Stand Up for Others — Whole Child Education

Stand Up for Others — Whole Child Education:

Stand Up for Others

According to current statistics, more than 30 percent of our school-age young people—approximately 5.7 million children—are bullied in schools, on playgrounds, and in recreational facilities each year. Research shows that these numbers can be reduced by nearly half through the use of effective bullying prevention programs. During the month of October, schools and organizations across the country w

by Kristen Pekarek / 1h 

OCT 18

Pet Pals: Teaching Resilience With Man’s Best Friend

Dogs are amazing creatures! They provide unconditional love, do not discriminate, judge, laugh, or criticize, and they are excellent and attentive listeners. They encourage relaxation, lower blood pressure, and brighten affect. These characteristics help to make pet-assisted therapy a natural fit for children and adolescents, and students in North Carolina's Orange County Schools will happily agr

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 2d 

The Science of Early Childhood Development

"The healthy development of young children in the early years of life literally does provide a foundation for just about all of the challenging social problems that our society and other societies face," says Jack P. Shonkoff, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University looks at the brain science behind e

by Klea Scharberg / 3d 

Pet Pals: Teaching Resilience With Man’s Best Friend

Dogs are amazing creatures! They provide unconditional love, do not discriminate, judge, laugh, or criticize, and they are excellent and attentive listeners. They encourage relaxation, lower blood pressure, and brighten affect. These characteristics help to make pet-assisted therapy a natural fit for children and adolescents, and students in North Carolina's Orange County Schools will happily agr

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 3d 

Pet Pals: Teaching Resilience With Man’s Best Friend

Dogs are amazing creatures! They provide unconditional love, do not discriminate, judge, laugh, or criticize, and they are excellent and attentive listeners. They encourage relaxation, lower blood pressure, and brighten affect. These characteristics help to make pet-assisted therapy a natural fit for children and adolescents, and students in North Carolina's Orange County Schools will happily agr

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 3d 

OCT 17

Pet Pals: Teaching Resilience With Man’s Best Friend

Dogs are amazing creatures! They provide unconditional love, do not discriminate, judge, laugh, or criticize, and they are excellent and attentive listeners. They encourage relaxation, lower blood pressure, and brighten affect. These characteristics help to make pet-assisted therapy a natural fit for children and adolescents, and students in North Carolina's Orange County Schools will happily agr

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 3d mark as read  //  save

Resilience: It’s a Practice

Post written by Carla Tantillo and Lara Veon, Mindful Practices Among the most heartbreaking moments as an educator is that of observing a student who doesn't believe in herself and sees a mistake—be it a social interaction gone bad or a failing grade—as a fracture of character instead of an opportunity for growth. Similarly upsetting is witnessing a student who experiences trauma and loss withd

by Mindful Practices / 3d 

OCT 16

Early Childhood Education Programs: Play

Thomas Armstrong, education expert, author, and Whole Child Podcast guest, just can't say enough about the importance of play. The chapter "Early Childhood Education Programs: Play" is excerpted from Armstrong's ASCD book Best Schools, which looks at not just best schools, but also best practices for teaching and learning. In this chapter, Armstrong points to early education practices th

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 5d

This Week In Education: Bruno: More Thoughts On (Not) Paying Teachers For Master's Degrees

This Week In Education: Bruno: More Thoughts On (Not) Paying Teachers For Master's Degrees:

Bruno: More Thoughts On (Not) Paying Teachers For Master's Degrees

I got a lot of feedback on my post arguing that we should do away with bonuses for teachers with master's degrees and use the money for across-the-board raises.

Much of the response was supportive, but many people also objected to some or all of my argument.

Those objections tended to fall into three categories: that I am underestimating the value of MAs, that across-the-board raises are not a good use of money, or that the real problem isn't teacher pay per se but schools of education.

They're serious objections, and they made me think about some of the issues in new ways, but I don't think they are enough to avoid the bottom line I put forward in my original piece.

Read on to see the objections (and why I'm not totally convinced by them).

 Objection #1: MAs may not improve student test scores, but that's a too-narrow view of teacher effectiveness anyway.

As I said before, it's entirely possible that MAs help teachers become better in ways that are not 

Course Requirements Limit Students - Student Voice

Student Voice:

Course Requirements Limit Students

Every year millions of high school students take arithmetic classes. Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry, Statistics–the list goes on. Every year, probably closer to every day, those same students wonder, “When am I going to use this in the real world?”

Teachers are always quick to answer, giving a same response every time. You’ll need it in your career, they say–medicine, architecture, to name a couple; and all science related jobs. Obviously higher levels of math are extremely important, necessary even, to ensure that you’ll get a job (in those math-centered fields). Many will be satisfied with this answer, or at least not argue, but what about those for whom the “real world” doesn’t include figures and calculations? What about the artists and musicians? What about the history professors, the politicians, and translators of the world?

“That’s simple,” says the teacher, “A reduced fat cookie contains 2g of fat per serving. In order for food to be termed reduced fat, it must have at least 20% less fat than the regular item. What can you conclude about how much fat is in a serving of the regular cookie? See, you use it in everyday life!”

While technically they have given you a valid answer, let’s be honest. How many people who dislike math are

- See more at: http://stuvoice.org/blog/2013/10/21/course-requirements-limit-students/?utm_source=feedly#sthash.1NtZETMf.dpuf

NYC Educator: UFT Charter Opts Out of Evaluation System

NYC Educator: UFT Charter Opts Out of Evaluation System:

UFT Charter Opts Out of Evaluation System

It's kind of funny when the NY Post and Mayor Bloomberg ridicule the UFT because their charter is not subject to the shiny new junk science evaluation system we're all suffering through. Bloomberg contends the kids will never catch up, and calls it tragic. And yet, when Reformy John King's Uncommon Schools take the same option, he doesn't have one word to say about it.

It really ought to be people like me criticizing the UFT charter. But I won't, because they made the right call. The evaluation system is cumbersome, time-consuming and ultimately unproductive. No one even understands it, and while the fanatics over at DOE promise us a "soup to nuts" explanation, I expect more of a soup from nuts, riddled with inaccuracies.

UFT ought to stick to their guns and find a more reasonable way to assess their teachers. And yet, UFT regularly tells me that we needed this system because the old one allowed administrators to do whatever they wished. So, if they love the new system so much, if it represents such a stellar improvement, why on earth don't they use it in their school? It's pretty clear they understand how convoluted and insane it is, and have made the utterly sound decision not to go with it.

So I don't ask UFT why they chose not to use such an awful system in their charter. I ask only why they ever supported using one on the rest of us, the overwhelming majority of city teachers.While I'm glad they're filing formal grievances over 

Short Sheeting Education is not Funny! ‘We won’t be Fairfax anymore’

‘We won’t be Fairfax anymore’:

‘We won’t be Fairfax anymore’

• BY VALERIE STRAUSS

• October 21 at 3:22 pm

Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza (Photo by Donnie Biggs / Fairfax County Public Schools)

“We won’t be Fairfax anymore.”

There’s something poignant about that statement, made by Fairfax County school board Chairman Ilryong Moon (At Large) and quoted in my colleague T. Rees Shapiro’s story about a projected $140 million budget deficit that new Superintendent Karen Garza is proposing to close with major cuts for programs and staff.

If every one of these cuts is actually made, he is essentially saying, the fabulous reputation that Fairfax County Public Schools has enjoyed for many years will be irreparably harmed. Is it true?

Shapiro’s story says that Garza is proposing a list of cuts that include eliminating a foreign language instruction program for elementary school students, increasing class sizes, ordering furloughs and cutting employees contracts cut by one day.

There are consequences, of course, to each of these. Research shows it is easier to learn another language when young, and we live in a world where it is imperative for 

Chicago Teachers Union Prez- Karen Lewis -Is Coming to Brooklyn!! Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

Chicago Teachers Union Prez- 

Karen Lewis 

-Is Coming to Brooklyn!!

‘Hunger Games’ teacher pay plan is just wrong | CharlotteObserver.com

‘Hunger Games’ teacher pay plan is just wrong | CharlotteObserver.com:

‘Hunger Games’ teacher pay plan is just wrong

The Charlotte Observer

Posted: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013

A couple of months ago, Cornelius Elementary School librarian Pam Liley gave an apt description of a teacher pay system N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory came up with after lawmakers scrapped the state’s teacher tenure plan. She called it McCrory’s “Hunger Games for teachers” – a reference to the novels and movies that have the poor fighting in competitions against each other for their survival.

McCrory’s idea – establish a $30 million innovation fund to provide $10,000 stipends to 1,000 of the state’s top teachers (about 1 percent) – didn’t get anywhere. But the N.C. legislature’s changes, with the same twisted theme, are being implemented. This summer, the General Assembly voted to end all teacher tenure by 2018. Next year, up to 25 percent of the state’s teachers – those school systems deem the top teachers – will be offered four-year contracts and a $5,000 pay raise for that period. All other teachers will be hired on one-year contracts, with no possibility for tenure. Those teachers already with tenure will be asked to give it up by 2018.

Wake County School Board member Tom Benton voiced last week the big flaw in the state’s plan: “We’re all very confident that more than 25 percent of our teaching staff are superior teachers.”

And well they should be. If only a quarter of the state’s teachers are doing their jobs well, the N.C.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/20/4397932/hunger-games-teacher-pay-plan.html#.UmWBQHDBN6F#storylink=cpy

The Nation's Report Card Now Online 2013 Mathematics and Reading Results

2013 Reading and Math / NAGB:

  

Media Advisory

October 21, 2013

The Nation's Report Card Now Online

2013 Mathematics and Reading Results First to Be Available in Customizable Data Format

WASHINGTON--The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will use a new online format to release results of The Nation's Report Card: 2013 Mathematics and Reading, Grades 4 and 8. The report, due out on October 31, details what fourth- and eighth-grade students know and can do in mathematics and reading, and compares the latest findings with results from 2011 and earlier.

For the first time, the report card findings--which used to be presented mostly through a printed report--will be available online with search features that make the data easier to explore. Reporters, policymakers, educators, researchers and members of the public will now be able to see, for example, a side-by-side view of mathematics and reading results, as well as video tutorials explaining how the site can be used.

The report card will compare findings by grade level, race and ethnicity, gender, income level and additional contextual factors, such as English language learner status.

GAIN EARLY ACCESS TO RESULTS: Approved media representatives can gain early access to embargoed materials on October 29, 2013, at 11 a.m. EDT. Access must be requested. Please contact Shannon Tucker at (571) 366-8984 or stucker@reingold.com.

PARTICIPATE IN THE PRE-EVENT CALL: Media representatives are encouraged to discuss the embargoed data and information with experts on October 30, 2013 (time is TBD), as well as learn about the new online format. Access must be requested. Contact Shannon Tucker at (571) 366-8984 orstucker@reingold.com.

JOIN THE LIVE WEBINAR: Log in on October 31, 2013, at 11 a.m. EDT to discuss results with a panel of experts:

• Jack Buckley, Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics
• Honorable Leticia Van de Putte, Texas State Senator; Member, National Assessment Governing Board
• William D. Waidelich, Executive Director, Association for Middle Level Education

Registration is required: Visit www.nagb.org/reading-math-2013.

FOR MEDIA REQUESTS AND INTERVIEWS: Contact Stephaan Harris at (202) 357-7504or stephaan.harris@ed.gov.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.nagb.org/reading-math-2013. 

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Sacramento School Kids Paying for City's Privatization Scheme?

Education Headlines

Monday, October 21, 2013

Davis school district settles parcel tax lawsuit

Davis school trustees settled a lawsuit Thursday that had challenged a $3 million annual parcel tax expected to reduce class sizes and fund academic programs.

Budget deficit at foster youth school

A persistent budget deficit at the county’s boarding school for foster youth has education officials looking at ways to boost San Pasqual Academy’s enrollment and cut costs.

'Excess' teachers going back to work

More than 100 teachers in San Diego Unified went into session in September with no official job assignment for the school year, due largely to enrollment shifts and increases in class size that required redeployments.

School districts get influx of new funding

For the first time in years, school districts across the state are getting an influx of new money. And for the first time, local districts are mostly free to figure out how to spend the money in ways that will benefit students.

Districts must create local control accountability plans focused on eight priorities

As California districts prepare to spend the new money they are receiving through the state's Local Control Funding Formula, they must create Local Control Accountability Plans that include eight priorities.

Local control funding formula timeline

A new Local Control Funding law completely overhauled the way the state allocates funding for school districts, but some districts are waiting to spend the money until the state Board of Education spells out the rules for the new funding formula.

Healthy snacks get a teen taste test at Modesto's Davis High

Davis High teens trying the next new thing in vending machine fare — low-cal, low-fat, low-salt — said the healthy alternatives were generally better than the sodas and sugary treats they usually spend their quarters on.

Galt high school district unions seek raises for district employees

Galt Joint Union High School District employees would like to see the district invest in them using extra funding.

Elected school trustees in Bay Area's poorest performing district paid most

How much does your local school district pay its elected trustees for their service? The answer has nothing to do with how well the students grasp reading, writing and arithmetic. In fact, an analysis by this newspaper of compensation and academic performance data found exactly the opposite.

Orland school board imposes freeze, but questions remain

Last week, the Orland Unified School District board of trustees took a step aimed at getting the district out of a serious financial crisis, but despite the move, many questions remain.

San Juan Unified costs mount as leadership probe continues

The San Juan Unified School District has entered its sixth month of investigating allegations that its superintendent harassed, bullied and created a hostile work environment for some female administrators.

L.A. Unified's English learner action upsets parents, teachers

As the district moves to enforce a policy of grouping pupils of similar English fluency ability together, those opposed protest.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Black Oak, Twain Harte merger is discussed

Black Oak Elementary and Twain Harte Middle schools, which operate on the same campus, could soon become one school again. Twain-Harte Long Barn Union School District's Board of Trustees on Tuesday directed Superintendent Jeff Winfield to look into combining the schools.

Newport-Mesa launches program aimed at avoiding special ed lawsuits

Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s special education program has introduced a new process that school officials hope will encourage parents and the district to talk out their differences before resorting to legal action.

County education leader critiques Common Core

A trustee with the Orange County Board of Education has voiced concerns about new state standards being implemented at California schools during a gathering of local Tea Party activists.

Educational Excellence in Action: the 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools | ED.gov Blog

Educational Excellence in Action: the 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools | ED.gov Blog:

Educational Excellence in Action: the 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Arne Duncan

Just before the government shutdown, I took part in a very special day. I had the honor of announcing the 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools. I’ve often said that the best ideas in education will always come from the local level, and these schools exemplify that. The 286 schools—210 elementary schools, 22 middle schools, 53 high schools, and one K–12 school— represent promising ideas in many different settings, from remote rural areas to the hearts of our major cities, from prosperous neighborhoods, as well as neighborhoods combatting poverty. They demonstrate that with great teaching, great principals, hard work, and community support, every child can receive a world-class education.

A student at Lake Forest Elementary, New Orleans. One of 286 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

These 286 schools are powerful examples of vision and commitment in the service of America’s children. They are safe yet stimulating environments where all students are valued and held to high standards. Our challenge as a country is to take to scale what’s working, and the National Blue Ribbon Schools offer a golden opportunity to do that.

This year, we have captured some of their successes in a series of one-page profiles. I invite you to learn more about the great work being accomplished by these schools around the country. Here are a few brief samples of what you will find:

• “Through embedding strategies for how to learn into the core content standards of what to learn, students who were once considered at risk demographically become scholars and college graduates.” Akron Early College High School, Akron, Ohio
• “As the cornerstone of our ongoing success, we relentlessly follow the fundamental steps for improvement: analyze, evaluate, discuss, research, plan a course of action, apply, and begin again.” Okatie Elementary School, Okatie, SC
• “Children explore and investigate using critical thinking skills. Special instructional days, Super Science, Mighty Math, Ecological Engineering, and Multicultural Field Days, involve the entire staff and community in our themes.” Walter Bracken STEAM Academy, Las Vegas, Nev.
• “We are rural, we are suburban, and we are military. This makes for a great mix and a terrific educational experience…Making student academic achievement a priority, we use observation and assessment to sculpt instruction.” Scott Elementary School, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Arne Duncan is U.S. Secretary of Education

Publicized study on bully prevention draws questionable conclusions SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Publicized study on bully prevention draws questionable conclusions
By Carrie Marovich
Monday, October 21, 2013

A recent study in the Journal of Criminology attracted national attention last week, finding that anti-bullying policies in schools actually increase student on student incidents – but a closer look reveals that the key data are eight years out of date and fails to consider today’s more pressing issues around cyber-bullying.

That said, there seems to be growing consensus among experts that anti-bullying programs as currently employed in most districts don’t achieve their objectives.

“The findings reveal that students attending schools in which bullying prevention programs are implemented are more likely to have experienced peer victimization, compared to those attending schools without bullying prevention,” said Seokjin Jeong of the University of Texas and Byung Hyun Lee at Michigan State University, in the report that utilizes data from the 2005-06 administration of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children.

HBSC is a cross-national survey conducted every four years by the World Health Organization and administered in the U.S. to a national sample of students in grades six through 10. The survey is funded by the U.S. Department of 

Preparing Educators to Be Champions for Justice | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Preparing Educators to Be Champions for Justice | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Preparing Educators to Be Champions for Justice

By American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education on October 21, 2013

By Sharon P. Robinson, Ed.D., President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
Growing up in Louisville during the civil rights era, with activist parents who believed in the inherent connection between education and equality, I understood early on that a quality education can increase opportunities and improve outcomes for all children. I recall the civil rights hymn, "Woke up this morning with my mind – stayed on freedom," which inspired so many and captured the urgency of addressing the injustice minorities faced in America at that time. Today, educational equity continues to be in the forefront of my mind.
August marked the 50th anniversary of two major milestones in this country's pursuit of justice – the March on Washington, when Martin Luther King, Jr. stirred the soul of the country with his "I Have a Dream" benediction, and James Meredith's graduation from the University of Mississippi as the history-making student who integrated that state's flagship institution. We should all celebrate these victories. For teacher educators in particular, in honoring the memory of these achievements, we will find inspiration to redouble our commitment to our unique social justice imperative – to prepare all future educators to improve the opportunities for all America's children.
Undeniably, the nation has made progress on the equity agenda, but there is still challenging 

4LAKids - L.A. teacher writes Diane Ravitch: JOHN DEASY IS THE EDUCATIONAL EQUIVALENT OF DICK CHENEY

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: L.A. teacher writes Diane Ravitch: JOHN DEASY IS THE EDUCATIONAL EQUIVALENT OF DICK CHENEY:

L.A. teacher writes Diane Ravitch: JOHN DEASY IS THE EDUCATIONAL EQUIVALENT OF DICK CHENEY

BY DIANERAV IN DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG HTTP://BIT.LY/1GYA6D5

October 20, 2013   ::  This teacher, who requests anonymity for obvious reasons, has noticed a peculiar tendency on the part of editorial boards and business leaders to shower praise on educational leaders who act brusquely, with a maximum show of contempt for those they lead.  He calls this the “Dick Cheney” style of leadership. Those of us in New York have recently seen this kind of leader in our State Commissioner John King. He recently showed disdain for parents by lecturing them for over an hour at what was billed as a “dialogue about the Common Core,” then–after he was booed and hissed by those parents– insulted them as having been manipulated by “special interests.” The state board of Regents affirmed their support for him, even though he lacks the support of parents and teachers. They actually like the idea that they have a leader who is willing to bulldoze parents and educators.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney	LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy	NY State Ed Commissioner John King

That was the style that didn’t win in Iraq. It certainly won’t “win” in the field of education, where collaboration is needed among parents, students teachers, principals, district leaders, and state agencies. Braggadocio and swagger work in penitentiaries and in the military: not in education.
Here is a letter from a Los Angeles teacher:

October 20, 2013

In today’s LA Times, the editorial board came out in support of LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy and his iPad roll out with 

10-21-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Insight into co-location, dirt edition #edchat #TFA

Sort of a follow-up to a previous post of mine. As a public school, your kid shows up, we teach them. It is rather well-documented that charter schools, shall we say, select the most successful students. All I have to say is, “How the HELL are you going to suspend a five year-old SIX times […]

by Shaun Johnson / 2min 

An Industry of Mediocrity?: How about Journalism?

Careless, shoddy, flippant, thoughtless—these are the words that come to mind when I think about most journalism addressing education. There are a few shining examples of journalists doing their work (Valerie Strauss comes to mind), but mostly, those are the words. So when I saw  ‘An Industry of Mediocrity’ at The New York Times, and […]

by plthomasedd / 28min 

10-20-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: This Year, Boston is the Epicenter for Public School DestructionToo bad.  You missed it. No, not my birthday.  You still have time to prepare for that.  (Hint: it’s the 9th day after the New Year starts.) What you missed was the Annual National Summit on Education Reform, held by Jeb Bush and his anti-public-school reform group, Foundation for Excellence in Education (up is down,

by mike simpson / 1h 

Award Winning School Faces "Eviction" | Lily's Blackboard

Award Winning School Faces "Eviction" | Lily's Blackboard:

The Most Beautiful People Edition…Coming from a Public School Near You

Oct 21st, 2013 

by Lily.

I once teased our NEA President, Dennis Van Roekel, that one, fine day People Magazine would issue their Most Beautiful Union Presidents editions, and I’d nominate him.  This month, we made it.

Well.  Not Most Beautiful Union Presidents.  That eludes us still.  But something infinitely more beautiful (no offense, Dennis.)  This month People Magazine (October 28, 2013) will highlight 8 educators who have achieved amazing and beautiful things for their students.  I served on the selection committee, and I will admit that I have a love-hate (ok, not so much “hate” as “concern”) with awards like this.

My concern grows from the time I was named a Utah Teacher of the Year.  I was concerned when some in the press asked me questions like, “How does it feel to be designated the best teacher in Utah?”  Which was 

Update Political Power of Teach for America + Who Are the Philanthropic and Corporate Sponsors of Today’s School Deform? | janresseger

Who Are the Philanthropic and Corporate Sponsors of Today’s School Deform? | janresseger:

New Update on Political Power of Teach for America

Posted on October 21, 2013 by janresseger

Reporting for PoliticoPro this morning, Stephanie Simon, documents the several ways in which Teach for America Rises as Political Powerhouse.  Simon, a skilled investigative reporter, describes TFA’s targeted initiatives to build political power across big city school districts, the statehouses and Congress.

“TFA is now embedding select alumni in congressional offices and in high-ranking jobs in major school districts…. It’s providing start-up cash to alumni to launch ‘game-changing’ advocacy groups and business ventures.  Its political arm, meanwhile, is recruiting veteran tacticians to identify key levers of power in cities such as Houston—then help alumni seize them.

For example, “TFA also selected seven alumni this year to work for senators, representatives and the House Education and the Workforce Committee.  The Capitol Hill Fellows do the work of regular congressional staffers.  But in an arrangement that Hill ethics experts call highly 

Who Are the Philanthropic and Corporate Sponsors of Today’s School Deform?

Posted on October 21, 2013 by janresseger

I believe that our society’s provision of public education—publicly funded, universally available, and accountable to the public—is essential for ensuring that all children are served, and I believe that a strong system of public education is essential as the foundation of our democracy.  In that context, I think it is important to write more about what I support—strong public schools—than what I oppose—the assault on public education by those who would privatize the education of our children primarily for the purpose of making a profit.

However, I don’t think we ought to be naive.  For this reason I sometimes like to look up the source of the money behind the school privatization movement as a discipline to keep myself informed.  In that spirit, let’s check on some of the foundations and corporations that sponsored Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education National Summit last week in Boston.

Foundations

The Grand Rapids, Michigan founders of Amway Products, Dick and Betsy DeVos, through