Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, came to Philadelphia today to speak about education policy. The Republican leader used the opportunity of a speech at the Freire Charter School to extoll the virtues of such privately run institutions and to call for federal education reform.
“The time has come for a serious commitment to education reform in America, Rep. Cantor said. “Parents, communities, and states must be given the chance to chart a better course and finally solve the problems that Washington has failed to solve.”
The House Majority Leader praised Freire as a great example of the charter school system and blamed the federal government for not further supporting charter schools.
“As a parent, I often wonder who would ever want to prevent parents from having more options for their kids. Who would want to keep kids in schools that may be violent or unsafe? Sadly enough, in some cases, it’s our very own federal government,” the Virginian said.
Cantor even portrayed the charter school movement as the last piece of the civil rights struggle.
“This is the greatest civil rights challenge of our time, and it is up to us to solve it,” he said.
The Freire Charter School contains a middle and high school in Philadelphia. It was first opened in 1999.
9 Responses
Why was former Secretary Harner hit by a political hit job? Maybe Rep. Ryan Aument’s new legislation demanding that all PA public school offer on-line courses explains everything. Another un-funded mandate from the PA Dept of Ed that will largely be paid for by local taxpayers. What’s new: In the Barbende- Corbett administration you need to have powerful strategic advisors to get things done and have your voice heard. So every PA School District is on there way to being forced into dealing with Cyber School Profiteers. This is called innovation. Rep. Aument, we need an investigation into the Harner political hit job, which is worthy of Pat Conroy ( a fellow Citiadel alum) novel. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/09/bill_would_require_pa_p
ublic_s.html#incart_river
Who in the Brabender/Corbett Administration ordered the political hit on Former Secretary Harner? Which Cyber Charter School Profiteer, ordered this hit job and Why?
Politicians haven’t been able to fix education. So let’s give away the money to private interests that have no vested interest in the intelligence of their students, who are motivated solely by profit, and require no oversight or certification.
Why is this man in public office if he thinks so lowly of public institutions?
Yes Freire Charter School is the exception not the rule.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/no-cyber-charter-school-in-pennsylvania-made-adequate-yearly-progress-671590/
Freire Charter School only serves at risk minority students. The success rate is amazing, as are the studentswho attend. BTW, charter schools are public schools.
Could not agree more with the bottom three below me.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/224336961.html
this guy is too dangers to live in this nation he should move to another country
Classic doublespeak.
“Greatest civil liberties challenge of our times,” but in the meantime, lets use black, latino and other minority populations as colonial entities where we can mine the wealth from their communities (IE Tax dollars) and redistribute them to those who have a stake in the education game.
His solution to “helping” kids in schools that are violent or unsafe is to give money to private charter schools that wouldn’t take those kids in the first place, rather than help fix the schools.