Michelle Rhee in Atlanta with preachers' group...taking back public schools.

[madfloridian]

I am not sure what they are "taking the schools back" from, but they sure seem to be combining religion and education and politics.

This article just angered me so much, and I tried to understand why. Rhee is all over the country fighting teachers' unions and public schools. So why did this article get to me so badly?

I believe it is because there is not a single political leader, not a single leader of our party who is standing up for public school teachers. There is not a single leader among the Democrats who is saying enough is enough, time to back off, time to leave teachers alone. Time to put some of the blame and responsibility on the parents as well.

It has been a sad time in our country with both parties allowing corporations and big money to launch these attacks on public education.

More about Rhee in Atlanta with the preachers, taking schools back from "something".

Michelle Rhee joins clergy today in Atlanta for take-back-our schools conference

Rhee will be part of a panel after the movie that her husband, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, will moderate. Also on the panel will be state Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan of Cobb, Tony Roberts of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, and Tonya Moore, third-grade teacher at Stonewall Tell Elementary School.

Rhee is here because her group, StudentsFirst, is co-sponsoring the daylong Faith Leaders National Education Policy Summit in Atlanta, which will focus on the achievement gap, drop-out rates and public education policies. The co-sponsor is her husband’s nonprofit group, STAND UP for Great Schools. The movie screening and panel are part of the summit program, which is not open to the public.

Oh goody, another reformy group with a name that implies that public schools are no good.

And on top of that, they are combining their propaganda movie, Won't Back Down, with religion.

That's pathetic.

Meanwhile, they've got all the money for ads, all the power to keep on making teachers look bad and continue ridiculing them.

The article then includes an op ed by some civil rights leaders attending the meet. They want to remind us how much religion must play a part in our education. Here is part of it. They want to lead the reforms.

I am looking for the letter at an individual link, but will include this for now.

Today, pastors from across the country are convening in Atlanta for the Faith Leaders National Education Policy Summit. This single-day event, hosted by STAND UP and StudentsFirst, seeks to engage and mobilize faith leaders on the education crisis facing our children and how we can unify the push for change.

In this endeavor, Stand Up has partnered with Church of God in Christ, African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist and other denominations to assemble influential faith leaders for this timely discussion.

Education is the civil rights issue of this generation, especially for Black America. For such a time as this, our communities need the aligned leadership of the religious community to stand together and answer the call for our children.

They say the church must be the driving force of the "revolution".

And our leaders stand by silently as teachers and public schools are presented as failures, which they are not.

They do not speak out as Michelle Rhee and her reformy cohorts drive the direction of schools backed by huge corporate money and power.

[No Elephants]

1. Taking schools back from people who did not invent making a

profit from public education and think education has goals other than standardized tests.

Get their not for profit asses out of education!

[Enthusiast]

2. For many years I have wondered if the goal

of education privatization wasn't a sort of back-door way to get prayer back in school.

I know that is an awkwardly written sentence, Mad. I'm aware of my deficiencies, that is why I value a good education.

[No Elephants]

3. Could be a lot of things, but I would say profit and brainwashing are the top 2.

Then again, maybe profit is 1 and 2.

[Me.]

4. I Say Follow The Money

I have also wondered from time to time of Rhee isn't something like a moonie, 'cause there's a power play going on here and while I contend that money is an issue there may be some weird ideology also at play.

[madfloridian]

5. I wonder who gave her so much power? She's been put in charge of education.

She gets glowing media coverage, no negative aspects at all except from some bloggers on the internet.

Both parties have given her carte blanche with our schools.

[Me.]

6. For Those Reasons And More

Is why I think there is a hidden agenda here and money/power backing her. Also the fact that she's so damn arrogant and rude, the attitude of someone who thinks they're covered.

[madfloridian]

7. Good point. She KNOWS some important folks have her back.

And no one has the teachers' backs.

[Me.]

8. We So

We just have to raise them. I have noticed, at least here in NY, parents getting ugly to power

[Me.]

9. That Should Say We Do