Why No Common Core at the School The Obamas Chose for Their Children?

134 Comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL

1. Bertis Downs says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:17 am

   Nail on head.

   John Dewey, The School and Society, 1900:

   “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.”

   They are good parent.s So are a lot of other people. Sadly, he knows better.

   Reply
   • alliewall says:

     December 21, 2013 at 1:08 pm

     Leonard Eisenberg, an LAUSD teacher fighting an unjust termination, weighs in on the same issue on his blog:

     “Take a step back and look at how the rich educate their own children, while asking the simple question: If the arts are so unnecessary, then why are they so much an essential part of their children’s academic formation? When you line up how they want public education to educate in juxtaposition to how the rich educate their children, you immediately see that critical analysis by a person capable or formulating their own world view is a non-negotiable essential for how the rich educate themselves.

     “In seeking an answer to reconcile these fundamentally different views as to what is acceptable for the education of the 1% and the 99%—the critical thinking answer that seems to explain this apparent contradiction—is that public education as defined by the 1% has an agenda to privatize public education for their own financial profit, while dumbing down and creating a docile, subservient, and obedient 99% that no longer has the ability to question their authority.”

     You can link to this:

     http://www.perdaily.com/2013/06/lenny-do-you-think-that.html

     Reply
2. jsolomon207 says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:20 am

   Yes, you would think that if the very people who are in a position to dictate policy and who choose these wonderful schools for their own kids did so because they fully understand the importance of the values and academics that are being offered would conclude that the same should be available in all public schools. It’s a no brainer. How can we replicate that in the public schools? I love the way they go about character development. This is very much needed in urban public schools and would make a world of difference, I believe.

   Reply
   • Jack says:

     December 21, 2013 at 1:22 pm

     What is manifest is the hypocrisy of certain well-to-do folks who demand one type of education for their children, while imposing something quite different for the children of the middle and working classes…. as evidenced by the video below.

     While Hyatt Hotels billionaire Penny Pritzker was on the unelected Chicago School Board—along with other business people with ZERO background in education as a teacher, administrator, etc.— a parent named Matt Farmer took her on over this hypocrisy. He contrasted comments she made in different forums on what she wants for her own children VERSUS comments she made about what the traditional public school students deserved.

     In this video, public school parent activist Matt Farmer—an unpaid, volunteer activist by the way—calls the billionaire Pritzker out on her her cutting out all music, art, libraries, P.E., critical thinking, etc. … from public schools attended by Chicago’s middle and working class children, while at the same time, Pritzker is spearheading a multi-million-dollar campaign to provide those same things for her own kids’ private school.

     Pritzker says public school kids “are only entitled” the bare minimum training for low-level jobs.. and that’s it. Farmer, a trial lawyer as well as an activist, “cross-examines” Pritzker in absentia.

     Come on Matt!!!

     Bring the Fire!!!

     Reply
     • Ellen T Klock says:

       December 22, 2013 at 4:54 am

       Jack, thanks for sharing. An excellent “video” – Matt Farmer says it all.

     • Robert Tellman says:

       December 22, 2013 at 9:18 am

       Wonder why everyone clapped but Jesse.

3. artseagal says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:29 am

   Obama always used the word “audacious” while he was on the campaign trail. WELL I FIND HIS ARROGANCE AS TO WHAT IS GOOD FOR HIS CHILDREN BUT NOT TITLE ONE CHILDREN AROUND THE NATION TO BE THE DEFINITION OF AUDACIOUS (defined as “showing an impudent lack of respect”)! There is a hideous lack of respect for public school students in the nation and a hideous lack of respect for teachers who cannot use their expertise in the classroom as they are forced to follow a scripted line by line, day by day, minute by minute approach to teaching their students (and yes common core is definitely a very controlled approach to learning as it is entirely part of the data measurement system of learning.. especially as it is linked clearly to the upcoming linked high stakes tests such as the PARCC test. Obama would not want his own children to spend one day (not even a minute) in a typical title one school because it would “deflate” their natural curiosity. Here is a new title for a book, The Shame of a Nation: Them and Us as Perpetuated By Obama

   Reply
   • Duane Swacker says:

     December 21, 2013 at 9:33 am

     TAGO!

     Reply
4. teachingeconomist says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:32 am

   The Obamas also send their children to a school that is not required to have certified teachers. Is that what you want for your child?

   Reply
   • Dienne says:

     December 21, 2013 at 8:42 am

     What do you mean “not required to”? It’s a private school, so they can do what they want. But how many teachers actually are not certified? I would bet very few if any – maybe a few interns/assistants who work with certified veteran teachers. Going out on a limb here, but I’m betting there are no TfAers at Sidwell.

     Reply
     • teachingeconomist says:

       December 21, 2013 at 8:55 am

       I mean the school is not required to hire certified teachers and there is no state requirement for professional development. I have no idea how many teachers there happen to be certified, but that is not really relevant. I know you send your children to a private school so for you the answer is yes, but I was curios to know if the teachers who post here would be willing to trust their children to a school that is not required to hire certified teachers.

     • Dienne says:

       December 21, 2013 at 4:04 pm

       You’re missing the point, TE. Of course they’re required to hire certified teachers. Their customer base would allow nothing less (with a few exceptions for interns/assistants as I mentioned).

     • teachingeconomist says:

       December 21, 2013 at 5:07 pm

       There is no state law that requires them to hire certified teachers. Perhaps that is another feature of Sidwell Friends that the public school system should adopt.

     • Linda says:

       December 21, 2013 at 5:27 pm

       To Dienne,

       TE misses the point often.

     • teachingeconomist says:

       December 21, 2013 at 7:01 pm

       I don’t miss the point, I am often making a digger not point.

     • mike says:

       December 22, 2013 at 1:34 pm

       Trolls tend to evade points conducive to meaningful discussion.

   • Duane Swacker says:

     December 21, 2013 at 9:40 am

     “there is no state requirement for professional development.”

     PD is one of the most overrated developments to ever hit the education field. I could count one one hand that had all its fingers cut off the number of professional development seminars/days etc. . . that were worth my time. The vast majority have been pure bovine excrement.

     When the students ask why they have off I say “So that we teachers can be professionally developed. Just wait till the day after when the teachers (except me and a few others) implement those professional developments just like programming a machine to do a certain function. I prefer to spend the day with you students, teaching and learning than being professionally developed” The students all laugh, they know it’s bunk but they’re happy to have a day off.

     Reply
     • Ellen T Klock says:

       December 22, 2013 at 5:10 am

       While the district wide inservices were a waste and we all would have rather spent the day in our classrooms or collaborating together, I went to numerous enlightening departmental presentations organized by our Library Supervisor. We collaborated with other districts and brought in authors and speakers who were experts on literacy. We had demonstrations on new databases to introduce to our schools. We had vendors introduce new titles and public librarians share the latest trends. Once we even sat down at computers and ordered books with some extra grant funds that had to be spent that day.

       Too bad so many in services focus on the “gimmick of the moment” instead of quality development of teacher skills. We would be better off attending a concert or visiting a local art gallery or reading a good book (may I suggest one by Diane Ravitch) to achieve some sort if enlightenment.

   • artseagal says:

     December 21, 2013 at 1:07 pm

     teachingeconomist… the fact that these teachers are not certified at Sidwell Friends in no way means they are poor teachers. An intelligent person who is knowledgable in their subject area and has an interest in children and in teaching may or may not be good in the classroom but I have no doubt that the administrations of elite private schools can tell the difference between a good and a not good teacher without having to rely on standardized data produced by sources far removed from classrooms. In fact, while certification can reveal that a person is willing to work hard to achieve the goal of being a teacher (and this is a good thing) it does not necessarily mean someone is a good teacher. Often times it means that the person willingly went through the “certification” process and it is like any other test.. can be gamed. Sidwell Friends has FREEDOM to create a learning environment for the students it serves. Public schools teachers and administrators are told exactly what they have to do despite it being adverse for their student body.

     Reply
     • teachingeconomist says:

       December 21, 2013 at 3:42 pm

       Artseagal,

       I certainly did not mean to suggest that the teachers at Sidwell Friends are poor teachers, far from it.

       Do you think that public school principals should have the same freedom to hire and fire teachers and determine curriculum as the principal is Sidwell Friends?

     • mike says:

       December 22, 2013 at 1:36 pm

       ^ Yes…once the public schools receive the levels of funding, elimination of standardized testing, and curricular diversity as present in Sidwell Friends. Oh, and once the teachers receive the same levels of freedom in the classroom.

5. spolos says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:33 am

   The lower, middle & upper schools each have a library, and there is a librarian for each library. Books are described as “friends.”

   Reply
   • Ellen T Klock says:

     December 22, 2013 at 5:13 am

     I really liked the library program and am still envisioning ways I could make it even better – my problem would be which of the three libraries I would choose. (Sorry, please indulge me in my fantasies.)

     Reply
6. Chris says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:46 am

   Chicagoans may find it of int.erest to compare the individualized attention Sarah Lawrence College gives its students. Rahm Emanual graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. How much of what Mayor Rahm Emanuel is doing to K-12 education in Chicago is compatible with the arts rich education he received?

   Reply
   • Duane Swacker says:

     December 21, 2013 at 9:42 am

     Peons don’t need no stinkin “arts rich education”. That’s for the chosen few.

     Reply
7. Bertis Downs says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:54 am

   Chris, Seagal, Solomon: see also the excellent Sirota piece a while ago: http://bit.ly/A0Qr80 “America’s dangerously removed elite– It’s easy to cut public education funding when your kids go to private school. Just ask Christie and Emanuel”

   Reply
8. Alan C. Jones says:

   December 21, 2013 at 8:59 am

   I identified the President’s hypocrisy in a January 22, 2013 in the Commentary Section of Education week:

   Mr. Obama: Most Schools Aren’t Like Your Daughters’ School:
   I want to send my grandson to Sidwell

   By Alan C. Jones

   Reply
9. Robert Tellman says:

   December 21, 2013 at 9:07 am

   I agree with the other comments, but have a serious question.

   What happens to people (who attend these wonderful schools) as they get older to turn them into money grubbing deformers with no ethics? Is it the life of privilege (that landed them in these schools)? Is it because they “deserve” to be the ones telling mere commoners what to do and how to live?

   I am truly seeking answers as to how children who start off in these school environments turn into selfish, know-it-all, mean-spirited, profit-driven Ed policy decision makers. Because I know at least one.

   I am going to take a stab at the answer myself.

   Because the environments children grow up in at home matter a great deal. They can talk and be talked to all day at school about peace, love, and harmony, but the real world they exist in during the rest of their lives matters.

   Sorry if this flies in the face of deformer ideology that school and teachers are the great determiners.

   Reply
   • Duane Swacker says:

     December 21, 2013 at 9:53 am

     I’d tend to agree with you Robert.

     Perhaps an anecdote would be in order. My mom used to tell me to “not be full of myself” when she thought I was being uppity. I knew what she meant, “be a bit more humble” (well “mama tried to raise me better but her pleading I denied, leaving only me to blame because mama tried”**). I suspect that the parents of those chosen few reinforce the “We come from superior stock and have been chosen to lead, learn to do so.” Quite the opposite from what I was taught (but then again as a teen in the depression my mom used to skin catfish to earn some money).

     Apologies to Merle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziFI_0Fx5ts

     Reply
     • Robert Tellman says:

       December 21, 2013 at 10:14 am

       Interesting. Compare that to Rhee’s mother saying it worried her that little Michelle didn’t care what anyone thought of her.

     • Linda says:

       December 21, 2013 at 5:29 pm

       Well that’s because she is a sociopath.

10. WordsMatter says:

    December 21, 2013 at 9:09 am

    The government could save a ton of money. All we need to do is adopt Sidwell Friends’ approach to learning. Do away with everything else. Get rid of State Education Departments, and Arne and his team, and make all decisions locally. Not difficult at all.

    Reply
    • teachingeconomist says:

      December 21, 2013 at 9:14 am

      If by “all decisions” you include the decision of which school to attend, I agree that there is a potential for much less regulation with your scheme.

      Reply
11. Galton says:

    December 21, 2013 at 9:19 am

    The time has come for all concerned with PUBLIC education in the United States, especially Democrats, to admit or proclaim that Barack Obama has been the most anti Public Education President in the nation’s recent history. Sad but true. John McCain or Mitt Romney would never have been able to bring such damage to PUBLIC education and the teaching profession ( a real defense of Public education would have arisen for purely POLITICAL reasons).
    Let DeBlasio in NYC, serve as an example to those Democrats running in 2016. Hillary Clinton has BROADIE ties and Andrew Cuomo is indistinguishable from Chris Christie on education policy.
    I suggest if the Democratic candidates do not CLEARLY, CONSISTENTLY and OPENLY denounce the damage done by Duncan and Ed”Rheephorm”, then it will be better to sit out the election. In NJ we just elected Cory Booker to the US Senate. He is deeply into the ED”Rheephorm” camp and will further aid and abet the damage done. The Tea Party radical whom he defeated would have brought shame to the Republicans: now the shame lies with the Democrats.
    Think twice about lesser evils: beware of Clinton and Cuomo if PUBLIC education is a concern.

    Reply
    • Chiara Duggan says:

      December 21, 2013 at 9:28 am

      “John McCain or Mitt Romney would never have been able to bring such damage to PUBLIC education and the teaching profession ( a real defense of Public education would have arisen for purely POLITICAL reasons).”

      I agree with that. Part of the reason there hasn’t been more pushback is because Obama’s a Democrat. “Only Nixon could go to China” applies here.
      I was wondering where Brian Schweitzer (former governor of Montana) is on public schools. Anyone know? I think he’s probably running, although of course he won’t admit it yet 🙂
      I agree also that (both) Clintons are deeply connected to some of the big marquee names in ed reform, so probably not a good choice for public schools.

      Reply
12. Robert Tellman says:

    December 21, 2013 at 9:34 am

    I would not want my children to attend this school because of the student population. When it was time for my first to start school, I investigated many, many schools. After visiting schools and speaking with many people, I realized that the school environment I wanted for my child was not one in which the other students were raised by nannies and vacations were spent in places like the Swiss Alps.

    I knew I could provide a grounded reality at home and make up for any curriculum deficiencies my children’s school may have. Because I cared deeply what kind of people they would become.

    I have never regretted my choice of schools for them a day in their lives.

    Reply
    • teachingeconomist says:

      December 21, 2013 at 9:45 am

      May I ask what school, in general terms, you did choose? Did you have to move in order to make that choice?

      Reply
      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 21, 2013 at 8:23 pm

        Small, faith-based

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 21, 2013 at 8:27 pm

        Another private school parent.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 22, 2013 at 2:59 am

        Your point?

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 22, 2013 at 9:15 am

        One very important feature of all private schools is that the families involved made explicit choices about the schools to which they sent their students. Many who post here don’t want that for other people’s children.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 22, 2013 at 9:32 am

        I want all the best for other people’s children. Because it is fair and just and because children do not stay children forever. They become members of the greater society at large pretty quickly. We best start thinking in terms of children growing up and being around for a long time. What we do for them now greatly determines what kind of person and citizen they become.

        My choice of schooling for mine meant MANY sacrifices that we were willing to make. Trust me, it was not elite and I am not a member of the 1%. But I felt it was what I wanted for my children and worked hard to provide it.

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 22, 2013 at 9:40 am

        Do you think that all families should be able to choose among a variety of schools with a variety of approaches to education or should that only be the case if the family is sufficiently wealthy to afford private schools?

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 22, 2013 at 9:50 am

        “Do you think that all families should be able to choose among a variety of schools with a variety of approaches to education or should that only be the case if the family is sufficiently wealthy to afford private schools?”

        I am going to think awhile before I respond to this. I want to try to clearly express what I feel without someone misinterpreting or jumping to conclusions.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 22, 2013 at 9:05 pm

        We live in a society that requires payment for goods and services. If we were able to choose whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it, and not have to pay for it, wouldn’t most people choose a great car and a great place to live, etc.? In our society, if we want to have and do things, we work to make money to pay for them. At least in the middle class.

        You asked if parents should have a choice of schools for their children. You say, “One very important feature of all private schools is that the families involved made explicit choices about the schools to which they sent their students.” Yes they did. And they pay for it.

        Do you advocate a society in which everyone can choose to have whatever they want and not pay for it? How will everything be funded?

        When people make the choice to contribute to society, then their choices of what they want can increase exponentially to their contribution, be it taxes, physical labor or whatever they can.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 22, 2013 at 9:33 pm

        And the “elephant in the room” is that even if the possibility of attending a school like Sidwell was open, without cost, to everyone via a lottery system, the haves would take advantage while the have nots would be left in the dust. Parents in the know, would signup front and center, but it would do nothing to ease the inequality of the system since those who need the most help don’t have the wherewith-all to participate.

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 22, 2013 at 11:49 pm

        Robert,

        I am having some difficulty understanding your response. I think you are saying that only families that can afford private schools should be given a choice of educational approaches. Is that correct?

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 23, 2013 at 7:13 am

        I am saying you get what you pay for in life.

        I know you are advocating charter schools as a choice for parents, hence the “variety of approaches to education” phrase. It’s not as easy as saying “parents should have a choice.” That overused rhetoric sounds all soft and fuzzy and at the same time empowering.

        If it’s really the children we care about, then we would not be giving those without the where-with-all and knowledge about education the choice to pick a school for their kids. We should be doing whatever we can to improve the public schools.

        We would not be putting children in the hands of those who know nothing about educating children and care about them even less. Are you comfortable with putting impressionable young minds into the hands of the Gulan movement in Turkish charters? Are you comfortable putting children into the hands of greedy owners and operators who rake in big salaries while the students are fed scripted garbage and treated as lab rats?

        I’m not.

        So there are two prongs to my answer. One, if parents want a choice, then work hard to earn the opportunities for your children.

        Two, if the choices we are giving them are worse than the regular public schools and they fall for the false “empowerment” we are giving them, then shame on us. Shame on false prophets. It is not about empowering the parents and convincing them they are entitled to even more they did not earn. It’s about educating the next generation.

        Our society will suffer the consequences of what all the lying and profiteering are now doing to children in our country. They will grow up.

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 23, 2013 at 8:58 am

        Fist, to answer your questions, I am not comfortable putting students on the hands of any poor teacher or school, public or private.

        If we can get back to the original post, I take your position to be that children are entitled to a basic education, but anything beyond that, for example the type of education provided at Sidwell Friends or perhaps New Trier High School, is something that should be earned by the household. Is that a fair statement of your position?

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 23, 2013 at 8:42 am

        Did you choose the moniker teachingeconomist because it’s synonymous with education profiteer?

      • teachingeconomisot says:

        December 23, 2013 at 8:51 am

        I chose the name teaching economist because I have taught economics for the last 25 or so years.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 23, 2013 at 2:06 pm

        Just as we cannot guarantee everyone in this country a mansion, a high-end car, and country club neighborhood, we cannot or don’t provide all students with the same educational experience at school. I consider what my own children received at school a basic education. As I said previously, there was no art or music class, the library was ancient and run by a volunteer. I paid tuition for 12 years for each and as the responsible parent, I made up for what the school did not provide. They did not have art, we went to the museum. We went to the library and brought home droves of books.

        I don’t consider a basic education bad nor would I have sent my children to the schools you mentioned because I wanted for them middle class values.

        You want a bottom line answer, I think we should provide a free basic educational experience for all children. And that children are entitled to parents who support their schooling and teach them the value of what they are given.

        Are you volunteering to pay the tuition for a needy child to attend Sidwell? Or begging to have your taxes raised so extras can be provided at your local school? Put your money where your mouth is and not into the hands of greedy profiteering deformers and foreign countries.

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 23, 2013 at 3:07 pm

        I did bring a learning disabled foster son into my household and have always voted against any increase in education funding, so perhaps you would say that I have put some money where my mouth is.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 23, 2013 at 11:26 pm

        I don’t understand why our schools can’t provide the flavor of a Sidwell – a nurturing environment which educates the whole child, not just the 3 Rs, but enrichment. This is what my children had, and this is what the teachers of Buffalo try to provide.

        And we don’t have to go it alone. There is help to be found from parents, teachers, and the community. Most inner city parents what what’s best for their children. Somehow, the schools find a way. One building had family nights and provided meals donated by local restaurants. (Feed them and they will come.) Musicians, speakers, artists are willing to donate their time and talents to work with the kids. Career days can open the eyes of a small child to the possibilities for a bright future. All it takes is time and effort. The list is endless.

        It doesn’t have to be a basic education. It can be an education worth bragging about.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 23, 2013 at 2:11 pm

        You act as though we are cheating children and parents by providing a free, basic education. That’s a bad thing?

      • teachingeconomist says:

        December 23, 2013 at 3:10 pm

        Not at all. Dr Ravitch basically asked if all children deserved the kind of education that is provided at Sidwell Friends. Your answer appears to be no. It is a perfectly good answer.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 23, 2013 at 3:15 pm

        Nice communicating with you.

    • Ellen T Klock says:

      December 22, 2013 at 5:19 am

      The book selections on the suggested summer reading list posted by the elementary librarian was a good list, but not diverse.

      Reply
    • Ellen T Klock says:

      December 22, 2013 at 5:27 am

      Robert, I agree with you. The elementary school my children went to was top notch (with quite a few of the same opportunities provided by Sidwell) and the student population was not only diverse, but international (near SUNY at Buffalo which has both foreign students and teachers). The white population was only a third of the class. Their entire experience gave my kids a strong foundation.

      My oldest laments that her daughter is missing out by living in and attending a school in an upscale, mostly white neighborhood.

      Reply
    • Ellen T Klock says:

      December 22, 2013 at 5:34 am

      Obviously, I went the public school route, but many in my district chose one of the numerous faith based schools. I always wondered why they would live in an excellent school district, pay high taxes, then pay again for a parochial school.

      I went for diversity, Robert made a different choice, parents still have a few options.

      Reply
      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 22, 2013 at 6:39 am

        One of the reasons I did not choose the local public school is that the teachers attended a great deal of outside professional development and therefore their classes were often babysat by non-certified substitutes.

        FYI- The school I chose was not devoid of diversity, it did not have Art or Music classes, and its library was ancient and manned by a volunteer. And it was very middle class with students whose parents shared my values. It was not expensive and all parents had to put in a certain number of work hours. Many times the school was in danger of closing due to its financial situation.

        The teachers did not have to base their teaching on a set of prescribed standards, and as a matter of fact, considered the state’s standards to be minimum targets.

13. Chiara Duggan says:

    December 21, 2013 at 9:45 am

    I think Obama’s private school choice, for me, just deepens my sense that ed reform celebrities and politicians don’t understand public schools or have any real deep sense of the value of them to and within communities. Obviously, they’re not just test scores. People don’t march and cry and mourn the closing of a data point. The cluelessness is a little alarming to me. What would it take to convince them that these public schools are part of communities?
    It isn’t just Obama. It’s most of our political leaders and also a lot of the pundits, to be honest. I think there’s a sense they are out of touch and live in a completely world than “regular” people. It’s not going away because there’s an element of truth in it. Dodging ot denying it won’t work. Trotting out CEOs and celebrities just deepens the divide. I don’t really care what Michelle Rhee or Oprah Winfrey or Bill and Melinda Gates think about my public schools. It just has nothing to do with me or this community.

    Reply
    • Robert Tellman says:

      December 21, 2013 at 9:53 am

      My point exactly

      Reply
    • Robert Tellman says:

      December 21, 2013 at 10:06 am

      What do you think the privileged (politicians, etc.) really believe should happen to those children whose families cannot afford what they can afford, in terms of schooling or anything else?

      Tame them into submission (KIPP) to attend to their needs?

      Their attitude about schooling the masses is closely akin to slave holders’. It is dangerous to turn the lowly into thinkers. Let’s just “train” them straight to ‘careers’ that service our needs.

      Reply
      • Chiara Duggan says:

        December 21, 2013 at 11:16 am

        I think Duncan’s pat line, about how private schools and charter schools are exactly the same as public schools is simply not true. He can repeat it all he wants. It won’t get more true.
        “Choice” is a fundamentally different idea than “voice”.
        The truth is if I’m in a KIPP school and I don’t like the program I leave. KIPP isn’t changing their program to meet my needs or the needs of some “majority” in the district. That’s the deal with charters and private schools. You don’t get a voice but you get a choice.
        What happened with Common Core is they ran right into “voice”. It’s not even that they weren’t “prepared” for it. I’m not sure they understand it at all.
        There is something that public school parents are defending here. They have to recognize what that is before they can deal with it.
        Duncan’s really cynical and transactional analysis was parents are concerned their kids won’t be seen as “geniuses” or that they were worried about property values. I think it’s much deeper than that. They are connected to these schools, the schools are embedded in communities in a way that looking at schools as a menu item or “portfolio” asset doesn’t grasp.
        There’s a dumb sort of denial here, a determination to ignore what people are saying and repeat these slogans over and over as if they’ll become true. They won’t.

      • Robert Tellman says:

        December 21, 2013 at 11:31 am

        Schools have always been community centers and community grounders. Maybe it’s the sense of community that they don’t understand.

        But I really believe it’s the divide and conquer tactic. Get kids going to schools in all kinds of places and there will not develop a real sense of community. No “my parents and grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles went here.”

        In New Orleans, it has always been “where did you go to school?” and that never meant college, it meant grammar and high school.

        When the older ones die off, that will too. Churn, churn, churn.

        If there is no sense of community in kid’s home lives and now none at school, it is every man for himself. It is about “achieving” and outdoing other countries and outdoing one another and beating out others for jobs.

        This ain’t Mayberry anymore and it’s just plain sad.

      • andre says:

        December 21, 2013 at 11:31 am

        And don’t forget the corruption within the charter school system!

      • KrazyTA says:

        December 21, 2013 at 10:36 pm

        Chiara Duggan: thank you for putting so well into words what I have been unable to express on this blog for lo these many months.

        As I see it, the rheephormistas of all stripes—Democrat, Republican, Tea Party—live in an alternate rheeality that automatically throws up a Rheeality Distortion Field whenever missives from Planet Reality come their way. What makes sense to them (given their severely limited and limiting life experiences) just doesn’t make sense to the rest of it. So of course they are genuinely angry, hurt and baffled when the vast majority of this country—who don’t live in their alternate universe—call them to account for their actions and plans which they truly believe is FOR us but which we experience as being AGAINST us. *Two examples: John King re Montessori = Common Core, and Chris Christie taking umbrage at being called to account for mandating for OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN something very different from what he provides HIS OWN CHILDREN.*

        Since in their own minds they are obviously the meritorious few and we are the unworthy many, the problem doesn’t lie with them but with us, inadequate and limited as we are in mind, spirit and worldly wealth. Who are we to stand in judgment of our divine, natural and social superiors?

        Kudos as well for the “voice” and “choice” points you bring up. Again, it flows from what they know and have learned and it makes sense to them.

        Plus it makes ₵ent₵ for them. And $tudent $ucce$$ is just a natural byproduct of the good work they’re doing in the “new civil rights movement.” Again, they are baffled, hurt and angry that so many of this point this out.

        Keep posting.

        😎

14. Yvonne Siu-Runyan says:

    December 21, 2013 at 9:56 am

    Education is being MANAGED as if the students and teachers were professional sports stars earning gobs of money. Even the way test scores are discussed sounds like the numbers collected on each sports star to determine how well they are playing and what their MONETARY rewards should be.

    Reply
15. Mom/speducator says:

    December 21, 2013 at 10:11 am

    They have a complete understanding of public education and in their minds they’re obeying their billionaire political donors. Gut the unions, get rid of these pensions. Obama’s poll ratings should be much higher given the economy and end of war. They are pretty flat. People think it’s because of the poor roll out of Obamacare, I think his numbers are low due to the mangling of the middle class. His education policies are abysmal.

    Reply
    • Dienne says:

      December 21, 2013 at 4:12 pm

      “Obama’s poll ratings should be much higher given the economy and end of war.”

      Well, except that the economy isn’t really that great for most people, and we’re still at war. To whatever extent war has ended during his term, Obama deserves no credit. He tried his damndest to extend the Iraq war but it was ultimately the Iraqi prime minister who insisted it had to end on the Bush time table. Likewise, to whatever extent Afghanistan is finally ending, it’s on Bush’s timetable, extended by Obama as much as possible.

      Also, I think people could understand the rollout of Obamacare – glitches are bound to happen with any new system. The problem with Obamacare is what Obamacare is – Romneycare, designed by the Heritage Foundation to profit the insurance companies. Anyone still remember the president who vowed not to sign any healthcare bill that didn’t have a public option? Ha!

      Reply
16. Deborah Emin says:

    December 21, 2013 at 10:13 am

    Since none of the politicians who promote Common Core see fit to send their children to public schools where this is mandated, it should be a big wake up call to more communities that they are being used. But that takes the kind of work you are doing being done by lots more people. Though, I do believe, you have sparked a whole movement of involved parents and others interested in getting things right in our schools and our universities and colleges. Thanks.

    Reply
17. Robert Tellman says:

    December 21, 2013 at 11:42 am

    It says it all when they refer to this planet we live on as a “global marketplace.”

    Reply
    • Dienne says:

      December 21, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      And isn’t it funny that the “global marketplace” promoters tend to be the first to holler about illegal immigrants?

      Reply
18. Bonnie hall gerson says:

    December 21, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    When enough parents and teachers are willing to fight and die for the same kind of education Obamas children are receiving they will get that for their children. The problem is that we are not willing to make the nessesary sacrifices. America has never placed her children above everything else.

    Reply
    • Robert Tellman says:

      December 22, 2013 at 9:39 am

      Agree, and if we don’t fight for them now, we may die later if we fail them and they become less than honorable citizens. It is on all of our heads to help produce the kind of world we want to live in.

      It’s just that we don’t all want the same kind of world and people’s priorities differ. Some people’s priorities don’t include other people.

      Reply
19. Communist Teacher says:

    December 21, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    The children of the “elite” are being educated to be the next generation of oppressors to put their boots on the necks of the children of the common people.

    “In the past I have defended the right of the IRA to engage in armed struggle. I did so because there was no alternative for those who would not bend the knee, or turn a blind eye to oppression.”

    Gerry Adams

    Reply
20. jon says:

    December 21, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Our country’s education system hasn’t changed much since the colonist arrived. In the southern colonies, children whose parents could afford it had private tutors but where literacy rates were the lowest (imagine that); New England colonies had difficulites with staffing b/c of large pop. of students; and church schools were common in the Atlantic area.

    This as we know it produced social classes basically rich, middle, and poor. Like then as it is now, kids never had the same kind of quality of education across the board. But only if parents had money to send them to elite schools did kids find themselves having more opportunities in their futures. Status quo.

    Reply
21. Tim says:

    December 21, 2013 at 3:13 pm

    Would Sidaltonpreth be able to deliver the same wonderful experience if it had to educate special ed students, ELLs, and kids who are impoverished or working class? There are very few special ed kids, almost no ELLs, and only 15-20% of the students receive financial aid of any kind. The vast majority of students come from upper class families with two parents, many of whom have graduate degrees. These elite schools administer IQ tests to 4-year-olds and are extremely selective.

    The staff at these schools is also chosen with great care and selectivity, and hired on an at-will basis. Teachers do not need special certification and they are not unionized (yes, the Lab School, affiliated with one of the world’s largest, wealthiest, and most influential research universities, is an exception). Work rules, if they exist, are simple and straightforward and geared toward the children; teachers and staff supervise lunch, recess, arrival, dismissal, and so forth. Employees pay a much greater share of their benefits; their retirement is a portable 403b plan. Last but not least, these schools are exceptionally lean, administratively, with a far greater percentage of funding going to the classroom than in public schools.

    Saying that every child should have this type of education without going into the nitty gritty is much the same as saying we should give every kid a million dollars and a pony. The sidaltonpreth model works great for high IQ kids from wealthy families highly committed to education and maintaining their child’s place on the socioeconomic ladder, who are investing staggering sums of their post-tax income for the privilege. It is an elite, luxury product that has always been much different than public education. There’s no evidence that this model can be scaled up to work for all, and there’s not enough money to spend $50,000 per student per year for all 60 million K-12 students in America. The “Sidaltonpreth for all!” argument is a diversion and distraction.

    Reply
    • jon says:

      December 21, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      Tim – “The sidaltonpreth model works great for high IQ kids from wealthy families highly committed to education and maintaining their child’s place on the socioeconomic ladder, who are investing staggering sums of their post-tax income for the privilege…”

      Your last paragraph leads to misinterpretations. First of all Sidwell and their friends can have all that frills. However, what they offer and what the public school system offers should be comparable as far as low classroom size, arts/music as respected subjects, no high stakes testing, treating teachers as professionals. no common core, micro managing teachers, etc.

      I do, however, agree with your argument about special ed. students, & ELLs who are absent of their population at posh schools, but it is the same as charter schools which are paid for by public dollars. We need to stop this elitist mentality that only people with money deserved a quality education.

      It is not a distraction and diversion. It is a matter of equity and equal opportunity.

      Reply
    • Dienne says:

      December 21, 2013 at 4:17 pm

      Actually, it’s kids from low income families, ELLs, special ed students, children of incarcerated and/or drug addicted parents, etc. who would benefit the MOST from the type of environment found at Sidwell – small classes, plenty of arts exposure, whole-child/social-emotional focus, etc.

      Reply
22. retiredbutmissthekids says:

    December 21, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Way up to Chiara at 9:26 AM–yes about the Clintons. Wouldn’t place any bets on Hillary–that ship sailed quite a while ago. You all must read Carl Bernstein’s biography of her (always forget the name & the date), which gives the info. about the scrap w/the Arkansas Teachers Union (did not come from Bill, but from Hillary). It was not so much about calling for teacher tests but that HRC came up with the idea that “there had to be a villain,” & that the villain would be in the form of Arkansas teachers, much like what is going on all over the U.S. today–teachers as villains.
    Therefore, we’d have more of the same. The Green Party’s time has come!

    Reply
23. suzanne sciacca says:

    December 21, 2013 at 3:41 pm

    Why cant or why isnt this being mentioned in any media? How can we bring these facts to light to general public? Why are all the media outlets defending common core? Are there that many connections from Cuomo and the rest of those involved?

    Reply
    • Robert Rendo says:

      December 22, 2013 at 8:11 am

      Media outlets defend the reform movement in general because they get their bills paid by corporate America through advertisements, both in film and in print.

      That’s why, plain, simple, and accurately put.

      Reply
24. Christine Langhoff says:

    December 21, 2013 at 4:43 pm

    Looks just like Dasani’s school experiences!

    Reply
25. Harold says:

    December 22, 2013 at 1:47 am

    The lower tribe is in the grip of post-modernism. They need schools that teach test-taking and grit. They can’t handle stuff like art and stuff like, you know, actual education the way the the deserving rich can. So says the New York Times, bastion of the uber menschen.

    “It’s wrong to tell the familiar underdog morality tale in which the problems of the masses are caused by the elites. The truth is, members of the upper tribe have made themselves phenomenally productive. They may mimic bohemian manners, but they have returned to 1950s traditionalist values and practices. They have low divorce rates, arduous work ethics and strict codes to regulate their kids. Members of the lower tribe work hard and dream big, but are more removed from traditional bourgeois norms. They live in disorganized, postmodern neighborhoods in which it is much harder to be self-disciplined and productive.” — David Brooks, NY Times (Note it was just announced that David Brooks is getting a divorce.)

    Reply
26. Ellen T Klock says:

    December 22, 2013 at 4:44 am

    Where do I apply. I’d like a job at that school.

    Here’s our model – forget CCSS – let’s start implementing Sidwell instead.

    Reply
27. democracy says:

    December 22, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Bertis Downs had it right from the get-go in citing John Dewey’s School and Society:

    “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.”

    Aristotle wrote about that issue in Politics, circa 350 BCE. He noted the important link between democracy and schooling. In Book Four of Politics, Aristotle pointed out why a strong middle class is vital to democratic governance:

    “the middle class is least likely to shrink from rule, or to be over-ambitious for it; both of which are injuries to the state…for when there is no middle class, and the poor greatly exceed in number, troubles arise, and the state soon comes to an end.”

    We know well what supply-side economic policies have done to the middle class in this country. Going back to the Reagan era, supply-side policies have piled up deficits and debt, increased poverty, enriched the already-rich, and squeezed the middle class. The oligarchs point the finger of blame at public schools, and put their children in private schools.

    Aristotle explained why this is bad for democracy:

    ” education should be one and the same for all, and that it should be public, and not private- not as at present, when every one looks after his own children separately, and gives them separate instruction of the sort which he thinks best; the training in things which are of common interest should be the same for all. Neither must we suppose that any one of the citizens belongs to himself, for they all belong to the state, and are each of them a part of the state, and the care of each part is inseparable from the care of the whole.”

    John Dewey understood this. He grasped why public education and democratic government were inextricably linked. And that’s what’s sorely missing from most of the current talk about education “reform:” democratic citizenship.

    The explicit purpose of the Common Core is to prepare kids “to compete successfully in the global economy,” not to be citizens in a democratic society who are critically thoughtful and reflective, and who both understand and are committed to popular sovereignty, equality, justice, freedoms for all citizens, tolerance, and promoting the general welfare of the nation.

    We would do well as a nation to heed the sage advice of Aristotle and John Dewey. It’s clear that (1) there’s an awful lot of work to do, and (2) most of the current crop of political and educational “leaders” are not up to the task.

    Reply
28. Robert Tellman says:

    December 22, 2013 at 7:18 am

    I know this will not sit well with many, but I believe education (in general) is a privilege rather than a right. Let me explain.

    A “right” to me smacks of entitlement. I am entitled to this so I don’t have to do anything in order to get this. A “privilege” to me implies a personal responsibility to contribute effort.

    A quality education should be offered to all- “the right to have the same” and the individual takes responsibility for putting forth the effort required to learn- “the privilege of taking advantage of what one has been provided.”

    Our society is so much about gimme, gimme, gimme. I deserve this and that.

    Personal responsibility should be encouraged and honored. It’s a great feeling to work hard for something.

    Reply
    • Ellen T Klock says:

      December 22, 2013 at 7:28 am

      Robert, I might have used the word opportunity, but I totally agree with your sentiment. Now that’s the problem we have in the inner city – too many students who don’t consider school a “privilege” (more an inconvenience) or an “opportunity”.

      And nothing feels better than working hard and achieving success.

      Reply
29. Robert Tellman says:

    December 22, 2013 at 7:44 am

    I like your choice of the word opportunity. It’s the word “right” that bothers me the most.

    Reply
    • Ellen T Klock says:

      December 22, 2013 at 8:14 am

      Yet Robert, we don’t want to exclude anyone from becoming educated. Isn’t the goal to have 100% literacy? So we provide this opportunity to all children. Perhaps it’s not a right, but, at the least, it’s our responsibility.

      Reply
30. Robert Rendo says:

    December 22, 2013 at 8:24 am

    Goodness,

    Has anyone known any president to be as hypocritical, wrathful, deceitful, hateful, oppotunistic, and corrupt as Barack Obama?

    The man is a pure dud, a shell of a human, a hideous monster from the Netherworld dressed in an angel gown and wings . . . . .

    Just look at RttT and the ACA . . . . . .

    Of course, to be fair, ditto for most folks on both sides of the aisle.

    But Obama is a mere puppet of the overclass and Penny Pritzker.

    “Puppet” is a good word, I think.

    He’s got more hands up his butt than the muppets . . . ..

    Reply
31. Robert Tellman says:

    December 22, 2013 at 8:25 am

    Yes, the opportunity should be extended to all.

    Reply
32. democracy says:

    December 22, 2013 at 8:29 am

    Robert,

    Your view may be held by others, but it is antithetical to democratic citizenship and governance.

    In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court said this in the case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954):

    “Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship…it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.”

    The Court’s conclusion in that case was this: “in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

    So, education IS an opportunity right , and it’s one that must be afforded “on equal terms.”

    As Aristotle noted, ” education should be one and the same for all, and that it should be public, and not private…the care of each part is inseparable from the care of the whole.”

    We are a very long way from that, and Common Core won’t remedy it.

    http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483#writing-USSC_CR_0347_0483_ZO

    Reply
    • Robert Tellman says:

      December 22, 2013 at 8:52 am

      Agree that the opportunity should be provided on equal terms. That is fair and just.

      And it is a right for a person to take no personal responsibility for doing his best to take advantage of that opportunity. Citizens have rights, but should also have responsibilities.

      Agree totally that education is “the very foundation of good citizenship.” Good citizens do their part to make the world a better place for all.

      Reply
    • Robert Tellman says:

      December 22, 2013 at 9:08 am

      Just think of what kind of world we would have if citizens took their responsibilities as seriously as their rights.

      “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country” sounds right to me in a democracy.

      Reply
    • Robert Tellman says:

      December 22, 2013 at 9:09 pm

      Unfortunately, democratic citizenship and governance seem to be a distant memory in this country.

      Reply
33. JonBoy says:

    December 22, 2013 at 8:38 am

    A look at the the chosen education venue for the children of Common Core suggardaddy Bill Gates’ reveals the same elitist mindset as with the Obama children.

    Case in point- Bill Gates rails against small classes being the biggest waste of money in public education, never mind that aside from being educated he knows zero about education, yet his children of privilege attend the elite Lakeside School that espouses small classes as the key to developing great human beings. From the Lakeside web site;

    “Lakeside’s 5th- to 12th-grade student-centered academic program focuses on the relationships between talented students and capable and caring teachers. We develop and nurture students’ passions and abilities and ensure every student feel known.”

    The elite believe that they and their ilk are just plain superior human beings to the 99% and our carpet dwelling spawn.

    Fortunately, 99>1, and the coming class war will sort out the humanists from the inhumane elitists.

    Reply
    • Harlan Underhill says:

      December 22, 2013 at 1:36 pm

      If you are among the new party member ruling elite that wins that “class war” what will you do with Obama’s and Bill Gates’s children? What will you do for your children?

      Reply
      • JIM says:

        December 22, 2013 at 11:21 pm

        Demand that my children not be subject to a different set of conditions that the elitist children are subject to.

        It’s not hard. I am not even arguing we should drop the money and resources into public schools like in Sidwell. I am just saying that this is a weird form of justice, to subject our poorer kids to conditions of over testing and common core. Why would we suck out the joy of learning and substitute test prep?

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 24, 2013 at 12:49 am

        And that is the crux of the matter – between the tests and the costs of giving the tests – the public education system has been compromised. We could deal with some inequities, but the test issue has put the difference between public and private over the top.

34. royfmc says:

    December 22, 2013 at 11:36 am

    Reblogged this on Roy F. McCampbell's Blog.

    Reply
35. Janice Emm says:

    December 22, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    I quickly scanned and could be wrong but I don’t see the word RiGOR included here. How will the Obama girls ever be college or career ready without rigor?

    Reply
    • Joan says:

      December 24, 2013 at 4:11 pm

      Please, if I hear that overused word again, RIGOR Mortis will be setting in over me, LOL!

      Reply
36. Rachel M. says:

    December 22, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    No thanks. Sidwell Friends is another leftist “progressive” school, predicated on “social justice”…no different from the LIttle Red Schoolhouse, Crossroads, and other privileged schools for the limousine liberal/leftists like Obama and his minions. They can plunk down 30K a year or more and feel good about themselves, while Rome burns. The sad thing is that Bush and Obama have the same failed educational policies and are in bed with corporatist interests. The left and the right–when it comes to education, a pox on both their houses.

    Reply
    • Joan says:

      December 24, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      The REAL “”social justice” will come about when public schools look and feel like a Sidwell Friends, or any other of the private schools that people like Bush and Obama, et.al. send THEIR children to.

      Reply
37. teddiu says:

    December 22, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    Sounds a lot like the Harley School in Rochester, NY where my children went. The motto was Joy in Learning. No CC or testing there.

    Reply
38. Bertis Downs says:

    December 24, 2013 at 7:02 am

    Amen Ellen Klock!

    And then there’s this:

    “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.”

    John Dewey, The School and Society, 1900

    We all know what it takes to make great schools great — quality teachers supported by effective administrators, reasonable class sizes, again, a strong and professional teaching corps, adequate facilities, the school as a center of community, community services providing support for students with gaps in their home-life that make them more challenging to reach, a rich and varied curriculum including the arts and physical education, strong community support including parents of kids from all parts of town . . . and there are plenty of examples of those kinds of schools still going strong all over this country, providing a good education fr all their students, despite all the challenges and hurdles they overcome daily. They do so thanks to the presence of professional and caring adults, who despite all the efforts to undermine the, keep dedicating their lives to their students.

    Think how much better off we’d all be if we had policies that encouraged and supported great schools for all kids, instead of the corporate-heavy focus on high-stakes standardized testing, data and false cures that are stifling them as a matter of federal and most states’ policies. Of course I guess this would be a bridge too far in a political environment where so many politicians of both parties are in thrall to the very companies in Big Education who are built on the revenues to be derived from our public schools. A sad and troubling situation, but finally being challenged by grassroots of all sides.

    But still despite it all our schools survive and in many cases our schools flourish– see, e.g. http://bit.ly/1cdebES (Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools); see also http://works.bepress.com/robert_garda/1/ (The White Interest in School Integration)

    Reply
39. sharsand2013 says:

    December 24, 2013 at 8:03 am

    This is such a no-brainer for all children–and it should be free public education. Of course, when you pick and choose your students, such as parochial and other private schools can do, it’s a lot easier–but it can be done and should be done–and just like in higher ed, there’s absolutely no reason for those insane tuitions except exclusivity and elimination of those less fortunate.

    Reply
    • Harlan Underhill says:

      December 24, 2013 at 11:48 am

      The insane tuitions in colleges are a result of government giving out insane loans to students. The intent is to expand opportunity for all, including poor students; the unintended effect is to exclude families who can’t pay the freight. The idea of providing every child an elite education is noble, but it won’t happen unless the laws tax enough to supply the $40,000 a year tuition or support students have in elite schools. That puts advocates for such a taxing regiment in the paradoxical position of asking citizens to educate children that they didn’t father. Passing tax laws to achieve that end, of funding public education at the level of elite education, would put a serious strain on the politics of the states, which would probably vote those politicians out of office. The public has been tricked already into levels of taxation which do not seem to be funding good public services, but is being stolen by the collaboration of legislators and special interests who hire the lobbyists. We hear about the 17 trillion federal deficit, the borrowing of $.40 out of every $1.00 the feds spends, and it is no wonder that voters are resistant to calls for further taxation. Diane thinks higher taxation on just the rich would do the trick, but that too would have consequences she does not anticipate. It is so easy to simply call for government funding of elite education for all without addressing the larger economic and political picture.

      Reply
      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 24, 2013 at 12:25 pm

        But we can do so much more with what we already have.

        Right now the government is interfering and ruining a quality public education (and not just in the urban areas). And through the government policies sham “schools” have been created whose sole purpose is to line the pockets of a select few. We don’t care about test scores of children in other countries, we care about the well being of our own children, and, if we are teachers, our students.

        You are correct, our tax dollars are being grossly mismanaged and are always an underlying concern of our discussions. But, right now, on the day before Christmas (whether you are Christian, or not, a day of family gatherings), let us focus on the well being of all children.

        I hope I won’t offend anyone when I say “Peace on earth! Good will towards men!”

    • Jam Bo says:

      March 29, 2014 at 8:09 am

      Well, there’s a reason exclusive gyms, country clubs, and certain neighborhoods are so expensive: to maintain its exclusivity & keep out the riff raff like you and me. Hey, more power to them! I don’t want to be with them either.

      What I resent is that while they safely insulate themselves from the likes of me, they disallow me to insulate myself (and my family) from the likes of the utterly barbaric, anti-social miscreants congregating at my local public school — who, after serving a 7-minute detention for F-Bombing a teacher in front of the entire class, returns to the classroom to beat up your kid the following day (for which he receives a stern talking to).

      They talk a hilarious big game about inclusion and social harmony, all the while exempting themselves from having to confront and deal with the social pathologies of the miscreants in their midst. They can maintain their non-violent, non-aggressive philosophy because they don’t have out-of-control kids menacing, victimizing, and threatening them every other day. I seriously doubt their students wouldn’t be able to handle 3 class periods in a neighboring DC school — you know, like they force our kids to do!!.

      Reply
40. Bertis Downs says:

    December 24, 2013 at 8:47 am

    Amen Ellen Klock!

    And then there’s this:

    “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.”

    John Dewey, The School and Society, 1900

    We all know what it takes to make great schools great — quality teachers supported by effective administrators, reasonable class sizes, again, a strong and professional teaching corps, adequate facilities, the school as a center of community, community services providing support for students with gaps in their home-life that make them more challenging to reach, a rich and varied curriculum including the arts and physical education, strong community support including parents of kids from all parts of town . . . and there are plenty of examples of those kinds of schools still going strong all over this country, providing a good education fr all their students, despite all the challenges and hurdles they overcome daily. They do so thanks to the presence of professional and caring adults, who despite all the efforts to undermine the, keep dedicating their lives to their students.

    Think how much better off we’d all be if we had policies that encouraged and supported great schools for all kids, instead of the corporate-heavy focus on high-stakes standardized testing, data and false cures that are stifling them as a matter of federal and most states’ policies. Of course I guess this would be a bridge too far in a political environment where so many politicians of both parties are in thrall to the very companies in Big Education who are built on the revenues to be derived from our public schools. A sad and troubling situation, but finally being challenged by grassroots of all sides.

    But still despite it all our schools survive and in many cases our schools flourish– see, e.g. http://bit.ly/1cdebES (Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools); see also http://works.bepress.com/robert_garda/1/ (The White Interest in School Integration)

    Reply
41. Joan says:

    December 24, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    Why do we even ask the question? Isn’t it obvious to all? There are two sets of expectations in this country, one for the privileged, another for those not so privileged. Not to mention the hypocrisy of those that somehow seem to feel that they know what’s better for the children of the masses that elected them in the first place.

    Reply
42. Ambi Victoria says:

    December 28, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    After all these many years and of all the many presidents who have come and gone with their children placed in certain quality schools, no one demands that their kids receive the same type of education until the white house has a multicultural African American family residing there. Now everyone must have the same educational opportunities as the president’s kids? Why?- were you not good enough for it all the years before now? Why have you never asked/demanded any of the other past presidents for an equal educational opportunity? Backwards. Why do you expect this president to give you all the same advantages that he & his family have- and why should he?? Why should this president perform any different than the others? Why all of a sudden It’s not all about politics with him like it has always been with the others?

    Reply
    • dianeravitch says:

      December 28, 2013 at 1:04 pm

      Ambi Victoria,

      I don’t think anyone expects that every school in America will one day have all the same advantages as Sidwell Friends, though it would be great if they did. The reason for the complaint is not envy but disappointment that the President’s Race to the Top is forcing every public school in the nation into the same mold and making the standardized tests all important. The President would not tolerate the bad ideas of high-stakes testing in RTTT for his own children. He should not impose it on everyone else’s chasten.

      Reply
      • Harlan Underhill says:

        December 28, 2013 at 7:28 pm

        Thus the value of the “opt out” movement.

43. Alan C. Jones says:

    December 28, 2013 at 9:20 pm

    Harlan:

    Come on ….get in the game.

    Reply
    • Harlan Underhill says:

      December 28, 2013 at 11:56 pm

      Not sure to what you are referring. Poverty can only be remedied by jobs. Jobs can only be generated by growth. Growth can only be generated by invested capital. Capital will only be invested when taxes are lower. When taxes are lower there will be increased revenue (for schools too). Diane wants higher taxes. Ergo, she is really arguing for continuing inadequately funded schools. Her field is education history, not economics. She and most posters here are short sighted union liberals. Such shorted public sector unions have a strangle hold on politics. If one can’t get control of the unions, a la Scott Walker, one must eliminate the publicness of the jobs. Very simple. Straight Jeb Bush, Bill Gates. Offer up the kool aid of CCSS. Fail schools. Convert to charters. Voila, no public sector unions. We all here know this. But teachers will never give up their unions. How long the battle will last can’t be seen. If Hilary is elected in 2016, the unions will think they are safe for 8 years. Even Christie won’t challenge public sector unions, but if he should bring prosperity by budget cutting he will be good for 8 years and his VP for another 8. Sixteen years of Republican rule. How sweet it would be. Meanwhile what does the suffering teacher do? Hang on until her school is closed or the CCSS fail. Or go into private education. OR, and here’s the kicker, what if the Catholic schools can actually deliver value added gains? Then crawl under a rock and die. You couldn’t end poverty and you died for it. VAM triumphs.

      That’s the game I see. I won’t join the cheer leading squad for a doomed species, the socialist, union teacher. I do support the New Capitalist Teacher, the entrepreneurial teacher, unafraid to offer his skills on the open market, one year at a time.

      Reply
      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 29, 2013 at 4:38 am

        Harlan – we had eight years under Bush, Jr. And how did that work out?

      • Harlan Underhill says:

        December 29, 2013 at 11:11 am

        Not that well. He was a Democrat in disguise, as it Christie. But even he hasn’t done a tenth or a hundreth of the damage your man Obama has. You bought him. He’s yours. Admit you made a mistake. I mean a REAL Republican, one who understands how this Republic should function. Some one like Ted Cruz.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 30, 2013 at 5:36 am

        Harlan- I know you are going to cringe, but I was a Hillary girl. I’ve been reading her articles in various publications over the years, and I am in agreement with many of her viewpoints. I also thought she did a wonderful job as Secretary of State.

        As far as Obama is concerned, I have mixed emotions. On the education issue, he has definitely been ill advised. I don’t consider him a liberal, just as I don’t consider Bush or Christie Democrats. Perhaps Obama’s problem is that he needs better support personnel. If his advisors are giving imperfect advice, then the results of his policies might very well lead to problems. (As seen by the results of Common Core.)

        Being POTUS is not an easy job. I like to trust that our President knows the “rest of the story” when he makes decisions. Bush, Jr. used many lies as justification for the war in Iraq. He ruined the credibility of Colin Powell, by using his stature to further the war agenda.

        Has Obama lied to the American people? We will see.

        The world would be a different place if Hubert Humphrey had been our President, but woulda, coulda, shoulda, doesn’t change anything.

      • Harlan Underhill says:

        December 30, 2013 at 2:21 pm

        After Obama, I once thought Hillary would be a relief, but I suspect she is essentially Obama in pants suits. That she has lied about Benghazi and her boss as well is palpable to me. The effort is to keep that whole disaster away from her until after the election in 2016, just as Nixon delayed the Watergate discoveries until after he had been elected. I hope it won’t happen, and the Democrats will be thrown back on Joe Biden, but I suspect the media fix is in for Hillary. I doubt any Republican can beat her because Republicans are fighting each other over gay marriage and abortion still. Red neck Republicans vs. Country Club Republicans. Phil Robertson vs. Karl Rove. A recipe for disaster. Viz. Romney.

        That you are apologizing for Obama suggests to me that you’re still enjoying the slave camp. “Oh, the commandant is not so bad, he just has bad guards.”

        Eventually someone who was in Benghazi will speak out and then Hillary, Obama, and maybe even Susan Rice will have to explain why help was not sent. It may be that they wanted Chris Stevens silenced (worst case scenario), or it may be Obama went to bed and Michelle told the staff not to wake him (mere fecklessness).

        Meanwhile, the Titantic of public education has been struck by the iceberg of the recession, RTTT, and CCSS. Those who can, have made it off into the lifeboats of charters and private schools, while Diane and the rest here continue to protest that this should not be happening and continue to fight over who is going to control the ship as it continues to sink. The band plays on.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        January 1, 2014 at 11:21 pm

        Harlan –

        That there is more to the Benghazi issue, I don’t doubt. That the crisis could have been averted is questionable. That Hillary is to blame, I don’t believe so. I wasn’t aware that the Secretary of State was responsible for all the extremist groups who threatened US citizens and embassies throughout the world. If she could control their actions, we wouldn’t need her as President, she would be Lord of the Universe.

        I am disappointed with Obama, especially in regards to our education policy, but also on the issue of civil liberties. My main upset is the misbehavior of Congress who continues to support an agenda against the interests of the average citizen. Too much ego, not enough common sense.

        And that’s the problem we are facing. The Michelle Rhees have couched their rhetoric to make it appear plausible. To the average citizen, it makes sense. Only if you start to live the reality do you realize it’s all a facade. We need to thank King for pushing the high stakes testing because it got parents questioning. And they didn’t like what they saw. It will be their outcry which will make heads turn, not the rambling of educators. Parents in NYS – keep up your roar. You are the Who’s on the speck of a weed to Diane’s Horton. We need all your Yops so your voices will be heard. We’re here, We’re here, We’re here! (For a fuller understanding read Dr. Seuss – Horton Hears A Who).

      • Harlan Underhill says:

        January 2, 2014 at 1:12 pm

        “What does it matter now?” Oh, she’s responsible all right, along with the President. They had forewarning but didn’t act on it because it would look bad for the election. They deliberately did not send in help in a timely fashion because it would look bad for the election. Americans are not supposed to abandon their wounded and dead like that. Eventually, they did get a plane in there to remove the dead bodies, including the sodomized body of Ambassador Stevens. Of course, you will think what you wish. Hilary is Obama in a pants suit, but without Obama’s morals and idealism.

        Vote for her at your peril. She’ll get along with Harry Reid just fine. I’ll bet she even keeps on Duncan as Education Secretary.

        Enjoy.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        January 2, 2014 at 2:50 pm

        With the hell presidential candidates experience, it’s surprising anyone wants to run for office. Definitely not our brightest and best.

      • Harlan Underhill says:

        January 2, 2014 at 5:11 pm

        Hilary’s doing it out of blind ambition. She’s in. She’d rather die than not run. Ted Cruz is ambitious too, but at least he cares about the country.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        January 4, 2014 at 12:20 am

        In order to run for office you need a huge ego.

        My brother ran for Mayor and won in his town in NJ. He served for one term and accomplished some good things for the area, including building a community center. He’d run into people from the town who’d tell him they thought he was doing a good job but couldn’t vote for him because he was a democrat.

        He was in it to make a difference. And he did.

        He was voted out of office when Christe became Governor. The republicans swept the ticket.

        He will never run again. It was a lot of work which took time away from his real job. He gave up a lot and his thanks were few. All he has is the knowledge that he did what he thought was right.

        We need more people like this.

        My brother didn’t need to stoke his ego and thus he would never make a good life long politician. He’s had offers to run for other offices, but once was enough. (Plus, you need to come up with at least $20,000 of your own money.)

        I don’t see the situation changing anytime soon.

      • Ellen T Klock says:

        December 30, 2013 at 6:19 am

        Harlan, the utopia you refer to would also lead to total control over a teacher’s job. They would thus become puppets whose strings are pulled – at the moment by CCSS.

        Without the job security and basic rights supported by teacher’s unions, education would quickly become a revolving door. Tenure protects the district as well as the staff, so good teachers don’t arbitrarily transfer to a better funded location. A stable environment in a school also leads to a consistent education. New teachers coming and going
        may be cheaper, but not more effective.

        If the education system becomes intolerable (and it is definitely headed in that direction), students willing to be teachers will become a premium item, requiring signing bonuses and higher pay, but this will not necessarily lead to hiring top notch educators. Those people will have moved on into other careers.

        Be careful what you wish for – you might not like the results.

        Also Harlan – please note:
        My property taxes are high, but the school district I live in is number one in Western New York. That district recently announced they are opting out of inBloom and the funding that goes with it. Many parents are also opting their children out of the required CCSS testing. The schools are trying to make accommodations for these children to be housed in a separate location during the tests. It is not a small number. The district is confused on how to handle the parents’ demands while following the state guidelines.

        Residents living in Williamsville choose to live there because they value education and don’t mind paying for it. They also take ownership of what is happening in the schools. This defies your theory. Watch to see what happens.

      • Harlan Underhill says:

        December 30, 2013 at 2:23 pm

        I’m glad to hear of developments such as these, Ellen. Maybe there is hope after all for public education.

44. Lake Nelson says:

    December 29, 2013 at 12:48 am

    Just because the web site doesn’t mention Common Core doesn’t mean the school doesn’t follow it. In fact, my nieces and nephew go to another Friends’ school and it does follow Common Core. My own kids’ “private independent” school in Corvallis Oregon follows Common Core and it is not mentioned on the web site nor was it ever announced to parents when it got rolled out….

    Reply
    • Harlan Underhill says:

      January 2, 2014 at 1:18 pm

      But what does “following Common Core mean”? Does if mean for your nieces and nephews that they will be tested? I’ll bet not. Nor do I suspect your own kids’ private school is participating in the testing. CCSS can be worked with as a driver of a curriculum, but it should not be worked with in so far as the testing goes. Will you check and find out about the testing?

      Reply
      • Lake Nelson says:

        February 15, 2014 at 3:00 am

        My kids at Corvallis, Oregon’s Ashbrook Independent School were not being tested with Common Core tests, and none of their data will go into the statewide longitudinal database. Regardless, in my opinion Common Core was a nightmare as a driver of curriculum, as the entire lower school shifted to worksheet based, basic skills instruction with drill sergeant teachers and insane quantities of homework every weeknight, whereas previously it was very rich, creative, project/theme-based tag instruction, and the teachers were highly gifted. And we all know Common Core is developmentally inappropriate for K-2 boys. As for the Friends’ school my brother’s kids go to, I do not know if they participate in testing, but they are using Common Core curriculum materials in the classroom and that is concern enough.

        Currently I am opting out of Common Core this way: I am homeschooling my 9 year old. For my 14 year old, he goes to public school for electives, science, and honors math, and he takes English, health, and history at community college (some of it online). As for math I am trying to assess Common Core’s impact on honors courses at his school but I can probably cope with having him take that at the high school regardless. I’d love to know how to opt out of any testing at the high school level….and how to minimize his information in the statewide longitudinal database.