The 2012 Elections: The Education Issue

The drive to dismantle the public school system proceeds apace:

New Jersey seeks to end teachers' tenure.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20111230/NJNEWS/312300029/Reforms-may-end-teacher-tenure-N-J-?nclick_check=1

Philadelphia School District seeks to bust SEIU.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=39959:13tmseiu

Upper Darby (PA) School District eliminates arts, music and gym at elementary level in order to fund the district's charter school.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Students-Parents-Teachers-Protest-Upper-Darby-School-District-Cuts--149778005.html

These efforts are part of a broader plan from the market-worshipping right to also capture higher education and the financial arena.  The results of these efforts are plain enough.

Recruiting scandals have rocked the for-profit sector of higher education.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/policy/legislation/veterans-groups-level-harsh-criticism-against-for-profit-colleges/

http://quitamteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=566:apollo-settles-university-of-phoenix-lawsuit-

http://fraudfighters.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/apollo-group-settles-qui-tam-case-relating-to-fraudulent-activity-by-the-university-of-phoenix/

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/educationblog/2011/07/kaplan_higher_ed_settles_lawsu.html

And we all know what happened on Wall Street to precipitate the Great Recession.  No citations needed here, I think.

And yet the great divide yawns between he left and right in this election year.  The right remains committed to its worship of the market.  Despite all this proof that human nature --- aka greed and megalomania --- will prevail, when the public good is turned over to the for-profit sector... despite all this proof, the Free Marketeers remain determined to impose their failed creed upon public higher education t the K-12 level as well.