Posted on 04/28/2014 12:02:16 PM PDT by jazusamo
It is not easy to demonize people who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money to help educate poor children. But some members of the education establishment are taking a shot at it.
The Walton Family Foundation — created by the people who created Walmart — has given more than $300 million to charter schools, voucher programs and other educational enterprises concerned with the education of poor and minority students across the country.
The Walton Family Foundation gave more than $58 million to the KIPP schools, which have had spectacular success in raising the test scores of children in ghettoes where the other children are far behind in academic performance.
D.C. Prep, in Washington, whose students are mostly poor and black, has also received grants from the Walton Family Foundation. Its test scores likewise exceed those of traditional neighborhood schools, as well as the test scores of other local charter schools. Other wealthy people across the country have been doing similar things for years, including high-tech tycoons like Bill Gates and Michael Dell. It is one of the great untold stories of a unique pattern of philanthropy that makes America truly exceptional.
Yet these philanthropists have been attacked by the teachers' unions and by others in the education establishment, including academics.
It was painful to watch a well-known historian of education on a TV talk show recently, denouncing people from "Wall Street" who have promoted alternatives to the failing public schools. Apparently, in some circles, you can just say the words "Wall Street" and that proves that something evil is being done.
You can listen in vain for any concrete evidence that these philanthropic efforts to help educate poor children are creating harm.
(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...
80% of people that ‘graduated’ from NYC schools are illiterate
really isn’t difficult to vilify the teachers
Yep, and the NEA back up those teachers turning out illiterate students 100%.
A good reminder. Every single poor kid in a failing, urban school district ought to have the option of attending a KIPP school. It couldn’t possibly cost any more than what the cities are paying for the public schools anyway.
“It is one of the great untold stories of a unique pattern of philanthropy that makes America truly exceptional.”
Philanthropy, charity giving, missions, etc., is a very Christian thing to do. This behavior helped make western civilization great.
The decay of Christian influence on society, post-Christian western civilization, and the growing trend towards a statist government, whereby the statist government forces people to give through taxation, regulations, etc., feeds the growth of FedZilla in America and ensures its continued existence. This is another example of the state wanting to become god. Professing to be wise, they became fools. And the people worshiped and served the creation instead of the Creator.
Had they donated that $300,000,000 to the teachers unions, they would call them Saints.
Sowell is blowing it here. Tax-exempt "charitable" donations from Bill Gates are what birthed the Common Core. Needless to say, the standards his cloistered bureaucrats have spawned will necessitate the purchase of tons of new Windows-compatible computers, instead of Apple.
Write Mr. Sowell and point that out to him. He seems to be the kind of person who would correct a mistake once he became aware of it, or at least revise and extend his remarks.
Unfortunately, my experiences with him in that direct regard suggest otherwise.
The anchor of American Democracy... you can't make this stuff up.
Amen, that’s really over the top. The AFT and the NEA, if anything, is destroying us.
One thing that would have an immediate impact on the schools: have teachers take the SAT and an IQ test. No teacher who tests below IQ 100, or below the 50th percentile on either reading, writing, or math may be hired for elementary school. No one scoring below IQ 110 or 60th percentile on either reading, writing, or math may be hired for high school. No "affirmative action" exceptions.
The Walton Family Foundation gave more than $58 million to the KIPP schools, which have had spectacular success in raising the test scores of children in ghettoes where the other children are far behind in academic performance.
Now I understand another reason liberal elites hate Walmart so much... Walmart actually helps real people... Charter Schools are a ticket out of the ghetto... and a hope for parents who love their children. Thanks for the ping jazusamo.. Three cheers for Walmart.
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