Ed Reform movie Won't Back Down doesn't do well when compared with real parent trigger events.

[madfloridian]

For decades there has been a movement to end public education, to get the government out of the business of schools. The goal? To allow private business to take it over for profit.

Until 2009 it had been a movement lurking in the background, but with Arne Duncan's appointment as Secretary of Education it came to the foreground. Billionaire Eli Broad made it clear that his appointment was a signal to the education "reformers" that the way was clear.

His words:

The election of President Barack Obama and his appointment of Arne Duncan, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, as the U.S. secretary of education, marked the pinnacle of hope for our work in education reform. In many ways, we feel the stars have finally aligned.

With an agenda that echoes our decade of investments—charter schools, performance pay for teachers, accountability, expanded learning time and national standards—the Obama administration is poised to cultivate and bring to fruition the seeds we and other reformers have planted.

And the movie Won't Back Down is part of that movement. In fact when Eli Broad made his huge donation to the astroturf parents group backing the parent trigger, he said that it was to help get more charter schools. Not a word about helping public schools.

Parents Across America points out how much the new parent trigger movie Won't Back Down differs from the real world.

Fact-checking “Won’t Back Down” Parent Trigger propaganda flick

With the star power of “Won’t Back Down,” this far-right-funded propaganda film — starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holly Hunter and Viola Davis — may get some attention and reviews. For those in search of the truth, here’s a brief response to the movie’s version of events, as shown (so far) in the trailer. The movie purports to be “inspired by real events,” which would have to mean the 2010 Parent Trigger drive launched against McKinley Elementary School in Compton, Calif.

..."Film version: The trailer shows parents, led by the Gyllenhaal character, mobilizing valiantly to take over their school — and only much later contacting an outside organizer for extra support.

Reality: The Parent Trigger attempt at McKinley Elementary School was entirely orchestrated by outsiders – the staff of Parent Revolution, the Los Angeles organization that first proposed the legislation that created the Parent Trigger. Parent Revolution looked around the state for a school to target, chose McKinley and pre-selected a charter school operator called Celerity to take it over. Parent Revolution sent paid operatives door to door in Compton with petitions. Only then did any parents at McKinley even hear about the petition drive, according to the Los Angeles Weekly, which covered the story in detail.

..."Film version: The trailer shows parents determined to take over the school, against all odds.

Reality: In Compton, there was no discussion of parents taking over the school. The Parent Trigger attempt was intended from the beginning to turn the school over to the Celerity charter school operator.

It's all another effort to divert public funds, taxpayer money, to private businesses who want to profit from public education with no oversight or regulation.

[Enthusiast]

1. I cannot understand the motive behind

this effort to privatize education in this country.

Evidence shows us that much of the product is inferior. Is this just a thinly veiled attempt to get rid of organized labor? Why would the President embrace such an ideology? Why would the President break with long standing Democratic Party loyalty to public school teachers and public schools? This will most certainly damage the Democratic Party. This is just one of the disturbing issues that have confounded me since the election of President Obama.

[Jakes Progress]

2. It is driven by money.

The same thing that drives both parties. Children can't vote. Their parents are gullible and mislead by the millions that corporate interests spend to spread lies and misinformation. The money types can't wait to get at that cash trough. The political types see an easy target. Most everyone had some bad experience at school, so taking a complicated subject like education and reducing it to sound bytes and pointing fingers at teachers while sounding like they actually care about kids is a cheap shit way for politicians of both parties to "identify" with the public.

That said. If a republican administration had tried this stuff, the whole of the Democratic party would have risen up to attack them. It took Nixon to go to China. It took Obama to sell the schools.

[Enthusiast]

3. Thanks for your response, Jakes Progress.

"That said. If a republican administration had tried this stuff, the whole of the Democratic party would have risen up to attack them. It took Nixon to go to China. It took Obama to sell the schools."

I think the same.

I can't help but think there are some truly diabolical forces at work behind the scene. I feel like President Obama, as accomplished an orator as he is, must have missed a bunch of history courses somewhere along the line. Or, he was raised in an ideologically right family environment. I just don't get it. Where did he get the idea that this was a good thing to do in the face of all evidence to the contrary? WTF?

[No Elephants]

5. A little OT, but

If a republican administration had tried this stuff, the whole of the Democratic party would have risen up to attack them. It took Nixon to go to China. It took Obama to sell the schools.

I have been noticing this phenomenon more and more.

A Republican idea gets implemented by a Democratic President. it works out well because the Republicans want it and the Democrats stick up for "their" guy.

A tax increase gets implemented by a Republican President (tho' we probably won't see that anymore). It works out well because the Democrats, while not lovers of taxes, accept the need and Republicans stick up for "their" guy.

Do they deliberately trade off or has it just been working out that way?

[senseandsensibility]

4. Can we still rec this?

I see it has four recs, but I don't see how I can make it five.