The American Spectator

Robert Rosencrans| 1.15.09 @ 7:47AM

You have to admire someone who wages a war against complete insanity or unmovable bureaucracies .

Both cases could be described as a hopeless cause but Michelle Rhee appears to be making progress against the against the entrenched teacher's union, inefficient administrators and political resistance to any change.

I wish her luck in her incredible endeavor. If she pulls it off, it will be miracle, and she will change the future for many generations to come.

tony| 1.15.09 @ 10:21AM

This whole issue is just another example of the staggering hypocrisy of the left. For the second time in the past 16 years, we will inaugurate a liberal president who sends his kid(s) to private schools while denying others access to that same opportunity. Why are Obama's kids worthy of a top rate education while other kids must toil away in substandard schools? As it I see it, there are 2 reasons why.

The most obvious of course is the democrat party's reliance on money from teacher's unions, who will never allow any sort of "progressive" reform of public schools. They've got total control and once you acquire control, you don't let it go.

The second reason is that the left really doesn't want to educate so much as indoctrinate. That's how we get a president-elect with no experience, running a campaign based upon a couple of slogans. The appalling state of public education, with young kids having no knowledge of economics or the basis of the founding of this country, leads to the acceptance of mindless sloganeering such as "yes we can" and "change we can believe in." Oh, and let's not forget "we are the ones we have been waiting for."

Public education thus serves two very basic functions for the democrat party; a steady flow of dollars and the continued dumbing down of the populace. I wish Ms. Rhee all the luck in the world.

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 10:27AM

I finally agree with something someone writes around here.

Ms Rhee seems like a fantastic leader for the DC school system.

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 10:31AM

Tony --

It is not "staggering hypocrisy" do want what is best for your own children while working in your public life as a citizen or politician to improve the lot of other children.

Your making a category mistake: Obama's duty as a father is not the same set of obligations that constitutes his duties as a citizen or public servant.

Now, I think that there should be more government voucher programs, provided the public school funding be increased by the same amount that the vouchers remove. In other words, public schools should be forced to compete with the best private schools.

L. Ross| 1.15.09 @ 11:23AM

As a father who homeschooled both of his children into high school, I'm wondering why we need government schools at all. Why not just privatize the whole lot of them, and give parents the money the school system would have gotten. Most school systems across the nation get between $6000 and $10,000/year, per student. Here is a study showing that the true cost of schools is vasty higher. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9319 People could use that money to help homeschool their kids (both of mine are currently in college), or send their children to the private school of their choice. I know this idea sounds weird to a lot of people, but let's face it, the notion of a public school system is only just over a hundred years old. Most of our great-great-grand parents were taught at home, or in a one room school house. By the way, speaking from experience, educating your own children is a chance to educate yourself at the same time.

L. Ross| 1.15.09 @ 11:24AM

That link didn't show up straight. Here it is again.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9319

Interloper| 1.15.09 @ 11:51AM

Why not reinvent the wheel while we are at it, L. Ross? Public schools were created because homeschooling had failed miserably for the majority of children. Meanwhile, the well-off were either sending their children to private schools or hiring well-educated tutors. And, public schools are more successful in educating most students than charter, private or religious schools. The latter category trails the group.

Malia and Sascha Obama were private school students before their father was elected president in a program that costs about $30,000 per child per year. The Obamas have decided that educating their daughters is their highest priority, forgoing the fancy cars, vacation home, private plane, furs, diamonds, etc., they could spin that money on.

They are also interested in pedagogical techniques and are studying the theories at work in their daughters' schools for wider applicability. As a Quaker school graduate, myself (grades 6-11, graduating early) I can vouch for the program at Sidwell, a sister school.

Last, but far from least, we must consider security. Malia and Sasha have a higher than usual risk of being harmed because of the ceiling shattering achievement of President-elect Barack Obama. Sidwell has experience protecting the children of the political and public figure elite. Sad to say, some of the commenters here are the sort of people these lovely girls need to shielded from.

L. Ross| 1.15.09 @ 1:20PM

Interloper:

Dude, please give me some statistics on homeshooling failing miserably for children. What experience do you have , what research can you cite to make such a claim? Regardless, the point I made was that we could "reinvent the wheel". Make it round, with an axel for starters. The point I made was that if parents had the money the school districts currently get, they could easily give their kids the advantages of a private education at no additional cost to the family. Besides which, think of the advantages for poorer families. If they were no longer coupled to their districts schools, their kids could get as good an education as you had. Or, the Obama's, for that matter.

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 1:23PM

L Ross et al --

Homeschooling is an excellent option. I think studies have shown that homeschooled children do well and go on to successful performance later on in college.

However, privatizing education would be a disaster. (L Ross, keep in mind that education was privatized in Europe for centuries and the results were dismal.)

Our first advocates for public schools in the U.S. were not ACORN or Michael More, keep in mind. They were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

Jerry| 1.15.09 @ 1:26PM

Jeremiah,

Why would we increase funding for the public schools to replace the amount of the voucher? The public school is now minus one student for each voucher granted and in D.C. the amount spent per student is greater than $7500. They actually come out ahead financially every time a student transfers out under those circumstances.

You say there should be competition between public and private schools, but then eliminate the the prize they are competing for leaving public schools with no reason to improve.

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 1:30PM

Throwing money at the problem is exactly what we need. Tax and spend liberalism has created the greatest university system in the world in this country, and tax and spend liberalism can be part -- but just part -- of the solution for our k-12.

Throwing money at the problem helps because money attracts the smartest most capable people. In this sense, liberals have it right.

However, conservatives are right that poor students should be able to opt for private schools (with vouchers) AND conservatives are right that there needs to be more accountability for the money we spend, particularly when it comes to bad teachers. On this one issue, the unions have got to be brought to heel.

We need MASSIVE increases in educational spending: there should be a veritable Renaissance of spending on arts in education. The arts -- since ancient times -- have been the center of proper schooling, not training on computers or learning how to balance a check book.

Finally, home schooling should also be considered an excellent option and parents who home school should be eligible for research and travel grants so they can enrich their children's lives in as many ways as possible.

Jerermiah, your favorite tax and spend liberal, and last of the good guys, is right on this one.

I'd say take that 350 billion we just set aside for fat cats on Wall St. Send those guys to work as waiters and ditch diggers, and put that money to good use making the United States of America's schools unquestionably and by far the very BEST in the world, with no near competition and no one even considering it.

Maddog| 1.15.09 @ 2:09PM

Interloper:

Get a grip! Reinvent the wheel? The Public Education system has been re-inventing history and politics for decades now to further a leftist agenda. The schools at one time were brilliant. Kids were taught a tremendous amount back then, not now! Kids were kept "in-line", were challenged, and best of all "Expected" to move forward in their studies. None of this "poor baby, you failed, we'll let you take the test until you pass" routine. In my day, if you failed to pass the grade, you were left behind to take that grade over again. The public school system only promotes mass mediocrity. Many parents today are much more prepared intellectually to home school their children than in years past, and if so they should have that option. In my middle and high school years I spent half the time in private school because my parents were willing to make the sacrifice to send me. In my first year in private school I learned more than I did in the previous 2 years in public education. There were no excuses for late or messy homework. There was no acceptance of class disruption or foul language. Anyone who felt that he or she was above the rules paid a penalty up to and including expulsion. The focus of school should be clear: Reading, writing, Literature, Arts/Music, mathematics, and the sciences. Way too much money is wasted on things like “Drama”, “wood-shop”, “auto-shop etc… You want to go to acting school? Let your parents pay for it. If you want to go to vocational school, pay for it yourself. If you want to play sports, let your parents pay for the uniforms and contribute toward the coach’s salary. Parent who send their children to private school are driven individuals who want their children to be driven and want their children to be around other children who are driven to success. As for protection, Obama’s daughters would have the same protection no matter what school they went to. To say otherwise would be just a lie. He wants his kids to have the best school experience possible, and public school isn’t it! He knows it!!
Next, there should be a strong and resolute national standard regarding the six fields of study mentioned earlier. Malcontents and others that refuse to make the grade should be removed into military school environments to give them the discipline and incentive that their good-for-nothing parents couldn’t give them.

Finally, the teachers and administrators need to be accountable! Once the slackers and malcontents are removed from the equation, all that remains are those who can and cannot teach. Remove the one’s who can’t and give incentives to ones who can. Remember a teacher by the name of Jaime Escalante? He taught mathematics at Garfield High School in southern California. He turned the whole program around from failure to success. By 1987, 87 students from that year alone passed the AP Calculus exam. He was told he would fail. He didn’t. What was his reward from the Public School System? They forced him out!!

Marc Jeric| 1.15.09 @ 2:59PM

Given enough time, any organized labor union or even professional association will fall under the "leadership" of mafia goons, or of far-left ideologues, or no-good creeps who failed in the private enterprise.
Teacher unions across the country average 45% teachers and 55% "administrators". In D.C. schools the average cost of "education" is about $13,000 per pupil - and they want more! In a Texas teachers had to pass litteracy test some years ago, a rather miserably poor exam that would normally be given to 10-year olds, and 6% of them were found illiterate!
Here in Nevada they administer math profficiency test for 14-year olds; the result was 53% passing. Well, good enough, you might think, and the teacher union was happy with this progress. But the questions were of this kind, for example:
"If 3 apples cost $1 - how much would cost 9 apples?" There was a choice to be made for the right answer between 4 possible answers: a) $20; b) 40$; c) $2; and d) $9.
Now, a blind chicken would have hit 25% right answers. So our "students" were shown to be twice as smart as that blind chicken! Well, on the other hand, they were full of self-esteem and the teacher union requested more money!

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 3:00PM

Maddog --

I agree that there are tremendous problems afflicting public education.

There a few myths, however, that should be addressed:

1. Public schools offer therapy or feel-good sessions in place of solid instruction on important topics.

This is false. Public education is just as interested now as it ever was in teaching science, math, reading, and writing. (In fact, students are writing better now than they were 10 or 15 years ago, and their competence in mathematics is improving.)

2. Classes like "drama" or "music" dilute or waste instruction time better spent on math or reading.

This is COMPLETELY false, and people have got to get this right way around.

Education happens largely by INdirection, not direction. Just think of Plato and his allegory of the cave.

The fact is, students learn how to work with complex problems and concepts when they engage in arts education.

If you want business leaders and public servants with good judgment who are capable of thinking, reading, and analyzing complex information, you should support just those sorts of classes you are talking about.

It's not that I think children should take piano lessons in place of long division: it's just that we should see all of the disciplines as interrelated and arts as an integral part of the BEST education. Again, I emphasize that our ambitions in this area should not be the "good enough" standard of the past fifty years. Rather, we should work for, fund, and achieve the very best schools in the world -- in DC, in New York, in Mississippi. Everywhere, and no exceptions.

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 3:07PM

One final thing --

The conservative ideal of local control to which this country has traditionally adhered is a good one.

Hundreds of educational experiments in the best possible pedagogy is better than one centralized system, without question, and more should be done to stimulate competition between districts as a means of improving instruction.

However, making localities depend upon property taxes for education is completely absurd. Grants from federal and state governments should be greatly increased to off-set the need for continual increases in property taxes and to assure that the poorest students are equally sure to get a first rate education as students in the wealthiest towns (which, folks, by the way, are ALL in blue states). If you're middle class and living in a red state, you're children will be the ones who benefit from increases in federal spending on schools. Make no mistake.

Maddog| 1.15.09 @ 4:03PM

Jeremiah:

Couple of bones to pick. I never said that music was a waste. I indicated that the arts are important but not Drama. Even though it is an art form, it is mostly learning how to be someone else on stage. Music on the other hand is 1, appreciate beautiful, complex anstructured music by the all the greats of hisory, performance either vocal or instrumental builds discipline and coordination of reading, interpreting the music one reads to manipulating the instrument. This is a skill that reaches into other disciplines . INdirection is fine and I am a proponent of it. In order to promote INdirection there first must be direction first. You can't "want to be something" without first being exposed to it and all other things related to it. How do you know you want to be an astrophysicist unless you are exposed to astronomy and the math that goes with it? While teaching students the core subjects they need to see the real-world applications. No student is going to know a priori that planet orbits are calculatable until he learns the math and knows the math is the tool he/needs to get the job done. I would however like you to give me a real world example of a complex problem kids learn to solve through the study of music and/or drama!?
Next: We don't want the Feds funding anything. With them there is alway the proverbial "String" attached. It's always something with them! The extent of their involvement should be limited to quantifying the minimum standards for the core education. We need to stop sending Washington OUR money. I agree that the property tax to solely fund education is a joke. That's the way it is here in Texas. Sales tax and state income tax should be put toward education. The Feds screw up just about everything they touch, and education has been no exception. Make no error, I agree with you that the "Good-enough" is not good enough! In all honesty though, I think we have enough people in Hollywood and Broadway! We have enough athletes and entetainers to last 2 lifetimes. They make a hell of a lot of money for doing next to nothing for the world, other than entertaining it? We need more doctors, teachers, dentists, engineers, and problem solvers..etc.

Interloper| 1.15.09 @ 4:51PM

Actually, Southern and some Western states receive much more money from the federal government than they contribute. The nation's citizenry subsidizes them. Without federal funding, everything in them from roads to schools to public health would be even worse than it is. Alaska is the most underwritten by the federal government.

The strings the government attaches are also important. There would be no basic standards and local and state governments could discriminate against parents and children in just about any way, no matter how invidious, without federal laws applying to the states. Deep South states already allow municipalities to operate separate private schools founded to avoid racial segregation alongside the public school system. Give them more leeway and some districts will defund public schools. Not long ago, Alabama's legislature voted to maintain language in its state constitution that says the state has no legal duty to provide public education. (Defunding public schools would still be subject to attack under the U.S. Constitution and some statutes.)

The success or failure of homeschooling is difficult to measure because it varies so much and there is not that much of it over children's full school history. The homeschooling movement exaggerates the supposed success.

Furthermore, the majority of parents have neither the education nor the time to homeschool their children, particularly with both parents working. Consider, for example, the nearly unreadable comments that make up the bulk of responses on most threads here at American Spectator. Those people are not qualified to teach what they never learned themselves.

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 5:06PM

Maddog --

I might quarrel with one or two points that you make, but I accept overall your points.

Although we disagree about federal funding, a big issue, it's always interesting to me how much conservatives and liberals agree on when it comes to education.

I think this is largely because all sane adults are willing to sacrifice if they know children will benefit. Ultimately we probably know at some level our own interests are at stake, but there's also the most noble human impulse to see to it that the next generation is better off.

Speaking for myself, I notice that I'm happy to scrap liberal hobby-horses when it comes to education. Vouchers sound great to me, as do many other conservative ideas.

But I cling to the principle that we must abjure the old saw that "throwing money at a problem" does not change things.

We sent men to the moon because we threw money at the problem; we won WWII because we threw money at the problem.

I agree that the states and localities are much better suited to deliver the best possible education, if as you say they are held to some kind of standard. Better to have teachers in Texas developing innovative teaching tools in "competition" with teachers from Connecticut.

Gazinya| 1.15.09 @ 6:15PM

Now wait a minute. I went to pencil and paper. I called around and googled. If 3 apples cost $1 and 6 apples cost $2 and 9 apples would cost $3. Was there some discount or price increase before fininshing the 9 apple purchase?

Gazinya| 1.15.09 @ 6:17PM

Here's the question. How did 25% get the right answer?

Alan Brooks| 1.15.09 @ 7:22PM

social progress is over. now its just scientific progress.
you dont think so now but you will later.

D Sammis| 1.15.09 @ 7:35PM

is that a trick question?

DCKid| 1.15.09 @ 8:33PM

Interloper:

How stupid are you. The Obama family is just like everyother prominent liberal family that I grew up with here in DC (and I mean, in DC). "Public education is the best institution blah, blah, blah", and then you ask them if their kids attend and they look at you like your crazy.

So you ask why DC public schools are so bad and they say its because they don't have enough money. DC has the 3rd highest per kid expenditures in the country. But they will probably finish dead last again this year in every catagory and can't even get textbooks to the kids on time. After hearing these facts the pusedo-intellectual white DC liberal then remarks that the reason is because the kids come from a certain 'background' (if no black people are present they put it differently) that makes the challenges too hard for the system to operate properly. As if America is the only country in the world that has socio-economic issues to address. I promise you that there is a teacher in India right now saddled with thirty kids in a mud hut with a dirt floor and half a box of crayons and her pupils would kick the crap out of ours in math hands down.

There is a reason why the Obama children went to private school in Chicago. It's the same reason they will attend one here. That reason is because the Chicago public schools suck too. Just like New Orleans, Baltimore, and every other "democrats have been in charge for decades" mayor inner city with a large minority community. These communities have been dis-enfranchised for half a century now, but still don't get it. White kids in nice MD, VA suburbs get good public schools, poor black kids get the shaft while the government is spending 2x the money on them.

Thank god that people like Michelle are finally standing up for these people.

Oh and did you say that religious schools are the worst of all. I went to Gonzaga in DC on North Capitol which is like 11,000 a year compared to Sidwell's 30,000 and those kids couldn't hold a candle to us academically, athletically, in student diversity, or in community service (we have a homeless shelter and a soup kitchen IN OUR SCHOOL).

Jim| 1.15.09 @ 9:02PM

Once again when asked to provide statisics interloper avoids the issue and returns to the familiar personal attack and rambling jibberish response. Obviously a product of our wonderful public school system.

NHdissident| 1.15.09 @ 9:18PM

Interloper
Obviously we all here are blessed with your presence on this board. Why is someone with your terrific education and great writing skills devote so much of your valuable time to come on this board and insult and belittle the other posters. Obviously you think this magazine and its readers are now irrelevant in this country. Why do you even care?

Jeremiah| 1.15.09 @ 11:01PM

Religious schools are almost always a good way to go, if you can afford them. Catholic education is particularly good and often affordable.

Vouchers should be provided to help working class families get the children to these schools if possible. Only I believe those funds should NOT be diverted from spending on public schools. That just makes no sense.

ccd| 1.16.09 @ 4:57AM

I went to christian schools for years, they're are terrible option. Wasting two hours every day learning a load of superstitious mysticism meant I had to do a couple of terms of summer school to catch up to the public school kids. Arts and drama are fine but I don't want my tax money subsidizing delusional indoctrination.

Paul| 1.16.09 @ 1:01PM

I disagree with the comment that BHO has a different set of obligations as a father from his role as President. He is the nation's #1 now. Leaders lead by personal example. He can not say that he believes in public schools but send his own kids to private schools. Of course, with BHO everything that is irregular or wrong or questionable is, has been and will be over looked. "That's only fair".

Interloper| 1.16.09 @ 6:05PM

Suffice it to say that the anti-intellectuals (to be kind) on this site are, as usual, relying on anecdotes and propaganda. The research is clear and the topic received much publicity just last year.

One of the best known studies is National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988-2000. Findings are summarized here:

http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/5

As I said before, public schools do best at educating most students and religious schools trail the pack. A commenter above offered some insight.

The failure of U.S. schools to keep up with competitors internationally is not just about poor and minority students. Even above-average American students have fallen behind.

It is telling that rational, empirical information is deemed 'stupid' on this site and silly anecdotes praised.

SoDakMan| 1.17.09 @ 1:55AM

Interloper,

Thanks for the link. I needed a good laugh today.

Noble Barnes| 1.17.09 @ 8:18PM

While it always gets the employee's attention to be subject to being fired, using test scores as the measuring stick will only encourage the wide spread cheating that is a fact of life under No Child Left Behind. In spite of the fact that no school in the United States has suffered any serious penalties, no matter how far they were out of compliance, from the Bush education department should be a pretty good leading indicator of how little enforcement we're likely to see from Ahab Obama's ed. department.

While we wish the chancellor of the Washington DC schools well, it's unlikely any dysfunctional urban school district can be fixed in any lasting sense. At the end of the day parents in large urban districts have no leverage, no way to hold schools accountable, as they do in wealthy suburban districts, where public schools, as a result, do a decent job. Teacher's unions take the brunt of the blame for blocking vouchers, as they should. But no interest groups feeding at the public education trough, from Ahab and Michelle Obama, to public school administrators, to state education department educrats, to most college professors of education has any real interest in transforming the beast.

Interloper| 1.18.09 @ 2:24PM

Noble, if you had read the article you would know it is not about Michelle Obama. That lady, by the way, is looking mighty fine as the new administration prepares for the inauguration.

noble barnes| 1.18.09 @ 4:03PM

Interloper,

Perhaps you should re-think your nom de plume, try Non Sequitur on for size. Bet you a nickel it's a perfect fit.

dusruptive skeptic| 1.18.09 @ 4:30PM

No dice Jer, do as I say not as I do liberalism is hypocrisy. Your tortured weasel worded two bit excuse for BHO won't play. Just like Ted Kennedy and wind power. Not in his back ocean. Obama promised the education establishment for the status quo that he will step on poor and middle class kids and keep them down so they will precisely never, ever be worried about real change. BHO is a run of the mill Pol.

Interloper| 1.18.09 @ 9:09PM

Skeptic, surely you mean 'd-i-s-r-u-p-t-i-v-e.'

dropshippngwatch| 8.30.09 @ 10:43AM

Replica Rolex Watches
Replica Rado Watches
Replica Richard Watches
Replica Romain Jerome Watches
Replica Tag Heuer Watches
Replica Tissot Watches
Replica Tudor Watches
Replica U-Boat Watches
Replica Ulysse Nardin Watches
Replica Vacheron Constantin Watches
Replica Versace Watches
Replica Watch Accessories Watches
Replica Zenith Watches
Replica Zenith Watches
http://www.dropshippingwatch.com

slewing ring| 10.20.09 @ 4:40AM

shanghai massage
turntable bearings

jhgjgh| 1.11.10 @ 1:35AM

FLV to WMV,
FLV to WMV

gfhgf| 1.11.10 @ 1:36AM

FLV to WMV Converter,
Free FLV to WMV converter