By Oldprof

September 22, 2006 1:11 PM | Link to this

Just to keep the record straight, Blackwell started his career in Cincinnati City Council as a member of the Charterites, a political party that once accounted for about 1/3 of Cincinnati’s voters and nobody anywhere else. Then he switched parties, and became a Democrat. And a few years later, a Republican. And his ads claim that a zebra can’t change its stripes…

By keith

September 22, 2006 8:17 AM | Link to this

Oldprof says it well. The reality is charter/community schools were to be saviors with low cost, high quality output and were supposed to show up the public schools who just can’t do well with all that “excess” money we throw at them. The charter schools haven’t done it. Even though they don’t take special ed, one of Mary’s concerns, and they don’t have responsibilities for advanced classes, remedial classes, for a full range of students. Even though charter/community schools can cherry pick their students, they haven’t been able to outperform the public schools. As for the Republicans, I like the way Blackwell has been a part of Republican politics since he was a city councilman in Cincy, but claims he’s different than the others he’s been in Columbus with all these years. But he’s just another fast talker. His ads comment about taxes being high in Ohio. He’s been there; what’s he done for taxes? As for funding schools, his plan will do just as the lottery; it will add money through the front door earmarked for particular spending items, which may not be what the school needs, and they will TAKE AWAY FUNDS in another area. The lottery monies were matched with reductions in state foundation money through the years. The state spent that money on other pet projects rather than the court-manded equal and equitable funding of education. If you think Blackwell will do any different, you haven’t learned through the years. I want to see the schools funded properly by the state according to the court decisions. Why can a state ignore its own courts? As for Mary’s feeling that teacher unions are about getting the best for all students, including proper special ed classes and support personnel for those classrooms, she needs to think again. The Republicans don’t like unions because they want to spend the money elsewhere, but certainly not on teaching and schools. How Blackwell can match up what his state government has not done for education while his wife is superintendent of Cincinnati schools is beyond me. But it’s easy to saw one thing and do another for them. I’d rather have Strickland who will take a long look once he gets there to see what will be done, rather than make thin promises like Blackwell. Oh, did I mention I’m a longtime Republican voter, retired from teaching now? I’m throwing the bunch out, federal and local, with my vote in November despite the fancy ads.

By Mary

September 21, 2006 8:41 PM | Link to this

Actually, many parents also consider themselves to be better informed on educational issues and subject matter than many of the educational professionals. An education degree is found to be superficial in many areas of education expertise. Many professional educators, education professors, consultants, researchers would admit this and organize with parents to take on the systemic ignorance, particularly in special ed areas, including gifted and/or disabled.

By Oldprof

September 21, 2006 8:15 PM | Link to this

Lydia, to respond to each of your comments in turn: (1) Every impartial study shows that public school choice has not improved the quality of student learning, and the “choice” schools have managed to provide several examples of corruption (such as the Ohio chain that was closed after its CEO got rich “leasing” computer equipment to his own schools) and unexpected closings (like Dayton’s Rhea Academy—in which case, the public system must absorb the students without full subsidy). Too bad you didn’t know that. (2) Public education is a failure because our elected officials quit funding it fully, starting mildly in the 1960s and becoming fully reprobate in the 1970s—why do you think most of our systems could build no new schools since the 1950s? It’s the Norquist theory of how to destroy America: “to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.â€? (3) You can fairly accuse me of bigotry when I cast unfair aspersions on ethnicities, genders or religions. What I’ve done, however, is to rephrase Susan Bodary, Gov. Taft’s point person on education policy, who has publicly admitted that the data indicates that parents don’t choose charter or voucher schools based on quality. Now, before you get all snippy with me again, please figure out how to learn these things without forcing me to go to such lengths to correct you, OK?

By Lidia

September 21, 2006 1:47 PM | Link to this

Oldprofs comment about school choice failing “because most parents and students don’t have the information or experience needed to make wise decisions” sounds like it came right out of the edu-crat playbook. First, it is unfounded. Who says school choice has failed? Secondly, it ignores traditional public schools’ rampant failures over decades despite huge funding increases. And third, it is on its face a very bigoted statement- parents need experience before they can be counted on to make wise decisions about their own children? (If they are lacking information, that is something that can be easily remedied). I submit that what a parent needs is true love and concern for his/her own child that does not take a back seat to any kind of self interest. A parent is more likely to have that than a professional educator, however experienced or informed.

By Oldprof

September 21, 2006 9:05 AM | Link to this

Unlike Mary, I prefer to see what works and what doesn’t, promote the first and discard the latter. Blackwell’s preferred programs have all been tried and all failed—consider that attaching money to students in higher ed. (i.e., Pell Grants) has led to thousands of cases of fraud and skyrocketing tuitions since its implementation in the 70s. School choice fails because most parents and students don’t have the information or experience needed to make wise decisions. Strickland is being vague about his program, but he does support the PSEOP, unlike many fools in our state legislature: PSEOP is an early-college program, and so far EVERY early-college program has enjoyed solid success. It shouldn’t take a genius to figure out who’s wedded to failed philosophies and who’s more likely to implement programs that work.

By Mary

September 20, 2006 7:11 PM | Link to this

Such is the plight of us independent voters. Strickland likely gets a large chunk of his campaign contributions and footsoldiers from the teachers’ unions. No matter what he really thinks, if he really thinks about education, he probably kneels to the teachers’ union bias to maintain a base. The book “Cheating our kids - how politics and greed ruin education” talked about this in regard to the Kerry campaign. There is also a lot I do not like about the Republican biases - not so much in education, but other areas. I think part of Blackwell’s 65% rule on education included teaching football plays as classroom instruction. However, I like the Republican push for choices in education. I don’t believe republicans or democrats offer rational candidates or leadership on serious problems in education. My least favorite characteristic of democrats is they have sold their soul to powerful unions. My least favorite characteristic of republicans is they have sold their soul to big money and like to preach and beat on their chests. We lose no matter whom we vote for. Yeah, I vote anyway, but I have to hold my nose.