Those who read this blog may wonder why universal healthcare was my priority for the new Democratic Congress. Why not Iraq, since I've opposed the war from day one?
Or the repeal of No Child Left Behind? I've urged readers to sign the petition opposing Congressional reauthorization of NCLB since I first became aware of it. Public education is obviously a major concern of mine.
There is no simple answer to that, except to say that without adequate healthcare for all, public schools will continue to struggle. And the war in Iraq, regardless of what the Dems do, will end soon. Somehow.
(I note that Russell Sadler echoes what I wrote yesterday about healthcare in his latest Blue Oregon piece: "The increasing cost of health benefits is a problem for the public and private sector alike.")
But since I mentioned NCLB, this fawning op-ed piece in today's Oregonian demands comment, most particularly this ridiculous assertion:
"We need this bill [NCLB] to keep the pressure on schools so students can become creative thinkers and sustain our way of life."
One thing that NCLB, with its test-based accountability, doesn't do is encourage "creative thinking." It does "encourage" students to become good test takers. It encourages teaching to the test. It encourages cheating, which, come to think of it, may indeed help "sustain our way of life."
But creativity? What planet are you from, William McKenzie? Texas you say? I guess that explains it. Texas --Houston specifically-- is the birthplace of NCLB and corporate cheating. You know. Enron. (Not to pile on, but Texas also leaves 25% of its citizens without health insurance.)
And since I'm on the subject of education, here's what I heard from Winterhaven parents while watching a televised replay of the school board's January 8 public hearing on the district's decision to move the inner Southeast's math and science magnet to outer Southeast.
First from Winterhaven's site council chair (paraphrased):
"We're a nerd school and proud of it. Many of our students have experienced bullying and isolation in their neighborhood schools."
Then this (again broadly paraphrased) from a parent of an exceptional child (like all Winterhaven students):
Imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by severely mentally disabled (retarded?) students. That's what it's like for our [Winterhaven] students in neighborhood schools. "This is a special group."
The first remark reinforces my contention that niche schools like Winterhaven may be less about special academic programs than about sheltering kids from the real world.
The second remark? It's simply an insult and a slander against me, my children, and all my former Portland public school classmates, many of whom were freakishly smart and ended up at places like Harvard, Brown, Oberlin, and Reed.
One wonders how they managed without a Winter"haven".