An informative link from An Urban Teacher's Education, which I repost here:
The vultures are circling - ever looking to increase profits.
It's really important to remember that when many of the reformers talk about "reforming" education, they're primarily talking about reforming the way the money is doled out.
They want to dole out a lot less to individual schools, to support for those schools and of course to the labor costs that go into manning those schools, and dole out a lot more to the technology companies, the "educational materials" companies, the testing companies, the test prep companies and the consultants.
Often, all of those things are combined into one big conglomerate.
Think Joel Klein, Murdoch, Wireless Generation, Amplify and News Corp.
Think Pearson.
Not exactly the kind of crew who really seem to "care about the kids."
Profits, however - that they care about.
Don't forget that these Astroturfer groups are infiltrating politics and teacher consciousness, under the guise of civil rights reform and professional development.
ReplyDeleteNote how E4E, along with DFER, StudentsFirst, Teach for America and Teach Plus are getting Gates or Broad money and are pushing the same Michelle Rhee program of high-stakes testing and charter schools.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/education/22gates.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
http://raginghorse.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/educators4excellencebrought-to-you-by-the-insidious-arm-of-the-disgustingly-rich/