The Proposed Firings at Central Falls, Rhode Island,

happens to be part of a disturbing nationwide trend, which of course has been spearheaded by the White House and Department of Education, which in turn have been influenced by the billionaire boys who know nothing whatsoever about public schools, let alone their purpose.

The poor, with the least amount of resources, are being screwed over as it is; now their children will be relegated to the permanent underclass.

From the column:

What is happening in Central Falls is symbolic of the harm we are perpetuating on students all over the country as the “urban-reform” juggernaut leaves in its wake the closing of community schools, dramatic increases in the drop-out rate, and unprecedented teacher retirements.

Make no mistake, Central Falls is under siege. But its challenges lie not in recalcitrant teachers, poorly prepared students or inadequate parents.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently announced that 5,000 “underperforming” schools across the country would be closed, as if this draconian solution would cause others to straighten up and fly right.

We have a long history in this country of blaming the least powerful among us.

We tell ourselves that success is the result of intelligence and hard work, and yet we willfully ignore the widening differences in resources, teacher pay, and curricula increasingly found between our suburban and urban schools.

As if firing the teachers and hiring new ones will do one bit of good. Until the students are fired, the "test scores," which measure nothing as it is, won't get better.