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Dec. 16-31, 2010, News Archive
12/31/10 A wrong-headed experiment in school leadership
"Of course you can't, but this won't surprise you: The Board of Education in Wake County, N.C., tapped a brigadier general who has no experience in instruction or academic leadership to be the new superintendent of the 143,000-student school system."
12/30/10 Tata makes series of appearances next week as superintendent
"Tony Tata, Wake County's newly named schools superintendent, will make a series of public appearances next week before schools staff, the school board and other groups including the conservative Wake County Taxpayers Association, board chairman Ron Margiotta said today."
12/30/10 Morrison leads protest over hiring of retired general to lead Wake Schools
"It's going to be a huge learning curve for this man," Morrison told the North Carolina Independent News. "I'm sure he's well-trained to kill. I wanted someone who was well-trained to educate."
12/30/10 Tata's writing for media outlets might distract from his role in non-partisan position
"The contract signed by the new Wake Schools Superintendent Anthony Tata allows him to continue appearing as a guest analyst on FOX News as long as he is not identified by his new job title."
12/29/10 Both parties brace for struggle over big cuts in education as $3.7 billion deficit looms
"The Republican-led General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue will look everywhere for budget cuts to close the state's projected $3.7 billion deficit, but it's clear where the pain and the outcry will be centered - education."
12/28/10 On task
"Tata's appearances on TV and his blogs tend to lean toward the Republican-conservative philosophy. He also has made pointed criticisms of President Obama, explaining that he wanted to exercise his right to free speech. Such criticisms are permissible on the part of a retired general officer, but they're not likely to be helpful coming from the head of North Carolina's largest school system, a nonpartisan post. And it's as a school superintendent that Tata's duty now calls."
12/28/10 Difficulties ahead
"I predict increasing difficulties in resolving school issues in Wake County."
12/28/10 Stigma on smarts
"My sincere hope is that Anthony Tata curtails his political rhetoric when he enters office and starts encouraging our children to aim for distinguished higher learning institutions instead of negatively stigmatizing intelligence."
12/28/10 Threat level
"I find it ironic that Anthony Tata authored a book titled "Hidden Threat," as this so well describes the whole selection process employed by the Wake County school board."
12/28/10 Faltering education
"The last wake-up call that the U.S. actually embraced was when the Soviets launched Sputnik. We created effective mathematics and science education reforms. Unfortunately, this seems to be evidence that we respond only to overt threats and propaganda."
12/27/10 Wake school ideas include four-day weeks
"Taxpayers are asking Wake County school board members to consider four-day school weeks and fees for sports to help deal with next year's budget crisis."
2008 Failed Promises: Assessing Charter Schools in the Twin Citites
"After two decades of experience, most charter schools in the Twin Cities still underperform comparable traditional public schools and intensify racial and economic segregation in the Twin Cities schools."?
12/26/10 Tata's test
"In a community already divided and nervous about the direction of the public schools, the appointment of Anthony J. Tata as superintendent of the Wake County system is already stirring more uncertainty and discontent despite his obvious leadership and management skills."
12/25/10 Schools chief allowed to do TV, Web stints
"New Wake County Schools Superintendent Anthony Tata can do stints as a commentator on national network news shows and conservative websites."
12/24/10 Tata a mistake
"Regarding Anthony Tata's potentially becoming Wake County schools superintendent: Anyone who states that Sarah Palin is qualified to be U.S. president doesn't possess enough sense to recognize good leadership from incompetent leadership."
12/24/10 Appalling choice
"I can't believe that anyone who believes that Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president than Barack Obama would be seriously considered for any position that requires an educated professional, much less that he could be superintendent of Wake County schools."
12/24/10 Tit for tat
"The ex-general attended a 10-month course on how to become an urban school superintendent, so we will send our teachers to a 10-month course on how to become a general."
12/24/10 Wake schools hire Tata in split vote
"Promising to bring order, discipline and efficiency to the state's largest school district, the Wake County school board's Republican majority selected retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Tata as the system's new superintendent Thursday in a 4-2 vote."
12/23/10 Wake names new superintendent
"Morrison praised Tata's military service but wrote, "nothing in his background of experience suggests that he is prepared to lead the largest school district in North Carolina. He has had no experience with instructional leadership."
12/23/10 Former Army general named new Wake superintendent
"A divided Wake County school board tapped retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Tata today to be the new superintendent in charge of the state's largest school system."
12/23/10 Wake schools may hire former general to lead
"Wake County school board members are expected to decide today whether to hire retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Tata as the school system's new superintendent."
12/23/10 Squared away?
"What that means is that when a new superintendent is in fact hired, there will have been precious little feedback from the community, precious little chance for anyone not involved in the search to examine the person's background, qualifications and views. It puts the board in the position of presenting the new chief as a done deal, rather than giving itself a chance to defuse any skepticism in advance."
12/22/10 D.C. school official being considered for Wake schools chief
"A former U.S. Army officer and a leader in the Washington, D.C. school system is among the candidates being considered to take over the reins of the Wake County Public School System, WRAL News learned Wednesday."
12/22/10 In North Carolina, a racial uproar over schools stirs old echoes
"When Charlotte's majority-white board voted to close several predominantly black and Latino schools, the ensuing tumult raised the specter of the civil rights era."
12/22/10 Wake County's debate over school diversity takes detour through Minnesota
"The Wake County dispute over school diversity has made its way to Minnesota where Wake school board member John Tedesco sounded off to a columnist and one of his local critics tried unsuccessfully to reply."
12/22/10 D.C. schools chief candidate for Wake schools superintendent
"District of Columbia public schools officials have just confirmed that Anthony Tata, chief operations officer for the D.C. system, is a candidate for the post of Wake County Schools superintendent."
12/21/10 Alves school plan coming in January
"The new student assignment plan being developed on behalf of Wake County business and community leaders won't be released until January."
12/21/10 School staff's role
"Time after time when I have attended Wake County school board meetings during the past year, the majority board members frequently have made recommendations about student assignment that reflect primarily their own personal interests."
12/21/10 Richard Kahlenberg on the Wake school diversity fight in 2010
"In a blog post Monday for the progressive Century Foundation, Kahlenberg cites the controversy in Wake an an example of how at the local level "many citizens and education leaders fought back vigorously against growing segregation."
12/21/10 Extension is sought in school probe
"Wake County school officials say they need more time to turn over records requested by federal civil rights investigators looking into the school district's student assignment policies."
12/19/10 Coming together, better schools
"Diversity would not be an issue in the Wake County schools, or in school systems anywhere, if the neighborhoods where people lived were themselves blended racially and economically."
12/17/10 Wake schools gets a grilling
"Federal civil rights investigators want to know everything from how many Wake County students were bused for socioeconomic diversity to the reasons school board members dropped the use of diversity in student assignment."
12/17/10 Goldman's courage
"Wake County school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman deserves thanks for taking a realistic and moral stand by voting against the motion that would have resegregated Southeast Raleigh schools for the 2011-2012 school year."
12/17/10 Public invited to comment on Wake schools plan for 2011-12
"The Wake County Board of Education will hold a series of public hearings in January to get input on the proposal for student assignment in the 2011-12 school year."
12/17/10 Questioning the value of speaking at the reassignment public hearings
"The question is whether it's worth it for the public to go. For at least some school board members, the answer is no."
12/16/10 Ron Margiotta on Debra Goldman voting with "the other side" on student assignment
"In an interview Wednesday on WPTF on the Bill LuMaye Show, Margiotta said Goldman's vote with the "other side" on Tuesday will help continue assignment policies that are "family unfriendly" and "family destructive."
12/16/10 Steadier on schools
"Could it be that the Wake County school board is coming to its collective senses after a year of putting the well-being of many students - and that of the whole community - at risk?"
12/16/10 Exclusive charters
"Why should we be paying for schools most of us can't use, and which deny us a voice in our kids' education? Public schools are imperfect, but we still have the right as taxpayers to work on making them better. Why are Republican legislators auctioning that right away?"
