Education reform has all the hallmarks of a parent-led, grass-roots movement to fix failing public schools.
But it's become a big business, too. Nonprofits and interests from both ends of the political spectrum are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into reform initiatives, and hundreds of companies -- for profit and nonprofit alike -- are scrambling for a share of the hundreds of billions spent annually educating students in kindergarten through grade 12.
The Walton Family Foundation, named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, gave more than $159 million to education reform initiatives in 2011. The New York Times reported that Microsoft founder Bill Gates' foundation spent more than $370 million on education reform efforts in 2009, and expects to spend an additional $3 billion over the coming five or six years.
In Minnesota, money from those foundations and others helped win passage of alternative teacher certification measures and statewide teacher evaluation standards last year. It has also been used to build public and legislative support for another measure, awaiting action by Gov. Mark Dayton, that would end job protections for more experienced teachers who don't meet those emerging new standards.
Similar battles are being waged in statehouses across the country. California, Florida and other states have adopted or are weighing a law that gives parents the power to replace the entire staff at a school or convert it to a charter school. Indiana eliminated all restrictions on charter school formation, expanded vouchers and now limits teacher union bargaining to only wages and benefits. Louisiana's governor is pushing for a dramatic expansion of privately managed charter schools and vouchers for private schools.
Teachers groups and public education advocates view these campaigns as a coordinated effort to privatize education and to weaken the powerful teacher unions. No doubt, there's some truth to this. Teacher unions have traditionally thrown their considerable organizing power and money behind Democratic candidates for local, statewide and national office.
But teachers have also used their money and political clout to block legitimate attempts to improve educational outcomes. Joe Nathan, director of the Center for School Change at Macalester College, recalls the opposition from teachers groups in the 1980s, when Minnesota became the first state in the country to allow students to attend schools outside their district, and to allow high school students to enroll in college classes. "The school board association called it the worst piece of education legislation in 25 years," he said.
Mounting parental frustration over student achievement, particularly in urban schools, has led to the creation of dozens of nonprofit advocacy groups such as Stand for Children, TeachPlus and Education Reform Now, founded and funded by liberal and conservative benefactors alike.
