One way an underdog could win 2016 primaries: dump corporate education reform and embrace educators

[yurbud]

Whatever good Obama does will be tainted by a corrupt K-12 public education policy (now creeping into higher ed) that lets the Wall Street hedge fund managers and billionaire "philanthropists" dictate education policy, not for the good of students or the country as a whole, but to privatize it and maximize their profits from it.

Actual teachers have lost a voice in the highest circles of the Democratic Party. They still need our votes, but once we vote, we're told to shut up and sit down, so the rich people can tell us how to do OUR job for THEIR benefit.

Testing companies dictate how often we need to test. Curriculum like common core are developed by companies who will sell the books and software necessary to implement it, and anyone who makes the right political donations can start a for profit charter school that siphons off money meant for real public schools, which would be okay if they actually did a better job, but they do not.

Oddly, the touted advantage of charters is that they are free of the micromanaged curriculum of public schools, so teachers and administrators are free to do what they think will work for their students. If the profit motive were not involved, there would be a much simpler way to execute this idea: give that freedom to regular public schools.

No one goes into education hoping to get rich. We want to make a difference in kids lives and make enough money doing to give our families a middle class standard of living.

Those dictating education policy now see it as the next part of the commons they can privatize and divert our tax dollars into the way they do in the Department of Defense with weapons contracts.

And like those weapons, whether or not the education we pay them for works will take a back seat to their profits.

What is more frustrating is after their crimes that caused an economic collapse, not only are we NOT punishing them, we are giving them something else to destroy for their profit: our children's futures.

The Democrat who calls bullshit on this corrupt policy will get my vote in the primary and likely the vote of every teacher suffering under this.

[raging moderate]

1. Correct!

This post has some very well-reasoned arguments against the corporate take-over of schools.

[jsr]

2. Recommend

[Scuba]

3. Yep, excellent plank for the Democratic Platform.

Wonder if we'll see it from Party HQ.

[yurbud]

4. Likely only from Elizabeth Warren or Bernie

but Bernie isn't even a Democrat.

[Scuba]

5. Should be every Democrat from County Board to US Senate.

[yurbud]

10. to the White House

[LWolf]

6. Yes.

His education policy is the reason why I have never been a fan, and never been a supporter, starting in the '08 primaries when I listened to what he said about education. The top 2 issues that will earn my support or rejection for any candidate are connected: public education and neoliberal economic policies.

[yurbud]

13. I voted for Obama, but I couldn't bring myself to give money to him

because he was destroying my wife's public school teaching job, and making it unlikely that we can send our kids to a public school and trust that their education won't be distorted by the dictates of someone trying to make a buck off them.

[FraDon]

7. on point • embrace and celebrate the common good

I too hunger for leadership for public service. Raise the standards; don't race to the bottom

When I first came to Maine in December 2012, I bought the local Portland newspaper, and the headline blared "LePage: PUBLIC WORKERS CORRUPT". Paul LePage is the local Taliban-Republican Governor.

I remember my first thought was, "Yeah, that really makes me to want to come to work tomorrow."

STAND for and with the teachers; the cops, firefighters and first responders; the safety inspectors, the DNA analysts; the toll takers; the soldiers.

We need candidates who will STAND for and with the common good.

• Frankly, IMHO, we need an At long last, have you left no sense of decency? moment in every state, on every day, to implode this propaganda campaign.

Until this moment, Senator, I think I have never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. …

[yurbud]

8. the problem is on education, that last line could be said to MOST senators..

all the Republicans and most of the Democrats.

I was shocked to read that Tom Harkin is fully behind this crap too.

[liberal_at_heart]

9. education was the issue that turned me from democrat to independent.

[liberal_at_heart]

11. because schools don't get the funding they need my son who is in special education

does not have any educational assistants in any of his general education classes. This is really starting to piss me off.

[yurbud]

12. but they have plenty of money for new charter schools, buying software, anything that makes

someone already rich richer.