Steven Singer: Why Did CNN and the Democratic Candidates Forget about Education?
Steven Singer is first out of the box with a review of the Democratic Presidential debate of last night.
President Obama set the tone for the evening (so far as education is concerned) by praising his administration for having reformed the nation’s schools.
It didn’t get any better.
The CNN anchors did not ask a single question about education.
Admittedly both Hillary Clinton and Sanders briefly brought it up when asked about other things.
Clinton said we need universal pre-kindergarten and good schools. However, she neglected to say what those good schools would look like.
It’s almost like saying nothing at all. EVERYONE wants good schools – Even dunderheads like Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and Donald Trump! But their ideas of good schools differ greatly from that of most parents, teachers and students. McCharter schools for the poor and Cadillac campuses for the rich isn’t exactly what real progressives have in mind.
And universal pre-k? Great! But that’s kind of the flavor of the month. Who really disagrees that we should help toddlers prepare for school? It’s like asking, “Who wants ice cream?” in a room full of little kids on a hot day. EVERYONE wants ice cream – even the kids who are lactose intolerant!
Sanders took a second in a diatribe about social services to mention the need to fund schools. However, he didn’t say a thing about equity or if that funding would have strings attached. President Obama talked about funding schools, too, when he was running for president in 2008. Once he got into office those education dollars came at the cost of accepting untested and developmentally inappropriate Common Core State Standards. And equity meant closing poor schools to save them.
Singer wondered whether education was off the table because the two big teachers’ unions had already endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration continues to run roughshod over Steven Singer: Why Did CNN and the Democratic Candidates Forget about Education? | Diane Ravitch's blog: