Joe Williams' Blog
How Important Is Parent Power In Education?
I have long contended that the power dynamic caused by committed parents who decide they are mad as hell and don't want to take it any more will be the lever that moves things once and for all in K-12. The United Federation of Teachers in NYC gets this.
There is a rather amazing piece in this week's The Chief, a newspaper serving New York's organized labor community. It basically describes the work the teachers union in NYC did last spring to organize parents, and how the new bond that was formed represents a healing of past wounds (especially in Brooklyn) caused by battles between black parents and largely white, Jewish teachers.
Continue reading "How Important Is Parent Power In Education?"....
Posted by Joe Williams on July 10, 2007 9:32 AM
If Rome Is Burning, There Must Be A Fiddle Somewhere
Former Colorado Governor and L.A. Superintendent Roy Romer has a guest blogger today. (I can honestly say that I never, ever imagined that I would type the previous sentence. Shows how the blog thing has really taken off.)
But Romer's guest at Ed in 08, Fred Bramante, of New Hampshire, wonders why three big television networks have hosted presidential debates and yet - despite a widely acknowledged education crisis facing the nation - questions have tended to center around creationism, gays in the military, and Scooter Libby.
It's a good point. Is it possible that we Americans don't really care about education when you get down to it (as long as our own kids are doing fine)? Or is the topic just too messy for us?
Posted by Joe Williams on July 10, 2007 9:25 AM
July 9, 2007
Myself: Overly Cynical, Mr. Softy, Or Plain Clueless?
Last week, at the end of Pander-Palooza in Philadelphia, I asked whether Barack Obama was a breath of fresh air or the most clever pander meister in the bunch.
I honestly don't know. I still have no idea what Obama believes about education. He promises we'll know in a few weeks when he unveils some education proposals, but he and his team have a tendency to say a lot of words that don't really get you anywhere. (The rest of the field was so lame that it allowed Obama to - by default - sound like he really cared about bold moves for education without actually having to attach himself to anything too controversial. He only had to outdo Hillary, which was a cake walk.)
But others had much stronger feelings.
Continue reading "Myself: Overly Cynical, Mr. Softy, Or Plain Clueless?"....
Posted by Joe Williams on July 9, 2007 8:35 AM
Groovy, Baby
Michael Tobman, lobbyist/strategist for Democrats for Education Reform's New York outpost, was one of those lucky parents who delivered a child on 7-7-07. (Look out Vegas!) We welcome Jacob Rhys Tobman, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces, to our growing readership.Posted by Joe Williams on July 9, 2007 8:32 AM
More Park Slope Strollers Headed For Charters?
Some time ago, we wondered whether Brooklyn's Park Slopers would emerge as a sign that community-driven charter schools (founded by people who had decided that their kids deserved non-crappy public schools) will be the next big thing in the land of lefties.
Elizabeth Green has more in today's New York Sun. Meanwhile, the NY Times writes up the whole"annoying parent" thing on the Slope.
These publications want us to believe that well-off parents really want a quality education for their kids. Is it a stratch to think that less well-off parents could crave the same? Doesn't that put the Democratic Party in a bit of a bind?
Posted by Joe Williams on July 9, 2007 8:08 AM
July 6, 2007
Obama: Breath of Fresh Air, Or Most Clever Panderer?
Sample standardized test question of the week: Who is the least popular person in the Hillary Clinton campaign this morning?
Answer: The poor soul who scheduled Hillary to speak BEFORE Barack Obama at the National Education Association pow-wow in Philly.
I have a whole bunch of unrelated points to make, so hang tough, troopers.
Continue reading "Obama: Breath of Fresh Air, Or Most Clever Panderer?"....
Posted by Joe Williams on July 6, 2007 8:18 AM
July 5, 2007
WWRFKD? (What Would RFK Do) About Testing Mania?
Today's (July 5, 2007) DFER quote of the day seems timely, even if it was uttered a generation ago, back when Democrats hadn't yet completely conceded the issue of public school accountability.
I pulled that quote from research that the blogger known as Jenny D did a few years ago. I'd link to her site, but it seems to have been taken over by the Chinese government or something. (Yes, in fact I was thinking that perhaps Jenny was kidnapped along with Jack Bauer at the end of "24" Season Five.)
Let me know if you know where Jenny's site went.
Posted by Joe Williams on July 5, 2007 6:30 PM
