by David Safier
Michelle Rhee, serial liar and obfuscator, is the ex-D.C. Ed Supe who garnered national attention for raising DC test scores only to become mired in allegations of cheating on the tests. In the no-consequences world of Republican "education reform," Rhee remains a star and heads "Students First," heavily funded by the usual suspects donors.
This year, the Tennessee Students First chapter named state Rep. John Ragan as reformer of the year. One of the bill he consponsored is known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill which
[…] bars Tennessee teachers from discussing any facet of “non-heterosexual” sexuality with children in grades K-8. But the newest iteration also includes a provision requiring teachers or counselors to inform the parents of some students who identify themselves as LGBT.
Last year, the Georgia chapter named Senator Chip Rogers reformer of the year. Among his accomplishments according to the Southern Poverty Law Center:
In the Georgia General Assembly, State Rep. Chip Rogers of Cherokee County has sponsored three anti-immigration bills, one of which would cut off all state services to illegal immigrants. "I don't think these folks are coming to America so they can make use of our social services, our schools and hospitals," Rogers says.
[snip]
Rogers acknowledges that "some people are beginning to target people for hatred," but he lays the blame largely on the immigrants themselves. "I truly believe that if it weren't for the high levels of illegal immigration, we wouldn't have the targeting, the prejudice, even if there were still high numbers of Hispanic people in Georgia.
The candidates Students First donates to are predominantly Republican — 90 out of 105 in 2012.
The corporatocracy at work. Michelle Rhee, cheater and liar, gets a bully pulpit and the media focus. Public schools get overcrowded classrooms, lower cleaning standards, and ratings determined by people who never set foot in your school.
Public education along with the rest of this dysfunctional country is going down the drain.