NPE Conference 2018: Is the Corporate Reform Goliath Truly Dead? -
By John Thompson.
Part One of Two.
The theme of the Network for Public Education’s fifth annual conference was that corporate reformers have lost the “David versus Goliath” battle over public education. We public school supporters have defeated the privatization campaign known as corporate school reform. Goliath must know that his mega-bucks haven’t improved student performance but he keeps dumping backpacks full of cash into chosen schools. Hubris can explain some, but not all, of the continued subsidies that keep corporate school reform from collapsing.
As Diane Ravitch explains, Goliath claimed to be “the savior of poor black and brown children ‘trapped in failing schools.’” And for years, Goliath had used that propaganda meme while winning political battle after political battle. A mighty coalition, which had been built on the infrastructure laid by ALEC, the Koch brothers, and other anti-government interest groups, was able to unite neoliberals, edu-philanthropists, and the Obama administration in an effort to blow up neighborhood public schools.
Even as the political Goliath was defeating enemies, he failed completely in terms of real world education practice. Goliath tried charters, vouchers, testing, union-busting, and “value-added” evaluations to undermine the professional autonomy of teachers, and more. In my experience, however, their expensive mandates took low-performing inner city schools and made them much worse, as they also damaged schools that had previously been successful. Although I continually communicate with all types of people, it’s been years since I have talked with someone in the classroom who denies that corporate school reform, at best, created a mess.
Ravitch explains how “Goliath has run out of promises. He is now revealed as the ugly face of a lot of billionaires who don’t want to pay to educate children.” The only goal he met was to cut spending on education and lower taxes, and the public “eventually realized that Goliath pulled a trick on him.” So, “there is no ‘reform movement.’” The Billionaires Boys Club continues to fight for unchallengable power.
Goliath’s promises have been discredited. But his minions continue on, “like zombies, because the money is good.” Often, their followers don’t see any choice but to stick with Goliath’s army; after all, the traditional education system (and sometimes education journalism) has been bulldozed, meaning that the only Continue reading: NPE Conference 2018: Is the Corporate Reform Goliath Truly Dead? - Living in Dialogue