Scratchpad
Teachers as Grantseekers:
The Privatization of the
Urban Public School Teacher
SARA FREEDMAN
Boston College
"grantseeking, primarily but not exclusively promoted by numerous
private and corporate foundations, has introduced urban teachers to and fostered
among them some of the central tenets of the movement to privatize education—to
“market” one’s teaching as a product"
"The stark contrast between the very closed world of this teacher’s school—literally locked away from the outside world—and the expansive, seemingly boundless world that corporate and private foundation- sponsored grant competitions were apparently inviting urban teachers to enter struck me with great force."
"funding agencies, as well as many teachers, now promote the idea that the “good” teacher, especially the “good” urban teacher, accepts responsibility for and is adept at raising such funds for her classroom, her school, her school system, and her own professional development."
"Here was a teacher whose weekly, if not daily, routine was to write grants for herself and her school. There were enough grants to which she could apply that could keep her filling out such requests at the rate of two or three a week"
severe problems in urban schools have especially been singled out by privatization advocates as a justification for the movement to privatize public schools
teachers are also encouraged to use strategies borrowed from private sector marketing to describe their project as unique and guar - anteed to solve a myriad of teaching concerns. Marie recognizes her own cynicism in preparing her applications and in coming up with a catchy title...
Such teachers combine the entrepreneurial spirit of competitive individu- alism with an old- fashioned devotion to meeting the needs of the pupils under their charge—the new professional woman combined, and in har - mony, with the self less, caring public servant and mother substitute.
Those urban teachers who are uncomfortable with such self - promotion... are increasingly categorized as ineffective advo- cates for their own students no matter how effective they may be within their own classrooms, schools, or communities.
