OK, after watching Duncan, Gingrich, Sharpton on MTP, I get it.

[erinlough]

The goal is destroying public schools and putting for profit schools in control and destroying the unions. Get ready educators, this is going to get ugly. After watching this program I am convinced that what I have always suspected is true. The commercial school intrests are going to privatize and destroy public schools in the name of reform. They hate the unions and are demonizing them and those of us who teach.

I feel for all of you who are just starting your careers in education, they honestly think the hours you have spent in training to be an educator are wasted and a kid from Americorps can do your job much better. I can only say I'm glad my career of 35 years is coming to an end, and I'm also glad that my 30 year old son received a public education that did prepare him for life. I think, to be fair, they are concentrating on failing schools, however they are more than happy to destroy the successful public schools in the process. I believe we will see charter schools done away with next, leaving the pigs at the trough to feed off of the profits of a captive consumer base of parents who know their children need an education.

This is an area I disagree with Obama on, and I can't for the life of me, understand how anyone he can trust Arne Duncan. I have approached the end of my career by reminding myself that "new" ideas matter, and although I have spent many years devoting myself to education, I don't have a monopoly on the best way to do anything. I get involved in any new way that is tried by our school wholeheartedly, withourt the negativity that sometimes come with age. It is hard to say what I think is going on because in this bold new plan is the idea that seasoned educators are part of the problem, therefore I am part of the problem. I am sorry that I don't think this is going to work because even if I didn't like it, if it helped the children I would applaud it. This will only make teachers more underpaid, less skilled, and move the parent farther from the center of control in their child's education.

What a sad state of affairs this is.

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Rich people don't need or want to pay for any public facility , thats why

they have China and Mexico to replace us.

[opihimoimoi]

2. KnR The Pubs are EVIL PIGS

[donco6]

3. Surely you have to pause when Newt Gingrinch is your co-spokesman.

I mean . . . really.

And to just lie so blatantly, with claims that when a charter took over this or that school, suddenly the test scores went through the roof! What they don't tell you is that they're testing an entirely different group of kids. They chased the old ones away by shoving Commitment Forms in front of their parents, demanding 60 hours/semester of volunteer time, demanding they drive the kid to school (no transp provided), demanding they provide lunch (no lunch programs in a lot of charters), that they abandon their kids' IEP, ("we cannot serve your child's needs"), etc. etc. Then if the kid actually manages to get through all of that, they have a behavior handbook they can slap them with and kick them out if they break a rule.

And then where do they go? To the DEFAULT PUBLIC SCHOOL, that's where. The school that will fall under NCLB penalties of firing the principal and 50% of the staff if their scores don't improve.

I have 5 years to go. I hope I can hold out that long.

[Dinger]

5. That Was A Breathtaking Hatchet Job On Teachers

public school, unions, women, etc. Even Mr. Dinger was falling for it. I just left and went for a walk. I couldn't take it. I'd like a transcript though, so I can pick it apart. Goddamn, after watching that bullshit. I feel like I've just been beaten to a pulp and told "There's more where that came from."

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. +1

I can go now but I don't. It's harder every year to convince myself it is worth doing one more year.

[Dinger]

4. Let Me Be Blunt, Very Blunt

Any of my state and national representatives that support this devastation will not get my vote, NO exceptions!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Your avatar supported this "devastation"!

Do you not listen to yourself?!

[YvonneCa]

10. Senator Kennedy supported fixing public schools...

...and worked bipartisanly to write NCLB in an effort to do that. I agree with the goal of fixing public schools...as he did.

My guess is that he would agree with President Obame that this is urgent for our country. So do I.

Where I disagree with BOTH, is that teachers should be scapegoated in the process. I want reform to succeed. This will not succeed with public schools...as an institution...intact. I don't want to destroy public education.

[orpupilofnature57]

13. +10 !!!!!!

[tonysam]

15. The problem is they don't know what the real problems are in education

They can't possibly know because they aren't in the field and have no background in the field.

The problems happen to stem from the structure of public school districts and the fact administrators running schools and school districts are not held accountable for their actions. School boards by and large are ineffective watchdogs.

[YvonneCa]

22. AND they refuse to listen...

...to those who do know, which is just dumb.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

34. Once again, teachers are NOT being "scapegoated"

I challenge you to find me even one quote where teachers at-large have been cited by a Democrat as being "the problem" with education. We've been over this before, and you can call it demonizing teachers all you want, but there is no way possible that 96% of teachers are effective when we have achievement gaps the way we do in this country. And yet that's exactly what we are saying when we only remove 4% of teachers for any reason annually. There is no profession on earth where 96% of the people that do the job are high-quality, and teachers are no different. I don't know why we even expect that to be the case.

That's not scapegoating. It's not even saying that "most" or "a majority" of teachers are ineffective. But we have to have some way to eliminate the ineffective ones that DO exist. If you truly want reform to succeed, you have to acknowledge that something must be done to make sure that our poor and minority students have access to quality teachers. Given everything we know about U.S. education today, there is no way you can argue that they currently do.

[YvonneCa]

35. Look, Nick, I do enjoy the debate but I'll...

...never convince you that what I (and others) see is true. After MTP today, it's clear none of us will ever get through to Duncan or Obama either. They have chosen their path and the saying goes,"When you choose the behavior you also choose the consequences." The die has been cast.

As to these words "...find me even one quote where teachers at-large have been cited by a Democrat as being "the problem" with education" my Dems find ways to not say that as it is politically a loser for them. But without saying the words they align with Republicans who have preached a different philosophy for years. That is not comforting...and I say this as a huge proponent of unity and bipartisanship.

Finally, you relentlessly cite your data to make the case that bad teachers need to go. Yes, they do. There are a small number of bad teachers and I don't know any teachers who want them protected. They need to find another line of work. Agreed.

What I question is data, because I've watched it gathered, I know much of it is invalid, and I've experienced being on the wrong end when the sledgehammer comes down. Some here have that experience,as well. That doesn't mean I am against testing. That doesn't mean I am against data and accountability. That doesn't mean I oppose fixing the broken teacher evaluation system.

It just means I think Duncan, Obama, Klein, Rhee, Gingrich, Sharpton and others in education reform are choosing to ignore this problem...because it goes counter to the goals they seek.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

36. But they're not ignoring the problems with data.

Duncan is investing $250 million into developing better data systems to solve precisely the problem you're talking about. And that's just the down payment.

Further, if that's really your honest problem, why aren't teachers working for better data systems, instead opting to blow up the system and keep the status quo? In fact, why do I not see any counterproposal for objectively assessing teachers?

[YvonneCa]

38. Duncan doesn't see the forest. He is standing so close to the...

...trees that his view is obscured. (In case that was unclear :), the trees are Chicago schools, NYC schools and DC schools.) :7 These cities have real problems that have to be dealt with, but they are not the whole country. Some LA schools and California schools have similar problems...but some have completely different struggles which Duncan is not addressing.

About data, you said, "But they're not ignoring the problems with data. Duncan is investing $250 million into developing better data systems to solve precisely the problem you're talking about. And that's just the down payment."

States and districts are all over the place on data. I'm glad to see money going to building effective data systems. No problem with that, and I think many teachers support that. But there are more problems than just money can fix. It's the old GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) problem that I see. Some data systems produce the data that helps them survive...and validity goes out the window. Duncan won't recognize this as a problem...he can't fix it if he denies the problem's existence.

You then said, "Further, if that's really your honest problem, why aren't teachers working for better data systems, instead opting to blow up the system and keep the status quo? In fact, why do I not see any counterproposal for objectively assessing teachers?

I don't know what you mean by 'blow up the system' or 'keep status quo' here. I know many teachers working to improve data systems...but most get ridiculed (You must not care about the kids. You want the status quo...we want change.) here. What the heck do you think I'm doing? What are the teachers posting at ED.gov doing? As to counter-proposals, if someone ever really ASKS, I can think of several.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

39. So now it's not the data systems, it's the inputs?

Well, Duncan's putting another billion into that end too, by funding research-based, internationally benchmarked assessments. So he's trying to fix the inputs, the outputs, and the system to track it all.

As for your recommendations, go ahead and submit them. But seriously, you expect someone to sit down with each and every one of the several million teachers and ask them how they'd change the system? You really think that's in any way feasible? Further, what makes you so sure that you'd even get a consensus if you did it? I'd guarantee you that you wouldn't. Then they'd take some of the recommendations but not all (which would be impossible), in which case you'd simply say that you still weren't listened to unless you essentially win the lottery and they take your idea. This is why trade associations exist. Unfortunately, the teachers associations aren't putting out any alternative solutions - just keep to blow up the system of assessments and accountability and replace it with nothing, which is patently unacceptable.

I know how you feel about the teachers unions, but the whole reason for their existence is to provide a voice to teachers as a whole. If you don't feel they're doing that properly, you have to take that up with them - I'm not sure why you blame Duncan for the poor representation of teachers though.

[YvonneCa]

42. Man, you really can be frustrating...

...sometimes. :) The data systems are flawed...inputs, outputs, focus (ignoring growth, for example), misuse of results...on and on. ALL of it needs reworking. JMHO.

Straw man arguments:

But seriously, you expect someone to sit down with each and every one of the several million teachers and ask them how they'd change the system? You really think that's in any way feasible?

No. That would be silly. I never said that.

Further, what makes you so sure that you'd even get a consensus if you did it? I'd guarantee you that you wouldn't.

I never said this either.

Then they'd take some of the recommendations but not all (which would be impossible), in which case you'd simply say that you still weren't listened to unless you essentially win the lottery and they take your idea.

How do you know what I'd do or say? Read a lot of minds lately? :) We may be close, Nick, but not THAT close. :7

This is why trade associations exist. Unfortunately, the teachers associations aren't putting out any alternative solutions - just keep to blow up the system of assessments and accountability and replace it with nothing, which is patently unacceptable.

I agree with you here. Unions aren't doing their job. That is unfair to both students AND teachers. That's why I've always promoted the Obama Administration's working with teachers, not just unions...although I do think unions have a role to play. I just wish they'd play it. ;)

I know how you feel about the teachers unions, but the whole reason for their existence is to provide a voice to teachers as a whole.

I am not a newbie. :)

If you don't feel they're doing that properly, you have to take that up with them - I'm not sure why you blame Duncan for the poor representation of teachers though.

Part 1...I did. Part 2...I don't. I blame Duncan for his policies.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

50. I'm not trying to be frustrating, but...

you keep saying that they're not listening to the teachers. I'm just pointing out the infeasibility of doing that if the voice of teachers isn't going to adequately represent the teachers. It's not fair to blame Duncan on that end.

[YvonneCa]

51. Breaking through the current media argument...

...(teachers are the problem with schools) is very difficult...and maybe infeasible, as you say. I hope not, because it is important. I do NOT blame Duncan...or Obama for that matter...for the poor union representation of teachers. THAT is both systemic AND a choice union reps and teachers' unions have made. I think it was the wrong choice and now, sadly, our public schools will pay a price.

What I hold Duncan and Obama accountable for is promoting HOPE. I still have HOPE that they will cut through the rhetoric and hear ALL teacher voices. :patriot:

FWIW, I don't think you are purposely trying to be frustrating. :7

[tonysam]

40. What are "data," anyway?

They are kids, that's what. Kids are not "data" to be manipulated; they can't be.

[tonysam]

41. Besides, teachers can't be "objectively" evaluated.

Schools are not businesses, contrary to Broad/Duncan propaganda. Teachers' jobs are to work with students, to help them reach their potential, but that can't be measured because there are so many factors outside of the teachers' control that contribute to student performance. Standardized tests measure nothing at all, since students don't take the tests seriously. Besides, there is an ignorance of what really goes on in public schools and the fact principals have absolute control over teachers and can write any piece of shit or pull any piece of crap on teachers knowing they will not be held accountable. They write teachers up over nothing or lie about it, and while "tenured" teachers have a "right" to a hearing, the hearings are utter crap 99 percent of the time. The hearings are held on school district property, the hearing officers are PAID by the district thanks to taxpayers, the unions' "lawyers" are paid through union dues which are indirectly paid by taxpayers, and there are all kinds of criminal acts that go on in these hearings, most of which are held in secret. Unions and school districts work hand in hand to make sure the principals keep their jobs while the teachers are fired, never to work in their chosen field again. Few of these terminations are for true wrongdoing, by the way. Fired teachers must resort to the court system, which again favors school districts since they have unlimited funds to bury teachers in court. Teachers who stick it out through the legal system may have to wait as long as ten years to find any kind of resolution at all, including pitifully little settlements.

When you understand principals have unlimited power, almost dictatorial power, over teachers because principals are almost NEVER closely supervised, no "objective" measure of teacher "performance" can be instituted. It's going to be riddled with problems. School districts are political institutions first and foremost.

[Hannah Bell]

53. if the bell curve applies so universally, then no phoney "reform" is going to

alter it either.

[tonysam]

58. Yep. ALL standardized tests are based on a "bell curve,"

so there will always be a few a couple of standard deviations above, a few a couple of standard deviations below, and the vast majority in the middle.

There is NO way in the world every child is going to reach grade level by 2014 based on bell curve assessments. For all or most kids to have any chance at all to reach the ideal, the tests would have to be criterion-based. But again, kids being kids, and each kid being different, especially those in special education, universal or near-universal grade-level "proficiency" is a pipe dream.

[Hannah Bell]

52. he voted for nclb. which the obama admin is conspicuously not rescinding.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. No he did not

That is one of the tiredest GOP memes. Kennedy was opposed to NCLB in its final form. He wanted resources and programs that HELPED kids. When he saw NCLB morph into testing and data, he began advocating for reforming NCLB.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

33. That's entirely untrue.

He released a discussion draft of NCLB's reauthorization in early 2008. It kept all of the core principles in tact. The ONLY thing he regretted was that it was never funded properly (and he was right, by the way.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. You are arguing to argue

We are both saying the same thing. Teddy wanted NCLB fully funded. That's what he opposed, the lack of funding.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

47. You said he opposed NCLB in the end.

But NCLB is a lot more than just a funding mechanism. I'm not arguing just to argue, but perhaps we're just not on the same page.

[proud2BlibKansan]

48. He did oppose the final version. He wanted it funded.

Teddy was smart enough to know it was an unfunded mandate, and he was the first one I heard use that term. He said we either needed to fund it or start over and write a new bill that was funded.

He did not oppose accountability, he wanted it financed appropriately.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

49. Okay, just making sure.

Because he definitely supported the bill in principle, and still did to the point where he was going to reauthorize it largely intact. I agree that he definitely felt it was unfunded and worked very hard on that end as well, but the authorization and appropriations processes are separate, and he didn't have authority over the funding.

Yet I just want to be clear that he was very, very much on board with the people listed above, albeit with one major caveat, which is really the point of disagreement between nearly all of the Democrats on that list and Gingrich in the first place. Again though, that's a separate fight (one that I wholeheartedly support, I might add).

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. Yeah, Al Sharpton wants to destroy public schools.

The NAACP wants to destroy public schools.
LaRaza wants to destroy public schools.
Obama wants to destroy public schools.
The Center for American Progress wants to destroy public schools.
Democrats for Education Reform wants to destroy public schools.

Those are some real loony right wing organizations/people that all seem to be in complete agreement on what needs to be done in education. :sarcasm:

I think the sad part is that you're finding out - quickly - that you might not be on the progressive side of the issue.

[Dinger]

8. newt the puke Sure As Hell Wants To

And he has wanted to for a long time. he's part of this team. BIG RED FLAG! Get a clue.

[n2doc]

16. Al Sharpton wants to line his pockets n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. Sharpton is out for no one but himself...

Also remember the calls to split up the Omaha district along racial lines was led by a black legislator to allow what amounts to self determination. Covered here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x931405

[Hannah Bell]

54. sharpton is for sale to the highest bidder. gingrich is the designer of

the contract on america.

this is an extension of it, what more do you need to know?

[YvonneCa]

9. I could have written these exact words. I completely agree...

...with you. I've always gone 150% toward new ideas and championed them as important for 'our children.' What saddens me, so much, is that they will ignore the contributions of teachers who...because parent support was absent for YEARS...took on the role of parent, counselor, cheerleader, AS WELL AS TEACHER...to support our students.

They are all following the same people...lead by Michelle Rhee. Sad.

Thank you for this post.

[tonysam]

14. Don't forget billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg and his chief henchman

Joel Klein.

What is going on in both NYC and DC is or will be happening in every single school district in America.

[YvonneCa]

21. I try sometimes...

...to forget them. :7

[tonysam]

30. LOL!!!! n/t

[tonysam]

11. The reason Obama trusts Arne is because they both agree about public education

They are both University of Chicago types, which is a red flag.

President Obama is the most anti-public education president in the country's history. There is no doubt of it. He supports NCLB, with just a few minor tweaks, a law which has singlehandedly destroyed public education in this country. You can see the deterioration happening overnight.

Now we have billionaires like Bill and Melinda Gates and Eli Broad sinking their filthy money into wholesale destruction of public education.

This isn't just a war against public education; it is a war against democracy.

[Dinger]

24. That deserves It's Own Thread tony

Maybe in GD. By the way, thank you.

[Hannah Bell]

55. obama's big funders = also big charter school funders

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Hannah%20Bell/87

Chicago's (Duncan/Daley) Renaissance 2010 School "Reform": How Private Capital Makes Public Policy
Posted by Hannah Bell in General Discussion
Thu Sep 03rd 2009, 10:22 PM
Let's look at who footed the bill.

http://romanticpoet.wordpress.com/2009/01/... /


I. Investors of $2,000,000 & Above

*Anonymous (2)

- The public apparently has no right to know who pays to "reform" their schools, or whose input is listened to by those implementing the "reforms".


*Northern Trust:

- Invests old money for the super-rich of Chicago & elsewhere. Original shareholders (1889) = Field (dept store fortune), Armour (meat-packing), McCormick (ag machinery) & the Smith banking family of Chicago, who ran NT 1889-1981:

http://www.petershumway.org/nti/nti06174.h...

Directors include Susan Crown (Crown Family, below) & John W. Rowe (Rowe Charitable Trust & Exelon, below).

Note the central role of folks associated with Illinois Tool Works, a company formed by Byron Smith, founder of the Northern Trust.

http://www.itw.com/itw/this_is_itw/history



*The Crown Family

- Chicagoan Henry Crown's descendants & funders of Obama's campaign effort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Crown

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Crown

"Controlled by Chicago's Crown family, Henry Crown and Company is an investment firm that owns or has interests in a variety of business assets. These holdings include stakes in sports teams (the Chicago Bulls and the New York Yankees), leisure (Aspen Skiing Company), banking (Chase), and real estate (Rockefeller Center). The company also has a stake in General Dynamics; after once controlling the company outright, it still has a seat on the board. The Crown family, worth an estimated $4.8 billion, ranks #75 on the 2008 Forbes magazine's List of Richest Americans and are prominent Chicago-area philanthropists."

http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/40/40214.html



*Rowe Family Charitable Trust

- Family trust of John W. Rowe: "John W. Rowe, 63, is the chairman and chief executive officer of Exelon Corporation, a utility holding company headquartered in Chicago. Exelon has the largest market capitalization in the electric utility industry. Its retail affiliates serve 5.4 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and its generation affiliate operates the largest fleet of nuclear power plants in the nation. Rowe is the senior chief executive in the utility industry, having served in such positions since 1984. Rowe has led Exelon since its formation in 2000 through the merger of PECO Energy and the parent of Commonwealth Edison."

http://www.equilar.com/CEO_Compensation/EX...



*Exelon Corporation

- John Rowe's Corporation: http://www.exeloncorp.com/aboutus/manageme... /



*The Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust

- Searle Funds: From the estate of pharm magnate John Searle

- Chicago Community Trust: Chicago area foundation.

Executive Committee responsible for all grant allocations includes:

Paula Crown (Crown family);

Trustees include:

William Daley (Daley political family)
Waddell (Northern Trust) family member,
John Canning Jr (Chicago Federal Reserve, see below)

Trustee Banks include JP Morgan, BOA, Northern Trust, La Salle, etc.



*Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

- No explanation needed. Gates & Warren Buffett, both obama funders & both principles in Gates Foundation funding, regularly trade off "world's richest man" crown.

Gates Foundation = probably biggest funder of R&D into genetically modified (patentable) ag & medicine, "marketization" in economies not yet fully controlled by global capital (i.e. poor peasants & tribesmen in africa), & destroying traditional culture under the guise of "empowering women," as well as school "reform".



*The Walton Family Foundation, Inc

- No explanation needed. Richest family in US, biggest funder of school "reform" & charter schools. Supposedly "right wing," the Waltons play well with supposedly "liberal" foundations like Gates on school reform.



II. Investors of $1,000,000 to $1,999,999

*Baxter International Inc: Pharma

*JPMorgan Chase: no intro needed.

*McDonald’s Corp. & Ronald McDonald House Charities

*The Boeing Company: no intro needed.


*McCormick Foundation:

- The Chicago Tribune-owning McCormicks' family foundation.

Publisher Robert Rutherford McCormick = great-nephew of Cyrus McCormick: "McCormick Reaper" McCormick Harvesting Co. became International Harvester.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_McCormi...

Grandson of Joseph Medill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Medill

Cousin of Joseph Medill Patterson, founder of NY Daily News & Grandfather of Madeline Albright's husband of 23 years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Medill...

cousin of Cissy Patterson, founder of Newsday & Guggenheim wife: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Patter...

Son of diplomat Robert S McCormick (Sec to Robert Todd Lincoln): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sander...

Brother of Joseph M McCormick, whose wife Ruth Hanna = daughter of the fixer & capitalist Mark Hanna, Rockefeller schoolmate, the Rockefellers being connected early on to the ag instrument business of the McCormick ancestors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Medill...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Hanna_Mc...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hanna

Red-baiting McCormick family had ties to McCarthyism & US intelligence, e.g.:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...



* The Chicago Community Trust:

- See above.



*Chicago High School Redesign Initiative

- A project of the Chicago Community Trust, see above



*Polk Bros Foundation:

- Chicago furniture money: Obama donors & friends
http://www.polkbrosfdn.org/wherewevebeen.h...
http://web.archive.org/web/20010124111600/...



*Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago

- Chair White = Abbott Pharma
- Vice-Chair Farrell = Illinois Tool Works
- Committee Member John Canning, also on Chicago Community Trust Board
- Members Knight & Parkinson = Baxter
- Member W. James McNerney, JR. = Boeing
- Rosenfeld = Kraft
- Sander = Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)
- Skinner = McDonalds
- Waddell = Northern Trust

- Member John W. Roger, JR. = Arne Duncan Business partner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Roger... .

- Member John Rowe = Excelon, Rowe Family Trust (see above)

- The two Pritzker members = Pritzker family (see below)



*Pritzker Foundation

- Family foundation of one of america's richest families & major obama backers & donors. Penny Pritzker = campaign finance chair:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pritzker_fami...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abram_Nichola...



*CME Trust

- Chicago Mercantile Exchange Trust:

CME Group (http://www.cmegroup.com ) is the world's largest and most diverse
exchange. Formed by the 2007 merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
(CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), CME Group serves the risk
management needs of customers around the globe. As an international
marketplace, CME Group brings buyers and sellers together on the CME Globex
electronic trading platform and on its trading floors. CME Group
is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ under the symbol "CME."

Chicago Mercantile Exchange Trust was established by CME in 1969, under
the direction of its then chairman, Leo Melamed, to provide financial
protection to customers in the event a CME member firm became insolvent or
unable to meet its obligations to its customers.... CME Trust is an independent for-profit
Illinois trust, separate from CME Group Inc. For more information on CME
Trust, contact Kassie Davis, Executive Director.



*Rauner Family Foundation: environment, religion, & charter schools?

http://www.implu.com/nonprofit/363993405

http://www.activistcash.com/foundation.cfm...

Bruce V. Rauner: Goldner Rauner venture capital/private equity

http://www.buyoutsconferences.com/buyouts_...



*Deloitte LLP:

- big 4 international auditing firm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deloitte_Touc...



*Financial Investments Corporation

- Connected with La Salle Bank, Chicago Community Trust Trustee Bank.

http://www.fic-sff.com/fic-history.php



*Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP

- International chicago law firm est 1906; made its bones repping Sears & allstate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnenschein_...



*Sara Lee Corporation



III. Investors of $500,000 to $999,999

*Illinois Tool Works Foundation
- Foundation of Illinios Tool Works, founder = Byron Smith, head of Northern Trust:

http://www.itw.com/itw/this_is_itw/history



*Kirkland & Ellis LLP

- law firm founded by Robert McCormick, Chicago Trib publisher (see above); a top US firm; Ken Starr & Robert Bork = former counsel at the firm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkland_&_El...



*Madigan Family Foundation

- Family foundation of former Chicago Trib (McCormick family founders) exec & banker John Madigan

http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?...



*The Canning Foundation

- Chicago-area family foundation; John Canning Jr. = Director of Fed Reserve Bank of chicago & chicago community trust (see above).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Canning,... .
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/con...



*Sidley Austin LLP
- The law firm where Michelle worked & met Barack; 9th-largest firm in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidley_Austin



*The Allstate Corporation: the Sears insurance company.
*Sears Holdings Corporation: i.e. "Sears," 8th-largest US retailer, Chicago-based, founders = sears, roebuck, & rosenwald, friend of henry morgenthau sr & goldman sachs partner henry goldman:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Rosenw...



*Abbott: Pharma

*Kenilworth Families Partnership

- apparently an alliance of kenilworth neighborhood families with some kind of private funders.


*PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP - another Big Four auditor
*Ernst & Young - another Big Four auditor


*HSBC – North America
- Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation, the bank built on the opium trade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hongkong_...


*Mayer Brown LLP

- http://www.mayerbrown.com/about/index.asp?...



*Bain & Company

- management consultant firm; mitt romney = former partner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bain_&_Compan...


*Fortune Brands
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_Brand...


*Grosvenor Capital Management
- "privately-owned hedge fund sponsor...founded in 1971 & based in Chicago."
http://www.linkedin.com/companies/grosveno...


*W.W. Grainger, Inc:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._W._Grainge...


*Harris Bank
- https://www4.harrisbank.com/wealth/0,4928,...

*Winnetka Families Partnership
*Woodley Road Neighbors
*AT&T
*Kraft Foods
*Bank of America
*Motorola Foundation
*Discover Financial Services



IV. Investors of $250,000 to $499,999

*John W. Rogers, Jr
- Arne Duncan Business Partner



*Carnegie Corporation of New York
- The old robber baron's "philanthopy," keeping the world safe for capital for 98 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Corp...

etc.




Some grassoots. To the person who said "Obama doesn't know what's going on in his Education Dept" re charter schools: of course he does. These people are his backers, funders, supporters & friends.

[jgraz]

12. Destroying the schools is just a means to an end

The real goal is to create a permanent underclass of uneducated, easily-exploited drones.

[n2doc]

18. And the final goal will be to bring in overseas teachers to work for peanuts

They are already implementing that part in some schools.

People want to believe in Obama. But it seems like if there is money involved, he is more than happy to abandon progressives. If not, or at least in some areas (science, environment) he still does the right thing.

[MichiganVote]

43. Exactly right.

[C_Lawyer09]

20. Here is a question

As a person who has spent thirty five years educating our kids, I wanted to make a statement and see if you have an opinion of if you are surprised. I recently finished the last four years of my Army career as a Recruiter in a small SW Washington (state) community. Before we'd administer a pre-ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)test I'd always ask a the same two questions during my pre-qualification interview. 1. I'd write the word chaos, and ask them to read me the word. 2. I'd ask, what is half of seven and one half. My last year and a half I tallied the results. Forty seven percent of high school grads and appx. the same percentage of GED recipients answered the two questions correctly. Do you have an opinion of what accounts/accounted for what to me was an extremely low percentage? Interestingly about 85% percent of those that didn't answer the aformentioned questions correctly, also did not pass the pre-test. How important of a factor do think class size is in determining success of students? Thanks in advance for your answers, and/or opinion.

[YvonneCa]

26. My answer...

...is based on working in Title 1 Schools for many years.

1.Chaos. I'd guess that for many ELL students, this word would be mispronounced (ch sound). When that word showed up in HSS curriculum (elementary level), ELL students often had trouble with it.One would think they'd get better between middle and high school...but not if they drop out.

2. Math problem. Fractions are complex thinking in elementary school. They require good number sense, which many students lack. A, add to that mental computation and the difficulty level rises. Some ELLs might even not get the word 'half.'


I am not surprised at your results OR the predictive quality to the pre-test. It saddens me to say that.

As to class size...The reason teachers seem to ask for a lower teacher-student ratio is that we always see students struggle with concepts in both language arts and math. ELL students are playing 'catch up' in both. To be sure they get proper instruction, a lower ratio can help. IMHO, though, it's more than lowering class size now. I taught 33 to a class...the first 2 weeks of school I had 43. Really. Just to cut class size to 28 helps...but it isn't enough to do what we need to do to fix the problems in a classroom,or fix public education.

[C_Lawyer09]

31. Thanks for taking the time

answering my question, I appreciate it. I really empathize for the challenges teachers face. Once I get a part time job, I'm going to start figuring out what the process is for teaching English as a second language. I had great primary school teachers, I credit them for the grasp of the basics I have now. My 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Rennick read "James and the Giant Peach" to us, a lot of fun.

[erinlough]

45. You know, I assume

that the last part of NCLB put special program, priorities and rules in place for former military personnel to become teachers? There are some shortcuts for you to get a degree as well. Good Luck my friend, and I hope someone with a passion for teaching gets together with the children who need a passionate teacher.

[erinlough]

44. Hi Lawyer!

What an interesting question. Here is my take. First off, I am a special education teacher so I do work in a small class with students who have Learning Disabilities, Emotional Impairments, and now Autism. I find that most people have more trouble pronouncing words in isolation than if the word chaos had been presented with a sentence for context. My student data shows that their reading scores taken from reading a passage will be higher than if I simply give them a word list of a particular reading level. Your results are very significant, but I would wonder if a higher percentage would pass the chaos test if they were asked to read the word in a sentence with context.

Fractions are difficult because as the times change, people cook and build less, I see people as having less of an opportunity to use fractions. It is a skill taught in elementary school, which requires a great number of steps and rules. If people were using it more in real life they would have kept and solidified those rules. On top of that, most states are requiring higher and higher levels of math at lower levels of school. For instance the state test I give at the 8th grade level requires the students to master linear equations. This skill was a high school objective just a few years ago. My opinion is that in our race to the top we have been simply skimming concepts that are the basic building blocks of mathematics and teaching higher skills as "splinter skills", or skills learned in isolation without a clear understanding of how they work. Young people who have been taught this way are at a disadvantage if they are asked some basic skills questions without a calculator because they have been required to jump ahead to higher level math and the fact that the lower level math was not solidified has been ignored.

Please understand that I think any adult should be able to answer both of those questions correctly no matter what diploma they received. These nuances of education are what is wrong with education right now and why my post was made. I was in education before it became a political issue and when "A Nation at Risk" was published suddenly every legislator had an opinion. I remember thinking that we would be in trouble once they got involved, and I believe I was right. By the way the study, "A Nation at Risk" which compared the United States to other countries, and pointed out how badly we were supposedly doing has had it's detractors and has been shown to be unreliable, however we are still operating on its basic premise, just read this thread.

Although the legislators I have known and lobbied would never agree to it, I would like to see the results if you gave them your "test", those results might equally surprise you. Thanks for the interesting question

[Catshrink]

25. Just more blame the teacher

They played a clip of a rep. from one of the teachers' unions talking about accountability across the board -- parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Yeah, that went over really well. Teachers are only part of the equation. I loved how Newtie gave the example of a teacher falling asleep in class. Why not examples of the kids sleeping? Or refusing to do their work? Absent parents?

What happened to the Obama that told parents to turn off the TV and video games and monitor their kids' homework?

Many of my students are willfully negligent -- they won't do homework or classwork but do sneak their damn cell phone texting in class, chat with friends, etc. They won't come in for help because it interferes with their social life or job. (Where I teach, jobs provide money for consumption -- Starbucks, fast food, ipods, etc., not income to help the family or savings for college.) Yeah, I could chase them down but when I've done that before it's proven futile. It makes better sense to spend my limited time on the kids who try and care and let the clowns learn the hard way. Progress report grades come out next week. I'm waiting to see how many of the clowns come ask for extra credit to save their sorry asses. I don't play that game. Far better for them to learn a lesson about earning something rather than have it given to them.

It gets frustrating to have to deal with this constantly -- and then to have the three stooges bash teachers some more just pissed me off. This isn't what I voted for. This isn't what I contributed to Obama's campaign for. Oh, and our district saw a 10% decrease in wages this year and more to come next. I honestly don't know what I can cut back on to survive another cut. Gee. They treat us like shit, pay us nothing, and then wonder why they can't keep good teachers? Yeah, and I am a good teacher. One very good pissed off teacher. There are a lot of us.

[southerncrone]

60. Yes, there are a lot of us. Many of us will be leaving education, too.

I wonder if they realize how quickly this is going to be happening? Will they be caught with not enough teachers? That will definitely hurt. Low pay, bad working conditions, & constant slaps in the face for working your ass off. Who needs it? What will those parents do when they have to "deal with" their kids, instead of having the schools babysit for them? Should be interesting.

[YvonneCa]

Please post this in GD...

...so people can start to understand what is going on.

[YvonneCa]

27. Please post this in GD...

...so people can start to understand what is going on.

[Dinger]

28. Yes, Please Post This In GD

This is war.

[LWolf]

29. I hope enough people get it, and care enough to do something about it.

Frankly, public education needs support, not bashing, from the general public.

This educator is happy to sit at the table and work on every constructive, positive, way to make public education better.

It isn't ever going to happen when we are the enemy, and the scapegoats.

I have never thought well of Duncan, and new it was bad news as soon as he appeared on Obama's shortlist of potential S of Eds appointees.

[adnelson60087]

32. I am sick to death of the teacher bashers

After watching the debacle that served as an "education forum" made of a failed basketball player, self-serving preacher, and Newt Gingrich (no descriptor needed), I am convinced we educators are the weakest group of professionals in the country. No other profession would allow themselves to be so humiliated and dismissed as we do. Doctors? Attorneys? Scientists/Engineers?? No way would they stomach this crap. But we do. We even support those who tell us we are the problem, and not the solution.

Unlike many of you here, I've been teaching for about 20 years, and still have a long way to go. I can't just bail on the system, not that any of you want to either. I'm fine for teacher accountability as long as it is done with teacher support and understanding. Still, I want to know how the politicians are going to be held accountable for dismissing the YEARS of educational research findings on what actually makes a classroom work? Or even the parents, who all acknowledge as "The First Teachers" of a child's life? How do we hold them accountable Mr.'s Duncan, Gingrich, and Sharpton? These are all great buzz-words they throw around, but, like me since I'm not a doctor, don't know squat about surgery.

Sorry, I'm just frustrated and now on to teach today.

[tonysam]

37. +1,000

The problem is teachers as a group are horribly wimpy and reluctant to exercise their rights. And for good reason: The way the system is set up, any teacher who dares to speak out, whether about the big issues facing education or about their administrators, faces disciplinary action or even ultimately termination. They are SCARED because it is so easy to be fired in public education and thus totally unable to teach again given the gigantically unequal relationship between teachers and principals (and other administrators), which in turn is exacerbated because school districts receive taxpayer money and therefore administrators aren't a bit afraid of lawsuits, which they can drag out for years on end.

Teachers are supposedly professionals, but they aren't treated as such.

[southerncrone]

56. Totally agree. The experienced teachers are leaving our crazy, ridiculous

school system in droves. The lack of real concern for the education of students, coupled with reams of required data gathering & analysis of ever-increasing minutia, makes any teacher with a brain & the heart to truly educate, want to jump off a ledge. I became an educator just as NCLB was being enacted. This is my second career. I will be taking an early retirement next year just to get out of this insanity. We are doing nothing but warehousing kids & rudimentary babysitting. Disciple is a thing of the past & schools are becoming hazardous workplaces as a result.

The PTB couldn't outright dismantle the public education system, so they attacked it in another way. The bureaucracy has eclipsed all reason & teachers can't teach because of so many impediments thrown in the way by administrators & legislators. Students & parents who really want an education for their kids, have realized they must leave the public schools & go the private school route. What is left is the poor, or the troubled kids. The poor kids struggle because of their home environments, many are not nourished properly, same for the troubled kids. Neither are coming to school ready to learn, or even interested in getting an education in many cases. These kids need REAL help BEFORE they can begin to be educated. School systems & teachers are not prepared to deal with these situations.

I can't advise anyone to enter the field of education today. A sad commentary on today's public education status.

[tonysam]

57. This was my second career, too, and the district stole my retirement

so that I have a pittance from Nevada PERS--I had just gotten vested when that human resources crook targeted me. I am shopping for an attorney right now to sue the district's ass. Hopefully the one I have written to, who himself has sued the school district because HE was fired for whistleblowing on the superintendent at the time, will take my case on contingency.

[southerncrone]

59. What ever happened to integrity in & by the schools?

I'm half holding my breath that they don't try to screw me out of my <$400 per month retirement. It's just a crap shoot at this point. I so wish I'd gotten my MBA instead of my MEd. At least in the business world you can expect to get screwed. I had the lofty notion that I could make a difference for kids & my community. Ha Ha. Jokes on me.

I'm convinced that administrators are chosen to facilitate the undermining of the education system. It couldn't accidentally get THIS messed up. Until parents & students are held accountable for their behavior & attitudes, this will only spiral further into the dumpster. We cater to the worst of the students, while those that do right by themselves & others are left to suffer at the hands of the bullies & delinquents. I'm forced to spend inordinate amounts of time & energy on kids who were sent to our alternative school, or are suspended (both out of school & in school). Teachers are punished for the bad behavior of our students, instead of the parents. We seriously need more parenting classes, but that cost too much $. Yea, right.