Today Deborah Meier and Joe Nathan discuss the role of corporations in improving schools. Deborah Meier begins, followed by a response from Joe.

Deborah Meier writes:

Dear Joe,

I always hesitate to turn any help down. One of the best grants we ever got at CPE was from EXXON for a longitudinal study of our grads in the 1980s. I've never been able to get another for this purpose.  

For me it's about power. Who has power over who?

There was a time when corporate giving to schools was truly "charity" in the best sense.  Plus a little good will of the PR sort. Today the money kind of power (vs the people kind) ) is running too many things, setting the agenda with a grand political purpose: to demonstrate that education would work better, as would a lot of other public institutions, if they followed a free marketplace business model.

I think this ideology is putting democracy at further risk as an idea and a reality.  

Buyer beware.

Deb

Joe responds:

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