Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Charter School Nonsense: No, Hedge Fund Billionaires Aren't Going to
Save All the Children
________________________________________
Charter School Nonsense: No, Hedge Fund Billionaires Aren't Going to Save
All the Children
By Diane Ravitch [1] / DianeRavitch.net [2]
October 8, 2015
Yesterday was a school day in New York City. Across the city, over one
million children were in class.
But not the children of Eva Moskowitz's Success Academies! They (and
possibly some allied charters) held a mass rally at Cadman Plaza Park in
Brooklyn. The park was lined with rented buses. As the children and their
parents stepped off the buses, an adult handed them a hand-lettered sign to
carry, demanding more support for charter schools.
There were multiple buses for the recording and video services. This was a
well-funded, professionally orchestrated demonstration of support for
privatization. If public schools closed for a political rally, their
principals would be fired.
The children and parents all wore identical red tee-shirts, with the slogan
"Dont Steal Possible." This slogan works nicely in suggesting that someone
is trying to close down charter schools, and this imminent threat to their
survival must be stopped.
In fact, as is typical with reformer slogans, the opposite is true. Eva and
her billionaire hedge fund backers get whatever they want from Governor
Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature. And they aim to "steal" space and
resources from the beleaguered public schools. They merrily "steal possible"
from children with disabilities, children who are English language learners,
and children who are homeless, none of whom are wanted by Eva's Success
Academies because they might not get high scores.
The theme of the day was "equality for all children." A large banner across
the top of the speakers' podium read, "We Fight for Equality." This is
ironic since the typical complaint about charter co-locations is that the
charters have more resources, the charters get whatever they want, the
charters create "separate but equal" schools within the same building.
It is also ironic that children and parents were rallying for "more
charters," because they are already enrolled in a charter. The children can
attend only one charter, right? The beneficiaries of the rally are not the
children but charter founders. The more charters they open, the more funding
they receive.
It is true that Eva's schools get very high test scores, much higher than
other charter schools. If she has the secret sauce of success, why not
include all children, not just the chosen ones? Maybe she should take charge
of all the city's 1.1 million students and show what she can do.
If she truly wants "equality for all," let her bring the hedge fund
billionaires and her secret sauce to save all the children. No cherry
picking. No skimming. No exclusion of children who have cognitive or
emotional disabilities. All means all. Why not find out if she means what
she says?
Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and
a historian of education.
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________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/education/charter-school-nonsense-no-hedge-fund-bill
ionaires-arent-going-save-all-children
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/diane-ravitch
[2] http://dianeravitch.net
[3] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Charter School Nonsense:
No, Hedge Fund Billionaires Aren't Going to Save All the Children
[4] http://www.alternet.org/
[5] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Charter School Nonsense: No, Hedge Fund Billionaires Aren't Going to
Save All the Children
Charter School Nonsense: No, Hedge Fund Billionaires Aren't Going to Save
All the Children
By Diane Ravitch [1] / DianeRavitch.net [2]
October 8, 2015
Yesterday was a school day in New York City. Across the city, over one
million children were in class.
But not the children of Eva Moskowitz's Success Academies! They (and
possibly some allied charters) held a mass rally at Cadman Plaza Park in
Brooklyn. The park was lined with rented buses. As the children and their
parents stepped off the buses, an adult handed them a hand-lettered sign to
carry, demanding more support for charter schools.
There were multiple buses for the recording and video services. This was a
well-funded, professionally orchestrated demonstration of support for
privatization. If public schools closed for a political rally, their
principals would be fired.
The children and parents all wore identical red tee-shirts, with the slogan
"Dont Steal Possible." This slogan works nicely in suggesting that someone
is trying to close down charter schools, and this imminent threat to their
survival must be stopped.
In fact, as is typical with reformer slogans, the opposite is true. Eva and
her billionaire hedge fund backers get whatever they want from Governor
Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature. And they aim to "steal" space and
resources from the beleaguered public schools. They merrily "steal possible"
from children with disabilities, children who are English language learners,
and children who are homeless, none of whom are wanted by Eva's Success
Academies because they might not get high scores.
The theme of the day was "equality for all children." A large banner across
the top of the speakers' podium read, "We Fight for Equality." This is
ironic since the typical complaint about charter co-locations is that the
charters have more resources, the charters get whatever they want, the
charters create "separate but equal" schools within the same building.
It is also ironic that children and parents were rallying for "more
charters," because they are already enrolled in a charter. The children can
attend only one charter, right? The beneficiaries of the rally are not the
children but charter founders. The more charters they open, the more funding
they receive.
It is true that Eva's schools get very high test scores, much higher than
other charter schools. If she has the secret sauce of success, why not
include all children, not just the chosen ones? Maybe she should take charge
of all the city's 1.1 million students and show what she can do.
If she truly wants "equality for all," let her bring the hedge fund
billionaires and her secret sauce to save all the children. No cherry
picking. No skimming. No exclusion of children who have cognitive or
emotional disabilities. All means all. Why not find out if she means what
she says?
Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and
a historian of education.
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [3]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[4]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/education/charter-school-nonsense-no-hedge-fund-bill
ionaires-arent-going-save-all-children
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/diane-ravitch
[2] http://dianeravitch.net
[3] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Charter School Nonsense:
No, Hedge Fund Billionaires Aren't Going to Save All the Children
[4] http://www.alternet.org/
[5] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B