...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Thursday, March 18, 2004
      ( 9:54 AM )
 
Edjamacate Now!

If you're looking for a good resource of information on NCLB, look no further than the blog An Old Soul. The wealth of info there is enough to stun you silly if you haven't been paying attention regarding the true nature of the machinations behind NCLB. Yes, its public purpose is to "reform" education - but behind the scenes? Would you be shocked to learn that the rightists are trying to basically get rid of federally funded public education? No, I didn't think you'd be. Here are only a few scary tidbits gleaned by Old Soul:

The backdoor to usurping our public education system is being funded by none other than the Walmart Family:

Critics say the Waltons could do the opposite: weaken
public schools by encouraging the flow of tax dollars to
less-regulated charter schools and to religious and other
private schools through vouchers. The prospect of the
Walton billions is "alarming," says Marc Egan, head of
anti-voucher efforts at the National School Boards
Association.

And who else is making money behind the scenes on NCLB? Not anyone connected with the Bush family, surely!

Neil Bush's company sells software to prepare students to
take comprehensive tests required under "No Child Left
Behind." Schools that fail the tests will face termination of
federal assistance. The contracts for these test programs
are very lucrative. Ignite is currently running a pilot program
at a Middle School in Orlando, Florida--where Neil's brother
Jeb is governor. The company hopes to sell the software
throughout Florida at $30 per pupil per year.

In mid-February, Houston school board members unanimously
agreed to accept $115,000 in charitable donations that
would be funneled to Ignite. The Houston Independent School
District trustees had initially delayed a vote on the matter
in December, saying they were concerned that Bush's Austin-
based company might be benefiting from his family name.
But in February, the nine board members approved the
funding without discussion.

If you need help navigating your way through the mire of nasty NCLB manipulations, Old Soul has a great dictionary of "education reform" terms to help you out. Here's a sample:

'choices' = vouchers or the ability to move to another school
if your school fails. However, this rarely works in practice because
there are no room at other schools to transfer. Can you imagine
having a whole school fail and then having to place every
student at another school? Doesn't work.

'fully funded'= not enough money

'well-educated public'= this is a new one. Beats me.

Keep an eye out. Our public education system is being destroyed before we even had a chance to rescue it.

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