Why it's a cakewalk for education "reformers" now. In their own words.

madfloridian

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Wed Apr-06-11 02:30 PM
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Why it's a cakewalk for education "reformers" now. In their own words.

This is the group that used the term "bursting the dam" about their goal to privatize education while calling it reform. They call themselves Democrats for Education Reform.

This is their article from October 2010 in which they used the term "burst the dam."

This article makes it extremely clear that they believe they have the green light from this administration for their so-called reforms. It also makes clear their attitudes toward public schools and teachers.

Bursting the Dam

It is no secret that most of the efforts to reform K-12 public education systems in the last quarter century have been stymied by political gridlock. Although education pioneers like Teach For America and KIPP have demonstrated the tremendous potential impact of innovation, special interests (primarily but not limited to teachers unions) have built up symbiotic relationships with elected officials to the point that they are able to assert de facto veto power over the kinds of changes which could fundamentally alter the way education is delivered in our communities.

Read that twice. They believe teachers unions control politics. That's almost laughable now.

They then make it perfectly clear that President Obama has cleared the way that had been blocked before.

We're closer than we've ever been to bursting the dam that has prevented progress in K-12 education. To be sure, since the 1983 release of the federal report A Nation At Risk, there have been small but valuable political fissures in the dam. Some school boards have tipped briefly in favor of reformers, some governors have made progress with raising standards, etc. but the dam itself has remained strong enough to stop widespread reform.

The 2008 election of President Barack Obama created unprecedented political conditions, which now make fundamental reform of public education a possibility. The first-ever Democratic president elected without significant support of teachers unions (the American Federation of Teachers, which backed Hillary Clinton early on, spent millions trying to knock Obama off the ballot), Obama has governed with unusual credibility and freedom.

Unions supported Obama in the general election. Maybe they think he needs DFER's money more than he needs any support from teachers and their unions. Just one more insult among many, unanswered by anyone in Democratic leadership.

Oh, wait, I forgot. These ARE Democratic leaders, this group.

More:

Did they unwittingly reveal the true goals of Race to the Top and all its money? Oops.

President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan's federal "Race To The Top" (RTTT) competition produced more simultaneous fissures in the dam than we've ever seen. Cash-strapped state legislatures, hoping to win a chunk of nearly $5 billion in federal prizes, passed more education reform legislation in eight months than they had in the previous eight years. Reform in exchange for dollars became the new mantra, and the status quo - desperate to avoid widespread teacher layoffs - found itself uncharacteristically nullified in the political process. (Union leaders were forced to choose whether they wanted layoffs or not - with these changes being the price of additional federal funding.)

That's an amazing admission. Many of us who write about education from the public education point of view have been saying all along that they were buying support from school districts with Arne's money.

A little surprised to see a "reformers" group be so open about it.

Actually they are not the only ones gleeful about the administration's policies. Eli Broad beat them to it last year.

Eli Broad: "with election of Obama and his appointment of Duncan, the stars are aligned"

Broad Foundation Says with Election of Obama and His Appointment of Duncan, the Stars are Aligned

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. (emphasis added)

Susan Ohanian's blog notes that the remarks are from the Broad Foundation's 2009/2010 annual report