It was a packed house with standing room only at the Queens Public Education Town Hall in Jackson Heights on Saturday. Diane Ravitch, Class Size Matters' Leonie Haimson, Network for Public Education leader Carol Burris, other education activists and some local politicians all made very good presentations on behalf of public schools. My wife and I were there in the audience along with a former and the current Chapter Leader from Bryant High School.
It is always exciting to hear Diane Ravitch talk about the failure of high stakes testing. Diane nailed it again on why the Democrats are so bad on the testing issue. We have to follow the money as the civil rights organizations that want to keep high stakes testing all receive funding from the Gates Foundation. Money talks.
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| Ravitch and AOC |
Everyone of course is talking about the appearance Saturday from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Judge it for yourself. I was quite impressed. Thanks to Class Size Matters for posting.
One of AOC's best lines was when she talked about how education is a structural and systemic problem, requiring a solution on the scale of the problem. She spoke on why we shouldn't need charter schools. AOC even had to handle some hecklers from the back during the question and answer session that followed the presentations.
Her reaction on Twitter:
I LOVE how fired up our NY-14 town halls get. This is New York City!
Getting fired up means you care. I'd never discount the passion and courage it takes to stand up at a town hall.
So this was a great moment and awesome opportunity to have this honest conversation.
Diane Ravitch comments on Twitter: @AOC is very impressive. Honest, sincere. No pretension, no arrogance. Direct. Real. Empathetic.
It is interesting that after AOC spoke, she was writing detailed notes when Ravitch was answering questions. I hope she was learning about education and not writing her dinner order.
From Leonie:
I was
thrilled to be there and meet AOC, who spoke eloquently about how her family
had moved out of the Bronx for good schools, and how no one should ever have to
move from their home or to a charter school because the public schools aren't
good enough.
What, no right wing anti-AOC racist comments yet?
ReplyDeleteThe right wingers can't argue that AOC isn't with us. Even Chaz said she is on our side and he is no leftist blogger.
ReplyDeleteHe is reasonable. Check the comments. He got smart and moderates too. The former commenters now have to go to the Daily Stormer.
ReplyDeleteI love where she is coming from? I have always been troubled by the sight of little children leaving their homes in the dark to attend "a good" school outside their community and/or trying to win a "lottery" to get into a good school. Fix all the schools and it may alleviate the pressure on the specialized high schools. If all schools provided challenging school work, it would be a win win.
ReplyDeleteI think most of her ideas are idiotic, but I can see how they have an appeal for the Left. They will destroy whatever semblance of a free market economy we have left.
ReplyDeleteIt is better to have crony capitalism. The risks are socialized but the profits go to the capitalists. Only the taxpayers lose. Great system.
ReplyDeleteany comment against her would be racist and misogynist.
ReplyDeletehillary trained yall well.
sadly she's as dumb as a box of rocks, but that's exactly what pathetic nyc socialists are so they can relate.
how are those high-speed trains in socialist calizuela doing?
i have students that would have been in a position to get a 150k amazon job; now theyre looking at mcdonalds.
besides the 100 million killed by you socialists, what besides breadlines do you have to offer? let me guess--love and tolerance? a failed system that offers suffering, poverty and oppression?
and next time you see aoc at the airport flying to dc, or entering her suburban stretch suv, ask yourself how long you intend to be such suckers.
xox,
your pal
che(get the tee shirt)
--awaiting moderation as off topic lol.
i heart aoc.
ReplyDeletexoxo
stalin, mao and che
Not funny. That's enough.
DeleteHow do you feel about her public education views? That was the topic of this post and the town hall. The Republicans and corporate Democrats hate and want to get rid of public schools. AOC gives us a bit of hope. This post is about public schools. We have been bracing for an attack from the right all day. Surprised it took all day.
ReplyDeletewhatever drivel she espouses is spoon fed to her by her handlers.
ReplyDeleteshe had a 420 fico score; why would anyone ever care what "her views" on anything are?
she is a shill for the indoctrinated/uneducated masses who know nothing of history, the present, or human nature.
she studied economic for crissake and thought a $3 billion tax incentive was in some vault waiting to be spent on schools and trains.
i know there are lots of brainwashed marxists here (i was one once), but dag, are yall serious? this is the best you got? and an antisemite as well? all the boxes are being checked for the new socialist democrat party!
but really, if anything i think she is an excellent indictment of the abject failure of our secondary and post-secondary educational system. and she didnt even have liberal hollywood parents to fake her way into college. wonder how she got in?
i gotta go pray, or vomit, or something....
xox,
your pal
che (get the tee shirt). not waiting for support; i take care of myself and help those who cant.
--awaiting moderation as off topic lol.
This post is about AOC and others "rocking" the town hall. What does the following mean?
ReplyDeleteEducation is a structural and systemic problem, requiring a solution on the scale of the problem. Specifics? Solution?
The problems with public education are many.
whatever drivel she espouses is spoon fed to her by her handlers.
ReplyDeleteshe had a 420 fico score; why would anyone ever care what "her views" on anything are?
she is a shill for the indoctrinated/uneducated masses who know nothing of history, the present, or human nature.
she studied economic for crissake and thought a $3 billion tax incentive was in some vault waiting to be spent on schools and trains.
i know there are lots of brainwashed marxists here (i was one once), but dag, are yall serious? this is the best you got? and an antisemite as well? all the boxes are being checked for the new socialist democrat party!
but really, if anything i think she is an excellent indictment of the abject failure of our secondary and post-secondary educational system. and she didnt even have liberal hollywood parents to fake her way into college. wonder how she got in?
i gotta go pray, or vomit, or something....
xox,
your pal
che (get the tee shirt). not waiting for support; i take care of myself and help those who cant.
--awaiting moderation as off topic lol.
"the right" probably gave up on this blog, knowing theyde be censored.
ReplyDeleteThe right didn't give up. Read 7:59 and 8:02.
Deletetoo much censorship. too closed minded. adios and enjoy the echo chamber.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are censoring your blog. You think we all have have to agree with you otherwise we are lackeys or non-teachers. Then James,you have the nerve to call out principals when you are guilty of the same things you accuse them for. You're a piece of work, you think only your view matters.
ReplyDeleteStay on topic. We print critical views. Relax, you can still be opposed and get published. I ask people to stay close to the topic of the posting. This one had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with principals.
Delete"too much censorship. too closed minded. adios and enjoy the echo chamber." Bye Bye baby -
ReplyDeleteI don't think either party has a clue as to what is going on in the public schools. Obviously, they know there is a problem but their solutions only make matters worse. Perhaps this is the goal.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that Republicans want more charter schools, vouchers and to get rid of the "bad" teachers. The Democrats think that throwing more money at the problem is answer. So, we have two corrupt entities trying to fix a third corrupt entity. Government involvement just makes things worse. This is why public anything tends to be a disaster. (Public schools, public transit, public housing, public healthcare, etc.)
We seem to have many politicians that encourage broken families, dependency, lack of responsibility, blame, deception, entitlement, equal outcomes regardless of effort, etc. These are the people who are supposed to "fix" the school system?
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren has pitched a wide array of proposals that would make most Republicans shudder, but there is one area where she aligns with conservatives: the gas tax.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the schools are a smaller issue of a much bigger problem. If "they" want to put a foot down and fix the issue, start by addressing the bigger problem. I agree with Aoc because she gets it: All children deserve a quality education if we truly want a great country and world.Forget picking sides,pick justice.
ReplyDeleteShe mentions that her family had to move to a toney suburb and then complains about the racism in that toney suburb.
ReplyDeleteShe/her family is part of the problem. She abandoned the city public schools and now wants “all” schools to be great! That’s never going to happen, especially when the “talented tenth” leave for better pastures.
Because like 90% of dems AOC is a hypocrite. She has a good heart and some of her 100,000 crazy ideas make sense. If she can
ReplyDeletemaybe run for mayor, I would take that instead of being in congress. Diblasio is the biggest tool around, so wouldn't mind if AOC took his job and see how she would change our education system.