Ok, these are just names offered up by the Great Mentioner and probably mean nothing, or mean things that have to do with favor exchanges and nothing to do with what might happen. BUT the the Wall Street Journal’s WashWire blog lists Ronnie Musgrove as one of 6 possible candidates for Secretary of Education.
In noting this report, YallPolitics also noted that Musgrove’s campaign Web site promises he would “fight for better education the Mississippi Way.”
Well, good for Ronnie. Sounds like a good job for him. I hope he gets the position.
but would HE be good for the job?
No offense intended, y’all, but “better education the Mississippi Way” isn’t apt to reassure out-of-staters.
If I understand the vetting process, I’d assume that he would not make it through, AFOTL. That was my surprise at his name being floated– keep in mind that the FBI does the basic ground work. They are not his friends.
I quoted the website, on the other hand, because I thought it was a funny shot…
GG: Would he do a decent job? I was pleased with the way he got education stuff done at various stages of his career. That’s why I’ve voted for him, what, four times now for state-wide office.
And I’m surprised his name is even in consideration.
I don’t know what they want running education. If I were in charge, I would want someone that understands what’s not functioning about No Child Left Behind and where to start dealing with that. Or at least knows where to start on that.
Exactly, NMC. Someone with successful education — not unsuccessful political — experience is what to look for. Nothing we’ve seen of Obama’s approach to Cabinet building suggests Musgrove has a prayer.
““better education the Mississippi Way” isn’t apt to reassure out-of-staters.”
Well, I was thinking that the “MS Way” can’t be any worse than whatever way has been used for the past 30 or so years. Not sure really what to call it —- meaningless, feel good Bullshit comes to mind. We keep spending more and more money, and our kids (in general) appear to continue to be regressing with respect to the basics —- math, science, english language, history, geography, and literature.
Maybe its time to leave behind the ones we cannot save, and help the ones we can. Direct those who can’t or won’t learn academics to meaningful vocational curriculum that they can use to get a good job.
I agree we need someone who will put a microscope to NCLB-no need to throw out the baby with the bathwater but the stinking bathwater has to go.
I also would hope for someone willing to think outside the box with the support of a President and a Congress willing to put the money where their mouth is. And I don’t necessarily mean new or more money. It’s highly probable there is money that could be more effective by being redirected.
I would like to see some of that money directed at teachers who make the grade-pardon the pun. Unless we are willing to pay (in dollars and respect) the people responsible for our most valuable resource we will never see the improvement we need to see.
Maybe its time to leave behind the ones we cannot save, and help the ones we can.
Wow. That’s it: a glimpse of what’s left Mississippi so far behind — the whole long story right there in one short sentence.
I don’t know how Musgrove’s name came up in the context of SecEd, but he’s a nonstarter for that post. Someone may reward him with an appointment to a high level in some federal agency … say, TVA or
FEMA or GSA or NHTSA or DOT, etc. … but he won’t be an agency chief and certainly not a cabinet member.
Nail on the head, Lotus. If information is power, then keeping all of that information out of the hands of many consolidates the power, right? Used to work pretty well on the female gender.
Guffaw!!
lotus, on this one I kind of agree with afotl. The mistaken assumption that all children are or should be headed for college has starved vocational education. Ending that misallocation of resources would be a huge leg up on solving the drop-out problem, which is really what has kept Mississippi so far down for so long. As a former high school teacher, I can attest to the fact that forcing children who are mentally unprepared for higher education into the college prep mold does nothing for their performance or sense of self-worth. And without the latter, drugs and alcohol become the all-too-common means of dulling the psychic pain. Technical/vocational education is not a dead-end or an admission of failure. It’s a door to a better future for many kids without other prospects.
I did not mean to sound crass or uncaring. I myself teach at the college level and care very much about ALL of my students’ performance in class. But, every semester, there are students that, for whatever reasons, just do not perform well. Most of the time the reason is lack of effort, combined perhaps with less overall intelligence and a poor high school eduction (likely again due to lack of effort).
But, all is not lost with these students who do not perform well in the academic classes. Our MS Community Colleges, for instance, offer strong vocational curriculum specifically targeted toward specific trades or jobs in the community area (eg Toyota will rely heavily upon ICC for vocational and technical training of its workforce). These are good paying jobs —some of which will pay more than many four year college graduates will be able to make (especially in today’s climate).
To me, “no child left behind” implies that the children in the middle and up perhaps are not being pushed to achieve as much as they could in order to proceed slow enough that no child is left behind. And to the extent that is the case with the philosophy of “no child left behind”, then it is a serious flaw IMO. And forcing nonperforming kids to remain in college prep academic courses and to continue to repeat grades many times as part of any such program, as opposed to directing those efforts and resources to something more potentially productive for that kid and society, would seem to be a mistake.
What we are currently doing is not working —-whatever it is called. And when something is not working, maybe….just maybe….. its time to try something new and different. And what seems to be lacking to me is a focus on the basic academic classes I referenced in my above comment, and elements of common sense and practicality.
So, to the extent that “leaving no child behind” comes at the expense of other children, then that is the context in which my comment was intended. Dumbing down the curriculum to achieve such a goal is not the way to go, IMO.
Oh, I don’t mean I’m not all in favor of voc ed, soms and afotl. Yes, it’s definitely a boon. But my impression is that, by allowing/encouraging affluent white parents to fund apartheit academies, MS has let its public schools wither, thereby suffering the brain drain (especially the brains in African-American heads) that, for instance, propelled my GP from Hazlehurst to Daytona Beach.
I’m not there so could be misperceiving this, but that’s my impression from afar. How valid would you say it is?
Lotus, there is no doubt that private academies in MS, most of which were formed as a response to forced integration, did in fact hurt many of the public schools in MS —especially in the MS Delta. It was a mistake on several fronts —- education and economics being the primary areas. The loss of public support for the public schools was devastating, IMO, to the MS Delta. Local high schools are usually the center of support and social activity for a small town or medium sized city. Losing that focal point was a dagger to the heart of many of the MS Delta towns that once thrived. The local residents who chose to send their kids to the private schools had to continue to pay school taxes, and on top of that pay private school tuition, causing a significant increase in the cost of living. Attracting new industry or retaining existing industry to an area without strong public school support is difficult. At the time, NO leader stood up to voice support for the public schools and to discourage the private schools —- including one key leader Senator James Eastland, who, IMO, completely missed the ball when it was his moment at the plate. Instead he quietly rode the fence and did nothing.
However, things are changing in MS. The private schools are on the way out in many areas of MS simply because there are not enough students to justify their existence. The better teachers, in some areas, have and are returning to the public schools to take advantage of better pay and benefits. Parents are sending their kids back to the public schools for economic reasons.
There are still some very good and successful private schools in MS. And there will likely always be private school options for those who want to go that route for their children, for whatever reasons. I am not going to judge their motives. Presumably, these parents are doing what they think is best for the future of their children (just like Obama is doing for his kids by sending them to private school in DC, as opposed to the public schools). And I don’t think the federal government has any right or business at all to prohibit private schools —that would involve waaaaay too much overreaching by our federal government.
Competition should be good for the public schools. IF they want some of the private schooled kids to go to the public schools, then improve the schools —its that simple. IF you live in an area with a poor performing public school plagued with learning distractions such as violence and bullying, and you have an option and the means to send your child to a private school that is a much better school, then you should have that right to do so, IMO. And in that situation, I would have to say that I would probably do what was best for the education of my children.
Public schools in MS, in general, are still very strong in most areas of the state. The only exceptions seem to be in the MS Delta and Jackson inner city (and a few other trouble spots). There are very few private schools in the Northeast MS area, for instance.
I live in an area where the public schools were gutted by the flight to private schools at the end of the 60s. It’s a terrible situation. The only way to improve the public school system is to get the white community to rejoin the system, but the white community won’t rejoin because it’s so gutted.
And AFOTL is right on the money about industry not coming anywhere near a place without a viable public school system. I have seen that over and over.
Well, more good than bad news there, afotl, and thanks for the report. This very thorny problem will, I hope and expect, get newly-serious and -creative attention very soon.
We won’t know specifically what Obama’s Ed Dept has in mind until we see who’s going to be involved, but Biden’s remarks on a related issue make me hopeful for new ideas for education too.
Anything that prepares folks for good (and better) jobs has to mean higher tax revenues and a sounder economy in general before long, I figure.