Tea Party vs. The Department Of Education

The Daily Beast:

When it comes to school reform, President Obama and his secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, intend to spend 2011 pursuing more federal influence over local schools -- particularly in the areas of curriculum standards and teacher evaluation and pay. "Am I hopeful? Absolutely," Duncan told Politico last month. "Am I optimistic? Yes. Do I think it's the right thing to do for children, for the country? Absolutely."

Read the whole story: The Daily Beast

Comments

[I3edlam]

04:50 AM on 12/15/2010

""Across all these issues, “We can’t have government officials coming in and supervising the decisions that fit parents make,” said William Estrada, director of federal relations at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association."

Well William, it's not the fit parents we are worried about is it?

[Chicagoperson]

11:24 PM on 12/14/2010

aul has been an especially vocal advocate for homeschooling, often speaking publicly about the prominent role homeschooling volunteers played in his Kentucky campaign. He spoke on June 25 to the Christian Homeschool Educators of Kentucky, whose mission is to “protect children from mental, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by secular humanists in a socialist society or governmental system.”

I found this hilarious. And, who protects the children from the mental, physical, emotional and sexual abuse they find at the hands of well meaning Priests?

So, in other words, if they abolish the DOE, and there are no guidelines, they can teach their own faith based realities? There would be no need to teach science since they deny its existence.

[Chicagoperson]

11:26 PM on 12/14/2010

Sorry, this is a quote it should read: "Paul.....

[am10]

05:39 PM on 12/12/2010

Unfortunately, this author is too far to the other side. Parental rights? Oh, the nerve (sarcasm)

[billyboil]

05:25 PM on 12/12/2010

"tea party" and "education" in the one sentence?
Oxymoron!
Certainly not tautology!

[Meils]

11:41 AM on 12/12/2010

"The competing parental-rights movements has three key legislative priorities for 2011: .... and, most ambitiously- passing the Parental Rights Amendment, an attempt to prevent the U.S. from ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. (The international treaty was originally developed in close collaboration with the Reagan administration, and has been ratified by all United Nations member states except for the U.S. and Somalia.)"

Doesn't this kind of say it all as to what their real objectives are....

[Anne Mccormick]

12:48 AM on 12/12/2010

considering how bad some of the schools are in this country home schooling may just be the best option for some of the children

[saskatoonie]

01:08 AM on 12/13/2010

Home schooling on one condition, that those who are teaching the children at home are qualified and that the students have a broadbased education based on science not religion, save the religion for church!

[amd02148]

12:49 AM on 12/15/2010

Anne every parent does not have the tools to teach their children.

[am10]

07:59 PM on 12/11/2010

Good Lord, I might fall on the side of the Tea Party. The DOE has only screwed up performing states in its efforts to bring up underperforming states.

[Brian Gilmer]

04:00 PM on 01/18/2011

States only fall under the control of the DOE if they accept money. Read "No Child Left Behind" it is basically a set of grants with strings attached.

[changing]

12:12 PM on 12/11/2010

Right now the DOE is a bad joke set to privatize public education. At this point, anyone who can curtail them is welcome as an ally. While I don't think doing away with the department will happen
anyway, the role it plays in bribing school districts to make testing factories and fire experienced teachers in poor schools has to stop. While the home school ideas are wacky, the Repubs are right about the intrusion of a dracion department of ed that promotes noneducators like Cathy Black to lead our public education. It is time to fight our corporate president and keep him from giving education away to his corporate friends just like he is givng the rest of the country to them. .

[Brian Gilmer]

04:03 PM on 01/18/2011

All of the countries that the US trails in educational outcomes have national education standards.

[xansam]

10:14 AM on 12/11/2010

great. May I have a credit for PRIVATE education too? The idea for public education is that it is open to all and everybody pays so as a country we are all educated. what is wrong with the tea parties? what cracks me up is most of them aren't even one percenters! so why are they fighting so hard to keep there children down?

[kansasmagic]

04:54 AM on 12/11/2010

What is it they think the DoE actually does? There's little "federal meddling" or whatever. Nothing close to a national curriculum, in any field. Even NCLB - despite its massive increase in federal spending (which still comes out to ~10% of all education spending), and "reach" of the federal government - leaves it up to states to define and assess "proficiency." In almost every country that out-performs the US in international rankings of math, science, etc., you'll find a national curriculum. Maybe they are on to something?

[kansasmagic]

05:06 AM on 12/11/2010

Worth noting (from the DoE website):
1. The fundamental mission of the DoE is to promote equal access to educational opportunity (e.g. Title I funding).
2. Administrative expenses account for ~2% of the discretionary budget.

Eliminating the DoE will not eliminate government "waste", though it may reduce taxes; but it will surely eliminate major sources of funding for underprivileged rural and inner-urban districts, reduce funding available for special education, and decrease financial aid for college students.

But, hey...as long as people have "choice," right?

[am10]

05:42 PM on 12/12/2010

State income taxes cover a lot of rural and urban schools. As for special ed, yeah I believe in it. But I'm sick of all the other kids being ignored. I get why some kids have two aides with them at all times in addition to the mainstream and special ed teacher. But imagine if some bright kids have two people tutoring them at all times. One day, they might cure what ails some of our special needs kids.

[am10]

05:39 PM on 12/12/2010

Mandates a bunch of stuff without giving back any money to local communities.

[kansasmagic]

08:06 PM on 12/12/2010

First of all, the "mandates" only apply to states and localities or other agencies that accept federal funds. I don't particularly like the fact that access to federal funds is tied to simplistic tests of "proficiency," but it's not an unusual arrangement: Basically, if states, districts, or other agencies want the federal funds, they have to meet certain requirements. And of course those conditions could change...

Second, the vast bulk of DoE money goes to states, local districts, and students. In 2010, ~75% of the budget went to elementary and secondary education grants, ~17% to postsecondary grants, and ~7% to support research and vocational training (including teacher training) - compared to ~1% for DoE administration.

The largest grant programs are Title 1 grants for disadvantaged students (under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act), special ed grants (under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and Pell grants for college students. In 2010, approximately $15 billion was granted to states, local agencies, and school districts under Title 1 (with another 10 billion for other programs of the ESEA); nearly $12 billion for special education; and $18 billion for Pell grants. (Source: http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget11/summary/appendix1.pdf)

This report identifies how much states and local agencies receive under Title 1 and special ed provisions. (Note that it is for FY 2008). http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010323.pdf

Your claim that the DoE doesn't give any money back to local communities is simply false.

[Karen McCaughan]

02:41 AM on 12/11/2010

Doggone it. When I saw the title, I had visions of "Celebrity death match."

[lcr999]

10:32 PM on 12/10/2010

Focusing on home schooling ignores the even scarier parts of the agenda.

Home schooling is fine, as long as there are some standards. It seems the TPs, etal, want to strip those even moderate standards that currently exist. Interesting that they want tax credits/exemptions for home schooling but are unwilling to commit to any performance standards. Doesn't sound very accountable to me.

The bigger issue is the opposition to the fact that CHILDREN HAVE RIGHTS. The right to an education is only one of them.

The fact that the US is the ONLY country in the WORLD with a functioning government that has not ratified the UN RIGHTS OF THE CHILD is disgusting. The fact that only US conservatives can read that document and conclude that a child's right to an education, medical care, protection, and an identity is a grand world order conspiracy against Christianity is just incomprehensible. Fear mongering of the worst kind.

[lcr999]

10:42 PM on 12/10/2010

A Kid's guide to the UN Rights of the Child
http://www.childrensweek.org.au/UN%20poster%20Jan%202008.pdf

[GarryGreen123]

09:39 AM on 12/11/2010

I think it has something to do with the provision that allows kids to determine if they want to go to church.

[goleafsgo]

09:59 PM on 12/12/2010

 In Canada, all teachers have to meet certain criteria for knowledge of the curriculum and upon their classroom performance.  They are tested on a regular basis by their Superintendent.  If a teacher is found  wanting in any area, it is noted on the report, discussed, and assistance provided to bring them up to standard.  I  assume your system of evaluation is similar to ours.
For parents to tell the government that they want tax credits/exemptions, but will not submit to competency tests/regular evaluation procedures is unacceptable, in my opinion.
As a retired teacher, I can tell you  there is much more to teaching than just rote learning.  I would be very concerned if this kind of legislation were to be passed.

The attention paid to education in the United States is the grand secret of their power and the most indissoluble bond of their union.

William Lyon Mackenzie in Colonial advocate, Jan.22, 1829

Mackenzie was a journalist, politician, Reformer and an author who was against the power of the local oligarchy - "The Family Compact."

[Brian Gilmer]

04:07 PM on 01/18/2011

In Canada, teaching is a respected profession.

[MsDee]

09:43 PM on 12/10/2010

We should be very nervous America. Tea party bi.gots having a say in our educational system. Not good at all.

[GarryGreen123]

09:40 AM on 12/11/2010

So you to support the end of the DOE? In the end the systems that are in place will someday be controlled by people you disagree with. That is the problem with creating systems like these. You dont always get to create the rules.

[Brian Gilmer]

04:08 PM on 01/18/2011

It would be very difficult for the DOE to formulate regulations that actually inform content to the granularity that would have some kind of ideological impact.

[xansam]

10:11 AM on 12/11/2010

hello. see Texas.

[MsDee]

09:37 PM on 12/10/2010

What a wonderful idea. Take something that works, no it's not the greatest, but it works, so take it and completely destroy it, by letting a bunch of delusional, racists have a say in it.

America the slow drain down the toilet.

[Chris Honeycutt]

12:27 PM on 12/11/2010

Nonsequiter. There exists no justification in the Constitution for the DOE. This entity has done nothing but consume Trillions of Dollars while results nationwide have worsened, and now Arne wants to aggressively meddle with districts from coast to coast, not understanding that what works in one state will not necessarily work in another.

Let the states set their own policies according to their respective needs and let's jettison the "one size fits all" mentality.

[kansasmagic]

03:14 PM on 12/11/2010

If there is a "one size fits all mentality" in education, it exists at the state and local level. States and local districts establish curricula and content standards, not the federal government. The federal role in education is largely limited to providing funding for underprivileged students (including students with physical or learning disabilities and ELLs) and districts and rural and inner-urban areas, and providing college loans to low-income students.

Your claim that the DoE consumes "trillions" of dollars is pure hyperbole. The DoE accounts for ~10% of all school funding (around $100 billion a year), with the remainder coming from states and localities.

[GENERATIONaleX]

08:31 PM on 12/10/2010

The DoE has only been around 30 years. How in the world did anyone learn anything before then without a federal government bureacracy? We have to have the DoE! Right? Wrong. Since its creation in 1981, we've had insane amounts of money put into education, while the quality of education has gone south. Plus, we get edicts from Washington like "No Child Left Behind". This bureaucracy is wasteful and makes it nearly impossible to make any improvements at the local level.
We do not need a federal level Department of Education. The states and communities could handle education locally with their dollars, if their money wasn't being sent to Washington so politicians could divide back out to those who meets their "performance requirements".

[lisakaz2]

09:36 PM on 12/10/2010

I think this is in part a plot to take away direct loans from the government, esp. those that are now cutting out the profiteering banksters who take socialized risk and turn it into profit. I took my loans away from them over their shady, unfair gouging and kickbacks.

[Hnorc]

12:57 AM on 12/11/2010

Using your logic we do not need a DOD either. Thanks for wanting to keep the US ignorant.

[GENERATIONaleX]

01:17 AM on 12/11/2010

no. the constitution says the federal government should provide for national defense...that is a different subject and a false argument.