Coming Soon: ALEC Enters the Ed Reform Debate

Now that the American Legislative Exchange Council is distancing itself from Stand your Ground voter ID laws, the next area of policy we are likely to see it rear its ugly head might well be what is alternatively described as either the education reform movement or the education privatization movement – pick whichever monicker suits your point of view.

Back in February, EducationWeek published this piece on how and why ALEC plans to enter debate on education policy in states across the country. But for a simpler version, watch this youTube video Diane Ravitch recently posted to her blog:

It’s worth noting that Mitt Romney is pushing an ALEC-approved platform on education reform, not at all unlike the one often defended by Maryellen Butke, a state Senate candidate and former RI-CAN lobbyist.

Before Josh Barro gets all worked up, I should note that this isn’t to say that Butke – or Romney, for that matter – has been secretly recruited by ALEC to clandestinely do its bidding … but sometimes it’s worth noting who ones’ allies are, if for no other reason than to shed a little light on the playing field.