Sunday, October 14, 2012

Will Vouchers, Charters and Virtual Schools Turn Out the Friday Night Lights? | Firedoglake

Will Vouchers, Charters and Virtual Schools Turn Out the Friday Night Lights? | Firedoglake:


Will Vouchers, Charters and Virtual Schools Turn Out the Friday Night Lights?


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With a disgraceful and relentless disregard for America’s social fabric, Republicans around the country are doing what they can to destroy public education.
Based on model legislation written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the GOP is pushing vouchers, corporate virtual schools and charter schools. Meanwhile, they’ve rigged policy against public schools, draining them of funding and using ridiculous high-stakes tests to attack the reputations of teachers and public schools.
The social, cultural and economic consequences of the privatization effort are staggering. Still, they are often overlooked in the debate. There has not been enough discussion about the central role public schools play in America’s social and economic life.
In advance of a renewed GOP privatization push in Texas, my colleagues and I at Progress Texas produced a