UGLY CHARTER SCHOOL POLITICS: In July, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that FBI agents had raided the Des Plaines headquarters of Concept Schools as well as 19 Concept other locations in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, seeking details about contractors the charter operator was working with under the federal E-Rate program. Now George Joseph at (the proudly left-leaning) Jacobin describes allegations of “widespread corruption” at several charter school networks, including Concept Charter Schools. The Gulen Charter Network has been criticized for a dubious business strategy that reportedly involves wooing lawmakers with perks such as international trips. Read more on the controversy here.
