the Wall Street take over of public education

[yurbud]

In reviewing Diane's Ravitch's book
Reign of Error on the corrupt corporate take over of public schools and what real reform would look like, this reporter summed up what they reformers want, why, and what it will and is actually doing to public schools pretty well.

We have to take education policy out of the hands of the sociopaths who broke our economy, gambled with our mortgages, stole private employee pensions and working to steal public employee pensions, and would like to steal our Social Security too.

The financial sector's behavior in the last ten years alone is reason enough to keep them miles away from our children.

School privatization is an attempt to replace the current system of neighborhood public schools with a market-based system where parents choose their child's school, public or private, paid for with tax dollars.

The political advantages for conservatives are obvious. Privatizing education directs huge sums to profit-making entrepreneurs who become campaign donors. It sends money and students to church-run schools, something religious conservatives relish. And it cripples the progressive activism of teachers unions who are the chief lobbyists for public education.

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After years of experiments in vouchers and for-profit charter schools, including in Florida, Ravitch dives into the evidence and finds that they don't provide a significant boost in learning for low-income students. Harm, though, comes to public schools, our nation's great democratizing institution. They lose vital funding and community support.

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/blumner-schools-arent-really-failing/2144202