Slaying Goliath

1. "Disruption" is Not "Reform"

The individuals and groups who promote test-based accountability, school closings, and school choice as remedies for low test scores are not reformers.

Misleading terminology. The author argues that the term "education reform" has been brazenly appropriated by a movement whose true goal is not improvement but disruption and privatization. This movement, labeled "Disrupters," aims to dismantle America's public schools, break teachers' unions, and attack teacher professionalism, often inflicting chaos on children's lives without remorse. They are proponents of privatization, distrusting the public sector and local control.

Hidden agenda. The Disrupters' rhetoric, often concocted by marketing professionals, deceptively claims to seek "improvement," "progress," and "uplift." However, their actions reveal a calculated, insidious, and munificently funded campaign to transfer public assets to the private sector. They view education as an entrepreneurial activity, believing schools should be run like businesses, with students, teachers, and principals motivated by external "carrots and sticks" tied to standardized test scores.

Failed promises. For nearly two decades, these Disrupters, funded by billionaires and Wall Street titans, promised a dramatic transformation in American education, asserting that their strategies would make test scores soar and end the "trap" of "failing schools." Despite billions invested, these efforts have come up empty, failing to deliver on their promises and even causing widespread teacher demoralization and shortages.

2. Billionaires Drive Privatization, Not Progress

This was the work of some of the richest people in the nation: the Walton family, Bill Gates, Betsy DeVos, the Koch brothers, Michael Bloomberg, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reed Hastings, Eli Broad, and a bevy of other billionaires, most of whom had made their fortunes on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley, or in the tech industry.

Plutocratic influence. A small group of immensely wealthy individuals and their foundations are the primary drivers of the "Disruption" movement. These billionaires, including the Walton family, Bill Gates, Betsy DeVos, and the Koch brothers, leverage their vast fortunes to push for policies like high-stakes testing, charter schools, and vouchers, often without prior experience in education. Their "gifts" are seen as Trojan horses, undermining democracy by controlling public institutions under the guise of philanthropy.

Anti-democratic agenda. These funders often dislike public schools, unions, and elected school boards, preferring mayoral control or state takeovers where a single person can impose their desired changes. They spend millions to influence state and local elections, ensuring that like-minded Disrupters gain control. Their aim is to transfer public assets to the private sector, believing that market forces and competition are the best solutions for education.

Vast financial network. The Disrupters' network includes:

• Foundations: Walton Family Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies.
• Political Groups: American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), American Federation for Children, State Policy Network.
• Corporate Donors: ExxonMobil, AT&T, Pearson, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, News Corporation.
  This extensive funding ensures their agenda persists despite repeated failures, creating an illusion of a broad social movement.

3. High-Stakes Testing: A Failed Panacea

Judged by their own chosen metrics—standardized test scores—the fake “reformers” failed.

Flawed premise. The core assumption of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (RttT) was that annual standardized testing would miraculously raise achievement. However, testing is a measurement tool, not a reform strategy, and it often detracts from actual instruction by forcing "teaching to the test." Standardized tests inherently reflect socioeconomic factors, reliably certifying children from affluent families as "winners" and those from disadvantaged backgrounds as "losers."

Ineffective and harmful. Despite billions spent on testing and test preparation, national test scores (NAEP) remained flat for a decade after 2007, and achievement gaps persisted. The tests offer no diagnostic value to teachers, as results are often delayed and questions are proprietary. The arbitrary "proficiency" cut scores, often set to fail most students, demoralize children and teachers, leading to:

• Narrowing of the curriculum (less time for arts, civics, history).
• Increased stress and anxiety for students.
• Cheating scandals (e.g., D.C.'s Ballou High School).

Resistance to testing. Parents, teachers, and students have actively resisted this regime:

• New York's Opt Out Movement: Parents, led by Jeanette Deutermann and Lisa Rudley, organized mass refusals of state tests, forcing the governor to suspend teacher evaluation laws.
• Seattle Teachers' Boycott: Jesse Hagopian led Garfield High teachers in boycotting the MAP test, citing its irrelevance and time consumption, eventually leading to its optional status for high schools.
• Providence Student Union: Students used creative protests, like a "Zombie March" and inviting professionals to take mock tests, to successfully challenge high-stakes graduation requirements.

4. Rewards and Punishments Demotivate, Not Inspire

The basic rule, what we would want for our own children, should apply to all kids.

Outdated management. The Disrupters' reliance on threats, punishments, and rewards (carrots and sticks) to motivate students and teachers echoes outdated management theories like Taylorism and behaviorism from a century ago. They believe fear of job loss or the promise of bonuses tied to test scores will drive improvement, ignoring the complex human dynamics of education. This approach leads to top-down control and standardization, treating teachers as compliant workers rather than professionals.

Undermining intrinsic motivation. Research in cognitive psychology, particularly Edward Deci's Self-Determination Theory, demonstrates that for cognitive tasks, extrinsic rewards actually suppress intrinsic motivation. People perform best when they feel autonomy and authenticity, not when compelled by external incentives. Dan Ariely's work further distinguishes between social norms (willing participation) and market norms (working for pay), showing that introducing market norms can erode the social commitment that drives service professions like teaching.

VAM's colossal failure. Value-Added Measurement (VAM), which evaluates teachers by student test scores, was a cornerstone of RttT. Despite its adoption by most states, VAM proved unreliable and ineffective.

• Inaccuracy: Teachers account for only 1-14% of test score variability; socioeconomic factors are far more influential.
• Impracticality: 70% of teachers don't teach tested subjects, leading to arbitrary evaluations.
• Demoralization: It caused widespread teacher demoralization and contributed to teacher shortages, as teachers avoided high-needs students for fear of low scores.
  A $575 million Gates Foundation study confirmed VAM's failure, showing no improvement in student achievement or teacher quality.

5. School Choice Fuels Corruption and Segregation

Any organization that receives millions of dollars in public funds should be subject to public oversight and accountability.

Deregulation's cost. The push for "school choice" (charter schools and vouchers) by Disrupters is often accompanied by demands for deregulation, claiming it fosters innovation. However, this lack of oversight has led to an "epidemic of fraud, waste, and mismanagement" in the charter industry, which would be unacceptable in public schools. Reports by public interest organizations have documented hundreds of millions, possibly billions, in wasted public funds.

Examples of corruption:

• Related-party transactions: Charter operators doing business with their own companies, family members, or board members (e.g., Arizona's Eddie Farnsworth, Glenn Way).
• Embezzlement: Charter founders stealing millions for personal luxury (e.g., Christopher Clemons in Georgia, Nicholas Trombetta in Pennsylvania).
• Online charter fraud: Virtual schools with abysmal performance and high dropout rates, yet immensely profitable due to low overhead and inflated enrollment claims (e.g., Ohio's ECOT, California's A3 organization).
• Nepotism: Awarding contracts to relatives (e.g., Chicago's UNO chain).

Segregation and inequity. Charter schools are often more segregated than public schools, both racially and socioeconomically. Many charters:

• Exclude students: Discourage or expel students with disabilities, English language learners, or those with behavioral issues.
• Cherry-pick: Select academically strong or compliant students, leaving public schools with higher-needs populations.
• Promote racial isolation: Intentionally organize schools by race or ethnicity (e.g., Minneapolis).
  This creates a two-tier system, where public schools are left with the most challenging students but fewer resources, while charters operate with less accountability.

6. The "Miracles" That Weren't: New Orleans and Florida Debunked

Whatever the gains in New Orleans, there were substantial losses.

New Orleans: A coerced "success." After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans became the charter industry's "shining star," with nearly all public schools replaced by charters. This was presented as a triumph of the free market, but it was a coerced transformation, firing unionized teachers and replacing them with inexperienced recruits. While test scores rose, the district remained below state averages in a low-performing state, with high stratification where the most advantaged students attended the best schools.

• Exaggerated gains: Gains were largely attributed to a massive influx of federal and philanthropic funding and significant demographic shifts (exodus of the poorest families).
• Human cost: The "charter revolution" led to an "unsustainable slog of long hours and low pay" for teachers, high turnover, and a "Darwinian game of musical chairs" for students, with little mental health support for traumatized families.

Florida: A model of lawlessness. Jeb Bush and Betsy DeVos tout Florida as a school choice success, but it's a case study in circumventing constitutional law and ignoring public will. Florida's constitution explicitly bans public funding for religious schools and mandates a "uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high-quality system of free public schools."

• Constitutional defiance: Despite a 2012 referendum rejecting public funding for religious schools, the Republican-dominated legislature enacted the nation's largest voucher program ($1 billion/year), with 80% of funds going to religious schools.
• Lack of accountability: Voucher schools are exempt from state standards, tests, and public reporting, often teaching "racist, sexist, and intolerant views" or Scientology, and discriminating against LGBTQ+ students.
• Conflicts of interest: Key legislators profited personally from charter school ownership and employment, creating a system rife with financial mismanagement and corruption.

7. The Grassroots Resistance Rises Against Plutocracy

The Resistance is powered not by money but by passion and conviction.

David vs. Goliath. The Resistance, a diverse coalition of parents, teachers, students, and community leaders, stands against the billionaire-funded Disruption movement. Unlike the Disrupters, who rely on vast financial resources and marketing, the Resistance is fueled by volunteerism, individual donations, and a deep commitment to public education as a common good. They believe in nurturing the joy of learning, respecting teachers, and providing adequate resources for all children.

Intellectual and moral foundation. Long before NCLB, scholars like Jonathan Kozol, Susan Ohanian, and Alfie Kohn warned against the dangers of privatization and excessive testing. Later, researchers like David Berliner, Bruce Biddle, Richard Rothstein, and Linda Darling-Hammond provided robust evidence debunking the "failing schools" narrative and highlighting the impact of poverty. This academic work provides a crucial intellectual backbone for the Resistance.

Diverse and effective activism. The Resistance employs various strategies:

• Blogging: Knowledgeable teachers and parents (e.g., Mercedes Schneider, Gary Rubinstein, Peter Greene) use social media to expose Disrupter failures and share authentic stories.
• Organizations: Groups like United Opt Out, Network for Public Education (NPE), and Badass Teachers Association (BATs) mobilize thousands for protests, "swarms," and legislative advocacy.
• Legal Challenges: Civil rights organizations like the NAACP, ACLU, Education Law Center, and Southern Poverty Law Center file lawsuits against discriminatory practices and unconstitutional funding.
• Community Organizing: Leaders like Jitu Brown in Chicago and Cindy Barnard in Douglas County, Colorado, successfully rally communities to protect local schools and democratic control.

8. Teachers Revolt, Changing the National Narrative

Almost overnight, America’s teachers went from being portrayed as rotten apples to being celebrated as self-sacrificing heroes struggling to make ends meet under circumstances that would be unthinkable in other professions.

Decade of neglect. The period from 2008 to 2018 saw widespread underinvestment in public education, with most states cutting funding, freezing teacher salaries, and increasing class sizes. This "decade of neglect" was exacerbated by Disrupters demanding teacher firings and privatization, while ignoring the economic realities faced by educators. Teachers, often working multiple jobs and paying for classroom supplies, reached a breaking point.

The Education Spring of 2018. A wave of teacher walkouts and strikes, starting in West Virginia, dramatically shifted the national discourse.

• West Virginia: Teachers, in a right-to-work state, staged a statewide nine-day walkout, uniting with other public employees to demand higher pay and health care relief, successfully securing a 5% raise for all public workers.
• Oklahoma: Facing some of the lowest pay and deepest cuts, teachers walked out for two weeks, demanding higher salaries and increased taxes on the energy industry. Their activism led to significant legislative changes and the election of more educators.
• Arizona: Teachers, organized through #RedforEd, staged a six-day walkout, securing a 20% pay raise and restored education funding, while also defeating a major voucher expansion referendum.

Power in unity. These revolts demonstrated that teachers, even in states with anti-union laws, could organize and exert significant political pressure. They highlighted the deplorable conditions in public schools and the sacrifices teachers were making, transforming their public image from "rotten apples" to "self-sacrificing heroes." This collective action proved that grassroots power could challenge and defeat well-funded political establishments.

9. Democracy Under Attack: The Fight for Public Control

The power of their money can be defeated by the power of voters.

Erosion of local control. The Disruption movement actively undermines democratic control of public education. Billionaires and their political allies push for mayoral control, state takeovers, and appointed boards, bypassing elected school committees. They funnel "Dark Money" into local school board elections, outspending grassroots candidates to install pro-privatization majorities, as seen in Los Angeles and Douglas County, Colorado. This is fundamentally anti-democratic, allowing wealthy elites to dictate policy without public accountability.

Voters reject privatization. Despite massive spending by Disrupters, voters consistently reject privatization when given a direct say:

• Massachusetts (2016): Voters overwhelmingly defeated Question 2, a referendum to lift the cap on charter schools, despite $25 million spent by charter advocates.
• Georgia (2016): Voters rejected a constitutional amendment to create a governor-controlled "opportunity school district" for school takeovers.
• Arizona (2018): Voters decisively defeated Prop 305, Governor Ducey's plan to expand the state's voucher program sixfold, after a grassroots campaign by SOS Arizona.
  These victories demonstrate that when the true nature and funding of privatization efforts are exposed, the public chooses to protect its public schools.

The path forward. The Resistance is winning because Disrupters' policies are inherently flawed and their failures are undeniable. The movement for privatization is imploding, with declining charter growth, consistent negative findings on voucher programs, and growing public awareness of corruption and the harm to public schools. The future of American education lies in:

• Adequate funding: Investing in public schools, reducing class sizes, and providing fair wages and resources for teachers and students.
• Democratic control: Restoring local, elected school boards and ensuring public accountability for all schools receiving public funds.
• Focus on children: Prioritizing the holistic development of children, fostering a love of learning, and addressing root causes of inequality like poverty, rather than chasing test scores or profits.

Last updated: February 26, 2026