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Those of us who have made a serious effort to understand what Education Reform is all about understand that the Gates Foundation is probably the biggest force behind the privatizing reform of public education.   We know of several potent local education reform advocacy organizations that are heavily dependent on Gates Foundation funding. These are

• League of Education Voters
• Alliance for Education
• Stand For Children. 

We are now finding evidence that former Gates Foundation employees have been appointed to positions in the Obama Administration. Below you will find information about appointees to the Department of Education, and about the recently appointed head of U.S. Aid.  In short, we are uncovering clear evidence of deep ties between the Obama Administration and the Gates Foundation, and we see that the Obama administration is very interested to use the resources of the U. S Government to further the education and global development agendas of the Gates Foundation.

Is this good, or is this bad?  Parents, do you believe that the Gates Foundation knows what's best for our children?  If so, why do you believe this?  Does fabulous wealth confer great wisdom on market- and private-wealth-oriented people?

Parents who have looked deeply into Education Reform are not in favor of Bill Gates and his ilk (e.g,. Eli Broad, Sam Walton) determining the future of public education.

11-Aug 2010 posting:  analysis of "reverse revolving door" waivers in the Obama administration.   http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/07/what-shelton-waiver-tells-us-about.html.  An exective ethics order requires appointees to make this pledge:  "I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts."  This blog article concerns waivers to this pledge that have been granted to 22 Obama appointees, two of which are members of Dept. of Education; both of these Dept. of Ed. appointess are former Gates Foundation employees.

• Margot Rogers, Chief of Staff, Department of Education [Waiver] Rogers served as Deputy Director of Education Programs at the Gates Foundation before becoming Secretary Duncan’s Chief of Staff. Her waiver states: Margot Rogers shall not be restricted from participating in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to her former employer, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The waiver states it is in the public interest to appoint Rogers to the position, but no further explanation is given.
• James H. Shelton, III, Assistant Deputy Secretary of Innovation and Improvement, Department of Education [Waiver] Shelton worked at the Gates Foundation before being appointed to head the Office of Innovation and Improvement. His waiver is nearly identical to Rogers, but there are some subtle reasons Shelton’s waiver is of greater concern....[go to blog post]

Gates Foundation now has strong influence on priorities and programs of US AID, perhaps because a former Gates F. Executive now heads U.S. AID.  

• http://www.usaid.gov/about_usaid/bios/bio_rshah.html "Dr. Rajiv Shah was sworn in as the 16th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on December 31, 2009...Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Shah served as director of Agricultural Development in the Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In his seven years with the Gates Foundation,
• According to SchoolMatter.info blogpost above, R. Shah is one of the 22 individuals in the Obama Administration that has been granted a wiaver to an executive order that requires appointees to make this pledge:  "I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts."  This is what SchoolMatters.info says bout Shah's waiver : "Shaw’s [sic] waiver allows unlimited contact with the Gates Foundation, and makes only one stipulation: he is not permitted to be involved in any “grants or procurement contracts given by USDA to the Gates Foundation, or in any similar transactions that would result in a transfer of Federal funds to the Gates Foundation.” 
• Friday Aug 13:   http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012618808_aidtech14.html  Rajiv Shah spoke at St. Mark's Cathedral for an event sponsored by Global Washington. "The administration is living up to its commitment to double the foreign-aid budget, he said. But it must prove to taxpayers the resources are used effectively and that seemingly intractable problems can be solved. ...He described a vision of the future in which science and technology, in the form of a tablet computer with an Internet connection, could help a farmer in a remote village get such information as market prices and send photos of pests or crop diseases in asking assistance."  
• http://povertynewsblog.blogspot.com/search?q=%22nascent+agricultural+program%22   "...But the foundation's nascent agricultural program is encountering more resistance than much of its other work, with critics concerned that its market-oriented, technology-centric approach will open the door to big agribusiness interests and genetically engineered food...."This is not just about helping very poor people grow a little more food," said Rajiv Shah, the director of agriculture programs for the Gates Foundation. "This is about transforming agricultural economies so people can move on with their lives."
• New US Aid fund for mobile banking in Haiti via Poverty News Blog June 9th, 2010 at 11:17 US Aid and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have begun a fund to encourage mobile banking services in Haiti. 10 million dollars will be awarded to several different companies who will start up mobile banking services. Only 40 percent of Haitian residents have mobile phones but that number is far greater than regular land lines.From the Seattle Times blog The Business of Giving, writer Kristi Heim explains the new program. Modeled on the success of services such as Kenya's M-PESA, mobile money is considered safer than cash and can encourage savings.The first company to launch a mobile money service in the next six months will receive $2.5 million, and the second operator launching within 12 months will receive $1.5 million. Another $6 million will be divided between the operators that...