The Royal Tenenbaum

And I apologize for the two "or nots" in the previous posting

As State Superintendent of Education, Inez Tenenbaum single handedly removed a book from a VOLUNTARY reading list, under pressure from the Christian Right. Three books had been brought up for censorship by the Christian group and all three were deemed by the school board to have redeeming qualities and were left on the list. The group went to Tenenbaum, who left two books on and removed one; a book that was on the American Library Association's Best Book list for the year in which it was published. I don't know whether or not Inez Tenenbaum would be good in the Department of Education or not, but under any circumstances, she needs to address this action.

Howard, I most join u to say that she is absolute suited for the job holding to the fact that her tract record as Supt. of South carolina says it all that she can do the job.I just hope that u are not campaigning for Tenenbaum secretly.

However, lets leave it all to the vetting committee to submit the best names to Mr Obama who will make a good judgement at the end as he has already done in his othe nominations. It should not just be an issue of rewarding Tenenbaum.

Despite six years of the Klein administration???s misinformation to the public, there is sufficient data to prove that his reforms have been ineffectual and have produced no significant improvement in student achievement.

The Klein administration claims of a 12 percent increase in Reading and a 19 percent increase in Math scores on the New York State Assessments are inflated. These results include the scores obtained in 2002-2003 well before the implementation of Klein???s reforms. Without the 6 percent increase in Reading and the 15 percent in Math in 2002 - 2003, the figures read a dismal 6.4 percent rise in Reading and only 4.2 percent in Mathematics.

The only independent check on student achievement in New York City also shows a completely different picture from that claimed by Klein. The results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress administered by the US Department of Education, considered the gold standard in testing, show that student achievement in New York City has stagnated since 2003 with virtually no improvements for Black, Hispanic and low income students. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/dst2007/2008455.pdf

We need real accountability and transparency, not Klein???s version of it. Mr. Klein???s public relations team has made sure assessment information is not accurately presented to the public. The failure of Klein???s reforms become all the more evident when we consider all assessment measures ??? declining SAT and High Schools Advanced Placement Subject Tests, one of the worst graduation rates in the country (43rd out of 50 large US cities), a 50 percent drop in students attending gifted programs in NYC, etc.

By August 2008, South Carolina had risen to #18 in the country,[3] although Tenenbaum was replaced as Superintendent of Education by then, by Democrat Jim Rex on January 10, 2007. Howard Fineman needs to get his facts realigned with the timeline of her tenure.

Kritico, have you even been to college? Your ignorant post leaves me to believe you haven't. Maybe you should visit a college sometime before you continue judging those whom have chosen to educate at a collegiate level. Additionally, for you to claim that all hippies and liberals ('cause apparently they are one and the same) are the ones teaching intolerance is just plain ridiculous. This statement has made it apparent to me that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. So, in conclusion to my lecture, I ask you to stop judging those you do not understand, and I will stop judging you.

Kritico, have you even been to college? Your ignorant post leaves me to believe you haven't. Maybe you should visit a college sometime before you continue judging those whom have chosen to educate at a collegiate level. Additionally, for you to claim that all hippies and liberals ('cause apparently they are one and the same) are the ones teaching intolerance is just plain ridiculous. This statement has made it apparent to me that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. So, in conclusion to my lecture, I ask you to stop judging those you do not understand, and I will stop judging you.

Since we are all talking about education. May I propose to fire all the hippies who pass for university professors so that they can stop indoctrinating our young men with their liberal politics, intolerance for others and communist dreams.

Dear Mr. Fineman,
The US public education system graduates students who cannot read, write, add and subtract.
Why? Because in this system teachers advance by seniority. Merit and accountability are not in the vocabulary of the system. We need an education secretary willing to stand up to teachers unions and tear down the castles of incompetence and mediocrity. Please believe me, this would be the toughest job in the world.

I have a friend who lives in South Carolina and he says the schools are far less than fabulous. In fact, they are a disappointment. Most states have phased in Kindergarten and increased testing rigors. This is a result of No Child Left Behind, not Tenenbaum. Teacher's Unions are a special interest group. Why is impressing them a qualification?

http://www.usefulopinions.blogspot.com

Why are the politicans always looking for the outside education G-D? That special perrson who will with a sweep of their hand reform the entire system/country? Reality says that there is no such person. Education reform begins at home with concerned parents who read to their children, monitor their homework, control their media exposure, and who through example instill a love of learning. It's that simple-- education, like good nutrition and healthy living comes from the family- not from the state. That is what is meant by education from the bottom up. The federal government should have no role in education, and there should be no Department of Education.