Secretary King

[Chris_Wendt]

No, not Pete King...

...John King, former NYS Commissioner of Education has become Acting U.S. Secretary of Education for the remaining 1 year of the Obama Administration. There is not enough time for King to do too much if any harm in his new post. The national mood is decidedly anti-Common Core, and there is absolutely zero political will to pass any new progressive or liberal education or school funding legislation for the remainder of this legislative term.

But, inasmuch as King was our ersatz Commissioner of Education, it I think it worthwhile to list his stated priorities for the U.S. Department of Education which he now heads:

1. Making sure all students receive a quality education

   (This is the educational equivalent of eliminating poverty, or at least hunger in the world)

2. Desegregating schools

   (This is goal is backed-up and amplified with the unrealistic expectation "...to use more school improvement money from the federal government (in t)he hope...that these improvements will convince wealthy families to enroll in high-poverty schools, spurring economic and racial integration in New York’s highly segregated schools.)

3. Supporting Common Core standards

   (Guffaw.)

4. Addressing predatory for-profit colleges and rising student debt

   (...which King stressed "...is important because low-income students and students of color are less likely to graduate college — and for-profit college students, which tend to target these disadvantaged populations, have poor graduation rates. Meaning, this goal does not really apply to your kids' higher education aspirations or future.)

So there you have the lofty goals and objectives of U. S. Secretary of Education John B. King, all of them unrealistic and politically unattainable, and not actually laudable...any more, in my opinion.

Chris Wendt
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