What Hillary Says
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| Clinton hasn't been entirely clear on her position on several K-12 issues but, given she like hedge funders and their money, she probably supports charter schools in some form. But this comment is a true one. |
Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
The Stevens story is a microcosm of the collapse of public schools. The decision is made to let disruptors and rejectors rule the school. Bad student behavior is necessarily the school's fault -- lack of resources, lack of cultural compentence, something -- and the only allowed remedy is to devote even more resources to the disruptors and rejectors. That starts a predictable downward spiral of dysfunctional classrooms, demoralized and disappearing teachers, and more kids climbing on the rejector bandwagon because they see who is in charge and want to be with the winners. Stevens itself has a large cohort of Lexus-liberal parents with lots of resources who can with sufficient effort keep the ship upright. But it's easy to see how schools without that advantage sink quickly.
It seems to me that the writing is on the wall, and the public schools can't survive. Melissa and Charlie are like French generals in high-top black boots with monocles, pacing up and down the Maginot line, forever fighting the last war. Meanwhile, the silent majority of parents is silently looking for a way out. The public schools survive now based on a deep well of support from older people with fond memories of their own public school time, but no current contact with the schools, and no understanding that they are totally different now. As that generation passes, and the electorate consists more and more of people who personally experienced schools as they actually are now, the support won't be there. What lesson do you think the students are learning at Stevens? Don't bother to ask them; they know well that you stick to the PC catechism on pain of punishment. But they have lyin' eyes and private thoughts. What do you suppose they are?
To me, crony-capitalist looter charter schools seem like the fire outside the PC public school frying pan. A much better answer would be vouchers, to give parents real control. The next war is about what replaces public schools. A system like Medicare would be much better -- single payer but choose your own provider.
Final irony noted -- when the Clintons first won the White House, it was campaigning on "personal responsibility." Now Hillary apparently put her finger in the wind, and realized it really is all society's fault.
Anybody that thinks the Neolibs are going to do anything for public education has managed to ignore Arne Duncan.
This is the area where I have the least confidence in Ms. Clinton. And interestingly, the one solid area where neolibs and conservatives find agreement over the last 8 years.
More of the same? Not buying it. And otherwise, not a Clinton-hater.
Independent voter
Follow the money