The Black Agenda Report has been documenting the atrocities of the Obama education policy, including the traveling sales trio of Gingrich, Sharpton and Education Secretary Duncan. Now, why, you may ask, would Newt Gingrich endorse Obama's education policies? And shouldn't such an endorsement be a huge red flag to anyone who thinks government - and public schools - should and can work since, you know, Gingrich has spent his entire career working to destroy government.

We all want to know how Obama is doing on education, right? I came across an article at Edweek that discusses the pros and cons:

To be sure, his economic-stimulus package shows he is ready to pump far more money into education than Mr. Bush did. And Mr. Obama says he opposes private school vouchers, a consistent Bush agenda item.

Still, some observers see little difference between the two so far—and aren’t happy at the similarities.

“He is operating almost in a straight line from President Bush,” said Diane Ravitch, an education historian at New York University, who co-writes a blog for edweek.org. She has criticized core elements of Mr. Obama’s K-12 agenda, such as his enthusiasm for the charter sector and what she worries is an overreliance on standardized testing to judge schools and teachers.

“Obama is, in effect, giving George W. Bush a third term in education,” said Ms. Ravitch, who served as an assistant secretary of education under the first President Bush.

To be sure, there are plenty of things for everyone to like--as the article itself says, "The president carefully couched his rhetoric in ways that make it akin to a Rorschach test, with something for almost everyone. "--but what can we make of Obama's actual positions? I lean more toward the "we don't know squat about what will happen" camp because of Obama's ambiguity. The signs I see are not very promising. There are a few things from this article that I found important, regardless.

I could probably find one in Sumerian, but I'm sure you readers of the Classics know a better example. In a fair world, BAR authors would be highly paid journalists at national news desks:

by Kesi Foster

Higher education is an American Dream, but may become a "Dream deferred" for community college students. The banks are the villains. "The following lenders have started turning away from community college students: Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, SunTrust, and PNC. In the case of Citibank, it has stopped offering loans to all community college students in the state of California," writes the author, a community college student. When the bankers turn their backs on struggling community college students, "does that not mean we should have no problem turning our backs on the banks when they want the government to bail them out? "

And so it begins. I expect this to happen over and over again in the coming Obama administration, at both the federal level as well as the corporate. (is there a difference?) The "excuse" that "there just isn't enough money/credit/liquidity" will be employed to slash social program after program, and the poor will bear the greatest brunt. But interest on the debt, paid to foreign governments and the superwealthy? Oh, that will be paid. And the MIC budget? Count on that to continue to grow. Social Security? Feh, there's still plenty of fat there that can be cut, and I don't expect Dems to stand up for it, as they are shown the real books that the Bush regime has kept from their incurious eyes these last eight years. Perhaps it will be a 'nasty surprise' to him, or perhaps his Crack SuperSmart UChicago Economic team will be all ready, handing over a "plan" on Day 1, in which they relate that for the Good of the Nation, the poor shall be required to turn over their first born for slavery "national service" in which they are all shipped to Dubai to work on the New Pyramids.

Educational Reformers Celebrate “The Bell Curve”

It is interesting to note, therefore, that the so-called “educational reformers” who have the most direct influence over schools and school systems which serve minority children, really seem to like the American Enterprise Institute:

Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of DC Public Schools, a system which serves mostly minority children, has been a frequent speaker at AEI.

Cross-posted from The Global Sociology Blog.

(Via Le Monde) Today, the Council of Europe launched a campaign against most forms of corporal punishment, including slapping, spanking, hitting, mistreating, humiliating and any other practice that damage the dignity of a child. The campaign will consist in TV ads , the publication of a manual for parents on violence-free parenting as well as materials for parliamentarians of the Council's 47 member countries.  Read more…

For my mere support of Hillary Clinton, I have been called a racist, more times than I can count. One of the refuges I have found in this crazy blogosphere, has been Anglachel's Journal.

In her post today, she touches on a subject very close to me.

St HOPE is one of private companies Michelle Rhee wants to have take over some DC public schools. She was formerly on the board of St HOPE:

SACRAMENTO BEEAfter a Sacramento High School teacher's report last year that a 17-year-old student told him she was inappropriately touched by Kevin Johnson, Johnson's personal attorney and business partner investigated the complaint for the campus.

Under the Bush Administration, reading is no longer fundamental. The Bush Administration has eliminated all funding for the program-- which has been funded by every administration since 1975--in the 2009 proposed budget.

Christ, don't let Xenophon see this one. Really, this is the sort of thing that makes me want to scream. The best part? It's been going on for two years, and they are just now realizing it's "insensitive." Racism is institutional, fo shizzle:

Over 100 sixth graders at Grover Cleveland Middle School in Caldwell spent several days last week taking part in an assignment where they used terms like "build a plantation" while completing their "Lap of Luxury" social studies project.

The project instructed students to create an advertisement defending the use of slave labor to run a newly built plantation in South Carolina. Students are told to come up with a '"catchy" name for the plantation and give three reasons why slave labor is the "best idea" and to add illustrations.

One student, who is not being identified because of his age, read to CBS what he wrote for the assignment: "Slave labor is the way to go because slaves aren't paid, so all money is profit."

Heh, indeed. Which is funny, seeing as I was just saying something similar about these kinds of relationships a little while ago.

The Academe: another victim in the War on Civilization, waged by Bushist Republicans who hate America. Oh well, I'm glad I got a chance to enjoy it before it became a complete joke. Sorry the younger folks won't.

Barf:

Rumsfeld's experience will assist the Hoover Institution's research into terrorism, said institute director John Raisian.
"I have asked Don to join the distinguished group of scholars that will pursue new insights on the direction of thinking that the United States might consider going forward," said Raisian.

This is the most perfect example of why I'm not sorry not to be in my former biz. Any institution that willingly associates itself with the creator of "how many vases can there be" and "unknown unknowns" should have its accreditation revoked. Not that I should talk, I know lots of "good" and "serious" and "scholarly" schools do this, but still. He's going to do "research" because he's got so much "experience." With failure? Lying? Murder? Is that what "scholarship" is about these days?

Academics everywhere should hang their heads in shame. This is a new low. Even for the leeches/subs for the uberwealthy calling themselves "universities."

Students teach, and teachers learn.

R.L. Loeffelbein, a physics teacher at Washington University in St. Louis was about to give a student a zero for the student's answer to an examination problem. The student claimed he should receive a perfect score, if the system were not so set up against the student. Instructor and student agreed to submit to an impartial arbiter, Dr. Alexander Calandra, who tells the story.
The examination problem was: "Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer."

Today I'm in charge of five small and furry creatures, some of which walk on two legs, so quick and dirty blogging until after it's bedtime for the pattycake players. And I do so hate with when someone beats me to the punch. Nitpicker asks Crazy Dave a simple question I'd also like to hear him respond to:

If there is a "need" to correct the "liberal bias" on our nation's campuses, what about corporate boardrooms? I'm sure with small effort I could find a couple of (real, statistically valid) polls of CEOs and CFOs, and demonstrate their clear Republican "bias." Corporations employ millions and have arguably far greater impact on the lives of all Americans than universities do, so how about a bill in this newly Democratic Congress mandating that some dirty fucking hippies be put in charge of Exxon and Wal-Mart for a while?

I can hear the crickets between David's ears chirping away already...

I just love this little "I Dare You to Veto It" bill from Webb, don't you?

It will replace the Montgomery G.I. Bill, to which military personnel must contribute -- while earning a low active-duty salary anyway -- and which only provides financial support of up to $800 per month for educational expenses, which may not cover the cost of a full college education.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act will pay for Veterans' tuition, books, fees, and other training costs, while also providing a monthly stipend of $1,000 for living expenses, thus making it much more possible for a large number of Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to actually be able to complete a college education and build a better life.

In Federal Way, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, in a region of America that is perceived to be Liberal, the school board has a poorly worded policy that is preventing the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" in classrooms! From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

School Board members adopted a three-point policy that says teachers who want to show the movie must ensure that a "credible, legitimate opposing view will be presented," that they must get the OK of the principal and the superintendent, and that any teachers who have shown the film must now present an "opposing view."

Jesus Christ on a cracker, how did I miss this??? Segregation now and forever indeed.

The Supreme Court justices, hearing arguments on school integration, signaled yesterday they are likely to bar the use of race when assigning students to public schools.
Such a ruling could deal a blow to potentially hundreds of school systems across the U.S. that use racial guidelines to maintain a semblance of classroom integration in cities whose neighborhoods are divided along racial lines.

However, it would be a major victory for those who have called for "colorblind" decision-making by public officials.

Yesterday's argument also might mark the emergence of a five-member majority determined to outlaw the official use of race guidelines in schools, colleges and public agencies.

"The purpose of the Equal Protection clause is to ensure that people are treated as individuals rather than based on the color of their skin," Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. said.

Are you listening?

Dispute the numbers all you want, the point is still the same. It's soooo easy to believe that "black men are responsible for [insert horrible crime here]." Even for those of us who are black, it's a hard trap to avoid.

Fuckin' A! This is so great to read:

Written by Justin Vogler
Wednesday, 21 June 2006
It was every adolescent revolutionary’s dream: schools throughout the country were occupied and the gates were barricaded.

Tens of thousands of uniformed pupils on the streets defied police brutality, support came in from across adult society and, to top it all, the education minister prevaricated hopelessly in the face of coherent, well articulated demands.

"Chile’s secondary school pupils have scored the highest marks in history," wrote the University of Chile historian, Sofia Correa, in a recent newspaper column. "Their organization, media management, awareness of civic duty and timing, have all been outstanding."

While I'll jump all over SCLM approved polls, I suspect this one has a little more value. I'm not sure if it has great value, given how much can and always does change in the run up to the election, but it's an interesting snapshot of now, at least (look under June 13, 2006 entry, CC doesn't do live links):

British people: slap this shit down hard. Seriously. We didn't take them seriously enough when they got going over here, and look at the mess we're in now. Rings in schools today, pseudofascist warmongering theocrat national leaders tomorrow:

Heather and Philip Playfoot have spent almost two years in dispute with Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, over their 15-year-old daughter Lydia's ring. While the school's uniform rules forbid jewellery, they argue that the rings - given to teenagers who complete a controversial evangelical church course preaching sexual abstinence - hold genuine religious significance.

'The ring is a reminder to them of the promise they have made, much the same as a wedding ring is an outward sign of an inward promise,' said Heather Playfoot.

'There are Muslim girls in the school who are allowed to wear the headcovering, although that isn't part of the school uniform, and Sikh girls who are allowed the wear the bangle although that isn't part of the uniform. It's a discriminatory policy.

Steve has a good post up about the NEST controversy in NYC. I'm out of that loop right now, but I feel like weighing in. The state of education in this country is at least half of the reason why we're in the mess we are today. It's time people understood that a little better.