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Liar liar pants on fire: SCORE

12/30/2013

 
"SCORE reminds me of pushy car salesmen. They are in your face with their sales pitch and using buzz words to impress you.  If you look under the hood, though, you'll see they are really selling you a lemon." 
~ an anonymous parent
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Unfortunately, Tenneessee is being sold a big fat lemon by SCORE.  We are:
...bumping over potholes and realizing this machine has major problems,
...hearing the grinding of excessive testing wearing down children, 
...screeching and groaning as we realize how developmentally inappropriate these standards are for young children and students with special needs,
...realizing crash-test-dummies never made sure common core was safe before children were put on board, 
...shocked to see the lug-nuts pop off as excellent teachers leave the profession, 
...scared that the driver doesn't have an honest-to-goodness teaching license and is bailing out in 2 years,
...choking on smoke billowing from the engine as our children are asked personally identifiable questions on surveys without parental consent,
...spending money we don't have to buy brand-name common core parts to make this vehicle get us to the next test,
...frantically searching in the glove box for the title, but come up empty-handed because it was given to a charter school company.  


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What is SCORE?
Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education is the real name of SCORE.  It was created in 2009 by US Senator Bill Frist. It is a 501(c)3 "nonprofit" organization (but some are profiting a whole lot from SCORE as you will see).  SCORE is governed by a 14-member board of directors who are not educators or even leaders in the education field.  Most are businessmen whose own children attend private schools.  SCORE also has a 29-member steering committee of the state’s "top education stakeholders" which include some greedy business organizations (Stand For Children, Teach For America, TN Charter School Center, etc.) plus the token PTA leader who doesn't even have children in school any more.  Oh, yes, the very controversial, Michelle Rhee, has her greedy paws in SCORE, too.  Some of these organizations come to SCORE smelling the huge pot of money that TN won from Race to the Top ($500 million), and some are just token organizations included for their organization's names, but not really for their input (PTA & TEA).

SCORE seeks two outcomes:
  • Ultimately, every student in Tennessee graduates high school prepared for college and career
  • Tennessee is the fastest improving state in the country on the key student outcomes that will lead to college and career preparedness
Those goals certainly sound lofty and worthwhile...  Who would argue with those, right?  It is their methods to get there that are totally wrong.  The things SCORE lobbies for isn't what the public really wants for our schools and our children like: smaller class sizes, rich music & art programs, funding for libraries, counselors, wrap-around services in schools for needy children, and less focus on testing and more on students.

HOW?
SCORE’s work is governed by a theory of change (reform) that includes embracing high academic standards (aka: Common Core, which we know have serious problems), cultivating great school and district leaders (that seek to privatize schools and benefit businesses), ensuring excellent teaching in every classroom (through unfair use of test results and over-testing students), and using data to enhance student learning (even though it violates student privacy to share student information with corporations, especially without parental consent).

Say what???
That's like saying we want to cure cancer (a lofty goal everyone agrees with), but we are giving everyone rigorous prune juice as medicine (common core), rating our doctors on our lab results (testing), and selling our hospitals to fast food chains (charter schools).  We know it won't cure cancer, but it will make the prune juice people and lab testing company richer, it will run off the doctors who know this is a bad plan, and McBurger will be delighted to have all those tax dollars and customers stuck eating prunes at their restaurant.

Interesting tidbits we found on SCORE's tax returns:
PictureCEO of SCORE
  1. CEO/President's salary package in 2012 = $328,361 (including a bonus of $25,000)
         Yes, that is much, much more than she ever made as a TN Senator.
         Yes, more than TN Commissioner of Education's salary (highest in the state).
         Yes, much more than the Governor of TN's salary.
         Yes, that would pay the salaries of 6 teachers.
         Okay, we'll stop now because all that money is giving us heartburn because we can't fathom someone profiting so richly off of our poor public schools.
  2. Money given from SCORE to Stand For Children (another underhanded organization that claims to support children).
        $75,000 in 2011
        $75,000 in 2010
        $50,000 in 2009

    Not much detail is given why they gave that money, just that they are sub-grants. Stand For Children has hundreds of millions of dollars and doesn't need a penny from SCORE.  Just another red flag to tuck away in the back of your minds when you're connecting the dots.

Where does SCORE get $$$ from?
Who knows?  Their donors list is private.  We do know that a big chunk comes from the Gates Foundation and some from the Hyde Foundation.  There is speculation that some money comes from business interests who will profit from the things SCORE advocates for (like the Nashville-based Ingram Corporation will make a small fortune selling Common Core products).  Some of those businesses are listed on the SCORE website as supporters.
***UPDATE on 8/27/14:  the SCORE website removed the page of their supporters after they got a bunch of money from Bill Gates and got an expensive makeover to their old website.  Lucky for you, Momma Bears happens to have a snapshot of their old website!  Here ya go:

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screenshot of old SCORE website from May 2012
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Hmmmmm.....
SCORE awarded "SCORE Prizes" to 3 schools ($10,000 each) and 1 school district ($25,000) that had the most dramatically improved student achievement.  Those schools were celebrated and used in SCORE video to convince people support their reform agenda.  (((Did you catch that?  Yes, the prizes to the schools were less than the CEO's big fat $25,000 bonus last year))).  

And one of the schools, Rose Park Math & Science Magnet, was recently redistricted as a feeder school to one of the best academic magnets in their district, so the "dramatic student achievement" was really due to the swiftly changing demographics of students, not from any of the reforms that SCORE supports.  (But those students sure look great in the SCORE video)

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Take a breath and say Hmmmmmmmmmmm again...
SCORE created a coalition they claim over 300 organizations joined to support higher standards.  (Who doesn't want higher standards, right?).  They named the coalition a very noble-sounding name: "Expect more, Achieve more."  At the TN Senate Common Core Hearings in September 2013, SCORE distributed impressively-thick packets about their coalition to the legislators and anyone who would take them.  Momma Bears knows for a fact that at least 2 of the PTA organizations on that list never ever joined it.  And putting all 138 school districts in TN on the list by default to pad the #'s is pretty underhanded.  Some of the other organizations listed are pretty suspicious, too... Shoneys? home builders? Banks? Express Video & Tan of Ducktown?  It looks like a list of Chamber of Commerce members to us.  Of course businesses will join it (free advertising + it looks like you support worthy causes for children = #commoncorepaysbig!)  

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My lips are getting numb from saying Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... 
Among the education stakeholders on the SCORE steering committee are nonprofits, businesses, and public officials with strong connections and ties to the Chamber of Commerce. Many of these same people joined with SCORE to sign a letter to the Governor and Education Commissioner citing a misleading report paid for by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that awards a big, fat "F" to Tennessee for "Truth in Advertising" as a reason to adopt Common Core standards. 
The F sounds really bad, doesn't it???  But check out the actual report and you'll see a few things that SCORE doesn't want you to know about... 
1.  This disclaimer regarding the Truth in Advertising category:  "This category does not evaluate state tests nor does it grade states on the performance of their students. Instead, the evaluation looks at how truthfully a state reports student proficiency."  Get it?  This was a problem with the grownups in our STATE not reporting accurately, not with our students.  Of course, SCORE doesn't publicize that Tennessee fared much better in other categories of this report, including academics, they only point out that big, fat F and use it to further their agenda.  
2.  This fine-print disclaimer buried in the report:  "The authors acknowledge that this is an imperfect measure of state transparency because there is some debate about using NAEP alone to benchmark state tests. However, this method is currently the only one available when comparing the transparency of reporting from one state to the next."
3.  Manipulated letter grades:  The results were rated on a pre-determined, weighted curve, so the differences between state scores are not as major as one thinks... This method of grading means there would be a pre-determined # of grades.  (Only 5 states "earned" A's, 5 got B's, 20 received D's or F's, and the rest got C's).
It is true what our high school statistics teachers taught us, you really CAN manipulate data to show whatever you want.  Momma Bears gives that report a big fat F minus for Truth in Advertising!

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Wait, did you say "Chamber of Cohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmerce?" 
The SCORE connections with the Chamber of Commerce are more twisted and tangled than a daytime soap opera.  We're not kidding!  Here are some of the juicy connections that the Chamber of Commerce directly has with SCORE, and we're probably missing a bunch, these are just the big guns:
The U.S. Chamber of a Commerce is self-described as the "world's largest business organization," a "voice in Washington" for three million businesses that is more concerned with NAFTA than educational issues.  It spent $1 billion in lobbying this year.  Sitting on SCORE's Steering Committee are the President of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and the President & CEO for the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce. 
But wait, that's not all. Several of the nonprofits on SCORE's steering committee are active in their area chambers of commerce. Scott Niswonger, the founder of Niswonger Foundation is a former chamber president. And Buzz Thomas with Great Schools Partnership was the longtime executive director for Niswonger Foundation. Hamilton County's Public Education Foundation regularly collaborates with their chamber of commerce. Businesses like Ingram Industries are also connected to the chamber of commerce. Mr. Ingram is a past director for the Nashville chamber. Pitt Hyde's Autozone is a major player in the Greater Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber and Mr. Hyde even paired up to finance a campaign supporting a sales tax increase to support Pre-K funding. Then, there is Tennessee Business Roundtable which is like an elite club for businesses operating as a PAC bridge between the chamber and politicians. The cat-daddy of the Chamber, Mike Edwards (yes, the same Mike Edwards that sits on the TN Board of Education), longtime President of Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, serves on their board of directors. He also serves on the Education Committee for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Interestingly, Edwards is highly involved in Knoxville's Public School Forum sitting on their board of directors. It is interesting because that token PTA Mom on SCORE's steering committee is the Executive Assistant for the Public School Forum.

Can't get enough of the SCORE deception???
Read more about SCORE's SHADY characters and the sneaky way SCORE created a highly-suspicious survey to show support their reforms.  Click HERE to read our Momma Bears blog about all that mess.

The final SCORE:
Momma Bears aren't fooled by SCORE's professional website, fancy videos, slick brochures, or with the people they rub elbows with.  They are a greedy organization who will do whatever it takes to keep their paychecks rolling in and their business donors happy.  

This is a series of articles to educate people about non-profit organizations that disguise themselves as supporting children, but, in reality, do not.  Click on the links below to read other posts in the "Liar liar pants on Fire" series:
  • StudentsFirst

Liar liar pants on fire:  StudentsFirst

12/29/2013

 
This is a series of posts to educate people about non-profit organizations that disguise themselves as supporting children, but, in reality, do not.

FACTS about StudentsFirst:
Started in:  2010
Founder:  Michelle Rhee
Michelle Rhee's salary:  about $300,000 from StudentsFirst + profit from book sales + speaking fees of $50,000 per event
StudentsFirst budget:  $???  (unknown because they funnel money through so many of their organizations)
Funding from:  billionaire foundations, corporate investors, and hedge fund managers
Staff:  50+ people
Spent in TN to influence TN legislators:  over $525,000

Headquarters:  California (with offices in 16 states)
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StudentsFirst does not put students, first.
They put PROFITS and POLITICIANS first.

Momma Bears aren't fooled.  This is definitely NOT a grassroots organization.  "Astroturf" is a better description.  There are no healthy roots, only an expensive layer of fake green plastic that doesn't fool anyone.  (Click HERE to read our Momma Bears blog about grassroots)

As StudentsFirst pretends to support children, StudentsFirst attacks the very teachers and school environments that nurture and educate children.  Through millions of dollars from corporate interests, StudentsFirst influences campaigns and laws that benefit their wealthy supporters.  

In Tennessee, StudentsFirst by far leads the pack of outside funding to influence elections and legislators.  Why is an organization in California spending so much money in Tennessee? or any state?  Because of the huuuuge profit to be reaped with public tax dollars by turning our public schools into profitable charter schools.

StudentsFirst has publicly celebrated budget cuts to school systems and announced its intent to do away with locally elected school boards, particularly those in urban areas.  Why?  School boards are the gatekeepers of taxpayer dollars, made up of locally elected individuals representing the people who pay those tax dollars.  Without pesky school boards in place, StudentsFirst has far less accountability and can funnel all of its resources into the campaigns of just a few city and state leaders who agree with its agenda.  That way, they can have more control no real checks in place.  Why focus on urban school boards?  Because urban school districts have more students (ie, more $), more per pupil spending (in general), and less-involved parents to protest (in general). 


Here is what StudentsFirst supports with its money and paid lobbyists:
  • privatizing our public schools by turning them into profit-generating charter schools
  • getting rid of locally elected school boards
  • politicians
  • campaigns
  • decreasing teacher pay
  • testing kids with lots of expensive tests
  • common core standards
  • using test scores to fire teachers 
  • using test scores to close neighborhood schools
  • hiring cheaper inexperienced teachers that don't have teaching licenses
  • eroding trust in teachers and public schools with manipulated test scores
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Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst.  In Washington, DC, where she was appointed Chancellor of Education by the Mayor (who wasn't re-elected because of her), there still lingers a dark fog of suspicion over suspected wide-spread cheating in 103 schools during her time there.  Though she denies knowing about the cheating, a memo has surfaced that proves otherwise.  Liar liar pants on fire.

Here's what happened to schools who followed Rhee's advice:
(according to an article by John Merrow):
• "Six years after Michelle Rhee rode into town, the public schools seem to be worse off by almost every conceivable measure." 
• With tight security after the cheating scandal, math and reading scores have plunged more than 40 percentile points. 
• Half of all newly hired teachers leave within 2 years. "It has been a revolving door for principals as well." 
• The per pupil expenditure has increased 27%, and the district has lost 13% of its students. 
• "The most disturbing effect of Ms. Rhee’s reform effort is the widening gap in academic performance between low-income and upper-income students, a meaningful statistic in Washington, where race and income are highly correlated." 



With all that money in their coffers, we can't help but wonder what would happen if StudentsFirst used the money on students, first?  Use it for things that have been PROVEN to help students succeed, like:
  • smaller class sizes
  • teacher training
  • funding for art, music, PE, sports, enrichment, etc. (like private schools and nations with higher test scores have). 
  • Heck, even basic supplies for our schools like copy paper, tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper would be better than what they're spending all that money on!  (Yes, some schools in TN really have asked parents to send in toilet paper).
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Momma Bears has dubbed the StudentsFirst motto to be: 
"Students LAST, after we take care of our corporate investors."

Superintendent's Christmas Message (farce)

12/27/2013

 
For anyone that has ever had a boss or a company that sends out newsletters or updates that put a positive spin on a less than positive situation, you can relate to this. With all of the controversy surrounding teachers' pay, Common Core, and PARCC the following was written by educator(s) in Mississippi to be a humorous take-off of how they interpret the weekly update from their local Board of Education Administrators. 
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Newsletter to teachers:

Mission Statement - The appearance of caring is our primary goal. We have attended many workshops in Hawaii, New York, and Salt Lake City that deal with appearing to care. As a result of this intensive training we can confidently say…“Just because we don’t care doesn’t mean we don’t understand.”

Our Superintendent’s Christmas Message: 
This is our Merry Christmas Tuesday Upchuck Newsletter. Just because your state is at the bottom of the pay scale and you haven’t had a raise in over 5 years doesn't mean you can’t have a Merry Christmas…so put on your happy face and spread some joy!  Your constant whining about your lack of raises is making some of us feel bad about ours. Have some compassion.

Finance - Yes, we have spent 5 million on common core, and yes you haven’t had a raise in 5 years…in fact you had a pay cut so you actually make less than you did 5 years ago. Look on the bright side. 48 states pay teachers more than this state. So you have 48 options for making more money. In a sense it’s your own fault for continuing to hang around. For those of you who are stubborn, we would like to share this:

Tips for surviving the next five years without a pay raise:
1. Because of your employment in this county many of you have made life-long friends. Sell your house and move in together. Split expenses.
2. Place your kids in foster care for the holidays. There are many organizations to provide Christmas for needy children. They will get some great gifts and you will have plenty time to work on lesson plans over the holidays. They will be more appreciative when (if) you let them return home..
3. Vacations are overrated. Take your kids to the library and let them visit places on the internet.
4. Turn your thermostats way down in the winter. 32 degrees is freezing so everyone should be ok at 35 degrees. 
5. Cancel the kids insurance. They can probably qualify for Obamacare. (not to be confused with Obamacore)
6. Get a bicycle to ride to work.
These are just a few tips from our office. I’m sure you can form a committee at your school and come up with a lot more. Maybe we can put them in a book and sell them to an architect.

Pupil Services - There is a lot of money in education but reality is the money is tied to kids, so we have to deal with them. Lucky for us at the Central Office, we have a no-kid policy. We make the money and get the raises, while the teachers do all the work managing 27 kids each. Life is good!

ELL - It is no secret that we have not met our AMAO in testing ELL for the past three years. That means we must write an improvement plan. Well, our brilliant boss came up with the idea of making the principals at each school responsible for the ELL program because WE aren't writing any improvement plans here!  We have recommended the principals turn it over to the ELL teachers to form a committee and write the plan for us. In fact we haven’t done anything for ELL in the past 3 years and now it will look as if the schools dropped the ball and got us on probation. Lovin Life!!!  
By the way, we have our own committees here that we must work on such as:  “How to get raises for administrators with out the teachers finding out” and “Providing meaningful job opportunities for our convicted friends.”  Believe me when I say, "this takes up a lot of our time." 

Personnel - We have many job opportunities for administrators in our county, but if you are a lifelong resident and have done your time in this district, you need not apply. We have posted Help Wanted ads in the Tishomingo and Lee County papers.

Accountability - We are piloting (don’t you love that word) the new CCSS test in two of the elite schools in our district. The other schools will get the same old MCT II that you have always taken, but of course it will make no sense because the students have not been taught using the framework that goes along with this test. The elite schools who piloted the test will have a leg up on the other areas and when all schools take the CCSS test the following year those two areas will outscore everyone. Anyone for merit pay? Hell, yeah!

On a side note - Our district has been under attack from a hate group who is now accusing us of hiring a private eye to spy on teachers and administrators in an effort to detect the mole. While it is true we have hired a private investigator, it is not for that purpose. We are actually using this service to obtain the Chester Chicken recipe.

Happy Holidays!

Is this the best we can do?

12/23/2013

 
Momma Bears asked teachers:  
What do you like and dislike about common core?
Their answers were surprising:
  • "I like that students must think critically, but I've been doing that all along as any good teacher does."
  • "I don't like the never-ending testing.  It leaves less time to teach!"
  • "I like teaching math concepts in depth, but it frustrates and confuses some students and their parents." 
  • "I was happy to hear that standards would be deeper and fewer, but that isn't really the truth. There are more standards and they're just all packaged together."
  • "The writing assessments are way over my students' heads.  I've taught many grade levels and I know that these writing prompts would be appropriate for older students, but not the younger ones I'm teaching now."
  • "I'm having to ignore bad grammar, misspellings, and penmanship to prepare them for the common core writing assessments.  That bothers me as an English teacher."
  • "I like the idea of every child being on the same level, but that's impossible in real life.  Students are not all the same and they will never be."
  • "My students will be tested on the computer for writing assessments, but they don't know how to type.  We don't have enough computers for students either."
  • "I am worried about my SPED students.  I heard the new Common Core tests will be brutal for them, and they won't get any accommodations."
  • "I wish I could teach more literature instead of non-fiction.  I've had to cut great literature that my students used to love and give them non-fiction text that they should be learning in Science or Social Studies classes."
  • "The common core training was confusing.  The 2 Common Core leaders contradicted themselves and argued in front of us about what was correct under Common Core."
  • "I hate that my evaluation is tied to test scores.  We haven't transitioned to the Common Core tests yet, so my students are still tested on the old standards.  Which should I teach them: the standards they'll be tested on (and will make my evaluation score higher)? or the standards they will need for the future (but will net lower evaluation scores for me)?"
  • "I'm grateful that we are given freedom to develop our own lessons, but I've heard teachers in other districts are required to follow scripted lessons.  They can't go back and review if students aren't solid because they have to move on to the next lesson on the schedule.  I sure hope that doesn't happen in my district!"
  • "Every time I hear the word 'rigor' I feel sick.  Rigor is just another word for test, test, test."

With these valid concerns that teachers raise, plus the issues that Momma Bears has already written about regarding the testing and violation of student privacy that are inseparable with common core, Momma Bears wants to know:

Are common core standards really the BEST standards we can give our children?  
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Sincere thanks to Paul Söderholm for granting us permission to use his artwork. (gnurf.net ~ paul@gnurf.net) Though he is from Finland, he perfectly captured the corporate influence on our American Education system.
Why are we required to keep these imperfect, unchangeable standards?  Why are our children required to take expensive, time-consuming, confusing tests on them?  Why aren't leaders listening to teachers???

How to get stinking rich in the education industry

12/3/2013

 
Times are tough, but that doesn't mean you can't make a buck in education right now.  No qualifications or experience? No problem!  In fact, it is actually works better if you have zero classroom experience (so you won't have any compassion for the hardworking teachers and innocent students you'll be profiting from).

You could pay $1,395 to attend a workshop (like this one) to learn how to get rich in the education industry, but Momma Bears already did the homework and figured it all out.  And Momma Bears is all about sharing knowledge with other concerned folks.  So, save your money and read about the easy 10-step program to getting rich with other people's money through America's public school system...

10 steps to hitting the jackpot in education:

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Step #1:  Start a consulting business or organization.  It doesn't really matter if it is profit or non-profit.  Non-profit organizations will seem more trustworthy and innocent to the public (but don't worry, that doesn't mean you won't get a nice paycheck.)  

Step #2:  Create a catchy name for your organization.  Acronyms work especially well.  Don't forget a logo.  You cannot go wrong with an apple logo, they are very much in style right now.

Step #3:  Make a website with pretty pie charts and lots of catchy buzz-words like these:
  • achievement gap
  • data driven benchmarks
  • human capital
  • Common Core aligned
  • education strategies
  • global citizen
  • rigorous, relevant, and robust

Step #4:  Convince a school district that they are failing.  You'll need to cherry-pick and manipulate test score data, make some glitzy charts, and use lots of buzz words.  It helps if you can WOW the school board members and Superintendent with free trips or fancy meals, too.

Step #5:  Find a Gullible Billionaire.  (Bill Gates, Eli Broad, or any of the Walton family love education entrepreneurs, especially if you have a great logo.)

Step #6:  Convince that failing school district to apply for a grant from the Gullible Billionaire. Note: the Gullible Billionaire may require a "matching grant" to get his money.  Don't fret your pretty little entrepreneurial heart over that little detail!  There's money to be squeezed from within that school district (those students don't need money for library, art, or music, do they?)  Don't forget to tell the school district to ask for matching grants from that town's Chamber of Commerce and other gullible rich people.  Businesses love to donate if you publicize their names; it is well-known that customers especially love businesses that help children.  Be sure to check all those potential sources of grant money.  

***Disclaimer: the Billionaire will require private student data in exchange for his grant.  Don't worry, you won't go to jail.  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) law was quietly changed to make it all legal. Parents would be upset if they knew, though, so don't let them find out. 

Step #7:  Name your price (which is conveniently the same amount as their grant funds plus the money they squeezed from their tight budget).  Set a time limit to your involvement with the district, and include in the contract that you get paid no matter what.

Step #8:  Pretend to study the data from the district.  Visit some of their schools to seem legitimate.  Then, convince the elected school board and superintendent to do any or all of the following (it really doesn't matter to you what they do, of course, because you still get paid regardless):
  • Fire teachers.
  • Hire unqualified temporary teachers that cost less and don't stay around long enough to get pricey retirement benefits.
  • Tell teachers they can earn bonuses and/or merit pay for reaching impossible goals.  
  • Spend more money on testing students (but call them "benchmark assessments" to compile even more data, which Gullible Billionaires love).
  • Suggest they give biased surveys to teachers, parents, & students to convince them that you know what you are doing (these surveys are a great way to gather even more data.  In fact, some Gullible Billionaires will often pay 100% for the surveys in addition to the grant!)
  • Squeeze even more students into classrooms to save their school district money (but don't ever mention how much they are wasting on outside consultants like yourself!)
  • Close neighborhood schools and give them to charter school investors.

Step #9:  Now that you have stirred up a hornet's nest in that school district, it is time to get out of Dodge, cowboy!  The citizens are starting to see they've been duped.  It is time to go on a nice vacation or buy yourself a yacht with those millions of education dollars filling up your bank account.  

Step #10:  If you really want to rake in consistent long-term tax-payer money, consider starting charter schools.  Charter operators set their own salaries and you don't have to deal with pesky financial audits and laws that apply to public schools.  Charter investors get ridiculous tax breaks up to 38%, which will double your money in just 7 years!  Yes, sir-ee, just sit back and let some commoners run your charter school empire while you watch your bank account grow.

So there you have it.  Ten easy steps to hitting the jackpot in the education industry.  What is your next goal in life?  Perhaps children of your own?  If you decide to brave the parenthood frontier, just make sure you put your own children in nice private schools with small class sizes, rich art programs, qualified teachers, huge endowments, and none of that common core stuff that some other education entrepreneurs came up with to sell textbooks & testing and gather data for Gullible Billionaires.  Hey, maybe you'll see their yacht when you're on vacation so you can ask them  for private school recommendations???



Don't believe Momma Bears?  This kind of profiteering really has happened... maybe even in your school district!  
Click these links to see for yourself:
  • Click HERE to read about grants & consultants in Knox County, TN
  • Click HERE to read about the enormous profit in Memphis, TN
  • Click HERE and HERE to see how TN's Governor profits 
  • Click HERE to read how charters & testing companies make millions in TN
  • Click HERE to read about the scandals in FL, OK, ME, NJ, TN, NM, & LA 
  • Click HERE to read the waste in Denver, CO
  • Click HERE and HERE to read how this firm profited from chaos in Colorado, New Orleans, New York, & St. Louis
  • Click HERE to read how a smart teacher does the math on Charter Schools
  • Click HERE and HERE to heed other's warnings about the Boston Consulting Group
  • Click HERE to see how Texas is being swindled big-time
  • Click HERE to see Louisana being taken advantage of
  • Click HERE for No Consultant Left Behind
  • Click HERE to see how a billionaire advertised for paid consultants in 15 states through Race to the Top
  • Click HERE to see how a consultant gets paid $625 an hour in Florida with public tax dollars (even though teachers haven't received raises in 7 years and the school board cut sports and student activities).

    Has your school district been duped, too??? 
    Send the info to Momma Bears and we'll post it!

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    Momma Bears

    Just some moms who realize their children's public school systems in TN, as well as public schools across the country, have major threats to their survival.  We research, we write, we share, and we advocate.

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