated with Bill Ayers. During the campaign of 2008, his name came up again and again and was hurled as an accusation against candidate Barack Obama.

I recall Sarah Palin saying that Obama was guilty of “palling around with terrorists,” or words to that effect.

I did not approve of or condone what he did in the 1960s.

Bill Ayers is not the same person he was forty years ago. Today, he is a respected education thinker. But then, none of us is the same person we were 40 or 20 or even 10 years ago.

People grow and change. If they are willing, they learn.

Ayers has written a letter to President Obama that expresses the views of many educators today.

He calls on the President to rethink his policies.

He reminds him of the great advantages that the University of Chicago Lab School offered to the Obama children, the Ayers children, the Duncan children, and the Rahm Emanuel children even now.

Isn’t this what we should want for all children?

Categories Charter Schools, Chicago, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Duncan, Arne, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Obama, Race to the Top, Teacher Evaluations, Testing, U.S. Department of Education, Unions, US Education, Vouchers
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