Change You Can Believe In

A recent poll by the Greater Washington Urban League indicated that residents of Washington, D.C. favored by a huge margin the continuation of the pilot program called Opportunity Scholarships which accorded poorer children a chance to escape failing urban schools and attend private schools.

Action by the Washington City Council approved reforms by the District’s Public Schools Central Office and a coalition of local parents, the City Council, and the GWUL called for major reforms.

In a speech at Flint, MI on Monday, June 16 Barack Obama cited a need to “shake-up the status quo in education”.

The stars seem to be aligned for reform and change in public education in the District of Columbia, the fourth least effective school district in the nation.
www.gwulparentcenter.org/

Similarly, U. S. Department of Education studies of the program after two years were promising and showed a particularly high level of parental involvement and satisfaction.
http://ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/06/06162008.html

So, this program is a lock to be renewed, right? A true rarity – an education program that works. Wrong. The District’s Congressional representative Eleanor Holmes Norton told the Washington Post the other day that: "We have to protect the children, who are the truly innocent victims here, but I can tell you that the Democratic Congress is not about to extend this program."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/08/AR2008060802041.html

What? Obama says that the powerful have such a strong voice in Washington that humble citizens aren’t heard any more. Are they that beholden to the NEA?

Obama’s two daughters? They go to private school. The more he talks about change the more he looks the status quo.

The NEA says jump, they ask how high. Sad, isn't it?

Careful Stephanie. You'll incur the wrath of Cato for implying teachers inhibit education.

Even though they do.

I like Cato a lot. He's got his head buried in the sand if he doesn't realize just how powerful NEA & AFT are.

Oh, and another thing - the Obama girls attend the University of Chicago's Laboratory School. Obama demurred that it was "the best option". I suppose.

Tuition runs from $10,000 for a pre-kindiegardner to $20,000+ for a high school student. Since Mrs. Obama is an University of Chicago employee, the girls get a voucher to cover their tuition.

But it's not good for the rest of you!

http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu/operations/registrar/tuition.shtml

Well OC besides expressing dislike for Obama, what are you proposing or criticizing?

Are you for education or against it?

All of us who criticize the NEA greatly favor keeping the masses uneducated. Yes, that's us.

Is that what you're suggesting, Sherm?