Friday, September 24, 2010

Ed deform propaganda in full bloom

The pro-charter/anti-union/oligarch-orchestrated cabal's propaganda is in full bloom, and stinking up the place like a amorphophallus titanum (Corpse flower). In case you’ve been trapped in a closet this week, here’s what’s been happening so you can get up to speed.

On September 13, NBC issued a press release about Education Nation in which it announced the confirmed speakers to date. BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE LIST OF THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR DESCRIPTIONS BELOW!

Read Teacher Ken’s website and comments about the onslaught HERE.

A couple of folks started a Miseducation Nation Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/MiseducationNation when NBC started deleting and blocking comments made by people who were bothered by the one-sidedness of this Gates/Broad-sponsored, and probably designed, event.

Anthony Cody at Living in Dialogue on OprahPaganda and NBC’s blocking of comments!

Sign this petition urging Oprah to have Diane Ravitch as her featured guest!!!: http://education.change.org/petitions/view/petition_to_oprah

Word was getting around about the comment-blocking issue on Education Nation’s Facebook page, and a public relations problem was brewing, so NBC changed their settings. Let them know what you think @ http://www.facebook.com/educationnation

Breaking news reports from Norm Scott in NYC @ http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

And from the Grassroots Education Movement NYC, a trailer for "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman."

Re: the Superman movie

This piece of propaganda was funded by former eBay CEO Jeffrey Skoll and Phillip Anshutz, a far right-wing, evangelical billionaire. Theaters should hold special screenings for the resisters, so we can boo all we want.

The line-up for Education Nation's special guests (grab your barf bag)

POLITICIANS (recipients of filthy, manipulative Duncan, Gates, and/or Broad money)

  • Michael Bloomberg: Mayor, City of New York (Gates donated $4 million to keep Bloomberg in control)
  • Cory Booker: Mayor, City of Newark, New Jersey [As Joe Williams wrote in a September 2009 e-newsletter from Democrats for Education Reform: “Tip #5. Start your new school year off on the right foot by getting yourself one of the highly sought-after DFER 2009-10 school year calendars, featuring pin-ups of your favorite education reformers. (Ladies, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is Mr. January… Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about.) You can get your free calendar by contributing $50 or more to DFER’s political action committee.”]. Good grief.
  • Phil Bredesen: Governor, State of Tennessee (home of Vanderbuilt University which just released a study showing that one of the ed deformers' favorite ideas is a big flop)
  • Jennifer M. Granholm: Governor, State of Michigan
  • Jack Markell: Governor, State of Delaware
  • Michael Nutter: Mayor, City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Antonio Villaraigosa: Mayor, City of Los Angeles, California

GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS (all have had formal affiliations with the Broad Foundation)

  • Arne Duncan: US Secretary of Education
  • Joel Klein: Chancellor of New York City Schools
  • Michelle Rhee: Chancellor, District of Columbia Public School System of Washington, D.C.
  • Margaret Spellings: Former US Secretary of Education

EDUPRENEURS AND COGS IN THE GATES/BROAD ED DEFORM MACHINE

  • Geoffrey Canada: CEO & President of Harlem Children's Zone Project (the press release didn’t mention that he is a spokesman for American Express, listed at #2 of Education Nation’s sponsors)
  • David Coleman: Founder & CEO, Student Achievement Partners; Contributing Author of the Common Core Standards
  • Reed Hastings: Founder & CEO of Netflix (a major charter school proponent; the press release didn’t mention that he sits on Microsoft’s Board of Directors under Bill Gates)
  • Wendy Kopp: CEO and Founder of Teach for America (married to KIPP CEO Richard Barth)
  • John Legend: Musician; Founder of the Show Me Campaign (a great voice who has become some kind of variation of a sentimental, rescuing-mentality teachers' pet)
  • Sally Ride: First Female Astronaut; Vice-chair of Change the Equation (Started by former Intel CEO Craig Barrett and the Gates')

RIGHT-HAND MEN OF THE BILLIONAIRES

  • Allan Golston, President, US Program, The Gates Foundation (the GF is the #3 sponsor)
  • Gregory McGinity: Managing Director of Policy, The Broad Education Foundation (the BF is the #4 sponsor)

ABLE TO BE BOUGHT-OFF (all are recipients of major amounts of Gates’ largess)

  • Byron Garrett: CEO of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
  • Randi Weingarten: President of American Federation of Teachers (AFT-CLO)
  • Janet Murguia: President & CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)

SEEKING TO IMPROVE A SHAKY REPUTATION AND TO REVERSE THE BAD PRESS

  • Bill Pepicello, Ph.D.: President of University of Phoenix (#1 on the list of sponsors)

TOKEN PARENT “LEADER”

  • Gwen Samuel, CT delegate to Mom Congress (Mom Congress is an “advocacy initiative” hatched up by Parenting magazine to help sell more magazines) http://www.pta.org/3596.htm

ASSORTED CEOS WHO DON’T KNOW A THING OR GIVE A HOOT ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  • Barry Schuler: Former CEO of AOL
  • Edward Rust: Chairman & CEO of State Farm Insurance Companies
  • Sterling Speirn: CEO, Kellogg Foundation
  • Walter Isaacson: President & CEO of the Aspen Institute

CLUELESS TALKING HEADS WHO ARE TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE PEOPLE WHO INHABIT THEM

  • Maria Bartiromo: Anchor of CNBC's "Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo" and Anchor and Managing Editor of "Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo"
  • Tom Brokaw: NBC News Special Correspondent
  • Ann Curry: News Anchor, "Today" and Anchor, "Dateline NBC"
  • Lester Holt: Anchor, "NBC Nightly News," Weekend Edition and Co-Host, "Today" Weekend Edition
  • Brian Williams: Anchor and Managing Editor "NBC Nightly News"
  • David Gregory: Moderator, "Meet the Press"
  • Andrea Mitchell: NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and Host, "Andrea Mitchell Reports"

IT'S UP TO US NOW AND NO ONE IS GOING TO HELP. SO IF YOU CARE ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION YOU NEED TO TAKESOME KIND OF ACTION.

STOP THE ARROGANT, POWER-HUNGRY, PUBLIC ED DEFORMING OLIGARCHS FROM RUNNING THIS SHOW!!!

At the very least, sign this petition urging Oprah to invite Diane Ravitch to be her featured guest!!!: http://education.change.org/petitions/view/petition_to_oprah

3 comments:

CarolineSF said...

Tom Brokaw's daughter (same last name, a doctor) was featured in the SF Chronicle a couple of years ago explaining why she has to send her child/ren to one of San Francisco's snootiest and most pseudo-progressive private schools. Or at least why she CLAIMS to -- she forgot the part about making sure her kids have no contact with the unwashed masses.

Jonathan Jackson said...

"STOP THE ARROGANT, POWER-HUNGRY, PUBLIC ED DEFORMING OLIGARCHS FROM RUNNING THIS SHOW!!!"

Any logic and reason beyond preventing successful, innovative managers and leaders from offering their commitment to the longterm sustainability of our nation through public education? Seems it may be at least the best alternative, even if its not perfect. The status quo of letting educators attempt to make any education reform has not worked for 20 years. I agree with many of Diane Ravitch, but I don't think any education system is perfect. Charters and vouchers seem to offer many advantages that the status quo can not, even the advantages come with some downsides.

Anonymous said...

"Any logic and reason beyond preventing successful, innovative managers and leaders from offering their commitment to the longterm sustainability of our nation through public education?"

Easy.
Their only purpose is to make a buck.
Do you REALLY believe they care about the great unwashed public?

Not a bit.
But if there is profit to be made.