How deceptive is this letter from Rhee’s organization?
Recently, Rheefirst received irate emails about being scammed to sign a deceptive petition from change.org and care2. It turns out this is the chief recruitment ploy of Rhee’s organization. Sign and you become a Rhee “member” for life. One missive enumerated the number of times the inadvertent signer asked to be removed from Rhee’s “membership” list. To no avail.
Written by Valerie Strauss for the Washington Post. Read the entire article here.
“Read the following fundraising letter, which was sent to, of all people, education historian Diane Ravitch by Michelle Rhee’s organization.
Ravitch recognized the name of the group sending out the letter — StudentsFirst, the education reform organization Rhee formed after she quit as D.C. schools chancellor in October.
But those not steeped in education reform might not know that the reforms referred to in this letter are in many cases geared toward privatizing public schools by:
*expanding charter schools that are often run by for-profit companies
*increasing the use of standardized tests that are sold to schools by private firms
*supporting the use of public money for use as private school tuition. …
Even teachers might be fooled into thinking the organization is all about helping them, when it is actually intended to bring down teachers unions which are often blamed for failing schools by protecting adults. That argument, of course, ignores the fact that the problems are the same in states where teachers are unionized and in states where they aren’t.“
“Read the following fundraising letter, which was sent to, of all people, education historian Diane Ravitch by Michelle Rhee’s organization.
Ravitch recognized the name of the group sending out the letter — StudentsFirst, the education reform organization Rhee formed after she quit as D.C. schools chancellor in October.
But those not steeped in education reform might not know that the reforms referred to in this letter are in many cases geared toward privatizing public schools by:
*expanding charter schools that are often run by for-profit companies
*increasing the use of standardized tests that are sold to schools by private firms
*supporting the use of public money for use as private school tuition. …
Even teachers might be fooled into thinking the organization is all about helping them, when it is actually intended to bring down teachers unions which are often blamed for failing schools by protecting adults. That argument, of course, ignores the fact that the problems are the same in states where teachers are unionized and in states where they aren’t.“
The ALEC links with the education for profiteers & the Rhee connection
Michelle Rhee will be speaking at what was described as the most cynical group of education for-profiteers ever assembled.
This piece examines the ALEC links of this group. Unsurprisingly, a sister company of the Washington Post, whose editorial board was Rhee’s chief propagandist in DC, is a major player.
Written by Karoli for Crooks and Liars. Read the entire article here.
“Republic Report has obtained a list of members of the ALEC Education Task Force as of July 2011, and it includes some of the largest players in the for-profit college industry:
• Washington Post Company-owned Kaplan, which is under investigation by at least four state Attorneys General, where 68 percent of college students drop out before graduating (the worst overall dropout rate of the top ten recipients of post-9/11 G.I. bill benefits), and whose previous CEO received a $76 million compensation package when he left. …
So if a college degree is the key to advancement, these companies are willing to sell you one along with some education for a lot of money, which you can go borrow as long as you understand that when you sign the documents borrowing the money, you agree to a very long period of indentured servitude in return.”
This piece examines the ALEC links of this group. Unsurprisingly, a sister company of the Washington Post, whose editorial board was Rhee’s chief propagandist in DC, is a major player.
Written by Karoli for Crooks and Liars. Read the entire article here.
“Republic Report has obtained a list of members of the ALEC Education Task Force as of July 2011, and it includes some of the largest players in the for-profit college industry:
• Washington Post Company-owned Kaplan, which is under investigation by at least four state Attorneys General, where 68 percent of college students drop out before graduating (the worst overall dropout rate of the top ten recipients of post-9/11 G.I. bill benefits), and whose previous CEO received a $76 million compensation package when he left. …
So if a college degree is the key to advancement, these companies are willing to sell you one along with some education for a lot of money, which you can go borrow as long as you understand that when you sign the documents borrowing the money, you agree to a very long period of indentured servitude in return.”