Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2007 > August > 08 > Entry
Excuse me, Mr. Obama?
Barack Obama
Want to know what a presidential candidate thinks about No Child Left Behind? Here’s a way to find out that’s not as hard as you might think this early in the campaign — walk up to them at a campaign stop and ask.
That’s exactly what Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation did. Petrilli gives his play-by-play of his interaction with Obama in Fordam’s weekly online newsletter The Gadfly.
Petrilli was on vacation in New Hampshire when he spotted a flyer for an Obama whistle stop nearby. So he went.
Obama took a couple shots at NCLB in his speech and afterward Petrilli got in a line to meet the candidate. Minutes later, he was face-to-face with Obama and asked what he would do to make NCLB better?
Petrilli said Obama sized him up and said his goal would be to improve the education law by getting “buy in” from teachers. Petrilli spends the rest of his essay detailing the reasons why “teacher buy in” is, in his view, the wrong thing for Obama to be focused on, equating teacher buy in to teacher union buy in. Check it out.
Note: This post also appears at the Education Writers Association’s Education Election blog.
(Image credit: Chicago Tribune)
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Tracking Barack Obama
Comments
By ohdave
August 9, 2007 6:21 PM | Link to this
So this guy’s gripe is that Obama wants to get teachers’ support? I guess policy that teachers hate makes a lot more sense.By School Supporter
August 8, 2007 3:36 PM | Link to this
Petrilli has a point. Obama took an oath: “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; … and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.” He needs to ensure his advisors are worthy of the public trust. That said, if teachers’ priorities don’t reflect “principles of democracy and ethics,” I’m not sure they are legally entitled to their salaries. (See Resnick’s dissent in Ohio PTA v State Board.)By Terry Ryan
August 8, 2007 11:41 AM | Link to this
Old Prof, Fordham editorials and reports are regularly published in the nation’s leading newspapers and education magazines. None of these publications apparently buy your conspiracy views or your arguments about distortions or falsehoods being propagated by Fordham. Old Prof, as Bob Dylan sang long ago, get out of the way if you aren’t going to engage in meaningful dialogue. We’ve got plenty of bitter and cynical people holding back education and learning and don’t need anymore.By Oldprof
August 8, 2007 9:48 AM | Link to this
Based on Fordham Foundation’s history of distortion and falsehood, I wonder why a responsible reporter would post a link to their propaganda without a disclaimer.By David
August 8, 2007 9:18 AM | Link to this
So Fordham not only wants to intimidate the Republican conservative candidates into their way of thinking “or else” but they should run the Demos too? I love the comments about pandering by candidates to the liberal’s concerns about global warming and Cheney. I can understand why the Fordham cult is afraid of teachers. If the peons don’t work for peanuts and still thank the knowledgeable folk at the top for letting them work there, NCLB doesn’t work. In fact his concept that principals know everything is more laughable than his fear of individual teachers. Having working for many idiot teachers who represented the best of the Peter Principle I really laugh at his lack of real work understanding. Perhaps if he worked in a Dayton City School for a few months with accountability, their favorites mantra, for how he teaches the kids and makes their parents happy (grin) with his great skill, we can give Petrilli and Fordham some credibity. Till then go stand with Teddy (Kennedy-did he meet him while up N’East too?) and George W. with the others will all the answers.By Mary
August 8, 2007 5:33 AM | Link to this
I watched the televised democratic debate last night at Soldier’s Field in Chicago. It was organized by the unions so there was a lot of pandering going on. I thought Obama’s answer to the question about priorities, infrastructure, and funding stadiums over bridges was a little lame. The questions and answers about NCLB were less remarkable and too politicized to know what they really think.