Public school for Sasha and Malia?

[babylonsister]

Public school for Sasha and Malia?
By CAROL E. LEE | 11/10/08 3:45 PM EST



The conventional wisdom has been that Sasha and Malia Obama would likely attend private school — but a curious call to a Northwest Washington elementary may tell a different tale.

The person on the line to Lafayette Elementary School wanted to know what the process is for enrolling children who don’t live within the school’s boundaries.

The caller gave an address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — the White House — and said there would be two children.

“They have never given a name,” said principal Lynn Main. “Nobody’s called about touring, coming to visit the school or anything.”

Main said the call came in on Thursday or Friday of last week and lasted just a few minutes. She said she gave the caller her usual line: The school is about 140 students over capacity and doesn’t typically enroll children who live outside the neighborhood.

“We took it as a hoax or something,” Main said of the call.

Perhaps — but by sending their daughters to a public school, the Obamas would send a strong political message to the predominantly black city that gave Obama more than 90 percent of the vote last Tuesday. And Lafayette is one of D.C.’s better public schools.

more...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15485.html

[Gothmog]

1. The West Wing is being copied yet again

There are a number of areas where the West Wing is turning out to be accurate. First, Josh Lyman was based on Rahm Emanuel who eventually became the COS for the new Santos administration. Matt Santos is based in part on President Elect Obama. At the end, the Santos children ended up in a public school just as it appears may happen to the Obama children.

BTW, I love the West Wing.

[TomClash]

10. "Matt Santos is based in part on President Elect Obama"

A hoax.

[VADem11]

11. It's true

"I drew inspiration from him in drawing this character," West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie told the Guardian. "When I had to write, Obama was just appearing on the national scene. He had done a great speech at the convention and people were beginning to talk about him."

Attie, who served as chief speechwriter to Al Gore during the ill-fated 2000 campaign and who wrote many of the key Santos episodes of the West Wing, put in a call to Obama aide David Axelrod.

"I said, 'Tell me about this guy Barack Obama.'"

With the Latino actor Jimmy Smits already cast for the show, Attie was especially keen to know how rising star Obama approached the question of his race. Axelrod's answers helped inform Santos's approach to his own Hispanic identity.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/21/barackobama.uselections2008?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

[Gothmog]

16. Thanks

I read the same article last week.

[TomClash]

32. I think this is an after the fact rationale

Attie is saying this in 2008, not when the character was first created. It's too convenient by half.

[NYC Liberal]

37. Even if he wasn't created that way, it still is amazing how similar it's turned out to be

anyway.

[gratefultobelib]

2. I just want them to be safe.

[Avalon6]

3. They have always attended private school in Chicago, no reason to change now

[surrealAmerican]

15. That's what makes this sound like a hoax.

I doubt that the Obamas would decide that DC public schools are adequate when Chicago public schools aren't.

[Essene]

29. i dont have a hard time imagining somebody doing massive research

And just because somebody may... MIGHT... COULD... call on their behalf doesnt mean it's serious interest.

DC has a lot of public, private and charter schools.

[katmondoo]

4. I say NO

It will be difficult enough for the Secret Service to protect them without having to deal with a large group. Why put them in the spotlight if it is not necessary.
If the kids are happier in a private school then that is where they should be. I get angry at people who want to use them just to show "aren't we Democrats great" Amy Carter was miserable in the public school. Let the kids have some peace and privacy.

[GCP]

5. For God's sake put them in a private school

I want them to be safe, not politically correct.

[Justyce]

14. Agree. nt

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

21. Ditto. nt

[SoCalDem]

23. Amen!!

The secret service agents have a hard enough job to do, without having to oversee those two litle girls in a public school..and think of the nightmare scenario for the other kids going there...

Private schools where other presidents' kids and kids of dignataries have gone, are prepared for it, and security is a normal thing for them..

A major part of BEING the child of a president, is that your life DOES change, and schooling is just part of the package..

If you are determined to make your child's life perfectly "normal", you work in the garden department at Target.

[Essene]

28. all the public or charters schools are filled with gun-toting gangsters and bad teachers, right?

They should obviously consider safety, but they should look for quality of education and experience.

I dont think many of the remaining public schools would fit their needs, but there are likely some smaller public charter schools that could.

They'll make a good choice, I'm sure.

[Dukkha]

36. damned either way

Private school and they are accused of being elitists and hypocrites
Public school and they are accused of pandering and compromising their education

so at least keep them safe and educated well! who cares what the pundits will whine about.

[Mike Daniels]

39. As another poster said, the girls are already attending private school in Chicago

To change to a public school at this point would look more like posturing than keeping them in a private school.

[greenbriar]

6. that would be awesome

and in keeping with the tone

[BunkerHill24]

7. I think all this PC about what the in-coming administration should do

...and shouldn't do is nauseating. I say let the Obama family decide what is good for their kids.

[dflprincess]

8. From just a safety perspective

I would think a private school would be preferable and better set up to handle security.

[ikojo]

9. Don't Malia and Sasha currently attend a private

school in Chicago? I would assume they'd attend a private school in DC. I would think a private school in that area is more used to high profile students and their parents.

Don't DC schools have a lot of problems, similar to those found in many urban school districts? Would they be able to deal with the security needs of children of the POTUS?

[PJPhreak]

12. Please Do Not Do an"Amy Carter"....

To the Obama Kids. Plus the SS would have fits keeping those two safe in D.C. Schools

[VADem11]

13. I doubt it

If their children could go to public school in the suburbs, then maybe but I doubt they would send their kids to a school in DCPS.

[WI_DEM]

17. Whatever the Obama's decide to do is fine with me.

[0955Forrest]

18. lol...

they're NOT going to public DC schools.

[lady raven]

19. I never really saw what the big deal was.

One can be in support of public education (I am) while one's children attend private school (mine does). I send my son to a private school because

(1) The school he attends is academically superior. Although I want the public schools improved to at least this level, the fact of the matter is that he is getting a superior education at this school at this point in time.

(2) He is going to a Christian school. I want him to have a religious education and I do NOT want religion in the public schools, So I send him to a private one (as should anyone who wants their child to mix education and religion).

If the Obamas want their kids to have the best education possible, at this time it seems to me that a private school is likely their best option. They can work on improving the public schools while still getting the best education for their own girls.

Ultimately, it's their choice and I'll respect whatever choice they make.

[freestyle]

20. Private school for safety. This is not Amy Carter in 1977. n/t

[Lucky 13]

22. The DC public schools are HORRIFIC.

1) Educationally, they'd be doing them a disservice.
2) Security wise, they'd be more vulnerable than on a closed campus private school.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. not all of them are horrific

[Lucky 13]

38. I've worked with most of the schools in DC... including those in NW.

They consistently have lower test scores than the norm for the country. I worked to help younger students pass the Stanfords and high schoolers to prep for the SAT and PSAT. CONSISTENTLY the kids in the DC public schools lacked many of the BASIC skills needed to score remotely well. I was teaching high schoolers basic arithmetic and reading comprehension. For many of the kids there was a severe lack of effort, but there were many kids that were interested, engaged and desperately trying to do well to go on to college. And even they were just so poorly prepared, their scores were often too low to even be considered by most major universities.

And while the schools in NW are BETTER, they still are not great and don't seem to compare to other schools in the area - DC private schools or public schools in Maryland or Virginia.

There are just so many problems with the way the entire school system is managed. It's not the fault of the teachers (though many seem underprepared and ill-suited for teaching), it's not the kids' fault (even if they are no longer engaged, I'm sure it's from years of being unstimulated intellectually and not pushed to expect more of themselves).

[Essene]

40. there are many hundreds of schools and i mentioned charters in particular...

Obviously most DC schools are horrible if not fatally mediocre.

Michelle likely has somebody doing a broad range of initial research on schools, so i would make no assumption about any given call to a school. I wouldnt expect these 2 girls to be dropped into some typical large public school and it's not even worth debating.

But i believe some of the smaller charters would be a decent fit and could handle all their needs. Their issue would be getting into one, as those schools have a lottery and you cant say "hey, im the president."

They will make the best choice out of available options, I'm sure.

[theboss]

24. There is, like, one good public elementary school in NW DC

I could understand sending them to that one.

They would be out of their minds to send their kids to public school in the district beyond 6th Grade though.

[MattNC]

25. There is nothing wrong with private schools

and not just for security reasons. If the Obamas can afford to send them, then by all means they should. It is not an indictment of public education or hypocritical for them to do so. Total non-issue.

[jazzjunkysue]

26. The strain is too much for a public school. They just don't have the resources to deal

with the entire package of having the first family around. Security, press, it's mind boggling.

You have to work in a public school to understand.

There's nowhere for the secret service guys to observe, they can't control the population, and it's a huge intrusion to the other kids and staff. You'd need a new staff just to keep the press out.

A private school has the money and space, and the rules can all be adapted for their needs.

It would be unfair to the other kids to have so much disruption. It's just a fact. It would take so much away from the other kids, just trying to deal with security.

Don't misunderstand, the girls themselves would not be the problem. I'm sure they'll be eager to make new friends just like any new kids.

Private school kids would have the resources to change schools if they felt the intrusion of the press and the extra attention was unwanted.

And they don't pay public school teachers enough to deal with the pressure, either. Public school teachers are under tremendous pressure to always treat every child exactly the same way, every minute. Much attention is payed by parents to find us treating any child differently, and there's no way you can treat the president's children the same way.

A private school is not bound by hundreds of legal and union and resource constrictions. A private school can change and adapt as it goes along, as needed. Public schools have enough to deal with, already.

This public school teacher votes private, for the sake of the other public school kids.

[TheKentuckian]

30. My heart says private schools shouldn't even exist

and that our schools would be much better if the affluent had to depend on the same schools as Job and Jill Average's kids do but my brain realizes that it would be a freaking nightmare.

[LisaL]

31. Maybe the caller was someone from DU.

Next thing Obama knows, someone will enroll his children for him.
:rofl:

[JoFerret]

33. Not going to happen

Would surely be a shocker if it did.

[bridgit]

34. Umm, I'd just as soon see the girls in a private school setting...

[mokawanis]

35. I agree

putting them in public school would be a good symbolic gesture but given the high-profile situation I think the girls would be better off attending a public school.