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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHunger Games Comes to New York State’s Public Schools. It’s starve, test, and destroy.
Very insightful column by Zephyr Teachout at The Daily Beast today.
Hunger Games Comes to New York States Public Schools
Like President Snow, who starves the Districts, tests the residents with the Hunger Games competition, and then sets out to destroy them, the hedge-funders want to take over our schools with the same three steps: Starve, Test, Destroy. Budgets are cut severely, tests reveal poor performance, and then public schools, having been thus gutted, are replaced by privately managed charters.
First, the starvation: The state of New York is being sued again for funding public schools below constitutional levels. Cuomos budgets have stripped grade schools of art, music, sports, and counselors. Without money, classrooms grow so large no teacher can manage them, and kids cant learn. Billionaires benefit as the money saved by not funding schools goes to tax breaks for the rich.
Second, the testing: Children are subject to a ridiculous battery of tests that lead to huge profits by corporations like the testing company Pearson but does little to improve the lives of the children. Were talking about high-stakes, high-stress testing, including testing of the controversial Common Core. These tests prod and poke the children, creating lots of anxiety and taking away from the joy of learning.
Third, the destruction: These hedge-fund managers want to eliminate all limits and oversight of charter schools. They want to take control of New York City schools away from Mayor Bill de Blasio and let privatization run rampant. And they want billions in new funding from taxpayers to build new charter schools everywhere across the state, taking even more resources away from hard-pressed public schools.
Zephyr co-wrote a book about the Dean Campaign called Mousepads, Shoe Leather and Hope. She is an American academic. She is an Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University. She ran against Andrew Cuomo for the 2014 Democratic Party nomination for Governor of New York.
malthaussen
(17,204 posts)The people with all the money have determined that they do not need an educated work force, hence education has become another cow for them to milk. Their own children are assured education and lucrative jobs as a birthright, and any of the few truly educated workers that are needed can be pulled from the pool of overqualified, or brought in from overseas on work visas (and usually at a prime discount). The rest of us can illiterally push picture-buttons at McDonald's.
-- Mal
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Teachers without college degrees. Paras without high school diplomas. Kids failing all the standarized testing. Bad? Oh, no, it was even worse. Private contractors for janitorial and food services. Rats, bugs, and their dropping all over the school, and in the cafeteria. Teachers were told THEY were responsible for cleaning all this up. What the hell did the custodial staff do?
Parents complained to the state and it was not just about the education of their children, but also about health hazards of the school. The kids were also getting sick from these conditions.
It was totally shut down. I think this happened in the 90s if I recall. Welcome to the future of for profit education.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)It's happening in a lot of states. I was just reading this article on Wisconsin
By Christopher Fons, a social studies teacher in the Milwaukee public school system
With the victory of Scott Walker and the Republican Party in Wisconsin this past election day they increased their majorities in both the Assembly and Senate the Milwaukee Public Schools have joined the endangered species list of public school districts in the United States.
Within the next few months the school privatization lobby and religious schools will draw up a plan that will for all intents and purposes end public education in one of the largest school districts in the United States. This will leave some of the poorest, and most incarcerated people (Wisconsin imprisons more black men than any other state) in the nation exposed to market forces when it comes to educating their children. http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/11/wisconsin-frontier-school-privatization-will-anyone-notice-looting.html
madfloridian
(88,117 posts)That's sounding a lot like Florida now.
Smarmie Doofus
(14,498 posts)Which reminds me to OP that.
I met her, btw, about a month ago at a book signing.
Working with some other people to invite her to speak on ED corruption at a forum in the city.
She's the Woman of the Hour in progressive circles around here.
madfloridian
(88,117 posts)Late hubby and I were so active in the Dean campaign we talked to her several times. Also Jim Dean on phone and met him.