Howard Dean: 'The battle between teachers unions and charter schools is coming to an end'

[ProSense]

Howard Dean: 'The battle between teachers unions and charter schools is coming to an end'

By Dave Murray

<...>

Dean appeared MSNBC's “Morning Joe” this morning with former Washington, D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee – who also is a Democrat – and George Parker, the former head of that district's teachers union.

“I do believe charter schools are the future, especially for the inner cities,” Dean said, noting that the United Federation of Teachers is running a school in New York.

“There was a battle between charter schools and teachers unions for years and years. That battle is coming to an end,” he said.

Dean said he doesn't like the idea of non-public charter schools, but likes what's happening in New Orleans, where most of the city's schools are now charters.

more

Video

[Brickbat]

1. He wishes, maybe.

[ProSense]

2. I agree with Dean when he says

"he doesn't like the idea of non-public charter schools"

Beyond that, his message was a bit muddled.

[mmonk]

3. When you have no friends, you surrender.

[madfloridian]

4. And the charters and corporations won big time. Dean has sold out principles.

I consider he has compromised any principles about unions that he once had.

He decided to stand with the party in its effort to privatize education rather than speaking out for unions.

[jwirr]

6. When I hear our Democratic leaders championing the changes in

NO I wonder if any of them has taken the time to read Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine. Privatize is the name of the game in any type of crisis. Unfortunately, the tornadoes in the south are probably going to have the same results.

They will privatize anything that a corporation can make money on. NO is a bad example because if it must be charters then it should be within the jurisdiction of the public system. If we do not wake up soon there will be nothing left that is public and most of the middle and lower classes will not be able to afford it anymore.

[mmonk]

9. Yep. First thing I thought about when I saw NO in the story.

Then I thought of my 20 years of fighting for disabled kids in education. This all sucks to me. I'll never be on board.

[jwirr]

29. I have been in that fight for our children also. Unfortunately we may

just be heading back to the classes in church basements and standing on street corners begging for the money to fund those classes if this keeps up. They are not going to want disabled kids in their show case charter schools anymore than many private school already running including the church schools.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. Sad, but true, MF.

I've become deeply disappointed with him in the last few years. He's become a party operative now and seems to have abandoned his principles in the process.

[madfloridian]

15. Yes, he has.

It could have been different.

[chimpymustgo]

21. They broke him during the healthcare debate, when he chose to take one for the "team".

The end of the health care debate became about supporting Obama. Dean started to fight, but finally threw in the towel. Each subsequent sell-out gets a little easier.

I say this as someone who had great skepticism about Howard Dean as a Presidential candidate in 2004, but great to respect his truth-telling and trust his opinions. Madfloridian, I know you have been an ardent Dean supporter, so I imagine this must be painful.

Some say we expect too much of our politicians. It is too much to expect them to tell the truth and stand up for it?

[VeryConfused]

18. What party is he operating for?

He hasn't worked for the DNC for over 2 years

[madfloridian]

32. You really are confused, aren't you?

[Citizen Worker]

16. This is but another example of what happens when Labor cozies up to the democratic party. If Labor

needed a reason to form an alternative political party the attack on public education and teacher's Unions is most certainly reason enough!

[VeryConfused]

17. "Dean has sold out principles"

Maybe that's why President Obama didn't tap him to work in his cabinet.

[madfloridian]

19. Oh wait. This attack on education IS Obama's plan.

So Dean just joined the crew.

Why be so much in denial?

Obama campaigned for charters, but he has gone after much more than that....he is allowing public education to be changed forever.

[VeryConfused]

20. Dean is working for President Obama now?

when did that happen? why?

[Le Taz Hot]

42. LOL!

That was irony, right?

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. Yep. Exactly.

[sabrina 1]

28. Yes, he has. He's a party guy in the end. It makes me sad

to find myself unrec'ing Howard Dean but when you abandon principles out of party loyalty that's what you deserve.

Unrec. for selling out a democratic principle.

[Radical Activist]

5. I guess Dean is playing a moderate this week.

So hard to keep up.

[Bandit]

7. If it works I am for it..

What I believe right now is our Public School System is not working. Americans are dumber than a bag of rocks especially when it comes to Civics. If Charter Schools prove they can do a better job for not much more money then so be it..All I really want is excellence in our education system..Our country and our future depend upon it.

[madfloridian]

8. Oh yeh...let them make the same mess they made of our economy

without regulation. Yep, those corporations really know how to do things right, and they are all so knowledgeable about education. :sarcasm:

I think more DUers support privatization of education than not...especially since Obama is for it.

I find that tragic.

[callous taoboy]

12. What, you don't want to teach at a "Wal-Mart Elementary School" mad?

[madfloridian]

14. I am so in awe of the number of DUers who support tossing out public education.

It boggles my mind. It sickens me.

[VeryConfused]

22. Maybe they respect Howard Dean and are supporting him

and his position

[madfloridian]

30. I constantly post about the attacks on teachers and unions.

That is what I mean. There is no longer any support for teachers since Obama's admin and Arne took over.

When I post now the teachers are not supported, there are mostly attacks.

It's sad.

[Fumesucker]

11. I'm sure that private charter schools will make it a priority to teach Civics..

After all, it is only to their corporate benefit to have well educated citizens who understand their rights and will fully engage in the political process.

[ecstatic]

23. +1. This is my position now nt

[jp11]

26. Plenty of things 'work' when you tilt the table and rig the whole thing to make it

'work' or sabotage public schools with terrible policy, an atmosphere of contempt for your employees, fear, disrespect, lowered standards etc.

What public schools need are numerous solutions that best fit the community and school population not a silver bullet crammed down teachers, administrators, faculty, parents, and students collective throats.

Many charter schools often do well because they are setup to do so, no troubled students, students with learning disabilities, poor, non-english speakers, or take them in much smaller numbers than their larger public counterparts. Then charters can and do dumb down the tests/curriculum so that everyone does better but they spotlight that the charter's 'excellence' did it. Also they can just focus on the few things that testing focuses on like reading and math, ignoring science, art, music, history, etc to just get the scores up.

Not everything done in a charter is necessarily bad but if it works in a charter why isn't/can't it work in a public school? Usually the answer is because the public school has standards and isn't trying to cheat students while charters are going for the 'grade' at nearly any cost.

I agree with you our country and future depend on our people being well educated and equipped for the world but at any cost isn't the only way. At any cost with a charter means teaching them what the charter wants, that might ignore the facts of history, the real way our government works all in the interests of private benefactors and founders of these now semi-public or even quasi-private yet publicly funded schools. That also says nothing of what the charter movement often does to denigrate teachers attempting to make them into little more than replaceable temps to be traded to save a few dollars.

Part of why teachers/educators/etc and their union are attacked/demonized is because they know better about the bull that charters are about, the corporate idealogy that perverts education in favor of testing and scoring over actual curriculum, independent thought and learning. They are the first line of 'defense' to the nonsense that is pushed so they must be removed to get 'new' teachers with little or no experience who won't talk back and if you break the unions will then be quiet and complacent to do as they are told for fear of losing their jobs.

I want children to have a quality education that isn't built on the backs of teachers but built WITH them.

[louslobbs]

33. No more phone calls, we have a winner...thanks for your post, I would have said the same things you

did, you just said it better.
Lou

[JustAmused]

40. LOL

Let me be clear about this. If you support charter schools, you are not a progressive of any stripe. Period

[blindpig]

13. Yeah, the teachers have lost...

as have the children, their parents and the nation.

The capitalist have won, got them another cash cow.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. He's wrong

I've disagreed with him on this for a couple years now.

It also helps to explain who the other players are here. Rhee I believe everyone is familiar with. Parker is the FORMER head of the DC teachers union because he lost his re-election after he spent way too much time holding Rhee's hand. Neither of them, or Howard Dean, is speaking on behalf of teachers or their unions.

So this belongs in the nearest circular file.

[CTyankee]

27. Do you see a good alliance of public charter schools and the teachers unions?

I'm not a teacher but I'm a big supporter of public education and of teachers unions. The thing I don't understand is the difference between a public school and a charter public school. Can you explain it to me?

[madfloridian]

31. It's simply misleading terminology. Meant to confuse.

It means they get public money, but they don't have to answer to the public. They are deregulated.

[CTyankee]

34. Ok, so the difference between private and public charter schools is where

the money comes from, public vs. private?

[madfloridian]

37. No, they both get our public taxpayer money.

And the non-profit is not always really truly non-profit. For example, Imagine Charters call themselves non-profit, but the IRS says they are not. They are not telling the truth.

Management companies are getting rich off public money, and in many instances they claim they own the property and buildings for which public money paid. White Hat is a good example.

It's like all social programs....the right wing and many Democrats have joined together to break the government financially and turn all the program like education, Social Security, and Medicare over to private companies.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. mad explained it well

As for unions, I think they need to form an alliance with charters because teachers in charters need to organize and join unions. They are where the growth of the union will be happening.

[Nye Bevan]

35. Seems that opposition to charter schools is becoming more and more of a fringe position (nt)

[madfloridian]

38. It seems that support for public education is becoming fringe.

Don't you think?

Now everyone is eager to turn it over to private companies and forget about it.

[Hannah Bell]

39. It's because the upper-middle class will benefit from segregated "choice".

everyone else will lose, but they don't care.

[JackDragna]

36. New Orleans is no utopia.

I live not so far from there and the schools are essentially becoming segregated. Either get into one of the good charters or get send to educational gulag.