NYC Public School Parents: Jonathan Kozol on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., poverty and class size

NYC Public School Parents: Jonathan Kozol on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., poverty and class size:

Jonathan Kozol on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., poverty and class size

by Leonie Haimson

Every year on Martin Luther King Jr. birthday, I try to honor this man’s great memory on this blog.  Today I watched Obama’s inauguration; he gave a great speech, particularly on issues like climate change, and probably the most progressive since he was elected; except for a gaping hole when it comes to education. 

During the last campaign, Obama spoke about cuts to public schools and the need to reduce rising class sizes; yet this wasn’t mentioned today.  All he said today about education was the vague need to “harness new ideas…to reform schools” and hire more “science and math teachers.”  

I suppose it could have been worse; he could have pushed Race to the Top and charters, but it is not wholly satisfying when we see how our public education is being decimated by