The Gates Foundation and the Dilemma of Teacher Voice

Many teachers are taking part in the increasing number of Gates-funded teacher organizations, while others remain skeptical.  These organizations, such as Teach Plus and VIVA Project, are providing teachers with a unique chance to discuss education policies, but many teachers outside these organizations question the authenticity of these dialogues because of the influence of conservative-leaning Gates Foundation money.

Stephen Sawchuk at Education Week, which also receives Gates money, has an interesting piece that portrays the dilemma faced by young teachers who want to take part in education policy discussions through these teacher groups, but do not want to be seen as part of an “AstroTurf” organization, or one that supposedly allows for authentic grass-roots work but in reality is a front for a certain political or big-business perspective.

Following is a short excerpt from the article that portrays this dilemma:

When Kylene Young, a fresh-faced middle school teacher in Chicago, joined a policy-fellows program through Teach Plus last fall, she was excited to meet with prominent individuals, like Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.

She enjoyed helping design professional-development opportunities for other teachers on the district’s teacher-observation framework. And she got the chance to develop her public voice by writing op-eds.

But, as Ms. Young is now quick to say, she was naive about how her participation in the fellowship with Teach Plus, a teacher-advocacy group, would be perceived by her colleagues. A handful of nasty exchanges on Twitter quickly clued her in that support the group receives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was one sticking point.

“People would say things like, ‘You get Gates money. Quit Teach Plus, and then we’ll talk,’?” said Ms. Young, who teaches special education at the Pulaski International School.

Because so many of these Gates-funded, or other privately funded, teacher organizations are new, it is impossible to know as of yet where they stand compared to official teachers unions.  The fact that there are multiple groups that operate differently is at least an encouraging sign. However, what does also seem possible is that questions concerning the role of Gates-funded education organizations will diminish or even become moot because virtually all education voices will receive at least some funding by the Gates Foundation.  This becomes apparent when Gates-funded Education Week, which ran the article but claims “sole editorial control” includes supportive quotes from an education expert, Frederick Hess, who also receives funding from the Gates Foundation.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/11/06/11gates-voice.h33.html?r=391135226