Sharpton & Gingrich On the Same Page for School Reforms?

Sharpton, Gingrich push Obama's school reforms
By LIBBY QUAID (AP) – 4 days ago

WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Arne Duncan is joining forces with two unlikely allies, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to push cities to fix failing schools.

The trio will visit Philadelphia, New Orleans and Baltimore later this year. They plan to add more stops as their tour progresses.

"These are cities that have real challenges but also tremendous hope and opportunity," Duncan told reporters on a conference call Thursday.

The idea came from a meeting they had with President Barack Obama in May at the White House.

Education is high on Obama's priority list. He is seeking to boost achievement, keep kids from dropping out of high school and push every student to pursue some form of higher education.

The president has vowed to make the United States the world leader in the number of people who graduate from college.

He argues that students who do better in school will help themselves in a work force that increasingly depends on high-skilled jobs, and that the country will benefit as well.

Obama discussed education issues in an interview with Damon Weaver, an 11-year-old Florida student.

"On Sept. 8, when young people across the country will have just started or are about to go back to school, I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education, the importance of staying in school, how we want to improve our education system and why it's so important for the country," Obama said.

Sharpton, the liberal Democrat and community activist, said teachers and administrators aren't the only ones responsible for improving schools.

"The parents need to be challenged with the message of `no excuses,'" Sharpton said.

Gingrich applauded Obama for showing "real courage on the issue of charter schools." Obama wants to increase the number of charter schools, which have a controversial history and are a divisive issue for his party's base.

Charters get public tax dollars but operate free from local school board control and usually from union contracts, making them a target of criticism by many teachers' union members.

"I strongly believe that when you can find common ground, we should be able to put other differences aside to achieve a common goal," Gingrich said.

The group plans to visit Philadelphia on Sept. 29, New Orleans on Nov. 3 and Baltimore on Nov. 13.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Coach Sherrie says: This is what happens when anybody with any money or power can opt out of the school system. The powers that be don't care because it doesn't affect their loved ones; they go to private school. If you have some brains and can't afford that, you can always find a magnet program to attend. <3