Civil Rights organizations vs. Wealthy: Are charter schools better?
A few weeks ago, the Movement for Black Lives, the network that also includes Black Lives Matter organizers, released its first-ever policy agenda. Among the organization’s six demands and dozens of policy recommendations was a bold education-related stance: a moratorium on both charter schools and public school closures. Charters, the agenda argues, represent a shift of public funds and control over to private entities. Along with “an end to the privatization of education,” the Movement for Black Lives organizers are demanding increased investments in traditional community schools and the health and social services they provide.
There is much much more in the Mother Jones article… Please check out and share as it’s an excellent read.
This week I also had the opportunity to have a conversation with the The Real News Network about the rapidly changing climate for charters. I have pasted the entire 8-minute RNN segment below which includes their introduction to the developing debate surrounding charter schools. Below the full clip, I have pasted easily shareable abbreviated YouTube clips.
It’s Leigh Dingerson, with the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and the Annenberg Institute. We’ve met/crossed paths at various places.
I understand that you’ve been working hard to orchestrate the recent NAACP resolution against charters, and that the NAACP national board is meeting in October and will vote on finalizing the resolution. I also see that they’re getting a fair amount of push-back from the industry.
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is a national coalition of teacher, parent and student groups (as you probably know). We’d love to help amass some support for the resolution, and to work with you to keep the NAACP’s courageous stand in the public eye.
Are you up for a conversation about ways we might be able to support this work? I’d love to introduce you to our national director, Keron Blair, and to strategize. As you know, AROS is planning a major national mobilization on October 6th in support of public schools, with different specific demands in different cities. I’m thinking, for example, that it might be one opportunity for folks to come out in support of the NAACP resolution. But our media firm might also be able to weigh in. We just thought we should coordinate with you to learn more.
Are you open to an e-intro to Keron, and a conversation?