StickWithANose

The venture philanthropists are nothing if not methodical. They use tried and true methods to expand the scope of charter schooling and alternative licensure programs by exploiting weak communities that are desperate for resources and lacking in political capital with promises of creating innovative schools staffed by trained professionals. Simply put, the method goes as follows: Capture a few pols in local government, pump in money for “public relations” work designed to sell “reform”, introduce charter schools, free those schools from meaningful oversight, and take over teacher recruitment. It’s a winning formula.

For natives of Tennessee, it is well known that Memphis is the poster child of desperate, weak communities. And you can guess where this is leading…. From the Commercial Appeal

Memphis City Schools has signed short-term contracts worth $1.4 million with several consultants, including a local public relations agency, as the district moves toward merit pay for teachers and getting rid of those who miss the mark.

Supt. Kriner Cash quickly raised the capital from donors, including the Hyde Family Foundations, so work could begin Oct. 1…

The contracts are a prelude to a seven-year teacher improvement plan the district hopes to accomplish with nearly $100 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates will announce the winners of its national grants in early November. Memphis is one of five finalists…

The “bridge agreements” the board approved Monday also include $542,000 to The New Teacher Project to start recruiting teachers this fall, and a $720,000, 90-day contract with The Parthenon Group, a Gates-sanctioned consultant the district chose to help it flesh out strategy for winning the Gates prize.

Parthenon, in Boston, will now help Cash with administration details, including meeting early “milestone” goals, such as turning teacher recruitment over to The New Teacher Project and instituting performance-based bonuses for high-quality new teachers who pledge to stay four years.

The Memphis City School District is systematically relinquishing its control of public education to the private sphere right down to staffing and recruitment, and there is Gates money pushing this take over down the throat of a community that has been struggling for a long time.

Now, commence with the flood of under-qualified teachers that will turn over every 2-5 years! At least they’ll keep those pesky labor costs under control. [/snark]