For Philly public schools, barbarian is Gates
Post a commentLast week, Philadelphia became the latest in a long list of cities to be courted by Bill Gates, when his "Great Schools Compact" was presented for consideration to the School Reform Commission. Bill Gates has taken on a reputation as a school reformer as well as philanthropist, dispensing money throughout the country for struggling schools in economically distressed cities while imposing changes in policies and procedures in those locales. Sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
Then how has Bill Gates become the liberals' Grover Norquist? Just as Norquist, elected by and accountable to no one, tied the hands of the "supercommittee" with his no-new-taxes pledge, Gates undermines the authority of school boards with his pro-charter, pro-privatization contract. This contract requires that cities must sign on in order to benefit from the munificence of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He doesn't just sign the check and let the city decide what's best for its students. It's not up to the school board, elected or appointed, to decide. No, he is the decider. Bill Gates has joined the ranks of school "reformers" such as Michelle Rhee who, despite having no degree in education and virtually no experience teaching, have appointed themselves experts in the field.
Diane Ravitch, in her recent book, "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How