More On Money And Influence

I started with this and that led to this (yes, that said billion). Now, on to other money besides Gates'. Poking around the 990's for the Walton Family Foundation and Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is really interesting. Fascinating list of organizations. Of course, it turned up yet more money donated to some signers of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights' press release which slammed the opt out movement and letter to Congress urging the re-authorization of ESEA with its annual testing requirements and 1% cap on alternative assessments intact.

Needless to say, I have a huge problem with these civil and disability rights groups blithely condemning entire swaths of students to failure, especially when excellent alternatives are available. Why do they do it? Well, for starters, there's the money...

First, from the May 5th press release:

	Walton	Broad
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights	----	----
The American Association of University Women (AAUW)	----	----
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)	----	----
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)	----	----
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund	----	----
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)	----	----
NAACP	----	----
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)	$2,419,330	----
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)	----	----
National Urban League	$40,000	----
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)	----	----
TASH	----	----
Total	$2,459,330	----

And, from the April 13th letter:

	Walton	Broad
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights	----	----
Alliance for Excellent Education	----	----
American Association of University Women (AAUW)	----	----
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee	----	----
Association of University Centers on Disabilities	----	----
Children’s Defense Fund	----	$4,000
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)	----	----
Democrats for Education Reform	----	----
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund	----	----
Easter Seals	----	----
Education Law Center – Pennsylvania	----	----
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)	----	$5,000
Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law	----	----
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)	----	----
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund	----	----
NAACP	----	----
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.	----	----
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities	----	----
National Center for Learning Disabilities	----	----
National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools	----	----
National Congress of American Indians	----	----
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)	$2,419,330	----
National Down Syndrome Congress	----	----
National Indian Education Association	----	----
National PTA	----	----
National Women’s Law Center	----	----
New Leaders for New Schools	$1,800,000	$2,653,000
PolicyLink	----	----
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)	----	----
Southern Education Foundation	----	----
Southern Poverty Law Center	----	----
Stand for Children	$3,136,134	----
TASH	----	----
Teach for America	$77,109,596	$20,855,440
Teach Plus	$250,000	----
The Education Trust	$1,283,000	$582,785
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law	----	----
The National Disability Rights Network	----	----
The New Teacher Project (TNTP)	$12,191,239	----
UNCF	$3,535,030	----
Total	$101,724,329	$24,100,225

$101.7 million. That's a lot of money. And a lot of work to be done. It's time to start contacting these organizations to find out exactly why their education policies look like they do (beyond the money). Offer them an alternative that will actually help the people they are in business to advocate for.

As a parent, having to be an advocate for my daughter has been a way of life. I had a couple of very precious months where I got to be "just" a mom. The last 16 years has been a constant battle to secure the most basic of services and education for her. I can't help but feel like it might have been a titch easier if any of these groups were out there fighting for us.