[Peace-discuss] Fw: FOCUS | Harold Meyerson: Labor's Fresh Face

[Jenifer Cartwright]

Sorry, most of the Palast article was about Klein (who fortunately didn't get picked). http://www.gregpalast.com/obamas-way-to-go-brownie-moment/  
 
Well, if Obama sent his kids to a lab school because he wanted an excellent school AND a program that didn't deify standardized tests, well, that's points for Obama, isn't it??... and re Duncan's reliance on those for accountability, well Obama's the one  who makes the final decisions, not his cabinet members. And btw, IF there's an AFT or NEA presence, I don't see how ANYBODY can fire a tenured teacher w/o going thru a long involved process that takes years and finally shows that the teacher on probation did not meet specifics of their remediation plan. (One other article I read said briefly that Duncan got props from AFT and that there were only so many progressive changes he could make because of opposition from The (entrenched) Establishment.  He talks a good game (when you can understand him!) and seems to have spent time in the trenches (neighborhoods, if not behind the desk in a classroom) and to really really care about the education
 and success of the kids and to want to make a difference (for their sake, not his own). Here's Pt 1 of School Improvement Speech (Pt 2 is MIA, unfortunately).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5k_4yOMKrI 
 
Keep sending me stuff. Thanks.
 --Jenifer
 --Jenifer

--- On Sun, 12/21/08, unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net> wrote:

From: unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: FOCUS | Harold Meyerson: Labor's Fresh Face
To: "Peace-discuss List" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>, "Neil Parthun" <lennybrucefan at gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 7:25 PM





So did I !
 
David J.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Neil Parthun 
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com 
Cc: unionyes ; John W. ; Peace-discuss 
Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 7:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: FOCUS | Harold Meyerson: Labor's Fresh Face

Duncan's been a big supporter of merit pay, increasing the amount of military academies and military presence in schools, discounts what the local public states when they happen to be in opposition to his policies.  He's also increased the use of charter schools which have gone a long way to bust unions.  Duncan has also practiced "turnarounds" -- firing all the teachers in low performing schools.  He's also been a big promoter of NCLB and the whole idea of "teaching to the test." 



I believe that Carl sent out a Greg Palast piece about Duncan a few days ago too.





Live without dead time,     
     Neil






 With the people, for the people, by the people. I crack up when I hear it; I say, with the handful, for the handful, by the handful because that's what really happens.
[fannie lou hamer, 1917-1977]


Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience...Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running and robbing the country. That's our problem.
[howard zinn, 1922-]\



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