The Reformers’ “Fight Club”
Back when I was on the right side of the political fence, I was on the editorial board at Education Next. It is supported by the Hoover Institution and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, both conservative think tanks with which I was affiliated. The journal, which is based at Harvard and edited mainly by Paul Peterson, was created to counter what was seen as the liberal bias of the mainstream education media.
Education Next is a well-edited journal (I used to write a monthly book review there), but it does have a strong bias in favor of charter schools, vouchers, and testing. It is the journal of the corporate reform movement.
The current issue of Education Next has a fascinating article about the “reformers’ fight club.” I have been writing and speaking about the interconnections among these organizations (and there are many more), and it is good to see confirmation of what I have been saying.
For some reason, these incredibly rich and powerful organizations like to portray themselves as underdogs in contrast to the teachers’ unions.
So, get this picture: On one side are the 3.2 million teachers who belong to the NEA and the AFT. On the othe
Education Next is a well-edited journal (I used to write a monthly book review there), but it does have a strong bias in favor of charter schools, vouchers, and testing. It is the journal of the corporate reform movement.
The current issue of Education Next has a fascinating article about the “reformers’ fight club.” I have been writing and speaking about the interconnections among these organizations (and there are many more), and it is good to see confirmation of what I have been saying.
For some reason, these incredibly rich and powerful organizations like to portray themselves as underdogs in contrast to the teachers’ unions.
So, get this picture: On one side are the 3.2 million teachers who belong to the NEA and the AFT. On the othe
Little Signs of Disrespect
A 16-year teacher wrote to say he had just completed his professional development course for the Common Core.
He got a certificate “honoring” him for having done so. It was co-signed by someone from the New York City Department of Education and someone from “Pearson/America’s Choice.”
Why a private vendor that is making a profit selling this stuff should sign the certificate is beyond my understanding.
But here’s the context: This teacher has a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history. He taught history and social
He got a certificate “honoring” him for having done so. It was co-signed by someone from the New York City Department of Education and someone from “Pearson/America’s Choice.”
Why a private vendor that is making a profit selling this stuff should sign the certificate is beyond my understanding.
But here’s the context: This teacher has a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history. He taught history and social
Who Else Belongs to the Corporate Reform Fight Club?
After reading about the corporate reform “fight club,” Imagine Wisconsin writes:
Add to the fight club the Education Action Group that is anonymously backed by Tea Party funding. This group works hand-in-hand with breitbart.com, MacIver Institute, & Heartland Institute. EAG is Michigan based, but with a national mission to bring down public education. They messed in the WI recall of Gov. Walker. I suspect this covert group has much more involvement in local affairs
Readers, who are your nominees?
Add to the fight club the Education Action Group that is anonymously backed by Tea Party funding. This group works hand-in-hand with breitbart.com, MacIver Institute, & Heartland Institute. EAG is Michigan based, but with a national mission to bring down public education. They messed in the WI recall of Gov. Walker. I suspect this covert group has much more involvement in local affairs
Readers, who are your nominees?
Good News from NC
A judge in North Carolina turned down K12″s application to open a cyber charter in that state.
In doing so, the judge sided with the North Carolina Department of Education, which did want to approve the request.
As the story explains, there were many questions about the cyber charter, including the fact that its educational record is not impressive.
In fact, its educational record is downright unimpressive. As I said in an earlier blog, granting this charter would add to the coffers of the publicly-traded for-profit corporation that runs the cyber charters, but would have drained money from NC’s public schools and provided an inferior education. In short, it would have been a waste of
In doing so, the judge sided with the North Carolina Department of Education, which did want to approve the request.
As the story explains, there were many questions about the cyber charter, including the fact that its educational record is not impressive.
In fact, its educational record is downright unimpressive. As I said in an earlier blog, granting this charter would add to the coffers of the publicly-traded for-profit corporation that runs the cyber charters, but would have drained money from NC’s public schools and provided an inferior education. In short, it would have been a waste of
