Well. Obama picked one from one of the poorest peforming/most expensive school systems in the country.
He has had 7 years to show us his merit in Chicago. On Dec 24, 9:50�am, "mike [ happy holidays ] 532" <[email protected]> wrote: > Is Obama's Education Pick the Sarah Palin of the School > System?http://www.alternet.org/story/115093/ > Education advocates say Arne Duncan's qualifications are slim. SAN > FRANCISCO -- When President-elect Barack Obama recently named Chicago > Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan as his choice for secretary of > education, the reaction was a chorus of praise in the national media > for a man they hailed as a true reformer and passionate educator. The > consensus was that Duncan was great at building consensus, tough on > the teachers' union, and committed to the kids. And, incidentally, he > was pretty good on the basketball court. > > Among community, parent and youth organizers in Chicago, however, the > response to Obama naming his good friend and sometime basketball > partner as education secretary was not unanimously positive. > > "I was on black talk radio last night and people who called in were > almost heartsick about it. Their candidate making a pick like this is > an enormous disappointment," said Julie Woestehoff , director of > Parents United for Responsible Education. "People are concerned he > doesn't have the educational background and that he's not even > qualified for the position he's in. It's really a slap in face." > > Duncan, 44, was just 36 when he was appointed to replace Paul Vallas, > who left Chicago to head Philadelphia's public schools. He served as > Valla's deputy but had no prior credentials as an educational > administrator. Duncan's seven years as Chicago schools' chief earned > mixed grades, advocates say. While most agree that Duncan was sincere > about education reform, they also say he stumbled badly in enacting > school reforms and in relations with the African-American and Latino > communities most affected by his plans. Many also said he was > hamstrung by Chicago's strong-mayor political system and unable to > enact his own reforms. Several of those interviewed said they would > not make negative criticism of Duncan on the record because of their > concerns that it could hurt them and their organizations. "We all > want > to do business with him," said one Chicago organizer who asked to > remain anonymous. > > Duncan's record has been shaped by his avid support of charter > schools > and by Mayor Richard M. Daley's Renaissance 2010 initiative to close > hundreds of schools and reopen them as new and improved after a year > of building renovation and complete staff renewal. Duncan inherited > the plan and has pursued it enthusiastically but without planning for > the impacts or doing outreach to communities. > > "They did that to a handful of schools," said Woestehoff. "Then we > were able to stop that by quoting research that it's not good to move > kids around, that it sets them back." > > Woestefhoff noted that Dodge Academy, where Obama announced his > choice > of Arne Duncan, was one of the reformed schools that was closed for a > year. "When it reopened, few of the original kids were there," she > said. "It has 400 kids now. Only 12 of the original kids are there in > its second year of turnout." > > One of the biggest battles was in the predominantly black Kenwood > Oakland neighborhood where Duncan in 2004 announced the closing of 20 > of its 22 schools. "We were involved in quite a heated battle to keep > our schools open," said Jay Travis, director of the Kenwood Oakland > Community Organization. "We pushed for better engagement with the > community on some of these issues. Our recent experiences with Arne > have been more positive." > > 12Next page � --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
