I just read a Susan Estrich article ...why I don't know...where she basically bashes Ann Coulter's new book of course and accuses Ann of bashing the public school system [as if that is novel] without giving any solutions...in order, of course, to introduce Susan's cure for the public school system. Now what catches my eyes is...compare Susan's solutions to Ann's unverified bashing... Susan cites this portion from Ann's book in BOLD, the rest are Susan's comments on Ann:
Now read what her solution is to Ann's crazy accusations..."Most public schools are -- at best -- nothing but expensive babysitting arrangements, helpfully keeping hoodlums off the streets during daylight hours.At worst, they are criminal training labs, where teachers sexually abuse the children between drinking binges and acts of grand larceny."
It's worth pointing out that there are no footnotes supporting these allegations, no proof to support the allegation that the kind of criminal misconduct Coulter alleges is anything other than an extremely rare occurrence that tends to be punished severely. But what's just as troubling, in the end, is that Ann has absolutely nothing to offer to parents who are searching for answers except bile. She attacks what she calls the "class size" shibboleth, claiming -- again without any support from studies -- that "(r)educing class size doesn't improve educational achievement; it reduces the workload for each teacher."
And her ultimate conclusion, other than eliminating evolution from the curriculum, is that "(t)here's nothing the matter with teachers that a little less unionization and more competition couldn't cure." That's it? A little less unionization and more competition, after page after page of nasty ranting?
Currently, Green Dot Public Schools runs five exceptional small charter high schools in Los Angeles' highest need areas. All five of the schools outperform the public schools in the same area on every measure. What makes them different is the Green Dot model: Small Schools; A Culture of High Expectations; Giving Power to Employees (the principal is the CEO); Neighborhood Ownership (parents are expected to be actively involved); World Class Management Practices (including the best from the private sector); Independent Unions as Partners in Management (yes, Ann, there can be a positive role for unions); and a Commitment to Green Dot Core Values: 1) unwavering belief in all students' potential, 2) passion for excellence, 3) personal responsibility, 4) respect for others and community, and 5) all stakeholders are critical in the education process.
Now am I crazy or does Susan's Green Dot Plan sound like a public school at all? I don't think so. In fact, doesn't she describe "a little less unionization and a little more competition" as Ann suggests? So how can Ann be wrong about her uncharitbale comments? When in fact Susan's plan addresses those very problems in a very "un-union" way.
I do not know about you but it sounds to me like Susan just described a great PRIVATE school...like the one I went to in Los Angeles because the public schools in my neighborhood were exactly the way Ann described them!!
1 comment:
What liberals, including Susan Estrogen, simply don't understand is that it isn't bashing if it's true.
Furthermore, a statement of opinion such as, "Most public schools are -- at best -- nothing but expensive babysitting arrangements, helpfully keeping hoodlums off the streets during daylight hours," doesn't need to be footnoted. If you compare books written by conservatives to books written by liberals, the conservatives win the footnote competition by miles. Thirteen pages of Ann's book were endnotes.
Monopolies never work. That's why the government has the power to break them up. Vouchers and home schooling are the answer. When high school graduate moms can educate their children at the kitchen table to a higher level than public schools can, you know there's something terribly wrong. Liberals have turned our schools into reeducation camps, not places of learning. They are training the liberals of the future.
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