‘F’ FOR BARACK’S SCHOOL FIX
Chicago’s former schools chief has flunked the education foundation headed by Barack Obama and founded by 1960s terrorist Bill Ayers – saying it failed to monitor projects and funded school “reform” groups that campaigned against boosting academic standards.
“There was a total lack of accountability. If you went back and asked, you’d be hard-pressed to find out how the money was spent,” said Paul Vallas, the city’s school superintendent when Obama chaired the Chicago Annenberg Foundation from 1995 to 1999.
Annenberg spent $49.5 million, mostly on grants to 211 public schools that partnered with community-based groups. But despite collecting millions, those schools performed no better than other public schools, a study found.
Ayers, a professor of education at the University of Illinois and an ex-Weather Underground bomber, wrote the grant that won the Windy City funding from the national Annenberg Challenge. He was a key adviser to the Chicago Annenberg board.
While much debate has centered on Obama’s relationship with Ayers, there’s been virtually no discussion about how the Annenberg schools performed.
“Very little of the money found its way directly into the classroom,” Vallas said.
Most frustrating, Vallas said, was that Annenberg under Obama and Ayers funded groups that fought his mission, under Mayor Richard Daley, to impose uniform standards and stricter accountability in low-performing schools.
Many of Vallas’ goals were later adopted by Mayor Bloomberg in Big Apple schools.
“Many of the school-reform groups viewed greater accountability as an infringement of local control. Some opposed ending social promotion and grade retention,” Vallas said.
Obama defended the foundation’s performance, saying it dispensed its funds to help struggling programs and train teachers. carl.campanile@nypost.com
Posted by: Kirsten Powers | October 21, 2008, 1:42 am 1:42 am
NY Post. What a useless source.
Posted by: doug | October 21, 2008, 1:58 am 1:58 am
Was one of those struggling programs ACORN? Why did Barack Obama recently hire a PERSONAL ATTORNEY to represent him for ACORN related concerns? What’s the deal there? Why does he need his own attorney?
Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | October 21, 2008, 2:20 am 2:20 am
A woman canvassing for Obama in Wisconsin was punched in the face by a man ranting about ACORN. The woman was part of a canvassing effort organized by friends of mine. As we were about to go on stage for Oobleck Election Play 2008: The Trojan Candidate, a friend of our lighting designer who was in the same canvassing group called and told her the story.
The silver lining is that when the woman who had been assaulted returned to Chicago, there was already a voicemail message from Barack Obama expressing his sorrow that she had had to go through such an experience.
That’s it. McCain supporters are dicks. The usual gang of conservative bigmouths are inciting violence with their propaganda, and the suckers who want desperately to believe are so frustrated with the lack of believability of the propaganda that they’re lashing out with violence and violent rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Obama has such a great organization that he heard about this small incident and contacted the victim before the end of the day.
Posted by: Mike NC | October 21, 2008, 3:12 am 3:12 am
Don’t Worry–We Survived the Cuban Missile Crisis
On the very same day he told us that Colin Powell should have ended all questions about Barack Obama’s national security bona fides, Joe Biden comes along to tell us precisely why we should be scared of Obama as commander-in-chief:
“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”
“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”
Posted by: Kirsten Powers | October 21, 2008, 6:19 am 6:19 am
McCain Employing GOP Operative Accused Of Voter Registration Fraud
I thought the “honorable” John McCain was against this kind of thing? He’s certainly more than willing to point the finger at Obama.
But I guess when it’s voter fraus for his benefit, that’s ok.
Posted by: Mre hypocaracy from McCain's campiagn | October 21, 2008, 8:07 am 8:07 am
Perhaps ABC could take a few minutes off from campaigning for Obama to look into Joe Biden’s warning:
“It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”
“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”
Posted by: ubu1991 | October 21, 2008, 8:14 am 8:14 am
Joe Biden thinks the worl wiill be testing Obama in 6 m0nths. But i think it is a plan already. We have many enemies, and some of our enemies also enemies of some of our enemies. Obama will make some of our enemies our alies against some of our enemies. But that will be a falls partnership,as they will not be our true partner, but we will be they’r partners, and all our old alies will be our new enemies. We will be just a small part of a new force in the World.This is what joe was realy saying, that maybe will be fighting for the other side. I dont think that would be very smart.
Posted by: Joe | October 21, 2008, 8:22 am 8:22 am
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‘F’ FOR BARACK’S SCHOOL FIX
Chicago’s former schools chief has flunked the education foundation headed by Barack Obama and founded by 1960s terrorist Bill Ayers – saying it failed to monitor projects and funded school “reform” groups that campaigned against boosting academic standards.
“There was a total lack of accountability. If you went back and asked, you’d be hard-pressed to find out how the money was spent,” said Paul Vallas, the city’s school superintendent when Obama chaired the Chicago Annenberg Foundation from 1995 to 1999.
Annenberg spent $49.5 million, mostly on grants to 211 public schools that partnered with community-based groups. But despite collecting millions, those schools performed no better than other public schools, a study found.
Ayers, a professor of education at the University of Illinois and an ex-Weather Underground bomber, wrote the grant that won the Windy City funding from the national Annenberg Challenge. He was a key adviser to the Chicago Annenberg board.
While much debate has centered on Obama’s relationship with Ayers, there’s been virtually no discussion about how the Annenberg schools performed.
“Very little of the money found its way directly into the classroom,” Vallas said.
Most frustrating, Vallas said, was that Annenberg under Obama and Ayers funded groups that fought his mission, under Mayor Richard Daley, to impose uniform standards and stricter accountability in low-performing schools.
Many of Vallas’ goals were later adopted by Mayor Bloomberg in Big Apple schools.
“Many of the school-reform groups viewed greater accountability as an infringement of local control. Some opposed ending social promotion and grade retention,” Vallas said.
Obama defended the foundation’s performance, saying it dispensed its funds to help struggling programs and train teachers.
carl.campanile@nypost.com
Posted by: Kirsten Powers | October 21, 2008, 1:42 am 1:42 am
NY Post. What a useless source.
Posted by: doug | October 21, 2008, 1:58 am 1:58 am
Was one of those struggling programs ACORN? Why did Barack Obama recently hire a PERSONAL ATTORNEY to represent him for ACORN related concerns? What’s the deal there? Why does he need his own attorney?
Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | October 21, 2008, 2:20 am 2:20 am
A woman canvassing for Obama in Wisconsin was punched in the face by a man ranting about ACORN. The woman was part of a canvassing effort organized by friends of mine. As we were about to go on stage for Oobleck Election Play 2008: The Trojan Candidate, a friend of our lighting designer who was in the same canvassing group called and told her the story.
The silver lining is that when the woman who had been assaulted returned to Chicago, there was already a voicemail message from Barack Obama expressing his sorrow that she had had to go through such an experience.
That’s it. McCain supporters are dicks. The usual gang of conservative bigmouths are inciting violence with their propaganda, and the suckers who want desperately to believe are so frustrated with the lack of believability of the propaganda that they’re lashing out with violence and violent rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Obama has such a great organization that he heard about this small incident and contacted the victim before the end of the day.
Posted by: Mike NC | October 21, 2008, 3:12 am 3:12 am
Don’t Worry–We Survived the Cuban Missile Crisis
On the very same day he told us that Colin Powell should have ended all questions about Barack Obama’s national security bona fides, Joe Biden comes along to tell us precisely why we should be scared of Obama as commander-in-chief:
“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”
“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”
Posted by: Kirsten Powers | October 21, 2008, 6:19 am 6:19 am
McCain Employing GOP Operative Accused Of Voter Registration Fraud
I thought the “honorable” John McCain was against this kind of thing? He’s certainly more than willing to point the finger at Obama.
But I guess when it’s voter fraus for his benefit, that’s ok.
Posted by: Mre hypocaracy from McCain's campiagn | October 21, 2008, 8:07 am 8:07 am
Perhaps ABC could take a few minutes off from campaigning for Obama to look into Joe Biden’s warning:
“It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”
“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”
Posted by: ubu1991 | October 21, 2008, 8:14 am 8:14 am
Joe Biden thinks the worl wiill be testing Obama in 6 m0nths. But i think it is a plan already. We have many enemies, and some of our enemies also enemies of some of our enemies. Obama will make some of our enemies our alies against some of our enemies. But that will be a falls partnership,as they will not be our true partner, but we will be they’r partners, and all our old alies will be our new enemies. We will be just a small part of a new force in the World.This is what joe was realy saying, that maybe will be fighting for the other side. I dont think that would be very smart.
Posted by: Joe | October 21, 2008, 8:22 am 8:22 am