Notes From the Field
Reform Public Education Through The Power Of Your Ideas
Submitted by Frank Murphy, Jan 4, 2011
During the winter break a teacher forwarded to me a post from the Labor Notes. It is an interesting piece that details the author’s claim that Bill Gates, and Eli Broad are leading a group of wealthy individuals who are attempting to eliminate organized opposition to their plans for America’s public schools. According to this article the attention of these billionaires has recently been focused on squashing teacher resistance in Chicago.
On June 12, 20010 the leadership of the Chicago Teacher Union was assumed by candidates from the CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators) union slate. CORE was one of five groups that sought control of this union local. In a run off election, they defeated the incumbent United Progressive Caucus headed by Marilyn Stewart. The result of the Chicago teacher election suggests a new direction for teacher unionism.
The Caucus of Rank and File Educators are loudly signaling their dissatisfaction with the free market school reform efforts of nouveau educational experts such as Eli Broad and Bill Gates. The influence exerted by these
