Public Policy Blogger: Educationgate? Outsized influence of the Gates Foundation (and pals) on public education.

Public Policy Blogger: Educationgate? Outsized influence of the Gates Foundation (and pals) on public education.

Educationgate? Outsized influence of the Gates Foundation (and pals) on public education.

I was just starting some research on the amount of influence the Gates Foundation and others are having on education policy, and I came across this post on the blog, Techrights. Quite an exhaustive list, although it may just scratch the surface.


It can be said---and is said by their supporters and acolytes--that Bill and Melinda Gates want passionately to invest their billions to make the world a better place. Excellent. But besides fighting disease on the African continent and addressing other global health problems, they've placed the American public school system in their crosshairs.........Big goals. Big reach. Big deal. And they have joined forces with other big foundations like the Walton

Former principal Canoga Park charter school pleads not guilty - LA Daily News

Former principal Canoga Park charter school pleads not guilty - LA Daily News

Former principal Canoga Park charter school pleads not guilty

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/15/2010 11:58:01 AM PDT

Updated: 10/15/2010 12:02:21 PM PDT

The former principal of a Canoga Park charter school, who allegedly mishandled some $2.7 million in public funds, pleaded not guilty Friday to 31 charges of embezzlement, forgery and money laundering filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Edward Fiszer, 40, the founding principal of NEW Academy Canoga Park charter school was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 29.

The grand jury charged the former administrator with theft by embezzlement of public funds, forgery, theft by a public officer, 26 counts of money laundering and two counts of state tax fraud, officials said.

According to the charges, Fiszer mishandled $2.7 million, including transferring $1.1 million in school funds into

USC to inaugurate new president today

by Daily News Wire Services

C.L. Max Nikias will be inaugurated as USC's 11th president today, more than two months after assuming the position.

Conserving Rural Public Schools Is Not Reform

Conserving Rural Public Schools Is Not Reform

Conserving Rural Public Schools Is Not Reform

by Forrest Hinton

Apart from centuries-old religious institutions, there is probably no system in the United States as fundamentally conservative as its public schools. And, among the various types of public schools, none is nearly as conservative as the rural K-12 schools safely tucked away in Midwestern farmlands, Appalachian hills, and Southwestern deserts, among other sparsely populated places.

The trouble with this philosophy of tradition and preservation that permeates rural schools is that, more often than not, rural schools are far from high-performing organizations that empower students to make choices about the kinds of lives they hope to live. According to The Condition of Education 2007, put out by the National Center for Education Statistics, “Public schools located in rural areas were less likely to report offering AP

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rhee's flack

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rhee's flack

Rhee's flack

by Mike Klonsky

Watch for Michelle Rhee to cash in after her flash-in-the-pan tour as D.C. school boss and ace reformer. LikeSarah Palin, who bailed mid-term from her job as Alaska's governor, everything should be coming up green for Rhee, provided she is handled right and with her name kept in the public eye. From here on out you can expect to see Rhee, armed with her new school-reform Manifesto, appearing in dozens of planted, non-stories like this one, this one, and this one as well as appearances on Letterman, Larry King, and Oprah. New books and speaking tours with six-figure honoraria are definately in the offing. She has made it clear that her brief career as a school administrator is behind her.

Building off of Rhee's starring role in Waiting For Superman is super-flack Anita Dunn and her well-connected

Teachers drive in reverse | teachers, new, district - Home - The Orange County Register

Teachers drive in reverse | teachers, new, district - Home - The Orange County Register

Teachers, other unions, drive in reverse

By TERYL ZARNOW

COLUMNIST

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

terylzarnow@gmail.com

In America, we focus on staying in drive.

Moving forward feels like it brings us closer to progress and greater prosperity.

Santa Ana Educator's Association Union president elect Susan Mercer addresses a rally to protest budget cuts outside School district offices on E. Chestnut Ave. in Santa Ana in June 2009.

JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

More from Teryl Zarnow

• Domestic abuse exists everywhere
• Dumb jocks? Hardly
• A new age for kindergarten?

But the current economy is difficult precisely because it feels like we're doing the opposite of what we want. These days, few are getting ahead, many are falling behind, and the best case, often, is to be stuck in neutral.

Union contracts graphically illustrate the point. Gone are new deals that call for increases in workers' salaries and benefits. The object today is to hold ground or mitigate the loss.

Teachers contracts offer an example.

Local school districts have had to cut $352 million from their budgets this year. Hundreds of teachers have lost their jobs. The California Teachers Association says that local teachers have seen their benefits reduced and agreed to slightly more than six furlough days on a temporary basis. For a teacher earning $60,000, those furlough days translate to about $1,944 out of pocket.

And that came after tense negotiations in many districts.

"It's been quite a shift," explains Michael Stone, who serves on the board for the California

Post Now - Rhee looking for job closer to fiance

Post Now - Rhee looking for job closer to fiance

Rhee looking for job closer to fiance

Michelle Rhee says she's looking for a job where she can have an impact but also be closer to her fiance.

Rhee stepped down Wednesday as the head of the D.C. public school system. On Thursday, she told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's “Good Morning America” that her passion is in K-12 education and that she's looking for a new job that would “take me closer to my fiance but also where I can have the most impact.”

Rhee is engaged to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA player.

--The Associated Press

Candal: New school 'reform' erects new barriers - Dedham, Massachusetts - The Dedham Transcript

Candal: New school 'reform' erects new barriers - Dedham, Massachusetts - The Dedham Transcript

Candal: New school 'reform' erects new barriers

By Cara Stillings Candal/Guest columnist

The MetroWest Daily News

Posted Oct 15, 2010 @ 10:00 AM

Since passage of the 1993 Education Reform Act, Massachusetts has taken a different path on school reform than other states have. It's taken a different path on standards, testing, accountability - and also on charter schools.

Our state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is the sole authorizer of charter schools, and until recently, our authorizing process was unusually rigorous.

Charter schools were granted broad autonomy in return for strict accountability for results. The BESE upheld its end of the deal by shutting down schools that didn't perform well.

By any measure, this approach has worked well. Although charters account for less than 3 percent of Massachusetts public school students, four of the 10 top-scoring schools on this year's tenth grade MCAS math exam were charter schools, as were three of the top 10 performers in English language arts.

This success hasn't gone unnoticed. In one recent poll, 44 percent of respondents supported charter schools, while only 19

Charter schools spark debate and President Obama's best asset -- his wife - Financial News USA

Charter schools spark debate and President Obama's best asset -- his wife - Financial News USA

Charter schools spark debate and President Obama's best asset -- his wife

Every year, thousands of families gather in school gymnasiums and auditoriums across the country to enter a drawing, one they believe will make the difference between success and struggle.These lotteries are how charter schools decide who their students will be; the experience can be quite dramatic. As each name is revealed, many winning families can't help but cry out, relieved that they've beaten the odds, convinced that great things are now in store for them.But just a few feet away from these joyful celebrations, there are tears. Students -- some still in kindergarten -- sob with their parents as they realize their hopes have been dashed.These gut-wrenching scenes play out in "Waiting for 'Superman'" and "The Lottery," two new documentaries that put a harsh spotlight on America's public education system and have sparked nationwide debate on what education solutions are needed. [Read the full article] Editor's note: In "The Sweep," CNN dives deep into issues making news and explores why they're in the headlines.Chicago, Illinois (CNN) -- With his party's control of Congress teetering on the brink of disaster, an unpopular

The Answer Sheet - Superintendent Ackerman withdraws name from 'manifesto'

The Answer Sheet - Superintendent Ackerman withdraws name from 'manifesto'

Superintendent Ackerman withdraws name from 'manifesto'

It turns out that Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman doesn’t really agree with the “reform manifesto” that appeared this week in The Washington Post and signed by16, scratch that, now 15, big-city school district chiefs. The manifesto was written by New York City Superintendent Joel Klein and then signed by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and 14 others. It blames teachers unions for the troubles of urban education, views charter schools as some sort of big answer to the same problem, and generally supports market-driven measures to “fix” what is the country’s most precious civic institution. But today we learn that Ackerman never approved the manifesto, according to David Wiener, associate superintendent of academics in the Philadelphia school system. Different versions had been circulated among school chiefs, and Ackerman did not see or approve the one that appeared in The Post last Sunday, he said.

Shanker Blog � Bart Simpson: Worker Rights Activist

Shanker Blog � Bart Simpson: Worker Rights Activist

BART SIMPSON: WORKER RIGHTS ACTIVIST

by Burnie Bond

If (like me) you’re not a regular viewer of The Simpsons show, you will have missed a controversial new opening sequence created by British graffiti artist Banksy, which aired this past weekend. The segment, which mocks the show for outsourcing much of its animation work through a South Korean company, began to go viral until yesterday, when Fox asking for the video to be pulled from YouTube and other venues (see here).

The scene begins much like the regular opening, but with “Banksy” scrawled strategically across the town of Springfield. Bart is seen writing punishment lines on the school blackboard, as usual, but this time “I must not write all over the walls” covers every wall of the classroom. The sequence continues almost as usual until we see the family is seated on their couch.

Suddenly, we shift to a dark, cavernous space where row upon row of sweatshop workers are seen to be laboring

t r u t h o u t | The Myth of the Bad Teacher

t r u t h o u t | The Myth of the Bad Teacher

The Myth of the Bad Teacher

Friday 15 October 2010

by: Adam Bessie, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

(Photo: Rob Shenk / Flickr)

In this political season of faux anti-establishment anger born of very real economic desperation, public educators have become the villain du jour, their reputations collateral damage in the war against "big government." In a remarkable slight of hand, the super rich who imploded the economy, manufacturing the recession which now enrages the public, have successfully misdirected the public's justifiable anger away from them and toward teachers.

This anti-teacher rage is focused on the mythical cartoon character the "Bad Teacher," who - according to the recent explosion in press on

The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking

Your support, your voice and your action – that's what it's going to take to wake up the world and make a real difference. Make yourself part of the Girl Effect revolution.

Given the chance 600 million adolescent girls in developing countries can unleash the world's greatest untapped solution to poverty. This is the Girl Effect.

If we can release girls living in poverty, they will do the rest.

You can be part of that change. In fact without you it won't happen. Join the conversation and let the world know what the Girl Effect is capable of.

Talk it up. Spread the word.

Check out our Girl Effect Networks on Facebook and Twitter.

Another Shutdown at the University of Puerto Rico? � Student Activism

Another Shutdown at the University of Puerto Rico? � Student Activism

Another Shutdown at the University of Puerto Rico?

by Angus Johnston

Students in two divisions of the flagship Rio Pedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico have voted to stage strikes next week that could lead to a new round of shutdowns at UPR.

This spring students shut down ten of UPR’s eleven campuses in a two-month action that won major victories against planned budget cuts and tuition hikes. But now the university is looking to implement an $800 tuition increase, to take effect in January, and students are fighting back. At meetings held earlier this week,

Thirty People Will Die Today, But That Will Not Stop Us From Living – Lily's Blackboard

Thirty People Will Die Today, But That Will Not Stop Us From Living – Lily's Blackboard

Thirty People Will Die Today, But That Will Not Stop Us From Living

Oct 15th, 2010

by Lily.

I visited my new friends, the Garcia family, who live in the center of Ciudad Juárez. There are five beautiful children: Flori, Julia, Isabel, Pablito and Raquel. Their talented mother, Flor, has taught them to sing in harmony.

One daughter has dreams of representing Mexico as a diver in the Olympics. Another already sings like a professional. They taught me a card game called Cucharitas, which I got bruised playing. Cucharitas is a contact sport which includes grabbing for spoons in the middle of the table when you get the right combination of cards.
None of the gorgeous Garcias speak English, and so I had to make my limited Spanish work as they tried to teach me the card game. I’m afraid I didn’t make a very good impression on them, but they were kind and patiently repeated themselves because they felt sorry for me being so slow.

Alberto García is proud of his children. We had a

The Answer Sheet - Two superintendents who rejected the "manifesto"

The Answer Sheet - Two superintendents who rejected the "manifesto"

Two superintendents who rejected the "manifesto"

Much has been written (including on this blog) about the school reform “manifesto” published in The Washington Post this week and signed by 16 big-city public school district chiefs. But little has been said about superintendents who refused to sign the document. New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein gave the document to Michael Casserly, executive director of the nonprofit Council of the Great City Schools, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization that is a coalition of 65 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems. Casserly then asked the chiefs in member districts if they wanted to sign on to the document. Fifteen did, including the soon to be departed Chancellor Michelle Rhee of Washington D.C. But some superintendents found the rhetoric empty and the solutions highly limited.

CA-11: Teabagger John Harmer Wants to Abolish Public Schools | California Progress Report

CA-11: Teabagger John Harmer Wants to Abolish Public Schools | California Progress Report

CA-11: Teabagger John Harmer Wants to Abolish Public Schools

by christine

By Robert Cruickshank

Mother Jones has a very important article up regarding David Harmer's desire to, in his own words, "abolish public schools." Harmer is the teabagger candidate and Republican nominee in the 11th Congressional district against Democratic incumbent Jerry McNerney, and a new SurveyUSA poll found Harmer has a 48%-42% lead, making this race and this issue even more important.

The Mother Jones article is based on Harmer's own op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle published in 2000, titled "Abolish the public schools". In it, Harmer advocates for vouches, but says that's the best we can do until we eliminate the state constitutional requirement for free public education - and then proceeds to argue for exactly that:

read more

Campaign 2010: The Big Things That Didn’t Get Debated

by christine

By Peter Schrag

Anyone looking for clues to the state’s future direction in this year’s gubernatorial debates – much less in the rest of the two major candidates’ campaigns – was more likely to find grim irony than signs of leadership.

Abetted by the media’s ubiquitous preference for flash over substance, Tuesday’s final debate spent more time parsing the nuances of the word “whore” than the intricacies of the economy or the ongoing Mississippification of California.

Just a few days after the legislature and governor approved a “budget” that accomplished nothing but transfer the state’s chronic fiscal problems to the next governor, the debate Tuesday saw the two candidates assiduously avoid anything that resembled a real confrontation with the state’s fundamental fiscal and governmental problems.

read more

End Budget Gridlock -- Vote YES on Proposition 25

by christine

By Sara Flocks
California Labor Federation

Budgets reflect the priorities and values of a state. Public dollars dedicated to schools, safe communities, healthy kids and well-maintained infrastructure demonstrate that a state is committed to creating a high quality of life for residents. California’s budget tells a whole different story. Because California has a two-thirds vote requirement to pass a budget, a small group of partisan legislators can withhold their votes to extract concessions from the majority. As a result, California’s budget process ends up full of corporate loopholes, special favors and worker takeaways—not exactly a reflection of the values of the majority of working people in California.

read more

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair | The White House

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair | The White House

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair

Event Will Highlight Winners of National Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Competitions

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Monday, October 18th, President Obama will host the White House Science Fair celebrating the winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions. The President will view exhibits of these students’ work, ranging from breakthrough basic research to new inventions, followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to our country’s economic future.

The White House Science Fair fulfills a commitment the President made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign in November 2009 to inspire boys and girls to excel in math and science. As the President noted then, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.” The White House event will kick off a week that culminates with the USA Science and Engineering Festival on the National Mall and in over 50 satellite locations that is poised to draw more than a million people nationwide.