Laura Chapman on the Gold Rush at A$U in $cottsdale
Reader Laura Chapman has done some research on the education entrepreneurs now meeting in Scottsdale to learn more about how to profit from the public education industry. Note that tickets for the event ranged from $1,000-2,000. In addition, there were many sponsors. Whatever comes from this conference, it is a gold mine for its organizers: I was also doing research on this. My direct quotes co
inBloom Closes Down Due to Parental Objections to Data Mining of Students
Education Week reports that inBloom is going out of business. The company was started with a grant of $100 million from the Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, to gather confidential student data and store it on an electronic “cloud.” The technology for collection and storage of student data belonged to Wireless Generation, a subsidiary of Amplify, run by Joel Klein and owned by Rupert
A reader from the Netherlands noticed the recent post by Mario Waissbluth in Chile. Waissbuth said that Chileans were looking to the Netherlands as a possible model as Chile tries to extricate itself from decades of privatization. The privatization was launched by the dictator Pinochet, whose advisors admired the libertarian ideas of Milton Friedman. Our reader from the Netherlands commented:
Education’s Gold Rush Is On!
Starting today, the nation’s leading entrepreneurs will gather for their annual conference at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, to exchange ideas about the ongoing monetization, privatization, innovation, and profits in the education “industry.” This summit was originally organized by Michael Moe, who has for years predicted that the education sector could be monetized. He was right. H
Colorado: RAVE, A New Organization Unites to Strengthen Public Education
If you live in Colorado and care about the future of our society, join this group of students, educators, and citizens, meeting on May 1. Join the fight to reclaim our schools for learning and resist the corporate takeover. RAVE: Re-igniting Association Values for Educators BY PEGGY ROBERTSON Welcome to RAVE. The RAVE caucus in Colorado has been created in a determined effort to unify Colorado t
New York: Why is Governor Cuomo Stripping Rural Schools of Basic Resources?
An editorial in the Glens Falls (NY) Post-Journal deplores Governor Andrew Cuomo’s disastrous policies, which are stripping rural public schools of resources and driving them into economic calamity. Governor Cuomo is not just balancing the state budget on the backs of poor school children, the editorial says, he is literally standing on their backs in his reach for the presidency. So eager is
Alan Singer: The Dishonorable Governor Cuomo and the Charter School Zombies
Alan Singer gets credit for one of the most creative headlines of the year. He calls his article “The Dishonorable Andrew Cuomo Meets the Hedge Fund / Charter School Zombies.” Governor Cuomo has indeed dishonored his office by selling out the public schools, which enroll the vast majority of children in New York State, and paying court to his campaign contributors who love charter schools, which e
How New York State Discourages Immigrant Children by Inappropriate Tests and Labels
A teacher wrote this comment in response to a post asking why English language learners, who barely know any English, are required to take the state English test. I agree, it is painful to watch our English Language Learners struggle with these ridiculous tests, tests which label students 1,2,3,or 4. I have worked with refugees, many of whom arrive with little or no formal education, for over
Another Charter Teacher Tells Her Story: “Tame the Savages”
In response to “Confessions of a Teacher in a ‘No Excuses” Charter School,” this comment was posted: Thank you for writing about your experience. I taught at a “no excuses” charter school in Brooklyn for a year. It was the most frustrating and disturbing experience of my life. The ridiculously punitive disciplinary system enforced by a teaching staff of young white recent college graduates felt
Julie Vassilatos: Something in Me Snapped Today…And…
Julie Vassilatos, a Chicago parent, blogs about school issues. In one of her latest posts, she realized she could no longer use the term “education reform” because it was a complete phony and misrepresentation of reality. She writes: Something in me snapped today and I realized that I am finished using the phrase “education reform.” That’s how folks refer to the constellation of ideas fir
4-20-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Advice from a Charter Teacher in Ohio: Regulate Us!This teacher read the post about Gulen charter schools and wrote the following comment: This is so eerily similar to my job-it is a shame that there is poor oversight in these types of schools. I work in a Ohio-based charter school. I’m under great stress due to this under perfor