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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 17, 2010
/ 3 Adar 5770
Moment of Truth
By
Paul Greenberg
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Imagine the reaction if Dick Cheney had talked like this about the state of public education in a great American city:
"This is a tough thing to say, but let me be really honest. I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina. That education system was a disaster, and it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community ... and the progress that they've made in four years since the hurricane is unbelievable. They have a chance to create a phenomenal school district. Long way to go, but that that city was not serious about its education. These people were being desperately underserved prior, and the amount of progress and the amount of reform we've seen in a short amount of time has been absolutely amazing."
Shades of George W. Bush when he was pushing No Child Left Behind. But that wasn't the previous president talking; it was this president's secretary of education. And he was right: New Orleans' old public school system was a disgrace.
Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations. In NOLA, it was institutionalized. In pre-Katrina New Orleans, the good times rolled while the kids who were consigned to failing, violence-ridden holding pens called public schools might as well have been given a life sentence. Arne Duncan deserves an A for candor.
Make that past tense: deserved. By now he's had to apologize for being, as he said, "really honest." No candid comment goes unpunished in American politics. Especially if it's something that needed saying. Take it from a newspaper columnist: If you're not offending somebody somewhere, you're not saying anything worth saying.
Arne Duncan was right the first time, and anybody even vaguely familiar with New Orleans' old and crumbling public schools knew just what he meant. But there's no limit to the improvement even the most moribund of school systems can make once the deadwood is not only shaken but clear-cut. The same hurricane that devastated New Orleans also wiped out a school system full of patronage, politics and sloth. Finally people got a chance to start their public schools all over again. Complete with an emphasis on learning instead of the usual educanto. Yes, it can happen even in New Orleans, where rot is an art form.
After Katrina, the sun shone again. Charter schools were created, competition was encouraged, standards raised. New schools blossomed. One of the more hopeful developments was the arrival of a horde of Teach for America graduates eager to take on a challenge that would have daunted others. These young people, not knowing it couldn't be done, did it. They brought a new vitality and emphasis on academic achievement to a completely reshaped school system.
But the deadwood is already growing back in ever-fecund New Orleans. The first thing those who miss the comfortable old inertia want to do is get rid of the new young teachers in town. They find these interlopers too ambitious, too hard-working, too well-educated. In short, too Yankee. They don't fit in. They disturb the peace, or rather the sub-tropical languor of the storied old city. They get things done and kids educated. They're just what's the current fad phrase? culturally incompetent.
Arne Duncan was right: If every cloud has a silver lining, a hurricane can shine like gold. And give even long-suffering New Orleans a chance to build a whole new and better public school system.
It's going to be interesting to see how far our president (and Chicago pol) is going to let his secretary of education go when it comes to real reform. Arne Duncan is a fan of charter schools. And he proposes to have the states compete for federal grants on the basis of educational quality and innovation, rather than just lining up for their usual handouts. And the president seems behind him on both counts. So far.
Mr. Duncan is a product of the Chicago machine, and so must know how this game is played: Talk about reform is just fine, but actual reform especially the kind that irritates the teachers' unions has its political limits.
Secretary Duncan may already have hit a dead end in Washington, where the administration's political indebtedness to the teachers' unions has killed a voucher program for the poor kids who need it most. And the secretary of education dares not defend the city's outspoken school superintendent, Michelle Rhee, as she takes on the forces of inertia in public education there.
Jonathan Swift said it: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Will our secretary of education oppose so formidable and widespread a confederacy? And if he does, how long would he stay secretary of education in this administration?
Paul Greenberg Archives
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