The Center for American Progress—Not Progressive on Education - Progressive.org

The Center for American Progress—Not Progressive on Education - Progressive.org

The Center for American Progress—Not Progressive on Education

Over the past decade, the left-leaning Center for American Progress has become one of the most relentless voices for the corporate  “education reform” movement. Although originally created as a left-leaning think tank to counterbalance groups like the Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute, in recent years the center has  become indistinguishable from the ed reform voices on the right.

CAP’s preferred policies—on charter schools, high stakes testing, test-based teacher evaluation, TFA, and national college-and-career ready standards—are the same positions taken by  right-leaning think tanks including  the Thomas Fordham Institute. Even compared to groups like the Heritage Foundation or AEI, CAP is different only in its willingness to say the words “Common Core.” CAP has even partnered with AEI and the Chamber of Commerce on ed reform.

CAP was founded in 2003 by John Podesta, former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff, counselor to Barack Obama, and current Hillary Clinton campaign chairman. Podesta’s CAP is wide-reaching and deeply funded with plenty of Soros money, among other sources. CAP has united a diverse group of organizations including the two major teachers unions, TFA, and the union-hating Democrats for Education Reform under the banner TeachStrong.

• CAP has advocated for teacher merit pay. While they have pointed out that teachers don’t make enough, they advocate raising the pay for only someteachers, by linking teacher salaries to student results on the Big Standardized (“BS”) Tests.
  
• CAP has pushed for charter schools, arguing that students must be rescued from underfunded, resource-poor public schools and their terrible CONTINUE READING: The Center for American Progress—Not Progressive on Education - Progressive.org