Ooops: Chicago Schools Not the Miracle Obama Claimed

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Why would anyone thumb down this contribution without offering at least a brief explanatory comment? Such people are the ultimate "trolls."

I asked a question something like yours once and one of our newser friends suggested: http://www.justfuckinggoogleit... I think the suggestion was good natured and I've always been grateful for it. Though I used it regularly before, google has become almost habitual for me lately. Please google it (just use NCLB) p3, and read up on it using the link to Wikipedia. There are those here who are very suspicious/scornful of the people's free online encyclopedia, but for purposes of getting background there is nothing better.

I am a supporter of the Kamehameha Schools (named after the king who brought the main islands under his control with the help of Western war technology in the early 1800s.) Members of my family have graduated from "Kam" School, which was considered inferior to other private schools until the 1960s, partly because its curriculum concentrated on vocational education along with preservation of Hawaiian culture, especially music. It is a large private religious school like most others that is funded substantially with income from the lands donated by the royalty not long before the overthrow of the monarchy and US annexation in the 1890s. All other "Crown Lands" were taken by the US government, and most were transferred to the state government in 1959. Students must be part Hawaiian to attend, though no particular blood quantum is required, and ethnic diversity of the students is as great as everywhere else in the islands. Only a small fraction of those eligible are able to attend, and competition is fierce. In the past it was generally understood that admission policies were elitist, and though test scores largely determine who gets in today, nevertheless the perception persists. The quality of education available there is high, and comparable to Punahou School, President Obama's alma mater (also private)-- but the tuition at Kamehameha is far less, and fully subsidized for the poor who are enrolled. In my little off the cuff comment above I did not express an opinion about private schools, though I think public education is generally preferable from a policy point of view. Unfortunately public schools here are poorly funded as in many places. I appreciate your interest godawgs. I am very proud to be a citizen of the state, and I have lived here nearly 40 years, though I am not a native.