Letters: Democrats hinder progress in education

In the piece about why schools in poor neighborhoods fail, commentary writer Richard Whitmire attempts to push the blame on to someone or something else ("Column: Poverty not all to blame for lousy school outcomes").

By Tony Dejak, AP

Computer class: Trevon Davis, 9, in Pepper Pike, Ohio.

By Tony Dejak, AP

Computer class: Trevon Davis, 9, in Pepper Pike, Ohio.

One group that appeared to be missing is the Democratic Party. It controls the majority of inner-city neighborhoods and has for many years. The fault of our education system rests on the shoulders of the education unions, whose political contributions fall almost solely into the hands of Democratic politicians. Charter schools have proved to be a way out and are supported by the GOP (another tidbit left out of the article) and are a step in the right direction.

For me, it is plain to see that Democrats want to keep minorities and the poor in their place.

Randy Lampe; Mason, Ohio

Focus on effectiveness

Focusing on how students perceive the challenge of their curricula obscures the real issue: stagnant student achievement. The problem with American education is not that it's easy, but that it's ineffective ("School is too easy, students report").

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By framing the discussion around perceived challenge, educators can point to regulations that supposedly make schools more difficult when they should be looking for reforms that can make schools better. Further, there is no conclusive evidence that nationalized standards do anything to remedy the serious issue of flatlining achievement. Federal spending on education per pupil has almost tripled since 1970, with no significant gains on the National Assessment of Educational Progress standardized assessment. Is it worth it?

Matt Pawlowski; Washington, D.C.

Challenging vs. harder work

It's unfortunate that only 37% of fourth-graders find their math homework "often" or "always" easy. In fourth grade, it's supposed to be easy. Students are supposed to be learning the basics, the foundation for more advanced math in high school and college.

It's interesting that in the Forum piece "Why our kids hate math" the issue presented is we start kids too quickly with "advanced" mathematics. I agree. Cognitive and abstract brain processes don't develop until later in adolescence to enable kids to process the advanced topics.

As for history or English classes not being challenging, let's not confuse the word "challenging" with "harder." Often, the response is to give a greater volume of work, not necessarily more intellectually challenging work, to high-achievers.

It's no wonder we're falling behind the rest of the world in education. We expect kids to perform more complex math before they know their multiplication tables, and then punish the high-achievers by making them do even more mind-numbing work.

Kevin Stout; Franklin, Tenn.

How much do students know?

If American teens think their classes are too easy, how can we explain how little they actually know? For instance, three-fourths of them failed to reach proficiency in knowledge of U.S. history on the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress. As for civics, close to one-half of black and Hispanic teens could not name a single right protected by the First Amendment.

Proponents of the Common Core national standards contend that instilling more "critical thinking" skills will make everything fine and dandy. More likely, the latest cycle of progressive education will result merely in further spikes in unmerited self-esteem.

Robert Holland, senior fellow for education policy, The Heartland Institute; Chicago

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Will Mitt Romney’s Lack of Political Experience Hinder Him? (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | In the 2008 election, Republicans criticized Barack Obama for his lack of political experience. Democrats turned the tables on Republicans on the experience argument when the GOP nominated Sarah Palin for vice president.

Now Republicans are trying to decide upon their nominee for president. One of their leading candidates is Mitt Romney, who is among the many who labeled Obama as "inexperienced" in his 2010 book. Romney may have been in business for awhile (like George W. Bush), but his political resume is relatively thin.

He served a single term as governor of Massachusetts. Other candidates like Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and even Rick Santorum have many more years in office. Romney keeps touting his business credentials, but that's not the same as political experience. If Romney manages to win the nomination and get by President Obama, will that lack of political experience come back to haunt him?

To test this, I look at a recent CSPAN survey of who the best presidents were, according to a panel of historians. The best presidents include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman. This survey also rated the worst presidents, which count James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Warren G. Harding, and William Henry Harrison on that list.

Political experience is measured in years in Congress, as governor and as vice president. Using this data, the following 10 presidents (best and worst) receive the following ranking: Buchanan (20 years), A. Johnson (18 years), Truman (10 years), Pierce (nine years), F. Roosevelt (four years), Harding (six years), T. Roosevelt (three years), Washington and Lincoln (two years each) and Harrison (0 years).

As you can see, those presidents with the worst rankings for competence tended to have more political experience. Presidents who tended to score well on such rankings of effectiveness have very little political experience.

You would think this would benefit Romney. He really doesn't have to have a lot of political experience to be a good president. Yet harping on the experience issue when critiquing his opponent isn't likely to help the one-term Massachusetts governor.

It not only calls attention to his own lack of political experience, but also reminds voters of Obama's record. The president has served seven years in the Illinois legislature, three years in the U.S. Senate and four years as chief executive, dwarfing Romney's political experience. But even though Obama destroys Romney when it comes to political experience, remember that one could say the same thing about James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln.

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Occupy Wall Street May Help or Hinder Democrats (ContributorNetwork)

The Occupy Wall Street is taking a dynamic new turn. About two dozen protesters left their encampment at Zuccotti Park to being a trek to Washington, D.C. The group's aim is to show up in the capital Nov. 23, the deadline for the congressional "super committee" to reveal its findings to Congress to cut $1.5 trillion in government spending. Occupy the Highway is determined to make its presence known in the nation's capital.

Politicians have gotten involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Depending upon how the protests are viewed by the American public, Democrats may either be helped or hindered by the movement.

Polls

Two recent polls seem to suggest the Americans are becoming more aware of a widening income gap. Sixty-one percent of people polled by the Washington Post and ABC News say they believe the income gap is widening in the United States. More importantly, 60 percent say the federal government should do something about it. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll states 76 percent of its respondents feel the government should reduce the power of major banks and corporations.

This income gap is precisely why some Occupy Wall Street protesters have taken their demands to some of the richest individuals in the United States. One person walking to Washington, D.C., stated the purpose of the march was to ensure Congress taxes billionaires.

Statements and Elections

Many politicians have made statements on their websites supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement. Democratic New York State Sen. Thomas K. Duane posted a message in solidarity with the protests Nov. 2 for a planned march five days later. Adirano Espaillat from the state's 31st Senate District posted an annoucement about an 11-mile march planned for Nov. 7. He helped lead the march between Yonkers and New York City.

One potential candidate is already getting backlash for her 2012 Senate run. Crossroads GPS released an attack ad against Elizabeth Warren who is seeking a Senate seat in Massachusetts. The commercial claims her support of the Occupy Wall Street Movement means she advocates drug use, violence and radical policies.

Help or Hinder Campaigns

Republicans and Democrats may start using the Occupy Wall Street movement for political leverage. Bloomberg reports public opinion favors doing something about the widening income gap. That income disparity is part of what fuels the Occupy movement.

Republicans have already started one attack ad using a Democrat's statement about Occupy Wall Street against her. How the group is received in Washington, D.C., Nov. 23 may also lead to more political bickering.

One thing is certain. Two major forces will collide in the nation's capital right before Thanksgiving. Protesters who are fed up with rich people who have destroyed the American dream and 12 members of Congress tasked with finding out how to fix the government's finances. If the two groups find common ground, political debates may heat up even more.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

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