- Loudoun Math and IT Academy (LMITA) applicant, Fatih Kandil, is an active member of the Gulen Movement.
- He has worked in at least five separate Gulen Movement public charter schools in the US.
- Denying connections to Gulen is the standard Gulen Movement method of operation in America.
- Kandil's direct connections to Gulen are illustrated in the chart below.
A Loudoun Parent with Extensive International Experience Examines the Gulen Movement and Questions Their Intent in Loudoun County
Background
A group of Turkish-Americans, led by Fatih Kandil, an educator with extensive experience in the Gulen network, have filed an application to tap into Loudoun County and Virginia State education funding. In addition, they appear to have their eyes on the Obama Education Department's "Race to the Top" funding for charter schools.
This is the second attempt by a group of Turkish-Americans to apply to receive government funding for a charter school in Loudoun County.
A detailed chart, linking the Loudoun Turkish applicants to the Gulen network is here: Fatih Kandil's Direct Links to Gulen
Why Loudoun?
Our home, Loudoun County, Virginia is one of America's wealthiest counties. Our school system is second to none. We have access to two extremely fine Science and Technology academic programs--Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ, a Virginia State Governors School), and Loudoun's own Academy of Science. In addition, Loudoun's high schools all offer Advanced Placement and other challenging curriculum.
TJ consistently ranks as the top, or at least in the top three to five high schools in the nation. AOS provides an excellent science-based high school education to Loudoun high schoolers. Both these schools feature competitive entrance, and have demonstrated their proficiency at producing high-achieving graduates who go on to the finest universities.
Loudoun's regular high schools offer a full array of science, technology and math challenges that are top notch. Our students consistently ace the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests for all math and science classes.
Our current school administration, the School Board and the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) staff, along with our teachers and administrators provide a smorgasbord of services that is unrivaled across the country, and internationally. Every classroom has a smart board. Technology is available for every student to use. Lessons across the curriculum in every high school are fullly integrated with use of technology.
LCPS high schools include the Governors Career and Technical Academy, based in the LCPS Monroe Technology Center. Many programs at Monroe Technology Center (MTC), which houses the Governor’s Career and Technical Academy of Loudoun, have science, technology, engineering and/or math imbedded into their curriculums.
What school system did the Gulen charter school applicants think they were applying for? A rural district in a less-developed state? Their proposal to better serve the needs of Loudoun's students for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is laughable on its face.
What is it that the Turkish education community believes they have to offer Loudoun County?
Or is the attraction what Loudoun County has to offer them?
Due Diligence
As an experienced international affairs expert, education professional, Loudoun taxpayer, expert on Islam and Islamic extremism, Loudoun County Schools parent, and believer in competition to improve our education system, I was intrigued when the first reports came out about LMITA. It didn't take much research, however for intrigue to turn to puzzlement, then concern, and finally distress.
Before looking into the LMITA application, I had never paid attention to Fethullah Gulen and his Turk-centric, Turkish cultural center model of happy-named charter schools around America (Harmony, Lisa, Magnolia, Stars, Horizon, Truebright, Cosmos). And Gulen's tentacles spread around the globe. He has schools on every continent except Antartica. The cult-like group is secretive and even denies its own existence.
Speaking with Turkish-Americans, experts on influence, and teachers and students who have experienced the Gulen network's American schools raised my distress and concern to higher levels.
Gulenist Tactics and Techniques
The tactics and techniques of the Gulen charter schools in America are alarming and offensive. In fact, an authoritative Philadelphia Inquirer story details a multi-agency investigation of the shadowy cult.
A quick survey of the Gulen movement's schools in America reveals a sad litany of self-dealing business (contracts for construction, maintenance, grounds, transportation), bribes, crimes, careful concealment and protection of connections to the Gulen network, manipulation of mostly minority and low-income students and parents as props for public relations, currying favor with all-expense-paid junkets to Turkey for politicians, school board members, parents, students, and others, misuse of working visas to bring in Turkish teachers.
How many of Virginia's Gulen backers have received benefits--trips, donations, cash, or other in-kind support? Might be a good question to ask them.
In addition, research revealed that the Turkish-affiliated charter schools in America were commonly accused of intimidation of teachers, staff, and students. The threats included negative job outcomes such as firing for teachers; and grade deductions, and expulsion for students. Parent representatives from charter school boards have been dismissed when they questioned the Turkish members' actions.
In other links on this website, we provide a starting point for those who would like to learn further details on all of these issues.
In the meantime, we Loudoun County taxpayers, parents, and American citizens should be asking plenty of questions. And, at the same time, we should be demanding accountability from our elected officials in the County Board of Supervisors and the County School Board. It is their responsibility to ask the hard questions, and to get to the bottom of an application that seeks to tap into our tax receipts for years and years in the future. The 2005-6 Gulen charter school application was denied by our School Board. What has changed since then?
Vetting before a deal is concluded has the potential to save millions of dollars, and much heart-ache.
Turkish Cultural Center Instead?
I'm fascinated by foreign cultures, speak five language with varying degrees of proficiency, am married to a foreign-born American, welcomed my first-born in a foreign hospital, have lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and am a Muslim convert. I'm all for exposing our kids to international culture, language, and customs. But not using our taxes.
It would appear that the only thing that the LMITA school would offer Loudoun parents and students that we do not have access to now is Turkish culture and Turkish language.
Couldn't they just offer Turkish culture and language lessons on the weekend at the library? Do we really need to commit millions and millions of dollars to this group so that our kids can learn Turkish language and dances?
Parents in Loudoun are concerned. Are you? To learn more, contact us.
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About LMIT Academy
The following information is directly from the LMITA website:
Loudoun Math & IT Academy will be a public charter school in Loudoun
County that will serve grades 6 through 12 with an academic program focusing on
Mathematics and Information Technologies (IT), giving Loudoun County parents and
students a choice in education.
Loudoun Math & IT Academy is modeled after Chesapeake Science Point
Public Charter School (CSP), a highly successful charter school in Anne Arundel
County, MD. CSP was the recipient of the Charter School of the Year Award in
2010 with the second highest math and fifth highest reading scores among all the
public middle schools in the State of Maryland, based on the 2009 Maryland
School Assessment scores. With standardized test scores up to 26% above the
state and county averages, free weekend tutoring, after-school activities, and
CSP has proven itself to be a highly successful model.
Loudoun Math & IT Academy founding team is a local group bringing
extensive management, teaching, and charter school operation experience to this
endeavor. The founders consist of five individuals with highly successful
careers in education, information technologies and college teaching.
Our Goal
Our goal in undertaking the Loudoun Math & IT Academy project is to
replicate the Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School (CSP) success story
in Loudoun County while adapting the CSP concept to better fit the needs of the
Loudoun County students with more emphasis on information technologies. In line
with the Federal Administration's support for charter schools, the U.S.
Department of Education has launched the “Race to the Top” program ($1.35
billion is allocated for the program in the FY 2011 budget) to expand and
replicate successful charter school models across the nation. Considering the
tremendous success of CSP, expansion of the CSP concept into Loudoun County as
the Loudoun Math & IT Academy is an excellent fit to the goals of the
Department of Education.
The focus of Loudoun Math & IT Academy is to reflect the increasing role
of computers and technology in today’s world and, more importantly, to provide a
unique opportunity for Loudoun County youth to pursue professional careers as
well as college education in the high paying and ever-expanding field of
information technologies.
Locations of Gulen Charter Schools in the USA
