The Obama girls will be the “first black this, first black that”? That is an odd assertion. Their dad was just elected President, and their mom is the first black First Lady. In the professional and educational and sports and entertainment ranks — and now in the highest political ranks — there have been all sorts of barriers broken….many of them long ago. So the notion that the Obama’s daughters will be barrier-breakers doesn’t seem to me to hold much water.

And what’s this about “their achievement gaps”? What evidence is there that these girls themselves are on the wrong side of the achievement gap?

I’ll leave aside for now the reality that the vast majority of the predominantly white and wealthy private schools in our state have no interest in tackling the achievement gap….

What makes you think I’m a fan of private schools?

The only private school system worth a damn is the Waldorf method. Montessori I like too, but unfortunately it doesn’t go past the elementary level.

If those options aren’t available or afforable, then home school is usually the only acceptable method.

Of course, these are only my personal preferences. The presence of choice is the point, not necessarily what one does with that choice.

- Mande

P.S. – Blonde doesn’t become me. Neither does Republicanism.

Aside from it not really being irony, this sentence is misleading to say the least. The gap in race and income is reflected not just in public schools, but also in private schools. In fact, there are several studies in the past five years that suggest public school do better than private schools when income is factored into the equation. Of course Mande isn’t going to mention those. Rather than concede her argument might be specious, she conveniently discards the facts.

Honey, you will be a star in the Republican women’s writing circuit. Just dye the hair blonde and presto: Best seller.

PS: Here are a couple of articles – yes, in the Grey Lady (shudder).

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/15/education/15report.html

http://educationwonk.blogspot.com/2006/01/private-vs-public-schools-some.html

There are others who Mande-bash way better than you do. Leave it to them.

- Mande

“The Obama girls will likely break barriers – the first black this, the first black that – but those achievements will be because of, not in spite of, the achievement gap.

The “first” that makes possible the rest of the firsts? They’re among the first black students permitted the choice to close their own achievement gaps.”

What in the world does that even mean? Their achievements will be because of the achievement gap? What are you talking about? Among the first black students permitted the choice to close their own achievement gap? Huh? Step out of the metaphor and look around and you’ll see that your writing lacks any sense of coherence.