And all the free trips to Turkey you can "buy."
The Perimeter Primate website recently published a blog about the evolution and warp-speed progression of the Gulen-inspired charter schools that started in the United States thirteen years ago, and to date -- are operating at 175 schools strong.
The boys started their little enterprise in Cleveland, Ohio in 1999. But like the early gold-diggers, quickly moved out West to Nevada, Oklahoma, Arizona, California, and Texas -- where they really hit the jackpot – discovering that there were mucho tax dollars to dig up in their collective 38 Texas-based schools, and other burgeoning Western-based schools.
And Texas by the way, is also the state whose state legislators proclaimed a Fetullah Gulen Day. It must have been a really slow day at the Texas State House.
Seems to be that there are just too many politicians across the country with their hands out waiting for Gulen and his cronies to throw a little more campaign- based “baklava” and free trips to Turkey -- their way – both of which are so readily and graciously accepted by our politicians.
It’s funny how a little palm greasing can do so much more than hydrate the skin… like causing the political “greasee” to be thrown into a whirling-dervish driven type of amnesia that conveniently forgets about American anti-discrimination and immigration laws…
Below is the blog from Perimeter Primate:
http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 1, 2012 Gulen charter school timeline The largest charter school chain in the U.S. is run by the members of the Gulen movement, a controversial, secretive, religious, and highly nationalistic group out of Turkey that is operating in a manner with no exact precedent. The "movement" simultaneously promotes Islam, Turkey, and GM-affiliated Turkish businesses as it pursues a strategic, power-accumulating geopolitical agenda. To accomplish its goals, the movement conducts a range of activities associated with its schools, interfaith dialog and Turkish culture-promoting organizations, media outlets, and business organizations. Members of the Gulen movement make up only a small portion of the Turkish people, but the group is very powerful there, as well as abroad, because of its unified, tight-knit, and ambitious nature.
The Gulen movement has been engaging in an aggressive school and organizational global expansion for two decades and opened their first charter school in Ohio in 1999. Today the Gulen charter school network in the U.S. consists of 134 schools in 26 states enrolling approximately 35,000 students. In comparison, the well-known non-profit Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) operates 109 schools in 20 states, and the large for-profit Imagine Schools company operates 75 schools in 12 states.
Gulen charter schools are founded and controlled (finances, hiring and firing, marketing and propaganda, student selection and deselection, business and real estate practices, etc.) by a very tight in-group of board members and administrators, many of whom also practice the Gulenist way by initiating and/or participating in other notoriously Gulenist activities, mainly local interfaith dialog and Turkish culture-promoting organizations. As is true for all of the Gulen movement’s schools around the world, Gulen charter schools are willing to hire outsiders for certain positions, but prefer to fill specialty subjects (math, science, Turkish language, etc.) with imported Turkish or Turkic teachers who are GM insiders. A set of specific school characteristics are present at all Gulen schools around the world -- the vast majority of which are privately funded, except in the U.S. where expansion of charter schools has been rampant.
One significant feature of this group is that members are extremely reluctant to reveal to outsiders that they are part of the Gulen movement. The possible reasons for this secrecy have been debated and discussed, and it has caused many people around the world to be deeply and justifiably concerned. The secrecy also explains why, to novice or lazy observers, the movement’s activities seem unremarkable or too nebulous to bother with; they don't realize what will become visible to them upon a deeper level of exploration. It is then that the linkages, the patterns, the templates, and the carefully configured organizational structures which provide the platform for the Gulenists' many coordinated activities are more fully revealed.
The secretive and murky nature of the Gulen movement explains why its involvement with so many publicly-funded charter schools has flown under the radar of Americans for so many years, but that unfortunate situation is changing. The first news article about the Gulen movement's charter school connection broke in July 2009, and in less than three years since that time, many more stories have been published, each one helping a little bit to bring about the transparency which American taxpayers and parents so rightly deserve. Because critical information has been withheld, those taxpayers and parents have been given NO CHOICE in whether they want to help the Gulen movement as it pursues its strategic geopolitical agenda. Instead, they've been tricked into doing so.
The Gulen movement does not maintain a central website with an organizational chart showing its many local, regional, and national Gulenist institutions, nor is any institution posting the group's county-by-country, or state-by-state school listings so parents can learn about what's going on, although indications are that someone in the higher tier of the movement undoubtedly keeps track of these things. Because of this intentional withholding of information from public view – as well as the ignorance and/or neglect of local, state, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education – a number of concerned citizens have taken it upon themselves to monitor the Gulen movement’s trajectory and range of activities vis-à-vis its U.S. charter schools in order to provide the public with this extremely important information
GULEN CHARTER SCHOOL TIMELINE:
OPENING YEARS OF THE ACTIVE SCHOOLS
OH
1999
Horizon Science Academy Cleveland (High School)
OH
1999
Horizon Science Academy Columbus (High School)
NV
2000
Coral Academy of Science - Reno Elementary
NV
2000
Coral Academy of Science - Reno Middle/High School
OK
2000
Dove Science Academy - Tulsa
TX
2000
Harmony Science Academy - Houston
WI
2000
Wisconsin Career Academy
AZ
2001
Sonoran Science Academy - Tucson
OK
2001
Dove Science Academy - Oklahoma City
CA
2002
Magnolia Science Academy 1 - Reseda
GA
2002
Fulton Science Academy Middle School*
TX
2002
Harmony Science Academy - Austin
NJ
2003
Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology
NY
2003
Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School
AR
2004
LISA Academy - Little Rock
AZ
2004
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix
CA
2004
Bay Area Technology School
IL
2004
Chicago Mathematics [or Math] and Science Academy
NY
2004
Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School
OH
2004
Horizon Science Academy Toledo
TX
2004
Harmony Science Academy - Dallas
AR
2005
LISA Academy High School - Little Rock
CA
2005
Magnolia Science Academy - San Diego
MD
2005
Chesapeake Science Point
OH
2005
Horizon Science Academy Cincinnati
OH
2005
Horizon Science Academy Cleveland Middle School
OH
2005
Horizon Science Academy Dayton
OH
2005
Horizon Science Academy Denison Middle School
OH
2005
Horizon Science Academy Springfield
PA
2005
Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School
TX
2005
Harmony School of Innovation - Houston
TX
2005
School of Science and Technology - San Antonio
UT
2005
Beehive Science and Technology Academy
CO
2006
Lotus School for Excellence
GO
2006
Fulton Science Academy High School**
NJ
2006
Central Jersey College Prep
OH
2006
Noble Academy - Columbus
OH
2006
Noble Academy - Cleveland
TX
2006
Harmony Science Academy - El Paso
TX
2006
Harmony Science Academy - Fort Worth
TX
2006
Harmony School of Excellence - Houston
TX
2006
Harmony Science Academy - San Antonio
CA
2007
Magnolia Science Academy 2 - Valley
FL
2007
River City Science Academy
FL
2007
STARS Middle School
IN
2007
Indiana Math & Science Academy - [West]
MA
2007
Pioneer Charter School of Science
MO
2007
Frontier School of Excellence***
NJ
2007
Bergen Arts and Science Charter School (elementary)
OH
2007
Horizon Science Academy Columbus Middle School
PA
2007
Truebright Science Academy
TX
2007
Harmony Science Academy High School - Houston
TX
2007
Harmony Science Academy - Beaumont
TX
2007
Harmony Science Academy - Bryan / College Station
TX
2007
Harmony Science Academy - Houston Northwest
TX
2007
Harmony Science Academy - Lubbock
TX
2007
Harmony Science Academy - Waco
AR
2008
LISA Academy - North Elementary (Sherwood)
AR
2008
LISA Academy - North Middle (Sherwood)
AR
2008
LISA Academy - North High (Sherwood)
AZ
2008
Sonoran Science Academy - Ahwatukee
AZ
2008
Sonoran Science Academy - Broadway
AZ
2008
Paragon Science Academy
CA
2008
Magnolia Science Academy 3 - Carson
CA
2008
Magnolia Science Academy 4 - Venice
CA
2008
Magnolia Science Academy 5 - Hollywood
FL
2008
Orlando Science Middle School
FL
2008
Sweetwater Branch Academy (or SB Middle School)
LA
2008
Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School
NY
2008
Rochester Academy Charter School
NC
2008
Triad Math and Science Academy
OH
2008
Horizon Science Academy Cleveland Elementary School
OH
2008
Horizon Science Academy Columbus Elementary School
OH
2008
Horizon Science Academy Denison Elementary School
OK
2008
Dove Science Academy Elementary School - Oklahoma City
TX
2008
Harmony School of Science - Austin
TX
2008
Harmony Science Academy - North Austin
TX
2008
Harmony Science Academy - Brownsville
TX
2008
Harmony Science Academy - Grand Prairie
TX
2008
Harmony School of Science - Houston
TX
2008
Harmony Science Academy - Laredo
TX
2008
School of Science and Technology Discovery
AR
2009
Sonoran Science Academy – Davis-Monthan AFB
CA
2009
Magnolia Science Academy 6 - Palms
CA
2009
Pacific Technology School - Santa Ana****
CA
2009
Pacific Technology School - Orangevale
MA
2009
Hampden Charter School of Science
MI
2009
Michigan Math and Science Academy
MO
2009
Frontier School of Innovation
OH
2009
Horizon Science Academy Dayton High School
OH
2009
Horizon Science Academy Lorain
OK
2009
Discovery School of Tulsa
TX
2009
Harmony School of Excellence - Austin
TX
2009
Harmony School of Innovation - Dallas
TX
2009
Harmony School of Innovation - El Paso
TX
2009
Harmony Science Academy - Euless
TX
2009
Harmony School of Endeavor - Houston
TX
2009
Harmony School of Ingenuity - Houston
TX
2009
School of Science and Technology - Alamo
TX
2009
School of Science and Technology - Corpus Christi
AZ
2010
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix Metro
CA
2010
Magnolia Science Academy - Santa Clara
CA
2010
Magnolia Science Academy 7 - Van Nuys
CA
2010
Magnolia Science Academy 8 - Bell
FL
2010
New Springs Middle School
FL
2010
Sweetwater Branch Academy Elementary School
GA
2010
Fulton Sunshine Academy Elementary School
IL
2010
Quest Charter Academy
IN
2010
Indiana Math & Science Academy - North
MD
2010
Baltimore IT Academy
MO
2010
Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis
NV
2010
Coral Academy of Science - Las Vegas
NM
2010
Albuquerque School of Excellence
OH
2010
Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown
OH
2010
Horizon Science Academy Toledo Downtown
OH
2010
Horizon Science Academy Youngstown
TN
2010
Memphis School of Excellence
TX
2010
Harmony School of Nature and Athletics - Dallas
TX
2010
Harmony Science Academy - Garland
TX
2010
Harmony School of Advancement High - Houston
TX
2010
Harmony School of Art and Technology - Houston
TX
2010
Harmony School of Discovery - Houston
TX
2010
Harmony Science Academy - Odessa
TX
2010
Harmony School of Innovation - San Antonio
FL
2011
New Springs Elementary School
MD
2011
Chesapeake Math and IT Academy
MN
2011
Minnesota School of Science
NJ
2011
Bergen Arts and Science Charter School Middle High
NJ
2011
Passaic Arts and Science Charter School (elementary)
PA
2011
Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School
TX
2011
Harmony School of Political Science and Communication - Austin
TX
2011
Harmony Science Academy - West Houston
TX
2011
Harmony School of Science High - Sugar Land
WI
2011
Milwaukee Math and Science Academy
TOTAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE SCHOOLS = 134
* Formerly Cosmos Science Academy
** Formerly TEACH School
*** Formerly Brookside-Frontier Math and Science School
**** Sometimes referred to as PTS – Orange County