Education "Reform": Naming and Shaming
Kyle Curtis
Previously, I provided a Econ 101-ish perspective as to how funding for Oregon's public school districts--which are perennially in a budget "crisis mode"--were devastated by the 2008 economic crash. As a result, there has developed an expectation that schools need to "make do with less," an expectation that is failing the state's school kids. This situation is not unique to Oregon, as the collapse in revenues of the past few years has wreaked budgetary havoc for school districts around the country. And as a result, proponents of education "reform" have stepped into the policy debate, offering solutions based on the private sector which basically amount to nothing more than the privatization of public education--and the billions of dollars available for funding, in the state of Oregon alone.
Michelle Rhee is the highest profile individual associated with the education "reform" movement. One of the stars of the acclaimed documentary "Waiting for