Equal time

After passing along the negatives about Arne Duncan in the last post, I thought it only fair that good news gets passed along as well....

Obama's Pick for Secretary of Education Supports School Libraries
School Library Journal, 12/16/2008
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6623258.html

"Although Illinois doesn't mandate certified media specialists, Chicago's 650 K-12 schools are staffed with some 500 teacher-librarians, all of whom are certified teachers with the majority holding an endorsement or certification in library science, says Paul Whitsitt, director of libraries and information services for the third largest district in the nation.

Despite widespread layoffs of school librarians nationwide, there've been no district-level cuts in library staff over the last few years and staffing at the school level has held steady, adds Whitsitt."

This is what makes politics so interesting. There are always lots of ways to spin interpret any action. It's also a reminder why I should stay away from writing about it completely!

Have at me, Gary!

Any Chicago librarians (Lisa?), teachers or admins reading the Blue Skunk? What do you think of Obama's choice?

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The information below was originally a comment to this post, but I felt it ought to be shown here as well:

I live near Chicago and my wife taught in CPS while the transition to Duncan was occurring. Can I tell you that there has been visionary change? No. Has CPS become a better school district - Yes. Can it be better - Yes.

For a view of Duncan through the eyes of the independent publication that looks at Chicago Education view this link: http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/news/index.php?item=2514&cat=5

All respect to Gary, but it is probably a more reputable source on Chicago Education and the guy in charge of it.

Comments

[Henry Thiele]

I live near Chicago and my wife taught in CPS while the transition to Duncan was occurring. Can I tell you that there has been visionary change? No. Has CPS become a better school district - Yes. Can it be better - Yes.

For a view of Duncan through the eyes of the independent publication that looks at Chicago Education view this link: http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/news/index.php?item=2514&cat=5

All respect to Gary, but it is probably a more reputable source on Chicago Education and the guy in charge of it.