(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
Jay is in today’s Wall Street Journal making the case that appeasement doesn’t work in foreign affairs, nor does it work in education policy. A number of people, including President Obama, attempt to identify themselves as reformers by supporting charter schools, while saying they oppose vouchers. They support evidence based reform, except when they don’t. Triangulate, obfuscate, repeat as necessary.
As Whitney Tilson and John Kirtley have noted: when they have finished with the 1,700 Opportunity Scholarship kids, they are coming after you Mr. and Mrs. Progressive Education Triangulator. Far more students attend charter schools than vouchers in the District. Why stop with vouchers?
A professor of mine noted what a tragic mistake it was for Chamberlain to throw the Czechs under the bus. Not only was it deeply immoral, it was strategic suicide. The Czechs were well armed. Britain and France’s betrayal took substantial military resources away from the Allies and handed them to the Nazis.
Blah blah blah, Britain and France weren’t ready to go to war with the Nazis. They were much less ready after this cowardly mistake. It’s called feeding your hand to an alligator.
The NEA sends a letter to Congress insisting that they kill the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, and they rush to obey. A report shows the vouchers improve reading, the Deparment tries to spin and bury it. The UFT writes anti-charter questions for NYC Councilmen to ask, they dutifully read them off.
You can definitely see lips moving during this half-hearted attempt at ventriloquism.
(edited to add link)
Did the NEA really send a letter to Congress insisting that the kill the DC program?
Yes. Here it is: http://www.nea.org/home/30906.htm
Thanks.