Salon - US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s surprise announcement to leave his position in December is making headlines and driving lots of commentary, but an important story lost in the media clutter happened three days before he gave notice.
On that day, Duncan rattled the education policy world with news of a controversial grant of $249 million ($157 the first year) to the charter school industry. This announcement was controversial because, as The Washington Post reports, an audit by his department’s own inspector general found “that the agency has done a poor job of overseeing federal dollars sent to charter schools.”
Post reporter Lynsey Layton notes, “The agency’s inspector general issued a scathing report in 2012 that found deficiencies in how the department handled federal grants to charter schools between 2008 and 2011? – in other words, during Duncan’s watch.
Even more perplexing is that the largest grant of $71 million ($32.5 the first year) is going to Ohio, the state that has the worst reputation for allowing low-performing charter schools to divert tax money away from educational purposes and do little to raise the achievement of students
1 comment:
Reflecting upon Arne's old haunts, it's hard not to recall that great Sean Connery line from The Untouchables, "It's the Chicago way."
Perhaps somethings just never change:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-barbara-byrd-bennett-plea-met-1013-20151012-story.html
"Byrd-Bennett's swift admission of criminal wrongdoing comes three years nearly to the day since Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed her to run the city's cash-strapped public schools system, telling reporters in a news conference Oct. 12, 2012, that Byrd-Bennett was "the best and the brightest.
...According to the charges, Solomon agreed to kick back 10 percent of the total value of any contracts awarded to SUPES while Byrd-Bennett held the No. 2 post with CPS. She was later elevated by Emanuel to CEO."
Post a Comment