CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Gulen charter schools in New York

STATE	# ACTIVE	# PENDING	# INACTIVE*	TOTAL ATTEMPTS
NY	3	2	6	11

* Denied, withdrawn, closed, or unknown status

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TOTAL ENROLLMENT IN 2010-2011 = 1109 STUDENTS

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SCHOOLS

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SYRACUSE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	ACTIVE: opened 2003
Non-profit	Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School (see table below)
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
Term of charter	7/1/2012 to 6/30/2017 (second renewal for a five-year charter). The initial charter was granted in 2003 for five years. The first renewal was for 1/15/2008-6/30/2012.
District	Syracuse City School District
Location/Website	Elementary grades located at 4837 S. Salina St., Syracuse. Secondary grades located at 1001 Park Ave., Syracuse; http://www.sascs.org/
Enrollment	Grades K-12; 467 students in 2010-2011
Individuals involved	Tolga Hayali (director since 2008-2009), Hakki Karaman (director 2003-2008; currently at Magnolia Science Academy-San Diego)
Notes	SASCS began as a 7-12 school. It received permission from the Board of Regents to add elementary grades in 2010. In 2011, a site for the elementary school was purchased by Terra Science and Education Foundation for $375,000. SASCS rents this building for ~$20,000/mo. (info on Terra below).

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BUFFALO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	ACTIVE: opened 2004
Non-profit	Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School (see table below)
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
Term of charter	7/1/2012 to 6/30/2015 (second renewal for a short-term three-year charter; did not receive a five-year renewal due to academic concerns). The initial charter was granted in 2004 for five years. The first renewal was for 1/12/2009-6/30/2012.
District	Buffalo City School District
Location/Website	190 Franklin Street, Buffalo; http://www.bascs.org/
Enrollment	Grades 7-12; 382 students in 2010-2011
Individuals involved	Director 2011-12: Mustafa Ersoy (worked at Horizon Science Academy-Cleveland, a Gulen charter school in Ohio)
Notes	Original school site was at 15 Jewett Parkway. The school leases its current site from Apple Education Services (see below). AES purchased the building in 2006.

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ROCHESTER ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	ACTIVE: opened 2008
Non-profit	Rochester Academy Charter School (see table below)
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
Term of charter	January 15, 2008 to January 14, 2013
District	Rochester City School District
Location/Website	841 Genesee St. and 901 Portland Ave., Rochester; http://www.racschool.com/
Enrollment	Grades 7-11; 260 students in 2010-2011
Individuals involved	Principal Ercan (AKA John E.) Tozan, formerly headmaster at Putnam Science Academy (a private Gulen school in CT)
Notes	Junior high campus is on Genesee St.; the high school campus is on Portland Ave.

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WESTCHESTER ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	PENDING: application for school to open Fall 2013 is under review
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
District	Yonkers Public Schools
Location/Website	Proposed location is 2 Wells Ave. Yonkers, http://www.westchesterscience.org/
Individuals involved	Attempt #1: Mehmet Ozhabes (lead), Hasan Erkan, Mithat Gashi, Serigne Gningue, Muhammed Ozdemir, Turgay Erguk. Attempt #2: Mehmet Ozhabes (lead), Hasan Erkan, R. Gul Tiryaki Sonmez, Serigne Gningue, Genevieve Yarrell-Harris, Mithat Gashi, Madeline Gomez, Mithat Gashi, Mustafa E. Ozbudak, Selcuk Eren, Joseph Viggiani. Attempt #3: Mehmet Ozabes. Attempt #4: Mehmet Ozhabes (lead), Genevieve Yarrell-Harris, Serigne Gningue, Hasan Erkan, Mithat Gashi, Madeline Gomez, Mustafa E. Ozbudak, Selcuk Eren, R. Gul Tiryaki Sonmez, Lawrence R. Sykes.
History	WASCS has made four attempts. In 2009, an application was submitted in July but was withdrawn in November. In 2010, an application was submitted but was not approved. In 2011, a letter of intent for 7-12 school to open Fall 2012 was submitted. In Feb. 2012, an application was submitted for 6-12 school to open Fall 2013.
Notes	2010 prospectus: “WASCS’ education program replicates that of Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School.” Mehmet Ozhabes has been involved with Truebright Science Academy and Central Jersey College Prep Charter School (GM-network schools in PA and NJ)

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UTICA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	PENDING: initial application submitted for 6-12 school in Feb. 2012 was incomplete and rejected; UASCS plans to resubmit application in June 2012 (school to open Fall 2013).
Non-profit	Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School (see table below)
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
District	Utica City School District
Website	http://www.uascs.org/
Individuals involved	Fehmi Damkaci (lead), Yildiray Yildirim, Birol Ozturk, Sherman Dunmore, Patricia Coban
Notes	“The proposed Utica Academy of Science Charter School (UASCS) will be a replication of Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School (SASCS), whose board members will be the founding board members of UASCS.” Damkaci is a founding board member of the Pioneer Charter School of Science (Gulen charter school in MA).

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CAPITAL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	INACTIVE: A 2003 application for K-12 school to open Fall 2004 was not recommended for approval. A 2004 application for 6-11 school to open Fall 2005 did not progress.
Authorizer	Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York (SUNY)
District	Troy City School District
Individuals involved	Contact: Murat Yuksel (in 2008 appears as board member of Coral Academy of Science, a Gulen charter school in Nevada)
Notes	“The organizers of the Capital Academy charter School in Troy center around a group of researchers and alumni of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University at Albany, said spokesman Murat Yuksel, an RPI research associate and lecturer.The group came together over concern about the quality of education in Troy and surrounding school districts.”

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BINGHAMTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	INACTIVE: First attempt in 2009 (application withdrawn 7/2009). Second attempt for school w/grades 7-12 to open in fall 2011. Prospectus submitted 8/2010 but school did not advance.
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
District	Binghamton City School District
Individuals involved	First attempt: Birol Kanik (lead), Galymahan Kirbassov, Holly Gobelez. Second attempt: Galymzhan Kirbassov (lead), Tolga Hayali, Mine Ozer, Slobodan Tanusevski, Janelle Smith
Notes	“School design of BASCS draws directly on Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School model...”

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BRENTWOOD ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	INACTIVE: One attempt; withdrew application in Nov. 2009
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
District	Brentwood Union Free School District
Individuals involved	Kerim Gulyuz (lead), Bernadette Marson, Michael Deluise, Muzaffer Ozcelik, Mary A. Gubitosi, Recep Ornek, Cem Kuscu

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CITY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	INACTIVE: Attempt to open a 7-12 school in Fall 2009; Another attempt to open a K-12 school in Fall 2010 (withdrew application in Dec. 2009)
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
District	NYC CSD tbd on first attempt; NYC CSD 24 (Queens) on second attempt
Individuals involved	First attempt: Sinan Asa (lead): Second attempt: Furkan Kosar (lead, principal of Brooklyn Amity School, a private Gulen school), Hakan Baydere, Isseta L. Henderson, Claude Louis, Ercan Sevkat, Mehmet Ozbilgin
Notes	Applicant’s leaders failed to show up for public hearing in 2009; claimed they “weren’t aware.”

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DIGITAL ARTS & TECHNOLOGY CHARTER SCHOOL (DigiTech K-12)
Status	INACTIVE: prospectus submitted Jan. 2011 for K-12 school to open Fall 2012; did not advance
Authorizer	New York State Board of Regents
District	Buffalo City School District
Individuals involved	Tevfik Kosar (lead, involved w/Gulen charter schools in Louisiana), Kameylah Hakim, David J. Banks, Yunus Kumek (BASCS), Mikail Kar

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STATEN ISLAND FUSION CHARTER SCHOOL
Status	INACTIVE: letter of intent submitted Jan. 2011 for 7-12 school; not followed up w/proposal, or was withdrawn or deemed insufficient,
Authorizer	Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York (SUNY)
District	NYS CSD 31 (Staten Island)
Individuals involved	Zafer Akin (lead applicant; board member of Brooklyn Amity School, a private Gulen school)
Notes	Apple Education Services listed as partner organization

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PARENT NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

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SYRACUSE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Federal Tax ID	EIN 043739991
History	Founding members: Ehat Erkanli, Yildiray Yildirim, Bulent Cetinkaya, Patricia Ann Coban (married to Mustafa Coban), and Selami Tezcan.
Individuals involved	Additional names on Form 990s from 2002-2009: Ahmet Ay, Akin Ozturk, Birol Ozturk, Fehmi Damkaci, Hakki Karaman, Hasan Dalan, Huey Morgan, Linda Spencer, Mustafa Coban, Sherman Dunmore, Tolga Hayali.

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BUFFALO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL
Federal Tax ID	EIN 200723492
History	“...the Science Charter School organizers, several of whose members are University at Buffalo professors.” (“State board approves 2 charter high schools.” Buffalo News, 12/12/2003
Individuals involved	Names on Form 990s from 2003-2010: Baris Civelek, Catherine Oldenburg, Erica [sic Erika] L. McLean, Ismail Unlusoy, Jack C. Anthony, Kameylah Hakim, Levent Kaya, Linda Kunz, Murat Demirbas, Mustafa Gokcek, Shigeji Fujita, Teyfik Kosar, Yunus Kumek

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ROCHESTER ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
Federal Tax ID	EIN 262041512
History	Unknown; no local news articles have yet been located
Individuals involved	Names on Form 990s from 2008-2010: Alfred Geier, Cheryl A. Sampson, Ercan Tozan, Ibrahim Unal, Mahmut Gedemenli, Marat Khafizov, William D. Middleton

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SERVICE PROVIDERS

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APPLE EDUCATION SERVICES, INC.
Federal Tax ID	EIN 203736009
Website	http://www.appleeducation.org/
Location	250 Moonachie Road, 2^nd Fl. Moonachie, NJ; previously located at 545 Interstate Plaza, Carlstadt, NJ.
Services	From 2009 Form 990: “Student database software integration into school operations scheduling, guidance program, consulting, testing, professional development for teachers, these services are provided for at least 10 public charter schools.”
Individuals involved	Names on Form 990s from 2006-2010: [update 8/13/2016: I just removed this name per request of the person & under threat of legal action], Faruk Apaydin, Melih Yildirim (board members); Erdinc Karabulut (tax preparer). Advisory board members: [same as note on 8/13/2016], Raif Rustamov, Yavuz Ulusoy, Makoto Yoshida
Notes	Apple Education Services is associated with Ivy Learning (a.k.a. Ivy League Learning Center); both are SES providers. Apple’s Carlstadt address has been used by other Gulen movement-related organizations: Interfaith Dialog Center (renamed Peace Islands Institute), Helping Hands Relief Foundation, and Lotus Media Productions. Ivy Learning opened a secondary center in Brooklyn in 2012 at a site previously occupied by Brooklyn Amity School, a private Gulen school.

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TERRA SCIENCE AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Federal Tax ID	EIN 273215060
Website	http://www.terraed.org/
Location	1001 Park Ave., Syracuse, c/o Mustafa Coban; same address as SASCS
Services	From website: “TERRA Science and Education Foundation is a non-profit organization. Its board consists of volunteers who are scientists and educators who would like to provide educational and scientific services to K-12 schools and schools board.”
Individuals involved	From 2010 Form 990: Fehmi Damkaci (from SASCS), Murat Demirbas (from BASCS), Mahmut Gedemenli (RACS)

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See these CASILIPS pages for more evidence of affiliation:

In addition, CASILIPS lists Global Sciences Charter School as a possible “stealth” attempt in NY state. http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/proposed-gulen-charter-schools.html

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Inform yourself about the Gulen movement!

1. WATCH KILLING ED, Mark Hall's feature-length documentary about charter schools, corruption and the rise of the Gulen Movement in America
2. READ the "Expose the Gulen Movement" report.
3. WATCH the Gulen Movement 101: Session One webinar presentation (1/22/2014)
4. WATCH the 60 Minutes segment "U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam" broadcast. (5/13/2012)
5. READ my response to the 60 Minutes piece.
6. READ my guest article about Gulen charter schools published by The Washington Post. (3/27/2012)
7. WATCH my interview talking about Gulen charter schools, or my presentation at LaborFest (segment between 49:18 min. & 1:07:36 min.)
8. READ my postings labeled "Gulen movement" HERE.

As one observer tweeted, "U.S. media have focused too much on the Islamic nature of the Gulen movement. Real concern is its shady dealings and improprieties."

Please be aware that Gulenists have created a large number of anonymously-operated damage control websites. They started to appear a few months after publication of Greg Toppo's article in USA Today (August 2010).

Remainders

1. Bruce Baker's excellent analysis of whether charter schools are public or private.

2. Jim Horn's Top 10 reasons for why 1%ers support urban charter schools.

3. What reporters covering charter schools need to know about miracle schools, vouchers and all that educational flim-flam (i.e. be skeptical and always follow the money).

4. As of May 2013, only eight states do not have a charter school law: Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.

5. Balkanize: "to break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units" (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

6. *Phrase coined by John Thompson: "educational civil war"

7. "A system that allows school operators to donate to the officials that regulate them is pretty sorry." h/t "X"

8. Re the Gulen movement. Two important psychological principals of which to be aware: the Backfire Effect and the Black Swan Theory.

Pleas for charter school oversight

AS U.S. AID GROWS, OVERSIGHT IS URGED FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS; February 24, 2010; New York Times

…The president of one influential charter group told the House Education and Labor Committee that the federal government had spent $2 billion since the mid-1990s to finance new charter schools but less than $2 million, about one-tenth of 1 percent, to ensure that they were held to high standards.
“It’s as if the federal government had spent billions for new highway construction, but nothing to put up guardrails along the sides of those highways,” said Greg Richmond, president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers…

CHARTER BACKER SAYS HOUSE PROPOSAL WEAKENS OVERSIGHT; April 30, 2011; Columbus Dispatch (OH)

A leading school-choice supporter says the sweeping changes proposed by House Republicans would weaken oversight of charter schools severely and threaten to turn Ohio into a "laughingstock of the nation's charter-school programs.

"It's hard for me to say that," said Terry Ryan, vice president of Ohio programs and policy for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which sponsors seven charter schools in the state, including two in Columbus...

It was just last year that Mr. Ryan said, "The charter movement must police itself."
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"The idea of regulating charter schools makes no sense because deregulation is the justification for the policy." -- Jim M., retired teacher

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Perhaps it's finally dawning on some charter school supporters that the whole business is a huge can of worms.

Message to readers

With the systematic privatization of public education being conducted via the rapid expansion of charter schools, I regularly receive messages from teachers and parents who have charter school horror stories they want to share, and/or are in need of advice about a charter school situation in their community (e.g., "The charter school I attended has been closed. Do you know how I can get a copy of my transcript?). I also hear from journalists who are seeking information.

Just so you know, this site is a one-woman volunteer operation. Sorry folks, I'm DEFINITELY NOT union-sponsored.

Welcome

Charter School Scandals (CSS) was launched on May 14, 2010 to provide the public with a source of independently collected information about U.S. charter schools.

For instance, compare what you learn from my entry for the 3,500 student CATO School of Reason to the information provided by the pro-charter Center for Education Reform in their compilation: "Closed Charter Schools by State: National Data 2009" (63 page pdf). In the CER's document, the closure reason is "Management" explained as "Inadequate record keeping, suspect relations with private and sectarian schools," but the true story is much bigger and dirtier than that.

CSS is a non-billionaire funded (and un-bought off!), non-union affiliated (!), one-person operation in the name of transparency and public service to our democracy. I post the information as quickly as I can, but have a massive backlog due to the sheer number of stories. Please check back periodically for new additions.

And as you scroll through these stories, be sure to keep a running tally of the estimated legal costs.

Gulen Movement MUST READS!

Under the radar of the American public, the Gulen movement has been quietly advancing its presence in the U.S. via the establishment of charter schools, "cultural centers", and "interfaith dialogue" centers. Politicians, reporters, academics, community leaders, and charter school families have been strategically targeted, influenced, and given gifts, as the Gulenists have steadily built up their political cover. But how many of these Americans have an understanding of the controversies which surround this secretive movement and its worldwide political ambitions? And how would the public respond to finding out that such a movement is opening more and more charter schools, supported by their tax dollars as part of the GM's primary global project, without being willing to admit the connection?

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LEARN MORE

1. Read about the federal investigation into the Gulen Movement's charter schools.

2. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Islam, Secularism and the Battle for Turkey's Future, 23 August 2010, STRATFOR Global Intelligence

3. Video of Joshua Hendrick of the U. of OR and Y. Alp Aslandogan discussing the Gulen Movement. Here are the first 24 pages of Hendrick's 2009 thesis.

4. Charter School Watchdog

5. Gulen Charter Schools (don't miss the entry HERE.)

6. A Guide to the Gulen Movement's Activities in the U.S.

7. Gulen in the International Press

8. "Turkey's survival of the fittest: The Islamic anti-Darwinism movement in Turkey is being helped by an unlikely source - US Christian conservatives," 12 March 2008, ISN Security Watch)

9. "Religious movements in Turkey," 20 December 2010, OpenDemocracy

10. "First Class Revolution: From Medina to Mecca" and "Fethullah Gulen's Missionary Charter Schools Coming under Increasing Scrutiny in the United States and around the World," 24 January 2011 & 26 February 2011, Kurdish Aspect

11. "Turkey: Politics of Identity and Power," 13 August 2010, Congressional Research Service

12. "Turkey's pivotal role in the international drug trade," July 1998, Le Monde diplomatique (more background info)

13. EXTRA CREDIT: Check out the animated Imperial History of the Middle East and this Middle East geography game.

Bad apples, tips of icebergs, and cans of worms

In 2000, the Center for Education Reform wrote:
"A few bad apples shouldn't sour the public on the promising charter school movement, but when a bad apple does turn up, critics of charter schools pounce on it. Charter opponents are quick to claim that "more than a few" schools have closed and even quicker to characterize the movement as one that invites unscrupulous, fly-by-night operators to set up shop.Those mean ol' charter opponents. Isn't it curious how the reformers don't have any problem at all with building up a few negative public school stories into an anti-public teacher-bashing movement of national proportions in order to destroy teacher unions and public schools as a whole?"

But are charter schools really so innocent?

- In 2009, 83 percent of 145 Minnesota charter schools were found to have at least one financial irregularity in their audit.

- In February 2009, a New Mexico state audit found financial problems with 36 of the 44 charter schools in Albuquerque.

- Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz (April 2010): "The fact that there were significant issues at 13 out of 13 [schools] raises the likelihood you would see many of these same issues found in a much larger sampling of the schools.By May 2010, his probe had widened to 18 charter schools."

Relationships terminated

Charter school promoters live in an abstract world where it's perfectly fine to shutter a school when the "need" arises. This reveals a profound detachment and utter disregard for the emotional lives of the children and families who, as a result, end up being subjected to tremendous disruption, stress, termination of meaningful relationships, loss and grief. Kids need security and dependability.

A school going "out of business" takes a very different emotional toll on families and children than when their local gas station or Denny's restaurant does.

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The demise and death of our institutions of social support:

Family............check!
Church............check!
Neighborhoods............check!
Schools............check!

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"It comes down to what ultimately is in the best public interest here -- supporting the growth of charters or not. Does that support ultimately weaken the rest of the school district? You bet it does." (Fred LeBrun, Albany, NY)

Observations

There is no doubt but that an increasing number of inspectors, auditors, investigators, prosecutors and court rooms (and a lot of time and money) will be needed as more state charter caps are lifted.

Part of the problem is that too many people running charter schools see them as their own little fiefdoms. After all the effort and money put into setting up their schools -- and with political leaders and the mainstream media shining their bright spotlights on charter schools -- the stakes are inordinately high for them to be able to show "success."

Another problem I've discovered by doing this research is that the unmonitored access to millions of public education dollars is drawing unscrupulous people into the "business." At other times, new-found access to funds is proving to be too tempting for some people who were perhaps less criminally-minded.

Additionally, I've now discovered that, in this era of high-stakes testing, the education security business is booming. As one company put it, "Cheating on tests isn't the exception anymore; it has almost become the rule."

On competition

From "Deregulation and Charter School Swindles" by Gary Clabaugh (Educational Horizons, Winter 2009):

Two main ideas inform the charter school movement. The first is that competition is an essential ingredient in school improvement. Charters are said to provide that.

The trouble with this argument is that competition doesn't select the best, only the most popular. McDonald's doesn't produce the best-tasting or most-nutritious food, for instance, but its heart attack specials certainly are popular. A second-rate school might prove similarly competitive if it provides a tawdry but reassuring education to the children of the low-information crowd. Fearful your kids will discover you are an ignoramus? Send them to Alpha Charter where they will never learn to doubt.

Dedication

This Web site is dedicated to Eli Broad, Bill Gates, the Walton family, Arne Duncan, Whitney Tilson, Joe Williams, Reed Hastings, Ted Mitchell, Jack O'Connell, Tom Vander Ark, George Miller, Joanne Weiss, Randy Ward, Arnold Swarzenegger, all Milton Friedman-lovers, and any other free-market, pro-school choice, minimally-regulate-what-goes-on-in-charter school supporters who are also proud self-stated "DISRUPTORS" of public school communities, who have almost never, EVER been part of a public school community or local neighborhood, or who rejected being part of any public school community or local neighborhood long, long ago -- but have ended up deciding to help tear apart the tapestry of basic local human connections anyway.

Visitors

A variety of people have been looking at my blog, probably because of the great Gulen charter school information I've posted. This site is regularly visited by readers from Turkey. I get periodic visits from dhs.gov, doj.gov and ed.gov. I've had visits from house.gov and ed.gov, and at least one visit from someone at eop.gov (? Executive Office of the President). I've had a few visits from a couple of mystery IPs that are supposedly associated with the State Department, specifically the CIA. Hmmmmm...

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Gulen charter schools in New York

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