The Protect Our Kids’ Future: No on 2 campaign announced a new ad featuring Keri Rodrigues of National Parents Union as a typical Massachusetts parent. It’s a direct challenge to Massachusetts media outlets: are they going to swallow Rodrigues as a typical Massachusetts parent, or report her her as a highly compensated professional spokesperson for…
Framing the MCAS Opposition: “Business Community” or “Parents”?
How the media frames the opposing sides on a ballot question is important. On the MCAS question one side is easy: it’s the teachers unions, especially the Massachusetts Teachers Association. According to the media the opposing side is either or both of the “business community” and “parents” (actually, one parent: Keri Rodrigues of the Walton…
Globe Gets the Big Stuff Wrong on Question One
Before reading my analysis below, go HERE and read the Globe’s endorsement of Question One. Done yet? If so, read on. I was quite pleased when the Boston Globe editorial board invited me to meet with them to explain why voters should reject or pass on Question One on the 2024 state ballot. The measure…
The Barr Foundation and the Boston Globe “Rig the Discourse”
When I wrote Barr Foundation K-12 Interest Groups Throw Their Weight (and Dollars) Around in May I closed with a quote from Anand Giridharadas, “What wealthy people do is rig the discourse.” That is where I should have started and added “and the Boston Globe helps.” So here is The Barr Foundation and the Boston…
Editorial Advisory on Moms for Liberty National Summit
To: Journalists covering the Moms for Liberty national summit and March for Kids, Washington, D.C., August 29-September 1, 2024 Fr: Maurice T. Cunningham, J.D., Ph.D., author Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization Re: Editorial Advisory on Moms for Liberty and March for Kids Moms for Liberty (M4L) will hold its national summit and…
Bull from Pope Maurice I
Sometimes I talk to reporters and I wonder what they would do if I asked to be identified as “Pope Maurice I.” That temptation arises when I see a story that identifies a billionaire created “parent” or “educators” group taken at face value. Like in this WCVB report accepting that the National Parents Union is,…
Keri Rodrigues and Walton Allies Join to Solve a Biiiiig Problem
National Parents Union is tweeting out its participation in a South by Southwest panel and this caught my eye: “The heart of advocacy is the belief that those closest to problems should have the biggest stake in solving them. Vote to put @PIENetwork leaders @EvanRStone @MMartinCadogan @radiokeri & Emma Bloomberg on stage at #SXSWEDU.” Boy…
Democrats for Education Reform Brings Dark Money Back to Massachusetts Politics
So it begins: Democrats for Education Reform is pouring dark money back into Massachusetts politics. That is apparent from today’s Matt Stout story in the Boston Globe: So it begins: Business-backed group opposing MCAS ballot question rolling out $250,000 ad campaign. One of the donors for a digital media buy from the Protect Our Kids…
Massachusetts Politico Shocked, Shocked to Find Gambling in the Casino
Yesterday Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook was gobsmacked, astounded, discombobulated, and dumbstruck by what it called “strange ballot bedfellows,” “an unlikely coalition,” “organizations on both sides of the aisle,” and “an unlikely alliance,” meaning, the front groups predictably allied against the teachers’ unions proposed ballot question to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement while keeping MCAS as a…
Barr Foundation K-12 Interest Groups Throw Their Muscle (and Dollars) Around
The Barr Foundation Family of K-12 Interest Groups has had a heady two days with a story in the Barr funded Boston Globe touting a poll commissioned by the Barr funded Education Trust from the Barr funded MassInc Polling Group with remarks from Keri Rodrigues of the Barr funded National Parents Union and Lisa Lazare…