What's going on with Arne Duncan and hurricanes and charter schools?

[madfloridian]

It's like he's stuck on one note about how great hurricanes can be for getting forced changes in education.

He once said that Hurricane Katrina was the best thing to happen to schools in New Orleans. While he was in New Orleans this week, he criticized Detroit schools...said they did not have to wait for a hurricane.

Arne Duncan says Detroit schools are 'Ground Zero,' changes coming soon

NEW ORLEANS – Calling Detroit Public Schools “Ground Zero for education in this country,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said there are big changes in the works for the city schools – but said he is not ready to give details.

“Stay tuned,” he told reporters attending the Education Writers Association national seminar Friday.

Duncan, looking at the other end of the spectrum, praised Kalamazoo Public Schools for the Kalamazoo Promise college scholarship plan, saying the community's investment would dramatically pay dividends. Talking about Detroit, Duncan said the city schools have suffered from a “lack of leadership,” and compared potential changes there to what occurred in New Orleans, where 75 percent of students now attend charter schools.

The hurricane reference was made while he was in New Orleans Friday.

“I see the progress here in New Orleans and I ask, 'Why not Detroit?' We don't need to wait for a hurricane before we can reform schools. I even think Detroit can leapfrog New Orleans.”

Wow, leapfrog New Orleans where 75% of students now attend charter schools. Could his goals be any more obvious? If you leapfrog a state in which 75% of the students attend charter schools, does that mean there will be no public schools at all? Just wondering.

As to the tasteless reference to Hurricane Katrina:

It was last January.

Hurricane Katrina Was The 'Best Thing' For New Orleans Schools

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Education Secretary Arne Duncan said today that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans" because it gave the city a chance to rebuild and improve its failing public schools.

In an interview to air this weekend on "Washington Watch with Roland Martin" Duncan said "that education system was a disaster. And it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that we have to do better.

So to the teachers in Detroit, there may not be a hurricane coming your way....but there might as well be.