FACTS ABOUT

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN

1. Waiting for Superman was co-produced by Walden Media, a company owned
by a Christian conservative billionaire who also funds anti-gay efforts and a think tank which promotes Intelligent Design (the Discovery Institute). Owner Philip Anschutz, the 39th richest American ($7 billion), made his fortune from oil drilling, stocks, real estate, railroads, and sports and entertainment companies.
PHILIP ANSCHUTZ

2. Waiting for Superman was accompanied by a billionaire-funded campaign which was designed
to take advantage of the emotions aroused by the films intense propaganda. The Done Waiting campaign guided viewers on how to assist with the advancement of the corporate education reform agenda. Billionaire Eli Broad, contributed $500,000 to the Done Waiting campaign, as well as $50,000 for the marketing of The Lottery, another pro-charter school film released in 2010.

3. Rhee has close ties to Eli Broad, one of a number of billionaires who are using
their wealth (via immense *philanthropic* giving) to advance the corporate education reform agenda of privatization and union-busting. Rhee was in extremely frequent contact with the Broad Foundation when head of District of Columbia Public Schools, and even visited Eli Broad at his Fifth Avenue apartment in 2008. A tightly connected pairing, Broad has given at least $50 million to Rhees StudentsFirst. Broad is the 48th richest American ($6.3 billion) who made his fortune in homebuilding and investing.

ELI BROAD

4.

Waiting for Superman was NEVER NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD because it was revealed that a charter school lottery scene had been staged. Despite heavy promotion and initial expectations, Superman did not garner a second Oscar for director Davis Guggenheim.

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MICHELLE RHEE
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN STAR

FACTS ABOUT

MICHELLE RHEE & D.C.

1. Widespread public disapproval for Michelle Rhee significantly contributed to D.C.
Mayor Adrian Fentys re-election defeat. Rhee resigned shortly thereafter in October 2010, having served as D.C. Chancellor for less than three-and-one-half years. In spring 2011, Fenty appeared on MSNBC to voice his support for Republican governor Scott Walker in his effort to end the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin school teachers. Michelle Rhee also expressed similar views.

ADRIAN FENTY

2. Michelle Rhee had NO previous superintendent experience before she

was appointed to lead D.C.s large urban school district with 11,500 employees. Rhees management experience consisted of leading an organization with 120 employees. Fenty selected Rhee on the advice of Joel Klein, the NYC schools chancellor who had been appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. News reports stated that billionaire Eli Broad played a key role. Bloomberg is the 12th richest American who made his fortune from a financial news media company ($19.5 billion).

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

JOEL KLEIN

3. Michelle Rhee was controversial and greatly disliked toward the end of her time
in D.C., so a prominent public relations expert was hired to improve her image. The services of Anita Dunn, a former White House Communications Director, were paid for with a $100,000 donation from Katherine Bradley, wife of the CEO and owner of Atlantic Media Company.

ANITA DUNN

4. A major test score cheating scandal broke just six months after
Rhee resigned. In March 2011, USA Today reported that high erasure rates had been discovered at 103 of 168 D.C. public schools. Under Rhee, generous bonuses were given to principals and teachers who had increased their test scores. Rhee declined to speak with reporters before the article ran. A district investigation is still underway.

Q: Why do corporate education reformers prefer city

mayors to control school districts, rather than elected school boards?
Because they know that a single person is easier to influence than a group of diverse, more community-based She individuals. When a sympathetic mayor has gained full power over his/her school system, the corporate reform privatization agenda can be advanced with relatively little opposition. It can be observed that corporate education reformers commonly express contempt for community-elected school board members as a whole.

A:

MICHELLE RHEE
CONTROVERSIAL EX-CHANCELLOR OF DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FACTS ABOUT

STUDENTSFIRST & RHEE

StudentsFirst is an extremely well-financed LOBBYING ORGANIZATION which exists to advance the corporate education reform agenda. Among the corporate superelite who supplied StudentsFirst with its initial multimillion dollar funding were billionaires Rupert Murdoch (FOX media, News Corp), Eli Broad (KB Homes, SunAmerica), Julian Robertson (hedge fund manager), and Kenneth Langone (financier). StudentsFirst is NOT A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION!!!

1.

RUPERT MURDOCH

StudentsFirsts membership numbers cant be trusted! In 2011 a deceptively-titled StudentsFirst petition (Save Great Teachers) was promoted at Change.org. Signers of other Change.org petitions were directed to this petition which initially appeared to be in opposition to all teacher layoffs. When people signed the petition they were automatically made members of StudentsFirst. Those who read the details of the petition further learned that it advocated for weakening teacher union protections as well as the de-professionalization of the teaching force. A national organization, Parents Across America, received a number of reports from parents who had inadvertently fallen into the trap. Formal complaints to Change.org proved fruitless.

2.

3. Throughout 2011, Michelle Rhee and lobbyists working for

StudentsFirst began to develop close ties with a number of conservative Republican Tea Party leaders. During its first year of operation, StudentsFirst advocated for, and helped to craft, statelevel education policies and legislation along corporate education reform lines. Rhees new contacts, fans, and allies include:
Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) State Rep. Paul Scott (R-MI, before recalled) Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) Gov. Tom Corbett (R-PA) Gov. Nathan Deal (R-GA) Gov. Brian Sandoval (R-NV)

BETSY DEVOS

Michelle Rhee has participated in numerous events since launching StudentsFirst, including the National Policy Summit sponsored by the American Federation for Children (AFC), and the Global Leadership Summit sponsored by Willow Creek Association. AFC was founded by Betsy DeVos, a billionaire (Amway fortune) whose passion is directing her wealth into the ideological and electoral infrastructure that supports school privatization. Willow Creek Association is the organization overseeing Willow Community Church. It is known for its anti-gay views, as well as being a strong proponent of school vouchers.

4.

MICHELLE RHEE
STUDENTSFIRST CEO AND FOUNDER