9486 in the collection
Presidential candidates urged to focus on schools
And you thought Strong American Schools campaign was non-partisan? Enter Roy Romer into a search on this site.
If you don't already know about Roy Romer, just enter his name into a 'search' on this site.
When these guys have their way, every teacher in America will be on script--or else. Remember, these are the fellows who claim that 2/3 of American jobs require a college education. Maybe they should tell the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By the way, the Foundation for Excellence in Education is chaired by Jeb Bush, and here are their Partners and Patrons:
* 21st Century Learning
* Blosser and Sayfie
* Carnival Center
* Florida Alliance For Arts Education
* Florida Department of Education
* Foundation For Florida’s Future
* Gulf Power Company
* Progress Energy - Florida
* Royal Caribbean International & Celebrity Cruises
* Space Florida
* SunTrust Bank
* The Florida House
* The James Madison Institute
* The McGraw-Hill Companies
* University of Florida, Lastinger Center
* Walt Disney World Company
* Worldwide Interactive Network (WIN)
Teachers and parents must stand up, speak out, and work against further corporatization of our schools.
We must build a movement of class conscious people who are willing to speak out. This means taking risks. We aren't just talking about school reform here. We are talking about our lives.
To quote Rich Gibson, "Nobody is going to save us but us."
Silence gives consent.
Break the silence!
By Bill Kaczor, Associated Press
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - A former Democratic governor's campaign to get the presidential candidates of both parties to pay greater heed to education received a boost from a couple of prominent Republicans Thursday.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings added their support to Strong American Schools, a group chaired by ex-Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, who's also a former Los Angeles school superintendent.
All three participated in a panel discussion at a two-day education summit co-sponsored by a Bush foundation, the Foundation for Excellence in Education.
Romer complained that education was virtually ignored during the presidential primary debates save for a question about the candidates' favorite teacher.
His organization has raised $60 million to change that through a bipartisan campaign called ED in '08. The goal is to put public pressure on the presumptive nominees, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain, to address the issues of setting higher academic standards, improving teaching and giving students more time to learn.
"This is an area in which the parties are not all one side or the other," said Romer, a Democratic superdelegate pledged to Obama. "There is an overlap."
Bush, who made education a hallmark of his eight-year governorship, is supporting McCain and has spoken with him about education issues.
He said the next president would have an opportunity to improve the nation's schools by finding common ground on such issues as high-stakes testing, teacher merit pay and vouchers that let students attend private schools at public expense.
Those are some of the key policies Bush favors - and many Democrats oppose - being touted by mostly conservative and libertarian speakers during summit sessions at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort.
"If my Lord would grant me a wish politically, if Sen. Obama becomes president, is this would be a great place for him to defy a core constituency and to change the whole debate," Bush said.
He said the same would apply to McCain and compared it to President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China that begin restoring relations between the two estranged nations.
The former Florida governor said his brother, President Bush, tried to do something similar with the No Child Left Behind Act, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Obama has made change the catchword of his campaign. Spellings said that's something the next president should embrace when it comes to education.
"I want a president who will guard against benign neglect or advocates of the status quo," Spelling said. "The next president has to be the chief truth teller about the stakes and about the status of our system."
Those stakes are nothing less than the future of the nation and the truth is American students have fallen woefully behind their counterparts in other countries, Spellings, Bush and Romer said.
The summit has attracted about 475 participants including legislators and gubernatorial staffers from several states, education commissioners, business leaders and even a handful of teachers union officials.
During the panel discussion a questioner suggested the unions are the problem. Spellings and Bush each have battled the unions, but both acknowledged they aren't going away. Bush noted private industries have transformed themselves in cooperation with unions and said schools can do the same.
"I've got tire marks on my forehead and bruises on my ribs," Bush said. "I think we need to get beyond the food fight now."
— Bill Kaczor, Associated Press
Florida Times-Union
2008-06-20
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-apnews/stories/061908/D91DDR800.shtml
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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