"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Thursday, November 12, 2009

In Today's Non-News: NY Times Praises Final "Bribe to the Flop" Rules

We know that when the Editorial Board's pocket reporter, Sam Dillon, wants to know about charter schools, he goes to Jeanne Allen, whose corporate advocacy outfit is dedicated to the promotion of charters. And when he wants to know about teacher quality, he goes to leading right-wing teacher basher for NCTQ, Kate Walsh. And when he wants to get the real dope on ed policy, he turns to prominent right wing prostitute, Rick Hess, of AEI. Here is an article from a few days back that has all three featured in the same piece of "reporting."

Today's headline says it all: After Criticism, the Administration Is Praised for Final Rules on Education Grants.
Upon reading the article, we find that none of the corporate reformer priorities has changed, and the "praise" that Dillon has gone looking for is as scarce as hen's teeth. The facts are acknowleged here by the reptilian Rahm Emanuel:
“Even after all the comments, the rules are as comprehensive and demanding as before, they haven’t changed,” said Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s chief of staff, in an interview. “We’re seeking reforms, so we haven’t backed off anything.”
The headline, no doubt, was written for the benefit of those who read just headlines.

2 comments:

  1. At the high end of the Obama/Duncan scoring system.

    Bust a teacher's union - 100 points
    Shutdown an inner-city school - 200 points
    Privatize a district in the US - 500 points
    Abolish universal public education in America - Priceless

    Let the race to oblivion begin!

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  2. Loved the 'reptitlian Rahm Emanuel' line. I knew there was something over-the-top creepy about the guy, but now I have a phrase to go with it! Thanks!

    My vote for Nader last year just looks better and better every day.

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