The Education Wars

One of the reasons Obama's back-to-school speech can be called a "debacle" is because he scheduled it for the opening day of school in most parts of the country, which, as anybody who has ever worked in either public or private schools can tell you, is chaotic.

The best barb is reserved for Arne Duncan, who deserves it:

Worst of all, Duncan made the first day of school across the nation for nearly 100,000 public schools much more difficult than it had to be for the very people he is supposed to be helping: educators, students, and parents. Why? Because this man does not have any idea of how schools work. He has never taught a public school classroom, and he surely has not taken on the gargantuan task of running a school. Yet there are those of you out there completely willing to believe that he reformed Chicago Public Schools. Clearly he failed to provide the President with simple, useful advice in the area of his alleged expertise. Sure give a speech Barack, if you must, but not on the first day of school.

Oh, the other two bad days for a principal. The last day of school, and the day you get fired so the district can establish an Arne Duncan charter school. Madness.