The DPI Race According To The Recess Supervisor

Republican legislative staffer The Recess Supervisor nails the election for state superintendent of public instruction in his usually on-target blog Playground Politics. He criticizes the two Republican candidates, and takes no prisoners: "...conservative/Republican candidates have no idea how to talk about education in a way that doesn't divide everyone into groups or freak the hell out of parents."

(Rose) Fernandez and (Van) Mobley both fail to assemble any kind of an agenda that helps the overwhelming majority of Wisconsin residents understand how their children's schools can be improved. You know, public schools. Instead, Republican candidates let themselves get suckered by consultants and donors into talking about vanity issues like MPS and school choice that have virtually zero appeal outside southeast Wisconsin. Or they talk about QEO and levy limits, issues that only appeal strongly to the tax-haters out there that scare off all the squishy suburban parents with their tax-hating zeal.

Meanwhile, what's Tony Evers talking about on his website? Creating safe and respectful schools. Improving graduation rates. Educational innovation. Recruiting and retaining quality teachers. Fair and sustainable funding. Accountability for results.

Most noticeably, what's he not talking about at length? MPS or school choice or homeschooling or QEO or levy limits. You know, things that have very little to do with the quality of education most Wisconsin students receive.

And that's a Republican's view. The Supervisor's critique of Mobley's website is too good not to quote:

Here's the link to his issues page. Mobley uses twice as much space to talk about his favorite books as he does talking about what he'd do if he were elected. He also uses the word "chimera" in a paragraph addressing "basic education for the real economy," which is among the five greatest examples of irony ever.

Go read Mobley's favorite books list.  It's hilarious.

The primary is Tuesday, February 17. With luck, both Fernandez and Mobley may fail to make the cut.

- Barry Orton

Comments

[Thomas J. Mertz]

Please check Todd Price's campaign site: www.toddprice.org.

[Brian]

Todd Price is far and away the best candidate for DPI Super. Maybe the best one we've ever had.

One of the reasons is that unlike the other four, he gets it on testing. More and more these days al of the functions of school are being tethered to the outdated standardized test. We need to move away from this pedagogically dangerous instrument toward multiple measures of accountability that would include the richer tools such as performance assessment, portfolios and student exhibitions. All the best schools in America---where kids all graduate and love learning---using these 360 degree accountability tools. Price understands this.