If you have an important resource like EDUCATION which even you would agree provides a gateway to the future for our young people who have young and impressionable minds…..AND since the reality of Prop 13 which (rightfully) acknowledged that there is no endless well of resources that can be extracted from the property owners WHY is it that the very people who say “People over PROFITS” when they are protesting outside of an EVIL CORPORATION use these same signs and turn inward to the ADULTS and tell them that these children are their prized possessions? Ask them what are they willing to yield so that more effective HUMAN RESOURCES are applied to these schools so that these kids are educated as needed for the community's survival?

You all but admit that you are a net DEPENDENT on resources to flow INTO the community that the community's own economic productivity was not able to generate. If indeed Oakland is RESOURCE RICH with humans – what can be implemented that makes use of these adults to expose these students to the education that they are in need of?

[quote]can a repeat of the shyt left by Rod Paige in terms of “No Child Left Behind” be too far away?[/quote]

Christian Progressive-Fundamentalist the character assassin extraordinaire.
Just for grins – could you detail which former Federal Education Secretary had 'the right stuff' in your view?

Does the fact that Barack Obama – the man that you gave nearly every waking hour of your consciousness to in support – WILL CONTINUE “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” during his presidency tell you that it is YOU who might serve as a good permanent revolutionary but are apparently lacking in PRAGMATISM?

Does it seem odd that the two key “Evil Bush policies” that Progressive Fundamentalists like you attacked from day one have been adopted by Barack Obama? (NCLB and “Faith Based Initiatives”)

Is it possible that the programs themselves were not flawed but that you were bigoted in regards to the messenger?

Again – please detail the track record of success in educating at risk kids that anyone that you favor has put forth?

Vanessa:

Could you tell me SPECIFICALLY what about an “All Black School” is inherently inferior to an “All White School”?

You make use of the word “Apartheid ” but you clearly fail to understand the power of certain words.

The Black children living in our urban schools and attending majority minority schools are not living in APARTHEID conditions. That is unless you are smitten with the disease that I call “Non-White White Supremacy”.

Do you not find it disturbing for you (I assume a Black person) to only require one piece of information (“Is the school all Black”) for you to conclude that it is thus an INFERIOR SCHOOL?

I am bothered by why certain Black people emote the theory that sitting in a class next to WHITE KIDS will afford Black kids the ability to learn by some magical process of osmosis. Would a poster of a White kid in each all Black classroom do the trick?

Why is it unconscionable to work to DISTILL THE ESSENTIAL ESSENCE of the “All White School” that you covet and dare to ask “AM I WILLING TO IMPLEMENT THESE SAME STANDARDS, CULTURAL NORMS AND ETHOS in the all Black school that is in my focus so that they too can have success”?

You see Vanessa – you give yourself a mental “out” by claiming that this is all about SCHOOL FUNDING. You and I both know that this is not the case.

Worse yet – some people who hate Blacks and I would dare to say – some Black folks themselves – believe that the White student is superior and thus we see the results.

I dare to argue for the third point that is less popular. The problem with Black schools is that there is an aggregate UNWILLINGNESS to put forth the proper order both inside of the school and with regard to the management of these children to create an environment where ACADEMIC SUCCESS is a more likely outcome.

I credit Atlanta School Superintendent Beverly Hall. She said recently (paraphrased) “I have come to the conclusion a while ago that SCHOOL BUSING is not a valid option as I will ways always have more at risk students than I do quality classrooms to place them in where they will be the minority. Therefore I chose to WORK WITH WHAT I HAVE and raise the standards and my tactics accordingly”.

“Duncan has done nothing to address racial segregation in our schools–which is so bad that a 2003 Harvard University study found that CPS is “only a few percentage points from an experience of total apartheid for Black students.” Rather than try to remedy this shameful situation, Duncan requested the removal of the federal judicial consent decree that mandates the meager efforts CPS has undertaken to improve the racial balance of our schools.”
://socialistworker.org/2008/12/17/duncans-school-reform-sham

Another *big* beef I have with this guy is that he is for having military recruitment in our schools. Chicago has more recruitment offices in public schools than any other city. It is sick. With unemployment rates of over 40% in some Black areas, what are kids going to do? It's a terrible, terrible set-up to have our youth thrown into the mouth of a lion.

The corporate world has put the blame for society's woes on schools, when the blame should be placed firmly on policies from which corporations benefit, and have helped to create. Schools are not failing society, rather society is failing schools, and schools can not undo the stratification and inequality that exists in society.

Arne Duncan represents this corporate ideology- an ideology that is detrimental to the health of our public school system, and to the academic and civic development of students.

Sounds to me like CPS needs a good vocational/technical school program. Not only could these kids not function in a poor school, but even when transferred to a school they failed to perform there as well. This more or less supports what I've said all along, there's going to be some kids for whom traditional education is not the answer. Trying to educate them anyway will do nothing but destroy the school system. Makes perfectly good sense to do what the rest of the world does and direct those kids to a trade, rather than wait until they trash the school and then drop out.

Without going into too much detail, I will say that I work for CPS. I think generally there are two groups of people. One group from the education prespective (mainly the CTU) who wholly dislike Duncan and his programs and the other in administration (like myself) who do like him or are at least somewhat ambivalent.

There is always the running debate regarding Duncan not having what is seen as the prerequisite degree(s) in education. The question often posed is how could he possibly know how to run a school system? I don't know if I necessarily agree with the theory the ED.d (or Master's) equals qualified. I think it certainly helps give perspective. I am in contact daily with folks with their Doctorates in Education who should not be in charge of running a McDonald's, better yet a school. I think sometimes, it is ok to apply business principles in education settings. What is integral to me is that Duncan is surrounded by others who do have have classroom or other educational experience.

Duncan is the Chief Executive Officer and Barbara Eason Watkins is the Chief Education Officer.

I can go on and on regarding accountability and other issues, but like I said …

We've spent decades lowering academic standards to the lowest common denominator, so that we supposedly don't leave anyone out. What has that gotten us? 50% drop-out rates in some communities. Clearly lowering the standards is not the answer. And anyone who knows anything about children would know that. Children rise to meet expectations. There's nothing more bigoted than having no expectations of a child. I've encountered way too many “educators” who are more concerned about preserving the status quo than they are about building better schools. From what I've read, drop out rates are lower in Chicago and test scores are higher. Personally I don't see the problem.

Closing underperforming schools? I went to an underperforming school that is still open. It should have been closed years ago. And each year they were raising money to get more “resources” but even with that money there was never any real improvement with the school. The building, books, and curriculum were outdated. Most of the kids didn't give a rats ass about being in school, that's when they weren't cutting school and/or disrupting classes. And the tenured teachers didn't give a rats ass about teaching. The numerous “substitute” teachers basically brought in R rated movies for us to watch instead of you know, teaching. Our standardized testing scores were piss poor. It was literally a zoo at times with all of the fights. Should I go on?

Lack of a graduate degree? Really? Are we really going to make the argument that a graduate degree = competence. Because if we are, I would like to hear your take about what that Harvard MBA did for Bush. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on the PhDs, but I am willing to give people a chance when they are passionate about their careers and demonstrate competence. From what I have read, he has extensive experience in educational policy and management, genuinely cares about kids, and is non-ideological. He may turn out to be a total disaster, but I am willing to wait and see what happens.

And White privilege? Sorry, but do you know dude personally or something. That critique is below the belt. And I find it ironic that you accuse him of White privilege when it was a Black man, and another Obama friend, John Rogers, that helped him out early in his career.

I hope that people who really care about children are the ones who are running our Department of Education and our schools. And if this man is about building good schools for children and families who want an education I say here, here.

Anyways a racist troll…exciting! Its getting YouTube up in here.