For-profit myth:

The other is to attract students through strong marketing to cover up an mediocre to weak product. And this is where we run into issues because it allows for charters that market themselves well to cut expenses in ways that produces a weaker education in order to increase profit. And that is a problem when you're talking about a taxpayer-funded operation.

Myth BUSTED.

But most who have watched the show -- or have seen the "Best Schools" designation on the districts' websites -- probably don't know this: The districts did not make the cut because of test scores or graduation rates but instead because they paid a marketing firm $25,000.

The shows, arranged by Sussman Sikes & Associates, were paid programming. Think ShamWow for the classroom.

Yup, Dearborn was involved in that scam.  Matter of fact, it's still on their Districts website.  And I'll tell you this, I raised all sorts of hell about that with the School Board prior to me dumping my house while it still had any worth.  It was an insult to my intelligence to have my tax dollars for the schools and little darlings educations go to a propaganda machine to purposefully lie to the public about their disastrous and deplorable, publicly funded, non-English using Madrassas.

Bottom line.  Competition always raises the bar.  Folks vote with their pocketbooks and their feet.

If marketing gimmicks really worked, all of our roads would be traffic jams in a sea of Chevy Volt's.

OABTW, here's another axe I have to grind with goonionized public education and their liberal agendas...

http://www.fedupusa.org/2011/06/you-know-the-government-has-taken-over-every-part-of-our-lives-when/