Karen Brown: Pander Bearish on Public Education

Good for Karen Brown, she’s gonna create a revolution like the good Tea Partier that she is (ignore the fact that she was a Democrat just last year)!  First she’s going to save public education by abolishing the teachers’ union! Hmmm…is that really the FIRST thing you’d do to fix our schools?  Well, whatever….

And, not to say she doesn’t have stellar academic credentials, but I may have to quibble with her mathematical skills.  She had trouble figuring out her age for several years running.  She also, apparently, founded the Southwark Civic Association, although there has been an association by that very name since the 1990s IN LONDON.  I’m afraid it’s a bit like that song says “don’t know much about geography” because her Philadelphia association is not even within the acknowledged boundaries of what used to known as Southwark (now Queen Village and Pennsport).

Maybe this is her driving ambition, to save children from the rotten education she herself received.  She might want to start by spelling the word “education”  correctly on her official election website…

How do you spell "refrom"?

ATTENTION STRUNK and WHITE!!! (Bad Inqy Headline)

C’mon, you know the first image that popped into your head when you read this headline.  I was thinking maybe the recoil was what harmed the kid….

Hopefully this was the work of some poor summer intern under the gun (no pun intended), working on deadline and not some tasteless joke.

The  New York Times has “typos” all the time now, too.  You’d think with the limited number of print journalism jobs available that a major daily would be getting the creme de la creme.  This is why education is important.  If we don’t fix our schools then everything we read in the future is going to look like LOLcats…

“Nutter Launches Probe into Charter Selection Process”

How can Michael Nutter be so disingenuous as to appear completely clueless in the Mosaica/Foundations debacle?  If he were actually that oblivious, then we would already BE Detroit!  And Dwight Evans should have to serve detention for the rest of his term for his bad behavior.  Robert Archie is trying to make money any way he can under the guise of educational reform, but you would think our elected officials would show some restraint where the city’s kids are concerned.

Foundations, Inc.  looks like it’s practically a branch of the Philadelphia School District, albeit privatized and exiled to New Jersey, but connected just the same.  Mosaica looks like they may do some good, but are clearly in it for the money as well.  Still, if parents and teachers at King High School wanted Mosaica, and they’ve no choice about privatization, then give them what they want.  But, nooooo.  Our Joisey-based homies aren’t about to lose out to some Atlanta team.  Dwight Evans was probably ready to rumble, so those polite Southerners high-tailed it back below the Mason-Dixon line.  But now even Foundations has wimped out due to the brutal nature of  “school reform.”  Our schools must be even more dangerous than I thought…

But  it’s the same old story.  Philthy lucre is for philthydelphians and education is a business.  Reward your friends.  You don’t need to worry about students.  As Ebenezer Scrooge said: “Are there no prisons?!?”  Well, yes, as a matter of fact there are, and they’ve been privatized, too and are looking for inmates!

When you're a jerk you're a jerk all the way...

Schools to go from Medieval to Renaissance: Teacher’s guild protesteth

The state of some of Philadelphia’s schools is practically Medieval, but that should change soon with the Renaissance Schools program. And who could be a more enlightened team to awaken the potential of these schools, but A. Rahim Islam and Kenny Gamble of Universal Companies? Maybe Kenny thinks that with a little help any high school can look like the one on “Glee,” even if it sounds like Philadelphia.

But education in America is a business pure and simple, and Mr. Islam is a money guy so who better to fix our broken system? He must know something about school kids as well because he has nine of his own! Speaking of money, Universal got half a million bucks from the Feds last year thanks to School District support (note: one of Universal’s board members is chairman of the School Reform Commission and works for Duane Morris LLP which donated $60,000 to Tom Corbett). Now the district is providing financial support to Universal as well by paying the company to take over more schools. (Why the district yanked Universal’s previous contract at Vare Middle School is not clear.)

Perhaps as an example of “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got til You Lose It”, some students and teachers are protesting the takeover of their schools, but whadda they know or, more importantly, WHO do they know?

Well, the whole Renaissance is only going to cost about $20 million and maybe it will change the course of education history in Philly. Don’t worry, it’s gonna be GREAT! We PROMISE. If not, we still have Hope.

Speaking truth to power is still heresy

“New Job for Camille Cates Barnett”

One of America’s most talented city managers is back in town with a new gig.  Even though she only lasted two years, she improved and streamlined government with impressive programs like PhillyStat…oh, uh..well it seemed like a good idea originally.  Anyway, I’m sure she was hired in a highly competitive process at UPenn (there are lots of warm congratulatory wishes at this link).  I hope she is also being paid what she’s worth, because that $50,000 a year pension she bought only goes so far.

Camille Barnett teaching street smarts at UPenn

Celebrating the move to Philly of the planned American Revolution Center

Finally the Center has a home in the city. And what could be nobler than honoring our revolutionary heritage? It seems some people don’t trust it to be done in a dignified and appropriate manner. If Ed Rendell is involved how could it be anything but dignified?