Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 6:23 PMBy: sorry for the typos Duncan Pros and Cons I am a teacher who cannot afford a new keyboard.

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 6:40 PMBy: wait wait Duncan Pros and Cons Why wasn't Arne considered to take Obama's place as Senator?

Why? He is not qualified. No one would even dream of considering him.
So now he is secretary of education.
Tragedy and shame

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 6:54 PMBy: Activist10 Duncan Pros and Cons He has fundamentally failed to serve students with disabilities and support special education teacher development. OSS is a laughingstock. You'll get your IEP changed only if you can afford a damn good special ed lawyer.

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 7:33 PMBy: write your Congressmen Duncan Pros and Cons And tell your friends and relatives out of state to to the same. Tell them not to approve Arne Duncan for Secretary of Education. If Congress really this stupidthere is no hope for anything.
Don't they see what a corrupt and unqulified appointment this is?
Union members, use that PAC money and get those letters out.

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 7:57 PMBy: I have a pro Duncan Pros and Cons C'mon people,

He had the foresight to hire Pittman as head of high schools. With this skill at picking talent, why wouldn't he be a great choice as Sec. of Ed.

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 8:01 PMBy: arne legacy Duncan Pros and Cons Gilligan's first job was to fire four tenured teachers.

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 8:39 PMBy: MB Duncan Pros and Cons You list weaknesses as: Failed to win substantial concessions from the Chicago Teachers Union in the last contract. ▪ Failed to expand the highly restrictive charter school cap for Chicago (30) .

Why are these weaknesses? Certainly not to teachers. Maybe Duncan isn't as anti-union or pro-charter as is assumed by all the nay-sayers on this board?

And I would disagree with the idea of not getting concessions. He has won plenty of sway over the union, and the best kind, in which the Union, as represented by Stewart, never raises a stink about anything CPS does so long as no one sticks a finger in her fat pudding pie. Compared to most cities our union might as well not even exist!

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 9:45 PMBy: To:Anymouse Duncan Pros and Cons I hope somebody who is a holder of the Illinois Type 75 certificate with an experience as an educator.

Mon Dec 15, 2008 at 10:30 PMBy: Ann Onymous Duncan Pros and Cons Hurray! We finally get rid of Arnie! Pee Yew! Now we're stuck with him as Sec. of Education! Politics as usual, even among reformers! Before he goes, I hope he gets rid of the twit running Sports Administration, who apparently has turned a blind eye to coaches who beat players with paddles!

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 2:23 AMBy: George N. Schmidt Duncan Pros and Cons "What am I missing?" Alexander, yesterday

You are missing lots, but here's to make it brief.

You are missing the fact that Duncan has been responsible for violating both major consent decrees (desegregation; disabilities). And he has seen to it that CPS spent millions of dollars on lawyers and consultants in trying to eliminate court oversight of its meager "desegregation" programs and its always inadequate special education programs.

Those are just two (among many) examples from "education." There are many more, but here is a big one:

Arne Duncan has been responsible for the firing of 2,000 African American teachers since he took over in 2001 and began closing "failing" (today, "underperforming" schools, to the cheers of corporate Chicago. Somehow, when Duncan finds "failing" schools and "failing" teachers, the are virtually always all-black. Once again, last year, the majority of the teachers in every school he reconstituted (Copernicus, Fulton, Howe, Morton, Harper High School, and Orr high schools (the three small schools remaining inside Orr) were black.

Those kinds of records makes Arne Duncan fit to run the segregated public schools of Mississippi or Alabama 60 years ago, but not to bring his talents to the nation as a whole. The fact that he was appointed by the nation's first African American President is equally disgraceful.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 7:42 AMBy: Marricat Duncan Pros and Cons I think President Elect Obama will live to regret this decision too and I just hope Arnie doesn't do too much damage on a national level. I, too, believe that it is ironic that the first African American president has appointed someone who has taken steps to keep Chicago segregated, fired numerious African American teachers, hurt SPED, and worked to destroy public education. If he does this on a national level, we are headed for trouble. At least, Chicago is rid of him which is a positive thing.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 9:22 AMBy: Marricat Duncan Pros and Cons The CEO has a lot to do with school closings, having hearings that parents and staff can't attend, not listening to parents and staff at Board meetings, and firing minority teachers. All of these things have lead to more segregation. The trends that you talk about are part of it but Arnie has made his contribution.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 10:44 AMBy: Marc Sims Duncan Pros and Cons Arne Duncan’s buddy, the President-elect has hooked him hook up with a good, but very challenging job.


I attended the Chicago Public Schools starting at kindergarten and dropped out of the Chicago Public Schools in 1980. Now my children attended the Chicago Public Schools. Well, not really, they actually attend a charter school. In Chicago there is not enough “good schools”. Most of the public schools in Chicago are filled with “low income “students. These schools, like many urban schools in the USA, they have class problem.


A few years ago I run in to Arne Duncan just off Chicago’s Magnificent mile. I told him my children receive A’s and B’s because my wife, a college graduate can help them with their homework. I also mentioned to Mr. Duncan “we are in the hood but are not of the hood”, we expect our children to receive A’s and B’s.


A year or so later I called Mr. Duncan via a radio show and suggested the Chicago Public School’s middle class education model doesn’t work for thousands of CPS students. A middle class education model presumes that students have educated parents that are helping their children prepare for college.


Arne Duncan seems like a very nice and very sincere man, so I hope he will find creative ways to break the cycle of preventable poverty. Many public schools in a city like Chicago should have a different curriculum for students who are not college bound. This new curriculum should also prepare students to become excellent parents.


Preparing students to become excellent parents one good way to improve public education in the USA.


Marc Sims
Chicago

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 11:01 AMBy: Thanks Catalyst Duncan Cons I have no faith in Duncan after what happened with Skinner Elementary. Skinner is a 90% minority school, Classical (accepts kids citywide), top ISAT scores in the city and they were waiting for their new building which was SOLD to the neighborhood. Arnie is a SELL OUT! The aldermen need to satisfy the developers for this new school to be "neighborhood" so they go crawling to Daley and then Arnie gets his orders. It's pathetic especially when you think how they are disrupting the children, the parents and citywide folk from having a chance for a quality education.

Rufus Williams would have been a better choice.

By the way, always turned to Catalyst when I needed to research what was going on with other schools.

Also, in regards to charter schools-what kind of a choice does a kid have when they are stuck at a Transportation school or a Military school? I think that is very limiting.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 11:05 AMBy: voted 4 BO now worried Duncan Pros and Cons Arnie takes orders from above and seems complacent. After sitting in on many Board meetings I have observed that he is removed and unaffected by the parents, teachers, principals etc. who are pleading with the Board on behalf of their cases. We are so used to Chicago policy makers making decisions behind closed doors, we try to fight for our cause when everyone knows "It's a done deal". That is sad. Arnie took no chances and stood up for no one but Daley. He is not a leader and he should not be in this position. If we continue to let our education systems be controlled by politics we are never going to be in the forefront. I am sure there are more qualified people in other states who are ready to take on education for the nation. I agree with 1:04 looks like a B-ball position and not a wise choice.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 11:46 AMBy: Mr. Ed Alexander -- RSS Feed not working Alexander, when you get back, please check into RSS feed problem -- not loading.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 6:03 PMBy: rodentface Duncan Pros and Cons Mike,

I don't dislike Mr. Duncan at all. I just think the policies he has approved of and presided over are a major blow to the public service nature of education. Despite all the talk of school choice, Chicago's school system is making a major push to serve only some of its students, not all of its students.

CPS is now a 3-tiered system: magnets at the top, selective enrollment charters in the middle (all charters are selective enrollment - only 32% of students at charters come from the neighborhoods in which the schools reside), and neighborhood schools at the bottom. The distribution of resources to these three tiers is blatantly inequitable.

As a relative newcomer to teaching after a career in another field, I have no idea how Mr. Duncan compares to his predecessors. But I do know that the damage to families, schools, and communities caused by closed schools, turnarounds, and the proliferation of privatization under the guise of 'choice' is extensive.

I also know that during Mr. Duncan's tenure CPS has operated with extreme secrecy and without meaningful input from and consultation with parents, communities, and teachers. For instance, Board meetings are held on Wednesdays during the day. So, parents, students, and teachers who wish to attend and speak, must take the day off.

Finally, while claiming to desire the very best educators for the city of Chicago, CPS undermines even the most remote possibility of that occurrence by paying teachers poorly compared to their metropolitan peers and offering weaker benefits packages. The situation is far worse for charter school teachers. CPS also fails, on a massive scale, to provide adequate infrastructure, basic educational support (even in the form of sufficient books and desks), and special education services to the students who need it. The list goes on.

I can't imagine what skills Obama sees in Mr. Duncan that would compensate for his failure to address these issues though that doesn't mean they are nonexistent. But I remain skeptical. Given Obama's pseudo-populist appeal and his stated claims to provide for the middle and lower classes, I don't understand the choice at all.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 7:42 PMBy: Nate Peele Duncan Pros and Cons I couldn't limit my thoughts to 500 words so I posted in my own blog:

Duncan Right Choice for Education Chief

Wed Dec 17, 2008 at 9:13 AMBy: To Nate Peele Duncan Pros and Cons Very, Very funny stuff. Love the resume! No-bid contracts, etc. You're brilliant!!!

Wed Dec 17, 2008 at 12:40 PMBy: Nate Peele Duncan Pros and Cons I think you're 100% correct. That's why George Bush's pick of John Bolton for the UN was so perfect. Afterall, who better to reform the UN than somebody hated by the UN. Who better to reform schools that somebody who is disliked by the teachers who worked under him. Not only that, but his experience with non-bid contracts like IMPACT make him even more experienced than a lot of people in the Bush administration were before taking office.

Sun Dec 28, 2008 at 2:06 AMBy: question Duncan Pros and Cons is Adam Bee a satirical personality too?

Sun Dec 28, 2008 at 12:42 PMBy: George N Schmidt Duncan Pros and Cons "I do think Arne Duncan had the best intentions when he took over CPS but areas such as special education require extensive specialized experience. He was forced to rely on dubious information from OSS. Right now specialized services is loaded with inexperienced personnel some of whom are not even tenured teachers so they have little or no practical knowledge of what is involved in the "day to day in the schools" aspect of special education..." ("Annie" this morning).

Annie, Arne Duncan was "CEO" of CPS for more than seven years. His name appeared on every Board Report hiring Dykema Gossett (the outside law firm that cost the Board more than a million dollars the past five years) to fight against enforcement of Corey H. Arne's personal word was placed behind the phony claim that CPS had a huge "deficit" in 2006 that "necessitated" the reduction of special education budgets by $26 million.

I personally heard him try and justify those lies (the opposition to Corey H continuing; the budget lies that forced out hundreds of special ed teacher, aides, and SECAs) at media events during those years.

How can you possibly believe that his intentions were somehow pure when his every major action (right down to the current staffing of OSS) was in the opposite direction. He was against public schools, especially where those services (as public schools) were not "efficient." The least "efficient" services (somethings, as as at Blair) require more than one adult per child. Special needs children are the first thrown overboard under and system that preaches social Darwinism, which is the gospel Arne Duncan believed in, preached, and practiced.

Sorry. You're wrong. I was taught by two parents who were in combat during World War II to pay attention to what people actually did, not to impressions or to what they claimed to be doing.

There was not one vicious action by Arne Duncan during his more than seven years in office that was not preceded by a lengthy speech about how he was doing it in the best interests of "the children."

Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 7:58 PMBy: Hey BC from NYC Duncan Pros and Cons You are right on with your comments. Now Arne is your problem too, since he is a national overlord of schools.
best wishes from Chi-town. Our rapidly falling temperatures can only be surpassed by the high school drop out rate ARNE made, kept and left for us.