The accreditation fight at City College of San Francisco exposes the way that the US ruling class is reshaping community colleges to better meet the needs of capitalism-imperialism. More importantly, it raises the question of what kind of education and society workers need.
The accrediting commission (Association of Community Colleges and Junior Colleges) ordered in July that City College should shut down in June 2014. It rejected the college's frantic efforts to meet its demands, including cutbacks and reduced faculty involvement in decision-making. Without accreditation, colleges can't get state funds and students can't get federal financial aid or a recognized degree.
Amid massive student-faculty protests, the California Federation of Teachers appealed to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), which authorizes the accreditors. City College Special Trustee Bob Agrella (accountable only to the State Chancellor) complained, "We shouldn't fight the commission."
Protests have continued, including a City Hall sit-in of over 150 students on August 20. Feds Tell Commission: "Clean Up Your Act" On August 13, the U.S. DOE surprisingly announced that the commission itself is "out of compliance" because of the composition of review teams (not enough faculty), the appearance of conflict of interest (spouse of ACCJC president was on the City College review team), and due-process issues. These included shredding documents, bypassing lesser sanctions like "warnings," and issuing vague "recommendations" without indicating how serious they were. City College supporters are delighted that the Feds gave the commission a deadline to correct its problems, threatening to take away its power.
So are many other faculty who have been harassed and intimidated by the commission, which has sanctioned nearly two-thirds of the community colleges in California and Hawaii, far more than any other regional commission.
Few believe any more that the commission is a "voluntary association" conducting "peer review." Increasing numbers see that its program aligns with the privatization and corporatization of public education from K-12 on up. They are appalled that the commission takes money from the Lumina Foundation, money amassed from outrageous profits on student loans.

Many dismiss commission
President Barbara Beno's claim that she's responding to federal demands. But all accrediting agencies take their cue from the U.S. DOE, which in turn takes its cue from the capitalist rulers, whether under Republican Margaret Spellings or Democrat Arne Duncan. (See below)
According to a 2011 "Discussion Draft" from the U.S. Department of Education:
"As a function of its engagement in the federal aid eligibility process, government regulation has moved the accreditation system in the direction of accountability. "The accreditors themselves find their standards, criteria, and requirements being shaped by a federal agenda quite apart from the traditions and interests of the voluntary peer review of an academic enterprise."

What is that federal agenda?
To fund only educational activities "in accordance with the principle that a well-educated citizenry promotes individual and community well-being, economic competiveness and workforce development, and civic participation." In other words, colleges should get money only to train patriotic workers who will produce maximum profit with minimum protest, and (when needed) fight in the bosses' wars.

What must our agenda be?
To eliminate money and the profit system (capitalism) so that education can be united with productive work to meet the material and social needs of the masses. In other words, to educate and organize ourselves (workers, students, soldiers, teachers) to mobilize for communist revolution. Communist society will not have layers upon layers of administrators, bureaucrats, and secretive commissions to evaluate work from above. Instead, collectives engaged in work and education will evaluate themselves through an open process of criticism and self-criticism that involves the masses to the greatest extent possible, as our Party collectives must do today.
These growing and increasingly numerous collectives, welcoming the masses and linked into one International Communist Workers' Party, will be the leading core of society. We will all be accountable to the masses.
Educational policy is always driven by politics. Today it's driven by capitalist politics, the rulers' struggle to maintain their power over us. We strive for education driven by communist politics, the struggle of the masses for the power to produce and share based on our commitment to each other and the needs of all.
We ask you to "accredit" the ICWP with your support, your criticisms, and your active participation.

FOXES GUARDING THE CHICKEN COOP

Members of the Department of Education accreditation group are handpicked for their capitalist ties and loyalties.
Some, like Mellon Foundation President Earl Lewis, represent big foundations that throw money into reshaping schools and other institutions.
Others are higher-education "insiders" like Jill Derby (Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges), Jamienne Studley (American Association of Colleges and Universities) and Cameron Staples (New England Association of Schools & Colleges.) Political "insiders" include Arthur Rothkopf (U.S. Chamber of Commerce and former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation) and William Armstrong, who spent 20 years in Congress, chairing the Republican Policy Committee.
Some are self-described "education reformers" like Richard O'Donnell, who helps run The Fullbridge Program, which sells "business immersion boot camps."
Federico Zaragoza, Vice-Chancellor of Economic and Workforce Development in the San Antonio, Texas community college system, represents the growing trend of training students to meet specific corporate needs.
Representing the for-profit sector is Arthur Keiser, leader of its chief lobbying organization. His Keiser University (a career college) converted to "not-for-profit" status in 2011 while under investigation for high costs, low graduation rates, and questionable recruiting practices. William Pepicello heads the University of Phoenix, the largest for-profit online school, also exposed for leaving students mired in debt, often without a degree.
Most other commissioners are present or former college heads, experts at running institutions that promote deadly capitalist ideology and train a docile workforce.
Don't rely on these foxes to guard the educational interests of the masses!

Next Article