The Dishonorable Andrew Cuomo Meets the Hedge Fund / Charter School Zombies *
From May 4 to May 6, 2014 the Honorable Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State, is scheduled to be the Honorary Chairman at a three-day charter school/hedge fund extravaganza that is anything but honorable. Other celebrity "guests" who are supposed to attend the Lake Placid retreat sponsored by a group called Education Reform Now include Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana, Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, California, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education, and horror film producer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan, who attended elite private schools as a youth, decided he is an education expert and wrote a book about saving public schools after filming in a Philadelphia public high school.
For $1,000 each, participants in the Lake Placid retreat "Embark on three spring days of fun, fellowship and strategy with the nation's thought leaders on education reform." Those who are special, or especially rich, can get VIP treatment for $2,500.
According to the online agenda, break-out sessions include discussions on "The Next Big Thing: Groundbreaking Approaches to Teacher Preparation," "Up, Down, and Sideways: Building an Effective School Reform Coalition," " Tight-Loose Options for Ensuring All Kids Have Access to a Great Education," and "Collaborative Models for Changing State and Local Teacher Policies." But really only one topic will be discussed - How to promote and profit from the privatization of public education in the The Dishonorable Andrew Cuomo Meets the Hedge Fund / Charter School Zombies * | Alan Singer:
