For Arne Duncan, the Buck Stops Over There. Outstanding Ed Week blog by Anthony Cody.

[madfloridian]

For Arne Duncan, the Buck Stops Over There

First he mentions Harry Truman sign..."The Buck Stops Here".

Our current US secretary of education, sadly, has shown little capacity to accept blame or take criticism for much of anything, but is a master of deflection. With Arne Duncan, time and again, the buck stops not here, but over there.

When it comes to education in the United States, the problem is, according to Mr. Duncan, "white suburban moms" who think their kids are smarter than they truly are. These silly women just don't know enough to be as concerned as they ought to be about their kids' brainpower. The problem, too, is career educators who have spent their careers lying to children and the public by not letting everyone know how dumb kids really are, in a callous and calculated effort to conceal the truth about themselves (i.e., that they, the public schoolteachers of America, are massive failures top to bottom).

....The sad fact is that there are two Americas. Arne Duncan should be taking ownership of the problem of inequity and inadequate funding for schools in poor areas. He should be using his bully pulpit to go after those who concentrate wealth away from the kids who need the most help. Instead, he spends his time bashing parents, students, and teachers for their perceived failings, and he simultaneously greases the skids for the 1% to wreck public schools via the shock doctrine of under-funding on the one hand and demanding the same results achieved by high-funded schools on the other, then applying punitive measures when the underfunded schools fall short, beginning with labels calling those schools' quality into question and ending with school closures. Notice how this practice assumes that local educational shortcomings are exclusively the fault of local educators: federal educational policy and practice are held blameless at every turn.

Not surprisingly given this approach, Arne Duncan has overseen the closure of more public schools--predominantly in the neighborhoods populated by the poor--than any other secretary of education, ever. He has, in serial fashion, overseen the breaking of our forebears' promises to provide a free education to all, trading the obligation of the public to care for one another--especially the weakest and most in need of generosity from the rest of us, our poor children--for the assurances of America's richest and scabbiest hedge fund managers and CEOs--the same con artists who wrecked banking, housing, and energy, then got bailed out and left the middle class to pick up the pieces--that they will better serve children via competition, branding, marketing, proprietary software, and franchising. "Give us your schools," they cry, "and we will save these children."

A couple of weeks ago Arne Duncan crossed a line of almost no return. There has been no apology from him, and not one political leader stood up and spoke out for the teachers he maligned.

It is always the fault of someone else.

For a Democratic education secretary to set the all-time record in closing public schools should be a badge of shame that reflects on him.

[FloriTexan]

1. K&R

[madfloridian]

3. .....

and thanks.

[Doctor_J]

2. The president should have fired him the day after the "bottom of the barrel" quote came out

The two of them are now officially disgusting

[Jakes Progress]

12. That was my straw.

It meant that the president I helped elect either agreed with him, was too spineless to say anything, or (probably the case) just doesn't give a damn about education in America.

Any candidate in the future who embraces Obama's or arne's philosophy or plans will not get my support, my money, or my time.

[Chiquitita]

4. "and not one political leader stood up and spoke out for the teachers he maligned..."

That's the kicker.

[madfloridian]

6. And it is unbelievable.

All the attacks on teachers and public schools are allowed to go on with no one in Democratic leadership standing with them.

It's really quite shocking when you think it over.

[liberal_at_heart]

5. K&R

[madfloridian]

7. SO...any opinions on the most public schools closed in our history?

To me it is a dubious record for anyone to hold.

[daleanime]

10. I think that it weakens....

what we need to strengthen.





And when I think about where we're headed....I think I'm going to be sick.

[questionseverything]

16. the whole nclb was set up to defund public schools

and then current admin made it worse with Duncan and common core

................

I tried to rec this op several times...it keeps taking me to a sign in page (when I am obviously signed in),so I wanted to let you know I appreciate you bringing up this subject

[madfloridian]

18. Thanks, and you are right. NCLB < RTTT <Common Core...more and more testing

Wonder why it won't let you rec it? Heck I need all I can get. Thanks for trying.

[sabrina 1]

21. Maybe it's time for some of the Liberal organizations who have been pretty

successful in their campaigns for Liberal values against the Far Right, to start a campaign to remove Duncan from his position considering that the Public School System was the epitome of a Liberal Value. He is a crusader to destroy it and his record now proves that.

It's pointless to write to the WH or Congress who seem to be on board with the privatization of all of our publicly funded institutions. At this point the only hope is the people.

I would say that is a shameful record. But his real bosses are no doubt thrilled with his 'success' on their behalf. He will be well rewarded I'm sure.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

8. I gave as much as I could to the Obama campaign in 2008.

I gave zero in 2012. The rape of public education cannot be justified.

[Jakes Progress]

14. Yep.

Money and hundreds of hours in 2008. Zip in 2012. I won't support any candidate with my time and money that doesn't repudiate the rape of American education that has been going on since Obama decided to implement reagan's plan for public schools and let arne copy bill bennet.

[bbgrunt]

9. k and r. It is an appalling disgrace that the dem party condones this.

[madfloridian]

30. Yes, it is.

[blackspade]

11. Thanks madfloridian.

great OP as usual.
Duncan is a blight on our schools, children, the Obama administration, and the nation.
Time for him to go back to whatever corporate hellhole that spawned him...

[sabrina 1]

13. What a disgrace that the people elected Democrats to get rid of Bush policies, and THIS is what

we get:

Arne Duncan has overseen the closure of more public schools--predominantly in the neighborhoods populated by the poor--than any other secretary of education, ever. He has, in serial fashion, overseen the breaking of our forebears' promises to provide a free education to all, trading the obligation of the public to care for one another--especially the weakest and most in need of generosity from the rest of us, our poor children--for the assurances of America's richest and scabbiest hedge fund managers and CEOs

Does anyone remember when Bush's SOE insulted the Teachers Union and how they had to apologize?

I guess being a Democratic SOE means you don't have to say you're sorry ...

Shameful, and we are expected to repeat this exercise of voting over and over again getting worse results each time?

[madfloridian]

19. That paragraph needs to be repeated daily and loudly.

But it won't. Most likely will be ignored.

[Chiquitita]

15. Contacted the Department of Ed. today

There's no contact for Comments -- just to "ask questions". So, I sent this question.

Department of Education - Support [e-mail]
3:00 PM (8 hours ago)

Dear Constituent,

Your question has been received. You should expect a response from us within 5 business days.

The following Customer(s) have been CC'ed:

Incident Information:
Incident #: 28022-27813
Date Created: 1/27/2014 03:00 PM EST
Question: In Georgia today dedicated educators are currently losing the battle against the competitive business models colonizing K-12 schools, robbing them of their autonomy, and attacking teachers’ vocational identity and their historic civic role. Will you please publicly address the fact that powerful decision makers aren’t focused on supporting teachers to be effective, but rather they are using teachers as scapegoats for poverty and cover for reducing meaningful funding for public schools?

http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/gen/index.html

[madfloridian]

17. Very good and intelligent question. Will response be a form letter?

Most likely. Maybe not. Would be nice to get some straight answers and less talking points.

[sabrina 1]

20. Very good letter. It will be interesting to see if you get a response. I doubt it.

My experience with writing to these government agencies and elected officials is either, no response at all or a form letter which they have prepared.

Which is why I gave up writing TO them and believe it is far more effective to write ABOUT them on public forums where they can't hide your letter or email.

If enough people are writing negative things about them, Twitter and FB are other venues to spread the word about them, sooner or later they will respond, mostly negatively towards the people. See the attacks on Liberals eg from our own party. But more people learn what they are up to.

[Michigan-Arizona]

22. Thanks Madfloridian for all the work you do dealing with education n/t

[madfloridian]

23. Appreciated. I saw what was starting before I retired.

The new breed of principals was starting...I call them the punitive principals. They treated teachers like they were naughty children who weren't even trying to do a good job. It was awful because things had never been that way.

We were assumed to be at fault for everything, and that was something new. There was no respect shown to us at all. I could go on and on. I had to retire before I was ready, because I decided it was not worth it.

It's like a steamroller.

[madfloridian]

24. Starr to Duncan: ‘I resent implication that we lifelong public educators are liars’

Arne wrote in the WP that for years teachers and other educators had not been telling the truth to parents. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County schools called him out on it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/01/24/starr-to-duncan-i-resent-implication-that-we-lifelong-public-educators-are-liars/

Duncan has made similar comments before, repeatedly saying that “we must tell the truth” to parents and students about their achievement, suggesting that they have been lied to for some time. He said it here in 2009, for example, and here in 2010, here in 2011, here in 2012 and here in 2013.

This time, he got a response, in the form of a tweet on Friday from a school superintendent. The superintendent is Joshua Starr of Montgomery County, Md., who has been a critic of some of the standardized test-driven school reforms that Duncan has implemented as President Obama’s education secretary. This Washington Post story reported that Duncan recently advised New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio against selecting Starr as the city’s new schools chancellor. (Starr was offered the deputy chancellor’s job and turned it down.)

Here’s what Starr tweeted on Friday in response to Duncan’s op-ed:

Joshua Starr @mcpssuper
Follow

The truth helps http://wapo.st/1eHx6M7 via @washingtonpost. I resent implication that we lifelong public educators are liars.

I agree with Joshua Starr.

[Chiquitita]

26. And Duncan lobbied against Starr for the NYC schools position

For his criticism of Race to the Top and more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/education-officials-lobbied-against-starr-in-new-york-city/2013/12/31/c3017ed0-7249-11e3-8b3f-b1666705ca3b_story.html


"U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and at least one other Education Department official urged New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and his team not to choose Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr as the city’s next schools chancellor, according to several people knowledgable about the selection process. It was an unusual move by the nation’s top education official and came in the wake of Starr’s vocal criticism of some of the Obama administration’s school reform policies."

The whole article is great.

[madfloridian]

31. Yes, it was a shame he did that. None of his business.

I will always wonder if it had an impact on de Blasio's final choice.

[Wilms]

25. ^

[Enthusiast]

27. K&R! Arne Duncan is promoting a failed Republican education strategy.

Why is that, Mr. Obama?

[madfloridian]

32. Yes, he is pushing Bush's policies harder than Bush ever did.

I don't recall that teachers became the enemy during the Bush years.

[Enthusiast]

33. I guess that was part one

and this is part two of the war on teachers and public education.

[madfloridian]

34. Really getting the job done in spite of protests from education community.

After all it is really not about education at all, it is about profit.

[ellenrr]

28. Absolutely. and how' bout Biden's Chief of Staff becomes president of The Broad Foundation -

The Broad Foundation, Gates, and The Walton Family - key players in the corporatization of public education.
Arne Duncan (as well as Michelle Rhee and Larry Summers) are or have been on the Board of
The Broad Foundation.


http://www.defendpubliceducation.net/

[madfloridian]

29. Did you know that Wendy Kopp, TFA, and Richard Barth, KIPP, are married?

Marcello Stroud sent me TFA’s 990 for fiscal 2008. It shows that TFA had revenues of $159 million in fiscal year 2008 and expenses of $124.5 million. CEO and founder Wendy Kopp made $265,585, with an additional $17,027 in benefits and deferred compensation. She also made an additional $71,021 in compensation and benefits through the TFA-related organization Teach for All. Seven other TFA staffers are listed as making more than $200,000 in pay and benefits, with another four approaching that amount.

It’s also interesting to look at the 990 for the KIPP Foundation, the charter school chain led by Richard Barth, a former Edison vice president and TFA staffer who also happens to be Kopp’s husband. Barth made more than $300,000 in pay and benefits, bringing the Kopp/Barth household income to almost $600,000 for their work with TFA and KIPP. (In a 2008 article, the New York Times dubbed Kopp and Barth as “a power couple in the world of education, emblematic of a new class of young social entrepreneurs seeking to reshape the United States’ educational landscape.”)

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/6032

Article is now by subscription only, but when it was free I saved it.

[ellenrr]

35. interesting.

"reshape" is right,