NRU education, small bits

This is going into the hopper for the dissertation, but I think it is worth sharing it here.  Teacher wars are not new to this world … rather perhaps teachers have always been the easy targets.

Somebody in Oakland got the memo on how some business models are just not good public relations moves.  Just because all the other state colleges and universities are using international and out of state students as cash cows doesn't mean that it is right.  I mean, public being the operative adjective here.  I can't wait to hear how this turns out … stay tuned.

I wish that there were more information on how the teachers fit into this "fight" slash "debate."  The thing is without the teachers, this debate is so incomplete… and who is talking to the parents in this situation?  There seems to be an assumption, again, that the vocal minority can just muscle in and shut things down.  Will the crazy people back down when they figure out that they can bully the school board but not theCollege Board?  Right, probably not!

The saddest part of this piece on Deasy and LAUSD is that it demonstrates that sometimes he has really great initiatives ... but he has chosen to not work with the teachers too many times ... he really could have been a great superintendent ... instead he made buddies and enemies with the wrong folks.  If you are going to work in LA and try to make change, you have to have some allies on the school board and make serious friends with the teachers/union.  Being friends with the Broad people and the Students First people will only place you firmly in the back biting, manipulative and ultimately not productive side of this war.  Make no mistake, this is war, it is not education.