Read Anthony Cody's new book

Deeply embedded in our culture is the notion-if you make billions you might ALSO be able, through your wealth, to masterfully solve all the "problems" of this world-a living god. It's nothing new as an idea on the planet really. This book does not examine the fallacies of this view, of WHY Gates is seen as remotely qualified to determine an educational system in a democracy-but it does do a great job of talking (through basically very digestible essays) about HOW Bill Gates Foundation has "worked" on education if you can let loose of notions that's such a terrific thing, or even have a small space for such a thought, then the book has something to offer you by way of facts. Anthony Cody is an educator, well educated, and willing to look at the effects on public education from what clearly is a corporate attempt to "enter the playing field" of education as expert.  So many do not have even a beginning understanding of the Gate's Foundation education work, not really,  and many more attribute what are very tuned, honed, and deliberate strategies to a benign desire to just help out. Gates and wife themselves promote that view. Are we all really just "in this together"? The fact Gates own children are not in public school might give you a clue about how he views the schools. Over the course of time this ed writer/activist presents his careful work documenting and dealing with The Gates Foundation.

What I enjoyed was the readability. I know the essays stick with you as they have framed my understanding for a good while-they appeared in EDWEEK, and are incredibly useful to a public teacher in understanding why and how teacher evaluation among other issues are changing. I will be reading and using this book as I inform myself of the position of those I personally see doing so much damage corporatizing, data driving, and monetizing to ultimately privatize school. For me this informs my own eyes seeing those with $ further isolated in wealth from the policies and Gates driven work, and those without with nothing to give and left further isolated and "behind"-clearly the terrific losses in public ed over these last years have roots. This is how I see it-but the book will have multiple interpretations and uses. And you may well not use the book in that way.

If I were in school in study to be a teacher, now, I'd expect a course called "The Corporate Education Model"  and Cody's book on the reading list. If I were a parent trying to understand my way through schooling my children-I'd read this book. If I were a teacher, school Super., Board Member I'd read this book, and frankly if I were a citizen in a DEMOCRACY I'd definitely want to understand the perspectives of this teacher as he interacts ultimately with the Gates Foundation.

At some point- as Cody often does- we might want to pose a question, for me that is-"Does this billionaire have your children's best interests at heart?" That, again is not a question directly addressed here but ultimately this might help you address the incredible impact the Gates has had on your child's public education, and will have as it pores money towards its goals,  and how our current society is having that public education "framed"as failure. And teachers as "bad."
Is this always done in benign good hearted wisdom?