CER Op-Eds E-Mail
CERCommentary
Press Advisory, January 27, 1998
Like the Trojan Horse from which this famous statement comes, President Clinton will tonight unveil several proposals that are not as they appear, and that do not address the real crisis in education.
President Clinton has retreated to an agenda much like that of last year’s State of the Union Address, only with different packaging. He will aim to create new federal incentives and programs to address issues of facilities and enrollment, while precisely because of such a focus, children’s educational needs are being lost. Among the President’s other initiatives, he will challenge communities to end social promotions, and talk about opportunity.
Opportunities are real, however, only when people have power. Charter schools, locally-driven standards, choices for teachers, choices for parents - are just a few of the ways states can secure real opportunity for all families.
The President will offer a beautifully crafted horse of presidential initiatives - and one can only imagine how filled it is with misguided intentions.
The President knows better. The truth is that a whole world of reform is going on outside the beltway - one that neither needs or can afford "Greeks bearing gifts."
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Jeanne Allen is president of The Center for Education Reform, an independent, non-profit group providing support to individuals seeking school reform. For more information, please call (202) 822-9000 or (800) 521-2118, or send e-mail to cer@edreform.com.