Education Secretary Arne Duncan: Hurricane Katrina helped New Orleans schools

[undeterred]

Source: The Washington Post

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 29, 2010; 4:48 PM

Education Secretary Arne Duncan called Hurricane Katrina "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans" because it forced the community to take steps to improve low-performing public schools, according to excerpts from the transcript of a television interview made public Friday afternoon.

Duncan's interview on "Washington Watch With Roland Martin" was scheduled to air Sunday and Monday on TV One. The excerpts, e-mailed to reporters, quoted Duncan as giving an evaluation of the effect of the 2005 hurricane on the city's schools.

Martin was quoted as saying to Duncan: "What's amazing is New Orleans was devastated because of Hurricane Katrina, but because everything was wiped out, in essence, you are building from ground zero to change the dynamics of education in that city."

Duncan was quoted as replying: "It's a fascinating one. I spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and this is a tough thing to say, but let me be really honest. I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina. That education system was a disaster, and it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that 'We have to do better.' And the progress that they've made in four years since the hurricane is unbelievable. They have a chance to create a phenomenal school district. Long way to go, but that -- that city was not serious about its education. Those children were being desperately underserved prior, and the amount of progress and the amount of reform we've seen in a short amount of time has been absolutely amazing."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012903259.html?hpid=topnews

[tonysam]

1. He and Michelle Rhee: Two peas in a filthy pod.

Both need to go.

[d_r]

2. I don't like Arne Duncan

Wait a second - Roland Martin the fishing guy?

[Sancho]

3. He's really bad news...

:mad:

[mzteris]

4. starting over is the best thing to do -

it's not feasible, generally - but in NO's case, unavoidable.

I think that's why Charter public schools are proving so popular - they allow as good a chance as most communities are going to get to "start over" with a clean slate and a new design.

The traditional system is out-moded and needs a complete and severe over-haul. Most communities don't have the chutzpah to dismantle and start again.

[Mithreal]

6. -1

[sandnsea]

11. Communities don't start all over

New Orleans is one of the rare ones. Failing schools sometimes start over, and I am all for that. Otherwise they mostly supplement the school district to provide alternatives to kids who aren't achieving in the traditional classroom. All kids are different and that's what charters are ideally designed for, to meet kids' needs where the kids are at. They really aren't equipped to ever take over a school district, they're only half of New Orleans district and that's much much larger than any other city. The key will be to correctly identify the keys to success and apply them to all schools. The charters, themselves, aren't magic just because they're charters.

[mzteris]

16. that's not what I said at all -

But - if we REALLY wanted to "fix" the education system - we WOULD completely start over - but we can't. That really isn't feasible. Oh it *could* be done - but we don't have the money, the passion, the inclination, the patience, nor the willingness to make the type of sacrifices that would be required. It *would* however be the "best" way to completely fix the system. (It's the interim that would kill the even trying part...)

Charter public schools don't take over "districts" but do offer the opportunity for innovations that traditional public schools can't - or won't - try to implement. However, once the traditional schools see the successes of some of the charter public school programs - THEN - sometimes they're willing to make changes.

[Mithreal]

25. This is representative of Obama thinking

If we wanted to fix health care it would be so much better if we started from scratch, but since we can't let's continue supporting privatization. We can have innovation without the destruction your buddy is advocating and rolling out.

[mzteris]

31. I think Obama is a brilliant man

- so thanks!

[Mithreal]

33. I think he is smarter than the average bear too.

I do appreciate your success at humor.

:toast:

I walked right into that one.

People of all political persuasions are represented by those with great minds. We shouldn't confuse the presence of a great mind with being right. There is a difference.

[conservdem]

5. Duncan was a poor choice.

I hope he is soon replaced by someone with some classroom reaching experience at a public school. I believe Duncan lacks such experience, but he's good at shooting hoop with President Obama.

[Mithreal]

7. Duncan is to schools, what hemorrhoids are to asses.

CEO of the Chicago Public Schools

Anyone who thinks CEO's have it tough in this country should look at all the excuses for privatizing our public schools. It's hard work selling public schools off from under a community.

[LuckyLib]

8. He's singing from Babs Bush's songbook-- they're so-o much better off!

:mad:

[niyad]

9. arne, thou art an arse

[sandnsea]

10. That was a nasty thing to say

The best thing that could have happened to New Orleans education would have been to give them as much money before the hurricane as they got after.

[Mithreal]

12. +1

[mzteris]

19. however, they would have still had

the same issues as before. It would be like trying to stop the flood while it's going on by dumping in plain old sand. No matter how much sand you poured, the water would still wash out your efforts.

It's VERY hard to change the mindsets without making a lot of wholesale changes. People are generally reluctant to DO that. They want to nip and tuck and color and shore up and nudge and correct, but to have a completely working model? You gotta strip it down - throw out all the bad, worn-out, obsolete parts - all while still trying to keep it running. It's damn near impossible to do. (Like fixing an old out-of-date engine for which parts are no longer made while you're actually trying to drive that old bus down the road.)

So no, while, yeah it would have been BETTER if HK had never of happened for the human toll sake, in terms of what happened to their school system, then - yeah - starting from scratch gave them the opportunity to build something better.

Does that make sense?

(Sorry - I like analogies! :hi:)

I think people are so anxious to "hate Duncan" that they are filtering what he's saying through the entirely wrong filter. Just like the people who don't like me here on DU will do the same thing with what I'm saying. I'm not saying Katrina was good. I'm not saying I'm glad it happened. And neither did Duncan. Why don't people look at what he was REALLY saying instead of trying to find something to be pissed off about.

He could say it's day and people would scream it's night and that he's evil for saying so. :shrug:

Sometimes I think really understanding people is hard to do on here.

[Mithreal]

38. Then you would throw out the baby with the bath water?

You should not be excusing the stripping down of the schools and the expected casualties that the Obama admin is willing to sacrifice to appease the profiteer gods.

The problem with your analogy is that teachers have known what it takes to fix things and hiring a plumber to fix your pipes is good, but hiring the manager at the local convenience store, not so much.

The filter Duncan has is business. The lenses he wears are business glasses. The talk is pure conservative.

I was more thoughtful in my other response to your post, hope that made sense. I am on the edge of a lil angry at the moment.

[mzteris]

40. that's why lots of teachers

leave the world of traditional schools to START Charter schools. They know what it takes, but the damn admin won't let them do it!

I disagree that it's about business. I don't like everything that "Arne" is doing - not at all - but I just don't see it as a sell-out.

[Mithreal]

42. Might consider listening to conservative ideas on education?

See if their ideas sound any different coming from Republicans.

[mzteris]

44. huh?

I'm not sure what you're saying. Though I do have a headache. I think I'm coming down with whatever's going around. I have one kid who went to bed already!

[Mithreal]

45. Alright, I hope you both feel better soon.

There is an issue, let's call it Issue E. Both conservatives and liberals agree Issue E is a problem. Each side offers alternative solutions. The conservative uses conservative language to activate the conservative worldview. Some liberals' brains carry elements of this worldview or are at least familiar with it so that activating this mindset facilitates acceptance of the corresponding solution. Liberals unfamiliar with or resistant to this worldview are more unlikely to be swayed by these conservative ideas.

When a Democrat speaks like a conservative the conservative worldview is activated and corresponding conservative solutions are more palatable than if they came directly from a Republican.

A test is to listen to a Republican present the very same ideas. They will use conservative language and activate conservative worldview just the same but it is easier for a liberal to resist the ideas when presented by one they know is a Republican, more suspicion, less likely to give the presenter authority status.

There are prominent Republicans working side by side with Arne. What I am saying is listen to what they have to say and see if it still makes sense.

Hope that made sense. I think it may have been over indulgent on my part and I was writing my explanation for that idea for the first time so it may be clunky.

[mzteris]

49. makes sense, actually.

I admit I'm "uncomfortable" with agreeing with so many "Republicans" - but even a broke clock is right twice a day! lol And be honest, there are also a lot of Democrats who agree on this matter as well.

The funny thing is, I'd say charter schools themselves are split pretty half and half - by their "founders" - as being more "right leaning" or "left leaning".

And don't forget - you also see "very right wing" school systems at work in America. If I - or you - lived in one of those districts (abstinence only, thinly veiled "Christian values" in the classroom, discrimination "tolerated", etc) - wouldn't you think twice about what your other options were? And if there was a very liberal "charter" school available, don't you think you might consider it?

seeing how they work - up close and personal - has colored MY opinion of Charter public schools. I guess it wasn't much of a stretch for us in Wake County seeing as how "magnets" were already in place and operated much the same way in terms of admission, etc. Also, in Wake County NC - overcrowding is SO severe - that homeschooling and charters are embraced because to send all those kids back into the WCSS system would have a devastating effect. Every traditional school has "trailers" - even the ones newly built - because they can't keep up with the growth in the area.

I don't like everything about "Arne" - I hate NCLB and testing and cookie cutter approaches to education. I dislike "too much government oversight" - but then again, I dislike not having SOME standards that are required. I mean, you go to school in one state and the 4th grade curriculum is the 5th grade curriculum in another state. Rural schools get the shaft. Rich communities benefit more than others. Segregation is a real concern. And dumbing down across the board is a HUGE concern. Not meeting the needs of gifted kids is as big a problem as not meeting the needs of disadvantaged kids.

Anyway - thanks for the reasonable discourse. It's what I most definitely prefer (but rarely get). I think sometimes because I'm so busying "defending" ONE POV, people don't get that I embrace multiple POV's. . . yeah, I'm weird that way. :P

[PassingFair]

13. What an ASSHOLE!

"I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina."

Takes my breath away.

[undeterred]

14. I wonder what he'd say about the earthquake in Haiti

which is fortunately not his turf.

[Mithreal]

35. Another opportunity for conservatives?

[emilyg]

15. Is that you Babs?

[checks-n-balances]

17. So he'd probably support the Shock Doctrine, then

Probably not much difference between his views and those of the corporate predators who do,IMO.

[Igel]

22. I think he's saying the equivalent of

they didn't let a crisis go to waste.

You may not like the crisis, but at the end which would you rather have--a rebuilding of the same crappy educational system they had before or a better educational system?

People can't get past the crisis itself, even though it happened years ago. Therefore it doesn't matter to them if everything's as sucky afterwards or improved. It's almost as if to admit that people used the crisis, a horrible thing, to fix something is a crime against humanity--because somebody, somewhere, might try to say that the crisis was a good thing. Even though the real crime would be leaving the educational cesspool that NOLA had to begin with--Katrina was a catastrophe that lasted a day with multi-year consequences, while the NOLA educational system was a multi-year catastrophe with even an even longer time-frame for consequences.

[checks-n-balances]

23. "They didn't let a crisis go to waste"

Neither did Bush & the corporatists at the time. They wanted to bulldoze N.O. & were able to have the excuse to try & do so.

Are you familiar w/ "Shock Doctrine" of which I speak?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x514315

[Fire1sKid]

43. He obviously shares the ideology of Milton Friedman.

[LiberalFighter]

18. The best thing for Duncan would be him to be wiped out by a hurricane.

[mzteris]

20. the rest of what he said:

"In a statement e-mailed to The Post, Duncan elaborated on the comment: "As I heard repeatedly during my visits to New Orleans, for whatever reason, it took the devastating tragedy of the hurricane to wake up the community to demand more and expect better for their children."

Another excerpt from the TV One interview quoted Duncan on New Orleans educators:

"I have so much respect for the adults, the teachers, the principals that are working hard. I spent a lot of time talking to students at John Mack High School there, many of whom had missed school for six months, eight months, 13 months after the hurricane and still came back to get an education. Children in our country, they want to learn. They're resilient. They're tough. We have to meet them halfway. We have to give them an opportunity, and New Orleans is doing a phenomenal job of getting that system to an entirely different level."

[Mithreal]

26. Damage control from a small mind.

[LiberalFighter]

21. Did he forget that a lot of people got wiped out too?

2000 Census 4,468,976
2005 Census 4,523,628
2008 Census 4,410,796


1,836 lost their lives

The drop is probably because when they were evacuated from the state many of them didn't go back.

[yurbud]

24. he's a poster child for DLC corruption.

It's time for this asshole to hit the road. It's bad enough that his idea of education "reform" is warmed over GOP vomit of testing scams and privatization, now he's even parroting their racist talking points.

[Mithreal]

28. +1

[bread_and_roses]

30. +2. And charter schools are a cover for union-busting and wage/benefit

degradation. And the sub-text of Arne's paean is that ethnic "cleansing" was good for the NO schools.

[mzteris]

32. huh - then why are so many Charter public schools Unionized?

and more being courted - and sponsored by - the Teachers Unions?

hmmmmmmmmmm........

[Mithreal]

34. I would like to see your evidence, please and thank you.

I am not saying you don't have a handle on a portion of the truth, just asking for evidence.

[mzteris]

36. my son attends

a public charter school whose teachers are Unionized for starters. . .

Unions are alive and well in many charter schools
Schools flourish with partnership
New York Teacher - September 22, 2008

. . . The AFT, one of NYSUT's national affiliates, represents charter school staff in more than 70 schools across 10 states. Here in New York, more than a dozen charter schools are unionized in western New York, Albany, New York City and Long Island.

In New York City, the United Federation of Teachers, led by Randi Weingarten, has pioneered union-run charter schools, with two successful schools in Brooklyn. This fall, the union became the first in the nation to partner with a charter school management company, Green Dot Public Schools, to open a new high school in the South Bronx.

"We embraced the idea of a partnership with Green Dot because of its work with students and its respect for teachers and their unions," Weingarten said. In addition, UFT represents educators in seven other successful charters in New York City." http://www.nysut.org/newyorkteacher_10946.htm

**********

July 27, 2009 - 9:36am

The New York Times reports that an increasing number of charter schools have unionized in at least six (more) states over the last two years.

********

American Federation of Teachers: ". . . In a landmark address in 1988, former AFT President Albert Shanker became one of the first education leaders to champion the concept of charter schools. . . In fact, the AFT represents charter school teachers and support staff in 10 states. Our largest affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, operates two charter schools of its own and is partnering with innovative charter school operator Green Dot to run a third school in the fall of 2008.

Many teachers and staff in unionized charter schools report high levels of job satisfaction, noting that they benefit from the best of both worlds: the protections and rights of a union and the freedom and flexibility of a charter. . ." May 2008 http://www.aft.org/topics/charters/index.htm


Welcome to the Alliance of Charter Teachers & Staff

ACTS is a community of charter school employees organized by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The alliance’s goal is to mobilize charter school employees around issues of common concern, such as strengthening our profession, expanding professional development, improving the conditions of teaching and learning, and bolstering our voice in school-level decision making. As a community of educators , we also share best practices and professional resources , and speak out on public policy issues that affect our jobs.

. . . The AFT is proud to currently represent teachers and support staff in 80 public charter schools across 13 states.

. . . Does the AFT favor traditional public schools over charter schools?

Charter schools are public schools, so it makes little sense to pit one type of school against the other. We know there are excellent charter public schools and excellent traditional public schools. Likewise, there are charter and traditional public schools that fall short of expectations.

Instead of setting up a false competition between charter and public schools, we should be focusing on what we can learn from high-performing schools, be they charter or traditional public. And we should concentrate on how charter and traditional public schools can collaborate to share best practices, so our students benefit from this joint expertise.

The bottom line is that a school’s governance structure does not magically produce better or worse results. Regardless of the type of school, what happens in the school and in the classroom matters most. That includes making sure that school employees have a strong voice in school operations, and have the ability to make improvements for the good of their students.

********

Most people seem to think that all School-board-run-Public schools are Unionized. This is not true -

for example:
Georgia - 92.5% of the teachers are non-union,
South Carolina - 100% of the teachers are non-union
North Carolina - 97.7% are non-union
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/tables/sass0708_2009320_d1s_07.asp

*******

From the NEA website:

Charter Schools
Definition

Charter schools are publicly funded elementary or secondary schools that have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools, in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each charter school's charter.

NEA believes that charter schools and other nontraditional public school options have the potential to facilitate education reforms and develop new and creative teaching methods that can be replicated in traditional public schools for the benefit of all children.


The demographics of charter schools
Who attends charter schools? The following chart shows the percentage of different kinds of students who attend charter schools compared to regular public schools.

Percentage of students attending (figures rounded)2
Black Hispanic Native American/Alaska Natives Free/reduced Lunch IEPs ELLs
Charter schools 31 22 2 49 11 12
Regular schools 17 19 1 42 13 11

IEPs: Students with Individualized Education Programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
ELLs: Students who are English Language Learners


Who teaches in charter schools?
Some 30 percent of charter school teachers are racial or ethnic minorities, compared to 17 percent who teach in regular public schools. Charter school teachers tend to be slightly younger than their counterparts in mainstream schools, but not by as much as the stereotype of the “young and idealistic” charter school teacher might suggest. The average age of charter school teachers is 38; for regular public school teachers the figure is 43.


“There is much to learn from charter school success stories as well as charter school failures. Charter schools have the potential to be incubators of promising educational practices that can be replicated in mainstream schools. The key is to identify what is working that can be sustained and reproduced on a broad scale so that as many students as possible can benefit. We need to create more supportive learning environments for educators and students alike in all of our public schools. This is an essential part of fulfilling NEA’s vision of a great public school for every student. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB17_CharterSchools.pdf

[Mithreal]

37. Thank you for the response. I have tried to write as thoughtful a response.

President Obama's support of NCLB has not just done little to improve education but is creating more of the second and third tier schools that his administration's rhetoric seems to rail against.

I worked in a state where the teacher's union was for all practical purposes non-existent. I think your mentioning that was a very good point.

What people do not seem to recognize is that people like Obama and those he has chosen along with 30+ years of conservative economics are devastating middle and lower class communities and it is the socioeconomic factor that is one of the greatest in whether a child succeeds in school or not. President Obama tried to teach responsibility to parents and while a lot of them are still not buying it, teachers and public schools continue to get the shaft. Whether the federal government continues to fill the gap in state funds will soften the shaft, however.

Charter schools are not the only schools that deserve big carrots, every school district that is suffering deserves more than lip service and cash for experimentation. Teachers already know what works, but we keep screwing them and their students over. We can afford to fight unnecessary wars, occupy and rebuild foreign countries and bailout TBTF Banks, Wall Street, PhRMA and Insurers, but bailing out the public schools, not so much. Conservatives of both stripes have proven more than willing to ignore professionals' concerns and fail to bailout our TBTF students. Charters may invent some new approaches but so do traditional public schools, but no one is going to get behind traditional public schools if they like the private money are they? Teacher's unions see which way the wind is blowing and will do their best to be on board and support whatever efforts that come with the carrots. I do not trust corporations to teach our kids and I don't trust conservative politicians near a classroom but since it comes with a happy face it must be ok.

Charter is not synonymous with better.

http://www.democracynow.org/2004/8/20/white_house_backed_charter_schools_lag

On Monday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke at the annual gathering of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in Washington, DC. His address came on the heels of a new Stanford University report that found that, on average, students in charter schools were not faring as well as students in traditional public schools.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/23/education_secretary_arne_duncan_pushes_to

DEBORAH MEIER: I think it’s missing the heart of what’s the problem and looking at this from the eyes of—there’s a wonderful book called Seeing Like a State, which I urge people to read, because there’s a way of looking at what’s wrong with schools that I think the business eye sees, which is different than the teacher, child and parent eye, what’s wrong with our schools. And so, to look for the answer increasingly in distant from where the action takes place, the cutting out of teachers’, parents’ and children’s voices in making decisions about schools, as we escalate the penalties if they don’t meet test scores. The incredible obsession with test scores, particularly in two particular areas, that hardly define what it means to be a well-educated person.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/21/schools

While many in New Orleans have waited two years for recovery, the restructuring of its schools seemed to happen overnight. Not long after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans two years ago, the Louisiana legislature cleared the way for the state to assume control of 107 out of 128 schools in the Orleans district. The state began immediately converting its newly-acquired schools to charter schools.

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/8/30/the_privatization_of_education_how_new

National PTA advisory board

National PTA Advisory Board Members 2009-2011
Tichina Arnold
Actress (best known for her role as Pam on the sitcom Martin)
Charlotte Frank
Senior VP, McGraw Hill Companies
Patrick Gaston
President, Verizon Foundation
Floyd W. Green III
Head of Community Relations, Aetna Foundation
Greg Schuman
VP and Group Publisher, Parenting Magazine
Guy Vickers
President, Tommy Hilfiger Foundation
Judy Werthauser
VP of Human Resources, Target
Denise White
Executive VP, Viacom
James White
President & CEO, Jamba Juice

Respectfully, I appreciate what you are saying but strongly disagree with the approach. When did corporate interests trump the interests of every child and every public school. What we are being offered is a world where your children must compete with those who are willing to work for practically free. That is not a freedom I think we should aspire to promote. Raise up the communities and lift up the public schools, experimentation is just an excuse for implementing what we already know is necessary, but I guess if your child got his or hers, that's good enough. A little anger from me there, not specifically directed at you just the thought of those who don't see we are all in this together. President Obama is prescribing poison pills and he doesn't seem to give a damn either because it sounds so good.

[mzteris]

39. Where are the "corporate interests?

of which you speak.

The original educational model was designed to staff factories.

Corporations - text book and testing orgs, etc - make millions off of traditional schools.

Charter schoos are NOT "for profit".

(Pardon me if I've posted some of this to you before, I lose track of what I've said to who.... lol)

Apprx 10% of all charters are MANAGED by a "for-profit" organization, but that does not make the school "for-profit". .Did you also know that there are traditional public schools that are managed by "for-profit" organizations? Does that make them "for-profit" schools?" no.

apprx 12% are managed by non-profit management companies.

Over 77% are "free-standing" - typically run by parents, teachers, community organizers . . .

http://www.publiccharters.org/dashboard/schools/page/mg...


I've never said Charters are a panacea. I've never said I hate "traditional public schools". I should put my "history" in my sig line so I don't have to keep saying it over and over again. :P

I embrace all forms of education. Whatever works for whichever child is good imo. I've had "experience" (of some sort) or exposure to just about every type of schooling imaginable - except private 'cause I could never afford it! :) (oh wait - not virtual schools, either, but did do some "online classes", etc)

Homeschooling. Unschooling. Charter public schools (- directly: one unionized, the other not - both run by independent orgs) - friends with kids at other types of charters from all over, Traditional public schools, magnet public schools, alternative traditional public school, correspondence . . . gifted education, learning disabilities, IEP's, Form (whatever that number was - I forget) for disabilities.

Some charters are great. Some Suck. Some traditional PS's are great. Some suck. Some hs'ers situations are phenomenal, some are truly awful. Some - well, you get the picture.

I spend so much time defending the alternative choices that people think I don't support the traditional ones. Which is most definitely not true. I support whatever WORKS - because in the end - it truly is whatever works! I believe in Choice. I believe in innovation. I believe in taking chances.

I believe that if traditional public schools COULD be more innovative - they would. But most can't because of all the GD redtape and the "we've always done it this way mindset!"

I believe in smaller classes. I believe in teachers being paid MUCH MUCH more. I believe in less testing. Fewer Administrators. Smaller schools. Alternative education. Flexible enrollment. Individualized education plans for EVERY single child!! I believe in more parent involvement. Longer days, longer school years (year rounds rock!). I believe in having more options available to kids in school for "extracurricular" opportunity. That "longer day" I mentioned? Opps to take ballet or gymnastics or chess or art or piano or karate or cooking - you get the drift. Build it into the system so ALL kids have the opportunities - not just those who can "afford it". Early elementary Language immersion for everyone!! yay. Except some kids "can't" do that due to learning issues. Teachers should get more training. MUCH MUCH more training in learning differences and accommodations. (Not just "a class" in "sped". Programs whereby "new" teachers serve as "teachers aides" in a classroom with an experienced teacher for at least two years. Mentored for 2 - 3 years after that. Ongoing education provided to teachers FREE of charge.

I think teachers have a tough, mostly thankless job. They're underpaid and overworked and people expect them to work miracles with kids who have no discipline and a poor foundation upon which to build. I really do wish people would understand where I'm coming from and who I am. I don't seek to destroy anything, I just want to support any and all options that make a difference in kids lives.

Does any of this make sense? I do get really frustrated by being painted so negatively. I don't understand it. I make perfect sense to me. :P. But then again - I tend to look at things a little bit "askew" - and maybe that's the problem - I can't seem to get my true feelings/POV across. I truly believe that a lot of people hear the word "charter" and just get all worked up and reject anything that IS positive about them - just 'cause they don't like them. I say take the good from wherever you can and use it.

[Mithreal]

41. I am not painting you negatively, just challeging ideas.

You know that just because an organization is not "for profit," does not mean it does not turn a profit, not does it mean it is not run like a "business."

I don't remember discussing this with you before but other people read and add ideas so I never consider it any harm to repeat one's self. It can get tiring, I am sure, but there has been no resolution.

[Paladin]

27. Yeah, And The Holocaust Boosted The Population Of Israel.

Fucking asshole........

[spiritual_gunfighter]

29. Barbara Bush is that you? n/t

[Mithreal]

46. kick

[onpatrol98]

47. Why was Arne Duncan his best choice?

I'm not sure why Arne Duncan was considered the best choice for this position. He has a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Harvard. To my knowledge, he's never taught in any school, much less a public school. In fact, he's never attended a public school. I get the fact that he was CEO of the Chicago Public School District...but the idea that he can do for America what he did for the educational system in Chicago isn't really moving me.

When I think of the hoops we make educators jump to get a decent salary, (master teacher certifications, advanced degrees, continuing education credits, etc)...Why is the US top educator...not an educator?

[Mithreal]

48. Too many of us are wondering the same thing.

[zalinda]

50. One of the reasons that schools improved in NO

is because, they got new books and new schools. It's amazing how much better kids learn when they are in classrooms that are clean and up to code. And books? Many schools in the south are dealing with school books that so out of date that we probably had those books in our classroom, or they have to share school books.

The government paid attention to those schools because they had to, not because they wanted to. Big difference.

zalinda

[onpatrol98]

51. No Books At All

Some down here don't have any books at all. That blows my mind.