Mark Maynard | privatization

Michigan… come for the great lakes, stay for the corporate oligarchy

By Mark | May 7, 2013

According to the Detroit News, our Governor’s secret education privatization task force, nicknamed the Skunk Works, was just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently, in spite of Snyder’s pledge to bring unprecedented transparency to Lansing, a great deal of the legislation coming out of the Capital these days seems to be the product of corporate [...]

Exploring Michelle Rhee’s destructive influence over Michigan education reform

By Mark | January 10, 2013

I’m spending my evening getting acquainted with Michelle Rhee, the controversial former chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools, who’s gone on to a lucrative career as a hired gun in the fight to destroy teachers unions and privatize American public education. While I’d heard about her in the past, and I’d known that she’d [...]

Posted in Education, Michigan, Politics | Also tagged Catherine Ferguson Academy, charter schools, collective bargaining, D.C., David Tepper, dismantling of public education, District of Columbia, education reform, for-profit charter schools, Jeff Clark, Kevin Johnson, Michelle Rhee, Michigan Education Association, no child left behind, Norm Donohoe, Oregon, PACs, Paul Scott, Philip Anschutz, Proposition 2, public education, Rupert Murdoch, StudentsFirst, tenure, threats to public education, Tim King, Waiting for Superman | 31 Comments

WISD Superintendent Scott Menzel on the proposed merger of the Ypsilanti and Willow Run school districts

By Mark | July 15, 2012

A few days ago, I posted something here about the proposed merger of the Ypsilanti and Willow Run school districts. Well, what I’d written was apparently brought to the attention of Scott Menzel, the superintendent of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. Scott asked for an opportunity to clarify a few things concerning the proposed merger, [...]

Posted in Education, Michigan, Sustainability | Also tagged Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, budget cuts, Chapelle, charter schools, civic involvement of students, community gardens, consolidation, curriculum, discipline, dismantling of public education, EAA, Early College Alliance, Eastern Leaders Group, Eastern Michigan University, education reform, Educational Achievement Authority, Emergency Financial Manager Act, Emergency Financial Manger, Emergency Manager, Great Start Readiness Program, Head Start, Houghton Mifflin, Lead and Learn, Maria Cotera, mentorship, Muskegon Heights, New Tech HIgh School, persistently low achieving, PLA, public education, School Aid Act, school budget, school calendar, school vouchers, Scott Menzel, social justice, STEMTech, student court, United Way of Washtenaw County, urban agriculture, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Willow Run Community Schools, WIllow Run high school, WISD, Ypsilanti Area Community Fund, Ypsilanti Public School Alliance, Ypsilanti Public Schools | 10 Comments

Bill Moyers on the Supreme Court’s decision not to revisit Citizens United

By Mark | July 10, 2012

Bill Moyers, if you haven’t seen it yet, shared a great essay a few days ago, on the Citizen’s United decision, which gave corporations and wealthy individuals the go-ahead to invest unlimited sums of money in hopes of influencing American elections, and the subsequent campaign being waged by those attempting to buy said elections to [...]

Posted in Observations, Politics | Also tagged Bill Moyers, cash as free speech, Citizens United, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, disclose act, First Amendment, Fourth of July, Free Speech, George III, get the money out of Washington, July 4, money as free speech, Move to Amend, Netroots Nation, Ohio, Plutocracy, secrecy, Sherrod Brown, Supreme Court, Thomas Jefferson, threats to Democracy | 4 Comments

What the WISD got wrong in the marketing of their Ypsilanti, Willow Run school consolidation plans

By Mark | July 9, 2012

As of right now, I don’t feel as though I have enough information to make an informed decision concerning the proposed merging of the Ypsilanti and Willow Run school systems. When I heard, earlier this evening, that Washtenaw Intermediate School District administrators had launched a new website with the intention of improving communications about the [...]

Posted in Education, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged charter schools, consolidation, dismantling of public education, Emergency Financial Manager, Emergency Manager, Maria Cotera, Muskegon Heights, public education, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Willow Run Community Schools, WISD, Ypsilanti Public School Alliance, Ypsilanti Public Schools | 20 Comments

Tag Archives: privatization

Michigan… come for the great lakes, stay for the corporate oligarchy

Exploring Michelle Rhee’s destructive influence over Michigan education reform

Bill Moyers on the Supreme Court’s decision not to revisit Citizens United

What the WISD got wrong in the marketing of their Ypsilanti, Willow Run school consolidation plans

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