tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post115945634777232504..comments2024-03-26T14:44:37.985-04:00Comments on D-Ed Reckoning: So Which Reading First Scandal Is It?KDeRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161097345775075252006-10-17T11:02:00.000-04:002006-10-17T11:02:00.000-04:00The states had every encouragement to select SFA -...The states had every encouragement to select SFA - it was on the official formulary of RF. The SFA program, although effective, is much hated by teachers, who feel that it smothers teacher initiative and creativity. That is probably the problem Slavin should be attending to, instead of complaining that the deck, stacked right up the ceiling, was not stacked well enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159664248273966812006-09-30T20:57:00.000-04:002006-09-30T20:57:00.000-04:00wowAs to VLWCs, as I see it that's off point.The v...wow<BR/><BR/>As to VLWCs, as I see it that's off point.<BR/><BR/>The vast Washington bureaucracy leans left of center. Not far left of center, but left.<BR/><BR/>They're highly protective of their turf, and if OIG is part of the DOE (see! I can play!) they're going to be ed-school-ish in orientation. Programs like Direct Instruction and Success For All are <I>not</I> simpatico with DOE folk.<BR/><BR/>After all, remember the image from Michael Moore's movie of President Bush listening to the goat story just after he's learned of the attacks. That story is from DI; the classroom is in FL, Jeb's state. Although Englemann himself is fairly far left, you could probably count the number of leftists who cotton to his program on one hand.<BR/><BR/>George Bush is a thorn in everyone's side, including, I would argue, establishment Republicans. And big bureaucracies loathe being bossed around by Presidents, regardless of Party.<BR/><BR/>What's the saying?<BR/><BR/>"Stay out of my knickers." I think that's it. Bureaucratic sentiment towards whoever happens to be President.<BR/><BR/>Bush is a natural target.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159495618549128462006-09-28T22:06:00.000-04:002006-09-28T22:06:00.000-04:00Anon, there is a difference between a political ag...Anon, there is a difference between a political agenda and VLWC.<BR/><BR/>As I've pointed out, but you fail to either understand or have ignored, is that the fatcs that OIG laid out as to fiscal mismangaement don't jibe. DI is objected entitled to have been included in every state's RF application asa one of only two programs that qualify as having SBRR. Yet it was excluded from many state's RD appliction and has only received less than 3% of RF funding. The audit even points out that there is no evidence that any of the DI panelists ever served on a panel where DI was up for consideration. That would have been a scandal. It was the panelists job to rightly exclud programs not having SBRR and there is no evidence that they did anything but that.<BR/><BR/>In fact, as I've also pointed out the alleged conflicts upon which the supposed ethical violations are based are phony because every panelist had a connection to some program that was up for consideration. If you understod the underlying issues, you'd have understood that. <BR/><BR/>The only way the audit is consistent with your simplistic interpretation is if every reading program was eligible for consideration and the panelists forcably excluded some in favor of others. But, to do that you'd have to read out the SBRR requirement of the statute, Unfortunately, it's in there.<BR/><BR/>Like I've said there might well be some violations and a real scandal in there somewhere, but the OiG didn't lay one out.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159493464540058022006-09-28T21:31:00.000-04:002006-09-28T21:31:00.000-04:00"Anon, your comment demonstrates you know very lit...<I>"Anon, your comment demonstrates you know very little about politics."</I><BR/><BR/>Huh? That doesn't even make sense. <BR/><BR/>I'm telling you that you might do yourself a favor and learn a little bit more about what an OIG really does. Read a bunch of OIG reports. Ethics and integrity, compliance with laws and standards, and GAO's internal controls are the types of things that get an IG auditor all jazzed up. These guys are accountants and program/financial analysts. The point of their reports are to expose fraud and abuse in the government. They don't care about what's the best way to teach reading -- that's left to the experts. The OIG is around to make sure that the people in charge of the money aren't breaking the rules. <BR/><BR/>This report just happens to have political implications because the findings address some touchy/controversial issues and because the Department of Education appears to have been so incredibly careless/stupid in the way they conducted their business. If the Department had been improperly promoting some curriculum other than Direct Instruction, the IG would have nailed them for that as well. <BR/><BR/>IGs in other agencies are exposing similar ethical problems with this Administration. It can't all be some vast left-wing conspiracy, can it? That excuse is getting mighty tired.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159491207660321612006-09-28T20:53:00.000-04:002006-09-28T20:53:00.000-04:00Susan, the chairman is a political donee and frien...Susan, the chairman is a political donee and friend to Bush.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159490550798292102006-09-28T20:42:00.000-04:002006-09-28T20:42:00.000-04:00Anon, your comment demonstrates you know very litt...Anon, your comment demonstrates you know very little about politics.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159489048919412092006-09-28T20:17:00.000-04:002006-09-28T20:17:00.000-04:00Your discussions about this Reading First issue ma...Your discussions about this Reading First issue make it very clear that you know little-to-nothing about government, the Inspector General's role in government, and the purpose of the IG reports.<BR/><BR/>The role of the IG, who is likely a Republican since he works for and is appointed by the Secretary, is to help promote the effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity of the government programs. I highly doubt that anyone in the OIG knows anything about the reading wars, DI, Reading Recovery, whole language, phonemic awareness, etc. This report is not some whole language plot to attack the Bush Administration. <BR/><BR/>The facts are the facts. And the OIG reports them. And, in this case, the facts aren't pretty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1159476044553289522006-09-28T16:40:00.000-04:002006-09-28T16:40:00.000-04:00So, should we now go and see what political "conne...So, should we now go and see what political "connections" the other companies have so we can then rule out their effectiveness?<BR/><BR/>Is the connection with McGraw-Hill just this one person or are there more? Don't most companies and corporations donate to a political party, or even both? And I don't know if that's what McGraw-Hill did. (You may have mentioned it in an earlier post.)<BR/><BR/>Maybe they should all identify themselves politically so we can get on with it.<BR/><BR/>Molly Ivins has a blurb in the Trib today focusing on the Doherty email only. So, of course, it's a scandal and all involved are guilty. <BR/><BR/>It really is never about the children, is it? <BR/><BR/>SusanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com