Arne Duncan Picked As Secretary Of Education
I don't know anything about Arne Duncan, so I can't say anything one way or the other. He may be just the man for the job. Only time will tell for sure. I will say this though. "He has more leadership experience than the man who selected him." He has been superintendent of the Chicago school system for seven years. Though he graduated from Harvard magna cum laude, he lacks experience. President-elect Obama has taken the same chance with Arne Duncan, that the people of America have taken with him.
posted by Common at
1:36 PM
> 
4 Comments:
Only 17% of 8th Graders Can Read at Grade Level in Chicago Schools Overseen by Obama Education Secretary-Designee
By: irnnews IRN | Source: CNSNews.com
December 17, 2008 9:00AM EST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
By Matt Cover
(CNSNews.com) – In 2007, only 17 percent of eighth graders tested at or above grade level in reading in Chicago Public Schools – the school system administered by Arne Duncan since 2001.
President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday tapped Duncan to become secretary of education in the upcoming administration.
Duncan, hailed by Obama as a reformer, said he would like to take the lessons he learned in Chicago with him when he moves to Washington. “I'm also eager to apply some of the lessons we have learned here in Chicago to help school districts all across our country," Duncan said after Obama formally named him to the job in Chicago.
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report for 2007, Chicago public schools have consistently performed below the national average during Duncan’s tenure.
The report measures students at the fourth and eighth grade levels in the subjects of reading, math, science, and writing, and ranks them at below basic, basic, proficient, or advanced levels.
Students in eighth grade are those most likely to have been in the Chicago system for a majority of Duncan’s tenure. CNSNews.com used the scores for these students to best determine the results of Duncan’s administration.
By 2007, only 17 percent of Chicago eighth graders were at or above grade level in reading. Thirteen percent scored at or above grade level in math. Twenty-three percent scored at or above grade level in writing.
By 2005, the only year Chicago participated in the NEAP assessment program, 16 percent of eighth grade students were at or above grade level in science.
Nationally, students did much better on average in reading, math, science, and writing.
In 2007, 29 percent of eighth grade students scored at or above grade-level in reading, 31 percent in math, and 31 percent in writing. In 2005, 27 percent of eighth grade students were at or above grade level in science.
Nationally, Chicago is the third largest school district with over 408,000 students. Its budget for 2007-2008 was $4.6 billion, according to information released by Chicago Public Schools. $862 million of that was supplied by the federal government.
Under Duncan, Chicago Public Schools spent $10,555 per pupil, with $9,488 going toward education-related expenses in 2007.
During Duncan’s tenure, the Chicago district did not significantly increase its scores in reading, rising only one point on average from 2002 to 2007 – from 249 of a possible 500 in 2002, to 250 in 2007. The national average in 2007 was 263. Seventy-five percent of Chicago students scored less than 273 on the reading assessment.
In math, Chicago Public Schools’ average score increased from 254 in 2003 to 260 in 2007. The national average for 2007 was 280. Seventy-five percent of Chicago students scored below 283 in the math assessment.
In writing, the average score for students in Chicago Public Schools increased from 136 out of 300 in 2002 to 146 in 2007. The national average in 2007 was 154. Approximately 50 percent of Chicago students scored below 148 in the writing assessment.
In science, the Chicago Public Schools average score was 124 out of 300; the national average was 147. Three-quarters of Chicago students scored below 146 on the science assessment.
Obama’s Choice for Education Secretary Approved Homosexual High School for Chicago
By: irnnews IRN | Source: CNSNews.com
December 17, 2008 9:02AM EST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
By Matt Hadro
(Courtesy of Chicago Public Schools)
(CNSNews.com) - Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan, who President-elect Barack Obama announced yesterday as his choice to be Secretary of Education, supported and approved plans for a special public high school for homosexuals.
Social Justice High School, Pride Campus was one of a number of projected public schools that Duncan approved for Chicago. The school was planned to open its doors to all students while offering support for homosexual and lesbian students and including notable gay and lesbian figures in its curriculum.
Duncan’s opinion of the planned school appeared in a Sept. 11 article in the Chicago Tribune.
“Given how large and diverse we are, I think there’s a niche there,” he said. “I think there will be more gay students in the school than other schools, but I wouldn’t be surprised if less than half the students are gay.”
Duncan approved the school in October and then said that he would ask the Chicago Board of Education to approve it as well.
“We want to create great new options for communities that have been traditionally underserved,” the Chicago Tribune quoted Duncan as saying in an Oct 9 article. “If you look at national studies, you can see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates . . . I think there is a niche there we need to fill.”
Laurie Higgins, a spokeswoman for the conservative Illinois Family Institute, expressed concern over the selection of Duncan to be the future Secretary of Education.
“Our concern, of course, is that he’s going to take these values -- these arguable, unproven theories about homosexuality and how public schools should treat it -- and using his power and position, affirm that in some kind of more nationwide proposals, or policies,” Higgins told CNSNews.com.
“Nowhere in there did Arne Duncan express anything other than approval for this school,” Higgins said of the discussions that preceded the city school board’s vote on the school proposal.
This means, Higgins said, that “he necessarily has taken a position on what homosexuality is -- the nature of it, and its morality. In order to have curricula that affirm homosexuality, you have to have come to these prior conclusions.”
Cindy Crane, executive director of the Gay-Straight-Alliance for Safe Schools, was highly supportive of Obama’s choice of Duncan for the position.
“We very much support these sort of efforts,” Crane told CNSNews.com, “so from that perspective, we’re very happy that he has been offered this position.”
“We’re pleased that someone who established himself as understanding the special challenges of LGBTs (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered) or sexual minorities within his own state is now in a federal position and will be able to influence legislation and budgets on a federal level,” she continued.
While the school’s design team eventually removed the plan from consideration by the school board, Duncan reportedly thought the original plan for the high school was “absolutely interesting and intriguing,” according to the Tribune.
Duncan reportedly hasn’t given up on the homosexual high school.
“The design team will take time to reconsider those ideas and come back with a stronger proposal,” Duncan told the Tribune. “This is a very healthy part of the process. There’s plenty of time. It’s more important to get it right.”
The high school, which is known officially as “Social Justice High School -- Pride Campus,” would be an offshoot of an existing school in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, called Social Justice High School.
Duncan also supported that school, as well as the communal efforts to bring the school about.
In 2001, 14 members of the Little Village community went on a hunger strike, after plans for a new school in Little Village were put on hold once again, reportedly because of budget constraints in the district.
Duncan rose to the position of CEO of Chicago Public Schools shortly after the 19-day hunger strike ended. Soon, $5 million was promised for the school’s design and preparation.
“I support them,” Duncan said of the hunger strikers. “I solved the thing. I actually have a hell of a lot of respect for them.”
Four small schools comprising Little Village High School opened in 2005 --one of which was Social Justice High School.
“These schools reflect one of the central goals of our new school creation strategy,” he reportedly remarked after the opening of Little Village High School. “We want to create the kind of schools that our community wants and needs.”
christian louboutin shoes, louis vuitton outlet, kate spade handbags, coach outlet, true religion, nike shoes, michael kors outlet store, tory burch outlet, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton handbags, coach purses, louis vuitton outlet, michael kors outlet online, coach outlet store online, coach outlet, ray ban sunglasses, michael kors outlet online, burberry outlet online, louis vuitton, red bottom shoes, christian louboutin outlet, burberry outlet online, longchamp outlet, longchamp handbags, michael kors outlet online, true religion outlet, nike free, oakley vault, jordan shoes, longchamp outlet online, kate spade outlet online, ray ban outlet, chanel handbags, cheap oakley sunglasses, michael kors outlet, prada handbags, prada outlet, tiffany and co jewelry, louis vuitton outlet online, nike air max, tiffany jewelry, polo ralph lauren outlet, nike air max, christian louboutin, michael kors outlet online, gucci handbags, polo ralph lauren
timberland shoes, ugg, ralph lauren, supra shoes, wedding dress, parajumpers outlet, uggs canada, louboutin, converse, moncler, vans, canada goose, lancel, toms outlet, coach outlet, hollister canada, moncler, links of london uk, moncler outlet, swarovski jewelry, pandora uk, juicy couture outlet, karen millen, iphone 6 case, pandora charms, canada goose uk, hollister clothing, nike air max, ray ban, air max, gucci, montre femme, thomas sabo uk, canada goose, baseball bats, hollister, moncler, louis vuitton canada, pandora jewelry, canada goose pas cher, moncler, juicy couture outlet, moncler, replica watches, swarovski uk, oakley, moncler, converse shoes
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home