Is the Gates Foundation Taking Advocacy Too Far?

Last week, the New York Times published this article questioning if the Gates Foundation's support of Education Reform has taken advocacy too far.

The article points out:

•  Mr. Gates is creating entirely new advocacy groups. It is bankrolling many of the Washington analysts who interpret education issues for journalists and giving grants to some media organizations.

• Then there are the less well-known advocacy grants to civil rights groups like the Education Equality Project and Education Trust that try to influence policy, to research institutes that study the policies’ effectiveness, and to Education Week and public radio and television stations that cover education policies.

• Over the next five or six years, Mr. Golston said, the foundation expects to pour $3.5 billion more into education, up to 15 percent of it on advocacy.

At one point, these actions are accused of being "Orwellian."  For those of you, like me, that did not read James Orwell's 1984 it refers to "being destructive to the welfare of a free society."

This got me thinking:

DOES GATES' ADVOCACY GO TOO FAR?

The last time I had a class covering advocacy was in high school. Admittily, I'm really a neophyte on this subject, but I am a concerned citizen of our nation.

They way I see it,  large oil companies have lobbied government for years in ways that have resulted in environmental and political outcomes that I do not agree with.

• Is this financial power and influence in our government now okay because I peronally agree with what Gates is accomplishing and see it as a ray of hope in changing our education system? 

• Is this a case where two wrongs don't make a right? 

• If the same amount of money was coming from multiple sources, still with the same views, would that make it less scrutinized.  

• At what point is financial support of advocacy okay and at what point is it not okay?

So, I don't have any big takeways this week, except that I wish I could now go back and take that college course on advocacy that I am sure I avoided.

You comments welcome!

What IS Working in Haiti (and elsewhere)

I am completely overwhelmed, and I feel helpless about the situation in Haiti.  All of the negative media about non-government organization's (NGO's) being ineffective and even hurting Haiti's recovery, like this one, is making me want to be in denial about the whole situation.  So, I want to take a moment to highlight something that IS working to help Haiti, banking via cell phones.

No one is saying immediate basic health, shelter and food issues aren't important, but if you want to look long term at arresting poverty, then you need to understand "why the most powerful idea in microfinance isn’t microloans, but microsavings — helping the poor safely store their money."  Maybe on the surface it doesn't sound that monumental, but I hope after reading the articles below you will be as optimistic as I am about this.

Gates Foundation gives prize for Haiti help - U.S. news - Giving - msnbc.com

Announces the first $2.5 million dollar grant, of a total of $10 million, the foundation plans to give away to the first companies that help Haitians with mobile banking.  Additional links on foundation page explaining importance of this investment:

• Bill Gates: Mobile Phones + Savings: A Powerful Pair
• Mobile money services have arrived in Haiti! - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Create Savings Accounts and Bring Financial Security to the World’s Poorest | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

 
Can Cell Phones Rescue Haiti? - Huffington Post
"Yet when you ask Haitians what they want most, the overwhelming majority will tell you they need money to support their families. After Haitians get clean water, food, shelter and medicine -- all the trappings of traditional aid packages -- they will still lack basic economic opportunities. That's where the cell phones come in."

I am re-posting these two articles as they further support the vital role cell phones play in aiding poverty.


I've Seen The Future (in Haiti) - New York Times
 Nicholas Kristof on the importance of cell phone technology in aiding poverty areas.  Also see this blog post from Kristof for more input from him.


In Kenya, Huts Far Off the Grid Harness the Sun - New York Times 
Recent article on the impact proving electricity, via solar panels, has on impoverished communities, not the least of which is being able to charge their cell phone, which ties into the importance of cell phones mentioned in the above article by Kristof.

I want to speak more to my feelings of helplessness and denial about Haiti.  Despite the constant negative press about the situation, I continue to read articles about people's refusal to give up. Last week I posted this interview with Thomas Tighe from Direct Relief International who said, "There is no option to quit."
There was also this article:

Why U.S. aid workers refuse to give up - CNN.com

"I don't want America to stop from asking these tough questions, because they have to keep all of us on the ball. I just want them to understand that the option to stop helping Haiti, while we address those questions, is that people will die," Stern said.

CALL TO ACTION:

1) donate used cell phones to Haiti or other poverty stricken countries.  You can google "donate cell phones Haiti" to get a list of organizations that take cell phones for this purpose.

2) Continue to donate to reputable NGO's supporting Haiti like our local Direct Relief International

3) When donating to other relief organization's ask them if they use cell phone technology to disperse their funds to victims.

MY ACTION:
At my next book club, I am going to ask everyone to bring old cell phones to donate.  I know I could say I am going to do a larger collection, but I might not ever get to that.  This is a small enough start that I will follow through with it. 

World Health Priorities

 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Global development and health are some of my own personal prioritizes, but I decided to see what were the priorities of the leading foundation in the world, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It turns out, they also have these same interests.  If you have never checked out their website, it's a good one to bookmark, spend some time with, and check out periodically.


Gauging Bill Gate's Health Grants Five Years In
from New York Times
The generosity and impact of this foundation is not only humbling, but the innovative thinking in looking at future solutions has me in awe.  This recent article is an example of their innovative thinking.


World Health Organization Millennium Development Goals 
Another link to spend some time with is the World Health Organization .  This link takes you to the section on their Millennium Development Goals.  I like to know that this kind of international structure and effort and is going on, but this also helps me see where to put my own priorities.


WHO: Year in Review 2010 
Exactly what it says.  The year in review from the World Health Organization 


What Works - Maternal and Child Health
One of the top WHO: Millennium Development Goals focuses on maternal and child health.  This article from Partnership in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health discusses what we know works.  This is also another great site and resource on the subject to bookmark.

This Week in Education Reform

I can't help, but be drawn to any article on education reform.  If you aren't already familiar with the topic, a few of the key players to watch are Arne Duncan, Geoffrey Canada,  Michelle Rhee, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

A Former School Chief Shapes Her Comeback
"Ms. Rhee, one of the best recognized, and most polarizing, figures in public education."  After resigning as Chancellor of Washington, D. C. schools, the nation was waiting for her next move.  Read about it at NYTimes.com.

What I've Learned by Michelle Rhee 
For those of you who want more on Michelle Rhee and her thoughts about education reform, read this Newsweek cover article.

New Challenges for Obama's Education Agenda in the Face of a G.O.P. Led House
NYTimes.com covers how the administration is having to recalibrate its goals for working with Congress

Teach Your Children...Better 
This interview with Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, appeared in Nov in the WSJ.  Here is my favorite part of the interview and the reason why I believe so strongly in the long term impact of Early Childhood Education.  

MS. BLUMENSTEIN: President Obama has a goal of increasing college graduation rates. I believe the U.S. has now sunk to No. 9 in the world and he wants to make us No. 1 by 2020. How is he going to do that, given the state of public education?

MR. DUNCAN: We're putting a huge emphasis on early-childhood education, which is a long-term play. We've talked a lot about K-to-12 reform.

We've also put a huge amount of money to make college more affordable, have increased Pell grants, lots of money behind community colleges. And so with a comprehensive—we call it cradle to career—continuum of change, we basically need about another eight million young people to graduate. 

 Many Officials Willing to Replace Half of Staff to Turn School Around 
In the much talked about film, Waiting for Superman, there was a lot of blame placed on a system with the inability to replace low performing teachers.  This article from the Washington Post addresses the Obama's administration attempt to tackle this issue.

Geoffrey Canada Said to Have Rejected Chancellor Job 
We might not live in NYC, but Geoffrey Canada is such a leader in education reform that anything about him is worth reading.  Read at NYTimes.com

What Works in the Classroom...Ask the Students 
  This NYTimes.com article covers a two year project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Part of this project was research that shows preliminary findings that students views of their teachers are quite useful.

 Growth in Test Scores is a Sign of a Good Teacher
Another article on the two year project from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  This one, in the Washington Post, discusses the effectiveness of using test scores to measure teaching ability.