arne duncan? Fuck That

[Dinger]

http://www.truthout.org/121708R

I'm not going to post text from this article. Judge for yourselves. Makes me sick.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Very sad...and disappointing.

[rockymountaindem]

2. Man, that is really alarming

Why did Obama pick him?

[Metta]

3. Morally reprehensible. A kick in the teetth to all Americans. More people should know this.

This is a straight up, morally reprehensible choice. A real betrayal of truth, justice and the American way.

[G_j]

4. here is a snip,

"Duncan, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, presided over the implementation and expansion of an agenda that militarized and corporatized the third largest school system in the nation, one that is about 90 percent poor and nonwhite. Under Duncan, Chicago took the lead in creating public schools run as military academies, vastly expanded draconian student expulsions, instituted sweeping surveillance practices, advocated a growing police presence in the schools, arbitrarily shut down entire schools and fired entire school staffs. A recent report, "Education on Lockdown," claimed that partly under Duncan's leadership "Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has become infamous for its harsh zero tolerance policies. Although there is no verified positive impact on safety, these policies have resulted in tens of thousands of student suspensions and an exorbitant number of expulsions."<4> Duncan's neoliberal ideology is on full display in the various connections he has established with the ruling political and business elite in Chicago.<5> He led the Renaissance 2010 plan, which was created for Mayor Daley by the Commercial Club of Chicago - an organization representing the largest businesses in the city. The purpose of Renaissance 2010 was to increase the number of high quality schools that would be subject to new standards of accountability - a code word for legitimating more charter schools and high stakes testing in the guise of hard-nosed empiricism. Chicago's 2010 plan targets 15 percent of the city district's alleged underachieving schools in order to dismantle them and open 100 new experimental schools in areas slated for gentrification. Most of the new experimental schools have eliminated the teacher union. The Commercial Club hired corporate consulting firm A.T. Kearney to write Ren2010, which called for the closing of 100 public schools and the reopening of privatized charter schools, contract schools (more charters to circumvent state limits) and "performance" schools. Kearney's web site is unapologetic about its business-oriented notion of leadership, one that John Dewey thought should be avoided at all costs. It states, "Drawing on our program-management skills and our knowledge of best practices used across industries, we provided a private-sector perspective on how to address many of the complex issues that challenge other large urban education transformations."<6>

[readmoreoften]

5. JESUS REPUBLICAN CHRIST... WHO THE HELL DID I VOTE FOR?

I thought I pressed the button for Obama not some "dismantle the education system conservative."

[KG]

6. more, um, change?

hooray!

[ulysses]

7. see, shit like this Duncan pick gives me a headache.

Don't dismantle the breastworks just yet, friends.

[jaundicedi]

8. I'm getting too damn old...

to man the barricades and tear gas is really hard on my asthma but they're starting to piss me off.

[October]

9. "Poster Child for NCLB Resistance"

December 18, 2008 | Posted At: 01:16 PM | Author: Alexander Russo | Category: NCLB News
TRANSITION: Duncan's Chicago Was Poster Child For NCLB Resistance

Many educators will be happy to know that, under Arne Duncan Chicago was the poster child for districts resisting and criticizing the law. Others may find themselves worrying that as EdSec Duncan will be a little too loose with district "flexibility." But there's little doubt that Duncan (and Daley) fought tooth and nail against many of the law's key provisions like tutoring, transfers, and AYP ratings. Some clips:

To Duncan, NLCB law is 'burdensome'... Chicago Sun Times 2003
Tutoring firm expelled from 7 of city's schools. Tribune 2005
Chicago public schools chief may sue US agency over tutoring Tribune 2004
Failing Schools across Illinois Scramble to Obey Federal Law. Sun Times 2003
New rules help raise Illinois students' test scores. Tribune 2004
Daley protests student transfers Sun Times 2002
Fewer join in school transfer program - Duncan criticizes... Sun Times 2003
Schools blast state test data that could lead to sanctions Sun Times 2003
A Failing Grade Mother Jones 2003
MANY CHICAGO STUDENTS CAN'T TRANSFER SCHOOLS 2003
50 schools can send students to better ones - The catch is... Sun Times 2003
No Child Left Behind Act causing hardships for many public... NPR 2003


http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2008/12/transition-du-2.html

[girl gone mad]

10. The good news (or bad news, depending on how you view things)..

is that we literally can't keep this system going as it has been. The Republicans are handing Obama a broken government and a broken economy. Even if Obama wants to, he won't be able to operate it as the Republicans and the DLC Clinton admin did. If he tries, he'll fail and something new will emerge. On the downside that something could be even worse.

[madrchsod]

11. our best friend teaches in the chicago school system

after this year her school is closing and she`s out of a job. two years ago the school she was at was the dumping ground for "bad testers`" from the other schools in her district. she has a masters in education and music and can not find a job anywhere in northern illinois. she`s thinking of moving back home and living with her mother.

from what i have read and heard first hand duncan has`t done much for the average student in chicago.

[mopinko]

14. what school is this?

where is it, and why is it being closed?
not trying to diss you, you know. just tired of hearing this crap. as a parent with kids in the system, i think that arne and ritchie have turned this system around in a really large way.

[Fire1]

12. First of all, Duncan fits right in with Obama's support of

charter schools. Upon learning of his charter school support during the campaign, I sloughed it off, thinking he would have a hard time with any sweeping legislation to this effect, due to the strength of unions. I remain steadfast in those beliefs. Secondly, schools failing to meet standards of NCLB have been 'reorganizing' for several years, now, so that is nothing new, either(firing all staff and starting over.) Third, schools have been closing, due to low enrollment, all over the nation. Finally, the disciplinary actions implemented by his office, imo, are long overdue. The only flaw in Mr. Duncan's thinking regarding discipline, is that he is inadvertantly increasing the criminal element, with no social or academic development included in his policies.

[mopinko]

13. makes me sick. cuz mostly it is bullshit.

sorry. i live here. i have kids in the system. this is ideology, not fact. and mostly has nothing to do with duncan or chicago.

zero tolerance? google this, cuz i won't link- sullivan high school broken heart. tell me about zero tolerance.
are there expulsions? about time. there used to be gang bangers hanging in high schools until they were 20+, not to learn, but to recruit. believe it, kids bring weapons to school. believe it, you need security in schools in this city. but zero tolerance? a laugh. a real laugh.
are some failing schools being closed? like 4. again, bout time. how long do you wait for teenie steps to improvement when kids lives are on the line?

most of this has more to do with federal education policy than local. it might be fun to give dc the finger. but if you need money to run your system, you follow the rules.
if you really care, read up. there is plenty out there to read.
funny, i have replied to many of these duncan bashing threads, and i have yet to get a reply. you might think people want to hear the truth, but only when it reaffirms their opinion, apparently.

[KharmaTrain]

18. Bravo...

:applause:

Obama can't win for losing around this place...its as if he owes everyone and that there was some big liberal/progressive mandate. Sure wasn't the election I was watching and participating in.

You're spot on about the situation Duncan faced in Chicago. My daughter teaches in another part of the state where NCLB has destroyed the district...drastically underfunded and falling further behind as teachers move in and out to "fix" the school's poor performance. Duncan has gotten high approval from many I know in Chicago...city schools are a lot better today than they were in the 80's.

It's so easy to get out here and bash and trash and pull chains...a reason I limit both my visits and posts around here these days.

Cheers...

:hi:

[mopinko]

23. they were literally crumbling

if i thought it would matter to ANYONE i would get out there, and take pics of some of these "terrible"schools.
here are a couple i found on the web. maybe i will try to do a photo thread.




but then again, once you have seen one shiny new school, i guess you have seen them all.


yeah, i am thinking it is time to find a life. :hi:

[KharmaTrain]

24. The City Has Transitioned...

There has been a revival in many old neighborhoods over the past 25 years. My father grew up in Wicker Park...my mother in Logan Square...areas that ran down in the 70's and then began to come alive in the 90's...thanks to the investment in charter and magnate schools. People no longer were afraid of moving to the city and sending their kids to Chicago Public Schools. I give Richie Daley a lot of credit for providing the foundation and bringing in the people to help revitalize the city.

But then when you turn on the corporate media one would think it's his old man along with Al Capone still running the city.

Oh well...

Hope you didn't get snowed on too badly...

[mopinko]

25. not too bad.

few inches. not big.

ritchie quite rightly saw that schools were key. and saw what a mess they were. and did what it took.
and it ain't just the corp media. look down thread. :eyes:

[Jennicut]

19. People want to complain

They don't want to talk about reality. I think Duncan has done some good things in Ill.

[kath]

15. This guy is BAAAAAAAAAAD news. Jeebus H. Christ.

[kath]

16. dupe - delete

[Runcible Spoon]

17. ohh that article was excellent

thanks for sharing...

I squawked early on about corporate influence in Obama's team, it's just a shame that he refuses to enact real progress in public schools. Sigh.

[undeterred]

20. A basketball buddy.

:banghead:

[G_j]

21. K

[DailyGrind51]

22. Arne Duncan is a lackey of Richie Daley,

the scion of the "mobbed-up" Chicago Machine. Daley is nothing but George Bush with a different Party label.