tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post5238362957344261510..comments2024-03-28T19:47:39.985-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: The GOP's Education ProblemPeter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-72942912951551898552015-08-24T09:24:03.528-04:002015-08-24T09:24:03.528-04:00Rebecca,
Private schools function with less regul...Rebecca,<br /><br />Private schools function with less regulation than public schools. Post secondary schools with less regulation than public schools. Giving students the ability to choose means that they can match themselves to the school, and schools need not try to be all things to all students.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-5743876721263886952015-08-24T05:47:48.399-04:002015-08-24T05:47:48.399-04:00It's not the same thing. You just refuse to ge...It's not the same thing. You just refuse to get it. Try reading Peter's Edureads for the week, especially Sarah Blaine's. But it's probably futile. You'll believe what you believe. I'm not going to try to reason with you anymore.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-33382121466617126642015-08-23T23:11:57.663-04:002015-08-23T23:11:57.663-04:00Rebecca,
If parents have the ability to choose a ...Rebecca,<br /><br />If parents have the ability to choose a school, that does substitute for some regulations. To see this, think about what would happen if you were assigned a plumber by your local government and it would be illegal for you to use a different plumber. Everything that you think makes a good plumber would now need to be a regulation. A standard for how quickly the plumber returns your call, a standard for how quickly the plumber arrives at your home, etc.<br /><br />I do think charter schools require some regulation, just not as much as schools where the local government makes the students attend. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-42024948120175890072015-08-23T14:21:48.350-04:002015-08-23T14:21:48.350-04:00TE, just when I think maybe you aren't so dens...TE, just when I think maybe you aren't so dense after all, here you go again with your fairy tale, Ayn Rand statements. You're as bad as Rand Paul. I keep telling myself I'm not going to engage when you do that, then I think, "He's not really a troll, he just doesn't get it, if I talk to him maybe he will."<br /><br />Your idea that it's okay to have less regulation for charter schools, because since it's a "choice," the magic of the free market system - even though these are supposedly "public" schools, and are using taxpayer dollars - will mean that bad ones will close because people won't go there, is not grounded in reality.<br /><br />Where I live we don't have good choices to begin with. We don't have Waldorf or Montessori charter schools, we have White Hat and K-12 charter schools. In Ohio, we have some of the worst charter schools in the nation, and the worst corruption. David Hansen, the director of school choice and accountability - and whose wife is Kasich's campaign manager - just had to resign because he omitted failing grades for a bunch of charters to ensure they could keep getting taxpayer money. Charters have been closed for failing grades and just open up again under another sponsor. Parents have no clue what's going on in the schools, and the schools aren't required to be subject to audits. It took journalists to discover what was going on in the "choice and accountability" department, and now that Hansen fell on the sword, the administration is stonewalling further investigation. And you think these schools need LESS regulation than traditional public schools?Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-1739406926750833272015-08-23T13:17:08.636-04:002015-08-23T13:17:08.636-04:00" Standardized testing makes it possible for ..." Standardized testing makes it possible for parents to see the progress their child is making and teachers to know when to correct course in their instruction."<br />Maybe, at 82, Feinstein is repeating the talking points of the "undead" at CAP (courtesy of laMissy in her comment to Peter's first Cap post) because she's one of them.<br />I read this and thought, "Do these people not have children? How can they think parents can't know how their children are doing in school without a standardized test? Do they have a working brain at all? They certainly don't delve into the issues they pontificate about. How can they think this helps teachers' instruction when these tests give no specific feedback, it takes forever to get results, and what's on the test is top secret?<br /><br />Then I looked at Wikipedia. Diane, although Jewish, went to a Catholic school, one of the oldest private high schools in California, which today charges $36, 500 for one year of tuition. And "In 2003, Feinstein was ranked the fifth-wealthiest senator, with an estimated net worth of $26 million.[10] By 2005 her net worth had increased to between $43 million and $99 million." So I'm guessing her daughter didn't go to a public school. Diane clearly has no first-hand, or even second-hand, knowledge of public schools, how they work, or the "little people" whom they serve. <br /><br />I read a comment the other day by someone by the name of Roger Goppelt:<br />"People who can't teach, criticize and go into politics. People who care about other people and have a can-do attitude, teach."Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-57077190397629108332015-08-23T09:46:39.307-04:002015-08-23T09:46:39.307-04:00I don't have much hope for the dems either. He...I don't have much hope for the dems either. Here's a quote from Diane Feinstein:<br />"I recognize that standardized tests have clear limitations and are not a cure-all for our nation's education challenges; however, I also believe testing is an important tool for measuring student and school performance in order to ensure that every child receives a quality education. Standardized testing makes it possible for parents to see the progress their child is making and teachers to know when to correct course in their instruction."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-45828398366962564052015-08-23T08:29:44.069-04:002015-08-23T08:29:44.069-04:00Linda,
Allowing families to choose schools can su...Linda,<br /><br />Allowing families to choose schools can substitute for some regulation, so it is not unreasonable to have less regulation for a choice school than a school that the government forces a student to attend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-72882244180744137552015-08-23T05:56:29.647-04:002015-08-23T05:56:29.647-04:00Great post Peter! I agree entirely, but about the...Great post Peter! I agree entirely, but about the "Red Tape", have this to add. Let's not forget that the GOP is for accountability unless it comes to for-profit charter and private schools. Then, what they do with our taxpayer dollars is their business, not ours. Linda Lyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12928993198529388797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-51538697584678901272015-08-22T20:15:02.816-04:002015-08-22T20:15:02.816-04:00It seems to me that many are for local control exc...It seems to me that many are for local control except when they are against it as well. Jefferson County and east Rampo come to mind, as well as every school district that is or should be under a court order to desegregate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-22013287747073333482015-08-22T17:01:52.300-04:002015-08-22T17:01:52.300-04:00I needed much less than 10 minutes to know that Ch...I needed much less than 10 minutes to know that Chris Christie and John Kasich are unfit to govern.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-31286663780616004792015-08-22T01:07:13.335-04:002015-08-22T01:07:13.335-04:00In his discussion with Campbell Brown, New Jersey ...In his discussion with Campbell Brown, New Jersey Governor Christie let this one go regarding how easy it is to decide which teachers should be fired, and separated from their students. <br /><br />Why it takes all of ten minutes!<br />(21:13 - 21:54)<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrc7KJnLRQ<br />(21:13 - 21:54)<br />CHRISTIE (to the parents): <br />"Let me ask you a question, 'cause there's a lot of people out here who care about education. When you go to 'Back To School Night', is there ever a doubt in your mind within ten minutes of getting in that classroom, whether that's a good teacher or a bad teacher? Ever? <br /><br />"You're either in there going, 'It's gonna be a good year,' <br /> <br />" ... or you're... 'Oh God. This is going to be a problem.' <br /><br />"You don't need a PhD in education to understand this (i.e. decide which teachers should be fired). If we (parents) can figure it out in ten minutes, then why can't we have a tenure system that holds teacher to account, and that has parents understanding that they (parents) can have an impact on that, too."<br />--------------------<br /><br />Could you imagine if a teacher saying the same thing... that a teacher can tell within ten minutes whether a parent is unfit, and thus, should have their child taken away by Child Services?<br /><br />TEACHER: (to the teachers): <br />"Let me ask you a question, 'cause there's a lot of people out here who care about education. When you go to "Back To School Night", is there ever a doubt in your mind within ten minutes of meeting a parent whether that's a good parent or a bad parent? Ever? <br /><br />"You're either in there going, 'It's gonna be a good year,' <br /><br />" ... or you're... 'Oh God. This is going to be be a problem.' <br /><br />"You don't need a PhD in education to understand this (i.e. decide which parent should have their children taken away). If we (teachers) can figure it out in ten minutes, then why can't we have a child and family services system that holds parents to account, and that has teachers understanding that they (teachers) can have an impact on that, too."<br />--------------------Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911854468188214107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-30321646728584335352015-08-20T19:37:09.990-04:002015-08-20T19:37:09.990-04:00This is almost hilarious. Over the last 9 years, ...This is almost hilarious. Over the last 9 years, I've worked in schools where there is no "teacher's lounge". We do have a teacher workroom, where we make copies and a few other things we do (serving as our own administrative assistants, as we do, unlike every other professional / college graduate employee). Sit around and talk ? How many other professionals can get their lunch, eat it, bus their table and be back to their own classroom on-the-job in 20-25 minutes (having used the restroom once and made a few copies, to boot) ?<br />None of these GOP candidates has any idea what any real teachers do -- at all. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115992679153894545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-75130486866596825152015-08-20T19:26:04.872-04:002015-08-20T19:26:04.872-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115992679153894545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-44472899907891344312015-08-20T18:28:00.996-04:002015-08-20T18:28:00.996-04:00"I’ll tell you what the unions do, unfortunat..."I’ll tell you what the unions do, unfortunately too much of the time. There’s a constant negative comment, ‘They’re going to take your benefits, they’re going to take your pay,'" Kasich said. "So if I were, not president, but if I were king in America, I would abolish all teachers' lounges, where they sit together and worry about, 'Woe is us.'"<br /><br />So, Mr. Kasich, I'm just imagining the 4% pay cut this year? The fact that I've had no pay incease in 6 years even though I've been evaluated as "effective" or "highly effective" my entire 19 year career is just a teacher's lounge rumor started by the union?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06771901155978862689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-31208720387580878472015-08-20T12:05:13.284-04:002015-08-20T12:05:13.284-04:00Kasich seems to have done himself a great deal of ...Kasich seems to have done himself a great deal of damage with his comment that if he were king, he would abolish teacher's lounges. The comments section to the article on this in HuffPost is full of more pro-teacher comments than I've ever seen. There were also snarky comments about "King Kasich." People who said they had been leaning toward him because they thought he was the most sane of the lot said they'd never vote for him now, and even people who don't know much about what we do seemed to think it was ridiculous and made no sense. Also, a lot of people know he's given tons of money to for-profit charters that are some of the worst in the nation, then lied about how bad they are. Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-84527501585574775082015-08-20T11:54:44.693-04:002015-08-20T11:54:44.693-04:00Not her purpose at all.Not her purpose at all.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-1388849752949129212015-08-20T10:38:08.982-04:002015-08-20T10:38:08.982-04:00I watched almost the whole miserable thing and, Pe...I watched almost the whole miserable thing and, Peter, you are spot on. Every single one of these candidates expressed the exact same self-contradictory nonsense. <br /><br />Their handlers have apparently figured out that the only thing you can take a definite stand on is more "choice". Everyone is apparently OK with that word. <br /><br />But any other issue was addressed by doing exactly what you describe--vaguely describe two ideas that are exact opposites: <br /><br />Teachers are great/but organizations of teachers are the biggest problem. <br /><br />Local control is great/but we can't rely on the union-controlled local boards of ed. <br /><br />CCSS is bad/but we need high standards. <br /><br />Got to change the structure of education to keep up with the times/but we have to take away job protection for teachers, so they can be fired for taking the risk of doing anything innovative.<br /><br />The other thing that stood out to me was the blatant lying by my governor (Walker) in touting his education record. If he was doing it, there's no reason to believe the others weren't just as bad. This is not surprising, of course--they are politicians, after all. But where were Campbell Brown's follow up questions? Walker's and Jindahl's lies would have been so easy to expose with a little bit of advance research on her part. I guess that wasn't her purpose.Dave Eckstromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13521336850803352134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-37416690322242708882015-08-20T10:01:29.798-04:002015-08-20T10:01:29.798-04:00One of the keys to understanding the mindset of th...One of the keys to understanding the mindset of these candidates comes at the 20:30 point in Chris Christie's comments. He is talking about how, as a parent, no one cares more about his child's education. His child is crying because he can't understand something, he's struggling. Christie then says " He's frustrated because HE can't ..". He pauses, then changes the statement to " the TEACHER can't get through to him". The fault is instantly that of the teacher - the student and his parents have no responsibility or personal "accountability" for the issue. The first response is not "what do I need to do to help him understand the problem", rather it is "I need to hold someone else (the teacher) accountable for it". <br /><br />His assertion that any parent can tell if they have a good or a bad teacher after one 10 min encounter on back-to-school night is so sad you have to laugh to keep from crying. I'd like to see his reaction if the teacher said she could tell the same thing about the parents after the same encounter.Bill Whittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13949827122153876200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-31121835070913314442015-08-20T08:49:39.376-04:002015-08-20T08:49:39.376-04:00I don't think the Republicans (and most Democr...I don't think the Republicans (and most Democrats for that matter) personally are conflicted one bit. They know perfectly well what they want. The contradictions come because they know they can't sell their vision directly, so they have to hem and haw and, well, flat out lie.Diennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04570040547158789834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-21229495057358621832015-08-20T08:44:59.515-04:002015-08-20T08:44:59.515-04:00Brilliant summary. I especially love your descrip...Brilliant summary. I especially love your description of the Republicans version of "choice." Yes, parents should have choices but only those that the policymakers deem suitable. You want your good old local community schools? Well, it's test scores sucked see we fired its teachers, handed control to private management organizations, reduced their accountability, gave them some control over their student body, splintered their community and did all of this on the off-chance that test scores (not necessarily actual education) might improve. Aren't those community members happy that you made all of those choice limitations for them?lateralushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10870256979297807637noreply@blogger.com