Fight harmful school fallacies with facts.
We have the evidence and insights to protect Michigan schools from coordinated disinformation and privatization attacks.
Manufactured crises cost America's schools
$3.2 billion in 2023-2024 alone.
Shelves of stories fill Michigan schools, but we're closing the book on the fallacies. Michigan has 550 public school districts, and over 90% of students depend on the state's investment in public education.
Our precious school budgets are intended to educate kids, not engage in culture wars. Michigan School Scoop helps public school communities spot and break down coordinated attacks and disinformation. Use our tools to:
- Brush up on decades of disturbing tactics that privatizers have used against our schools.
- Read our alerts to identify trending fallacies, gain timely information, poke holes in political and privatization propaganda, and speak up for your schools.
- Help prioritize honesty by sharing facts to preserve resources for real education priorities.
Michigan by the Numbers
2,959
Public schools serving our students
1,300,144
Student experiences to protect
12+
Think tanks and groups against MI ed
Meet Our Schools' Bad Apples
Plotting for school privatization
Billionaires and hyper-partisan think tanks have been working for decades to move America toward a privatized education system as one more way to increase their wealth. They view students as future voters who will bolster their power, rather than as innocent young learners.
Over the past few years, their tactics have converted school board meetings into circus acts and social media platforms into cesspools of lies. Our neighborhood teachers are vilified as monsters. But, beneath all of these calculated schemes are real victims.
Knowledge is power. We must continue to expose these troubling intentions, dispel the disinformation, and diligently stand up for properly funded Michigan schools.
Social Media Easily Deceives Distracted Users
75%
Of social media users don't read below a news headline before sharing an article. (Penn State)
35%
More people are reached with lies than truth; false stories take 10 hours to reach 1,500 X users, versus 60 hours for the truth. (MIT)
44%
Of posts containing negative sentiment about recent culture war issues were generated by bots. (PeakMetrics)
Playbooks peddle potent lies
Dark money organizations target particular groups with emotionally triggering content. Founders are usually wealthy, powerful billionaires.
Many organizations focus on public school communities and parents because creating fear about children is an easy way to grab attention.
Once an organization builds an "astroturf" following, it shares playbooks with talking points, organizing strategies, and "marching orders."
Leaders emphasize the importance of loyalty and of fighting for their cause to "save" their country and their children, or risk losing them, while using scary, inciting hyperbole. They also infuse faith and call political activism a religious mission.
Dark money organizations can be local or national in reach. Many organizations charge membership fees, chapter startup costs, or merchandise.
Memes muddy the waters
More frequent use of the terms "fake news" and "hoax" by politicians undermines trust in the media, which is now at an all-time low (28%).
Unfortunately, this also makes it harder for Americans to know where to turn for truthful, unbiased information. There are more "hoax" and propaganda sites popping up by the day, including those from foreign organizations. Many people rely on social media for news, which amplifies the problem.
Americans have learned that politicians and social media platforms, like Facebook, collect personal data that can be used to target and persuade them about politics and candidates.
Controversial content that stirs emotions is three times more likely to be shared anonymously.
Studies find that Republicans and Independents are more likely to share negative memes, while Democrats are more likely to share positive ones.
Politicians know that when an opponent has to explain or clarify the truth, especially in the face of rapidly spreading lies, they've already lost their audience's attention.
Confusing school budgets and education policy sadly requires a lot of explanation.
Manufactured crises and disingenuous attacks are cruel. They steal resources from our schools and students.
We've had enough.
Public education
will win in Michigan.
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