Your NJ Education System Explained!

by: Jersey Jazzman

Sun Mar 13, 2011 at 09:54:10 PM EDT

Rosi asked me to post my diagram explaining the NJ Education System over here at Blue Jersey. I asked her to give me a few days to refine it; now, way later than I promised, here it is:

The explanation is below the fold, but you can also read it and follow the many links to sources at the Jersey Jazzman blog.

Billionaire Rupert Murdoch owns Fox News, which promotes both a "corporate education reform" agenda and politicians like Governor Chris Christie to carry that agenda out. Murdoch recently hired Joel Klein, former NYC Schools Chancellor and toady to billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to run Wireless Generation, Murdoch's venture into the education business.

Klein is the former boss of Christopher Cerf, currently Acting Commissioner of Education under Chris Christie. Cerf's last edu-business venture before accepting the position was as founder of Global Education Advisors, which "consulted" with the Newark schools on a plan to vastly increase the numbers of charter schools in the city.

The $500,000 for the report came from the Broad Foundation, funded by billionaire Eli Broad. The foundation also funded Cerf's training as an education administrator.

Cerf contributed to the campaign of Newark's Mayor, Cory Booker, who has been intimately and illegally involved in the "reform" of Newark's schools. Cerf was most recently seen at Booker's State of the City address. Booker is also working closely with Chris Christie and their good buddy, billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who freely admits he is "investing" in Booker.

Charter schools in NJ are also being heavily promoted by Derrell "The Freman" Bradford. Bradford was recently appointed to an "Educator Effectiveness Task Force" by the Christie Administration, despite his embarrassing lack of education experience or credentials. That task force issued a report that flew directly in the face of all serious research on teacher evaluations.

Christie also relies on the counsel of serial exaggerator liar Michelle Rhee, Patron Saint of Corporate Reform and charter school cheerleader. Rhee has received copious amounts of money to serve as the face of corporate reform.

Rhee's "reforms" neatly mesh with the Obama administration's "Race To The Top" program. New Jersey applied to RTTT this past summer; then-Education Commissioner Bret Schundler crafted a deal with the NJEA to gain their support.

This infuriated NJ 101.5 morning DJ Jim Gearhart, a man renowned for playing wacky sound effects to accompany his disdain for Democrats and love for Chris Christie. When Gearhart vented his anger, Christie immediately called Gearhart's show to tell him the deal was off. He then ordered Schundler to rewrite the application to Gearhart's liking.

Unfortunately, the contractor working on the application made a mistake when revising it; the application was rejected. And the contractor that made the "error" was...

... Rupert Murdoch's Wireless Generation!  And so we come full circle.

By the way, don't bother looking for teachers anywhere on this chart; the little people just aren't that important...