Posted by Tina
Texas Governor Rick Perry must represent a visceral threat to the current administration because they are doing everything they can to sink his campaign even before it’s fully launched. The latest salvo came from the President’s Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, in an interview on Bloomberg . Duncan, who previously served as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, foolishly said of the Texas school system:
“Far too few of their high school graduates are actually prepared to go on to college … I feel really badly for the children there.”
Awwwwwh! Isn’t that nice? It’s so obvious that this man has a great big heart for the children of Texas. Listen to him…he’s really concerned, right? Right? Well……..no! And truth be told, he’d do better to worry about the kids suffering in Chicago schools.
What an idiot! Forget that faux concern for the children, the truth is Secretary Duncan knows better, or if he doesn’t he should. He’s the Secretary of Education, for heavens sake! If he wasn’t aware of the record in Texas he should have checked his facts before going on national television to make a fool out of himself and the President.
Jack Kelly points out just how arrogant and wrong Secretary Duncan was in his Jewish World Review article, “Education chief gets an F”:
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, fourth- and eighth-graders in Texas score substantially better in reading and math than do their counterparts in Chicago. The high school graduation rate in Texas (73 percent) is much better than Chicago’s (56 percent).
And that’s not all. Texas apparently scores better in terms of performance for minority students and in terms of preparing students for college:
High school dropout rates in Texas are lower than the national average for all ethnic groups, lower for blacks than in Wisconsin…Newsweek publishes annually a list of the high schools which do the best job of preparing students for college. This year, 500 schools (of about 6,000 in the U.S.) were ranked. The top two, three of the top 10, 14 of the top 100 are in Texas.
President Obama has a poor record going into this election cycle; defending it will be difficult if not impossible.
The emerging strategy is familiar for those who watch politics closely. It’s called slash and burn and the president is wasting no time getting started. I guess the loyal few will be impressed by this strategy, but wouldn’t it make sense to know your challengers record before launching attacks? I wish them luck with it but I’m wondering if it won’t sputter, cough, and run out of gas by next Fall.
Chicago public schools have a record to be beaten? Oh, I had a good laugh over that. One thing you can always count on P.S. for is repeated demonstrations of how truly worthless statistics can be.
But I did read that fighting on the school bus can land you in criminal court in Texas. That don’t sound right. Whatever happened to detention? But then, I also read that 6 in 10 Texas students have been suspended at least once during their school career … so I guess detention has lost it’s uuummph.
And while the Texas four-year graduation rate is currently perfectly respectable, the state does lead the nation in adults without high school diplomas. So you can imagine the kind of work they get to do, if any, under what conditions, and for what sterling sums of remuneration. Ick.
Have you read any of this stuff about how Rove and the Bushies have it in for Perry? This is what we want, internecine warfare in the GOP!
Re: “If he [Secretary of Education Arne Duncan] wasn’t aware of the record in Texas he should have checked his facts before going on national television to make a fool out of himself and the President.”
I disagree. Obama administration officials should make fools out of themselves and the President whenever the whim strikes them. They are only doing what comes naturally and the more the better.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
Libby: “Chicago public schools have a record to be beaten? Oh, I had a good laugh over that.”
Meaning?
“But I did read that fighting on the school bus can land you in criminal court in Texas. That don’t sound right. Whatever happened to detention?”
Assault cases usually are referred to the juvenile courts…you have heard of that, I’m sure.
“But then, I also read that 6 in 10 Texas students have been suspended at least once during their school career…”
Which means absolutely nothing unless you have the corresponding statistic for Chicago students…sure you want to go there? I didn’t think so.
“So you can imagine the kind of work they get to do, if any, under what conditions, and for what sterling sums of remuneration. Ick.”
What a snob! When exactly were you inducted into that elitist “we’re better than you are” club, Libby? How long have you held people without a college degree in such contempt! Not only are there perfectly good jobs for people with a high school diplomas but there are people that received only a high school diploma who have made it big in America. The notion that only college graduates will make it in life is grossly overblown. All work is honorable.
“Have you read any of this stuff about how Rove and the Bushies have it in for Perry?”
Yeah…it’s about as relevant as the rumors that Hillary will take on Obama. It’s about as interesting as Obama’s new job ideas will be.
I find the fact that Obama has lost a lot of support with women and the young much more interesting.
The typical liberal play. The problem was always here, we just stepped it up a level or ten.