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

Monday, January 18, 2010

Innovation Schools = Segregation Schools

It is ironic, at least, that today on Martin Luther King Day, the Governor of Massachusetts, an African-American himself, signed an education bill that assures the continued intensification of resegregation of American schools and the renewed oppression of minority children in the poorest neighborhoods of the Commonweath. Now with a state approved policy that doubles the number of chain gang corporate charters in the poorest and blackest neighborhoods, the human rights, the economic rights, and the civil rights for which Dr. King gave his life now accelerate even further and faster into our recent past. Apartheid returns with a "liberal" seal of approval.

And the fact that the Democantic establishment is so blinded by their own greed and hubris that they see nothing ironic about this sad reality shows exactly why they will lose on Tuesday the U. S. Senate seat occupied by the late Ted Kennedy. For while the Rahm troops have built a corporate constituency in Washington that can out-money even the Republicrats, the Progressive independents and progressive Democrats that elected Obama are done with the charade. Over. Out. No mas! Corporate education, corporate healthcare, corporate war, corporate welfare, corporate psychology, corporate government, corporate environmental policy, corporate rights, corporate speechifying, and corporate kowtowing. Done, over, out. No mas.

The only thing that could alter the inevitable national meltdown for the "Dems" in November would be to move quickly to Reconciliation after tomorrow in order to pass the real heath care reform with a public option that Americans support, rather than the corporate welfare insurance plan that they don't. Anything less than that will be a waste of time and effort for Democants. Of course, a repudiation of corporate schooling and corporate testing in favor of renewal of public education would be a positive sign, too. A difference is only a difference when it makes a difference. Apologies to G. Bateson.

1 comment:

  1. Ravitch wrote about the ed "deform" betrayal to the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. here:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-ravitch/todays-education-reforms_b_427604.html

    ReplyDelete