In 2002, the first school was opened in California, enrolling 188 students. In 2010, 14 schools were operating, enrolling a total of 2804 students.* California is the state with the third highest number of Gulen charter schools (behind Texas with 40 and Ohio with 17). See a list of current, attempted, and pending schools @ http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2011/06/gulen-charter-schools-in-california.html
Important questions to be answered:
1. How many parents of the nearly 3000 California students enrolled in these schools know anything about the Gulen Movement and/or the controversies which surround its undisclosed agenda and activities, including its steadily growing worldwide project of opening schools?
2. How many of the board members who authorized these schools (Los Angeles USD, Oakland USD, San Diego Unified, Santa Clara County Office of Education, El Dorado County Office of Education, or the California State Board of Education) know anything about the Gulen Movement and/or the controversies which surround its undisclosed agenda and activities, including its steadily growing worldwide project of opening schools?
3. How many of the people just mentioned above know that these charter schools have been opened for the purpose of implementing Fethullah Gulen's vision and educational philosophy, and to advance the cause of the Gulen Movement -- including the building of an ever-growing body of Americans who are sympathetic to the movement? (See this update)
4. Is it right for public money to be used in this way when at least 99.99% of the taxpayers have no idea about any of the things mentioned above?
Read "How the schools serve the Gulen Movement."
The graphs demonstrating the enrollment at all Gulen charter schools in the U.S. will be much, much steeper. The first school was opened in 1999, and now the movement operates ~140 schools which enroll approximately 35,000 students.
The graphs demonstrating the enrollment at all Gulen charter schools in the U.S. will be much, much steeper. The first school was opened in 1999, and now the movement operates ~140 schools which enroll approximately 35,000 students.
 |
| Click on these images for a larger view. |
One final question. If someone is nervous about poisonous spiders, but has no problem with non-poisonous spiders, is that person really an arachnophobe?
4 comments:
Some years ago, the Gulenists (as I now know) attempted to open a charter school in my district, San Francisco Unified -- a sister school to their Oakland charter, Bay Tech. I spoke against the SF school during public comment at a Board of Ed meeting based on two concerns: The Oakland school was low-performing and segregated, based on SF standards, and we didn't need another low-performing and segregated school; and in general I felt that problem charters were draining energy and resources from our district.
However, in all this, I never heard of the Gulen movement and had no idea that this proposed school was connected with any political-religious movement; and there was no discussion of that by the Board of Ed at that meeting or any other that I heard. I think it's safe that the Board of Ed was utterly unaware of the Gulen movement and this proposed school's connection with it.
I forgot to mention that the SF BOE voted down the Gulen charter, and the operators didn't pursue it further.
Once again great research.
One thing that is mindblowing about the Gulen Managed Charter schools is their hunger for more more more school. Yet according to these state reports their enrollment is barely 2,800 spread out over 13 schools. Based on the $4,000 per yer for student enrollment (slightly more for ESL students) this is hardly much of an operating costs.
So that "outside" money or "special creative" financing will be very important to these California schools. They have applied for a construction grant, lets hope they are denied.
They have proven they are irresponsible with American money and have spend in excess of $7 million in Travel Expenses between the Louisana and Texas schools.
Anti-charter bloggers who attack so-called gulen charter schools are not American citizens, teachers or parents, rather they are members of a terrorist group called Ergenekon whose aim to overthrow Turkish government and form a ultra-nationalist, despotic regime. They think Gulen Movement is behind the AKP government but they are wrong. American readers, be aware of this scam. Read more at http://gulencharterforum.blogspot.com
Post a Comment