The enemies of public education are organizing. It's time to fight back
During that semester I taught six separate classes and was responsible for more than 250 students. Despite the pretense that real instruction was taking place, teachers like me were largely engaged in crowd management and little more.
Teachers across the country face a systematic underfunding of public schools and a systematic devaluing of the teaching profession by leaders who say public education should be swept aside to make room for a system of private free-market education.
Californians are ready to fight to reclaim over $11 billion robbed every year from schools and local communities, shaping a new legacy of investment in the people of California.
Forbes published piece Saturday showing how far privatization is being pushed - nationalize public libraries, along with public schools and the post office. After public backlash, two days later, Forbes took the story down.
Although Janus threatens to deal a blow to U.S. unions, the West Virginia teacher strike suggests a way forward for organized labor. The strike effectively used social media as a tool for mass organization, centered on the needs of the community, and linked its cause to issues of social justice.
Puerto Rico is the latest example of "disaster capitalism." The Financial Board is promoting a pension cut for all public employees, sub-minimun wage jobs for workers under 25, and layoffs of teachers and other public employees.
The experience of other countries suggests Betsy DeVos' voucher vision falls flat. Research led by an Indiana University professor confirms what school voucher critics have long argued: Voucher programs receive public funding yet discriminate on the basis of religion, disability status, sexual orientation and possibly other factors. Democratic political participation requires access to information, engagement in discourse and electoral activity to be effective.
Backed by the World Bank and billionaires Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, Bridge International has launched a massive campaign to privatize public education in Africa. Despite charges the U.S. corporation is experimenting on African children, violating the constitution in at least two African countries, and providing inferior education, Bridge International is undaunted, even suing the government of Uganda for closing down 63 of its for-profit schools earlier this year.
What’s unspoken is that the best proof that the unions didn’t have much of a role in the protest is that historically they’ve shown little ability to mobilize significant numbers of students in the Bay State. Typically, union-backed coalitions like BEJA will pull a few dozen to a few hundred people to such protests. Students or non-students, the story is always the same. The people who turn out will be a mix of union and nonprofit staffers.
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