Obama's Betrayal of Public Education? Arne Duncan and the Corporate Model of Schooling

[IndianaGreen]

All of the teacher bashing has an ulterior motive: to undermine and ultimately destroy America's public education system. Perhaps this is the time to look back at some of the warning signs we either missed, or did not give proper consideration. Here one from TruthOut:

Obama's Betrayal of Public Education? Arne Duncan and the Corporate Model of Schooling

Wednesday 17 December 2008

by: Henry A. Giroux and Kenneth Saltman, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Barack Obama's selection of Arne Duncan for secretary of education does not bode well either for the political direction of his administration nor for the future of public education. Obama's call for change falls flat with this appointment, not only because Duncan largely defines schools within a market-based and penal model of pedagogy, but also because he does not have the slightest understanding of schools as something other than adjuncts of the corporation at best or the prison at worse. The first casualty in this scenario is a language of social and political responsibility capable of defending those vital institutions that expand the rights, public goods and services central to a meaningful democracy. This is especially true with respect to the issue of public schooling and the ensuing debate over the purpose of education, the role of teachers as critical intellectuals, the politics of the curriculum and the centrality of pedagogy as a moral and political practice.

Duncan, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, presided over the implementation and expansion of an agenda that militarized and corporatized the third largest school system in the nation, one that is about 90 percent poor and nonwhite. Under Duncan, Chicago took the lead in creating public schools run as military academies, vastly expanded draconian student expulsions, instituted sweeping surveillance practices, advocated a growing police presence in the schools, arbitrarily shut down entire schools and fired entire school staffs. A recent report, "Education on Lockdown," claimed that partly under Duncan's leadership "Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has become infamous for its harsh zero tolerance policies. Although there is no verified positive impact on safety, these policies have resulted in tens of thousands of student suspensions and an exorbitant number of expulsions."<4> Duncan's neoliberal ideology is on full display in the various connections he has established with the ruling political and business elite in Chicago.<5> He led the Renaissance 2010 plan, which was created for Mayor Daley by the Commercial Club of Chicago - an organization representing the largest businesses in the city. The purpose of Renaissance 2010 was to increase the number of high quality schools that would be subject to new standards of accountability - a code word for legitimating more charter schools and high stakes testing in the guise of hard-nosed empiricism. Chicago's 2010 plan targets 15 percent of the city district's alleged underachieving schools in order to dismantle them and open 100 new experimental schools in areas slated for gentrification. Most of the new experimental schools have eliminated the teacher union. The Commercial Club hired corporate consulting firm A.T. Kearney to write Ren2010, which called for the closing of 100 public schools and the reopening of privatized charter schools, contract schools (more charters to circumvent state limits) and "performance" schools. Kearney's web site is unapologetic about its business-oriented notion of leadership, one that John Dewey thought should be avoided at all costs. It states, "Drawing on our program-management skills and our knowledge of best practices used across industries, we provided a private-sector perspective on how to address many of the complex issues that challenge other large urban education transformations."<6>

Duncan's advocacy of the Renaissance 2010 plan alone should have immediately disqualified him for the Obama appointment. At the heart of this plan is a privatization scheme for creating a "market" in public education by urging public schools to compete against each other for scarce resources and by introducing "choice" initiatives so that parents and students will think of themselves as private consumers of educational services.<7> As a result of his support of the plan, Duncan came under attack by community organizations, parents, education scholars and students. These diverse critics have denounced it as a scheme less designed to improve the quality of schooling than as a plan for privatization, union busting and the dismantling of democratically-elected local school councils. They also describe it as part of neighborhood gentrification schemes involving the privatization of public housing projects through mixed finance developments.<8> (Tony Rezko, an Obama and Blagojevich campaign supporter, made a fortune from these developments along with many corporate investors.) Some of the dimensions of public school privatization involve Renaissance schools being run by subcontracted for-profit companies - a shift in school governance from teachers and elected community councils to appointed administrators coming disproportionately from the ranks of business. It also establishes corporate control over the selection and model of new schools, giving the business elite and their foundations increasing influence over educational policy. No wonder that Duncan had the support of David Brooks, the conservative op-ed writer for The New York Times.

http://www.truth-out.org/121708R

[ProSense]

1. "Tony Rezko"?

It seems like a lot of this rhetoric is from people who are campaigning against President Obama.

[IndianaGreen]

5. FAIL! First, it is from Truth Out. Second, it is dated a month after the Election.

Third, you haven't read the lenghty article.

[ProSense]

8. "it is dated a month after the Election." It's dated a month before he took office

and it's titled, "Obama's Betrayal of Public Education?"

And you posted it on this date: July 6, 2010.

Now that's FAIL!

[IndianaGreen]

9. It is about the POS Arne Duncan, and how he fucked the Chicago public school system

in the same way he is ready to do it to the rest of the country.

[ProSense]

13. It's President Obama's policy regardless of your opinion of Arne Duncan. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

16. Are you saying that Obama has adopted Arne Duncan's approach?

[SunsetDreams]

17. no but apparently, you are.

[IndianaGreen]

18. The evidence thus far is that Arne Duncan is doing the same thing he did in Chicago

Higher stakes, and higher profits for his corporate friends.

[SunsetDreams]

20. What evidence thus far?

[Catshrink]

21. Have you been paying attention?

[SunsetDreams]

22. Enlighten me, you two are making the "charges"

I want to hear your evidence.

[Catshrink]

23. Start here....

I haven't seen you in these discussions that have been ongoing. I'm not going to recreate them for you.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian

[SunsetDreams]

24. That's a journal from here,

Do you have any evidence other than that? What specifically has Arnie Duncan done "thus far"? What specific policies has he put in place that "destroy public education"? What specific policies has Congress "thus far" put in place? What specific policies has Obama signed that "destroy public education"?

[IndianaGreen]

27. The Military-Corporate Legacy of the New Secretary of Education

You should really take the time to go through that Journal, it has lots of useful information for those interested in learning. Plus Google is your friend!

The Duncan Doctrine

The Military-Corporate Legacy of the New Secretary of Education

By Andy Kroll

Yet a closer investigation of Duncan's record in Chicago casts doubt on that label. As he packs up for Washington, Duncan leaves behind a Windy City legacy that's hardly cause for optimism, emphasizing as it does a business-minded, market-driven model for education. If he is a "reformer," his style of management is distinctly top-down, corporate, and privatizing. It views teachers as expendable, unions as unnecessary, and students as customers.

Disturbing as well is the prominence of Duncan's belief in offering a key role in public education to the military. Chicago's school system is currently the most militarized in the country, boasting five military academies, nearly three dozen smaller Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs within existing high schools, and numerous middle school Junior ROTC programs. More troubling yet, the military academies he's started are nearly all located in low-income, minority neighborhoods. This merging of military training and education naturally raises concerns about whether such academies will be not just education centers, but recruitment centers as well.

Rather than handing Duncan a free pass on his way into office, as lawmakers did during Duncan's breezy confirmation hearings last week, a closer examination of the Chicago native's record is in order. Only then can we begin to imagine where public education might be heading under Arne Duncan, and whether his vision represents the kind of "change" that will bring our students meaningfully in line with the rest of the world.

The Militarization of Secondary Education

Today, the flagship projects in CPS's militarization are its five military academies, affiliated with either the Army, Navy, or Marines. All students -- or cadets, as they're known -- attending one of these schools are required to enroll as well in the academy's Junior ROTC program. That means cadets must wear full military uniforms to school everyday, and undergo daily uniform inspections. As part of the academy's curriculum, they must also take a daily ROTC course focusing on military history, map reading and navigation, drug prevention, and the branches of the Department of Defense.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175022/andy_kroll_will_public_education_be_militarized

[SunsetDreams]

29. January 18, 2009. The President wasn't in office then, Can you

tell me what Arnie Duncan has done "thus far" since the President has been in office? What policies has Congress came up with that the President signed?

[IndianaGreen]

32. Congress gave him $4B to burn, which he is by pushing for charter schools

Arne Duncan Has Become a National Embarrassment, Part II

In a previous column, I reported how Arne Duncan has become an embarrassment here in New York City for his misuse of statistics and his slavish support of our billionaire Republican mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who is running for re-election to a third term. Duncan also called a series of blatantly propagandistic articles that supported Bloomberg's education record as "thoughtful," published in the NY Post, the tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch.

But the problem is much larger than this: Duncan's policies now threaten to alienate voters nationwide. The latest embarrassment is a national "tour," where Duncan plans to join Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich in cities around the country, pushing for more privatization, including the proliferation of more charter schools.

The fact that Duncan is joining these two disreputable figures reveals troubling insensitivity on his part. The last time Gingrich got involved in the education issue, Newt proposed forcibly removing children from inner-city parents to put them in orphanages and boarding schools.

As for Al Sharpton, he was prompted to become involved in the education issue in the first place in return for a $500,000 donation from a prominent hedge-fund, which was lobbying the state and the city to acquire off-track betting parlors. The cool half a million Sharpton received, improperly funneled through a tax-free pro-charter school organization, kept him out of jail when he was fighting federal charges of tax evasion and other illegal activities.

Even worse are Duncan's funding proposals. His $4.3 billion slush fund called "Race to the Top" is designed to reward school districts and states for implementing a narrow set of unproven strategies, based on the deregulatory biases of the corporate world. These schemes include pressuring states to raise their caps on charter schools and instituting teacher performance pay based on student test scores, despite the lack of any supporting research or proof of success in the real world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/arne-duncan-has-become-a_b_260642.html

[SunsetDreams]

38. The "evidence" is not supported in that article

that he indeed is using 4 billion dollars toward that end. It appears to be an inuendo.

[IndianaGreen]

42. I guess this means you won't do your own research

Don't say you weren't warned.

[SunsetDreams]

45. What it means is, I am asking for evidence, and you appear

to have none.

[IndianaGreen]

48. And you are just stating something without showing any curiousity

Madfloridian's journal, linked to you earlier, has a lot of info as to what is going on. You just dismissed it outright as a journal, much as a certain President dismissed the Lancet Report on Iraqi civilian casualties.

If you don't want to know, you just don't want to know. I am not part of a Thought Police.

[SunsetDreams]

51. Oh I am curious, which is why I asked for your evidence.

Again, point me to a specific law or policy Congress has passed, that the President has signed? The title does say "Obama's Betrayal of Public Education?" Does it not? Any evidence out there that Arnie Duncan is making policy changes that "destroy" public education? If not, then it's all opinion, assumption and/or innuendo.

[Catshrink]

56. You've been given links to evidence.

Oh but I know you love Obama and can't imagine he'd do something so horrible to our children. It's okay, Dear. We understand.

[SunsetDreams]

58. I've been given links to opinion, not evidence

Opinion and evidence are not the same thing.

[Catshrink]

59. Did you follow any of the links?

I don't think you've had time to read anything. You don't want to.

What's this little X for? Oh.... that's better.

[johnaries]

65. Exactly. But he won't post evidence because the evidence

is against his whole premise. Just look at the first two RTTT winners, DE and TN. Neither have extensive charter school systems.

[madfloridian]

68. Here you go.

Arne Duncan's goal for the stimulus money is for more testing and for charter schools.

""Part of the stimulus money, he told Sam Dillon of The New York Times, will be used so that states can develop data systems, which will enable them to tie individual student test scores to individual teachers, greasing the way for merit pay. Another part of the stimulus plan will support charters and entrepreneurs."

The Billionaire Boys Club

"The Obama administration appointed somebody from the NewSchools Venture Fund to run this so-called “Race to the Top.” The NewSchools Venture Fund exists to promote charter schools. So, what we’re seeing with the proliferation—with this demand from the federal government, if you want to be part of this $4 billion fund, you better be prepared to create lots more charter schools. Well, it’s all predetermined by who the personnel is. And, you know, so we see this immense influence of the foundations.

And I think that with the proliferation of charter schools, the bottom-line issue is the survival of public education, because we’re going to see many, many more privatized schools and no transparency as to who’s running them, where the money is going, and everything being determined by test scores."

[SunsetDreams]

71. I think your link is broken where you quote Arne Duncan

I clicked on it, and another journal of yours popped up.

Your supporting evidence is based around quoting on what "a Former GOP insider says"?
In all your research, have you came across any policy change that Obama has signed into law or vetoed, that would support "destroying public education"?

[madfloridian]

74. The link is not broken. The quote is a good one. Some are in denial.

Obama and Arne do not say they are supporting destroying public education. But that is what their polices are doing.

Denial is a comfortable state.

[SunsetDreams]

75. the link led me to yet another journal of yours, not where you got the quote

It is therefore broken.

There it is again. "Their policies are destroying public education" What policies have been signed by the President? Did Arnie do away with Public Schools?

[madfloridian]

84. Oh well, Defend to the end. That's what it is about.

I have dozens or more links I could give you, but it never matters when people are in denial.

Bye, backing off and updating list.

[SunsetDreams]

89. Defend what? or whom? I'm asking for evidence, to support

opinions. I'm sure you do have dozens more links, incidentally you left some of them out of your journals. I saw alot of boxes with no links. Or maybe the Journal part of DU is broken.
No denial here, I just like facts to form my opinion.

[proud2BlibKansan]

77. 1. Making states compete for federal funding

2. Viewing children as data points instead of children
3. Forcing teachers to teach to the test, which doesn't instill a love of learning in kids or help them become lifelong learners
4. Scripted instruction, which takes all creativity out of teaching and learning
5. Ignoring the expertise of educational scholars, who know far more about how to teach than Arne knows
6. Excluding parents from decisions regarding policy
7. Ignoring research and facts regarding child development and the role it plays in learning
8. Disregarding the arts and the role they play in a well rounded education
9. Forcing a college prep program on all high school kids
10. Developmentally inappropriate instruction and expectations of elementary students
11. Testing 5 year olds. Yes, standardized tests in kindergarten
12. Forcing schools to spend more time testing than teaching
13. Unfunded mandates
14. Refusing to listen to teachers or acknowledge their expertise
15. Destroying teachers unions
16. Playing games with data so it looks like kids are making progress when they aren't

I could go on. For me personally, when Arne turned high schools into military academies in Chicago I knew he was not a man I could respect as a leader in education. I am still blown away that he was given the power he has. But nothing he has done is a surprise to me.

This man is as bad as any cabinet member in the Bush administration. In many ways he is worse.

[proud2BlibKansan]

87. That journal and the research being done by madfloridian is so well respected

that it is being quoted on education websites all over the Internet. Madfloridian always posts links to back up what she posts.

How sad that you are not willing to read her work and recognize the excellence in her research.

[SunsetDreams]

91. How sad that you think that someone asking for facts

is about respecting a person, it's about respect for the truth.

[proud2BlibKansan]

93. There are hundreds of facts in her journals.

Read them.

[SunsetDreams]

95. I did read, some "facts" didn't have links

so therefore they become opinion to me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

97. You haven't put enough time into reading

I'd be glad to discuss this with you after you really read her work. Until then, no way.

[Catshrink]

98. But it's more fun to hijack

reading is so hard... tell me the answer Obi Wan.

[SunsetDreams]

99. LOL you have me figured out, I hijacked a thread by asking for facts

I look at highjacking a thread when one gives baseless opinions, and argues over giving facts.
Carry on though, you don't provide evidence. So when I see you type Obama or Duncan is "destroying public education", I'll make sure and read that as opinion, and not ask you for a fact.

[Catshrink]

100. You were given sources that you won't look at.

I call that willful ignorance. Pity.

[SunsetDreams]

101. I did look at the sources

Those sources were filled with opinions, and not one of those sources could point to a policy change that could make me see your point of view that Obama or Duncan was "destroying public education" or that Obama "betrayed public education".
When Obama or Duncan, actually do something, as in make a policy change that "destroys public education", I'll revisit your opinion with you.

[sabrina 1]

31. You need to start keeping up with what is going on

with Arne Duncan. We can only hope he is not representing this President and that sooner or later, sooner preferably, the President will step in and do something about him.

[SunsetDreams]

33. An Assertion has been made, evidence is required

not telling someone they need to "keep up". What am I keeping up with? rumors and inuendo?

[IndianaGreen]

35. use your google, and either educate yourself or stop playing this game

[SunsetDreams]

40. I wasn't aware this was a game? You made the assertion,

you should be prepared to back it up with evidence.

[IndianaGreen]

43. I am not playing a game

I am merely providing information that shows what is behind the assault on teachers and public schools.

[SunsetDreams]

47. What assault? What policy changes have been made and signed

by the President?

[Catshrink]

50. Hey! We've led you to evidence.

Are you lazy?

[SunsetDreams]

54. What you led me to was opinion.

[Catshrink]

57. No. You didn't read.

You don't want to. You don't want to see any evidence because it might shatter your illusion. Can't help those who won't help themselves.

[SunsetDreams]

61. I read, in a non assuming fashion.

I see you have no evidence, thanks for your opinion.

[Catshrink]

64. Right.

:rofl:

[xocet]

105. +100

You have it exactly right.

The links to the journals contain other links to other journal entries and on to the basic arguments that support the assessment that Duncan is not good for education in the USA. It is all there.

This other persistent poster is just seeking attention; cordially considering that other poster's responses is a waste of threadwidth.

[sabrina 1]

39. He is a corporate, privatization right-leaning, Bush

education policy supporter. If you have not been keeping up with his attacks on Public School education, I would not where to begin to help you get started. You could check Madfloridian's journal on this site as she has been reporting on this topic from the beginning.

This aricle describes the man many of us have come to know. I did not know him at that time, but from everything I've seen of him since he was placed in charge of our education system, this article makes sense of it all.

[SunsetDreams]

41. So no evidence just opinion.

[Catshrink]

44. Oh there's plenty of evidence.

I gave you a source that's a compendium of references that have been posted here. I'm not going to dig it up for you. Those of use who have stayed up and involved in the issue are aware of the evidence. You're new to the party, don't expect us to do your leg work. I can imagine what kind of student you were!

[SunsetDreams]

46. What you have presented is opinion.

Where is this plenty of evidence you speak of?

[Catshrink]

49. You really like going around in circles.

I don't spoonfeed my students, I empower them. I gave you the link to madfloridian's journal. Go spend some time reading it and you'll understand - you'll find the evidence. I'm not going to spoonfeed you, I can't learn for you. You need to make the effort if you really want to understand. If you just want to play a game, well, I guess that's your problem. Helpless doesn't cut it.

[SunsetDreams]

52. Again, opinion no facts.

Most teachers give facts, to support their opinion.

[Catshrink]

60. Again, laziness.

[SunsetDreams]

63. Again, factless.

[Dr.Phool]

103. Blah blah blah blah blah.

I'll give you an opinion, but you wouldn't like it.

[SunsetDreams]

104. Finally a fact, thank you!

[sabrina 1]

55. No, there's plenty of evidence. Google works, or as I said,

check out madfloridians journal right here. She has sourced all her articles on this topic, with links which will save you time. But if you don't want to do that, that's up to you.

[girl gone mad]

72. There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

Not sure why anyone here is still bothering with you.

You've made your choice. Blindfold on.

[Nite Owl]

86. There is evidence

you just have to click all those links provided and read.

Where have you been? It's been all over DU for months now.

[KeyWester]

108. Jeeesh , give it up.

Do you still think Max Baucus wanted to vote for the public option and Obama wouldn't let him ?

You are spinning right off the map. This thread is another example, careful or you might just burn a hole in the floor.

[SunsetDreams]

96. After 3 hours, No Facts Were Given...Carry On

I no longer wish to belabor opinion, without some facts to base any of it, mine or someone elses.

[Catshrink]

10. We have reason to...

Through Arne Duncan, the Obama Administration is trying to destroy public educaiton.

[Smashcut]

70. MISDIRECT! MISDIRECT! Must hijack the thread!

:eyes:

[xocet]

106. Dalek? n/t

[dionysus]

110. EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

:rofl:

[Radical Activist]

2. A list and information on Chicago's PUBLIC charter school system.

http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Elementary_schools/Pages/Charter.aspx

[johnaries]

26. Yes, the charter schools in Chicago are PUBLIC,

From the INCS website:

"Charter schools are public schools, and they're open to any student who applies. In exchange for strict accountability to maintain high standards, charter schools are given freedom from many of the regulations that apply to other public schools; which allows for greater flexibility and innovation in the classroom."

So any implication that Arne Duncan "privatized" the schools in Chicago is simply inaccurate.

[Catshrink]

30. "Charter schools are public schools, and they're open to any student who applies"

:rofl:

I have beach property in LA to sell, I hear you're buying.

[johnaries]

62. Ever heard of Google? Try it.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0h&oq=definition&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ACEW_enUS381US381&q=definition+charter+schools

And BTW, that post was copy/pasted directly from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools website:

http://www.incschools.org/why_charter_schools.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

81. I won the lottery today!!

Yes I did. Because I said so and now you are reading it in the Internet so it must be true.

[readmoreoften]

78. Yes, and the PUBLIC university where I work is now 69% financed by corporations.

There is no such thing as a purely "public" charter system.

And I'm sure CHE would TOTALLY agree with your support for charters. :rofl:

[SunsetDreams]

3. Wednesday 17 December 2008

:eyes:

[FrenchieCat]

4. Wednesday 17 December 2008? Seriously?

How desperate are you? :shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

6. It has solid background about the corporate POS Arne Duncan

information that is essential to properly evaluate what this asshole is trying to do to public education in America (hint: enrich his pals!).

[Catshrink]

7. Read the article. It's about Arne Duncan's track record

and he's trying to duplicate failure that nationally. God help us.

[ProSense]

11. So this debate isn't about Obama's policy?

It's about who he chose to carry it out?

Arne Duncan was confirmed. It's time for people who had issues with him before Obama even took office, to focus on the policy and stop with the attempts at character assassination. The President is not going to get rid of his Education Secretary based on people's biases that date back to December 2008.

[IndianaGreen]

12. Discussing Arne Duncan's record is not 'character assassination'

and having Arne Duncan push for, and get adopted on a national level, the same disastrous policies he used in Chicago should be ringing every alarm bell in the country.

[Catshrink]

15. Oh yes it is.

He's attempting to nationalize the Chicago debacle.

Arne Duncan does not talk to teachers. He does not understand the process of learning. He has no credibility with teachers.

[Nite Owl]

88. They are all public officials

they work for us and if we don't like the job they are doing it is our right and responsibity to speak out about them and their policies. That's the way it is in a democracy and trying to shut people up won't work no matter how long you try.

[madfloridian]

14. Thanks. This is an important paragraph.

"Duncan's advocacy of the Renaissance 2010 plan alone should have immediately disqualified him for the Obama appointment. At the heart of this plan is a privatization scheme for creating a "market" in public education by urging public schools to compete against each other for scarce resources and by introducing "choice" initiatives so that parents and students will think of themselves as private consumers of educational services.<7> As a result of his support of the plan, Duncan came under attack by community organizations, parents, education scholars and students. These diverse critics have denounced it as a scheme less designed to improve the quality of schooling than as a plan for privatization, union busting and the dismantling of democratically-elected local school councils. They also describe it as part of neighborhood gentrification schemes involving the privatization of public housing projects through mixed finance developments."

[msongs]

19. Duncan is implementing Obama's education strategies - he is an employee not the boss nt

[Exilednight]

25. An employee who has $4 billion dollars at his disposal with no oversite.

From the Washington Post: Never has an education secretary been given so much money by Congress with such open-ended authority, according to current and former federal education officials. Margaret Spellings, Duncan's predecessor under George W. Bush, had a tiny fraction of that amount at her disposal.

The question is, did Duncan adopt the President's position, or did Obama adopt Duncan's position.

With a little bit of research, and a few ounces of critical thought, it looks as if Obama adopted Duncan's position.

[ProSense]

28. "did Duncan adopt the President's position, or did Obama adopt Duncan's position."

Did McChrystal's adopt Obama policies, or did Obama adopt McChrystal's?

Did Geithner's adopt Obama policies, or did Obama adopt Geithner's?

Is Rahm running the WH, or is Obama?

Let me put it this way: If Duncan leaves the administration tonight, nothing about Obama's education policy will change.

[sabrina 1]

34. Wow, I sincerely hope you are wrong, because for those of us

willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt and are hoping he will step in before Duncan helps lose Democrats the next election, that is quite an indictment. Are you sure you support this President?

[Exilednight]

37. To answer your questions ..........

Did McChrystal's adopt Obama policies, or did Obama adopt McChrystal's?

Obama adopted McChrystal's policy. Obama bought into McChrystal's COIN. The reason nothing changed was because we are already committed to McChrystal's policy.

Did Geithner's adopt Obama policies, or did Obama adopt Geithner's?

This was a compromise. Obama adopted some of Geithner's policies and Obama adopted some of Geithner's. If Gethner steps down, I guarantee you will see a shift in policy from the White House.

Is Rahm running the WH, or is Obama?

Hard to really say who is doing what in the White House. Rumor has it that Rahm is stepping down soon and most of it is due to his conflicts with the rest of the President's staff. Rahm will step down, and you will see a shift in the White House.

[ProSense]

53. Do you really believe that the President

simply deferred to McChrystal or anyone in his adminstration on policy?

Senator McCain said just months ago that "Afghanistan is not in trouble because of our diversion to Iraq." I could not disagree more.

I will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan and use this commitment to seek greater contributions--with fewer restrictions--from NATO allies. I will focus on training Afghan security forces and supporting an Afghan judiciary. I will once and for all dismantle al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military--it is political and economic. That is why I would also increase our nonmilitary aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must demand better performance from the Afghan government through tough anticorruption safeguards on aid.

link

[Exilednight]

69. Did he defer to McChrystal? Defer might be a strong word, I would say he listened

and then decided to adopt McChrystal's policy. I also believe that there were others within his administration who guided him to that decision. COIN was not an Obama idea, nor was it something he campaigned on. Granted, he did campaign for a force build-up in Afghanistan, but said he would defer what combat actions should be taken to his General's. That's the military side.

As far as the political side, well, the NYT just ran a huge piece outlining the rampant corruption within the Karzi camp, and if you consider paying off local officials as "funding projects at the local level", then yeah, he kept that part of his promise.

[ProSense]

76. It's the President's policy.

Did it change now that McChrystal is gone?

[Exilednight]

82. COIN was not the President's policy. That was all McChrystal, Obama bought into it........

Read the RS article about McChrystal.

The reason it did not change is because you can not change that many troops on a dime, and the amount of money, time and resources we have already dumped into this disaster would look, politically, as if he gave up. COIN wasn't Obama adopted COIN from McChrystal, and when he did he knew he would be stuck with it for the long haul.

[ProSense]

109. "Read the RS article about McChrystal." Obama's policy was unknown before the RS article?

Juan Cole, 2008:

Nor is it at all clear that sending more U.S. troops to southern Afghanistan can resolve the problem of the resurgence of the Taliban there. American and NATO search-and-destroy missions alienate the local population and fuel, rather than quench, the insurgency. Resentment over U.S. airstrikes on innocent civilians and wedding parties is growing. Brazen attacks on U.S. forward bases and on institutions such as the prison in the southern city of Kandahar are becoming more frequent. To be sure, Obama advocates combining counterinsurgency military operations with development aid and attention to resolving the problem of poppy cultivation. (Afghan poppies are turned into heroin for the European market, and the profits have fueled some of the Taliban's resurgence.) Stepped-up military action, however, is still the central component of his plan.

McChrystal was hired to help to define a specific strategy, not to dictate the agenda to the President.

[Starry Messenger]

36. It's kind of amazing isn't it?

I don't know if this got posted here when it got published. I don't know if I would have remembered it. The date is a few days before Rick Warren got selected for the Invocation. It certainly doesn't surprise me in light of all that we've seen in the past few months in Education.

[LWolf]

66. I didn't miss it.

I said all of this, and more, at the time.

Nobody was listening.

Most still aren't.

[Catshrink]

67. And many more refuse to see it.

It's very sad. Our children will pay the price for this.

[RetroLounge]

73. K&R

Just to piss off the DLCers...

RL

[johnaries]

79. I notice all of your postings are from BEFORE the first winners

were announced. Yet, the NEA applauded the first 2 selections:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x366623

[Dinger]

80. I've Had Just About Enough Of Duncan

K & R! Thanks for posting this IndianaGreen:)

[ProSense]

83. Dennis Van Roekel on Race to the Top (Nov. 2009)

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on Race to the Top final application

WASHINGTON - November 12, 2009 - The U.S. Department of Education today unveiled the final regulations and application governing its $4.3 billion Race to the Top competitive grant program, which is designed to enable states to enact education reforms that improve student achievement.

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:

“We applaud Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for taking the right steps to put a spotlight on what needs to happen in our classrooms—principally, for America’s schoolchildren.

“If done right, we believe Race to the Top grants will accelerate education reform at the state and local levels, and they will go a long way toward ensuring great public schools for every student in the long run.

“We are pleased that Race to the Top embraces the spirit of collaboration among education stakeholders needed to achieve systemic and sustainable reform efforts. In reading the final application, it is obvious that the Obama administration listened to educators, and we applaud them for recognizing the role teachers play in transforming education and preparing students by requiring states to involve teachers and principals in designing and implementing evaluation systems. This is necessary to make sure that what happens in Washington works in schools and communities across America.

“The final application rewards states that use student growth and multiple measures, and use data to improve instruction to increase the focus on professional development for teachers and continual instructional improvement rather than to only hold schools accountable. This is a solid reaffirmation of our belief that a student, like a teacher, is more than a test score.

“We are disappointed that the administration continues to focus so heavily on tying students’ test scores to individual teachers. The continuing eligibility requirement that states must not have any barriers to linking data on student achievement or growth to teachers and principals for evaluation purposes misses the mark.

“Educators are willing to accept responsibility for student learning and for being evaluated based on criteria they help develop, and we look forward to working with the administration to ensure that its goal of true multiple measures in teacher evaluation systems is realized.”

[YvonneCa]

92. That was then...

...this is now:


http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2010/07/van_roekels_keynote_dodges_the.html

[ProSense]

94. Well, the OP is from 2008. Still, interesting article

As a result, the keynote address this year had Van Roekel twisting himself into a bit of a rhetorical pretzel, widely criticizing administration policies like the School Improvement Grants and the Race to the Top (and Congress in general) with some barn-burning lines, but treading lightly with the man himself.

Take this piece, for instance. Van Roekel pointed out that Race to the Top focuses heavily on test scores for measuring student and teacher performance, while during the campaign Obama had complained about fill-in-the-bubble tests. But the union president didn't actually call out the U.S. president for this apparent contradiction.

"Mr. President, your instincts were right—the path your advisers have laid out is not! We got a system that creates too few winners and far too many losers. Our members feel betrayed, and so do I," he said.

In fact, the only time in this speech where Van Roekel explicitly called the Race to the Top "punitive" was when he was paraphrasing a letter from the National Council of Churches of Christ that condemns the program.

Interesting ally.

[YvonneCa]

102. The thing is...and this is really difficult...so many of us educators still...

...support President Obama and are trying to get this ed. reform to work. We just want it done right.

[Moochy]

85. "At the heart of this plan is a privatization scheme for creating a "market" in public education..."

"At the heart of this plan is a privatization scheme for creating a "market" in public education by urging public schools to compete against each other for scarce resources and by introducing "choice" initiatives so that parents and students will think of themselves as private consumers of educational services."

More of that 'Market as God' neo* fundamentalism! The Market Will Solve All of Our Problems!

[proud2BlibKansan]

90. Thank you. I remember when this was first posted by truthout.

And I honestly believed things would not be as bad as they are today.

And how far we have fallen. I am going tomorrow to my convention where the keynote speaker is Bill Fucking Gates. I'm still just blown away by that.

[donco6]

107. I was pulling for Linda Darling-Hammond

I'd visited three Chicago schools when we were working on our district reinvention (union leaders were with us on the journey, BTW). We hated what we saw there. Rigid, authoritarian schools where kids had to - literally - walk down the middle of the hallway following a blue line on the floor. You don't see that in white schools.

Instead, we opted for schools like the Met in Providence and the Boston Compact schools. These were schools where everyone had real input - even classified staff. They are a lot harder to implement, because they don't come prepackaged with canned curriculum and you don't just turn over your schools to some outside corporation. You have to grow your school yourself, by studying your own community, addressing the identified problems specific to YOUR community, and designing solutions for those problems.

Arne and his ilk truly believe there are "reproduceable models" out there that can be implemented in any city, town, burb and chicken ranch and somehow they'll all produce "results." In fact, you see this in every federal grant on school improvement - the schools awarded funds have to be able to be "scalable" up to the size of entire urban districts. If they're too individualized, they don't get funding. And of course, the corporate charters talk their scalability up BIG TIME, so you'll see their models cookie-cuttered all over the country.

But it's all baloney. There is no cookie cutter, and we're pouring billions down a rat hole when believe there is. School reform is an organic process that has to grow from the community. This is why the Harlem Children's Zone grew. Goeffrey Canada came first to change his COMMUNITY. Once that started, he was able to get support for changing the schools. I only wish he'd not used such a rigid approach to his Promise Academy, but he was under such intense pressure by his corporate board to show results, he almost had to create a "teach to the test" school, or risk losing his entire dream. Ultimately, I hope he'll begin to realize that mistake.

I realize some people aren't here to actually read other people's messages. They're here to post their own and then blindly support their own ideas. But from those of us actually in the trenches, I hope those types are few and far between.

[IndianaGreen]

111. K&R

I did read your message. Duncan is a clusterchuck of privatization.

:kick:

[donco6]

112. I wasn't referring to you, of course.

But to some posters who seem to be able to post endlessly, day and night, saying the same damn things over and over again, all the while holding a finger to their cheek like some digital Kewpie Doll, saying, "Golly, where do teachers get the idea Obama wants privatization? <wink>"

Your posts, conversely, demonstrate that you actually respect people on this board enough to read their posts and think about them, adding to the general discussion over time. That's the way things should work.