Boston Consulting Group Washington DC

• FORESHADOWING: Walton heir Barbara Penner has spoken about dealing with whole mid-sized metropolitan areas using the family's education ideas. Could Little Rock, in which the Walton Foundation has employed an advisor, be among them?

I authored yesterday about focus groups planned within the Little Rock schools through the Walton and Rockefeller fundamentals using the Boston Talking to Group.

The fundamentals talk little towards the pubic — with the exception of planned releases with couple of followup questions allowed — once they get involved with public organizations. Likely, this session February. 10, though following rapidly following the state's takeover from the school district in the advocating of Arkansas business leaders, is going to be styled included in the Forward Arkansas education improvement project from the fundamentals, approved by condition education leaders.

However that does not mean it is not heading lower a route to radical change of Little Rock school district structure, possibly a lasting lack of local control.

Diane Ravitch, the cool education reformer, points me to a different education blogger she follows, Curmdgication. That blogger last evening provided — motivated by Little Rock developments — many particulars about Boston Talking to Group activities in education round the country. From Curmudgication:

Word went today that soon after Arkansas made the decision to create Little Rock Schools non-public, the Walton family known as a "focus group" meeting "with the Boston Talking to Group. This really is worse than locating the slender guy at the back of your loved ones portrait. For any public school system, this really is locating the harsh reaper at the door. And he isn't selling snacks.

…...BCG's arrival in Little Rock is no surprise they have existed the training block several occasions. These were in news reports just a week ago when Parents U . s . finally won a lengthy court situation to become permitted to determine BCG's super-duper secret plans for Philadelphia schools, attracted up long ago when Philadelphia was initially converted into among the nation's biggest non-public school systems, operated by condition-hired professionals instead of an chosen board.

A significant feature of BCG's arrange for Philadelphia appears to become standard for them— close this couple of schools, and open some great charters. Quite simply, stop assets towards the dogs. Like a top talking to group, BCG does not come cheap— their talking to fee in Philadelphia was apparently $230Thousand each week. That's just below $33Thousand each day. This is a little under the beginning salary for any teacher in Philadelphia. Each day.