Archives for category: Privatization
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The Mystery of the $18,000 in Alabama Solved

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
14

A reader did some sleuthing when presented earlier with the question of who was paying for an ad buy of at least $18,000 to support the Alabama Accountability Act:

He writes:

Oh, what a tangled web we weave…

So, alabamaaccountability.com/ is owned by Domains by Proxy LLC, a company that has already been identified as engaging in troubling activities (in particular in the political domain, seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domains_by_Proxy)

The organizations featured on Alabama Accountability’s website as “supporters” are Heritage Foundation, the Alabama Policy Institute, and The Business Council of Alabama. We already know enough about Hertitage – and hope someone around here from Alabama might chime in. The Alabama Policy Institute is lead by Gary Palmer, who is a self-described founding director of the State Policy Network – a subsidiary of ALEC. Their policy director, Cameron Smith, most recently worked for Rep. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Alabama Policy Network likes charters, vouchers, anti-union, and public funding for religious school.

In the article, two board members of Alabama Accountablity are mentioned, Kate Anderson and Ashley Newman. Is this the same Ashley Newman who is on the Board of Directors of Reform Alabama (http://reformalabama.org/about-us/board-of-directors/)? This org supports charter schools, merit pay for teachers, and teacher ed accountability based on teacher “performance.” And is Kate Anderson the same one profiled here http://yellowhammerpolitics.com/blog/power-influence-whos-next/ as someone who raised $5.7M for GOP candidates?

Inquiring minds want to know….

Categories Accountability, Alabama, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization

Which Entrepreneur Will Get Camden’s Kids?

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
4

Jersey Jazzman has done his usual spectacular research job and discovered that a new charter operator is poised to enter the Camden “market” of school choice.

It happens to be the same for-profit charter operator who runs the Chester Community Charter School, who happens to be the single biggest campaign contributor to Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett. Since he opened his charter, the Chester public schools have gone bankrupt and been taken over by a state fiscal manager.

For good measure, Jersey Jazzman uncovers the buying of Democratic politicians who agreed to turn their city’s children over to the privatizers.

Privatization is not just a Republican thing. Amazing what campaign contributions can do.

Even more amazing is that it costs less to buy politicians in New Jersey than in Pennsylvania.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, For-Profit, New Jersey, Privatization

An Insider Reveals What Happens in Cyber Charter Schools

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
72

I have written many posts about the scam and sham of cyber charters. They are highly profitable for their owners and investors, but study after study shows that they provide a poor education. Whatever their value for adults, whatever the value of an online course for a rural student, the cyber charters are a pitiful substitute for a real school with real teachers and real students and real human interaction.

Now comes the inside scoop from a teacher in a cyber charter school. It is very thing it’s critics feared and worse. It is all about making money for the corporation. It is bad education. That is, if you care about children or education or the future of our society.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, K12 Inc., On-Line Education, Privatization

Camden, NJ, School Board Member: I Quit

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
4

After Governor Christie announced his intention to take control of the public schools of Camden, this school board member resigned in protest.

The state has controlled three other impoverished urban districts, some for more than 20 years, without improving them. Paterson, for 24 years; Jersey City for 22 years; and Newark for 18 years.

Based solely on performance, one must say that state control in New Jersey is a total abject failure.

If performance matters, then some other state should take over Camden’s public schools, because the NJ Department of Education has an unbroken record of poor performance. It deserves an F.

Categories New Jersey, Privatization

Where Are the Progressives?

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
18

Jeff Bryant decries the phony bipartisan consensus surrounding education “reform.”

He wonders where are the progressives.

He compares the bipartisan consensus around education reform to the bipartisan consensus that prevailed before the war in Iraq, when dissenters were marginalized and ignored.

But he sees hope in the growing rebellion against high-stakes testing.

More and more parents and students understand that what is happening does not work, will not improve education, and will inflict grievous wounds to public education.

How long can our policymakers continue to demonize teachers and expect that “better” or “great” teachers will magically appear to take the places of those who left in disgust?

I share his view that the current reign of toxic policies will not last forever. Not a one of them has any evidence behind them, and not a one of them works to improve the quality of education.

Failure cannot survive indefinitely. The American people will indeed awaken to the great hoax called education “reform” and reclaim their schools.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Privatization, Teachers and Teaching, Testing

Bad Bill Alert in Texas!

By dianeravitch
March 27, 2013 //
16

Raise Your Hand Texas ACTION ALERT
Bad Bill Alert!

Your Action Is Needed TODAY!

March 27, 2013

Let the Senate Education Committee Know You Oppose SB 1263!

SB 1263 by Senator Larry Taylor is the “Parent Trigger” bill.

The “Parent Trigger” Is About Destroying Public Schools, Not Saving Them

SB 1263 radically undermines efforts to turn around a struggling school and may be voted out of committee Thursday (tomorrow) if we don’t act now.

We already have a parent trigger.

Texas’ current parent trigger law operates only after the Commissioner has reconstituted the campus, developed an intervention plan, and the campus has remained academically unacceptable for three years. SB 1263 blows up a campus for two years of academically unacceptable performance before any of the proven methods of intervention have been tried.

Historically, interests outside our school districts and even our state are the ones pushing for parent triggers. This is no exception.

SB 1263 undermines the authority of elected school boards: SB 1263 undermines the authority of locally elected school boards. While the statute allows the school board to petition the Commissioner to take a different action, it only he says he “may” order the action requested by the elected school board.

SB 1263 is brought by well-heeled national advocacy organizations, not parents. Many of the same groups pushing for school vouchers and other means of privatization are pushing this legislation.

Let the Senate Education Committee know you oppose SB 1263 by Taylor today.

Contact these legislators:

Dan Patrick, Chairman
(512) 463-0107
Dan.patrick@senate.state.tx.us

Eddie Lucio, Jr, Vice-Chair
(512) 463-0127
Eddie.lucio@senate.state.tx.us

Donna Campbell
(512) 463-0125
Donna.campbell@senate.state.tx.us

Robert Duncan
(512) 463-0128
Robert.duncan@senate.state.tx.us

Ken Paxton
(512) 463-0108
Ken.paxton@senate.state.tx.us

Kel Seliger
(512) 463-0131
Kel.seliger@senate.state.tx.us

Larry Taylor
(512) 463-0111
Larry.taylor@senate.state.tx.us

Leticia Van de Putte
(512) 463-0126
Leticia.vandeputte@senate.state.tx.us

Royce West
(512) 463-0123
Royce.west@senate.state.tx.us

To learn more, please visit our website

David Anthony, CEO

RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS

http://www.RaiseYourHandTexas.org

Categories Parent trigger, Privatization, Support for public schools, Texas

Breaking News: A Desperate Message from Memphis

By dianeravitch
March 27, 2013 //
21

I received this email from a high school teacher in Memphis. Please read it and understand that we must organize against the destruction of public education in America. This, plus the court approval of vouchers in Indiana yesterday sends an ominous message: the radical reactionaries are determined to destroy public education. We must fight back. We must awaken parents and civic leaders.

This comes from Memphis:

“Diane,

“Public education in Memphis/Shelby County is on the verge of collapse.

“Gates gave $90 million to Memphis City Schools, and now he’s calling the shots: increased class sizes, no extra pay for advanced degrees, merit pay based on test scores, etc.

“The initial budget for the first year of operation for the merged district is already $145 million in the red.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/12/memphis-shelby-school-board-ups-the-ante-in/

“Yet last night the school board voted to continue paying $350,000 a month to a four-person team from Parthenon, a consulting group, to develop a merit pay system to stick it to teachers.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/mar/26/unified-memphis-shelby-school-board-rejects-pay/

“That’s $87,500 per month per Parthenon team member. In a year, each team member will gross $1,050,000 for Parthenon. $4.2 million altogether. (Meanwhile, they’re looking to cut teacher pay and health and retirement benefits.)

“The best part: No one on the Parthenon “education” team is a classroom educator. They’re all business strategists, investors, lawyers, and—surprise, surprise—former members of the Gates Foundation. http://www.parthenon.com/Industries/Education

“Help expose these corporate reformer frauds!”

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Merit pay, Privatization, Tennessee

Will Florida Republicans Block Parent Trigger Again?

By dianeravitch
March 27, 2013 //
12

Coach Bob Sikes wonders if Florida Republicans will learn a lesson from Georgia Republicans.

In Georgia, the Republicans pulled back on a so-called Parent Trigger bill, which would enable a vote of parents to convert their community school into a privately managed charter school.

In Florida, the Jeb Bush foundation and the Chamber of Commerce are beating the drums for the “parent trigger” again, even though it has only been used once in the nation (in California) and no one knows the results. Why not faith-based legislation?

What does it matter if Florida has closed over 200 failing charter schools? What does it matter if half the schools on the state’s list of failing schools are charters?

Why delay when corporations stand ready and willing to make a profit by extracting money from public schools and sending it to their investors?

 

 

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization

The Hoax of Closing Schools to Save Money

By dianeravitch
March 27, 2013 //
5

District officials say they are closing schools to save money, but experience has shown that the savings seldom occur. They claim the schools are under-utilized even as they open charters to compete with the public schools for which the officials are responsible. The officials help the charters to grow and simultaneously harm the public schools. They are negligent in their duty to the children and to the public. They should be held accountable for their failure to promote, preserve, and support a democratic institution entrusted to their care. It is the school officials who have failed, not the schools.

A reader sends this. Please read it:

“Testimony from Kate Shaw Executive Director of Research for Action along with their issue brief on schools closings, detailing the impacts of school closings that district officials often neglect to take into account:

1) On the short-term financial savings, district officials often neglect to account for transition cost, maintaining and selling properties, etc which cut into the savings and sometimes come at a cost to the district.

2) Savings from school closures come primarily from large-scale cuts in faculty not from not having to heat “half-empty buildings. ”

3) The most important is that there are short-term negative impacts on students’ academic achievement, unless they are put in higher performing schools which is rarely the case.

Additionally students often feel a sense of neglect while districts fail to prepare the receiving school for the influx on new students.

Testimony: http://bit.ly/13yICRV
Issue Brief on Schools Closings: http://bit.ly/13CAUuN

Categories Charter Schools, Closing schools, Privatization

A Voice of Reason in Chicago

By dianeravitch
March 27, 2013 //
22

Toni Preckwinkle, the president of the Cook County board, deplores the closing of 54 public schools in Chicago. She said it was a terrible idea.

She said:

 “You know, schools are community anchors. They’re social centers. They’re part of a community’s identity. And often kids go half a dozen blocks and they’re in different gang territory.

“The closings are going to take place almost entirely within the African-American community, and given the problems we already have with violence, I think it’s very problematic.”

Instead of closing schools, she said, “We ought to invest a lot more in our public schools. You know, feed the kids breakfast, lunch, and dinner; have after-school activities; keep the schools open until nine o’clock in the evenings and on weekends; invest in things like the Boys and Girls Club and the Park District—I mean, everything, basically, to dramatically ramp up the investments in our children.”

Preckwinkle realizes that our values are distorted: People “would rather pay to keep somebody incarcerated than to support music lessons or soccer team memberships or basketball team uniforms for kids in poor neighborhoods.”

Please, someone, introduce this woman to Arne Duncan and Barack Obama. Introduce her to Bill Gates and Eli Broad. Introduce her to Rahm Emanuel. Or how about the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune?

Categories Charter Schools, Chicago, Privatization
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