Thank you

Dear Readers,

Thank you for visiting The Perimeter Primate. This blog is being retired for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still share information and my perspectives on Twitter, including regular links to news about the Gülen Movement and its charter schools.

I launched The Perimeter Primate in February 2008 as a place to express my frustration and findings about the damaging corporate-type education reform being implemented here in Oakland and elsewhere. Los Angeles-based billionaire Eli Broad was having an outsized and negative impact on my daughters’ public school district, so I also created The Broad Report and posted there for a period of time.

During those early years I was thrilled to be able to connect with parents in other states who were experiencing the same type of public school system dismantling in their communities. Such is the power and tremendous potential of the internet. We eventually gathered in New York City to form Parents Across America in order to support other concerned parents who were experiencing the privatizers’ agenda, and to share with them what we knew.

It was around that time that I decided to do what I could to counter all the billionaire-funded charter school propaganda flooding the country. Knowing that charter schools were not all about goodness and light, I started Charter School Scandals (CSS) with the intention of it being a compilation of news reports about problems popping up at charter schools across the country, i.e. this one in Oakland.

Within a week or two of CSS’s launch in mid-May 2010, I encountered a set of articles about charter schools in Utah and Arizona that were believed to be linked to a mysterious Turkish religious community called the Gülen Movement.

At that point I’d never heard of the Gülen Movement and knew next to nothing about the Republic of Turkey. Then I realized a charter school with the same characteristics was operating in my town. This odd “coincidence” is what led me down the rabbit hole to the study of this secretive and controversial group’s involvement in the charter school sector. I’m especially proud to have contributed to KILLING ED, a new film about this situation.

Thanks to filmmaker Mark S. Hall, many more Americans are going to get up-to-speed on the Gülen Movement’s existence, its presence in the US, and its involvement in an enormous network of taxpayer-funded charter schools. You can watch the trailer below.

When I started The Perimeter Primate in early 2008, very little word was getting out to Americans about how US public education was in the midst of being privatized; those who suggested it were often labeled conspiracy theorists. Back then, the tip of the spear for exposing what was going on – as far as I knew – was Susan Ohanian, Gerald Bracey (d. 2009, what a tremendous loss!), and Jim Horn. Mainstream education writers would not touch the topic, and many still refuse to. At that point, Diane Ravitch had not yet published her first book, Anthony Cody hadn’t quite started blogging yet, and if Peter Green was, I wasn’t aware. So many wonderful activist/bloggers and valiant warriors are out there now, with a special h/t to Tim Furman.

I can’t close without mentioning one other major early influence on me: Naomi Klein’s book, Shock Doctrine - The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Reading it was a visceral and life-changing experience. Although not about public education specifically, it opens with what was done to the public school system of New Orleans, post-Hurricane Katrina.

Make no mistake: US public education is in the midst of being privatized. I’m glad to have been able help my readers grasp that fact. More and more Americans are catching onto the agenda of the corporate powers, that one-tenth of the 1%. And although it might feel like it sometimes, resistance is definitely not futile.

Best,

Sharon Higgins

The Perimeter Primate

Trailer for KILLING ED from Visual Truth Projects on Vimeo.

False advertising and Concept Schools

This coming fall, Concept Schools will be adding two more charter schools to its collection. Both are in Chicago and come courtesy of the Chicago school board members who voted to approve the two proposals in January.

The promotional brochure designed to attract student enrollment states: “Concept serves 12,000 students in 30 high-performing charter schools across the Midwest, including 3 schools in Chicago.” (1.0 MB pdf) But Concept Schools is intentionally  misleading Chicago’s parents.

Gulen Movement 101: Session Two

Navigating the webinar

• 00:00 – 18:27 min.:  Recap from Session One (overview of Fethullah Gulen and the Gulen Movement, overview of the GM's US activities)
• 18:28 – 37:10 min.: Concept Schools history, founders, etc.
• 37:11 – 1:00:45 min: The specific theology of the Gulen Movement (presented by Tim Furman)
• 1:00:46 – 1:24:40 (end): Local GM-associated organizations, Concept Schools leadership patterns, etc.

Webinar video of Gulen Movement 101: Session One

 
Gulen 101 Session One With Sharon Higgins from Tim Furman on Vimeo.

The Gulen Movement: “a non-transparent organizational model”

The leading US authority on the Gulen Movement (GM) at this time is Joshua Hendrick, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Loyola University Maryland. His new book “Gulen: The Ambiguous Politics of Market Islam in Turkey and the World” was published in August 2013 by New York University Press. Fifteen pages are devoted to the Gulen charter school situation and are worth your investment in the book. From page 230:

“... by insisting on the nonpolitical nature of the GM’s lobbying and public relations efforts, by maintaining ambiguity regarding connectivity between individuals and institutions, by flatly denying suspect hiring and retention practices at affiliated charter schools, by allegedly engaging in gender discrimination at these schools, and by becoming the subjects of state and federal level investigation for financial mismanagement, the GM has opened itself up to intense criticism at best, and to potential criminal implications at worst.”

Lying like a rug: Concept Schools

Since Concept Schools is willing to lie to Americans about its very fundamental connection to the Gulen Movement’s (GM) larger school network, then what else is it lying about and why should Americans trust anything it claims?

Despite the GM’s best efforts to stay under the radar, each day a few more Americans are becoming aware of its presence here. As followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish imam who has been living on a secluded compound in rural Pennsylvania since the late 1990s, GM members have been busy building up their enormous network of schools around the world, among which are more than 140 publicly-funded charter schools operating in 26 of the United States.  

Update on Gulen charter schools

• 2013-2014: 147 schools in 26 states (# students TBD)
• 2012-2013: 140 schools in 26 states (59,953 students)
• 2011-2012: 136 schools in 26 states (51,950 students)
• 2010-2011: 126 schools in 25 states (44,727 students)

"Expose the Gulen Movement" report

On Saturday, August 31st, I was one of the speakers at the "Expose the Gulen Movement" protest rally held on a farm in the rural, rolling hills around Saylorsburg, PA. We assembled less than two miles from the compound where Fethullah Gulen lives. 

Gulen is considered to be one of the two most powerful men in Turkey. Those who attended the protest have a common interest in shedding light on the Gulen Movement's activities. To many Turks and Turkish-Americans, Gulen is using his power to undermine modernity, secularism, democracy, and women's rights not only in Turkey, but throughout the world.

This is the video of my speech about the Gulen charter schools, starting at 00:45 min.

"Expose the Gulen Movement" Protest and Conference

Two upcoming related events, a protest and a conference, will provide Americans with an opportunity to learn more about the Gulen Movement. The protest is an excellent opportunity for those in the NYC, NJ, and PA area to speak out against Gulen charter school expansion.

These protests are forming a bridge across the Atlantic that can help Americans understand more about the dark side of the secretive and controversial Turkish religious group that runs the largest charter school network here!

Gulen charter school enrollment in 2012-2013

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools describes itself as “the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement.” It closely tracks the charter school market share.

In 2012-2013, Gulen charter school enrollment was 59,953 students. The following table contains the figures for each of the schools listed on the NAPCS website (=140) that are Gulen Movement-associated.

In 2011-2012, Gulen charter school enrollment was 51,950 students.

In 2010-2011, Gulen charter school enrollment was 44,727 students.

A pack of lies + some truths

EXCERPT	SOURCE
Yet [the Gulen movement’s] structure, ambitions, and size remain opaque, making assessment of its impact and power difficult... Fethullahci are often loath to declare themselves openly as such.	“The Fethullah Gulen Movement.” Global Politician, 12/31/2008
The precise number of [Fethullah Gulen Community] members is difficult to estimate since some publicly deny affinity or membership with the movement.

The Gulen Movement’s subsidized, guided trips to Turkey

In addition to having acquired the operation of the largest network of privately-managed, taxpayer-funded charter schools in the US (currently 135 in 26 states), members of the Gulen Movement are very active with efforts to recruit sympathizers. One of their approaches is to invite academics, journalists, politicians, public officials, and religious community leaders on one of their subsidized, guided trips to Turkey. The trips are also regularly arranged for American students, parents, and teachers associated with the Gulen charter schools.

It must be mentioned that travelers are not always aware of the full intention behind the trips. As one photo journalist from Colorado noticed on the fourth day of travel, "We are beginning to understand the reason for the cultural exchange: it is not simply to meet local leaders and learn about Turkish culture, but also to gain an understanding of the Gülen Movement..."  "Gain an understanding," as in acquiring the perspective fed to them by members of the Gulen Movement over the course of nine to 10 straight days of tightly controlled immersion. This secretive group happens to be highly controversial in Turkey, and elsewhere.

Concept Schools, Illinois, and the Gulen Movement.

  Click to view in larger format > Concept Schools, Illinois, and the Gulen Movement by Sharon Higgins

Information about the Gulen Movement

My new paper posted on Scribd contains excerpts about the Gulen Movement from a wide variety of sources such as

• Congressional Research Service Report prepared for Members and Committees of Congress
• RAND National Defense Research Institute report
• Stratfor Global Intelligence Special Report
• CBS 60 Minutes
• The New York Times
• The New Yorker
• The New Republic
• Jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst
• Global Politician
• Reuters
• The Washington Post

A trip down memory lane with Oakland’s “American Indian” charter schools & Ben Chavis

Last evening Oakland Tribune education reporter Katy Murphy sent out this tweet: Oakland school board just voted 6-1 to issue "notice of intent to revoke" to three American Indian charters. Final decision in March.

It seemed apropos to take a look back at some memorable news stories about these schools.

American Indian Model Schools enrollment trends: student retention and demographics

STUDENT RETENTION

American Indian Public Charter School School Code #6113807 3637 Magee Ave., Oakland, CA
	Total Enroll	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	6th>8th	Student retention
2011-12	255	4	121	80	50				71>50	70.4%
2010-11	179	0	82	57	40				66>40	60.6%
2009-10	193	1	71	52	69				77>69	89.6%
2008-09	182	0	66	72	44				62>44	71.0%
2007-08	190	5	77	59	49
2006-07	174	11	62	54	47
2005-06	196		55	55	55	31
2004-05	150		59	59	32
2003-04	132		56	29	26	21
2002-03	162		27	31	28	76
2001-02	106		28	28	50
2000-01	34		11	13	10
1999-00	18		12	0	4			2
1998-99	65		21	6	16	14	8
1997-98	68		15	19	15	19
1996-97	42		12	13	17