Guest column: Getting covered by the false grassroots of school reform
Recently I made a presentation to the Lafayette School Corp. board which focused on the extent to which major private foundations and wealthy individuals are influencing public policy, and in particular how this influence is resulting in legislation that enables the wealthiest people in America to reap huge financial gains at the expense of the American taxpayer while harming our children by limiting their future educational opportunities.
Theoretically, private foundations are barred from influencing public policy but use exceptions in the tax code and their resources to support organizations that "educate" the public and conduct "research." In reality these organizations are little more than public relations firms employed to disseminate the message, attack the opposition and conduct "research" that is flawed and biased.
These coordinated efforts are undertaken to