from Wrench in the Gears
December 14, 2017
December 14, 2017
This
week the Network for Public Education launched another video in
their series on the privatization of public education. The video featured John
Kuhn, superintendent of the Mineral Wells Independent School District in
Mineral Wells, Texas. Kuhn, an admittedly charismatic speaker, discussed the
important issue of funding inequities and how lack of funding hurts students in
low-income school districts. I was curious where Mr. Kuhn’s school district was
located, because I have been following the work of a number of intrepid parent
activists in Texas who have been busy exposing the next wave of privatization
in the state including: education savings accounts, social impact bonds for
mathematics instruction, and districts of innovation.
When
I pulled up the Mineral Wells ISD website, I was surprised to see a link for
“Future Ready” in the “Learn More About Us” footer of
each page. I had shared my concerns regarding the “Future Ready” pledge last
October. You can read about them here.
If you want the short version, the program is affiliated with the reform outfit
The Alliance for Excellent Education and funded by the Gates Foundation,
Google, Apple, Pearson, Summit Learning and the Carnegie Corporation, among
others. Those who sign the pledge commit to “implementing meaningful changes
toward a digital learning transition.” The “About the Effort” page of the
Future Ready website makes it clear pledge signers support the idea that
“personalized” learning is about adoption of digital technologies: “We believe
every student deserves a rigorous, personalized learning environment filled
with caring adults and student agency. District leaders must recognize the
potential of digital tools and align necessary technologies with instructional
goals to support teaching and learning.”
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