Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > January > 17 > Entry
What would you ask Kozol, Weaver?
On Wednesday, I am going to see Reg Weaver, the president of the National Education Association, and Jonathan Kozol, author and one of the chief critics of the economic and racial disparities in America’s public schools. Both are speaking at nearby Central State University. I hope to get to talk to both.
So what would you like to ask Kozol and Weaver? I’ll try to actually ask some of your questions if I can.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Urban School Issues
Comments
By Rick
February 17, 2006 11:47 AM | Link to this
Robb’s post is merely a liberal ad hominem attack. Chill out Robb. People can disagree without hating the person they disagree with. No suburban school district spends “exponentially more” than the urban school districts.By Robb
February 14, 2006 6:35 PM | Link to this
I read the ignorant gibberish you wrote about Kozol on 1-20-06, and have to wonder—have you ever been to a public school? Anywhere? Have you ever LOOKED at the budget of a public school? Anywhere? You also seem confused as to the definition of the word “FACT”, since every fact there is, including the stark reality that these kids live in, makes your statement, “they spend more money per student than almost all schools” sound like you are a complete buffoon. Or, perhaps, it’s that you’re confused as to the definition of the word “urban”, which would explain your laughable assertion… So, let me offer a few suggestions: 1— Pick a city (any city), and randomly find the most run-down looking school you can. Then find their budget, and see what the per-student spending works out to. 2— Do the same in the suburbs, only, find the nicest looking public school you can. Find out what THEIR per-student spending is. 3— Do some real advanced math, and find out how much of that “per student spending” actually goes to the urban student (that’s the one in the city), and likewise for the suburban student. You may actually find that running a dilapidated old building costs a hell of a lot more to run than a brand new, state-of-the-art building (just a guess). You also might find that the per-student spending was already exponentially higher in the suburban school, before you even begin to implement these ‘advanced statistics’ techniques.By Rick
January 20, 2006 6:01 PM | Link to this
Why would you even mention Kozol? He is one of those radical leftists who want to reorganize society into one egalitarian “paradise.” You can count on him demanding more money for urban schools, even though they spend more money per student than almost all schools. He simply will not be bothered by the facts.By Mary
January 18, 2006 7:09 AM | Link to this
School choice is considered to be liberating and empowering for many parents in failing urban schools (as documented in the book “Cheating our kids - how politics and greed ruin education”. Have you read this book and what do you think about empowering parents and students as customers through choice? I think I know what Weaver will say.By Mark
January 17, 2006 10:58 PM | Link to this
I’d like to know what the NEA president thinks about Education Secretary Margaret Spellings compared to her predecessor, Rod Paige, who seemed to go out of his way to antagonize teachers’ unions….