THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: A pack of lies + some truths

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A pack of lies + some truths

EXCERPT	SOURCE
Yet [the Gulen movement’s] structure, ambitions, and size remain opaque, making assessment of its impact and power difficult... Fethullahci are often loath to declare themselves openly as such.	“The Fethullah Gulen Movement.” Global Politician, 12/31/2008
The precise number of [Fethullah Gulen Community] members is difficult to estimate since some publicly deny affinity or membership with the movement.	“Gulen Movement: Turkey’s Third Power.” Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, 2/1/2009
Erdogan said [Beehive Science and Technology School] is not affiliated with any religious group	"Utah charter school's ties to Turkey draw scrutiny.” Salt Lake Tribune (UT), 7/17/2009
... Mehmet Argin, principal of Tucson's Sonoran Science Academy, says his school's parent corporation, Daisy Education Corp., "has no legal or organic ties" with other schools...	“Objectives of charter schools with Turkish ties questioned.” USA Today, 8/17/2010
[Ahmet Cetinkaya head of Albuquerque School of Excellence] said his school has no links to Islam or Gulen's philosophy.	"Texas Charter School Chain's Resources Used at Local, But Unrelated, Campus." Albuquerque Journal (NM), 10/11/2010
Karen Fontenot at 3:38 min.: “I’m on the advisory board of the schools, the Gulen schools in Louisiana.” Fontenot is vice president of Pelican Educational Foundation (operator of the now-closed Abramson Science & Technology Charter School and Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School).	“Dr. Karen Fontenot at the Dinner Reception of Mapping the Gülen Movement.” YouTube video, 10/7/2010
Helen Rose Ebaugh @ 11:57 min.: “Do you know in Texas we now have 25 Gulen schools? They’re called charter schools, totally financed by the state, and it’s causing problems..."	“Prof. Dr. Helen Rose Ebaugh - Mapping the Gülen Movement.” YouTube video, 10/7/2010
[Knoxville Science Academy lead sponsor Suzan Mertyurek] denies any affiliation with the Gulen movement...	“Two Proposed Schools Come Up Short in Knox County.” MetroPulse (TN), 11/10/2010
...Tarim laughed a little when asked about the relationship between Harmony and Gulen, which he said is nonexistent. “We get asked this question many, many times,” he said, waving off any connection. “We continue to tell people (there is no tie).”	“Harmony schools causing discord.” San Antonio Express-News (TX), 1/3/2012
The officials say the schools are not connected or associated with a broader movement.	“Oklahoma charter schools hire math, science teachers from overseas.” The Oklahoman (OK), 5/24/2011
Principal Engin Blackstone says Quest Charter Academy, in no way, has any connection with controversial Turkish imam, Fethullah Gulen...	“Quest Academy Principal Denies Connection to Turkish Imam.” CIProud – WMBD-TV (IL), 5/14/2012
Ali Yilmaz, executive director and principal of Wisconsin Career Academy (soon to become the private Wisconsin College Preparatory Academy) denied that the school has any connections with Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.	"Milwaukee charter schools tied to Turkish Islamic cleric?" Journal Sentinel (WI), 5/14/2012
“Harmony schools have no affiliation with Fetullah Gulen or the so-called Gulen movement.”	"Harmony Public Schools Response to the New York Times." Harmony Public Schools website, posted 6/8/2012
Gulen institutions do not publicize their Gulen affiliation anywhere they operate.	“In Albania, Madrasas Even the Secular Love.” Transitions Online (CZ), 10/19/2012
“The school is not affiliated with Gulen and not bringing in students from overseas,” [Pioneer Charter School of Science Dean of Students Sanela Jonuz] said.	"Public weighs in on proposed charter schools at Saugus meeting." Saugus Advertiser (MA), 12/24/2012
... Are any of the proposed charter school's [Allentown Engineering Academy] founding members affiliated with... Gulen and his Gulen Movement? Zimmerman asked. No, replied Kadir Veziroglu, lead applicant...	“School board grills charter school applicant.” The Morning Call (PA), 12/18/2012
"They claim that these charter schools are independent and have no connection to the Gulen movement, and I said to them: 'That's baloney,' " said William Martin, senior fellow in religion and public policy at Baker Institute of Rice University in Texas, where Gulen followers have set up dozens of charter schools. Martin has followed the movement for years, traveled to Turkey at their expense, and counts its leaders there as friends.	“Proposed Bangor charter school linked to Turkish imam.” Portland Press Herald (ME), 2/17/2013
Barish Icin, Pioneer Charter School of Science executive director “... denied any connection to other Turkish-led schools in the United States or to Gulen.”	“Turkish charter schools growing as some question cleric ties.” Boston Globe (MA), 2/21/2013
Dominic Slowey, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, vehemently rejected any connection with Gulen. “... there is no connection between [Pioneer Charter School of Science] and any network of charter schools...”	“Despite controversial allegations, school board approves Pioneer Charter School of Science II.” Saugus News (MA), 3/13/2013
School officials have denied that [Truebright Science Academy Charter School] has ties to Gulen.	“Charter school's fate now up to SRC.” Philadelphia Inquirer (PA), 5/3/2013
There are no ties of any kind to any religious movement... LISA Academy Public Schools are not affiliated with any religious group...	LISA Academy website (AR), accessed 8/14/2013

1 comment:

Therese said...: This is fantastic!; August 29, 2013 at 1:09 AM

Inform yourself about the Gulen movement!

1. WATCH the Gulen Movement 101: Session One webinar presentation (1/22/2014)
2. READ the "Expose the Gulen Movement" report.
3. LISTEN to my interview with At The Chalk Face , slide marker to 32:00 min. (5/19/2013)
4. WATCH the 60 Minutes segment "U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam" broadcast. (5/13/2012)
5. READ my response to the 60 Minutes piece.
6. READ my guest article about Gulen charter schools published by The Washington Post. (3/27/2012)
7. WATCH my interview talking about Gulen charter schools, or my presentation at LaborFest (segment between 49:18 min. & 1:07:36 min.)
8. READ my postings labeled "Gulen movement" HERE.

As one observer tweeted, "U.S. media have focused too much on the Islamic nature of the Gulen movement. Real concern is its shady dealings and improprieties."

Please be aware that Gulenists have created a large number of anonymously-operated damage control websites. They started to appear a few months after publication of Greg Toppo's article in USA Today (August 2010).

WE CAN DO IT!

Jim Hightower on populism:

"... what populism is at its essence is just a determined focus on helping people be able to get out of the iron grip of the corporate power that is overwhelming our economy, our environment, energy, the media, government."

Jim Hightower on plutocracy:

"Plutocracy and democracy don't mix."

More Jim Hightower HERE.
Read his Lowdown newsletter HERE.

Plutocracy is rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth. In a plutocracy, the degree of economic inequality is high while the level of social mobility is low.

On Bill Gates' ed reform

Joel Shatzky's comment on Huffington Post:

The inferior "test-prep" agenda which bases the pedagogically fraudulent "data" standardized test scores serves as a way of diverting the concerns of working parents who hope that better test scores will lead to better job opportunities for their children. If they realized that they were being given a con job, they might consider other, more "active" forms of political and social protest than simply lobbying for more money for charter and public schools.

New wealth gap report

Research and Policy Brief from the Institute on Assets and Social Policy, Brandeis University, May 2010:

"New evidence reveals that the wealth gap between white and African-American families has more than quadrupled over the course of a generation."

You absolutely must click on this link to view the graph.

Now compare that graph to the one you'll see here.

Now read this entry.

And if you are a person who blames the schools, or believes they are responsible for fixing these problems, you can stop that type of thinking right now.

A Keeper

Posted on the Oakland Public School Parents listserv by a member:*

As a public health nurse, I am working with a generation of young parents who were drug-exposed, who are now having children who are drug-exposed, and it's a whole new ballgame. Many who were premature and will carry some deficits for life.

There are also many other families who have several generations of all kinds of abuse, not enough to eat, violence in and out of their homes, as well as chronic exposure to pollution and nutritional deficits. And there are regular people in the same neighborhoods who are just trying to live, but are poor and can't get ahead.

And there is major grief, and continuous LOSS. So many folks have lost so many folks, people around them dying, of one thing or another, every month almost. Young people (cousins, brothers, friends) dying from violent means, the elders dying too young of chronic disease and disparities in health care, among other things.

What we know about learning and development is that stressed nervous systems CANNOT learn, and that's what we have. Children with many major stressors. Abandonment, attachment disorders, fear, post traumatic stress, sadness, inability to trust or sleep. Many children. Many.

Resulting in: Lack of impulse control, lack of executive function, difficulty in expressing and controlling emotions, difficulty in sleeping, holding still, and paying attention, not to mention following directions and prioritizing tasks.

Our teachers will (perhaps already do) need more training, support, and smaller class sizes. They need major support and help with mental health issues. We really need some kind of expanded vocational track for those who can't perform even at the community college level.

We can't expect teachers to undo years and years of living. The availability of universal preschool would help. Sometimes a classroom is the first kindly, safe, structured, stimulating environment a child encounters.

Wise insights such as these are never uttered by people like Eli Broad, Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, Joe Williams, or any others who are of this type of school reform ilk. And this is why I know for certain that they just don't "get it." Maybe they don’t want to, OR maybe they don’t care.

* Thank you, B.R.

What Children Need

From Playing to Learn by Susan Engel (New York Times, 2/1/2010):

"Our current educational approach — and the testing that is driving it — is completely at odds with what scientists understand about how children develop during the elementary school years and has led to a curriculum that is strangling children and teachers alike.

…Simply put, what children need to do in elementary school is not to cram for high school or college, but to develop ways of thinking and behaving that will lead to valuable knowledge and skills later on."

And to tag onto that, check out this video about the wood shop at one of Oakland's middle schools.

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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A pack of lies + some truths

1 comment: