Bill Gates and the Teacher Unions

I came across an excellent article that perfectly describes Bill Gates' role in Common Core, explained through his relationship with the teacher unions. The main point of the article is the dishonesty of one of the unions, but it's well referenced and does a great job helping the reader to understand just how large Gates' single-handed role is in the education of our country's children. Here's a snippet:

...in March 2014, Bill Gates gave a keynote at [the] National Board Teaching and Learning conference.

His speech focused on one of his pet investment priorities: the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Gates wants CCSS. He gives millions (billions?) to organizations to implement CCSS.
Gates wants it-- he buys it.

That's not so complicated. But it certainly does afford Gates some power-wielding influence. Indeed, the day before Gates' speech to the National Board, he dined with 80 senators.
 
Think about that.

Billionaire Gates has the ear of scores of influential individuals. It's a great exchange: You give us money; we give you an audience. Another example: in summer 2008, Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) President Gene Wilhoit asked Gates to fund CCSS. In November 2010, Gates offered a CCSSO keynote on CCSS. Gates was listed as a CCSSO "co-chair and trustee."

By way of his wallet, Gates is allowed time and again to voice his ideas on test-score-driven, market-friendly education "reform."

Read the rest here.

What's The Problem with the Gates Foundation Donating Money to Education?

Someone in a Facebook group I belong to said

On Monday the state Board of Regents held a town hall meeting at ...community college to discuss their "Transform 2020" plan. Basically it's strategy is to streamline the state universities and community colleges. During the Q&A I expressed my dismay over the state's using graduation rates as the primary measure of program success when our college is a transfer institution for most students.

The speaker's answer stunned me...."what do we do when the Gates Foundation asks us to present our graduation numbers?".

When I responded that it is not proper for state institutions to be beholden to a private institution she quickly backtracked claiming they only use the Gates Foundation for research. ...

I distinctly heard her say they have to give the Gates Foundation the outcomes that the private foundation wants.

This was very disturbing to me; although I knew that Gates is basically taking over education in the US,  this was the first first-hand account I've heard about Gates' influence directly here in CT and it affected me more deeply than anything else I'd heard.

So it was with special interest that I read this article I came across yesterday. It's about how Gates and cohorts control the conversation around Common Core by controlling the media. What we can expect to hear soon...

It was often repeated and became widely accepted as a result of their campaign that “public education is broken.” This was the narrative that has allowed for wholesale experimentation in the deconstruction of public education. Now, the story is shifting, and the new narrative is “Reform is Working!”

Please consider reading the entire article yourself. It's a good one.

Just What is Bill Gates' Involvement with Common Core?

For those of you who might not be aware of just how enmeshed Bill Gates is with Common Core, you may want to head over to The Washington Post, where you will find a fantastic article that explains just how involved he was from the very beginning. An excerpt...

...What followed was one of the swiftest and most remarkable shifts in education policy in U.S. history.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation didn’t just bankroll the development of what became known as the Common Core State Standards. With more than $200 million, the foundation also built political support across the country, persuading state governments to make systemic and costly changes.

Bill Gates was de facto organizer, providing the money and structure for states to work together on common standards in a way that avoided the usual collision between states’ rights and national interests that had undercut every previous effort, dating from the Eisenhower administration.

The Gates Foundation spread money across the political spectrum, to entities including the big teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, and business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — groups that have clashed in the past but became vocal backers of the standards.

Money flowed to policy groups on the right and left, funding research by scholars of varying political persuasions who promoted the idea of common standards. Liberals at the Center for American Progress and conservatives affiliated with the American Legislative Exchange Council who routinely disagree on nearly every issue accepted Gates money and found common ground on the Common Core...

Now go read the rest.

The Main Stream Media Chimes In...

I'd really like to know though, why people keep turning to Bill Gates as the authority on Common Core. Why wasn't Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education, interviewed? Oh yes, maybe because he's proven himself to be a horrible PR person?

Bill Gates Keeps Pushing Kahn Academy

Further to my wondering about Kahn Academy's relationship with Bill Gates. A brief few seconds...

Bill Gates on Math

Um, wrong, Bill.

Wonder what those Asian countries that you are always comparing us to
would think of this:

So Who Exactly, Is Sal Khan?

Sal Khan is a curriculum writer. You can watch his youtube videos on his website for free. When we were homeschooling our family used his site extensively; free pieces of curriculum for math. Awesome!

Except now Sal Khan has been bought by Bill Gates. So he is no longer the one writing the curriculum...



In 2010 Sal Khan earned $70,833 as Khan Academy's CEO.
And only one year later, he was grossing $348,879.

From 2010 to 2011 Khan Academy's revenue went from 1.8 million dollars to 11.7 million dollars. Where exactly, did all that money come from? And why the sudden interest in Khan Academy?

Interestingly, the time between the two was the year Khan Academy received 1.4 million dollars from Bill Gates.

Frustratingly, it is impossible to find financials on Khan Academy for 2012 and 2013 online for free; I'm sure they are fascinating reads.

The Weekly Quote

All states and districts should collect common data on teachers and students. We need to define the data in a standardized way, we need to collect all of it for all of our students, and we need to enter it in something cheap and simple that people can share.

~ Bill Gates
Microsoft Board Member and its largest shareholder

The Weekly Quote

It would be great if our education stuff worked,
but that we won’t know for probably a decade.

~ Bill Gates
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Weekly Quote

When the tests are aligned to the Common Core Standards, the curriculum will line up as well. And it will unleash a powerful market of people providing services for better teaching. For the first time, there will be a large uniform base of customers looking at products...

~ Bill Gates
Microsoft Board Member and its largest shareholder