Reply #31: There are no winners in this whole mess.

[madfloridian]

There simply are no winners when a Democratic administration is making Jeb Bush and Newt Gingrich gloriously happy. I am happy your children are finding a special place. But there is a danger in undermining public education. A great danger.

Video:

Jeb Bush is delighted that Obama is taking on teachers' unions.

Video:

Arne's "listening tour" with Gingrich and Sharpton.

"Just a couple more views of Gingrich on education.

Support charters; insist on change for failing schools

We should encourage the spread of public charter schools--one of the happiest new developments on the education scene--so parents, educators, & students working together can enjoy the maximum freedom to explore options and innovations until every child has a genuine opportunity to learn. As a corollary of this, we must identify the worst schools. We should insist on immediate change for bad schools. To start with, there should be no tenure and no binding contracts in the worst 20% of schools.
Source: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, by Newt Gingrich, p.208 Jul 2, 1998

Private scholarships for students at hopeless schools

If there were families left without an acceptable public school, scholarships should be available for them to find a private one. I am a graduate of a public school, as are my wife and two daughters. All of us remain committed to the idea of public education. However, if the available public school is one that gives parents legitimate worry for their children’s future, there ought to be alternative to having to stand helplessly watching an incompetent bureaucracy destroy their children’s lives.
Source: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, by Newt Gingrich, p.209 Jul 2, 1998"