No Room At The Inn

The New York Times Caucus blog reports ('Sorry, We're Booked, White House Tells Obamas') the Bush White House has refused a request by President-elect Obama for his family to move into Blair House -- across the street from the White House -- so his daughters can begin school at the start of January.

The Obamas were told that Blair House, where incoming presidents usually stay in the five days before Inauguration Day, is booked in early January, a spokesperson to the Obama transition said. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,’ the spokesperson said. “But, there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.”

It remained unclear who on Bushes guest list outranked the incoming President.

“It’s not a public schedule,” said Sally McDonough, spokeswoman for First Lady Laura Bush, in refusing to disclose who was staying at Blair House. “It’s not a question of outranking the Obamas. Blair House will be available to them on January 15.”

Ms. McDonough said “there’s nothing more to say other than that it’s not available and won’t be available until January 15.” She added that “you’re trying to make a story out of something that’s not a story.”

A State Department official said he didn’t know of any foreign dignitaries staying at Blair House in early January.

A White House official said that Mr. Bush does not have family or friends from Texas staying at Blair House during the period which the Obamas requested. But Blair House, the official said, has been booked for “receptions and gatherings” by members of the outgoing Bush administration.

So who does rank higher than the incoming President's family? The Bushies won't say, except that they need the space for a bunch of parties? I didn't realize there was much to celebrate, except Change.

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What's Next?

Let the prognostication begin!!!

So how does President-elect Obama (boy, that sounds good!) move forward on education given the twin obstacles of a bad economy and a ballooning federal deficit -- along with opportunities presented by the pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (AKA NCLB) in 2009 or 2010 and a Democratic-controlled Congress?

It seems that education will inevitably take a back seat to economic recovery and foreign policy issues (Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, etc.). However, the good news is that some amount of deficit spending on infrastructure and investments in areas such as education will likely occur. I expect to see ESEA reauthorization as the primary vehicle for enactment of many of Obama's k-12 education reform ideas. In addition, Obama will likely rhetorically link education to economic revitalization and future American competitiveness. Aspects of his proposed focus on math and science will find a policy niche here.

A major question, of course, is who will be the next Education Secretary. Easy answer: Probably not someone from Texas. Hard answer: Who exactly from the other 49 states? Well, in my opinion, the likely candidates might include Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, former West Virginia Governor and president of the Alliance for Excellent Education Bob Wise, former New Jersey Governor (a Republican) and Drew University president Tom Kean, former South Carolina Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, and Paul Vallas, New Orleans superintendent and former Chicago Public Schools chief.

(UPDATE: Scratch Vallas off the list - he has agreed to stay in New Orleans through the 2009-10 school year. Scratch Napolitano as she has been tapped as Homeland Security secretary.)

I'm not basing these possibilities on any special inside knowledge (c'mon, I live in Wisconsin now -- wadda I know?!?!)-- just an educated guess. So it means that the next Ed Secretary will be someone NOT on this list. Other education leaders who probably won't be appointed Secretary but who are likely to play a important leadership role in the U.S. Department of Education or more broadly in the Obama Administration include Linda Darling-Hammond, Danielle Gray, Heather Higginbottom, Michael Johnston, Andy Rotherham, and Jon Schnur.

OK, that's the Obama side. What about the Republicans? I agree with Eduwonk that the Republican Party is probably headed for what he terms possibility #2.

We could see a return to the slash and burn and culture war approach of the 1990s (or its last gasp). Sarah Palin hasn’t been hostile to public schools in Alaska but if she sees these sorts of politics as a way to a political future in 2012 it’s hard to imagine she wouldn’t turn on a dime and others wouldn’t follow. This would mean a lot of ideas to effectively eviscerate the federal role in education, cut spending, devolve authority to the states and so forth. In a tight fiscal climate state “flexibility” can have a siren-like appeal because it gives states more flexibility around using federal dollars to plug other budget holes. The likely lack of Republican moderates on the Hill will only add to this dynamic.

But, if the experience in some states as well as the likely composition of the House and Senate after the dust settles is any guide, I’d bet on the second option. That means a lot of theater, but not good news if you want to see a serious national debate about ideas for improving our public schools.

Don't expect to see a major national debate about education, but probably modest changes to existing policies (a lessening of NCLB's rigid accountability provisions and an increased emphasis on value-added methodologies), some targeted investments (early childhood education, differentiated teacher pay, teacher professional development & support, dropout intervention), a focus on higher education (a college tax credit, financial aid simplification, student success at 2- and 4-year colleges), and, if the economy permits in a couple of years, some greater across-the-board investments.

My overall bet is that education policy will not transform itself nearly as much as some other policy areas -- health care, environment, energy, foreign policy -- under Obama's watch. While I think that Jay Mathews's take on this question in last Friday's Washington Post is a bit strong -- certainly the headline is ("Why The Next Education President Will Be Like Bush") -- he's definitely on the right track.

But the devil is in the details, and I predict that many important changes will be made to improve public education in general and ESEA specifically, enhance the quality of teaching, and create more successful and sensible pathways to higher education over the next four years.

Optimism, indeed, is back.

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Hope is Alive

And optimism is back!

I was born 2 days before Carter was inaugurated, far too young to experience that man's presidency. I grew up inside the Beltway, listening to Grandpas Reagan and Bush preach nothing my parents believed in. I cried hard the night Dukakis was defeated, and pretty much gave up. Clinton was no salve-- by then I was old enough to be troubled by a man who clearly couldn't keep his word--not to the woman he fathered a child with, and certainly not to the thousands of poor women across the country whom he sent to work instead of college. He disappointed me time and again; by the end of his term I wished him good riddance.

W was the president that made me feel bitter and hopeless. Cynical, eager to leave the Beltway and DC far behind, dismissive of those who thought they could make a difference by working anywhere near Washington. So I find myself tonight in a small town of 12,000 in Wisconsin-- a safe haven, of sorts.

Now tonight-- the most amazing thing has happened. Despite a persistent black/white gap in educational achievement, the resegregation of our schools, rising tuition and stagnant rates of college completion...I am once again really an optimist! Because it has happened-- America has actively sought to reverse course and right the ship. It's a New Deal for us all-- Barack Hussein Obama is the President-Elect of the United States of America. Michelle Obama is the future First Lady. And the humble, forthright, and sensitive Joe Biden will replace the big Dick as VP.

GLORY GLORY Hallelujah. Obama, thank you for making it clear that this country is worthy of raising my son in.

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Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me

I'm so glad to see this campaign season end. So many utterly despicable things have occurred as candidates raged against one another that some days it was hard to even open the paper. Remember Bill's racist slurs in South Carolina? McCain's referring to Obama as "that one" and trying to equate him with terrorists because of his religion? Awful, sad, pathetic.

But what's offended me the most was John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for VP. Obama had just wrapped up an incredibly eye-opening convention that made me think true progress had been made in this country. Then, in an incredible slap across the face to women everywhere, John had the gall to say "Ladies, want to see a woman in the White House? I'll give you a woman.. Here: Caribou Barbie. Go play."

Come on! This woman can barely put one foot in front of the other, let alone read and carefully think through an issue of The Atlantic Monthly. She reads "all" the magazines, gazes out her window at Russia each morning, and most infuriatingly, claims to be a wonderful mom to her special needs infant! Lady, please. You want to stake your claim as Mama of the Year and put fragile babies back on the agenda? Then you'll have to actually walk the walk, by TAKING CARE OF YOUR CHILD instead of running around the country while someone else holds the babe. Special needs babies-- I know something about that. They require lots of active loving, constant holding, nursing, and nearly 24/7 attention. No one can replace Mama in doing that. I did it for 7 months straight. My son grew from 4 lbs to a healthy size, and thrived under my attention.

You can't tell me it's anti-feminist to say she should've been with her kid. No way. It's her right to choose her path, but she can't run for VP and claim to be standing up for special needs babies and their mamas everywhere. Not when she's neglecting hers. I had an 80 hour/week job where the tenure hinged on continuously working, and when my kid needed me I threw it into the wind. Guess what? Not all was lost-- in fact I'm far better off now than I was then. When I say I'm for better work/family policies, I've actually tried both sides--working, and at home-- and a mix of the two.

So no--Sarah doesn't stand for me. John-- whom I was ready to VOTE for until about 8 months ago when he lost his mind-- has completely alienated me. And Mamas everywhere-- you should be offended, pissed, and ready to VOTE AGAINST this hypocrite. Caribou Barbie-- go back to Alaska with your Ken doll. Good riddance!

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Education and the Election

Given the tanking economy and the lives of Americans on the line overseas, it is quite understandable why education has gotten short shrift in this presidential campaign. But scratch beneath the surface, and you'll find that it is a high priority for many voters and has received much more attention in state-level campaigns than at the national level.

Education Week provides a nice summary ("Education on the Ballot") of education-related issues on this year's ballots in the 50 states. Here in Wisconsin, the only major race on the ballot is for President--although control of the State Assembly is up for grabs. Our state-level offices are up in non-presidential years and the election for state superintendent of public instruction takes place in April 2009.

Tomorrow I plan to vote for a President with intellectual, moral and leadership abilities that I can be proud of ... with a vice-presidential partner who is ready from day one ... with a once-in-a-generation biography and life story. On education, this individual is clearly engaged and interested in the policy complexity that shapes what 21st Century American schools look like. He understands the importance of the building blocks of good schools ... great teachers, high standards, sustainable funding, engaged leaders, and supportive parents and communities. He is also open to new ways of doing business that puts the interests of students first and the preferences of adults second. I believe that he will build upon and strengthen what is working while looking for new answers to intractable problems.

That individual, of course, is Barack Obama.

I look forward to watching history unfold tomorrow evening and beyond. There will be lots to discuss in the coming days...

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Debate Redux: DC Vouchers

Republican presidential candidate John McCain made a point to declare school vouchers an education policy grounded in research at Wednesday's debate. "And I've got to tell you that vouchers, where they are requested and where they are agreed to, are a good and workable system," said McCain. "And it's been proven." Not so fast, Senator!

Today's Washington Post offers a fact check on the federal "Opportunity Scholarship Program" which, of course, was imposed upon Washington, DC by the Republican-controlled Congress and President Dubya.

A U.S. Department of Education study released in June showed that students in the program generally scored no higher on reading and math tests after two years than public school peers. The findings are consistent with previous studies of the voucher program.

Leslie Nabors Olah, senior researcher for the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, a coalition of five prominent universities, said that the D.C. voucher program hasn't shown immediate benefits and that more research needs to be done.

"We have no evidence that vouchers work," Nabors Olah said.

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Should We Postpone The Election, Too?

UPDATE: It appears that there will be a Obama-McCain tonight. Hold that chicken suit.

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It looks like it might be time to bring out a guy in a chicken suit for Obama to debate (perhaps Letterman can assist?) as McCain is likely to back out of tomorrow night's presidential debate -- despite this agreement -- due to the lack of agreement on Capitol Hill over the government bailout of rich guys. Makes sense, right? The economy is in the tank, so let's limit the exercise of American democracy. Sounds like a plan written by the Bush Administration, maybe even Uncle Dick himself.

Perhaps we should postpone the election, too. After all, high school civics instructs us that Article II 0f the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date of the presidential election. So it's not too late!!! Given the fact that McCain's presence in Washington, DC is so critical the future of the American economy, let's give W another year at the helm and try this whole election thing again in 2009. Maybe that will even give McCain time to reconsider his choice for veep.

I feel an omnibus bill coming on: Wall Street bailout, election postponement. What else?

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Will The New President Support New Educators?

In yesterday's lukewarm editorial about the presidential candidates' education policy platforms, the Washington Post clearly sided with Barack Obama as the preferable option over John McCain. Not exactly a strong endorsement.

One thing is clear. Obama's presidential platform specifically focuses on developing excellent teachers--recognizing educators as the #1 school-based impact on student achievement. As a U.S. Senator, Obama has sponsored and co-sponsored legislation that would fund teacher residency programs and high-quality teacher induction programs. He's not a Johnny-come-lately to this issue.

Other than the fact that the charter-and-voucher-happy Lisa Graham Keegan (Matthew Yglesias/The Atlantic blog) (Arizona Republic article) is his chief education advisor, why is McCain clinging primarily to the tired, old right-wing focus on school structure, market-based reforms, and demonizing teachers at the exclusion of everything else? What too many conservatives don't seem willing to admit is that teachers drive results. Whether it's a public school, a charter school, a voucher school, a religious school or a home school, if a child has a good teacher he will be more likely to succeed. If teacher quality is lacking, learning is much less likely to occur. Teachers are not the enemy - they will lead us where we need to go if we support them and, yes, challenge them when appropriate to do better. But It can't be all sticks and no carrots. And It can't be done to teachers, it must be done with them.

The 'It' is what is in question in this campaign.

There is some hope in McCain's education platform. Buried within it is an interesting idea:

Provide Funding For Needed Professional Teacher Development. Where federal funds are involved, teacher development money should be used to enhance the ability of teachers to perform in today's technology driven environment. We need to provide teachers with high quality professional development opportunities with a primary focus on instructional strategies that address the academic needs of their students. The first 35 percent of Title II funding would be directed to the school level so principals and teachers could focus these resources on the specific needs of their schools.

I agree that Title II monies should be better directed at high-quality, high-impact professional development. About half of these funds currently go to class size reduction which is not necessarily the biggest bang for the buck, particularly outside the early grades. Certainly, some professional development monies are directed at low-quality, pray-and-spray, one-size-fits-all PD seminars. And some teachers are allowed to self-select PD offerings that really aren't focused on improving their teaching. I'm not saying that enrollment in Underwater Basket Weaving is rampant, but simply that districts and school leaders should have more say in -- and a better understanding about -- helping teachers improve through purposeful PD.

As McCain so often discusses, it is also appropriate to focus on weeding out ineffective teachers. But even more important is identifying the effective ones through meaningful evaluation systems [Ed Sector] [NGA] [NCCTQ], figuring out what makes them effective, and using that knowledge to transform the practice of the vast majority of mediocre-to-average-to very good teachers by improving preparation [ECS] [Edutopia] [SREB] [TNE], instituting high-quality induction programs [NTC] [AASCU] [AEE], and and designing career-long professional development opportunities [CCSR] [CCSSO] [PEN] [VA DOE] that support individualized teaching contexts.

The main problem with McCain's proposal is that he has proposed ratcheting down increases in domestic spending. That means little money to implement No Child Left Behind-related programs and fund needed teacher quality reforms. (Remember, we've got to fund those tax cuts for the rich that sickened McCain just a few years ago; oh yes, and pay for the 100-year war in Iraq.)

Obama, on the other hand, has signaled a willingness to reform teacher compensation and strengthen professional development systems and ante up federal resources and target them at high-need, hard-to-staff schools and districts across the country. His focus clearly is on making teachers better with a focus on student outcomes. That's a more comprehensive approach that makes a lot more sense. I agree with the Post that he needs to go further in fleshing out his views on issues such as teacher assignment and teacher tenure, but Obama's reform-minded, student-focused teacher policy proposals are a refreshing change from the "status quo or bust" and "more money is the only answer" ethos of many recent Democratic presidential contenders.

With regard to McCain, I wish he would spend less time talking about bad teachers and more time talking about how we can learn from good ones. And enough with this voucher obsession! Let's focus on making our public schools as good as they can be. That starts with strengthening America's teaching force.

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