The Ford Foundation pledged $100 million Wednesday to “transform” urban high schools in the United States, focusing on seven cities, including Los Angeles.

The seven-year initiative is among the largest philanthropic efforts aimed at improving education in the United States and, as described, could both complement and challenge aspects of the Obama administration’s education reform efforts. It will fund research and reform in four areas: teacher quality, student assessment, a longer school day and year, and school funding.

But look closer.  This is not the usual cast of reformers.  As the WSJ puts it:

…the Ford press release contains not one mention of charter schools, vouchers, merit pay, or even Teach for America. […] Ford’s formula for reform involves more money, less accountability and a bigger role for the unions.  […] One of Ford’s first grants will go to the new American Federation of Teachers Innovation Fund, a “union-led initiative to make grants to AFT affiliates nationwide for innovative efforts established jointly by teachers, administrators, and parents.”

The gentle preview to a small dose of doublethink?