Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender?
Audrey Watters asks the question that we should all be asking: is our democracy for sale to the candidate with the most billions?
Apparently our schools sold out years ago when money was dabbled before them.
People who take money from that powerful education foundation — you know the one, the one that turns 20 years old this year — always insist to me that they’ve never been compelled to change their policies or practices. Of course, it doesn’t have to coerce its grantees to say and do things. People self-censor. They shape their initiatives to suit the foundation’s philosophy and its goals. They value the things the foundation says it values; they measure the way the foundation says it measures. Because if they rely on the foundation for funding, they know to fall in line. They needn’t be told. That’s how the power of philanthropy works. It sets the agenda. Personalized learning. The Common Core. Charter schools. Measures of Effective Teaching. It didn’t push for these ideas because that’s what people wanted. It helped convince politicians that these were the ideas CONTINUE READING: Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender? | Diane Ravitch's blog