Posted on 03/31/2014 10:14:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
Amidst all of the 24/7 coverage of the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, a news story did manage to bubble up from the depths and it posed an interesting question.Are Democrats really concerned about minorities and the poor?Are they really looking to help them achieve success and prosperity in life?
In a move that garnered more attention than newly elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio probably expected, a decision was made to close some, and limit the growth of other Charter schools in New York City.
De Blasio’s major foe on this issue is Success Academy Networks CEO, Eva Moskowitz.She runs 22 city schools with millions of dollars in assets and is determined to keep alive the promise that former mayor Bloomberg gave to keep and expand the charter school program.
At the center of this firestorm is the decision to displace the 200 students from the highly performing Success Academy Harlem Central Middle School. This particular school which opened in 2012 boasts some of the city’s highest scores.As recently as 2013, 96% of fifth graders at that school passed state math exams, the highest passing rate in the state. Now, De Blasio wants to boot them from their public space and force the children into lower performing public schools.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has come out swinging against de Blasio and in support of Moskowitz and the charter school program.He has even gone so far as to suggest that perhaps a “technical” change could be made to the state law that would protect the schools.
This is a tricky position for both of these hard-core Democrats to be in since everyone knows that they are beholden to the unions in that state.Especially the teachers union which is putting the screws to any elected official that dares to jump ship after they got them elected.
Cuomo’s position on this matter is to include in his budget more state money for the Charter schools.This is in line with former Mayor Bloomberg’s thinking.De Blasio, on the other hand, says that Charter schools have a “destructive impact” on traditional schools and has vowed to charge rent to these schools which are privately run but publicly funded.They also have non-union teachers.
The 6700 students in schools run by Ms Moskowitz are 90% black or Hispanic.These children have consistently outscored traditional schools on state tests.They not only outperformed in math, but in reading, they triumphed with 58% vs 26%.
This begs the question; what are they really concerned with?Is it about advancing the lives and education of the mostly minority children that are affected, or continuing the downward spiral that we have seen in public education for decades?This is the only chance that many of these children have to get out of the substandard education system of the New York public schools.The stats speak for themselves and the parents know it.
Many Democrat voters who championed de Blasio’s more Socialist agenda are now turning on him when it begins to affect their children.Most parents want to see their children succeed in life and many of these families are watching a bureaucrat take away that one opportunity that was promised to them.
Dig a little deeper however and you can see that both Democrats at the center of this firestorm are not really looking out for the best interests of the children.Even though I favor Cuomo’s side, I found that he has major ambitions to run for President in 2016 and is courting money from Wall Street and hedge-fund managers who favor Charter schools.They have lined his pockets with over $400,000 in contributions and the number rises even higher when you add in bankers, philanthropists and real estate moguls who support education and Charter school causes.
De Blasio, on the other hand, is in the pocket of the unions.He depends on their undying support which is why he continues his income inequality mantra ad nauseum.
So the Democrats find themselves between a rock and a hard place.They are being faced with hypocrisy and can’t find a way out.They are fighting among themselves and splitting their voters.This issue is spreading across the country and even Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has to take a side on this subject When they find themselves hurting the very people that they depend on to get re-elected, what do they do?
Do the right thing, or cave into special interests and money?What do you think?
Children must be kept in public schools under the control of the Ministry of Disinformation. Only thus can socialist order be maintained.
No. Their actions belie their words. Keepin' 'em slaves on the liberal plantation is the plan.
Swing low, sweet chariot.....
“War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.”
All politicians do the same thing : they lie !!
The art of poitical savyness is to keep everyone , especially thebase that got you elected ,happy.
They have special text " buzz-words " which appeal to whichever audience to whom they are talking to or addressing at that time .
That is why you jusge a man / woman / politician not by what they say ,but rather evaluate by what they do ,and commit to accomplish .
Remember ,..talk is cheap !
My bride has no problem with charter schools, but they are not quite what they claim to be. What they are doing is taking kids who have the ability to succeed and placing them in an environment where they have the tools and motivation to do so. Charter schools will not fix public education, because they are more like small private schools in that they will kick out under performing kids, and keep low ability kids out. They help out the kids that can and want to be helped, but won't do much for the kids who are against education. In short they are taking what would be good to top performers and putting them in a situation where they can excel. Again, not a bad thing.
But the real fight is that most charter schools are not union. The teaching contracts are not set up like a “normal” school. The teachers are paid differently, and honestly the turnover is very high (many teachers don't want to work at a charter school for the same reason many don't work at a private school). The pressure is different, and the pay is often less. So they attract the dedicated and new teachers (at least in Illinois). My Bride has thought about it, and would probably teach at one if they hadn't shut the local school down.
The other thing is that the system will only work if they can be selective. That means the charter school has to be outside of the local school district's control. If they are not, they will become the dumping ground for the problem students.
That is why I am opposed to a Government Ministry of Education that is being offered under the heading of "COMMON CORE ".
It represents the dumbing down of education to the lowest common denominator of mediocrity ; it disincentiveizes excellence.
Are Democrats really concerned about minorities and the poor?Are they really looking to help them achieve success and prosperity in life?
The question was answered in NYC by DeBlasio. If he gave even a remote damn for these kids he would move heaven and earth to do right by them. Instead he screws them over for the unions. I wonder how many of the 80% who DIDN’T vote in the election feel these days?
That’s a pretty good summary, all of which support charter schools.
Back when John Cardinal O'Connor was still around the mayor or one of his bureaucrats sniped that the Catholic schools do well because they can be selective about who will be a student and don't have to account for the hard cases like the public schools must do. John Cardinal O’Connor replied “SEND THEM TO US”!
********Crickets*****
OK, so have several tiers of schools. One tier for kids who want to learn, one tier for average, and one tier for "problem" kids. Have a charter school for each.
The immediate problem will be the screams and lawsuits which will come out once anybody does a demographic analysis of the three groups.
That is what hit the local school. So they shut it down, and most of those kids ended up in private schools.
Having tiers of schools is actually illegal. It is called “Tracking” and used to be done, but that was made illegal because certain groups tended to be on the lower track. It still happens, but instead of a different school the kids end up in different classes.
“Are Democrats Eating Their Own Over Charter Schools?”
Nope. They are eating little black and brown children, and the future of those children. The children won’t become theirs until after they’ve taught them they can’t get ahead and the world is slanted against them (by virtue of not having a reasonable education, but the Democrats will blame other reasons).
“The other thing is that the system will only work if they can be selective. “
Unless you mean selective against outright criminals, and only that...that is not so. There are systems which work by lottery, and they also grossly outperform both the local public schools as a whole, and those students who lost the lottery - which represent a like population.
“De Blasio, on the other hand, is in the pocket of the unions.He depends on their undying support which is why he continues his income inequality mantra ad nauseum.”
As a Democrat, De Blasio works for the unions (the de facto owners of the Democratic Party). Obama is an employee as well; in conversations about global warming, he’ll throw in that we need to hire 100,000 new teachers (even as districts lay off due to budgetary restraints). It is very obvious why Dems represent the teachers’ unions 100% of the time; they are EMPLOYEES.
“OK, so have several tiers of schools. One tier for kids who want to learn, one tier for average, and one tier for “problem” kids. Have a charter school for each. The immediate problem will be the screams and lawsuits which will come out once anybody does a demographic analysis of the three groups.”
That’s exactly right (and driving the problems in NYC); it isn’t even so much an ethnic breakdown as an economic one. Charter schools are an attempt to keep productive people in areas where high public school taxes have put private schools beyond the means of those very people. Charter schools, by giving public school students a chance at some semblance of a real education, also boost the overall scores of a public school system. The union schools can’t compete (and want those charter school teachers contributing to their coffers), so they want them shut down.
Union teachers are the most important Dem constituency:
1) There are lots of them.
2) They are all off on election day, and thus available for activism and getting out the vote.
3) They are in a unique position to influence attitudes among future voters and their parents.
4) They are in a unique position to cripple the future of potential new conservative activists.
It may be illegal, but the law is the immoral party in this case.
All valid points, but you’re misunderstanding the relationship; they are not a “constituency”, but SHAREHOLDERS. They own the party; they are not “represented by it”, or “allied with it”. They ARE it.
I don’t care. Charter schools and vouchers help mostly the poor minorities and Dems block them and reverse them at every level. Yet the poor minorities are SO STUPID they keep voting for the Dems that hate them, use to enslave them, sicced dogs on them, etc.
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