How Billionaire Charter School Funders Corrupted the School Leadership Pipeline
The sudden departure of John Covington, the superintendent of Kansas City schools, in 2011, puzzled many people until the truth emerged: Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad had hired Covington as the first chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan. It’s an example of how wealthy donors influence school leadership nationwide, prioritizing private business practices over democratic governance, leading to disrupted schools and questionable financial practices.
Eli Broad, a prominent figure in education philanthropy, reshaped the education reform movement alongside the Gates and Walton foundations. Through the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, he directed funds to overhaul school systems and leadership, advocating business-oriented models over democratic engagement. His profit-driven views on education leadership continue to shape the field today.
Thomas Pedroni of Wayne State University identified two factions within educational privatization. One opposes taxation and government involvement, advocating for unregulated educational markets; the other, exemplified by Eli Broad, seeks to control the market through state regulation while limiting public input. Broad’s influence disrupts community governance, establishes ties with private businesses, and restricts transformative ideas.
Despite Covington’s leadership in Kansas City and Detroit, student achievement saw minimal improvement, and communities faced profound disruption. His focus on business imperatives like “right-sizing” led to declining standardized test scores and lost accreditation in Kansas City. In Detroit, controversies arose over academic progress and excessive travel expenses. Covington’s links to private businesses like Agilix and SINET raised questions about the adoption of the Buzz learning platform, highlighting the recurring theme among Broad network school leaders: prioritizing business interests over academic improvement.
The Broad Report, curated by Sharon Higgins, exposes scandals involving superintendents from the Broad academy. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, a Broad graduate, faced teacher alienation, false information manipulation, and conflicts of interest in Seattle schools. John Deasy, another Broad-associated leader, was embroiled in financial controversies in Los Angeles. While graduation rates improved under Deasy, credit recovery programs raised suspicions, and a failed iPad program tarnished his tenure. The Broad network’s presence extends to numerous charter school industry figures, further indicating its influential reach.
Joseph Wise, a 2003 Broad Academy graduate, co-founded Atlantic Research Partners (ARP), offering superintendent search and professional development services. ARP strategically placed new school leaders from Broad programs in positions that facilitated district purchases from other ARP businesses. Wise and partner David Sundstrom also co-founded a charter school network and the for-profit charter chain Acceleration Academies. Their involvement in the controversial Education Research and Development Institute (ERDI), arranging meetings between school administrators and education vendors, raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Robert Avossa, a 2011 Broad Academy graduate, enjoyed an impressive tenure as superintendent in Fulton County, Atlanta. However, his management style in Palm Beach County, Florida, led to controversies, with soaring administrator salaries and dubious consulting deals. He unexpectedly resigned to join the publishing company LRP Media Group, acquiring the National Superintendents Academy owned by fellow Broad graduate Joseph Wise. LRP’s business includes leadership summits and academies, often featuring notable Broad Academy alumni as speakers. The association with ERDI and overlapping advertisers raises concerns about the influence of education reform networks.
The unregulated influence of corporations on education, coupled with the support between reform advocates, calls for greater scrutiny in the realm of education leadership.
🔭 This summary was human-edited with AI-assist.
