http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/education/10schools.html?_r=1&hpInexperienced Companies Chase U.S. School Funds
By SAM DILLON
Published: August 9, 2010
With the Obama administration pouring billions into its nationwide campaign to overhaul failing schools, dozens of companies with little or no experience are portraying themselves as school turnaround experts as they compete for the money.
A husband-and-wife team that has specialized in teaching communication skills but never led a single school overhaul is seeking contracts in Ohio and Virginia. A corporation that has run into trouble with parents or authorities in several states in its charter school management business has now opened a school turnaround subsidiary. Other companies seeking federal money include offshoots of textbook conglomerates and classroom technology vendors.
Many of the new companies seem unprepared for the challenge of making over a public school, yet neither federal nor many state governments are organized to offer effective oversight, said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, a nonprofit group in Washington. “Many of these companies clearly just smell the money,” Mr. Jennings said.
And the education gold rush is on!
Another public pocket to be picked. What was it Rahm was crowing about? "Open markets" for education? He meant "open season".
Who else feels like this is the beginning of a movie we've seen a hundred times before?
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