The Fundamental Flaw Of The Corporate Education Reformer

A nice run down of the corporate education deform agenda at Truthout written by Crystal Sylvia, a social worker in the DC public school system.

She concludes:

It is important to note that there are many well-intentioned people who embrace corporate education reform. Like the rest of us, they see public school systems that are failing children in numerous ways. However, these folks are misguided. This movement is being led and funded by conservative think tanks with an agenda that promotes the privatization of public schools. The deep pockets that are bankrolling all aspects of corporate education reform are from foundations headed by mostly white, male billionaires who put their own children in elite private schools that treat teachers with dignity and respect.

The system needs to be reformed. The unions, like the Washington Teachers Union, do have a history of not advocating for teachers in ways that are needed to improve "failing" schools. But teachers unions are not the enemy.

In fact, teachers and students have many of the same needs. When teachers are able to teach in buildings that are not dilapidated, children learn better. When teachers get the resources, training, and support they need, children can excel. When teachers are allowed to teach a varied curriculum rather than being forced to focus on standardized testing, children can have an enriching educational experience. When teachers are treated professionally without a culture of intimidation, children will learn in nurturing schools.

True reform cannot be imposed but must include meaningful participation with the school community and must address the poverty, violence, and dysfunction that plague too many of our children’s lives.

Take a very close look at Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, et al.

There is nothing warm or human about these people.

They are numbers crunchers through and through.

They are also crooks.

Gates tried to rip off Paul Allen, his partner and co-founder of Microsoft, when Allen got sick with cancer and has stolen nearly every idea and innovation that Microsoft has had since Allen left in the 80's.

Bloomberg is rumored to have stolen the idea for his Bloomberg terminals and made billions from it

Rhee promoted herself as a test score miracle as both teacher and school chancellor, but both were false.

And Klein built his reputation on test scores that he knew were fraudulent.

Listen, we are all flawed human beings with foibles and defects of character that need to be worked on.

But the people who run the education reform movement are the worst kind of flawed - they don't think they make mistakes and they want to impose their own visions of the world and schools onto the rest of us without any discussion or dissent.