Teachers Stage Protest Outside Gates Foundation Headquarters

Teachers opposing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s policies on education set up a protest rally outside the headquarters in Seattle during the evening rush hour yesterday, according to the Seattle Times and local news network KPLU.

Washington State members of the Facebook group Badass Teachers Association organized the event. According to the group, the Gates Foundation, through its initiatives and funding, has blamed teachers for students’ performance, not taking into consideration other factors such as poverty.

The group also opposes the support from the Gates Foundation for the new Common Core standards adopted in several states, including Washington. The sweeping changes outline what students should know at the end of each grade and changed the levels of English and math taught in schools. The Foundation has spent some $233-million since 2008 promoting the standards.