Arne Duncan "teachers in America often come from the bottom of the academic barrel" [View all]

[madfloridian]

Last edited Thu Jan 16, 2014, 01:55 AM - Edit history (1)

He is fighting back hard now against teachers and bloggers who question his policies. Some of his words are truly rude and full of contempt toward public school teachers.

Have you noticed that there are few if any Democratic leaders speaking out against his hateful attacks on public education? This is the guy in charge of our education policies, and he can barely control himself when he speaks about these schools.

This is the hardest thing for me as a retired teacher to watch. Our Democrats refusing to support public education. It simply blows my mind.

Arne Duncan School Expectations Are Too Low in the United States

The former head of the Chicago public school system, Duncan told parents that there is a sense of complacency regarding education in the United States, but also a lack Duncan said, but also a lack of action by politicians.

"Both South Korean and U.S. citizens believe that the caliber of teacher matters tremendously, and the great teachers make a huge difference in children's lives," Duncan said. "The difference is: they act on their belief. We don't. We talk the talk, and they walk the walk."

...While teachers in America often come from the bottom of the academic barrel and are disproportionately teaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds, Duncan said, teachers in South Korea are selected from the top of the class and are rewarded for working with low-income students.

He has been showing his disregard for those of us who are or have been in the field of education. He actually used the words armchair pundits.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke publicly of Diane Ravitch in an interview in 2011, where he said: "Diane Ravitch is in denial and she is insulting all of the hardworking teachers, principals and students all across the country who are proving her wrong every day,"

Yesterday he expanded a bit on this sentiment. Though he did not mention Ravitch by name, he seemed to have her in mind when labeling his critics "armchair pundits" who are "so supremely confident in their perspective that they have simply stopped listening to people with a different viewpoint."

Those we are supposed to be listening to are the very ones profiting from the taxpayers' money which is being diverted from public schools to charter schools, and now even to private religious schools in the form of vouchers. He has turned education over to those who know the least about it, and he is fighting back against the rest of us.

TFA blogger Gary Rubenstein recalls some of Arne Duncan's quotes which indicate his lack of true understanding of education...to put it mildly.

The lack-of-wit and lack-of-wisdom of Arne Duncan

Some of the quotes:

“I see extraordinary schools where 95 percent of children live below the poverty line, where 95 percent are graduating, and 90 percent of those who graduate are going on to college.“

In almost every case those percentages have been disproven. They are words of charter schools with high attrition rates bragging about untrue statistics.

“The vast majority who drop out of high school drop out not because it’s too hard but because it’s too easy.”

Baloney.

“if we had 95,000 good principals, we’d be done.”

That's not a very intelligent comment.

“I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina.”

There is nothing to be said to that.

If he wants to get his agenda through, he must first discredit the public school system. Looks to me like the man the president put in charge of public schools is doing a very good of it.