Seven Civil Rights Groups Call for changes in federal education agenda

[Hannah Bell]

Seven leading civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the National Urban League, called on U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today to dismantle core pieces of his education agenda, arguing that his emphases on expanding charter schools, closing low-performing schools, and using competitive rather than formula funding are detrimental to low-income and minority children.

The groups, which today released their own education policy framework and created the National Opportunity to Learn campaign, want Duncan to make big changes to his draft proposal for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

What's even more interesting is that a big event planned to release the framework this morning in conjunction with the National Urban League's annual conference was mysteriously cancelled (or postponed, depending on whom you ask) after a lot of press releases went out last week trying to drum up interest. The official explanation is that there was a "conflict in schedules." However, I can't help but wonder if the facts that President Obama has agreed to deliver a major education reform speech at the conference on Thursday, and that Duncan is scheduled to address the conference on Wednesday, had something to do with it. Surely the Obama administration was none too pleased to see that these groups planned to criticize his education reform agenda.

In addition, the National Action Network, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, was listed on the press releases that went out late last week announcing the event as a supporter of the new framework, but in the framework released today, the group is conspicuously missing.

http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/2010/07/civil-rights-groups-call-for-new.html


Rather significant, I think. Major civil rights groups publicly questioning ed deform. Civil rights concerns being one of the big reasons ed deform was supposedly put forth in the first place.

The supporting groups are:

the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP);

the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund;

National Urban League;

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law;

National Council on Educating Black Children;

Rainbow PUSH Coalition;

The Schott Foundation for Public Education.




Civil rights groups skewer Obama education policy (updated)

It is most politely written, but a 17-page framework for education reform released Monday by a coalition of civil rights groups amounts to a thrashing of President Obama’s education policies and it offers a prescription for how to set things right.

You won’t see these sentences in the piece: “Dear President Obama, you say you believe in an equal education for all students, but you are embarking on education policies that will never achieve that goal and that can do harm to America’s school children, especially its neediest. Stop before it is too late.”

But that, in other nicer words, is exactly what it says. The courteous gloss on this framework can’t cover up its angry, challenging substance...The framework’s authors start the framework seeming conciliatory, applauding Obama's goal for the United States to become a global leader in post-secondary education attainment by 2020.

But quickly their intent is clear. They take apart the thinking behind the administration’s education policies, and note a number of times the differences between what Obama and Duncan say about education and what they do...



http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/education-secretary-duncan/civil-rights-groups-skewer-oba.html#more

[lunasun]

1. Hope they can get someone's ear to listen to this important call for help

[snot]

2. Thanks for posting; this a crisis.

Once the 'cons control edu, they've got the triumvirate: the media, and elections (via fraudulent electronic voting machines/tabulation); and education (mind-shaping) is the last leg.

[Hannah Bell]

3. more: seems arne & obama are politicking to keep them from going public with the criticism

Today the representatives of seven major national civil rights groups canceled a planned press conference at which they were about to discuss their powerful new challenge to President Obama's education policies.

Instead of making their public presentation, the leaders met with Fed Ed Head Arne Duncan.

Those of us in Chicago recognize this move. I remember back when CEO Duncan was "assigned" to me to make sure I talked to him before going public with any complaints. Whenever he'd see me, he'd bend over (way over) and ask me if everything was OK. Needless to say, this strategy didn't work, since Arne's concern didn't extend to actually addressing any of the problems I raised.

I'd really like to think that the high profile and serious message of today's leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson of Rainbow Push along with the NAACP and the National Urban League, will motivate the Obama administration tor do more than call out the spin doctors.

http://www.pureparents.org/?blog/category/3

[Starry Messenger]

4. k & r

[Starry Messenger]

5. kick.