Topic: Walton Foundation

A symposium at the Harvard Club titled "Bonds and Blackboards" highlights how hedge fund executives and foundations are investing in charter schools as a new revenue stream. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is identified as a major recipient of political contributions from these investors. The hosts also discuss the "hedge" made by the Gates Foundation in investing in the Correctional Corporation of America, suggesting a cynical link between failing students and the private prison industry.

The hosts cite reports from the RAND Corporation and Economic Policy Institute suggesting there is no actual shortage of STEM workers in the U.S. They argue that the corporate push for STEM education and Common Core is a strategy for wage suppression. A promotional video from the Walton Family Foundation is analyzed as a tool for promoting charter schools and low-wage labor.