THE PERIMETER PRIMATE

The Michelle Rhee Connection map

2012-01-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

How to view:

Click on image to enlarge, or
Open new Word doc > Right click on webpage image > Select Copy Image > Go to Word doc and paste > enlarge.
Write to me @ perimeterprimate@yahoo.com and request the pdf.

Stay tuned for map #2, “Oligarchs, the Tea Party, & Corporate Education Reform: Michelle Rhee & the StudentsFirst Connection”

OLIGARCHS AND CORPORATE EDUCATION REFORM:

THE MICHELLE RHEE CONNECTION (text only)

The interlocking is extensive and not all ties are represented on this map.

1.) Bloomberg is the 12th richest American with a net worth of $19.5 billion (2011). He has been the mayor of New York City since 2002. Bloomberg successfully campaigned to lift restrictions on term-limits so he could run for a third term. He narrowly won the election in November 2009. Earlier that year, he successfully campaigned for the renewal of the 2002 law which established mayoral control of public schools in NYC.

NOTE: Corporate education reformers prefer mayoral control to independent school boards. A corporate ed reform-minded mayor with full power over a school system can more quickly push through a privatization reform agenda with relatively little opposition.

2.) Shortly after becoming mayor, Bloomberg obtained authority over the NYC school system, acquiring sweeping power to reorganize the district. He replaced the elected Board of Education with the Panel for Educational Policy, a 13-member body of appointees, eight of whom are appointed by the mayor. In June 2002, Bloomberg appointed Joel Klein as Chancellor of the NYC Department of Education, the largest public school system in the country. Klein had no background in the field of education; he had been a U.S. Assistant Attorney General.

3.) In November 2010, Klein resigned and became executive vice president at Murdoch’s news media giant, News Corporation. In his eight years at NYCDE, Klein had presided over a radical reorganization of the NYC public school system. He implemented business-model approaches from the corporate world, such as increasing “choice” in the form of charter schools, weakening union protections, and using a numbers-based accountability system for ranking schools. Klein’s approach resulted in tense and divided communities because of school closures, overcrowding, charter school co-locations, and more.

Klein had used gains on state tests to justify school closures and to determine principal and teacher bonuses. These gains proved to be a myth. After the discovery that “cut scores” for passing state exams had been raised (making it easier for students to pass), and with an adjustment to those cut scores in 2010, scores for NYC public schools dropped dramatically. (5)

4.) Rupert Murdoch is the 37th richest American with a net worth of $7.4 billion (2011). Murdoch donated large amounts to the Fund for Public Schools (“works to attract private investment in school reform”), a private fundraising arm established by Bloomberg and Klein in 2002. Murdoch’s wife, Wendy, served on the board of FPS.

5.) Joel Klein became Murdoch’s legal adviser when the News Corp. phone hacking scandal broke in 2011. Afterwards, Klein was assigned to lead the company’s internal inquiry, despite obvious conflict of interest.

6.) In 2006, Fenty obtained mayoral control of DC Public Schools. He consulted with Klein and [unnamed] “national education experts” (and “few, if any, local leaders and parents”), then appointed Rhee as Chancellor. “It is not clear how many other candidates Fenty interviewed for the job, if any.” Rhee and Klein worked together when she led The New Teacher Project. (6)

7.) Eli Broad is the 48th richest American with a net worth of $6.3 billion (2011). A strong proponent of the corporate ed reform agenda and a major backer of national charter school expansion, Broad gave millions to Learn-NY. (1)

8.) “Broad played a key role in former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein's appointment as New York schools chancellor.” (2)

9.) Rhee was in extremely close contact with the Broad Foundation when Chancellor of DCPS, and even visited Eli Broad at his Fifth Ave. apartment in 2008. (3)

10.) WfS’s [Waiting for Superman's] release was accompanied by the launch of Done Waiting, a “social action” campaign designed to take advantage of the emotions aroused in audience members who experienced WfS’s intense propaganda. It guided them on how to assist with the advancement of the corporate ed reform agenda. Broad contributed $500,000 to this campaign, as well as $50,000 for the marketing of The Lottery, another pro-charter school film released in 2010. (4)

11.) In 2007, Rhee served on the board of St. HOPE Public Schools, Kevin Johnson’s charter school network. They married in 2011.

12.) Bill Gates is the 2nd richest man on planet Earth with a net worth of $59 billion (2011). In 2009, Gates gave $4 million of his own money to help preserve Bloomberg’s mayoral control of NYC schools; he secretly bankrolled Learn-NY, a group which conducted an extensive public-relations, media and lobbying (= propaganda) campaign, including massive parent organizing complete with free bus trips to the state capitol. (= fake grassroots). (1)

13.) Gates has been using his celebrity status, his influence, and his immense wealth to become the most powerful oligarch advancing corporate education reform today. Gates is sometimes referred to as the “czar of U.S. public education.” Gates appeared in Waiting for Superman (WfS), as well as on Oprah to promote the film.

14.) Oprah Winfrey is the 139th richest American with a net worth of $2.7 billion (2011). She used her popular TV show to deliver heavy doses of corporate ed reform propaganda to the American public. Among her many efforts were two episodes dedicated to the promotion of WfS and one show that provided Rhee with a national platform to launch her new lobbying organization StudentsFirst in December 2010.

15.) In March 2010, frayed by controversy, Rhee hired Anita Dunn, former White House communications director, then working for a prominent public relations firm, to improve her public image. Katherine Bradley, a local philanthropist, donated $100,000 to pay for this project.

Rhee served as DC Chancellor for almost 3 ½ years, resigning in October 2011 after Fenty’s re-election defeat. His loss was partially attributed to public dislike for both Rhee and the corporate ed reform measures she had aggressively applied to DCPS (closing schools, firing teachers, ruthless disruption, etc.). Less than one year prior, Rhee had been selected to play a staring role in Waiting for Superman (WfS).

In March 2011, a major DC test score cheating scandal broke. An analysis by USA Today found that 103 of 168 DC public schools had erasure rates that surpassed DC averages at least once since 2008. Principals and teachers at those schools had already received generous bonuses. Rhee was asked to speak with the paper before the article ran, but she declined. Afterwards she called the reporters and her critics “enemies of school reform.” (8)

16.) After being hyped for months, WfS was finally released in September 2010. It was expected that the film would give director Davis Guggenheim a second Oscar, but, despite extremely heavy promotion, this “documentary” film was NOT nominated for an Academy Award. Among the problems which emerged was the revelation that a charter school lottery scene had been staged. (7)

17.) Philip Anschutz is the 39th richest American with a net worth of $7 billion (2011). He owns Walden Media, co-producer of Waiting for Superman.

18.) Anschutz is a Colorado-based Christian conservative billionaire who funds anti-gay efforts as well as the Discovery Institute, a think tank which promotes Intelligent Design. (9)

###

REFERENCES

(1) "Gates’ $4 Mil Lesson Aided School Control.” New York Post, 8/18/2009

(2) “Executives trained by turnaround nonprofit.” The Oakland Tribune, 8/11/2003

(3) “Fund and Games; Inside Michelle Rhee's official schedule.” Washington City Paper, 3/6/2009

(4) “Documentary films ratchet up pressure on teachers unions.” Sacramento Bee, 9/24/2010 (no longer available online, but see HERE)

(5) “StandardsRaised, More Students Fail Tests.” New York Times, 7/28/2010

(6) “Fenty To Oust Janey Today.” Washington Post, 6/12/2007

(7) “Waiting for Superman Can Stop Waiting for Oscar.” GOOD magazine, 1/26/2011

(8) “When standardized test scores soared in D.C., were the gains real?” USA Today, 3/30/2011

(9) “Philip Anschutz: Transforming the culture one Hollywood blockbuster at a time.” Media Transparency, 11/5/2007

Read Diane Ravitch’s “The Death and Life of the Great American School System” to learn more.

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ADDITIONAL READING

“Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools.” Dissent, Winter 2010
“Eager for Spotlight, but Not if It Is on a Testing Scandal.” New York Times, 8/21/2011
“Grading' Waiting for Superman'.” The Nation, 10/11/2010
“Supersized Dollars Drive 'Waiting for Superman' Agenda.” Rethinking Schools, 1/18/2011
“Bloomberg: If I Had It My Way I’d Dump Half Of NYC’s Teachers; Mayor Stuns Many At MIT Speech, Says He'd Greatly Enlarge Class Size, Too.” CBSNewYork, 12/1/2011
“TheTesting Mess; The fastest way to ‘improve’ students' performance: Lower your standards.” National Review, 8/4/2010,
"Rupert and Wendi Murdoch backed a scandal-ridden city school.” GothamSchools, 7/21/2011
“Rhee bragged about taping students' mouths shut while she was a Teach for America'teacher'.” Substance News, 9/22/2010
“Fox in the Schoolhouse: Rupert Murdoch Wants to Teach Your Kids! News Corp.'s major move into the education business.” Mother Jones, 9/23/2011

Meritocracy, testocracy, jobs, and IQ

2012-01-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

An old news piece, “Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops” (9/8/2000) was circulated a bit last week via internet exchanges relating to ed policy and teacher bashing.

A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court’s decision that the city did not discriminate against Robert Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test...

Jordan, a 49-year-old college graduate, took the exam in 1996 and scored 33 points, the equivalent of an IQ of 125. But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training.

...The average score nationally for police officers is 21 to 22, the equivalent of an IQ of 104, or just a little above average...

Curious about the IQ figures, I hunted down a 2002 report which contains charts of IQ scores associated with specific professions: “Meritocracy, Cognitive Ability, and the Sources of Occupational Success,” by Robert M. Hauser (92 pp., 1.23 MB). This was a working paper issued by the Center for Demography and Ecology. The author is currently the Director of Center for Demography of Health and Aging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

I haven’t yet read the entire paper, but expect that readers who are interested enough will do so. In the meantime, here are two charts from the report which show the IQ distribution for occupation groups, along with some excerpts from the text. The figures given for police officers are the same ones mentioned in the news piece above. The paper was released what seems like eons ago, in the first months of NCLB, so it’s especially interesting to read the author’s projections.

Click to enlarge the images, or go to original document for a better view.

Men's IQ Distributions for Occupation Groups (p. 90 of pdf)

Women's IQ Distributions for Occupation Groups (p. 89 of pdf)

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[Introduction] Meritocracy, Ability, and the Sources of Occupational Success

Despite occasional references to Michael Young's (1958) satyrical essay, The Rise of the Meritocracy [see HERE],and periodic public interest in the place of intelligence in society, students of social stratification mainly ignore cognitive abilities and their consequences. Neither is there any sign that sociologists are actively considering the larger issues raised by Young’s essay, namely, what would be the political and social consequences of equalization of opportunity and by universal use of ability or achievement tests as tools of social selection? Perhaps this lack of attention follows appropriately from the facts that children’s opportunities are anything but equal and that cognitive mediocrity dominates our public life...

By ignoring cognitive abilities, sociologists are open to the accusation that they have failed to consider the full range of factors affecting social and economic success, and they leave the field open to advocates who claim, with remarkably thin evidence and questionable motives, that cognitive ability is or will become the key variable in social stratification. Such claims are revived periodically, for example, in the wake of Arthur Jensen’s (1969) paper, "How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?” and, more recently, in the controversy surrounding The Bell Curve (Herrnstein and Murray 1994). It will happen again, possibly encouraged by consequences of test-driven educational reform. In my opinion, the best way to prepare for the next round will be to have the facts well in hand, well in advance...

In this paper, I review some features of the psychometric argument and evidence commonly offered to support it, with particular emphasis on the relationship between cognitive ability and occupational standing... There is no evidence that cognitive ability is the central variable in the process of stratification, but there is ample reason for concern that recent and prospective changes in the structure of American education will raise its importance. All of my evidence is drawn from the U.S., and I offer it partly as encouragement for other scholars to address similar questions in their own societies and cross-nationally. (pp.3-4)

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In reading this review, I hope that no one will draw the mistaken conclusion that I think stratification research should focus on mental ability or abilities to the neglect of other variables. It is not clear, except through the unfortunate history of social Darwinism (Gould 1981; Gould 1928), why the idea of merit should be identified so closely with mental ability, as distinct from many other conditions and traits other than social origins and schooling that improve the chances of social and economic success. Among these, for example, one might list ambition or drive, perseverance, responsibility, personal attractiveness, and physical or artistic skills or talents, along with access to social support and to favorable social and economic networks and resources. To be sure, cognitive functioning plays an important role in the occupational structure of complex societies, but it is only one among the several identifiable factors in achievement beyond the initial conditions of race, gender, geographic location, and socioeconomic origin. [pp. 12-13]

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On the basis of the evidence reviewed here, I think it is fair to conclude that the traditional psychometric literature on cognitive ability—popularly resurrected in The Bell Curve—vastly overstates the case for the role of IQ in the stratification process. On the other hand, to say that the case has been overstated—even that it has been overstated with great lapses of scholarship and with racist overtones—does not say that there is no place for cognitive ability in our understanding of the stratification process. Both as defense against excessive claims on both sides of the “IQ debate” and in pursuing the scientific enterprise, we ought to seek and produce new evidence of the role of cognitive abilities in social stratification.

Perhaps a more compelling reason to invest in studies of the effects of test performance on social stratification is the growing role of tests in the schooling process from elementary school onward. The issue is not “meritocracy,” but “testocracy.” That term, in my opinion, is more descriptive of the dystopias that Michael Young described and towards which we may now be headed...

There is a powerful movement for more extensive use of high school exit exams with passing levels set well above minimum competence... A reasonable speculation is that these exams will encourage early school dropout, especially among African-American and Hispanic youth, and that they will create new barriers to post-secondary education and training and to labor-market entry. High stakes exit exams will also deny high school diplomas to large numbers of non-minority students, and we have yet to learn the social and political consequences of that reversal of the widespread expectation that the children of the middle class will at least graduate from high school.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)–deemed “N-CLUB” by its critics–introduces a federal mandate for testing of all schoolchildren in grades 3 through 8... There is every likelihood that new and old tests will be used to raise rates of grade retention, which are already too high in many places. These tests will often be used in violation of professional standards of appropriate test use...and with negative longterm consequences for academic achievement and high school completion...

There is much more to be said about the reasons for the current public fixation on tests as a tool of educational reform (Linn 2000) and about its immediate consequences for the educational system. As sociologists, we ought also to take a longer view and start thinking now about how to measure, analyze, and assess the long term consequences of test use for life chances... [pp.57-59]

Arne Duncan issues a public statement about the Gulen movement's charter schools! Not.

2011-11-17T15:58:00.000-08:00

I fully expect that my comment left at Town Hall: 140 Characters at a Time, a Twitter town hall with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, will not be published, and will be quite surprised if it is. In either case, I've decided to make it into a blog post here.

Sharon says:

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

November 17, 2011 at 5:22 pm

I would like Secretary Duncan to issue a public statement explaining his views on the 131 charter schools being operated by the Gulen movement. Each year, since 1999, members of this extremely controversial, cult-like religious group out of Turkey have opened several new charter schools. The enrollment of these schools currently exceeds 35,000 students.

Why does the U.S. Department of Education continuously permit these schools to conceal their religious affiliation from parents, school board members, and authorizing agencies?

Despite overwhelming silence from our public officials about this phenomenon (occasionally punctuated by denials uttered by the operators of the schools), it is indisputable that these American taxpayer-supported schools are the U.S. portion of schools started around the world by this religious group with questionable ulterior motives. Satisfaction will not be found by interviewing the school operators because they have vowed to abide by Gulenist principles of obedience and secrecy, and are not at liberty to discuss such matters with outsiders in a frank and open way.

A mountain of evidence has been uncovered by concerned members of the public:
http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/index.html
http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/
http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/

Such evidence will be continuously compiled and broadcast to Americans via online vehicles while we wait for our leaders to insist on public transparency in this regard.

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As Ilhan Tanir, a former member of hizmet, now Hurriyet Daily News journalist, wrote in 2009 (boldface added)*:

"Let's not kid ourselves: [any representative] from the movement, in essence, cannot respond to some of the tough questions that come from outsiders."

and

"...the movement sees itself many times as self-righteous and blessed in every occasion, and surrounded with miracles...Most of the time, the state of self-righteousness in the movement is so apparent that one can witness it in any discussion one engages with its members. Apart from the details, it is almost impossible to convince or make sense to the members on many issues, especially those that relate to the movement. Though this shouldn’t come as a surprise, because as we all know that as long as one believes that one is following the quasi-sacred decrees, the work one does must be also sacred and cannot be understood by outsiders. And amid this detachment, the movement justifies any conduct to achieve its ends at any cost. For instance, if passing school entry test questions to the movement’s pupils is a justifiable way to ride into any kind of school that is important to attend even it can be done for years, even if it means usurping the rights of other pupils. But again, others are just others."

* Hizmet is the term Gulen movement members use to refer to themselves.

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To acquire a basic understanding of the Gulen movement is time-demanding and mentally challenging. One reason for this is because the phenomenon is unfamiliar, unprecedented, and complex -- not to mention the language barriers which prevent Americans from accessing a great deal of available written information. In addition, the movement intentionally employs secrecy and other strategies to keep things murky and below the radar of the general public (= outsiders).

Suggested reading materials for newcomers seeking to increase their Gulen movement-awareness:

11/1999: “Islamic Scientific Creationism: A New Challenge in Turkey.” National Center for Science Education report, http://ncse.com/rncse/19/6/islamic-scientific-creationism
5/2006: “Keeping Secrets.” by Fethullah Gulen (from Gulen’s Pearls of Wisdom), http://en.fgulen.com/pearls-of-wisdom/639-keeping-secrets
6/2006: “What is the Reason for the Persistence of Darwinism in the General Culture of the Masses Though Many of Darwin’s Hypotheses Have Been Challenged and Even Disproved?” by Fethullah Gulen (one of Gulen's teachings against the Theory of Evolution), http://www.fethullahgulen.org/questions-and-answers/2129-what-is-the-reason-for-the-persistence-of-darwinism-in-the-general-culture-of-the-masses-though-many-of-darwins-hypotheses-have-been-challenged-and-even-disproved.html
2008: “The Rise of Political Islam in Turkey.” RAND Corporation (pg. 53 lists the movement's four 'legs' of organized activities: education, media, interfaith dialog [and Turkish cultural] activities, and business organizations), http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG726.html
3/2008: “Turkey's survival of the fittest; the Islamic anti-Darwinism movement in Turkey is being helped by an unlikely source.” International Relations and Security Network (Zurich), http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Current-Affairs/Security-Watch/Detail/?id=54183&lng=en
12/2008: “The Fethullah Gulen Movement.” Global Politician, http://www.globalpolitician.com/25355-fethullah-gulen-turkey (excerpt: “Fethullahci are often loath to declare themselves openly as such.”)
2/2009: “Gulen Movement: Turkey’s Third Power.” Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, http://tool.donation-net.net/Images/Email/1097/Gulen_movement.pdf
4/2009: “Turkish schools coming under increasing scrutiny in Central Asia.” Radio Free Europe/Radio, http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkish_Schools_Coming_Under_Increasing_Scrutiny_In_Central_Asia/1616111.html?page=2&x=1
5/2009: “Behind Turkey’s Witch Hunt.” Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/2009/05/15/behind-turkey-s-witch-hunt.html
6/2009: “The Gulen Movement.” Center for Strategic & International Studies event (audio and transcripts), http://csis.org/event/gulen-movement
7/2009: “What do the Gulenists want to accomplish?” (Part 1) Hurriyet Daily News (this publication is a major English-language Turkish newspaper not operated by the Gulen movement; Today's Zaman, another major Turkish newspaper, is operated by the Gulen movement), http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=what-do-the-gulenists-want-to-accomplish--i--2009-07-06
7/2009: “How do the Gulenists change the rules?” (Part 2), Hurriyet Daily News, http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/opinion/12047857.asp
10/2009: “Rising Islamist movements challenge secularism in Turkey.” video report by Worldfocus (produced by WNET New York, distributed by American Public Television), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjjY750wTs0
8/2010: “Islam, Secularism and the Battle for Turkey's Future.” STRATFOR Global Intelligence, http://www.brighteningglance.org/islam-secularism-and-the-battle-for-turkeyrsquos-future.html
8/2010: “Objectives of charter schools with Turkish connections questioned.” USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-08-17-turkishfinal17_CV_N.htm
8/2010: “Turkey: Politics of Identity and Power.” Congressional Research Service report, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R41368.pdf
10/2010: “Turkey: Gulen Movement Taking PR Beating in Arrest Row.” Eurasianet, http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62090
11/2010: “The 'Global Imam' through American eyes." Milliyet (a major Turkish newspaper), English translation @ http://watchingamerica.com/News/77701/the-%E2%80%9Cglobal-imam%E2%80%9D-through-american-eyes/
11/2010: “How Turkey is Changing.” Hurriyet Daily News, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?msg=commentsaved&n=how-turkey-is-changing-2010-11-08
12/2010: “Transnational Religious Nationalism in the New Turkey: The Case of Fethullah Gulen.” Baker Institute event at Rice University (webcast), http://edtech.rice.edu/www/?option=com_iwebcast&task=webcast&action=details&event=2363
3/2011 “7 More Journalists Detained in Turkey.” New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/world/europe/04turkey.html?_r=1
3/2011: "U.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attention." Philadelphia Inquirer, http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-20/news/29148147_1_gulen-schools-gulen-followers-charter-schools
4/2011: "The fading masquerade: Ergenekon and the politics of justice in Turkey." The Turkey Analyst (Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Center joint program at Johns Hopkins University), http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/turkey/2011/110404B.html
4/2011: “WikiLeaks files detail U.S. unease over Turks and charter schools.” Philadelphia Inquirer, http://articles.philly.com/2011-04-04/news/29380536_1_charter-schools-fethullah-gulen-truebright-science-academy
5/2011: “What is Islam’s Gulen movement?” BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13503361
6/2011: "Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas." New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/education/07charter.html?_r=1
6/2011: "Texas Legislature To Launch Investigation of Charter Schools." CBS Dallas-Fort Worth, http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/06/29/texas-legislature-to-launch-investigation-of-charter-schools/
6/2011: “Some lawmakers have second thoughts about Turkey trips.” Austin merican-Statesman (TX), http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/some-lawmakers-have-second-thoughts-about-turkey-trips-1548440.html
7/2011: "Records show glaring faults at school with ties to Turkish charter school network." The Times-Picayune (LA), http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2011/07/state_shuts_down_abramson_char.html
9/2011: "Turkey's Elephant in the Room: Religious Freedom." New York Times (does not mention Gulen, but describes policies being conducted by Turkey's current Gulen movement-backed government), http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/world/europe/turkeys-elephant-in-the-room-religious-freedom.html?_r=3
10/2011: "The Trouble with Turkey." National Review (does not mention Gulen, but offers an overview of the concerning political shifts occurring under the current Gulen movement-backed government), http://www.michaelrubin.org/10440/turkey-trouble

Public school privatization potentiated by a racial dynamic

2011-11-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

"...privatization justified by identity politics."

Ramsin Canon is politics editor for Gapers Block, a Chicago-centric news and commentary web publication. This is from his piece “How & Why a Democratic President Privatized Our School System” (emphasis mine).

Barack Obama is presiding over the beginning of a process that will inexorably result in the privatization of our school system. That doesn’t mean of course that all of our schools will be owned by big corporations; rather it means that within the next five to ten years, our largest school systems will be enmeshed with the private sector, and the regulatory framework that encourages same will be defended vociferously by a new and fierce network of rent seekers. Within a generation, “public schools” will be public only in the sense that they will rely on primarily on government money–similar in that way to the defense industry...

...How this [privatization] has happened is pretty straightforward. An originally far-right idea, that the government had no business running anything, including schools, worked its way into the Democratic Party consensus at precisely the rate that the left-wing, as represented by autonomous labor unions and working-class advocates were pushed out (i.e., the rise of the “left neoliberals”).

More specifically, those industrialists and Randite funders of school privatization efforts–in the form of vouchers originally, and eventually charters–created alliances with big city Democratic Party institutions. Here was an issue where the market-logic obsession could be easily masked by concern for “the children,” which is not necessarily insincere. Mayors like Daley, Bloomberg, Fenty and others loved this new alliance because it played into the big media obsession–Democrats who were weren’t stuck in “special interest” politics, who subscribed to the New Economy/Silicon Valley ethos that venture capitalists and their hired gun technocrats could solve every problem, whereas working class people representing themselves were too dumb/myopic to actually affect change (besides, if they’re so smart, why aren’t they rich!?)

A hop, skip, and a jump. In Chicago, the Democratic Party establishment absorbed this ethos by Mayoral fiat. Chicago’s Democratic Party infrastructure was dissimilar from past “Machine” iterations because it was hard-wired through the person of the Mayor; his mid-90s rapture into the VC/technocrat stratosphere trickled down to those in the party who had ambitions outside of Cook County politics. People like Barack Obama, whose institutional ties to the University of Chicago, where he lectured and which he represented (in a sickeningly self-gerrymandered district) almost required those kinds of allegiances.

Bashing teachers unions has a pedigree among black nationalists that made it ideal for Machine Lite-style politics. For big city Mayors it was great; and for state Senator Barack Obama, it was perfect. He could deepen his ties to major identity-focused organizations like UNO and The Woodlawn Organization that supported charters and attend fundaraisers [sic] and cocktail parties with the Steans’ of the world. Noted career failure Arne Duncan grabbed hold of his coattails, and you have the Chicago model ascending to the national stage: privatization justified by identity politics...

Yes, privatization justified by identity politics.

Ramsin Canon discusses the politics of Chicago's public schools in this June 10, 2010 interview HERE.

600 charter schools x 200 graduates/year = 120,000 Turkish sympathizers produced every year

2011-10-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tim Stellar, a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star, has written extensively about the Sonoran Science Academy school network and its ties to the Gulen movement. In May 2010, he posted a story about a column by a well-known Turkish journalist and political figure, Nazli Ilicak, which appeared in a popular Turkish daily newspaper on September 2, 2009.

In her piece, Ilicak related a conversation she recently had with two prominent Turkish men about the Gulen movement’s U.S. charter schools. One of the men was Ayhan Bermek, a wealthy businessman, who is also mentioned on CASILIP’s page “Financial links between the Gulen Movement and Gulen charter schools,ctd.” The other was Enver Altayli. A person with that same name is a former Turkish intelligence officer who was involved with the configuration of the new Central Asian republics following the dissolution of the USSR. It's very likely these three people know exactly what they are talking about.

Of special note is that the U.S. Consul General had arranged for Nazli Ilicak to select the guests for a diplomat-hosted dinner in Istanbul in April 2007. The guests who attended were described as an “eclectic group of Turks knowledgeable of and/or sympathetic to religious leader Fethullah Gulen.” A cable later released by WikiLeaks revealed that in 2006 consular officials had noticed an unusual pattern of evasiveness associated with Gulenist visa applicants, many of whom were heading to teach at American charter schools.

With the Gulen movement's charter count now at 131, and growing (& currently enrolling nearly 35,000 students), maybe it's time to revisit the 2009 speculations made by Ilicak and her well-connected companions about the Gulen movement's motives involving their U.S. charter schools.

Below are four versions to compare, the final being the original Turkish text.

Wouldn’t it be nice if American parents were clued into all of this? Since Gulen movement-operated charter schools are not a figment of anyone's imagination, wouldn't it be nice, too, if our pro-charter school-expansion U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan -- or at least some other politician out there -- produced a statement for the public that would address this very important issue?

h/t Tim Steller and the Arizona Daily Star. The underlining is mine.

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Certified translation by FoxTranslate (a professional agency): “We burnt Gulen’s ears.”

One evening, Ayhan Bermek, Enver Altayli and had a long conversation in Bodrum and we burnt Fethullah Gulen’s ears. Enver Altayli talked about democratic expansion and made the following call to the government: “Fethullah Gulen’s schools...If I were Tayyip Erdogan, I would have a serious survey done in the East and the Southeast. Whether there are children among those attended Gulen’s schools to become bandits and live on the mountains? Then I would present the results of this research to the National Security council and make those schools becoming prevalent specifically in the related region a state policy.” *

It is estimated that those who devoted themselves to Gulen movement opened up approximately thousand schools in 140 countries. Bermek said that there were 3 schools 6 cultural centers only in Tokyo and noted that thousand schools was a relatively low number. Yet, the number of Turkish schools opened up in the U.S. has been increasing rapidly. The reason is that Service** buys the “Charter Schools.” US Government grants high subsidies to these schools per student. The purpose is to make the education prevalent in the areas where relatively low income groups live...

We talked about these. If 600 schools are purchased in the US in this way- this is actually what Gulen movement supporters do- and if there are 200 graduates in each school annually, then 120 thousand Turkish sympathizers will begin to work every year. We try to lobby for Armenian Resolution. However we can teach Turkish and our National Anthem to tens of thousands through education, make them familiar with our culture and have them support us. This is what the Gulen movement is trying to do.

Ayhan Bermek, finalized the conversation by comparing Gulen to Rumi: “Rumi says, ‘Come whoever you are’; Fethullah Hodja says ‘I will outreach and find you’, his opinion is “Ember burns me wherever it falls” on the contrary to the common saying; “Ember burns where it falls”

As you see so-called style icons are not the only subject of conversation in Bodrum. Serious issues may be on the agenda as well.

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*Turkey has ongoing trouble with Kurdish terrorist groups in that region.

**Hizmet, the word the Gulen movement uses to describe itself, is a Turkish word that translates into “service.”

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Arizona Daily Star translation: “We Made Gulen’s Ears Burn.”

One night in Bodrum, Ayhan Bermek, Enver Altayli and I had a long talk that probably made Mr. Fethullah Gulen’s ears burn. Mentioning a democratic initiative, Enver Altayli came up with a proposal to the government: "About Fethullah Gulen's schools... If I were in Tayyip Erdogan's shoes, I would have a serious poll conducted in the eastern and south-eastern regions. I wonder if anyone among the children who attended Gulen's schools ever chose to join the mountain guerillas? Then I would present the findings from this poll to the National Security Council and make it a state policy to increase the number of these schools in those regions." *

It is estimated that the disciples of the Gulen movement have established approximately a thousand schools in 140 countries. Bermek told us that there are 3 schools and 6 cultural centers only in Tokyo and claimed that the number thousand is smaller than his personal estimate. Because lately, the number of Turkish schools in the United States have been increasing rapidly. The reason for this is the transfer of the so-called “charter schools” to the Service. The Government of the United States subsidizes these schools in lucrative amounts per student with the aim of generalizing educational opportunities in the less affluent districts where many residents are low-income families.

We discussed the subject among ourselves: If 600 schools are bought this way in the United States – and that’s what the members of the Gulen movement are striving to do, - and if 200 students graduate from each one of these schools, then 120 thousand sympathizers of Turkey join the mainstream out there every year. We are trying to lobby against the Armenian genocide resolution every year. And yet, through education, we can teach tens of thousands of people the Turkish language and our national anthem, introduce them to our culture and win them over. And this is what the Gulen movement is striving for.

Finally, Ayhan Bermek compared Gulen to Mevlana (Rumi) and finished the conversation with this point: "Mevlana says 'come whoever you are', but Master Fethullah says 'Whoever you are, I will come to you'; modifying the idiom 'the spark ignites wherever it falls' he says that 'wherever the spark falls, it ignites me too'."

As you see, not only the jet-set can be the subject of conversation in Bodrum. Sometimes, serious subjects can be squeezed in...

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The entirety of what is posted on Fethullah Gulen’s website: “We Made Gülen's Ears Ring.”

One night in Bodrum, Ayhan Bermek, Enver Altaylı and I had a long conversation, and we mentioned Fethullah Gülen.

Leading the course of the conversation to the democratic initiative, Altaylı made an appeal to the government and said: “If I were Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, I would conduct a serious study on Fethullah Gülen's schools in the East and Southeast. Are there any students from the Gülen schools that go to the mountains? I would present the results of the study to the National Security Council [MGK] and make it a state policy to increase the number of those schools in the region.” Through education we could teach thousands of people Turkish and the national anthem. We could familiarize them with our culture and win them over to our side. This is exactly what the Gülen movement aims to do.

Bermek concluded the conversation by comparing Gülen to Rumi. Bermek stated: “Rumi says, ‘Come whoever you are.' But Fethullah Hoca says, ‘I will come to you,' and in return for the expression ‘an ember burns where it falls,' he says, ‘Wherever an ember falls, it burns me.'”

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Note how the two central paragraphs which mention the U.S. charter schools are excluded.

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Original version by Nazli Ilicak: “Gülen'inkulaklarını çınlattık.”

Bir gece Bodrum'da, Ayhan Bermek, Enver Altaylı ve ben, uzun süre sohbet ettik ve Fethullah Gülen'in kulağını çınlattık. Enver Altaylı, sözü demokratik açılıma getirerek, hükûmete bir çağrı yaptı: "Fethullah Gülen'in okulları... Ben, Tayyip Erdoğan'ın yerinde olsaydım, Doğu ve Güneydoğu'da ciddi bir araştırma yaptırırdım. Acaba, Gülen'in okullarına devam eden çocuklardan hiç dağa çıkan var mı? Bu araştırmayı Milli Güvenlik Kurulu'na sunar ve o okulların özellikle bölgede yaygınlaştırılmasını bir devlet politikası haline getirirdim."

Gülen hareketine gönül verenlerin, 140 ülkede, yaklaşık bin okul açtıkları tahmin ediliyor. Bermek, sadece Tokyo'da 3 okul ve 6 kültür merkezinin bulunduğunu söyledi ve bin rakamını düşük buldu. Zira, son yıllarda, Amerika'da, Türk okullarının sayısı büyük hızla artıyor. Bunun sebebi, Hizmet'in "Charter School"ları satın alması. ABD devleti, bu okullara, talebe başına yüksek miktarda sübvansiyon veriyor. Amaç, nisbeten dar gelirlilerin yaşadığı fakir bölgelerde eğitimin yaygınlaştırılması...

Aramızda konuştuk. Bu şekilde Amerika'da 600 okul satın alınsa, -ki Gülen hareketi içinde bulunanlar buna çabalıyor- her okul yılda 200 mezun verse, bir yılda 120 bin Türk sempatizanı kişi hayata atılmış oluyor. Her yıl Ermeni tasarısı için lobi yapmaya çalışıyoruz. Oysa, eğitim vasıtasıyla, on binlere Türkçe'yi ve İstiklâl Marşımızı öğretebilir, onları kültürümüze aşina hale getirip, kendi saflarımıza kazanabiliriz. İşte Gülen hareketi buna gayret ediyor.

Ayhan Bermek, Gülen'i, Mevlana ile kıyaslayarak sohbete noktayı koydu: "Mevlana, 'Kim olursan ol gene gel' der; Fethullah Hoca ise 'Ben sana kadar gelirim' der 'Ateş düştüğü yeri yakar' sözüne mukabil, 'Ateşin düştüğü yer neresi olursa olsun beni yakar' görüşünü ifade eder."

Gördüğünüz gibi Bodrum'da sadece ikoncanlar konuşulmuyor. Ciddi meseleler de, gündeme gelebiliyor.

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Charles Blow

2011-10-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

During this exciting emergent era becoming known as #Occupy, Charles M. Blow is producing some of the most relevant mainstream media work for the New York Times. The image below accompanied his piece, "America's Exploding Pipe Dream", published on October 28, 2011.

Funny how the ed deformers will never address any of this. Only dummies, people wearing blinders, or henchmen for privatization would deny that these dismal rankings are connected to America's struggling international standing and its achievement gap.

Click on the image for increased clarity.

Maybe the DFER-type Democrats should live abroad

2011-10-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Democrats Abroad, the official Democratic Party organization for Americans who are living outside the United States, has issued this very sane education platform proposal to the Democratic National Committee, in great conceptual contrast to what so many Democrats are pushing here. Democrats Abroad is recognized as a "state" Party by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and is represented on the DNC by eight voting members, as well as at the quadrennial Democratic National Convention.

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DRAFT RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENING QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL AMERICAN YOUNG PEOPLE

Proposed by Chair Democrats Abroad France, Constance Borde assisted by the Democrats Abroad France Education Policy Group Chair: Dr. Leslie J. Limage

(Originally submitted to DA Resolutions Committee on September 14, 2011, Approved for transmission to the DA Platform Committee by the DCPA on October 17, 2011, Washington, D.C.)

WHEREAS education is a human right and public responsibility to provide all children and young people with the opportunity to realize their full potential (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26).

WHEREAS ongoing policies inherited from the previous U.S. Administration and carried forward by current leadership are undermining the quality of education as well as our longstanding commitment to equal opportunity, the alleviation of poverty, civil rights and respect for linguistic, social and cultural diversity in a misplaced reliance on business practices and privatization of public education.

WHEREAS what we need to improve education is a strong, highly respected education profession; a rich curriculum in the arts and sciences, available in every school for every child; assessments that gauge what students know and can do, and a government that is prepared to change the economic and social conditions that interfere with children’s readiness to learn.

WHEREAS we cannot improve education by quick fixes, by handing over our public schools to entrepreneurs, by driving out experienced professionals replacing them with enthusiastic amateurs, or by closing them and firing teachers and entire staff. No country in the world follows such strategies.

WHEREAS disadvantage in our country is exacerbated by unsafe and crumbling schools. Over the past three years, investments in school improvements have benefited the wealthier districts disproportionately. The President’s new job’s creation legislation announced in his September 9, 2011 speech to Congress on an “American Jobs Act” is intended to remedy this situation and we need to ensure that it does in fact do so.

BE IT RESOLVED that Democrats Abroad adopt the following education policy foundations for our platform in 2012 many of which already figured in our 2008 Platform and that these principles figure in our 2012 Party Platform:

The Purpose of education: is to enable all children and young people to reach their full potential as individuals and become socially responsible citizens of our country and the world.

Equality of opportunity and non-discrimination are the foundations of our democratic society and must be reflected in all aspects of educational governance, management, finance, school facilities, teaching and support professions.

Formative Evaluation and Assessment should encourage learning. The evaluation of students should be diagnostic. The results of student evaluation should not be used to evaluate teachers and schools as institutions. The evaluation of schools should celebrate the strengths of community ownership of and improvement by school communities.

The teaching and school leadership professions. Teachers and their organizations should be viewed by governments as equal partners, independent but committed to the common endeavor of achieving successful education systems. School leadership, governance and management also require professional knowledge and the specificity of public service and education. Outsourcing any aspect of educational leadership de-professionalizes key foundations of our education systems and decision-making based on knowledge, experience, trust and democratic principles. Education professionals’ collective bargaining rights acquired over many years should be respected rather than threatened.

Educational facilities: quality, safe and environmentally friendly schools. Public schools are an important element of our nation’s infrastructure. Repairing strengthening, upgrading and constructing schools are essential. A nationwide effort needs to be initiated to anticipate and improve the adaptability of the nations’ existing and yet to be built school infrastructure, including regular rehabilitation and upgrades.

Promoting Equality through Inclusive Education. It is the responsibility of public authorities to ensure that all citizens have access to high quality education services appropriate to their needs. All barriers to education must be removed in order to make school accessible for all persons. Any school receiving public funding should not be permitted to select its students based on their likelihood of meeting testing standards, much less because of race, ethnic origin, sex, or religion.

Early Childhood Care and Education: Free, High Quality Public Preschool Programs

Early childhood care and education is intended to meet the needs of the whole child. The Federal government should provide assistance to states for the creation of free, universal, voluntary pre-kindergarten programs. They should encourage linkage of universal preschool with the resources, infrastructure and talent of the public school system. The Federal government should also ensure that states require the licensing and certification of all preschool instructors.

Primary and Secondary Education. Quality primary and secondary education are the basis on which all further learning takes place and young adults are equipped with the critical thinking skills and knowledge to make further educational and professional choice throughout their lives. These levels of education are public responsibility. The Federal government’s first responsibility is to set the bar higher than it has ever been in terms of equality of access and service, rather than lowering it to enable “market” forces to play.

Higher Education: Access, Academic Freedom and Quality. Action must be taken to improve equal access to all forms of tertiary education and reduce the cost of higher education. A key characteristic of successful individuals and societies is the quality of higher education. It is not a matter of “competition” worldwide or for scarce “jobs” within our country. It is an absolutely necessary building block for realizing human potential and constructing democratic, open and globally responsible world citizens.

Protection of education as a public good in a period of economic austerity. All concerned citizens should work to re-take and then re-build quality public education. The trends towards privatization and outsourcing of our children’s future are undermining democratic institutions at home and internationally. We need informed citizenry to begin to re-establish democratic values and institutions that respect them.

Why more and more people will #OccupyWallStreet

2011-10-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

These are recent Tweets from Bernie Sanders @ http://twitter.com/#!/senatorsanders @SenatorSanders. Senator Bernie Sanders is the longest serving independent in congressional history. Tweets are from the senator's staff. http://sanders.senate.gov

October 2, 2011

In 2009 Exxon Mobile made $19 billion in profits, paid no federal income taxes and took a $156 million rebate from the IRS.
Ford's federal income tax rate was just 2.3 percent in 2009 even though it made $3 billion in profits.
GE took a $1.1 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, even though it made over $10 billion in profits in 2009.
The US has the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country in the industrialized world.

October 1, 2011

Bernie's audit of the Fed showed that $16 trillion was loaned to American & foreign banks & businesses. http://ow.ly/6Kv4M
In their heydays, 40% of total profits in America went to the financial sector. Today, the top 6 financial institutions in the US have assets equal to more than 60% of our GDP.
From '98 to '08 the financial sector spent over $5 billion in campaign contributions & lobbying to deregulate
After adjusting for inflation, middle class families earned more income in 1998 than they do today.

September 30, 2011

Hedge fund managers who made a billion dollars last year now pay a lower effective tax rate than many teachers.
Between 1980 and 2005, 80% of all new income created in this country went to the top 1%.
The percentage of income going to the top 1 percent has nearly tripled since the 1970s.
During the Bush years, the wealthiest 400 Americans saw their wealth increase by some $400 billion and are now worth over $1.3 trillion.

September 29, 2011

Today, the richest 400 American families own more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans.
3 out of the 4 largest financial institutions are bigger today than before the financial crisis began.
Today, 1 in 4 credit card holders are paying interest rates of more than 20%. That is usury.
This year alone the financial sector spent over $170 million on lobbying & campaign contributions to gut Dodd-Frank.
From 1998 to 2008 the financial sector spent more than $5 billion on campaign contributions & lobbying.
Chevron received a $19 million refund from the IRS last year, even though it made $10 billion in profits in 2009.

September 28, 2011

Since 2000, nearly 12 million more Americans have slipped into poverty.
The official unemployment rate has been 8.6% or higher for 30 consecutive months, the longest on record.
Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, even though it made $4.4 billion in profits.
Corporate tax revenue in 2010 was 27% smaller than 2000, even though corporate profits are up 60% over the last decade.
A record-breaking 50 million Americans have no health insurance & 45,000 die every year because they don't have access to health care.

You get the idea. Make no mistake, the American public is absolutely fed up.

Listen to Senator Sanders amazing speech of December 2010: http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/search/label/Bernie%20Sanders

Elizabeth Warren on class warfare, etc.

2011-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

A breath of fresh air.

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You build a factory out there – good for you.

But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for...

Now look. You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea – God bless! Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”

An open letter to Michael Moore

2011-09-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Moore,

I am one of the people who will have the opportunity to see you at your UC Berkeley book event this Saturday night. It’s going to be great to hear you speak!

The other day, as I listened to your interview on NPR’s Talkof the Nation, I was happy to hear how you have considered doing a documentary about the American school system. I’d like to add my voice to the chorus of people who make that request of you everyday.

It’s clear that you are aware of some of the devastating issues facing public education, such as the demoralization of teachers. I was impressed that you knew how Finland’s success is the result of great policy decisions made years ago (the type of decisions our country continues to ignore). I was very gratified to hear that you did not like Waiting for Superman.

I believe that you are going to get more and more requests to make a documentary about public education. A lot of public school supporters are extremely upset at how public education is being forced to go down the wrong road. We want the truth to be exposed, and will keep turning to you for help.

That alarming truth is that our nation’s public education system is in the process of being dismantled and privatized in the name of “education reform.” The strategies being used are right out of the disaster capitalism playbook, with both Republicans and Democrats in support of the plan (including President Obama’s administration). A wrong-headed, glorified “business model of education” has been shoved down our throats but it’s not working. The school reform we’ve now been subjected to for years is failing!

Opportunists and predators (“edupreneurs”) are having a feeding frenzy on the stream of public school funding. School districts spend millions on consultants and useless programs, and then whittle away at teachers, librarians, and electives for kids. Privately-run, publicly-funded, inadequately-monitored charter schools get preferential treatment and the myth of their superiority is constantly parroted.

Billionaires are using their philanthropic foundations to manipulate and direct education policy. CEOs and hedge fund managers are funding propaganda to stir up anti-teacher and pro-charter school sentiment; to them a future of charter school expansion means gold (and here). The U.S. Department of Education is bribing cash strapped states to implement its favored, but unproven reforms. Economists are funded and given permission to experiment on kids. Arrogant business-oriented school leaders and policymakers have acquired control and ignore important research. Knowledgeable educators and parents have been denied seats at the table.

Education in the public schools is now about preparing for tests. Today’s students are viewed as data points and are being overdosed with test prep, drill and kill. Art, music and even recess are disappearing in schools with a devastating effect on kids. Teachers’ livelihoods and public schools’ existence depend on the results of high stakes testing and this has led to gaming the system and cheating. Many of the most outspoken pundits, politicians and bureaucrats who are pushing this business-model of ed reform attended private schools. They also send their children to private schools with tiny classes, but have no qualms about pushing large class sizes on public school kids. More and more buckets of money are being poured into companies that profit from students testing.

The tolerance for exclusion and school segregation is increasing, and there is a continuing deafening silence from our leaders about America’s shamefully high child poverty and incarceration rates. Teachers have been made into scapegoats for all our social ills, and the dignity of their profession is being eroded away. A miniscule group of Americans is acquiring an ever-increasing amount of wealth, and there are always justifications for why public schools shouldn’t be better funded.

It’s clearly time to ratchet up the resistance to all of these things. So I hope you’ll decide to join in the fight against what I’ve mentioned here. If you decide to make a film about these things, know that there is a whole network of very knowledgeable public school parents who will help you along.

I look forward to making your acquaintance when you sign my copy of Here Comes Trouble. I will be bringing two items for you: a copy of education historian Diane Ravitch’s important and best-selling book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, as well as a copy of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman, a new film produced by a grassroots group of teachers and parents in New York. I think you will appreciate both items very much.

With hope for a better future,

Sharon Higgins

Oakland, CA

Co-founder of Parents Across America

PS: Are you aware that Matt Damon made a special trip to Washington, D.C. so he could speak to the teachers and public school supporters attending the Save Our Schools March this past July? My group, Parents Across America helped to organize and co-sponsored that event.

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Monitoring the enrollment of Gulen charter schools in California

2011-09-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Click on these images for a larger view.

Source: http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dataquest.asp

One final question. If someone is nervous about poisonous spiders, but has no problem with non-poisonous spiders, is that person really an arachnophobe?

The four horsemen of our apocalypse?

2011-08-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Racism, Poverty, Militarism, Materialism. The apocalypse reference may sound dramatic, but the current condition (and trajectory) of our society is looking pretty bad.

Cornel West reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King in his piece for the New York Times today, “Dr. King Weeps From His Grave.” Excerpts with my emphasis added:*

...[during the last years of his life] King’s dream of a more democratic America had become, in his words, “a nightmare,” owing to the persistence of “racism, poverty, militarism and materialism.” He called America a “sick society.”...

MILITARISM is an imperial catastrophe that has produced a military-industrial complex and national security state and warped the country’s priorities and stature (as with the immoral drones, dropping bombs on innocent civilians) [our war history is HERE]. MATERIALISM is a spiritual catastrophe, promoted by a corporate media multiplex and a culture industry that have hardened the hearts of hard-core consumers and coarsened the consciences of would-be citizens. Clever gimmicks of mass distraction yield a cheap soulcraft of addicted and self-medicated narcissists.[e.g. see HERE]

RACISM is a moral catastrophe, most graphically seen in the prison industrial complex and targeted police surveillance in black and brown ghettos rendered invisible in public discourse. Arbitrary uses of the law — in the name of the “war” on drugs — have produced, in the legal scholar Michelle Alexander’s apt phrase, a new Jim Crow of mass incarceration [more on Alexander HERE and HERE]. And POVERTY is an economic catastrophe, inseparable from the power of greedy oligarchs and avaricious plutocrats indifferent to the misery of poor children, elderly citizens and working people...[see HERE and HERE]

...the recent budget deal is only the latest phase of a 30-year, top-down, one-sided war against the poor and working people in the name of a morally bankrupt policy of deregulating markets, lowering taxes and cutting spending for those already socially neglected and economically abandoned. Our two main political parties, each beholden to big money, offer merely alternative versions of oligarchic rule...**

Released nearly 29 years ago, Reagan’s “A Nation at Risk” launched the war against public education. Richard Rothstein wrote this in 2008 (“A Nation at Risk” Twenty-Five Years Later):

In 1983, A Nation at Risk misidentified what is wrong with our public schools and consequently set the nation on a school reform crusade that has done more harm than good.

The diagnosis of the National Commission on Excellence in Education was flawed in three respects: First, it wrongly concluded that student achievement was declining. Second, it placed the blame on schools for national economic problems over which schools have relatively little influence. Third, it ignored the responsibility of the nation’s other social and economic institutions for learning...(READ THE REST!)

The educational “crisis” is propaganda whipped up in order to embed a specific mindset into Americans. That propaganda manipulates public concerns and supplies the justification for why our universal public education system should be dismantled and metamorphosized into one which is more restrictive and privatized. Even a report released in 1990 (Sandia Report) was suppressed to prevent the "crisis" premise from being challenged. From “Education at Risk: Fallout from a Flawed Report”(2007)

What "A Nation at Risk" claimed in 1983

American students are never first and frequently last academically compared to students in other industrialized nations.
American student achievement declined dramatically after Russia launched Sputnik, and hit bottom in the early 1980s.
SAT scores fell markedly between 1960 and 1980.
Student achievement levels in science were declining steadily.
Business and the military were spending millions on remedial education for new hires and recruits.

What the Sandia Report revealed in 1990

Between 1975 and 1988, average SAT scores went up or held steady for every student subgroup.
Between 1977 and 1988, math proficiency among seventeen-year-olds improved slightly for whites, notably for minorities.
Between 1971 and 1988, reading skills among all student subgroups held steady or improved.
Between 1977 and 1988, in science, the number of seventeen-year-olds at or above basic competency levels stayed the same or improved slightly.
Between 1970 and 1988, the number of twenty-two-year-old Americans with bachelor degrees increased every year; the United States led all developed nations in 1988.

In other words, there is no "educational crisis" in this country, but there is plenty of racism, poverty, militarism, and materialism. The ed reform movement is a con.

* Did the NY Times change Cornel West's original title because it was too provocative? See what's embedded in the article's link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/opinion/martin-luther-king-jr-would-want-a-revolution-not-a-memorial.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

** Not terribly keyed into politics until the past several years, it took observing how President Obama has functioned (Arne Duncan and school privatizing pals, the friendliness to Goldman Sachs and others, even the choice of the purebred Bo, etc.) to demonstrate this oh-so-clearly to me. This morning I got a phone call from Obama 2012 and let the caller know why I've withdrawn my support.

The rise of the corporate state and the “Death of the Liberal Class”

2011-08-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

“The danger when a liberal class breaks down is that there becomes no mechanism anymore by which mounting rage and anger can be expressed within the system.” (Video below @ 28:53)

From “Death of the Liberal Class” by Chris Hedges (2010):

Inside cover excerpt:

For decades the liberal class was a defense against the worst excesses of power. But the pillars of the liberal class—the press, universities, labor movement, culture, Democratic Party, and liberal religious institutions—have collapsed as effective counterweights to the corporate state. In its absence the needs of the poor, the working class and even the middle class, no longer have a champion. The death of the liberal class has permitted the rise of a new and terrifying political configuration.

Back cover:

Liberals conceded too much to the power elite. The tragedy of the liberal class and the institutions it controls is that it has succumbed to opportunism and finally to fear. It abrogated its moral role. It did not defy corporate abuse when it had the chance. It exiled those within its ranks who did. And the defanging of the liberal class not only removed all barriers to neofeudalism and corporate abuse but also ensured that the liberal class will, in its turn, be swept aside.

Excerpts from pp. 9-13:

The inability of the liberal class to acknowledge that corporations have wrested power from the hands of citizens, that the constitution and its guarantees of personal liberty have become irrelevant, and that the phrase consent of the governed is meaningless, has left it speaking and acting in ways that no longer correspond to reality. It has lent its voice to hollow acts of political theater, and the pretense that democratic debate and choice continue to exist.

The liberal class refuses to recognize the obvious because it does not want to lose its comfortable and often well-paid perch...

The media, the church, the university, the Democratic Party, the arts, and labor unions—the pillars of the liberal class—have been bought off with corporate money and promises of scraps tossed to them by the narrow circles of power...

The death of the liberal class means a new and terrifying political configuration. It permits the corporate state to demolish, without impediment, the last vestiges of protection put into place by the liberal class. Employees in public-sector unions—one of the last havens from the onslaught of the corporate state—are denounced for holding “Cadillac health plans” and generous retirement benefits. Teachers’ unions in California and New Jersey are attacked by corporate pundits and politicians who portray teachers as parasites thriving at taxpayer expense. The establishment of charter schools will help hasten the extinction of these unions. The increasing restrictions imposed on public-sector employees, despite their ostensible union protection, are draconian and illustrate the corporate state’s final attack on unionized workers. In turn, labor organizations (for the diminishing number of workers who still have unions) facilitate the disempowerment and impoverishment of workers...

Here's Hedges speaking about his book at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on October 17, 2010. If you have limited time, start at 20:45 where Hedges says, “And so we end up with a Democratic Party that speaks in a voice of such flagrant hypocrisy that it has killed its own credibility.”

And @ 32:50: “...what’s happened as we are propelled down this road towards an oligarchic or neofeudal society is that we are creating a permanent underclass, a permanently enraged underclass.”

Explore Hedges’s message and see if your gut picks up on the truth of it. Mine did, and I can see that the United States of America is marching toward a terrifying future.

And as Hedges states, all resistance will be need to be local.

Arne Duncan has to go

2011-08-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Thousands came to DC from all across the country on behalf of our nation’s public school system. Arne Duncan has to go.

Tourists sitting atop double-decker buses hollered with thumbs up as we walked from Metro stations to the event. Arne Duncan has to go.

The near record-breaking heat was close to overwhelming, even dangerous for some, but still they came, and still they marched. Arne Duncan has to go.

Tons of drivers honked horns to show their support. Arne Duncan has to go.

Never has our public school system been so betrayed by its very own leader. Arne Duncan has to go.

People are sick of his doubletalk, his bribes and manipulation. Arne Duncan has to go.

Power to the People. Bless them with much strength and the numbers to rise up against these sick, misguided policies. Arne Duncan has to go.

Expect next year’s event to be bigger and louder and angrier. More and more people are catching on. Arne Duncan has to go.

Save Our Schools: The March to the White House on July 30, 2011.

The rebellion against Chile’s privatized education: Estimates of up to 60,000 people on the streets in Chile protesting to demand an end to privatized education. The system has placed generations of students deep in debt.*

*Read Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine” (first edition published Sept. 2007) to learn how what happened in Chile is well underway here. The book’s introduction explains the privatizers' grab of New Orleans’ public schools. Things don't bode well. Arne Duncan has to go.

Please Mr. President listen to us!

2011-07-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Come join Parents Across America, Diane Ravitch, Matt Damon and many others in the Save Our Schools rally and march to the White House on Saturday, July 30, 2011.

More information here. President Obama, listen to us!

Song composed by Linda Gower for the Save our Schools March in DC.

The U.S.A., our war eras, and who we are.

2011-07-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

This remarkable table, reflecting our nation's priorities, was created from war era dates defined by the American Legion. The American Legion is “...the nation’s largest veterans service organization..."

Eligibility Requirements for American Legion Membership

Military members currently on active duty, who are serving the United States honorably, anywhere in the world, or have served honorably during any of the following eligible war eras, are invited to be members of The American Legion.

April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918 (World War I)
Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946 (World War II)
June 25, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955 (Korean War)
Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam War)
Aug. 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon / Grenada)
Dec. 20, 1989 to Jan. 31, 1990 (Panama)
Aug. 2, 1990 to today (Gulf War / War On Terrorism)

The table covers 1917 to 2011 (the past 85 years). The last declared war was World War II.

Red cells indicate wars. Blue cells indicate peacetime.

Clink on the image for a clearer view. Table created by the Perimeter Primate.

Recipe 4 World Peace: Everybody learn Turkish!

2011-06-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is what the Gulenists believe deep down in their hearts. It is also why Turkish language and culture are always taught in the Gulen charter schools, why students are given subsidized, Gulenist-guided trips to Turkey, and why student participation in regional Turkish Olympiads is so strongly promoted.

However, you will be extremely hard pressed to find any reference to all of this Turkish instruction in any of their charter school applications. But that shouldn't matter! Everyone just needs to thank Fethullah Gulen for creating such a wonderful recipe for world peace!

Here's a new article about the Turkish Olympiads appearing in Zaman, a Gulenist-operated Turkish newspaper. Gulen is glorified four times.

“Turkish becomes language of peace thanks to Olympiads.” Sunday’s Zaman 26 June 2011*

When the 1st International Turkish Language Olympiads were launched in 2003 by Dilset, a publishing house, the goal was to reward students who excel in learning Turkish and to courage others.

Back then, 62 students from 17 countries took part in the event. Since 2006 the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER), a civil society organization, has undertaken the job of holding the Olympiads. Currently, the event continues in its ninth edition across Turkey with a boost in the number of participating nations and students. One thousand students representing 130 countries are taking part in the Olympiads this year...

According to Tuncay Öztürk, the deputy chairman of TÜRKÇEDER and general secretary of the International Turkish Language Olympiads, the motive behind the event is to bring the youth of the world together for peace with an eventual goal of promoting world peace.

Öztürk says the language of Turkish serves peace in the Olympiads. “Helping to build dialogue [DIALOGUE IS A GULENIST BUZZ WORD] bridges between the countries of the world is our goal. We thought it could be well achieved via Turkish. By building these bridges, we know them, and they know us,” he told Sunday’s Zaman.

In general, the Olympiads can be seen as the reflection of “beautiful services,” including the Turkish schools opened by Turks, inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, around the world, Öztürk noted. “The Olympiads are part of efforts at dialogue and the schools’ efforts to promote love and peace in the world,” he added.

Students who represent their countries are selected by local administrators. If the number of Olympiad contenders is high in a country, the students have to take part in competitions, and those coming in first earn a berth in the Turkey competition. After they arrive in the country, the students face another competition, this time to take part in the top contests, the song and poetry finals. A student from Tajikistan came first in the song contest and a student from Georgia won the poetry contest on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively...

...The Olympiads continue with their shows, and they will run through the closing ceremony on June 30 in İstanbul.

“We started with 17 countries, now we have reached 130. There is a big demand [to host Olympiad shows] in Turkey. There is also demand from the world [to join the Olympiads]. The halls are not big enough to meet the demand in İstanbul and Ankara. We cannot meet the demand for invitations. Both the content and the expenses of the event get bigger every year,” Öztürk explained.

Olympiads unite Turkey as well

Not only have the children of the world but Turkey also has been gathering under the umbrella of the Turkish Olympiads. Regardless of their worldviews, prominent artists, academics, journalists and public figures gathered at the Turkish Olympiads, a Gülen-inspired event. Among the guests and jury members at the song and poetry contests were producer Sinan Çetin, organizer Ahmet San, dancer Tan Sağtürk, producer Elif Dağdeviren and poets Yavuz Bülent Bakiler and Hilmi Yavuz. Meeting at the contests, they all thanked the organizers of the Olympiads and expressed their support.

“The Olympiads turned into an event that is loved by everybody from every age,” Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı said in his article. “Maybe the value of the event is not perceived exactly, but future generations will understand it. As they [who do not understand the value of the Olympiads] see youths who are familiar with Turkish folkloric dance, literature and cuisine from around the world, they will appreciate it,” he added....

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These are just a few of the performances by American charter school students who competed in 2011 at various U.S. regional Turkish Olympiads. The winners of these preliminaries are very likely to be in Turkey attending the Gulenist pageant described in the article above. These U.S. charter schools exist to serve the goals of this foreign, cult-like religious movement.

A video of a Southeast USA preliminary. Note how Southern is spelled “Southearn.’ But I suppose it doesn’t matter since the English language holds little importance in the Gulenists’ dream of a gloriously pan-Turkic world.

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Children from Fulton Science Academy in Georgia competing at the Atlanta 2011 Turkish Olympiad Southeastern US sponsored by the Gulenist Istanbul Center.

More about this school’s Gulen movement connections HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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Child from Triad Math and Science Academy in North Carolina competing at the 2011 Turkish Olympiad Washington DC Finals sponsored by the Gulenist American Turkish Friendship Association.

More about this school's Gulen movement connections HERE.

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Children from School of Science and Technology in Texas competing at the 2011 Turkish Language Olympiad Southwest America sponsored by the Gulenist Raindrop Turkish House.

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Child from Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology in New Jersey competing at the 2011 Turkish Olympiad New York sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Center New York.

More about this school’s Gulen movement connections HERE and HERE.

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Update: From another of the many Zaman-published articles about the event: “Turkish Olympiads gets full score from the Turkish capital.” Sunday's Zaman 26 June 2011 (emphasis added)*

... State Minister Egemen Bağış stated: “I thank you all for your performances. We are touched by this every year and sometimes our eyes are filled with tears of joy. The Turkish language you are learning is spoken by 200 million people around the world. I congratulate your teachers, who moved thousands of kilometers away from their homes to teach you this language.”...

Felicity Part (SP) leader Mustafa Kamalak, spoke to the participants, saying: “These are the things that the government does not have a hand in. When I see these children, I think that three figures should be understood better today: Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, Necmettin Erbakan and Fethullah Gülen. For this reason universities should be established in the names of these people.”...

The Gulen movement, charter schools, Turkey’s ruling party, the Muslim Brotherhood, The Nation, and American Thinker.

2011-06-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

I’ll leave the sorting-it-all-out up to you. As you read this entry, just know that:

#1: The Gulen movement is operating 120 U.S. charter schools (with more opening soon), as well as a whole host of what-they-present-as “Turkish cultural” and “interfaith dialog” organizations. One of the Gulen movement’s favorite activities has been to lobby politicians and other community leaders. Members of the Gulen movement lavish gifts, dinners, and awards on people whom they've targeted, including their charter school families. One of the biggest propaganda programs they sponsor for people around the world are ongoing free, or greatly subsidized (by members of the movement), Gulenist-guided trips to Turkey. Texas politicians are just now starting to question all these trips, but that doesn't mean they have acquired much insight about the Gulen movement (see the article in the American-Statesman: “Some lawmakers have second thoughts about Turkey trips.” 19 June 2011).

#2: The AKP became the ruling party in Turkey because it is Gulen movement-backed.

#3: SourceWatch has described Stratfor as "pro-corporate." American Thinker has been described as "the right wing's echo chamber." The Nation has been described as "left-leaning."

Sorting out the Gulen movement, Turkey’s ruling party, and the Muslim Brotherhood

> “Turkey's Elections and Strained U.S.Relations.” Stratfor’s Geopolitical Weekly 14 Jun 2011

Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) won parliamentary elections June 12, which means it will remain in power for a third term. The popular vote, divided among a number of parties, made the AKP the most popular party by far, although nearly half of the electorate voted for other parties, mainly the opposition and largely secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP)…

…since Turkey is a democracy, the rhetoric is usually heated and accusations often fly, ranging from imminent military coups to attempts to impose a religious dictatorship…

…the AKP has clearly taken Turkey in new directions in both domestic and foreign policy. In domestic policy, the direction is obvious. While the CHP has tried to vigorously contain religion within the private sphere, the AKP has sought to recognize Turkey’s Islamic culture and has sought a degree of integration with the political structure…

The rise of the AKP and its domestic agenda has more than just domestic consequences. Since 2001, the United States has been fighting radical Islamists, and the fear of radical Islamism goes beyond the United States to Europe and other countries. In many ways, Turkey is both the most prosperous and most militarily powerful of any Muslim country. The idea that the AKP agenda is radically Islamist and that Turkey is moving toward radical Islamism generates anxieties and hostilities in the international system…

...it is useful to consider Turkey in a broader geopolitical context. It sits astride one of the most important waterways in the world, the Bosporus, connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean…

From the American point of view, a close U.S.-Turkish relationship came to be considered normal. But the end of the Cold War redefined many relationships, and in many cases, neither party was aware of the redefinition for quite some time. The foundation of the U.S.-Turkish alliance rested on the existence of a common enemy, the Soviets…

The break point came in early 2003 with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which came after the AKP election victory in late 2002. The United States wanted to send a division into northern Iraq from southern Turkey, and the Turks blocked the move...

But for the United States, the decision on Iraq became a defining moment, when the United States realized that it could not take Turkish support for granted. The Turks, on the other hand, decided that the United States was taking actions that were not in their best interests. The relationship was not broken, but it did become strained...

Thus, the Turks, not wanting to participate in the Iraq war, created a split with the United States, and the European rejection of Turkish membership in the European Union has generated a split with Europe...

…The foundation of Turkey’s relationship with Israel, for example, had more to do with hostility toward pro-Soviet Arab governments than anything else. Those governments are gone and the secular foundation of Turkey has shifted. The same is true with the United States and Europe. None of them wants Turkey to shift, but given the end of the Cold War and the rise of Islamist forces, such a shift is inevitable, and what has occurred thus far seems relatively mild considering where the shift has gone in other countries. But more important, the foundation of alliances has disappeared and neither side can find a new, firm footing…

Read “Islam, Secularism and the Battlefor Turkey’s Future,” a 18-page special report by Stratfor (Aug. 23, 2010) to learn more about Turkey and the Gulen movement. A section entitled “The Turkish Islamist Movement” starting on page four explains the movement’s ascension to power and the role of its global network of schools.

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> “The Muslim Brotherhood and Weiner.” American Thinker 19 Jun 2011

Far more disturbing than the salacious details of Weiner's dalliances is the fact that apparently his mother-in-law is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Furthermore, Huma Abedin's brother, Hassan, "is listed as a fellow and partner with a number of Muslim Brotherhood members."...

How is it that the Western media, with its hourly analyses of Weiner, missed this salient point, yet Arab news sources revealed this connection?...

Which should now raise even greater concerns since Huma Abedin-Weiner is the deputy chief of staff to Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State...

Couple this with the Clinton family playing a key role in promoting Fethullah Gulen who has worked assiduously to overthrow Turkey's secular government. Gulen, who currently resides in Pennsylvania, has told his followers that in order for "worldwide Islamic domination to succeed, every method and path is acceptable, including lying to people."

In March of this year, the FBI was investigating the more than 120 charter schools in the United States that are linked to Gulen's movement. These schools, funded with millions of taxpayer dollars, promote Gulen's worldview that is both anti-Israel and anti-America. In fact, in 2010 it was reported that Bill Gates had given almost 11 million dollars to the Cosmos Foundation, which is a Gulen enterprise.

Moreover, one needs to question why Huma Abedin, a member of a family of devout Muslims, would ever marry a Jewish Congressman -- in a ceremony officiated by Bill Clinton. Sharia law clearly forbids Muslims from marrying non-believers, so what does this portend?

Furthermore, when Huma Abedin accompanied Hillary Clinton to the Dar El-Hekma women's college in Saudi Arabia, where Huma's mother is co-founder and vice dean, it was reported that "Hillary explained that Huma holds an important and sensitive position in her office." Where was the scrutiny?

Why are so many at the highest levels of American government ignoring the methodology of Islamists like Gulen, who has declared that the best way to seize power is to lie in wait "with the patience of a spider" in order to "wait for people to get caught in the web"? Is Clinton so naïve?...

Learn more about the Gulen movement / Bill & Hillary Clinton connection at "Why Bill Clinton mentioned Gulen at the Turkish Cultural Center's dinner in September 2008."

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> “Muslim Brotherhood Wants 'Complete Control' in Egypt.” The Nation 20 Jun 2011

Here’s a scary quote in today’s New York Times from Mehdi Akef, a former top official of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, one of that group’s more conservative leaders, on the political strategy of the Brotherhood-founded Freedom and Justice Party:

“Our preliminary platform will be shown through the Freedom and Justice Party. But our full platform will not be disclosed until we are in complete control and take the presidency as well.”

There are lots of Pollyanna when it comes to the Muslim Brotherhood, those who believe that the organization is a benign, pro-democratic group that wants to model Egypt on the Turkey of Prime Minister Erdogan, whose Islamist AKP runs that country. Leave aside, for a moment, whether Erdogan’s reactionary, populist yet pro-business AKP, which has gone a long way toward destroying Turkey’s secular, nationalist tradition, is a good model for Egypt. In Egypt itself, the Brotherhood is a reactionary force and dangerously so—not for the United States, and not because it is anti-Israel, but because it embodies the worst, religious fundamentalist tendencies of the Egyptian people...

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By the way, an assortment of people came to Fethullah Gulen’s rescue after he was denied a Green Card by the Department of Homeland Security by writing letters of support saying he was an “extraordinary educator.” Of course, the DHS denial was overturned and Gulen has been living a self-exiled-from-Turkey life on a secluded compound in Pennsylvania ever since.

I will continue to ask, why has the U.S. government allowed American schoolchildren to be sucked into all of this?

The New York Times vs Harmony Public Schools

2011-06-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has published a lengthy article about some highly concerning financial practices of Texas’s Harmony Schools. The front page piece, which appeared above the fold on June 7, 2011 (and filled over one and one half pages inside), is entitled “Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas.” Written by Stephanie Saul, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist, the article has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to the reality that the Gulen movement is deeply, deeply involved in the U.S. charter school business.

In an attempt to control the damage to their operations which will be produced by this long-awaited public transparency, the superintendent of Harmony Public Schools (AKA Cosmos Foundation) responded with the usual Gulenist denial. Soner Tarim's open letter states:

…As we told the Times reporter repeatedly, Harmony Schools…have no affiliation with Fetullah Gulen or the so-called Gulen movement yet the article repeatedly states and implies that such an affiliation exists, based on a composite of innuendo, circumstantial evidence and rumors…The facts are clear: We do not teach religion at all and we are not affiliated with any movement…

Tarim and Helen Rose Ebaugh – University of Houston professor, movement sympathizer, and regular and probably-well-compensated speaker at Gulen conferences – need to get together so they can get their stories straight. Here’s what Ebaugh said at “Mapping the Gulen Movement,” a 2010 conference sponsored by Dialoog Academie, a Gulenist organization in Amsterdam (@ 11:57 minutes into the YouTube video of her presentation):

“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...”

The membership of the Gulen movement consists nearly exclusively of Turkish-born individuals. Looking at who runs each of the Texas charter schools listed in the Center for Education Reform’s “National Charter School Directory” (“the only complete and searchable national database of America's operating and approved charter schools”) will reveal that the ONLY group of charter schools being operated in Texas by Turkish-born individuals are those of Harmony Public Schools and its affiliated smaller branch, the School of Science and Technology group.

Superintendent Tarim needs to be made aware that, in United States courtrooms, circumstantial evidence is completely legitimate and sometimes the most powerful. From a legal dictionary:

Circumstantial Evidence is also known as indirect evidence…Circumstantial evidence relates to a series of facts other than the particular fact sought to be proved. The party offering circumstantial evidence argues that this series of facts, by reason and experience, is so closely associated with the fact to be proved that the fact to be proved may be inferred simply from the existence of the circumstantial evidence…

Books, movies, and television often perpetuate the belief that circumstantial evidence may not be used to convict a criminal of a crime. But this view is incorrect…In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has stated that "circumstantial evidence is intrinsically no different from testimonial [direct] evidence"(Holland v. United States, 348 U.S. 121, 75 S. Ct. 127, 99 L. Ed. 150 [1954]). Thus, the distinction between direct and circumstantial evidence has little practical effect in the presentation or admissibility of evidence in trials.

In this case, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

(Side note: Will fuzzy legal information be taught to students at the Harmony School of Political Science and Communication, one of the new over-the-top, palatial schools (with 16-dorm rooms), being built by Solidarity Contracting, one of the Gulen charter school-associated contractors mentioned in the New York Times? Also, the Gulen movement has a history of recruiting members who are using their dormitories, for example, read HERE.)

The people operating Harmony Public Schools are fully aware that people who don’t have adequate information are simply gullible.

Whether Fethullah Gulen’s educational philosophy is the best in the world, or not, is not the issue here, as there has been no wide public disclosure of his philosophy to the American public, nor informed debate or discussion. The primary issue is that this group has been hiding and denying its indisputable affiliation to a controversial Turkish spiritual leader and his teachings.

Make no mistake. One reason Gulenists are opening their schools around the world is so they can put their spiritual leader's educational philosophy into practice. Parents making their school choices, and all taxpayers, have the right to have this type of information disclosed by the people who are operating these charter schools.

And what is the National Science Teachers Association's position on Fethullah Gulen's educational philosophy and approach?

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership of 60,000 includes science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in and committed to science education.

As far as Gulen's educational philosophy goes, a great deal has been written about it, mostly by, and for, movement insiders. Here are four examples:

1. “Fethullah Gülen’s Philosophy of Education in Practice” by Ruth Woodhall (no date stated, likely 2009). Woodall is a self-proclaimed member of the movement. Excerpts:

But for Gülen, education is not utilitarian; it is integral to his philosophy and religious world view. This world view is naturally shared by many in Turkey (Kalyoncu 2008) The Gülen movement originated as a faith-based with a strong cultural identity, but its educational and cultural projects are spreading into regions where world views have neither Turkic nor Islamic roots…

Gülen’s educational philosophy derives from his faith, and for him scientific and religious knowledge are essential and complementary parts of the same whole. Gülen movement participants support this synthesis of rational and religious knowledge. Consequently, Gülen-inspired schools value science and mathematics. Most of these schools have excellent computer technology and science laboratories.

When writing about the qualities of a good school Gülen blends metaphors of science and spirituality and reminds us of the hereafter…

…Nevertheless, observers sometimes remark on a lack of women in higher and more visible administrative posts in the movement (Stephenson 2007:150–1). Some women in the movement give the ban on the head-covering as one reason for not aspiring to visible roles, such as principal, which would involve representing the school in public…

This importance given to the development of the individual in the movement leads to teachers and administrators dedicating extra hours to free after-school and weekend lessons for individuals or small groups…

Teachers’ altruism is not confined to sacrificing their time for students. They also make considerable financial sacrifices. Many teachers also sponsor students for part or all of their tuition…

*Schools outside of the U.S. are private, meaning tuition and scholarship based.

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2. “The Urgency of Educational Reform in the United States of America: Lessons Learned from Fethullah Gülen” by Sheryl L. Santos. Santos, like Ebaugh, is a Gulen movement sympathizer who regularly presents at Gulen conferences. This paper was presented in November 2006 at the “Second International Conference on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice.” Excerpt:

Desiring to contribute to educational reform in the United States, I believe that there are lessons to be learned from the works of Fethullah Gülen that can, and should specifically, be applied to schools in America. Obviously, many of the Güleninspired schools and academies are private institutions that can expel students who do not meet the expected standards. Two of these private schools are Brooklyn Amity School ( www.amityschool.org ) and Pioneer School in New York. Nevertheless, I believe that all public schools, including public charter schools serving a diversity of students, can benefit from the prototype and the philosophical underpinnings of Güleninspired schools.

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3. “The Educational Theory of Fethullah Gülen and its Practice In South Africa” by Yasien Mohamed (2007). Excerpts:

Fethullah Gülen, a younger contemporary of Nursi, was inspired by the Risale-i Nur, and so also promoted the harmony between science and religion. He sees scientific education and Islamic education as compatible and complementary. Although he was educated in traditional institutions, he has urged his sympathizers to open modern schools rather than traditional madrasas and mosques. For him, as with Nursi, an ideal education combines modern science with Islamic knowledge. Scientific knowledge without religion could lead to atheism, while religious knowledge without science could lead to bigotry and fanaticism. When combined, they urge a student to research further, and deepen both his belief and knowledge ( Kuru, 2003:120; Yilmaz, 2005: 203-204).
He argues that science and technology cannot explain the meaning and the purpose of life, and they may be harmful for humankind if unjust and irresponsible people manipulate them. Science can neither provide true happiness nor replace the role of religion. Moreover, he emphasizes that the development of physics in the twentieth century shook positivist science (Kuru, 2003: 120)
But unlike Nursi, Gülen promoted this harmony through schools all over the world. This did not imply the Islamization of knowledge as we know it today. There was no attempt to infuse Islamic elements into the secular curriculum. All he wanted was for committed Muslim teachers to excel in the sciences. Through education they could “raise a generation both deeply rooted in Islam and able to participate in the modern scientific world. He aspires to create an educated elite within the Islamic umma in general and within the Turkish nature in particular” (Agai, 2003: 50)…

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4. “Gülen on Religion and Science: A Theological Perspective” by Osman Bakar (2005). Excerpts:

In summarizing Gülen’s views, we can say that the primary reason for the Qur’an’s interest in the science of nature and other sciences is that God wants to invite man to know Him. If the Qur’an repeatedly calls upon humans to study creation, it is because God wants them to study it for the sake of knowing the Creator. Gülen strongly believes this whole approach of the Qur’an to science needs to be properly understood, because in this spiritual approach lies the real basis for a harmonious and fruitful relationship between religion and science…

Gulen’s views are significant for the contemporary world in a number of respects. First, in insisting that science not be separated from religion, Gülen takes a firm intellectual position against ideological secularism understood in its strictest sense. The idea of the secularization of knowledge pursued to its logical conclusion would be incompatible with Islamic conceptions and theories of knowledge that are rooted in the teachings of the Qur’an. In particular, that idea would go against Gülen’s belief that “science should not be studied independently of the Qur’an.” The ongoing intellectual discourse on “Islamization of knowledge” in many parts of the Muslim world, Turkey included, can only be fully appreciated if one understands Islam’s insistence on harmonious conceptual relations between the science of God and the sciences of the natural and human worlds. The Islamization of knowledge may be seen as a serious attempt by contemporary Muslims to restore the philosophical conceptual link between theology and the sciences that has been severed and the traditional unity of knowledge that was shattered by the modern secularization of knowledge…

To any reasonable mind, there can be no doubt that the Harmony Public Schools and the Gulen movement are affiliated.

PS: The movement's involvement in charter schools is only one part of its activities here. To learn about where else they are involved, see the website, "A Guide to the Gulen Movement's Activities in the U.S."

Plagiarism in the charter school world

2011-06-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Merriam-Webster’s definition of PLAGIARIZE

to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

Multiple connections between schools can be found by scanning web pages and documents of charter schools for likely phrasing, and then inserting the phrases into Google’s Search bar. It was this technique which uncovered how a group of supposedly-unconnected charter schools (Gulen movement-operated) repeatedly make use of text written by the other schools in their underground network, as well as that of other charter schools and private schools.*

The exercise is time consuming, but nearly always fruitful. Here are just a few other outstanding examples of copying and plagiarism in the charter school world. There are dozens and dozens more, and it is anyone’s guess as to how widespread this activity is. Do the charter schools permit their students to do the same?

MIX-AND-MATCH-MIX-AND-MATCH-MIX-AND-MATCH-MIX-AND-MATCH

1. The discovery that the Gulen movement-operated Horizon Science Academy schools (operated by the 25-school, Ohio-based Concept Schools) had copied KIPP’s famous Five Pillars was first made by C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. However, this is not the only case where the showcase elements of KIPP's educational philosophy have been used without attribution. St. HOPE Public Schools, the three-school CMO founded by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (Michelle Rhee's fiancé) also has Five Pillars which are near-identical to KIPP’s. Click on the images at the very bottom to see for yourself.

Q: In this world where business model-like competition is the whole point, don't these people copyright their intellectual material?

2. The Horizon Science Academy – Cleveland High School has been highly acclaimed, even winning a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award in 2009. In addition to containing the KIPP-originated Five Essentials which were noted above, the school’s Annual Report 2008-2009 contains more phrasing which has been copied from other schools, and/or from which other charter schools have copied. For instance,

==> A phrase in Our Guiding Principals (“belief that each child has an inherent curiosity and love of learning; and that each child has a unique intelligence, level of capability, and learning style”) is used by

Elko Charter School (non-Gulenist school in NV)
Coral Science Academy (Gulen charter school in NV)
Chesapeake Math and IT Academy (proposed Gulen charter school for MD)
Wisconsin Career Academy (Gulen charter school)

==> A phrase in Our Mission (“construct a program, which engages and motivates students to invest their talents, energy, and enthusiasm in completing their schoolwork in an exemplary manner”) is also used for at least seven other Gulen charter schools

Riverside Science Academy, AKA Broward Math and Science Schools (a new charter school opening Fall 2011; approved by Broward County Public Schools)
Sweetwater Branch Academy (Gainsville)
Orlando Science School
Fulton Science Academy (GA, in 2001 charter school proposal on p. 5)
Harmony Science Academy - Houston (as cached page of Texas Charter Schools Association webpage; 'that' is substituted for 'which')
Indiana Science Academy (as close variation in 2001 proposal of school which did not materialize)
Truebright Science Academy Charter School (Philadelphia, PA; as close variation in 2/14/2011 Charter Annual Report for PA DoE on p. 15)
Lewis Academy of Excellence (non-Gulenist charter school in GA; on revised charter school petition of 4/14/2004 on p. 10; articles about school's problems are HERE)

==> A phrase in Choice in Education (“availability of choice is an important element in educational accountability and promotes higher standards throughout the system”) is used by

Princeton Charter School (Princeton, NJ; est. 1997)
Sugar Valley Rural Charter School (Loganton, PA)

3. The phrase “prepare students for optimal best academic success in their future education, enable students to have a broad spectrum of options for their future endeavors, and prepare them to be effective, responsible and productive citizens” is used by

Pelican Educational Foundation (operates two Gulen charter schools in Louisiana)
International School of Sarajevo (with 'optimal best' and 'effective' deleted; Gulenist school in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Comprehensive Model High School (with 'optimal best' and 'effective' deleted; an overtly Islamic school in Pakistan)

4. The phrase "success of students is dependent upon the school’s ability to create a culture that fosters meaningful, sustained relationships between teachers, students, and parents and holds all stakeholders responsible for outcomes" is used by schools operated by the Ohio-based Concept Schools, Inc. PLUS a Gulen movement-operated school in South Africa.

Horizon Science Academy (multiple schools in OH)
Gateway Math and Science Academy (St. Louis, MO)
Milwaukee Math and Science Academy (WI)
Michigan Math and Science Academy (Hazel Park, MI)
Indiana Math and Science Academy - West (Indianapolis, IN)
Quest Charter Academy (Peoria, IL)
Moonlight International School (South Africa)

5. The phrase, or near-identical variations of, “emphasis of the entire instructional program is aimed at meeting the individual needs of each student in order to allow children to develop to their fullest potential” is used by

Harmony Public Schools (CMO in Texas; in current catalog, p. 10)
HYPE Outreach Preparatory Academy, a Christian school in Northeast Texas
Albuquerque School of Excellence (Gulenist, web page with exhibit is no longer available)
Frontier School System (operates the Gulen charter schools in Missouri)
Mrs. Wagner's School (private school in Texas; est. 1958)
Digital Arts and Technology Charter School (AKA DigiTech K-12, a newly proposed NY Gulen charter school)

6. A large number of schools which are Gulen movement-affiliated use a phrase which is identical or near-identical to “carry the torch of knowledge, freedom, and prosperity that has been passed from one generation to another in this great country”

Paragon Science Academy (Chandler, AZ)
Bay Area Technology School (Oakland, CA; in mission statement of renewal petition of April 25, 2007 on pg. 427)
Magnolia Public Schools (Southern CA-based CMO, formerly Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation, formerly Dialog Foundation)
Lotus School for Excellence (Aurora, CO)
Palm Beach Science Academy (proposed school in FL; in document submitted to the Palm Beach school district on pg. 17)
Indiana Math and Science Academy-North (Indianapolis, IN)
Central Jersey College Prep Charter School (Somerset, NJ)
Coral Academy of Science Schools (NV)
Binghamton Academy of Science Charter School (proposed school in NY; in prospectus submitted to New York State Department of Education on pg. 2)
Horizon Science Academy schools (multiple schools in OH; on various websites and in annual reports)
Discovery School of Tulsa (OK)
Dove Science Academy-Elementary (OK)
Richmond Education Foundation / Richmond Science Academy (recently denied charter school in VA)
Wisconsin Career Academy (June 2010 charter school proposal, pg. 5)

PLAGIARISTS-CAN'T-BE-TRUSTED-CAN'T-BE-TRUSTED-CAN'T-BE-TRUSTED
Neither can schools which emphatically deny affiliations which are easily demonstrated.

Accessed 6/6/2002

Horizon Science Academy – Cleveland High School Annual Report 2008-2009

* For more, see the following pages

BBC news story hot off the press

2011-05-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Gulen Movement on BBC Radio4 (May 24, 2011): “Edward Stourton investigates the Islamic Gulen movement in Turkey whose influence permeates right around the world.”

Also see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011c0ty
And http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00h5b4j
For the time being, you can listen to the full 38-minute version @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b011c0ty

@1:20 min.

…Many of the students here are fee-paying, but scholarships for bright children from poor backgrounds are a big feature of Gulen schools. They began in Turkey, but they’ve now spread everywhere from Kazakhstan to Texas…there’s even one in Britain…

Note how the piece says “fee-paying” with scholarship supplementation? Outside the U.S., Gulen schools are tuition-based and private, NOT publicly-funded!

It is only in the U.S., with our pathetically-monitored charter school system (of which members of the Gulen movement have taken advantage), where this amorphous but highly-organized and driven group is running their schools with hard-earned public money.

Here's something to ask Arne Duncan and your local and state officials next time you see them: Why are you letting the American government give our tax dollars to a foreign, cult-like religious movement so they can operate 120 charter schools???

And here's a question for the U.S. press: Can we please get some decent news coverage about this??? The BBC gives it to the Brits, and I'm sure Great Britain has a much smaller number of Gulen schools.

Does everyone understand that the Gulen movement has been infiltrating the U.S. for the past 12 or so years? This is being done via a large network of charter schools AS WELL AS a whole host of Turkish cultural and "interfaith dialogue"organizations (and HERE) which are constantly schmoozing with targeted individuals of influence, and regularly pay favor-currying, gift-bearing (usually award plaques or Turkish ceramics) visits to the offices of public officials and politicians, AND ALSO give free (or greatly-reduced-price) Gulenist-guided trips to Turkey to influential, willing Americans as well as to the students at their charter schools.

Here's a trip for NJ mayors. It's not the first one. Montclair, NJ's Mayor Jerry Fried was given one of these trips a couple of years ago.
Here’s one for Baton Rouge’s (LA) mayor, Kip Holden:
Here’s one for a group from Colorado, including Alan Gottleib who writes for EdNews Colorado. Firestone's (CO) mayor Chad Auer got one, too, but he has deleted the webpage where he shared his report.
Here’s one for a group from Oklahoma. Bill Sherman, a reporter from the Tulsa World got one, too.
Here’s another one for reporters from the Vail Daily (CO)
Here’s one for Seattle-area residents. One of the tour guides was also the CEO of one of the charter school organizations.
Here's one about the tour guide for 100 Oklahomans.
Here’s one for the Bergen County (NJ) sheriff.
Here's one for some people from California.
Here’s one for the CEO of a public radio station in Florida and his wife (Michael and Susan Boylan), along with the president of Florida State College and his wife (Steve and Amelia Wallace), Florida state Representative Jennifer Carroll, (District 13), and Jacksonville’s sheriff and his wife (John and Patricia Rutherford)
Here’s one for a group from Colorado.
Here’s one for a bunch of people from Nebraska.
Then there was the time last December when Raindrop Turkish House took the Austin school district superintendent and 10 of his staff members to Turkey. This turned out to be very a fruitful investment.

“Austin ISD has a new relationship with Raindrop Turkish House (RTH), which will assist district staff in creating a curriculum on Turkey.”

Fancy that.

The number of these trips given to Americans by now must number in the many tens of thousands. This is just a tiny, tiny peek into what's going on, believe me.

In return for their free trip, one way travelers often repay their hosts is by writing dutiful testimonials which are always posted online. This is just the "evidence" needed to develop legitimacy and build up political and social cover for the Gulenists. Here are a few examples.

For a look at some of the office visits and gift-giving to politicians, go to http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/look-what-a-plate-will-buy.html

Recall what the BBC report said at 2:07 min.?

But in 1999 a video surfaced in which Mr. Gulen appeared to be urging his followers to, and I quote, “Move within the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach the centers of power.” He was charged with trying to undermine the state and left for America. He was later cleared in absentia, but he’s never been back to Turkey and still lives in Pennsylvania today.

Given the clear evidence of the Gulen Movement's activities in the U.S., with all their denials and evasions (and HERE and HERE), and the fact that so few Americans know anything about what's going on, I'd put my money on the claims that Gulen DID INSTRUCT his followers as was reported, and that they proceeded to do exactly what he had instructed them to do. "Keeping Secrets" anyone?

Just about the time Gulen made his famous "move within the arteries" statement, the first Gulen charter school was opened (1999).

Today there are 120 Gulen charter schools in operation in 27 states, with at least 22 currently being attempted, and 47 attempts that never materialized.

Hawaii might have wised up to the shenanigans. Read how they did it at “Gulen Cult strikes out in Hawaii Legislature, School?”

Maybe some bigger news is about to break. More and more, concerns about the number of imported Turkish teachers these charter schools are bringing in on H-1B visas have been cropping up in the news.

“H-1B + K-12 = ? : A First Look at the Implications of Foreign Teacher Recruitment.” Center for Immigration Studies April 2011
"Exclusive 5 On Your Side investigation uncovers federal probe into Ohio charter schools." WEWS (Cleveland, OH) 15 May 2011.
"Oklahoma charter schools hire math, science teachers from overseas.” The Oklahoman 24, May 2011

60 Minutes and Frontline producers, where are you???

CNN on press suppression in Turkey, Fethullah Gulen, and the Gulen movement

2011-05-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

If you follow this blog or my Charter School Scandals blog, you are aware that, for nearly one year, I have been trying to get the word out about the 118+ charter schools being clandestinely operated by members of a foreign, religious movement out of Turkey (the Gulen movement). More schools are opening every year.

I innocently stumbled across this situation when I started researching news stories about problems at charter schools in mid-May 2010 and an unusual story about a charter school in Utah caught my eye. That story lead me to another one about concerns with a charter school in Arizona. A couple of other things I knew about clicked and the whole thing began to unfold.

Since that time, I’ve developed three pages on Charter School Scandals with information about Gulen charter schools and the Gulen movement (HERE, HERE, and HERE). There's even more information packed into the left-hand column. If you’ve haven't read any of it before, I urge you to do that soon, as this is a story which is in the midst of unfolding. It has been a very strange thing to encounter and I’ve been working very hard to understand it. The whole thing is complicated and has stretched me to learn more about Turkish history and current events than I ever thought I would know. As a result of my curiosity and desire to share what I've learned, anonymous Gulenists have called me a kaz.

The American public’s awareness of this movement has been very slow to build, but two recent articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer (HERE and HERE) probably helped quite a bit. And today CNN presented a piece about the heightened suppression of the press in Turkey and how it relates to Fethullah Gulen and the Gulen movement.

Since I've become alert to the GM, I've been monitoring news stories, some of which are posted HERE. I will not post promotional material produced by the movement and I have come to recognize when reporters have been manipulated into writing pieces on behalf of the Gulenists, or have produced a piece by copying material from one of their press releases, being too lazy to think critically or do one bit of their own research.

Click here to watch CNN’s video segment of 06 May 2011 (3:12 min.)

>>> “Turkey press freedom under fire.” <<<

Excerpt from the text which accompanies the video [emphasis added]:

From his home in exile on a farm in Pennsylvania, Gulen is the inspirational leader of an enormous network of schools and universities operating in more than 120 countries around the world. He speaks to his followers through a small empire of pro-Gulen newspapers, publication houses and TV stations in Turkey as well as over the internet. During his victory speech after winning a referendum on constitutional reform last year, Erdogan took care to thank his "friends across the ocean"...code-words for the Gulen movement.

"The government... and the Fethullah Gulen group are the taboos in Turkey. It is very dangerous to write about these in Turkey and I write about them," said investigative journalist Sener said in his November 2010 CNN interview.

Ihsan Yilmaz of Fatih University is featured at 1:40 min. Fatih is one of the universities operated by the Gulen movement. Google "Ihsan Yilmaz" + gulen to see his many connections.

And a disillusioned-looking Andrew Finkel is featured at 2:25 min. Finkel had been a columnist for Today’s Zaman until a few weeks ago when he wrote a piece speaking out against the arrests. This displeased his employer who promptly fired him. Zaman is a Gulenist-operated publication. Finkel’s piece was then published by a non-Gulenist newspaper, the Hurriyet Daily News. From Finkel's “A Dilemma”:

It was a bit over three years ago that I was recruited to write this column for this newspaper (Today’s Zaman). I remember the conversation well. The editor-in-chief anticipated that I might be hesitant to associate myself with a press group whose prejudices and principles might not always coincide with my own. He explained what I knew already, that the Zaman Group supported and was supported by the Fetullah Gülen Community and that I would have to take that on board…

I have already expressed my concern that the fight against anti-democratic forces in Turkey has resorted to self-defeating anti-democratic methods. This in turn has led to a polarization in Turkey. If your side loses power then the natural fear is that they will use your methods against you. In case this sounds like I am speaking in riddles, I am referring to the aggressive prosecution of people who write books. These may be bad books, they may be books which are written with ulterior motives, they may be books which contain assertions which are not true. But at the end of the day, they are books – and there are libel courts – not criminal courts – designed to protect individuals from malicious falsehood. In short, writing a book offensive to the Gülen community is not a crime…

Finkel describes the scene in "Turkey's Muzzled Muckrakers" (New York Times 06 April 2011).

Imagine if back in the days of Watergate, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had been put on trial for being part of the very conspiracy they were trying to uncover. Then suppose a large section of the Washington press corps proceeded to pat federal prosecutors on the back for a job well done.

Such is the life of a journalist in today’s Turkey — a world in which the justice system punishes the innocent while the Fourth Estate turns a blind eye. Turkey now holds the dubious record for being the country with the most imprisoned journalists — 57 according to a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe…

…recently, prosecutors ordered the detention of two respected journalists, Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik, who were once supporters of the Ergenekon trial.

…Sik’s unpublished manuscript, which the police tried and failed to ban before it began freely circulating on the Internet, pointed a finger at a prominent religious group known as the Gülen movement...

A lot of serious issues are heating up in Turkey. Keep in mind it is a country in an extraordinarily strategic geopolitical location which currently hosts important US military air bases (Izmir and Incirlik) and has been undergoing the process of trying to join the EU for the past few years.

Finding my way

Over the past year, I have found the information from these four sources to be particularly valuable.

Gulen Charter Schools @ http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/
A Guide to the Gulen Movement's Activities in the US @ http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/
Charter. School. Watchdog.com @ http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/
And Twitter feeds from CASILIPS (Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools) http://twitter.com/#!/CASILIPS

In addition to what I've posted at Charter School Scandals, I've done a series of posts on the Perimeter Primate about various things I've uncovered. Being totally clueless about all of this when I started last year, I've tried my best to find that balance between what the extreme Islamophobes and the Gulenist sympathizers have to say. I still cannot shake the feeling that a group like this running so many U.S. charter schools -- without the students' parents, and the broad American public, knowing about such involvement -- is highly disturbing. I know "The Community" won't be pleased with this post.

June 2010

My charter school research & the Gülen Movement: A new discovery about the under-the-radar connection between a national network of charter schools and a controversial, cult-like, religious movement out of Turkey.
Your creepy weekend reading and viewing: An assortment of links to pieces about Fethullah Gulen, the Gulen Movement, and its charter schools.
The U.S. “Fethullahci” schools, sometimes locally known as Turkish-run charter schools: An early list of the Gulen charter schools that have been opened in the U.S.
Magnolia Schools charter management organization: Details about the largest of two Gulen charter school management organizations in California.
Gulen schools here and abroad: Information about Gulen Movement global project of opening schools.

July 2010

Gulen schools and their booming H1B visa applications: The Gulen charter school operators apply for a spectacularly high number of H1B visas in order to fellow members of the movement to the U.S. from Turkey and Central Asia to teach at their schools.
Learning to love Turkey: The Turkish Olympiad pageant is the hallmark event of the Gulen charter schools around the world. This post features an assortment of American students displaying their Turkishness.

August 2010

Turkish charter school piece in USA Today: Greg Toppo’s piece (“Objectives of charter schools with Turkish ties questioned”) marks the first time that the Gulen Movement’s charter school network has been covered in the mainstream national press.

November 2010

The affiliation between the Gulen Movement and a large network of U.S. charter schools is now official: A Baker Institute event and recent video footage shows a Gulenist and two sympathizers openly talking about Gulen charter schools.

January 2011

“…our schoolchildren should not be mixed up in geopolitical games.”: Nothing more needs to be said.

February 2011

Chicago’s Gulen charter school teachers (once again) escalate their efforts to unionize: Monitoring the situation at the Chicago Math and Science Academy.
Federal investigation into the Gulen Movement’s charter schools: The initial article by Claudio Gatti about the U.S. federal investigation appeared in the Italian press.

March 2011

Major development re the charter schools associated with the Gulen movement: The first Philadelphia Inquirer article, by Martha Woodall and Claudio Gatti.

April 2011

WikiLeaks and Gulen charter schools: The second Philadelphia Inquirer article by Woodall and Gatti.
Same old, same old...even 10,000 miles away: A story about a Gulen school in the Maldives.

MORE TO COME!

Oakland charter schools to date

2011-04-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Please add any corrections in the comments section. -- Thanks. (Revised 4/28/2011)

OAKLAND CHARTER SCHOOLS TO DATE

- Number of charter schools approved to open (by OUSD, county, or state) = 49 (+ 2 not yet opened)
- Number of revoked or abandoned charter schools = 16
- Failure rate to date = 32.65% (16/49)
- Schools highlighted in red were revoked, abandoned, or not renewed.
- Two additional schools are due to open in Fall 2011.

Achieve Academy: Approved in 2006; CMO: Education for Change
American Indian Public Charter School: Approved in 1996
American Indian Public Charter School II: Approved in 2007
American Indian Public High School: Approved in 2005
ARISE High School: Approved in 2007
Bay Area Technology School: Approved in 2004
Berkley Maynard Academy: Approved in 2005; CMO: Aspire Public Schools
CA College Prep Academy: Approved in 2005; CMO: Aspire Public Schools; county approved; closed 2008; moved to Berkeley
Civicorps Elementary: Approved in 2001
Civicorps Middle School: Approved in 2009
Community School for Creative Education (new): Charter denied by OUSD; sought and were granted approval by county; opening Fall 2011
Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts (COVA): Approved in 2007
Education for Change at Cox Elementary: Approved in 2005; CMO: Education for Change; only OUSD school conversion; renewal denied 2010; sought and received county approval
Dolores Huerta Learning Academy: Approved in 1999; renewal denied 2009 and closed
E. C. Reems Academy of Tech and Art: Approved in 1999
EBCC Civicorps Corpsmember Academy: Approved in 1996; grade 12+ only
East Oakland Leadership Academy: Approved in 2003
East Oakland Leadership High: Approved in 2008
East Oakland Partnership School: Approved in 1999; abandoned in 1999
Envision Academy for Arts & Technology: Approved in 2004 by Alameda County
ERES Academy: Approved in 2009;CMO: Aspire Public Schools; took over Huerta Academy site
Growing Children: Approved in 2002; revoked in 2006 and closed
Junior Space Exploration Academy: Approved in 2006; revoked 2007 and closed
KIPP Bridge College Preparatory / KIPP Bridge Charter Academy: Approved in 2002; CMO: KIPP; initially state-approved, then district-approved
LPS (Leadership Public Schools)-College Park: Approved in 2005;CMO: Leadership Public Schools
Lighthouse Charter High: Approved in 2005
Lighthouse Community Charter: Approved in 2002
Lionel Wilson College Prep: Approved in 2002; CMO: Aspire Public Schools
Lotus Agriculture and Tech: Approved in 2002; abandoned in 2004; never opened
Meroe International Academy: Approved in 2000; revoked in 2001 and closed
Millsmont Academy Secondary: Approved in 2008; CMO: Aspire Public Schools
Millsmont Academy: Approved in 2004; CMO: Aspire Public Schools
Monarch Academy: Approved in 2000; CMO: Aspire Public Schools
North Oakland Community Charter: Approved in 2000
Oak Tree Charter: Approved in 1999; revoked in 2000 and closed
Oakland Aviation High School: Approved in 2006; renewal denied in 2011 and closed
Oakland Charter Academy: Approved in 1993
Oakland Charter High School: Approved in 2007
Oakland Health Science: Approved in 2007; abandoned 2009; never opened
Oakland Military Institute: Approved in 2001;initially state-approved, then district-approved
Oakland School for the Arts: Approved in 2002
Oakland Unity High School: Approved in 2003
Oasis High School: Approved in 2004; renewal denied in 2009 and closed
Olivet Partnership School: Approved in 1999; abandoned in 1999; never opened
San Antonio Partnership School: Approved in 1999; abandoned in 1999; never opened
Space Exploration Academy: Approved in 2006; renewal denied 2007 and closed
University Prep Academy (UPrep): Approved in 2002; revoked in 2007 and closed
Vincent Academy (new): Approved by OUSD in 2010; due to open Fall 2011
West Oakland Community Charter: Approved in 1999; closed in 2006
World Academy: Approved in 2005; CMO: Education for Change
Youth Employment Partnership: Approved in 2004; ungraded secondary students; closed 2008

YEAR	OUSD’S NON-CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT	OAKLAND’S CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
1994-95	51587	119
1995-96	52269	183
1996-97	53273	189
1997-98	53320	189
1998-99	54028	228
1999-00	54068	983
2000-01	54024	839
2001-02	52310	1235
2002-03	48932	3569
2003-04	46204	4233
2004-05	43874	5340
2005-06	41277	6858
2006-07	39599	7413
2007-08	38783	7648
2008-09	38495	8021
2009-10	38112	7987

Same old, same old...even 10,000 miles away

2011-04-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Check out this series of interesting news stories published by a Maldivian newspaper about their local Gulen school. The Maldives is a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, 375 miles southwest of the tip of India. h/t CASILIPS and Watchdog.

Note: Lale means tulip in Turkish. It's yet another flower reference for the name of a Gulen school.

Screen shot of video posted by user yunusyildiz1984.
Yunus Yildiz is the name of the computer teacher who fled the country (see the last story).

President inaugurates Lale International Youth School. Miadhu Daily (Maldives) 14 May 2009

President Nasheed has said that Lale International Youth School is one of the very first of the new model of schools that the government wanted to have in the country. The President made the statement while speaking at the inauguration of Lale Youth International School in Hulhumale’.

In his speech, the President highlighted the historical relations that existed between the Maldives and Turkey. Speaking in this regard, the President noted that the Maldives and the Turkey shared many similar traits…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Principal accused of physical abuse at Lale Youth International School. Minivan News (Maldives) 14 January 2010

Police and the education ministry are investigating reports that pupils at Lale Youth International school in Hulhumale are being subjected to physical abuse, including by the school’s principal…

The assistant principal has since gone home to Turkmenistan…

Police spokesperson Ahmed Shiyam confirmed police were conducting an investigation at the school.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fleeing principal trapped as Lale International School investigated. Minivan News (Maldives) 13 May 2010

Lale Youth International School is under investigation as a front for an international tax and visa racket operating out of Turkey, Minivan News understands, after weeks of investigation and dozens of interviews with concerned staff, parents and government agencies.

Today police requested that Maldives immigration hold the passport of Principal Serkan Akar, after he attempted to flee the country this morning. Minivan News understands the investigation relates to matters concerning child abuse at the school, and potentially fraudulent qualifications.

The school is also currently being investigated by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), following complaints from parents. A team from the commission has already interviewed staff and management, and is reportedly in the process of reviewing two conference-tables worth of documents…

President of HRCM Ahmed Saleem said the Lale case was “very strange” and a “high priority” for the commission.
“A lot of government institutions have investigated the school: the Labour Ministry, police… the strange thing is that no action has been taken,” he said. HRCM’s investigation is ongoing but is expected to be resolved next week…

Deputy Principal Suleyman Atayev said Akar was trying to escort two children to an Information Communications Technology (ICT) Olympiad when police stopped him at the airport…

The agreement to run the school was made between the Education Ministry and a local Maldivan company called Biz Atoll Pvt Ltd, which operates out of an unmarked fifth floor residence in a large, nondescript apartment block on Buruzu Magu. The Biz Atoll paperwork is signed by a Turkish individual called ‘Cengiz Canta’…

Lale’s school fees are somewhat arbitrary. Most students pay a monthly tuition fee of US$150. Others pay a combination of other fees including a ‘registration fee’ of US$240, an ‘admission fee’ of US$50, and in some cases an ‘annual enrolment fee’ of up to US$300-465. Yet other students receive discounts on these amounts ranging between 5-50 percent.

The school, which was provided to Biz Atoll free by the government, reportedly receives 50 percent of its funding from a group of Turkish businessmen who pour charity funds into schools in several developing countries, including Sri Lanka, Burma, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Asked who these individuals funding the school were, Lufthy said “I don’t think anyone is sure.”

Atayev confirmed the school was funded by Turkish businessmen through a Turkish organisation called Tuskon, ‘The Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists’, and its subsidiary.

But despite the apparent presence of an income, Lale teachers report being denied clocks and light bulbs for their classrooms because of budgetary constraints, while the school’s science labs have no water or electricity and the chemistry lab no gas connection, preventing students from completing coursework necessary for their IGCSE exams in 2011…

“It is commonly accepted among the foreign staff that Turkish teachers are getting higher wages, and that much of the money being brought into the school is not being directed in the appropriate manner. Indian and local teachers are at a huge disadvantage, with many of them receiving very low wages, and even gaining contracts minus basic privileges that other foreign staff get, such as rent allowances,” [a school staff member] said…[Teachers at the Discovery School of Tulsa (OK) have made similar complaints about salary differences. DSA-Tulsa is operated by the Cosmos Foundation, see HERE and HERE.]

Yet another staff member reported sighting “bundles” of Rf 500 notes being given to Turkish staff.

Meanwhile, a parent told Minivan News that he had spoken to one of the Turkish businessmen involved with the school, who had boasted that if his business donated money to the school, under Turkish taxation law he did not have to pay taxes on it.

A teacher told Minivan News that “Turkish teachers escort Turkish businessmen around the school on a weekly basis, and regularly make trips to Turkey…

“A lot of money is going somewhere,” another suggested. Atayev, on the other hand, claimed that no Turkish teacher worked at the school for the money, but rather “for the benefit of humankind.”…[Gulenists are on a mission]

A common complaint among both Maldivian and expatriate staff at the school is that many of the Turkish teachers are unable to speak English sufficiently to communicate, let alone teach.

Instead, students are reportedly taught five sessions of Turkish a week (compared with two in Islam). Several teachers have even offered English lessons to the Turkish teachers, and expressed surprise at the apparent lack of interest.

“The level of the Turkish staff’s English is a real concern, with many foreign teachers unable to even have an open conversation with some of the Turkish staff,” a Lale teacher told Minivan News…

The principal Serkan Akar was criticised for lacking both professionalism and any apparent qualifications in education or management. A source told Minivan News that when pressured over his qualifications, Akar had produced certification “still warm from the printer.”

Initial recruitment of teachers was performed by Biz Atoll. An early job advertisement sought nearly 138 staff, including eight mathematics teachers, eight biology teachers, six Russian teachers, five PE teachers and six chemistry teachers for Rf 10,000 apiece. Specific qualifications sought included “at least three years of experience” and “Should have good communication skill”(sic).

Despite the high numbers of teachers sought, the school currently has over 200 students, around 60 of whom are in the preschool headed by Serkan’s wife, Saliha Akar…

Moreover, staff members familiar with matter have revealed that ‘phantom teachers’ not working at the school are being paid salaries, “and there are other instances in which teachers who have departed are still being paid.”

The school counsellor, who also works as a chemistry teacher and has ‘English teacher’ on his work permit, “can’t speak English and doesn’t even know what psychology is”, according to another teacher…

During an investigation of the school last year, the Department of Labour Relations in the Human Resources Ministry told Minivan News that some employees at Lale were working “in positions that were different to those specified on their visa.”…

Minivan News reported on January 14 that parents had made allegations that Serkan Akar and then-Deputy Principal Guvanchmyrat Hezretov were using physical force to discipline children…

Students were reportedly threatened that if they told their parents they would receive worse punishments.

Minivan News understands that Hezretov later fled to Sri Lanka after police obtained a warrant for his arrest…

However, the case subsequently lapsed due to lack of evidence…

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Lale Youth International School principal denies assault charges. Minivan News (Maldives) 08 June 2010

Former principal of Lale Youth International School, Serkan Akar, appeared in the criminal court yesterday and denied assault and battery charges made against him made by the Prosecutor General’s office…

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) is currently compiling a case concerning abuse and other activities at Lale, which were reported by Minivan News last month. Akar has since tried to leave the country twice but was detained by immigration officials, who confiscated his passport…

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Take Lale School back from Biz Atoll: HRCM to Education Ministry. Minivan News (Maldives) 28 June 2010

A report by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) into Lale Youth International School on Hulhumale has recommended that the Education Ministry terminate its contract with Maldives-registered company Biz Atoll Pvt Ltd to manage Lale Youth International School, “and hand over management as soon as possible to a qualified party.

The Commission’s investigation had found that students had been “physically and psychologically abused, discriminated against and bullied,” the report stated, recommending “that police should investigate the physical and psychological abuse going on at the school as an urgent concern,” and “separate those suspected of physical abuse from the school’s students until the police investigation is concluded.”

The report also questioned the educational standards of the private school, observing that despite the “high fees” charged for students to attend, the school “has no laboratory for students preparing for the IGCSE” in 2011, the library “does not have books that students need”, and most of the Turkish teachers “do not know English and are therefore unable to teach.”…

“As the school was not handed over to the proprietor in a transparent manner and because the Education Ministry has not undertaken adequate efforts to improve matters at the school, and since corruption has been noted, these cases should be investigated,” HRCM’s report concluded…

Deputy Minister of Education Dr Abdullah Nazeer said the Education Ministry “received the report on Thursday” and was now seeking legal advice from the Attorney General’s office concerning the repossession of the school.

Dr Nazeer also noted that a delegation of officials from the Turkish government and the business community, had arrived in the Maldives and was currently meeting members of parliament to discuss the matter together with the Turkish Consular General in Male’…

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Lale School teacher and deputy flee Maldives. Minivan News (Maldives) 8 July 2010

The Deputy Principal of Lale Youth International School Suleiman Atayev has fled the country, along with the computer studies teacher Yunus Yildiz.

Both staff members left seperately [sic] on flights on Sunday and Monday evening, and did not inform the school they were leaving…

Minivan News understands that the pair were also implicated as suspects in the assault case facing Akar, after school staff testified against him…

Overshadowing repeated controversies over the school’s management is the issue of capacity. The school, which Minivan News understands was built to accommodate almost 1000 grade school students, currently has an enrolment of 98, not including the preschool…

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Here are two promotional videos about Lale Youth International School posted by user yunusyildiz, the name of the computer teacher who fled.

short http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOqA0QYtE1c
long http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNXOOCTBl4E&NR=1

The Broad Foundation: A Parent Guide

2011-04-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

A Parent Guide to the Broad Foundation’s training programs and education policies

The question I ask is why should Eli Broad and Bill Gates have more of a say as to what goes on in my child’s classroom than I do? – Sue Peters, Seattle parent

In recent months, three prominent school district superintendents have resigned, after allegations of mismanagement, autocratic leadership styles, and/or the pursuit of unpopular policies. All three were trained by the Broad Superintendents Academy: Maria Goodloe-Johnson (class of 2003) of the Seattle school district, LaVonne Sheffield (class of 2002) of the Rockford, Illinois school district, and Jean-Claude Brizard (class of 2008) of the Rochester New York school district. Brizard resigned to take the job as CEO of Chicago schools, but his superintendency in Rochester had been mired in controversy. Another Broad-trained Superintendent recently announced his resignation: Tom Brady (class of 2004) of Providence, Rhode Island.

Three more Broad-trainees have been recently placed in new positions of authority: John Deasy (class of 2006), as Superintendent of the Los Angeles United School District, John White (class of 2010), Superintendent of the Recovery School District in New Orleans, and Chris Cerf (class of 2004), New Jersey’s Acting Education Commissioner. Tom Boasberg was appointed Denver’s Superintendent in January 2009, shortly after taking an “Intensive” training at the Broad Academy. (See this map at the Broad website which shows where until recently their trainees served.)

This summary is designed to help parents and other concerned citizens better understand the Broad Foundation’s role in training new superintendents and other “reform” activities, and how the foundation leverages its wealth to impose a top-down, corporate-style business model on our public schools. It is time for communities to become aware of how this major force works.

What is the Broad Foundation?

The Edythe and Eli Broad Foundation engages in venture philanthropy in four areas: education, medical research, contemporary art, and civic projects in Los Angeles. The foundation was established in 1999 by billionaire Eli Broad (b. 1933) who made his fortune in real estate and the insurance business.

A closer look at the Broad Foundation’s “investment” in education

The Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Broad Foundation form a powerful triumvirate. The combined net worth of the three families who operate these foundations is $152 billion. By strategically deploying their immense wealth through training school leaders, financing think-tank reports, and supporting “Astro Turf” advocacy groups, these three foundations have been able to steer the direction of education reform over the past decade.

The Broad Foundation is the least wealthy of the three, but has still spent nearly $400 million on its mission of “transforming urban K-12 public education through better governance, management, labor relations and competition.” But what does that actually mean?

The signature effort of the Broad Foundation is its investment in its training programs, operated through the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems and the Broad Institute for School Boards. The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems is the larger of the two and consists of two programs: the Broad Superintendents Academy and the Broad Residency in Urban Education.

The Broad Superintendents Academy runs a training program held during six weekends over ten months, after which graduates are placed in large districts as superintendents. Those accepted into the program (“Broad Fellows”) are not required to have a background in-education; many come instead from careers in the military, business, or government. Tuition and travel expenses for participants are paid for by the Broad Center, which also sometimes covers a share of the graduates’ salaries when they are appointed into district leadership positions. The foundation’s website boasts that 43 percent of all large urban superintendent openings were filled by Broad Academy graduates in 2009.

The Broad Superintendents Academy’s weekend training course provides an “alternative” certification process which has come to supplant or override the typical regulations in many states that require that individuals have years of experience as a teacher and principal before being installed as school district superintendents.

The Broad Residency in Urban Education is a two-year program, during which individuals with MBAs, JDs, etc. in the early stages of their careers are placed in high-level managerial positions in school districts, charter management organizations, or state and federal departments of education. The Broad Center subsidizes approximately 33 percent of each Resident’s salary.

For financially struggling school districts, the Broad Foundation’s offer of trained personnel or services for a free or reduced cost is extremely appealing, and creates a “pipeline” of individuals with the same ideology who can be installed in central office positions.

The Broad Institute for School Boards provides three training programs for elected school board members and non-Broad-trained superintendents conducted in partnership with the Center for Reform of School Systems (CRSS). The Institute trains new board members at a one-week summer residential setting. Its Alumni Institute is an advanced course for experienced school board members. The third program, Reform Governance in Action, is by invitation only and provides “a long-term, training/consulting partnership program to selected large, urban districts.” The Broad Foundation underwrites 80 percent of all program costs through a grant to CRSS.

The “Broad Prize for Education” is an annual monetary award which is designated for college scholarships; it is given to the urban school district which the foundation deems as the most “improved” in the country. The selection process is sometimes seen as more political than based on actual results.

The Broad Foundation also supports a broad range of pro-charter school advocacy groups, as well as alternative training programs for non-educators who want to work as teachers and principals (Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools).

In addition, the foundation offers free diagnostic “audits” to school districts, along with recommendations aligned with its policy preferences. It produces a number of guides and toolkits for school districts, including a “School Closure Guide,” based on the experiences of Broad-trained administrators involved in closing schools in Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Miami-Dade County, Oakland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Seattle.

The foundation finances the Education Innovation Laboratory, run by Harvard economist Roland Fryer, which carries out large-scale experiments in schools districts, focused on teacher pay for performance and rewarding students for good test scores and grades. So far, these trials have failed to demonstrate positive results.

The foundation provided start-up funding for Parent Revolution (formerly the Los Angeles Parent Union), the group which developed the “Parent Trigger” legislation, designed to encourage the conversion of public schools to charter schools. Broad has also has given large amounts of money to Education Reform Now, a pro-charter school advocacy organization.

Eli Broad has said he “expects to be a major contributor” to Students First, former D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s organization that advocates for the expansion of charters, vouchers, and an end to seniority protections for teachers. And journalist Richard Whitmire, author of “The Bee Eater,” an admiring biography of Rhee, expressed his gratitude in the book to Democrats for Education Reform, a pro-charter lobbying organization, for serving as the “pass through” for funds from the Broad Foundation which allowed him to “invest everything in book research.”

The foundation provided start-up funds to New York City’s Leadership Academy, which trains individuals to serve as principals in the city public schools, several of whose graduates have been accused of financial misconduct, as well as arbitrary and dictatorial treatment of teachers, students and parents.

The foundation also helps sponsors media events (a PBS series on the “education crisis” hosted by Charlie Rose, the series Education Nation on NBC, etc.). These programs help promote for Eli Broad’s vision of free-market education reform.

In addition to using his foundation to effect change to American public education, Eli Broad has made personal campaign contributions to candidates who are favorably disposed to his preferred policies, even down to the local school board level. In this way, he has helped influence the selection of superintendents who are aligned with him ideologically, even though they may not be Broad Academy graduates.

For instance, Broad contributed to the campaigns of school board candidates who supported former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Alan Bersin’s appointment as superintendent of San Diego’s school district. A 2006 Vanity Fair article by Bob Colacello reported that “Broad believes reform must come “the top down” and that his foundation “plans to virtually take over the Delaware school system in 2007, pending approval from that state’s legislature.”

In 2003, Joseph Wise (class of 2003) was installed as superintendent of Christina School District, Delaware’s largest. In 2006, Wise was succeeded by Lillian Lowery (class of 2004), who served until 2009 when she was appointed as the state’s Secretary of Education. Two Broad Residents work under Lowery at the state level. Another Broad superintendent, Marcia Lyles (class of 2006), replaced Lowery as superintendent of Christina School District.

Along with Bill Gates, Broad contributed millions of dollars to the campaign to extend mayoral control of the public schools in New York City under Michael Bloomberg. Among the leaders he is close to and has personally advised behind the scenes are former NYC Chancellor Joel Klein, former D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee, AFT President Randi Weingarten, and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

How the Broad Foundation affects public school families

Broad and his foundation believe that public schools should be run like a business. One of the tenets of his philosophy is to produce system change by “investing in a disruptive force.” Continual reorganizations, firings of staff, and experimentation to create chaos or “churn” is believed to be productive and beneficial, as it weakens the ability of communities to resist change.

As Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, a proponent of this philosophy has said,

“…we can afford to make lots more mistakes and in fact we have to throw more things at the wall. The big companies that get into trouble are those that try to manage their size instead of experimenting with it.”

A hallmark of the Broad-style leadership is closing existing schools rather than attempting to improve them, increasing class size, opening charter schools, imposing high-stakes test-based accountability systems on teachers and students, and implementing of pay for performance schemes. The brusque and often punitive management style of Broad-trained leaders has frequently alienated parents and teachers and sparked protests.

Several communities have forced their Broad-trained superintendents to resign, including Arnold “Woody” Carter (class or 2002), formerly of the Capistrano Unified School District; Thandiwee Peebles,( class of 2002), formerly of the Minneapolis Public School District; and John Q. Porter (class of 2006), formerly of the Oklahoma City Public School District.

A number of other Broad-trained superintendents have received votes of “no confidence” from the teachers in their districts, including Rochester’s Jean-Claude Brizard (class of 2008), Seattle’s Maria Goodloe-Johnson (class of 2003); Deborah Sims (class of 2005) while Superintendent of the Antioch Unified School District (CA); Matthew Malone (class of 2003) while Superintendent of the Swampscott School District (MA); and most recently, Melinda J. Boone (class of 2004) Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools (MA).

The Oakland Unified School District (CA) experienced a series of three consecutive Broad-trained, state-appointed administrators over a period of six years. The first, Randolph Ward (class of 2003), aroused huge protests with his plans to close schools and even hired a personal bodyguard for the duration of his tenure. Ward was followed by Kimberly Statham (class of 2003), and Vincent Mathews (class of 2006), all of whom left the district in financial shambles. A civil grand jury found that

“….the district was hampered by continuous staff turnover, particularly in the area of finance, numerous reorganizations and a succession of state administrators…After nearly five years of state management, OUSD’s budget remains unbalanced and the district’s future is unclear.”

Joseph Wise (class of 2003), formerly Superintendent of the Duval County Florida Public Schools, was found to have spent thousands of dollars on personal purchases while a superintendent in Delaware, before being fired by his Duval post in disgrace. While a finalist for the post of Superintendent in Washoe County in Nevada, Kimberly Olson (class of 2005) pled guilty of having engaged in war profiteering when she was a colonel in Iraq.

Chris Cerf (class of 2004), the acting New Jersey Education Commissioner, has been criticized for not identifying his involvement in a consulting firm which developed an secret plan to turn many Newark public schools over to charter operators. The Broad Foundation acknowledged that it put up $500,000 to pay for the plan. Deborah Gist (class of 2008), Rhode Island Commissioner of Education, has supported the firing of all teachers in Central Falls and more recently in Providence, and is aggressively fighting seniority protections for teachers.

General Anthony Tata (class of 2009), has been embroiled in controversy for dismantling Wake County’s desegregation plan. John Covington (class of 2008), Superintendent of Kansas City Schools, has announced his intention to close half the schools districts in the city. Robert Bobb (class of 2005), the Emergency Financial Manager of the Detroit Public Schools, recently sent layoff notices to every one of the district’s 5,466 salaried employees, including all its teachers, and said that nearly a third of the district’s schools would be closed or turned over to private charter operators. At a recent town hall which Bobb had called so he could go over his plan, angry students, parents, and teachers drove him from the meeting. He was escorted out by his six bodyguards.

Conclusion

Eli Broad is a wealthy individual, accountable to no one but himself, who wields vast power over our public schools. Parents and community members should be aware of the extent to which the he and his foundation influence educational policies in districts throughout the country through Broad-funded advocacy groups, Broad-sponsored experiments and reports, and the placement of Broad-trained school leaders, administrators and superintendents.

Parents Across America considers Broad’s influence to be inherently undemocratic, as it disenfranchises parents and other stakeholders in an effort to privatize our public schools and imposes corporate-style policies without our consent. We strongly oppose allowing our nation’s education policy to be driven by billionaires who have no education expertise, who do not send their own children to public schools, and whose particular biases and policy preferences are damaging our children’s ability to receive a quality education.

For more information on the Broad Superintendents and Residents

Maps showing where some of the Broad superintendents and residents are currently employed can be found on the Broad Foundation’s website: Broad Superintendents Academy Fellows and Broad Residents, as well as links to more information about them.

The only complete list of Broad Superintendent trainees is here, on The Broad Report website, which was created by Sharon Higgins, a founding member of Parents Across America.

See also our video: “Parents Across America speak out about corporate interests in education.”

Additional Reading

Barkan, Joanne. “Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule our Schools,” Dissent Winter 2011. http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=3781

Colacello, Bob. “Eli Broad’s Big Picture,” Vanity Fair 01 December 2006. http://broadartfoundation.org/press/0612_VanityFair_EB039.pdf

Forbes Staff. “The World’s Billionaires.” Forbes Magazine 09 March 2011.
http://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires

Foundation Center. “Top 100 U.S. Foundation by Asset Size.” http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/topfunders/top100assets.html

Gammon, Robert. “Eli’s Experiment.” East Bay Express 10 October 2007. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/elis-experiment/Content?oid=1084299&storyPage=1

Higgins, Sharon. “The Broad Report” http://thebroadreport.blogspot.com/

Peters, Sue and Dora Taylor. “Seattle Education 2010” blog. http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/

Saltman, Kenneth. “The Rise of Venture Philanthropy and the Ongoing Neoliberal Assault on Public Education: The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.” Workplace, 16, 2009 http://m1.cust.educ.ubc.ca/journal/index.php/workplace/article/viewFile/65/saltman

Scott, Janelle. “The Politics of Venture Philanthropy in Charter School Policy and Advocacy.” Educational Policy January 2009. http://epx.sagepub.com/content/23/1/106.abstract

Shafer, Jack. “Bully in Search of a Pulpit.” Slate 09 November, 2006; http://www.slate.com/id/2153362/

Tough, Paul (editor). “How Many Billionaires Does It Take to Fix a School System.” New York Times 09 March 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/magazine/09roundtable-t.html?_r=2

View the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation grants on the IRS Form 990s at the National Center for Charitable Statistics or GuideStar. The foundation’s Federal Employer ID Number (EIN) is 954686318.

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Added on April 20, 2011: AND be sure to read Sue Peter's new piece, "How to tell if your School District is infected by a Broad virus" at Seattle 2010.

Grannan: Where have all the KIPPsters gone?

2011-04-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Guest post by Caroline Grannan.

“[Charter schools] have a distinct advantage … Their families have already chosen to be at a charter and have often jumped through numerous hoops to get there. This makes it easier for charters to create their own cultures. They can define the length of their days, dictate exactly how children dress and enforce strict codes of conduct. Those students — scholars, in charter parlance — who fall out of line don’t last.”

– Jonathan Mahler in the New York Times Magazine

“I will never follow the lead of those who exclude the kids who need education the most so that their precious scores will rise.”

– John Kuhn, superintendent of Perrin-Whitt Consolidated Independent School District, Perrin, Texas

The highly acclaimed charter school operator KIPP – the Knowledge is Power Program – wins widespread praise for the overall high achievement of the low-income students it serves. It's no wonder that KIPP's practices are watched closely. And that means asking an obvious question: Why do so many KIPP students leave the schools without being replaced, and how does that affect the schools' achievement?

Why is attrition at KIPP schools an issue?

Several studies show that a high number of students who enroll at KIPP schools leave the schools early, and the numbers show that students who leave aren't replaced by new, incoming students. At public schools that serve comparable demographics, students who leave are replaced by new, incoming students.

A 2008 study of San Francisco Bay Area KIPP schools by SRI International found that it's consistently the lower-performing students who leave.

How does this affect KIPP's achievement? The lower-performing students are no longer there to bring down averages – but it would also be valuable to learn more about the impact on the students who don't leave after the lower performers have departed. Do they learn more and achieve more, unfettered by their less successful former classmates? This is difficult to address, since the topic is so often met with denial and distortion. Would those students do as well at public schools if their less successful classmates left and weren't replaced?

KIPP schools' achievement is regularly compared to public schools' achievement (i), but the attrition question confounds those comparisons.

Richard Kahlenberg, senior fellow at the New Century Foundation, wrote: “The issue is important because if large numbers of weaker students drop out of KIPP’s rigorous program, it would be highly unfair to compare the test score gains won by the top KIPP students against the scores of all regular public school students – who include KIPP dropouts.” Unfairness is only one issue. If we want to look at KIPP schools to see how they often achieve academic success, the high attrition confounds efforts to do that.

We frequently hear that KIPP schools have waiting lists, but the attrition puts that supposed situation in a whole different light. If there are waiting lists, why aren't all the departing students immediately replaced?

The movie “Waiting for 'Superman',” a PR tool for charter schools, presented the story of Daisy, who hoped to attend KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory Academy and was devastated to lose out in the admission lottery. But in real life, the high attrition at KIPP LA Prep means Daisy shouldn't have to wait long for an opening. For example, KIPP LA Prep's most recent 8th-grade cohort lost a third of the students who started in grade 5 by the beginning of 8th grade – figures aren't publicly available for how many students finished 8th grade. For that class, which started grade 5 in the 2006-'07 school year and finished grade 8 in 2010, the number dropped from 97 students at the beginning of 5th grade to 81 by the beginning of 6th grade to 65 by the beginning of 8th grade.

Based on that attrition rate, the school would have room for Daisy and many more hopeful applicants if the administrators filled those spots from the waiting list. Why isn't that happening? It's a mystery.

Does this attrition happen at all KIPP schools?

The available research doesn't provide that information.

In early 2007, I researched attrition at KIPP's California schools as a volunteer project, using data publicly available on the California Department of Education website. At the time, KIPP had nine schools in California. My research found very high attrition at six of them. I also broke down the attrition by demographic subgroup. At all six of the schools with high attrition, the attrition was much higher in the subgroup that's statistically likely to be the most academically challenged – either African-American males or Latino males, depending on the school. My blog posts about the issue appear to mark the first time KIPP attrition had been publicly discussed. What my findings refer to is the overall drop in the number of students – total and by subgroup – year by year in a grade cohort.
In fall 2008, the organization SRI International released a study of the five KIPP schools that existed at the time in the San Francisco Bay Area. SRI used data that went deeper than the publicly available data I'd used, and found high attrition at all five Bay Area KIPP schools. SRI reported that overall, 60% of the students who enrolled at the five KIPP schools didn't finish at those schools. SRI also found that the students who left were consistently the lower-performing students. If SRI's research broke the students down by demographic subgroup, that wasn't included in the final report.

(Interestingly, SRI International found the high attrition pattern even at a KIPP school – KIPP Heartwood in San Jose – that didn't show high attrition in the figures I researched. As noted, SRI International had access to more complete data than I did; I used only publicly available statistics.)

KIPP supporters responded to my research and to the SRI study with this claim: “The San Francisco KIPP schools are outliers.” But that was an invalid, misleading and inapplicable response. I had researched all the KIPP schools in California (nine at the time), and SRI had researched all the KIPP schools in the Bay Area (five at the time) – not just the two San Francisco KIPP schools. The two San Francisco KIPP schools, KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy and KIPP Bayview Academy, did show high attrition, but not the highest among the Bay Area's or the state's KIPP schools. It wasn't true that the San Francisco KIPP schools were outliers, and that claim didn't negate my findings or SRI's findings. It didn't even make sense in context of those findings.
A 2010 study of KIPP schools by Mathematica Policy Research was framed in a manner intended to refute reports of high attrition at KIPP. The report found that of the KIPP schools studied, one-third showed lower attrition than comparable public schools, one-third showed higher attrition and the rest showed comparable attrition. However, the Mathematica report failed to address the issue of whether KIPP replaces the students who leave, which leaves a giant gap in the report.
A 2011 study by Western Michigan University researchers, published jointly with Columbia University, found significantly higher attrition at KIPP schools than at comparable public schools – 15 percent attrition per year at KIPP vs. 3 percent at public schools. The study found that 30 percent of KIPP students leave between 6th and 8th grades.

But many KIPP supporters say that public schools have the same high rates of attrition, and the Mathematica study said that too.

That's not valid because of the critical difference that at public schools, the students who leave are replaced by new, incoming students. The numbers show that at KIPP schools, students who leave are not replaced. The cohort of students simply shrinks drastically. Even though Mathematica did indeed make that statement, it's not valid. It flies in the face of logic. The distinction puts the situations in an entirely different light.

To give a clear picture: Let's say 100 students start 5th grade at a KIPP school that serves grades 5-8. Sixty of the students leave along the way, before completing 8th grade, and those are the lowest-performing 60 students. They aren't replaced with incoming students. So that cohort at the KIPP school winds up with only the 40 highest-performing students.

At the public school down the street, 100 students start. Sixty of them leave along the way, but each time one leaves, a new student arrives to replace him or her. So that cohort at the public school consists of 100 students from start to finish. Clearly, those two situations are not parallel, equivalent or comparable.

Low-income, at-risk students are likely to be “high-mobility” – meaning that they move a lot due to the instability that tends to afflict the lives of impoverished families. Those students are also statistically likely to be low academic achievers. With the high mobility that characterizes low-income communities, if if a high-mobility student leaves a public school, he or she is replaced with a similarly high-mobility student. By contrast, if a high-mobility student leaves a KIPP school, the numbers show that KIPP is usually not replacing him or her with an incoming student.

Why do the students leave KIPP schools?

That's not publicly known. KIPP spokespeople and supporters deny that KIPP expels or “counsels out” (ii) low-performing students.

Does KIPP have a policy of not enrolling new students after the starting grade? How do we know KIPP isn't replacing the students who leave?

KIPP doesn't appear to have an actual policy of not enrolling new students. But the enrollment numbers at the KIPP schools studied show that the students who leave are, overall, not being replaced with incoming students. It's not clear why that is, given the widespread reports of “long waiting lists.” Even if some of the students who leave are replaced with incoming students, the numbers still show that a very high number are not, resulting in very high total overall attrition and significant shrinkage of the grade cohorts.

If schools receive state funding based on the number of students, doesn't the attrition mean that KIPP schools lose funding as students transfer to other schools?

Yes, it must mean that, though there's discussion of whether the students leave after they are counted for the year, so that KIPP still receives the funding. (This situation could vary state by state.) The KIPP organization receives an immense amount of private philanthropical funding, which may provide enough of a cushion against the loss of the public funding. Perhaps the tradeoff – losing the less-successful students and also losing the per-student funding – is worth it to KIPP schools.

But there's a high dropout rate in public schools that serve low-income populations, so how can we say that public schools replace the students who leave?

Most KIPP schools are middle schools, serving grades 5 through 8. (Almost all of the KIPP schools that have existed long enough for their attrition to be tracked are middle schools.) Except for a very small number of extreme, problematic outliers, students don't drop out of middle school, so public schools don't suffer from dropout rates at those grade levels. Students who leave KIPP schools would be transferring to other schools. I did comparisons of grade cohorts in demographically comparable public schools, and those schools simply didn't show a pattern of attrition at all.

Why would Mathematica make the misleading statement that attrition was comparable to public schools?

Research organizations are known to negotiate with the funders of the research about just how the findings will be presented. It is not publicly knowable what kind of negotiations went on with Mathematica, whose report was funded by KIPP.

The 2008 SRI International report – the one that found 60 percent attrition at all the Bay Area KIPP schools and reported that it was the lower achievers who left – presented that finding as a secondary one in its report. The report, which was also funded by KIPP, announced KIPP's high achievement as the primary finding. The attrition was the newsworthy finding and the one that is still extensively – and increasingly – discussed today.

Some reports have said it might not be that students are leaving KIPP schools but that they're being required to repeat a grade.

That might be true in some – or many – cases. But the overall numbers still show the grade cohorts shrinking, so many students are clearly leaving the schools.

So what's the conclusion?

KIPP attrition isn't comparable to the flow of high-mobility students in and out of public schools – it simply isn't, no matter how many claims there are to the contrary. Why it happens and what it means are still hard to pin down.

i The usual question is: “But aren't KIPP schools public schools?” I don't believe that schools run by a private operator are truly public schools, even if they receive public funding.

ii “Counseling out” refers to a practice of gently but firmly persuading the student and family to leave the school. The archetypal method would be to tell the family that the school isn't the “right fit” for the student, or vice versa.