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Guerrilla Grilled Cheese

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American Public Media’s “Marketplace” reports on a guy conquering New York, one gooey cheese sandwich at a time.

President Obama Lets a Teachable Moment Pass

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President Barack Obama speaks to the Business Roundtable about the economic recovery effort, his education plan, and other issues as Secretary Arne Duncan listens. March 13, 2009

I do not understand why President Obama chose to spend $62,000 per year to send his kids to an elite private school when he admits that he could have found excellent public schools in the District for them. As he told NBC today (quoting from The Washington Post article):

Because he is the president, Obama said, if he wanted to get his daughters into one of those [quality] public schools, “we could probably maneuver to do it.” But Obama said the “broader problem” is that parents without “a bunch of connections” don’t have such options.

Yes, that is the “broader problem,” but it still doesn’t explain why the president—always fond of teachable moments—didn’t take the chance when he had it to spotlight at least some of the positives of the DC public school system.

By sending Sasha and Malia to public school—where they would have surely thrived—the president and Michelle might have seen that public schools, while not perfect, have a lot to offer, including dedicated teachers and an ethnically and economically diverse student body. The president would also have had a bird’s-eye view of the changes his adminstration is imposing on the public schools, which could have proven invaluable from a public policy perspective.

The bottom line is that the president’s choice of private school for his daughters, while his prerogative, was in my opinion an opportunity lost for the city’s public school–attending children, who need all the help they can get. (And sorry, public officials, those photo-staged public school readings aren’t cutting it.)

By his own admission, Obama’s decision was based not on a lack of quality public schools in the District, which he said he could “maneuver” to find. It makes you wonder if, when the president says he believes in the public school system, his heart is really in it. It also makes you wonder if the super-rich will ever deign to send their kids to public school, no matter how many “reforms” are imposed by this administration or successive ones and no matter the gains in achievement made.

As an aside, the total cost to attend the Sidwell Friends private school, from grade six through grade 12, for two kids, is more than $430,000 by my calculation, which doesn’t account for annual tuition increases and other out-of-pocket expenses. Yes, that’s nearly a half-million dollars before the little dears even get to college. Now that’s some serious Change™.

(Photo caption: President Barack Obama speaks to the Business Roundtable about the economic recovery effort, his education plan, and other issues as Secretary Arne Duncan listens. March 13, 2009.)

DADT: Lose the Fight, Win the War

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It will happen, everyone knows it. It’s just too bad that a tiny minority can prevent even a debate on the defense authorization bill — which has never happened before — and thus prevent an up or down vote. But don’t ask don’t tell will be lifted, allowing all Americans to serve openly in the US armed forces. It’s just going to take a bit longer.

 

 

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