Improving Public Schools Hearing

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor

George Miller, Michael Bloomberg, Joel Klein, Adrian Fenty, Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan.

George Miller

Adrian Fenty

Michael Bloomberg

Joel Klein

Michelle Rhee

Beverly Hall

Arne Duncan

Martin/CNN on Obama and McCain and vouchers

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/16/martin.vouchers/index.html?section=cnn_latest

” “All I want is for my children to get the best education they can.”

That statement, along with so many others, has been a consistent one that I’ve heard on my radio show and in discussions with parents for years, especially those whose children are stuck in inner-city schools with decrepit buildings and a lack of critical resources.

And for the past 20 years, one of the most talked-about solutions for parents stuck in dead-end, failing schools is to give them the option to use vouchers to send their children someplace where they could get a quality education.”

“But part of the reason why vouchers have been denounced and dismissed is
because Democrats have been far too obstinate on the issue, and have not
listened to their constituents, especially African-Americans, who overwhelmingly
support vouchers…. Obama’s opposition is right along the lines of the National
Education Association, and the teachers union is a reliable and powerful
Democratic ally. But this is one time where he should have opposed them and made
it clear that vouchers can force school districts, administrators and teachers
to shape up or see their students ship out.

“It is unconscionable to ask a parent to watch as his child is stuck in a
failing school or district, and ask him to bank on a politician coming up with
more funds to improve the situation. Fine, call vouchers a short-term solution
to a long-term problem, but I’d rather have a child getting the best education
– now — rather than having to hope and pray down the line.”

“But leaving out vouchers does a tremendous disservice to the parents who are fed up with deplorable schools, and allows school districts to operate with impunity and without any real competition.”