Fethullah Gulen and His Charter Schools Draws Federal Attention

[In Texas -- Harmony Science Academies]

Philly News -- Sun, Mar. 20, 2011

U.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attention

By Martha Woodall and Claudio Gatti

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/118313549.html?viewAll=y

Fethullah Gulen is a major Islamic political figure in Turkey [Gulen is an Islamist imam -- Donna Garner], but he lives in self-imposed exile in a Poconos enclave and gained his green card by convincing a federal judge in Philadelphia that he was an influential educational figure in the United States.

As evidence, his lawyer pointed to the charter schools, now more than 120 in 25 states, that his followers - Turkish scientists, engineers, and businessmen - have opened, including Truebright Science Academy in North Philadelphia and another charter in State College, Pa.

The schools are funded with millions of taxpayer dollars. Truebright alone receives more than $3 million from the Philadelphia School District for its 348 pupils. Tansu Cidav, the acting chief executive officer, described it as a regular public school.

"Charter schools are public schools," he said. "We follow the state curriculum."

But federal agencies - including the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Education - are investigating whether some charter school employees are kicking back part of their salaries to a Muslim movement founded by Gulen known as Hizmet, or Service, according to knowledgeable sources.

Unlike in Turkey, where Gulen's followers have been accused of pushing for an authoritarian Islamic state, there is no indication the American charter network has a religious agenda in the classroom.

Religious scholars consider the Gulen strain of Islam moderate, and the investigation has no link to terrorism. Rather, it is focused on whether hundreds of Turkish teachers, administrators, and other staffers employed under the H1B visa program are misusing taxpayer money.

Federal officials declined to comment on the nationwide inquiry, which is being coordinated by prosecutors in Pennsylvania's Middle District in Scranton. A former leader of the parents' group at the State College school confirmed that federal authorities had interviewed her.

Bekir Aksoy, who acts as Gulen's spokesman, said Friday that he knew nothing about charter schools or an investigation.

Aksoy, president of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center in Saylorsburg, Pa., where Gulen lives, said Gulen, who is in his early 70s, "has no connection with any of the schools," although he might have inspired the people who founded them.

Another aim of the Gulen schools, a federal official said, is fostering goodwill toward Turkey, which is led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the pro-Islamic prime minister, whose government recently detained journalists after they alleged that Gulen followers were infiltrating security agencies.

Gulen schools are among the nation's largest users of the H1B visas. In 2009, the schools received government approvals for 684 visas - more than Google Inc. (440) but fewer than a technology powerhouse such as Intel Corp. (1,203).

The visas are used to attract foreign workers with math, science, and technology skills to jobs for which there are shortages of qualified American workers. Officials at some of the charter schools, which specialize in math and science, have said they needed to fill teaching spots with Turks, according to parents and former staffers.

Ruth Hocker, former president of the parents' group at the Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School in State College, began asking questions when popular, certified American teachers were replaced by uncertified Turkish men who often spoke limited English and were paid higher salaries. Most were placed in math and science classes.

"They would tell us they couldn't find qualified American teachers," Hocker said.

That made no sense in Pennsylvania State University's hometown, she said: "They graduate here every year."

Other school parents described how uncertified teachers on H1B visas were moved from one charter school to another when their "emergency" teaching credentials expired and told of a pattern of sudden turnovers of Turkish business managers, administrators, and board members.

The charter school application that Truebright filed with the Philadelphia School District in 2005 mentioned that its founders helped start similar schools in Ohio, California, and Paterson, N.J.

Shana Kemp, a School District spokeswoman, said that the district had just learned Riza Ulker, Truebright's permanent CEO, was on extended sick leave and that it would look into that. She said district officials knew nothing about a federal investigation of these charter schools.

Further evidence of the ties comes from a disaffected former teacher from Turkey who told federal investigators that the Gulen Movement had divided the United States into five regions, according to knowledgeable sources. A general manager in each coordinates the activities of the schools and related foundations and cultural centers, he told authorities.

Ohio, California, and Texas have the largest numbers of Gulen-related schools. Ohio has 19, which are operated by Concept Schools Inc., and most are known as Horizon Science Academies. There are 14 in California operated by the Magnolia Foundation. Texas has 33 known as Harmony schools, run by the Cosmos Foundation.

In their investigation, federal authorities have obtained copies of several e-mails that indicate the charter schools are tied to Hizmet and may be controlled by it:

One activist sent an e-mail Aug. 30, 2007, to administrators at four schools and the president of Concept Schools in which he mentioned "Hizmet business" and several problems that needed to be addressed so that "Hizmet will not suffer."

And the disaffected teacher who described the five regions gave authorities a document called a tuzuk, which resembles a contract and prescribes how much money Turkish teachers are supposed to return to Hizmet.

State auditors in Ohio found that a number of schools had "illegally expended" public funding to pay legal, immigration, and air-travel fees for nonemployees and retained teachers who lacked proper licenses. Audited records from the Horizon Science Academy in Cincinnati in May 2009 also say that "for the period of time under audit, 47 percent (nine of 19) of the school's teachers were not properly licensed."

The same records show that the founder of Horizon Cincinnati was listed as the CEO of the school's management firm and as president of the school's property owner.

The American charter schools were a central part of Gulen's argument that won him a green card after the Department of Homeland Security ruled that he did not meet the qualifications of an "alien of extraordinary ability" to receive a special visa.

In a lawsuit Gulen filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia in 2007 challenging the denial, his attorneys wrote: "In his position as the founder and head of the Gulen Movement, Mr. Gulen has overseen the establishment of a conglomeration of schools throughout the world, in Europe, Central Asia, and the United States."

His attorneys also referred to a letter of support from a theology professor in Illinois who described Gulen as "a leader of award-winning schools for underserved children around the world, including many schools in the major cities in America."

On July 16, 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ruled that Gulen met the requirements for a green card.

Hocker, the State College parent, said the current CEO had assured her the school had no ties to Gulen.

Rather, he told her that Gulen had inspired him to go into education and that Turkey "wanted to be known for teaching, the way you would think of India" for information technology, Hocker said.

But she noted that when the school's founding CEO disappeared, his successor arrived from the Buffalo Academy of Science, another Gulen school. The dean of academics came from a related school in New Jersey. Ulker, Truebright's, CEO, was one of the school's founders and is a board member.

"If you start looking at their names, you can connect them back to all the other charter schools and Gulen groups," Hocker said.

She later withdrew her three children over concerns about secrecy and finances.

A sister school - Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania - is scheduled to open outside Pittsburgh in the fall.

(Young Scholars in State College and Western Pennsylvania are not connected to the Young Scholars Charter School in North Philadelphia.)

Truebright, at 926 W. Sedgley Ave., opened in 2007, enrolls seventh through 12th graders, and is about to hold its first graduation. Ninety percent of its students are African American. The school has met the academic standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Law the last two years.

Cidav, the acting CEO, came from the Harmony Science Academy in Austin, Texas. He said he could not comment on behalf of the school. He referred all questions to Ulker, who Cidav said had gone back to Turkey for a family emergency after Christmas and was not expected back until July. Board Chairman Baki Acikel did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.

Before Ulker's abrupt departure, he was involved in failed attempts to open charters in Camden and Allentown.

He also applied for Truebright to become one of the charter operators selected to take over failing Philadelphia schools as part of Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman's Imagine 2014 initiative. In late December, Truebright was one of 10 organizations the district deemed "not qualified" for further consideration.

Truebright Science Academy , a charter school in North Philadelphia, is one of 120 that followers of Fethullah Gulen have opened in 25 states. Another Pennsylvania school is in State College.

Fethullah Gulen and Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1998. Gulen, a major Islamic figure in Turkey, lives in the Poconos. He got a green card after touting educational leadership here.

---

Claudio Gatti is the New York-based correspondent of Il Sole 24 Ore, the leading daily financial newspaper in Italy.

Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or martha.woodall@phillynews.com.



Gulen-Most Dangerous Islamist and US Taxpayers Are Paying For His Schools--Why--Because They Are Counting On Media To Help Them With America's Lack of Knowledge

[Please go to the following link to hear the audioclips that are embedded in this World Net Daily article. I could only post the actual text from this article.  Following the WND article is the link to the “puff” piece in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle about the Harmony Science Academies.  Let’s remember that the Gulen Institute is situated at the University of Houston. Underneath the Houston Chronicle article, I have posted the latest list of Gulen schools.  This list was provided to me by someone who has done extensive investigations into the Gulen schools and has seemingly tied the Harmony Science Academies to Gulen.

If interested, please go to my article posted at:  http://ramparts360.com/uncategorized/texas-senate-honors-islamist-imam/

From the University of Houston, Gulen Institute website:

The Gülen Institute was established in October 2007 as a non-profit organization and a joint initiative of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog.

The perspectives of the institute are inspired by the life and works of the distinguished contemporary scholar and civic leader Fethullah Gülen. Visit Fethullah Gulen Forum for updates on Fethullah Gulen and Gulen Movement.

Donna Garner]

=======================

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=267417

GLOBAL JIHAD
WorldNetDaily Exclusive

Islamic indoctrination on U.S. taxpayers' tab
Founder of charter school chain called 'most dangerous Islamist in the world'

---

Posted: February 27, 2011
6:09 pm Eastern

---

WorldNetDaily

A large network of jihad-preaching schools dots the American landscape, and it's being paid for by taxpayer dollars.

The network of more than 100 facilities in 27 states is the result of the work of Turkish expatriate billionaire Fethullah Gulen, who lives in a heavily guarded compound near Saylorsburg, Pa.

Terrorism analyst, author and Family Security Matters contributing Editor Paul Williams explains that Gulen left Turkey under a cloud, and came to the United States carrying an agenda.

"Fethullah Gulen is a chap who fled Turkey in 1998. He was attempting to avoid prosecution from the secular government at that time; he wanted to set up an Islamic government," Williams explained.

"He moved to Pennsylvania and established a mountain fortress around Saylorsburg, which is in the heart of the Poconos," Williams explained.

Court records from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's federal courts indicate that Gulen won his removal case against Homeland Security by showing that he was an "alien of extraordinary ability," and that by staying in the United States he could pursue his work of "authoring articles and providing guidance 'to fellow scholar in the fields of theology, political science, Islamic studies, and education.'"

Williams says Gulen had help.

"The Department of Homeland Security uncovered that Gulen has over $25 billion in assets. That's more money than many countries have. Most of this money has been channeled to Gulen from the CIA," Williams asserted.

Koinonia Institute senior analyst Steve Elwart says Gulen was helped by a number of different factors.

"He was denied his visa the first time around by DHS by saying that he didn't have any experience since he was trying to come in as an educator. DHS said that he really didn't have the qualifications to hold himself out as an educator," Elwart observed.

Elwart says there was another concern.

"There were also concerns about his ties to the CIA and that as it turned out, those concerns were apparently valid, because when he appealed the decision, he got two letters of recommendation from the CIA," Elwart continued.

Listen to an interview with Elwart:

"That would strengthen the position that he did seem to have those ties," Elwart added.

Williams explains that U. S. officials may have had a reason for funneling money to Gulen.

"I'll tell you why the CIA is funding him. These countries (referring to the Middle East and former Soviet Central Asian Republics) have vast natural gas and oil reserves. They are afraid of where those reserves will go, so we want to gain some control over the supplies," Williams claimed.

Now his fingerprints are all over schools across Asia – and dozens more charter schools across the United States. Those are schools that are run on the taxpayers' money, but have private teaching agendas, often using the subtle inferences in social studies courses to advocate for Islam, observers report.

"He has these schools all over Central Asia and these counties, Tajikistan, Kurdistan, all have Turkish backgrounds. They speak Turkish. They share a Turkish culture. They share the same religion so it's really easy for him to establish these schools throughout Central Asia," Williams explained.

"They have prospered; they have grown and the countries where they are have become increasingly militant and increasingly anti-American," Williams added.

Williams says Gulen put his money to work, first in his home country of Turkey.

"He used that money to create this political party in Turkey and to take over the newspapers, and almost all of the Turkish media. He's also created a network of Islamic charter schools in Turkey that has spread through Central Asia, particularly in the newly created Russian republics," Williams also stated.

Listen to an interview with Williams:

"Gulen's movement is so radical that it is outlawed in Russia and even in The Netherlands, a country that's known for its tolerance, would not allow any funding for the Gulen schools," Williams added.

Elwart adds that there was one still another factor influencing U.S. assistance to Gulen.

"There has been a movement in the last two administrations to promote what they call moderate Islam by bringing these people forward and financing them to get people inculcated into the Muslim culture," Elwart explained.

"In terms of following the money trail, part of it I think was from the United States government. There were a number of people out there that see him as a religious leader which in fact he comes from a family of imams, and people donate to him," Elwart detailed.

Williams asserts that Gulen's long-range plans are to re-establish an Islamic caliphate.

"He created a party which is called the Justice and Development Party. The prime minister is Tayyip Erdogan. He's severed relationships with Israel and he's allied himself with Iran," Williams observed.

MEMRI Turkish expert Rachel Sharon-Krespin writes in an article in Middle East Quarterly that Fethullah Gulen is a major player in Turkish politics. Besides the Justice and Development Party, he also owns, controls or operates a network of schools and universities in Turkey, as well as the major newspapers and television stations.

In an American Thinker article, Center for Islamic Pluralism Director Stephen Schwartz says that Gulen is the power not only behind a movement in Turkey, but is the controlling force behind what Schwartz calls a Turkish Diaspora.

Elwart agrees that Gulen's intention is to use his schools to indoctrinate the students into Islam at taxpayer expense.

"Gulen has started his school system in the United States through the charter school system, which of course is publicly financed. That is one of the big worries about the Gulen movement is that they're using the charter schools to educate these kids and give them Islamic indoctrination, so to speak, and it's being done at taxpayer expense," Elwart observed.

Listen to another interview with Elwart:

Williams says the indoctrination is subtle and administrators say the schools aren't trying to be Islamic.

"They'll say these schools are completely secular. These schools don't promote any Islamic doctrine; they're not political in any way. But according to Gulen himself these schools serve, in the shadows, the creation of a new Islamic order," Williams maintained.

"If you read about Gulen in the foreign press, they have it pretty well nailed down. In speeches he talks about the importance of stealth jihad, of infiltrating places and appearing very secular," Williams added.

Gulen's claim to be a secular educator whose interest is simply in promoting interfaith dialogue appears to have been successful, as the claim was used to support District Judge Stewart Dalzell's opinion in Gulen's case.

"The final requirement is that an applicant show that his or her 'entry into the United States will substantially benefit prospectively the United States.' 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(1)(A)(iii). The AAO did not find-and the Government does not contend-that Gulen fails to meet this criterion. Based on his unchallenged statement that the visa he seeks 'will allow me to continue to advocate and promote interfaith dialogue and harmony between members of different faiths and religions,' A.R. at 1053, activities that are certainly a benefit to the United States in these times of tensions between adherents of different religions, we find no basis for denying his application on that basis," Paragraph E of the opinion stated.

Williams disputes the judge's ruling and says that Gulen's own speeches say the opposite.

"In his own speeches he says you can really infiltrate a secular government in a place like the United States and wreak all kinds of havoc. That's what he's been doing. Once again the schools are funded by us. They're at least 140 of them. He's been called the most dangerous Islamist in the world and very little light is being shed on him and his activities," Williams stated.

Elwart says the potential indoctrination is very subtle, even though he believes it's intentional.

"There is a certain amount of an Islamic-centered slant to their teaching. One place they really start bringing in the slant is through their after-school programs and what they call their outside programs," Elwart observed.

"For example, they'll have Turkish festivals and the kids can compete in making costumes, writings and the like. Many times the prize for these in these competitions is a cultural trip to Turkey," Elwart also said.

Elwart believes that the Gulen charter schools are going largely unnoticed by the American public.

"This is a problem with the charter school system; it's fragmented. There is not a lot of oversight on the schools so people are disconnected from one another. If they see something that isn't quite right at their school they don't have any place to go to to raise the alarm," Elwart asserted.

Elwart says the schools are established and then each school brings in teachers from Turkey using H1B visas. These are visas granted to people with math and science skills.

Listen to another interview with Williams:

"Most of the time these applications will say they need to bring in these teachers because of the lack of math and science teachers available locally. The teachers that do come in are Muslim and almost all of them are from Turkey," Elwart explained.

He explains that administrators are usually brought in on more temporary visas which explains the frequent turnover in the Gulen-connected schools.

The web site, Charter School Scandals, reports that the Pioneer Charter School for Science in Everett, Mass., is a Gulen School.

Pioneer Charter School of Science Public Relations Director Aimee Mott says that her school was started by a group of concerned parents.

"It was a community of really parents and other concerned members of the community who thought that in this area, Everett, Chelsea and Saugus area, that the public schools were not meeting all the needs of all the students," Mott stated.

"They decided to get together, submit a charter to the state for our school and that was in 2006. So, our first year in operation was in 2007 and 2008," Mott said.

Mott also says that the school's newness means it relies on taxpayer dollars.

"Because we are a new charter school, all of our funding at this point comes from the state. We are funded just like a public, we are a public school. We are a public charter school," Mott described. "We are working on applying for a grant to get some funding for some things."

Listen to an interview with Mott:

The school's web site gives few details on the school's curriculum, provides no list of faculty members and lists only the principal and the board members.

The Massachusetts Department of Education school directory lists the head of the school as Barish Icin, and also gives the members of the school's board of directors.

Among the board members listed are Board Chairman Murat Kilic, Mustafa Ozdemir, Nuh Gedik and Ramazan Nigdioglu. A name origins web site, HearNames.com, verifies that all of the surnames are of Turkish origin.

Nigdioglu is also connected to the Cambridge Ridge and Latin School where he is on record as recommending that the best students at the Latin School be rewarded with a trip to Turkey.

Williams says that Gulen's school network is well-funded, well-organized and well-represented.

"He has set up lobbying groups and through his lobbying groups he has given millions and millions of dollars to both Republicans and Democrats. He has gained their favor and support so his schools are rubber-stamped," Williams observed.

Williams warns Gulen's compound in the Poconos is much like the one in Islamburg, N.Y., that Williams says he's visited.

"I went up there to take a look at his fortress and it is a fortress in the heart of the Pocono Mountains. Hundreds of Turks live there. According to all the neighbors there are helicopters constantly surveilling the area looking for intruders," Williams described.

"There are sentry posts there and the neighbors have complained to the FBI about gunshots and explosions," Williams added. "They have a foreign militia on American soil. If this doesn't get people up in arms, I don't know what will."

==================================

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7448570.html

A long line to learn

Harmony Academy charter system is booming, despite initial suspicions by parents and a lackluster economy

By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

=============================

List of Gulen schools in Texas and surrounding areas:

Austin Gulen Organizations - (all office at 12400 Amherst Dr, Suite 108, Austin, Texas 78727):

- Raindrop Foundation (Austin, Texas) - Mehmet Okumus operates this location. 7 locations in Texas. I believe the main office is the Houston branch. Locations in AR, MS, NM, LA, KS and OK

- Institute for Interfaith Dialog (Austin Branch of Houston office) - Dr. Yetkin Yildirim (Vice President) and Dr. Guner Arslan is "Founding Member"

- Turkish American Women's Association (Austin, Texas)

- Austin-Antalya Sister City Committee - the Chair is Prof. Burhanettin Kuruscu (a professor of economics at University of Texas a Austin) and seems to be managed by Dr. Yetkin Yildirim

- WhirlingDervishes.org - evidently a site run by the Raindrop Foundation of Texas. I understand their performances are booked through Austin.

- Bluebonnet Learning Center of Austin. 3-5 year olds. Summer programs at Harmony School of Science.

- Harmony Science Academy of Austin, 930 E. Rundberg Lane, Austin, Texas 78753 (K through 8)

- Harmony School of Excellence of Austin.  2100 E. St. Elmo Rd. Austin, Texas 78744 (K through 8)

- Harmony School of Science, Austin. 11800 Stonehollow Drive, Austin, Texas 78758 (K through 8)

- Harmony Science Academy of North Austin, 1421 Wells Branch Pkwy, Pfluegerville, Texas 78660 (5 through 12)

(All of the "Harmony" schools have a website at http://hssaustin.org)

Houston Gulen organizations (most office at 9301 West Bellfort, Houston, Texas 77031):

- Cosmos Foundation, Houston - operates all Gulen-organized "Harmony" charter schools in Texas. Located in same office park at Bluebonnet Learning Center, Gulf Language School and Texas Gulf Institute. As of March, 2010 the President of Cosmos is "Oner Ulvi Celepcikay." http://www.harmonytx.org/

- Texas Turkish Chamber of Commerce, Houston - linked to Raindrop Foundation and TUSKON;

- Houston-Baku Sister City Committee (?) - linked to Raindrop Foundation which is listed as a 'Sponsor' on site;

- Gulen Institute, Houston - a venture between the University of Houston and the Institute for Interfaith Dialog; located at the UH Graduate College of Social Work, Houston;

- Houston-Istanbul Sister City Committee - President is M. Ruhi Ozgel (offices are located at 9301 W. Bellfort which also houses the Institute for Interfaith Dialog);

- Alumni of Turkey Trips (http://www.alumniofturkey.org/) - Houston? Evidently a new website created by Institute for Interfaith Dialog and Raindrop Foundation both of Houston.

- ISWEEEP - Annual Cosmos Foundation science fair in Houston. 

- Institute for Interfaith Dialog, Houston - President is Dr. Y. Alp Aslandogan (?)

- Turqouise Center, Houston - cultural center located at 9301 W. Bellfort with IID, Houston-Instanbul, Raindrop, etc.)

- StudyTurkish.org - based at Raindrop House, Houston. Affiliated with University of Houston;

- Houston Blue Mosque - (http://www.houstonbluemosque.org/) connected to "Citadel Foundation"(?). Islamic mosque offering daily prayers and religious events. Both operate at 9301 W. Bellfort;

- Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance, Houston - located at 9301 W. Bellfort.

- Turkic Fest, Houston. Annual Turkic "Cultures and Children's Festival" evidently organized by the Raindrop Turkish Houston of Houston;

- Turkish Cultural Center, Houston (?) - mentioned as being housed with Raindrop and Institute for Interfaith Dialog in 2007 Texas Monthly article. Now Turquoise Center?

- Bosniaks Cultural Community of Houston - organized by Miralem Turkic?

- Citadel Foundation, Houston - Islamic charity located at 9301 W. Bellfort (see: Houston Blue Mosque, supra).

- Turkmen Young Scholars Association (Houston?)

- Harmony Science Academy, Houston

- Harmony Science Academy of NW Houston

- Harmony School of Excellence, Houston

- Harmony School of Endeavor, Houston

- Harmony School of Ingenuity, Houston

- Harmony School of Innovation, Houston

- Harmony School of Science, Houston

(Besides the Harmony Schools in Austin and Houston, there are 14 other locations (for a total of 25, not including vocational and pre-school - 4 more than my last count in early '09) in Texas as listed on their website at http://www.harmonytx.org/schools/)

- Helix Design & Production (produces many of the Gulen websites in Houston). Located at 10700 Kingston Street, Houston, Texas 77099. Same address as Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce

- Rainbow Painting (http://www.rainbow-painting.com/index.html). Listed as "Rainbow Construction" on Cosmos Foundation 2006 IRS Form 990 - Cosmos paid over $2.3M that year for 'construction' services yet Rainbow Painting's website shows that it did no work in Houston until 2007. Operated from a single family residence at 12722 Ashford Meadow Drive, Houston, Texas 77082;

- Ege Construction Company of Turkey (Houston office) http://egeconstruction.org/;

- Atlas Construction Company of Turkey (Houston office) - provided construction services of over a $1M to Harmony Schools

- Karagan Law Firm, Houston. Small 2-5 person firm run by Yalcin Karagan who was licensed to practice in Texas in 2000. Although website indicates personal injury focus, did he handle labor certifications for Gulen H1B's? Received $178, 520 on 2006 Cosmos IRS Form 990 for legal work. 

Louisiana Gulen organizations (not a complete listing)

Atlas Foundation of Louisiana - locations in Baton Rouge and New Orleans (http://www.atlaslouisiana.org/)

Baton Rouge-Malatya, Turkey Sister City Committee

Gulen-affiliated Educational Institutions (not a complete listing):

Texas Gulf Institute (vocational, computer training) Houston, Texas  - located at http://www.tgicareer.com/

Gulf Language School (located with Texas Gulf Institute), Houston, Texas - http://www.gulfesl.org

Bluebonnet Learning Center, Houston, Texas (also locations in Dallas and El Paso). For children 3-5 years of age. Located in same office park as Texas Gulf Institute and Gulf Language School (?). http://www.bluebonnetlearningcenter.com

=====================

Sent to Donna Garner by unnamed source:

List of Gulen charter schools can be found here:
http://www.charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com
 
Their main arteries are:
Magnolia Science Academy  (California)
Sonoran Science Academy   (Arizona)
Harmony Science Academy  (Texas)
Horizon Science Academy   (Ohio)

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com



Tying It Neatly--Title I Funds To Common Core=Nationalizing Education?

To:  All Texans 

Date:  9.18.10

Please read carefully these excerpts from one of my previous articles because there is a possibility that the Obama administration might try to tie Title I funds to Common Core Standards/ Race to the Top.  If that were to happen, we in Texas would need to be prepared to wage a huge battle to keep the feds from completely taking over our public schools (e.g., as my article below explains).

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com

(1)  On 9.16.10, I wrote “Am I a Wacko Now?” (http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=100137 ) in which I tried to warn people all around the country that the Obama administration has succeeded in taking over the public schools of nearly every state (except for Texas and Alaska) through Common Core Standards (CCS) and Race to the Top (RTTT). This was done while many conservatives and Republicans basically “sat on their hands” and did nothing. 

Obama and his administration skillfully groomed CCS/RTTT to divide and conquer, thus silencing the usual conservative/Republican opposition to Big Government.  Obama, working with U. S. Sect. of Education Arne Duncan and using Bill Gates’ money, managed to inject into CCS/RTTT an  emphasis on charter schools (which the conservatives/Republicans basically like). 

Secondly, the Obama administration also tied individual students’ assessment scores directly to teacher evaluations, thus inflaming the teachers’ unions (another aspect that conservatives/Republicans generally like because they prefer private enterprise to unions).

By inserting these two provisions into CCS/RTTT, the Obama administration and the Democrats successfully silenced the usual opposition; and while the country was fighting the federal takeover of the public schools, most citizens missed the fact that the federal government was taking over their children’s public schools.

Unfortunately, the charter schools that the Obama administration is supporting are not the kind of charter schools that the conservatives/Republicans are picturing.  Remember that Sect. of Education Arne Duncan tried to establish a gay charter school while he was the superintendent in Chicago, and nothing could make the Obama crowd any happier than to have “social justice” charter schools.

As of Sept. 9, 2010, thirty-seven (37) states had signed up to follow the Common Core Standards.  

The following states “won” the right to have their students thoroughly indoctrinated by the federal government because these states are taking the federal funds from Race to the Top:  District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Tennessee 

The ironic part is that the threat/carrot/stick of Race to the Top caused other states to push through the Obama administration’s CCS/RTTT stipulations to try to get the funds, but the federal funds only pay the state a one-time fee of approximately $75 per student.  For this pittance, the above-mentioned states have put their students directly into the hands of the Obama administration.

As you study the graphic below (highlighted in red), please ask yourself how easy it would be for the Obama administration to input pro-Islam/anti-Christian, anti-Judeo and social justice bias (multiculturalism, political correctness, global warming, diversity, acceptance of homosexuality, etc.) into the national assessments.

The CCS (1) English / Language Arts and (2) Math standards have already been published; the (3) Science CCS are in the pipeline; and the (4) Social Studies CCS are coming soon.

No public hearings have been held on any of these curriculum requirement documents nor are any likely to be held in the future.

The people chosen to write these documents are aligned with the Obama administration.  The entire CCS/RTTT plan was never voted on by our elected members of Congress. 

As the graphic below shows, teachers will be forced by CCS/RTTT to “teach to the test” each and every day because their jobs will depend upon it.  Sadly, the “tests” will actually be “national assessments” meaning that they will not have right-or-wrong, up-or-down answers.

Instead, the national assessments will be performance-based and subjectively scored based upon the value system of the scorer.  Subjectivity allows for students’ opinions, beliefs, and emotions to be assessed by scorers who have opinions, beliefs, and emotions that may not be in line with those of students’ parents. The U. S. Department of Education has awarded $330 million for these national assessments to be developed.   

Worse yet, to whom will the parent go to complain if he feels his child’s national assessments have been graded wrong -- to the U. S. Department of Education in the insular world of  Washington, D. C.? 

This is the way that the Common Core Standards and Race to the Top work.  The arrows mean “lead to.”

National standards  →  national assessments  →  national curriculum → teachers’ salaries tied to students’ test scores  →  teachers teaching to the test each and every day  →  national indoctrination of our public school children  →  national database of students and teachers

It is past time for citizens to rise up and stop the takeover of the public schools by those who want to crush the principles upon which our country is founded.  

I would encourage each person who reads this e-mail to contact those who are running for elected office on Nov. 2, 2010, and get a firm commitment from them that they will commit to repeal the appropriation of funds for Common Core Standards and Race to the Top. 

So far, there was $100 Billion in the Stimulus package for public schools with $1.35 Billion in Obama’s 2011 budget for education. The jobs bill passed on 8.4.10 and contained $26 Billion for the public schools.  Enough is enough.  

I also believe it is time for Congress to repeal all funding for the

U. S. Department of Education because it has become a funnel through which indoctrination is pouring into our children’s minds.  Those duties that the U. S. Dept. of Education does that are imperative need to be shuffled off to other government agencies to perform.

Remember that Kevin Jennings was chosen to head up the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. 

Jennings is also the founder of Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); and it was his organization that led discussions at a “Fistgate” seminar in Massachusetts where young teens were guided on how to perform dangerous homosexual perversions, including fisting.

If you want to learn even more about Common Core Standards/Race to the Top, please read further:

Posted by Donna Garner on 9.8.10:

CCSI Exposed--Can America Afford To Be In The Dark?--The Price Are The Children--Beware and Act Now with Knowledge

Hear the true story of the takeover of the public schools by the Obama administration (with the help of Bill Gates et al) under the Common Core Standards Initiative and the Race to the Top. 

In this roundtable discussion, you will hear explanations from:

Professor Jim Milgram (mathematics content specialist, Stanford University)

Professor Sandra Stotsky (English / Language Arts content specialist,University of Arkansas)

Betty Peters (member of Alabama State Board of Education)

Peyton Wolcott (investigative journalist in Texas,www.peytonwolcott.com)

Beth Schultz (math educator, parent activist in Maine)

Diana Crews (Alabama radio host of City on a Hill,http://cityonahill.squarespace.com/city-on-a-hill-blogs/2010/9/4/nationalizing-or-federalizing-education-ccsi-the-inside-stor.html )

Donna Garner (activist and retired Texas teacher) 

Summary graphic:

National standards  →  national tests  →  national curriculum → teachers’ salaries tied to students’ test scores  →  teachers teaching to the test each and every day  →  national indoctrination of our public school children  →  national database

Please click here to listen to the roundtable discussion:

Direct download: 9-1-10_CCSI_part_2.mp3

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com