Our Broad-trained superintendent has spoken. There will be TFA, Inc. recruits in Seattle.
But the battle for Seattle is not over.
Why was it so important to bring TFA, Inc. to our state? Because there are well paid lobbyists and Broad/Gates backed organizations along with DFER, who just set up shop in our state, who are already lobbying for charter schools. Charter schools are populated with TFA, Inc. recruits. These TFA, Inc. folks, fresh out of college can be trained to feed the students pre-packaged curriculum that can be regurgitated back out on a standardized test. Low pay, long hours, no union to bother with and no questions asked. If you don’t know anything about the art of teaching, then you will have no idea that there is another way to educate a child and therefore you will not question the process.
The Seattle school board last night rubber-stamped the supe’s recommendation zombie style, 6-1. The irony of this is that the Board Director who voted against it was representing the schools who would receive the majority of TFA, Inc. recruits.
Parents, students and teachers spoke quite eloquently and in unison against having TFA, Inc. recruits in their schools. On the other side, the only folks who spoke up for TFA, Inc. were TFA, Inc. alumnae, go figure, who thought that doing their two year stint with TFA, Inc. was the best experience that they had ever had. No mention was made about how the students might have felt about it or the experienced teachers who worked alongside them and who had to spend their valuable time bringing these recruits along.
So what is our next step? Seattle Education 2010, in partnership with Parents Across America, Seattle will be working with other concerned individuals and organizations on three actions.
The first action is that we will start a school board watch on this website tracking each school board director, noting their votes, their official comments on school issues and tracking their funding in terms of who paid for them to have a seat at the table and who will be funding them during their bid for re-election...
Our second action is that we will be recruiting school board candidates and supporting them during their bid for election.
And finally, we will be pursuing legal recourse..
The Broad and Gates backed organizations like to remain secretive about what they are doing. We believe this is because if folks knew what their agenda was, there would push back big time. In reaction to this underhandedness and lack of transparency that these organizations have exhibited, we have decided to be transparent on what we are doing and why. We want true grassroots involvement and to achieve that, an organization needs to be up front and honest. That is my belief...
Oh yeah, and speaking of transparency, three guesses on who the “mystery donor” is who will be paying for TFA, Inc. for the next three years...
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/teach-for-america-inc-is-in-seattle/Bill Gates. Did I guess right?
Bill Gates is paying to get TFA into Seattle Schools.
Washington State doesn't have charter schools, and up to now hasn't had TFA.
These people are like....