Utopia Talk / Politics / I Was Not Aware of This ...

Hot Rod Revved Up	Mon Jul 16 09:51:32 But I am sure happy that the Billionaires are stepping up with their pocketbooks. AP Analysis: Billionaires fuel powerful state charter groups SEATTLE (AP) — Dollar for dollar, the beleaguered movement to bring charter schools to Washington state has had no bigger champion than billionaire Bill Gates. The Microsoft co-founder gave millions of dollars to see a charter school law approved despite multiple failed ballot referendums. And his private foundation not only helped create the Washington State Charter Schools Association, but has at times contributed what amounts to an entire year's worth of revenues for the 5-year-old charter advocacy group. PHOTOS: (1 of 10) Animo Westside Charter Middle School is seen during a summer session to introduce new students to the school they will attend in the fall, in the Playa Del Rey area of Los Angeles. Animo is one of many schools to benefit from donations by billionaires that are influencing state education policy by giving money to state-level charter support organizations to sustain, defend and expand the charter schools movement across the country. July 16, 2018 All told, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given about $25 million to the charter group that is credited with keeping the charter schools open after the state struck down the law, and then lobbying legislators to revive the privately run, publicly funded schools. It's an extreme example of how billionaires are influencing state education policy by giving money to state-level charter support organizations to sustain, defend and expand the charter schools movement across the country. Since 2006, philanthropists and their private foundations and charities have given almost half a billion dollars to those groups, according to an Associated Press analysis of tax filings and Foundation Center data. The review looked at 52 groups noted by a U.S. Department of Education website as official charter school resources in the 44 states plus Washington, D.C., that currently have a charter law, as well as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Most of the money has gone to the top 15 groups, which received $425 million from philanthropy. The Walton Family Foundation, run by the heirs to the Walmart fortune, is the largest donor to the state charter advocates, giving $144 million to 27 groups. "We ought to be paying more attention to who these organizations are, and what kind of vision they have, and what drives them. A lot of these organizations have extraordinary influence, and it's often pretty quiet influence," said Jon Valant, an education policy expert at Brookings. Charters aren't subject to the same rules or standards governing traditional public schools but are embraced by Gates and other philanthropists who see them as investments in developing better and different ways to educate those who struggle in traditional school systems, particularly children in poor, urban areas. Studies on academic success are mixed. The charter support groups, as nonprofits, are typically forbidden from involvement in political campaigns, but the same wealthy donors who sustain them in many cases directly channel support to pro-charter candidates through related political action committees or their own contributions. In one indication of the philanthropy's success in asserting its priorities, Georgia's lieutenant governor was recorded saying he was motivated to support school choice laws to curry the Walton foundation's favor for his gubernatorial campaign. The Walton family has denied any connection to the candidate. Nationwide, about 5 percent of students attend charters. They have become a polarizing political issue amid criticism from some, notably teachers unions, that they drain resources from cash-starved schools and erode the neighborhood schooling model that defines communities. The Walton foundation notes the groups it funds have resources that often pale in comparison to the war chests of teachers unions, the usual foes in their battles over state education policy. "The philanthropic support is essential for a small group of schools" that represents disadvantage families without their own political power, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a University of Washington-affiliated think tank that has in the past been funded by the Gates foundation to do work supporting charter schools. But John Rogers, an education policy expert and UCLA professor, said it's a problem for democracy that billionaires who back a certain model of education reform can go toe-to-toe with a critical mass of professional teachers. "A handful of billionaires who are advancing their vision of education reform is very different than having 200,000-some odd teachers across the state representing their understanding of public education through their union representation," Rogers said. In California, the Waltons are the biggest backers of the powerhouse California Charter School Association, which has gotten more than $100 million since 2006 with support coming also from Gates, Michael and Susan Dell and the Mark Zuckerburg-backed Silicon Valley Community foundations. "We're proud of our partners and very open about our desired outcomes, and that is, honestly, access to more better schools," said Marc Sternberg, who leads the Walton foundation's education program. Sternberg said the foundation doesn't set the agenda but wants to empower the local vision, which has included the charter association's fight for more money and access to public school buildings through lawsuits against Los Angeles Unified, the country's second-largest school district. The California charter group said it works aggressively when painted into a corner. A political arm of the association also has been a force in Golden State politics. It's now focusing on pushing pro-charter candidates in the November election, including former charter schools executive Marshall Tuck for state schools superintendent, and a number of legislative seats. In Washington state, charter skeptics say Gates single-handedly propped up the entire charter school network. He gave at least $4 million to help pass a state charter school law, though the concept had failed three times at the ballot. Voters eventually approved a charter school law in 2012, making Washington one of the last states to adopt the schooling model. After the state's highest court ruled in 2015 that the charter law's funding model was unconstitutional, the Gates-backed state charter group shepherded almost $5 million to keep the lights on at six charter schools and urged legislators to pass a new law. In 2016, its political arm called Washington Charters Action was created, and an affiliated political action committee has already given small amounts to dozens of state lawmakers up for election this fall. Today, the state's teachers union is challenging the second version of the law. The Washington Educators Association's spokesman Rich Wood said the charter group inserted itself into the case after the union sued the state. The Washington charter group — and all the charter schools in the state — wouldn't agree to be interviewed. The Gates foundation said in a statement it is not involved with the lawsuit but values the association's technical work helping charter schools blossom. Some critics say money can define the advocacy itself, so not all charter support groups accept money from the billionaire philanthropists. A second statewide charter support organization in California, the Charter Schools Development Center, relies on programming fees to preserve its independence, according to director Eric Premack. Though the two California charter groups share many similar values, Premack said, they're on different sides of the testing issue: how to and how much to use test scores to determine educational quality. Premack said he rejects test-based accountability — embraced by the California Charter Schools Association and many of its business mogul donors — as antithetical to the charter movement's innovative spirit. "You often find them being close political bedfellows — if not the same — who support high-stakes testing," Premack said. http://www...r-gro.html#.7518-stage-hero1-1
Hot Rod Revved Up	Mon Jul 16 18:59:51 The most important thread on the forum and everyone ignores it. sigh!
Cold Rod Member	Mon Jul 16 19:02:23 ^pedo alert
smart dude Member	Mon Jul 16 20:19:29 A thread about charter schools in Washington state is the "most important thread on the forum." Sure, Rod. Actually you're just an attention whore throwing another fit because nobody posted in your lame thread.
Cthulhu Tentacle Rapist	Mon Jul 16 20:35:46 Wow, the person who isn't lucid wasnt aware of something. Amazing
Hot Rod Revved Up	Mon Jul 16 20:54:13 You guy should read a little further. There are several that are backing Charter Schools to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. "Since 2006, philanthropists and their private foundations and charities have given almost half a billion dollars to those groups, according to an Associated Press analysis of tax filings and Foundation Center data." "It's an extreme example of how billionaires are influencing state education policy by giving money to state-level charter support organizations to sustain, defend and expand the charter schools movement across the country." A couple of the biggest names are Bill Gates and the Walton family. Considering that Charter Schools are reputed to produce better-educated children, yes. I believe this is the most important thread at the moment.
tumbleweed the wanderer	Mon Jul 16 21:02:39 so are you happy for charter school support or unhappy about billionaires influencing them (except Trump of course, as charity is for losers)
Hot Rod Revved Up	Mon Jul 16 21:12:01 I am happy with the Charter School support. I think they are superior to public schools. As for Trump thinking charity is for losers. You should know that every month he signs his paycheck over to a different charity. He is working for nothing.
Hot Rod Revved Up	Mon Jul 16 21:13:01 G'Night Gracie.
tumbleweed the wanderer	Mon Jul 16 22:25:18 1 spy joining Mar-a-lago is the same as the president's yearly salary
Cold Rod Member	Tue Jul 17 05:34:04 "I am happy with the Charter School support. I think they are superior to public schools. " About 24% of charter schools close due to mismanagement, which is the 2nd largest reason for closure besides funding issues. Since charter schools and public schools directly compete for public funding, some argue that the existence of charter school undermines the public education system. Additionally, since charter schools can be run by for-profit organizations, some criticise for-profit charter schools as turning education into a business opportunity. Teacher Certification Teachers don't necessarily have to be certified, but this differs from state to state Charter schools also may struggle with funding and typically receive less per pupil than traditional public schools. Drawbacks in high school. Conversely, Betts and Tang found that charter schools underperform in math and reading at the high school level. The CREDO study also found no evidence of a net gain during high school. In addition, students in “multi-level” (i.e., K–8 or 7–12) charter schools underperformed counterparts from traditional public schools in both reading and math. Some charters do better; the majority do the same or worse. CREDO also moved beyond individual student performance to examine the overall performance of charter schools across multiple subject areas. They found that while some charter schools do better than the traditional public schools that fed them, the majority do the same or worse. Almost one-fifth of charters (17 percent) performed significantly better (at the 95 percent confidence level) than the traditional public school. However, an even larger group of charters (37 percent) performed significantly worse in terms of reading and math. The remainder (46 percent) did not do significantly better or worse.
Hot Rod Revved Up	Tue Jul 17 05:45:32 Do they teach real history or what the public schools tell us is real history after they change it?
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