At The New Republic, Seyward Darby takes at face value the complaints some edu-reformers have about Linda Darling-Hammond, the Stanford teacher quality expert who is leading the transition team’s education efforts. Sample hand-wringing reactions to Darling-Hammond’s appointment: “This is a sign that the president-elect isn’t a bona fide reformer.” “The reform community is scared to […]
Dana Goldstein
Dana Goldstein, a former associate editor and writer at the Prospect, comes from a family of public-school educators. She received the Spencer Fellowship in Education Journalism, a Schwarz Fellowship at the New America Foundation, and a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellowship at the Nation Institute. Her journalism is regularly featured in Slate, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Beast, and other publications, and she is a staff writer at the Marshall Project.
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A “NEW NEW DEAL?” ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS IN THE OLD ONE FIRST.
Karen Kornbluh, principal author of the 2008 Democratic Party platform and a work-family economics expert, spoke today at the New America Foundation in Washington about how to make sure our response to the economic crisis is responsive to working families — particularly single mothers and their children. A third of all American children today are […]
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HOW TAP HELPS GROW WRITERS.
I won’t beat around the bush – this is a post asking you to support The American Prospect by making a tax-deductible donation or purchasing a subscription this holiday season, either for yourself or as a gift. I came to TAP in July 2007 as a writing fellow. Though I had gone through the daily […]
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SHOULD MALONEY REPLACE HILLARY?
Sam has been following the identity politics at play in Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich‘s decision of whom to appoint to Barack Obama‘s empty Senate seat. Obama, after all, was the only African American serving in the Senate. And it’s no surprise that although there are currently 16 female senators, similar concerns are arising over Hillary […]
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WELCOME BACK TO RESPECTABILITY, ELIOT SPITZER.
Two weeks ago, I reacted with revulsion toward some bloggers’ suggestions that Eliot Spitzer should be either appointed to Hillary Clinton‘s Senate seat or given a prominent role on the Obama administration’s economic team. Now I see that Spitzer is rehabilitating his reputation in a much less objectionable way — with a biweekly Slate column. […]
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THE EDU-WARS CONTINUE.
Time reports that D.C.’s controversial schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, who self-identifies as a Democrat, admits she would have voted for John McCain had she not been talked out of it by a close friend. “It was a very hard decision,” she said. “I’m somewhat terrified of what the Democrats are going to do on education.” […]
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BILL RICHARDSON, IN HIS OWN WORDS.
Now that Bill Richardson has been offered a position in which his embarrassing verbal gaffes won’t directly threaten America’s reputation abroad, I finally feel free to delight in his logorrhea. This Esquire interview is full of gems from the just-tapped Commerce secretary. My favorites: After the campaign, I grew a beard as a rebellion against […]
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A CELEBRITY CABINET?
In many ways, Mary Beth Maxwell would be a stellar choice as Labor secretary, as Adam wrote yesterday. The founding director of American Rights at Work, a lobbying and research organization in support of unions, Maxwell is an articulate, fiery activist who is fully committed to the labor’s movement’s key legislative wish: passing the Employee […]
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WHERE CAN JANET NAPOLITANO DO THE MOST GOOD?
Ezra is trying to egg me on with his post arguing that Janet Napolitano would be more useful staying in Arizona than as secretary of Homeland Security. But despite my admiration for Napolitano, who I believe is one of the more talented Democratic politicians on the national stage, I somewhat agree with his analysis. Arizona, […]
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OTHER WOMEN’S BODIES.
Did you see the cover of The New York Times Magazine this weekend? The woman on the right is Alex Kuczynski, the Times style writer who, in her book Beauty Junkies, chronicled her addiction to youth-enhancing medical treatments and beauty products, which supposedly ended when she nearly missed a friend’s funeral because she was having […]
