[Peace-discuss] Fw: FOCUS | Harold Meyerson (now Arne Duncan)

[Jenifer Cartwright]

Sorry, Neil, I hadn't gotten to yr earlier posts yet! I think I've now read and responded to all the links you've sent. We've got two threads (at least!) going on the subject, so I think I'll let this one go by, except for saying that NCLB was a devastating thing, and impossible for teachers and administrators alike to get around. This is not meant as a defense of anyone  making bad decisions in an attempt to work w/in a terrible system.
 --Jenifer 

--- On Sun, 12/21/08, Neil Parthun <lennybrucefan at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Neil Parthun <lennybrucefan at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: FOCUS | Harold Meyerson: Labor's Fresh Face
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
Cc: "AWARE Peace Discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 9:13 PM



I also posted a second Palast article "Obama Slam Duncans Education".  I also posted about 4 other articles but you only talked about Klein?  Seriously, that is some cherry picking of Bush league proportions.


http://www.gregpalast.com/update-obama-slam-duncans-education/


And if Obama thinks this guy runs such great schools, why the Hell didn't he put his own children in the schools run by Duncan?  It isn't points for Obama, it is another clear example of education for the rich and "teaching to the test/NCLB love" for the rest of us rank and filers.


And just because you don't see it doesn't mean it hasn't happened.  Duncan in the name of NCLB has "restructured" schools into compliance by firing all of the staff per federal dictum.  I let my fingers do the Googling and found some easy factoids: "Restructuring. Schools enter this stage after not making AYP for a sixth consecutive year. Schools must do everything from Corrective Action I. In addition, schools must implement the plans for restructuring that were developed in the prior year. Restructuring means taking extreme action such as firing teachers and administrators, becoming a charter school, or being run by a private company."  So, union representation has nothing to do with it if the almighty test scores aren't there.


And to think that Duncan was supported by labor is absolutely laughable with the restructurings, the move toward charter schools and declaring that he would like all schools to be non-union charter schools.


Read up on what the rank and filers have to say about Duncan because his policies directly impacted them than worrying about what the union leadership said.  As many rank and filers have stated, there is a very contentious relationship between the union and Duncan because of his privatization hard-on.





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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