Your tax dollars are carrots thanks to the U.S. Department
of Education. In order for states
and districts to receive education funding, they have had to compete with each
other in Race to the Top (RttT). The “winners” of RttT have been the ones most
willing to privatize and use high-stakes “accountability measures. There are also millions of public
dollars available through School Improvement
Grants (SIGs) for every school that is closed or given to a private sector
charter or turnaround organization.
In addition to being heavily lobbied by corporate interests
(ALEC,
Stand
for Children, etc.), State legislatures and school districts are now basing
educational policy on financial incentives rather than on sound research. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
calls this the “carrot”.
The “stick” is the denial
of badly needed funding, thereby
setting already under-resourced schools up for closure or conversion (based on faulty metrics of course). Arne even warned his own state they
would lose
a chance at needed funding if they didn’t increase charters schools and
funding for them. Several states raised their caps on charter schools including
virtual charter schools and adopted high-stakes “accountability” measures.
There seems to be a lot more sticks than carrots, but either way, the private
sector expansion into public education is being forced upon communities in
spite of protest and research. The sheer disregard for logic in these policies should
make people question their sincerity and intent.
More recently, Arne developed another carrot and stick game
that is even more absurd. In 2001, No Child Left Behind opened the door for
privatization by creating ridiculous targets that if not met, meant closures
and transfers of management to private sector operators. All of this of course, was and
continues to be based on unreliable tests that are developed by multi-million
dollar corporations like Pearson. Anyway, Arne’s new carrot is the offer
of waivers from the mandates of NCLB if states adopt the same reforms that were
pushed by NCLB (and RttT)!!!!! Regardless of whether you get the carrot or the stick through
RttT, SIGs, or NCLB waivers, privatization is the end result.
Fortunately, the resistance to corporate school reform is
rapidly growing. This is partly due to the audacity of corporate reformers and
their politicians, but also due to the great organizing efforts on both local
and national levels. Basically more and more parents, teachers, and students
would like to tell Arne Duncan where to stick his carrots.
