Fellow Grayson admirers: where is our guy on federal....

[Smarmie Doofus]

... education "reform". That would be: NCLB, RTTP, Charters, etc.

The website isn't very illuminating.

[Dinger]

1. Yeah, I'd Like to Know That Too (nt)

[elleng]

2. I found this, in our discussion with him:

Alan Grayson (92 posts) Tue Oct-19-10 12:16 PM
Response to Reply #10
69. Teachers
The right wing has vilified public schools and teachers for a generation. My opponent homeschooled his six children, and then sponsored legislation to increase class sizes in elementary schools to 60. 60!! They won't stop until they have destroyed public education throughout America. So we have to stop them.

and this:

187. Education Reform
The fundamental problem in education that I see today is that it is devolving into factory education, where we teach reading, writing, counting and little else. That is completely unsuited for the 21st century. We have over 100 million jobs in this country, and they are 100 million different jobs. Hardly ever do you see two people doing the same thing. So we need an education system that focuses on the unique attributes of each child -- interests, talents, skills -- and cultivates them. The things that makes us special are not the things that make us the same, they are the things that make us different. Of course we need more funding for public education, because to do it right, that education has to be as diverse as we are.

more

219. Education Reform
I gave a pretty long answer to a similar question above. It's fine to set goals and hold contests, but the problems in public education go a lot deeper than that.

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. Every little bit helps.

I like the general tone but I'm detecting a decidedly un-Graysonish skittishness about directly taking on the biggies: eg. charters, NCLB, and the contemptible RTTP.

I think he's one of the brightest people... if not THE brightest...in Congress ( i.e. he's flat out BRILLIANT,imo) so it's hard to imagine him taking seriously the pabum served up by Obama/Gingrich and deliberately mislabeled "education reform" .

However.. I wish he'd speak more plainly on the issue.

He's also a public school product, BTW. ( Bronx HS of Science.).

[elleng]

4. He did have to talk in 'sound bites,' considering the forum/time constraints.

He clearly understands the potential of public education = Bronx Science. (SOME might consider it to be similar to a 'charter!')

Did you read all of my edits? Took at while to put the post together!

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Explain what u mean by edits....

... and I'll reply tomorrow. It's past beddie-byes.

Re. BX Science: Every system has test-to-get-into elite schools and always had... far as I know. Science still is fully unionized... although it now has a virulently anti-union principal. Nonetheless.... she is somewhat constrained by the collective bargaining agreement. ( Lots of stuff on the net about the battles between UFT and nutty "DOCTOR" Valerie Reidy. Google her.)

Charter School? No. Though there are some shared characteristics.

Thanks for your legwork.

[sabrina 1]

6. I saw those comments from him and loved them

as he clearly understands that 'testing' is not the way to educate children. I was happy when I saw how he views education, not as a business but as a profession and he is clearly against privatizing the public schools