Arne Duncan is an educational chicken hawk.

[Reader Rabbit]

The man has never been a teacher. Never.

His making overarching educational decisions for America is no different than Bush, Cheney, and all all the other Republican chicken hawks making military decisions.

And just as thousands soldiers and civilians suffered as a result of the ignorance and arrogance of military chicken hawks, so teachers and students are suffering from the ignorance and arrogance of educational chicken hawks.

That's all.

[Larkspur]

1. He's a champion of Charter Schools

He's a "free market" apostle in the Education realm.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Such a bullshit statement, it's not even funny. (nt)

That's all.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. And how is that 'all'?

Has he been a teacher? What is his experience with handling kids, rather than administrators? Is ANYTHING he does based on anything other than textbook theories, such as experience in the 'front lines'?

Please, identify the 'bullshit'.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

21. The part that assumes only a teacher could possibly know what to do in education.

It's just as much of a bullshit statement that only a President that's been in the military can/should send us into war. It's a bullshit premise from the start.

[MadHound]

23. Let me ask you this, would you put your medical decisions into the hands of a plumber?

Then why are you advocating putting education decisions in the hands of basketball player with a BA in Sociology?

This is the Secretary of Education we're talking about. The title alone indicates that whomever fills that slot should have educational experience.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

24. My personal medical decisions? No.

But would I put medical policy decisions in the hands of someone that is an expert on health care policy? Yes.

It's really apples and oranges.

[MadHound]

26. That's the trouble, Duncan isn't an expert on educational policy

He is an expert at privatizing education, but not an expert on education policy.

Kinda like having a plumber do your quad bypass.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

27. He was a public school superintendent.

And last I checked, Chicago schools aren't privatized at all. Nice try though.

[LWolf]

34. He was a "CEO."

He was not, has never been, an educator.

And his record is Chicago is abysmal.

[Reader Rabbit]

4. It's not meant to be funny.

What Duncan is doing to education is an atrocity, but few people besides teachers can see it. And I suspect many Democrats see it, but are unwilling to admit it, because they don't want to "bash their own team."

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. What Duncan is doing in education is far, far from an atrocity.

But I don't suppose it's worthwhile debating it with you.

[Reader Rabbit]

29. Teachers disagree.

And no, there is no point in debating someone who holds teachers and their professional opinion in such contempt.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

30. My wife's a teacher.

And you can pretend that teachers are monolithic, but they're far, far from it.

[RayOfHope]

38. I'm a teacher and I think he's horrible. nt

[madfloridian]

37. "not worth debating with you"....arrogant statement.

Makes you seem superior to the rest of us here.

Arne is deliberately destroying public education with the blessing of the president.

[Jakes Progress]

39. Some are so buried in neocon propaganda

and some are so enamored with anything, and I a mean anything, the administration does, that children don't have a chance here. Here we have an example of someone that fits both categories.

[Catshrink]

5. And further more, teachers aren't even part of the discussion.

The "tour" he made around the country was just for show. Why isn't more made of his track record in Chicago?

The dismantling and privatization of education will be Obama's biggest blunder.

[madfloridian]

40. Teachers are now the "only" problem. Parents, kids not accountable.

Only teachers.

[Supersedeas]

6. The man is not impressive and has a knack for not answering a question -- Educational?

[Robb]

7. No one who has not been a teacher should make education policy?

I suppose no one who has not been a soldier should make national security policy, and no one who hasn't, what, been a cop should make law enforcement policy? No one who hasn't been a doc should make public health policy?

I'm no fan of Duncan, or Bush if you need to hear that, but these are all silly statements.

Edited to add an "n't" to make sense.

[Reader Rabbit]

8. Why is it ridiculous for a Secretary of Education to have experience educating kids?

That makes no sense at all.

[QC]

9. Should accountants design treatment protocols for trauma patients in the ER?

Surely it's not too much to ask that the Secretary of Education have some academic knowledge of, and personal experience in, education.

Brownie, um, Arne, has neither of those things. He's a guy who won the sperm lottery and knows how to bleat faddish platitudes that tickle the ears of the "schools should be run like a business" types. His alleged miracle in the Chicago schools was about as phony as G.W.'s "miracle" in Texas, and, come to think of it, consisted of the very same things: lots and lots and lots of tests.

Duncan is probably the worst of a very bad set of appointments.

[Reader Rabbit]

11. QC, I think I love you!

"Sperm lottery"! :rofl:



:loveya:

[QC]

17. Awww, now I'm blushing. n/t

[Robb]

14. It's still a meaningless yardstick to gauge potential success.

...by this overly simplistic test, for example, Rumsfeld should have been a brilliant addition.

[QC]

18. Is it only in education that experience and study are not qualifications,

or would you extend this novel theory to, say, engineering or neurosurgery?

[Robb]

19. So you approve of Rumsfeld's work, then?

Or are you being deliberately obtuse? :D

[QC]

16. wrong place

.

[demmiblue]

12. Pretty much.

Do you realize how silly that sounds?

Totally bizarre that you would not want those in the field to help dictate policy.

:crazy:

[DailyGrind51]

10. I can do something Arne Duncan can't do!

Legally teach in a public school! Unlike Duncan, I took the time, paid the tuition, and passed the required State exams to earn State certification.

[Supersedeas]

25. but he is one of those who applauds the firing of tuition paying, certified experience teachers

[DailyGrind51]

32. And, there in lies the problem!

[Dinger]

13. Of COurse A K & R From Me RR

:thumbsup: :hi: :patriot:

[smalll]

15. Good point! And not only never a teacher; never a public school student either!

At least according to Wikipedia, Arne Duncan went to The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools which is a private, co-educational day school in Chicago, Illinois. It is affiliated with the University of Chicago, and about half the students have a parent who is an employee of the university (and thereby receive a discount off the full tuition, normally as much as $20,000 per year).

[Starry Messenger]

20. Great analogy!

After today, we're at war.

[yurbud]

28. destruction of public education seems to have become a bipartisan cause

[TheKentuckian]

31. The most important thing is to support our President

if eventually only the wealthy and a few chosen special kids with high test scores and/or desirable parents are given an education then so be it!

Twelve buck an hour teachers and corporate control of education is the coolest!!!!

[LWolf]

33. Too late to recommend, but I'll give it a kick.

:kick:

[lutefisk]

35. Arne just oozes the ignorant arrogance of a chicken hawk. Good analogy.

Public education is pretty damn simple when you've never lived it. The complexities and human aspects just aren't there to muddy things up...

And his CEO experience with the CPS? Oh please! George W. Bush was the President of the United States, but he still isn't qualified to run a small business. Arne's an ass.

[madfloridian]

36. Linda Darling Hammond didn't play basketball.

She was the choice of many for DOE head. But she never really had a chance.

Linda Darling-Hammond Didn’t Play Basketball

The rest is history. In 1998, after running Rogers’ local non-profit for several years, Duncan went to work for Chicago Public Schools, becoming Deputy Chief of Staff for former CEO Paul Vallas. In 2001, he was appointed CEO of Chicago Public Schools by Mayor Daley. At the press conference when Obama announced his appointment of Duncan as U.S. Secretary of Education, Rogers was right there to praise him. Duncan was sure to thank Rogers, his "mentor" and close friend of 35 years.

Basketball happens to be a HUGE part of Rogers’ life. For years he has played in three-on-three basketball tournaments where Arne Duncan has been a regular member of his team. Rogers also recently attended a Michael Jordan basketball fantasy camp where his playing caused quite a stir; he is interviewed here. By the way, an upcoming three day camp in Las Vegas with Jordan is priced at $17,500.

Another of Rogers' regular basketball teammates for many years is Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s older brother. Both men attended Princeton and played on the school's basketball team. After graduating from college, Robinson became a wealthy businessman but gave up that work in 1999 to become a college basketball coach.

Knowing Rogers via her brother, Michelle introduced Obama to him when she started dating Obama seriously, around 1990. This would have been about the time Arne Duncan returned to Chicago and was starting to work for Rogers' non-profit, as well as playing basketball with him again. Connections made on the court, rather than on the green.

So now the relationship between Rogers, Robinson, Duncan, and Obama is explained. By the way, Rogers' ex-wife, Desirée Glapion Rogers, is the new White House social secretary. Read more about Obama's basketball life here.

[goclark]

41. I thought I just read that Rogers just left the WH staff

I really appreciated the style that she gave to the WH.

I know they played that "Lady with the Red Dress" tape over and over and over on TV for a reason and I believe it had a lot to do with her exit.


IMO, that is a shame.
She is not the first, nor will she be the last WH staff person that makes a mistake.

[madfloridian]

42. I heard she was leaving, didn't know why.

I have been mostly focusing on education because it is happening so quickly.

[LWolf]

43. She was certainly the best on his short list in November of '08. nt