STOP THE PRESSES!!!! Whitney Tilson Is Still A Moron!

This past Thursday, September 2, Professor Pedro Noguera of NYU wrote an interesting op-ed peice in the Daily News entitled, Accept It: Poverty Hurts Learning: Schools Matter, But They're Not All That Matters.

As one can see from Prof. Noguera's bio page at NYU, his credentials seem quite extensive, and apparently he does seem to, if not know what he is talking about, at least has an understanding of education and the sociological ramifications of education and poverty. I have not read enough of his works to make a solid opinion. However, he does seem to know more than a hedge fund manager. Not about hedge funds, but about education. In no way am I advocating, nor will I advocate, Prof. Noguera's managing a multi-billion dollar hedge fund

But, in reading Prof Noguera's essay, several point he made did stand out in a positive manner to me.

Studies on literacy development in small children show that middle-class children arrive in kindergarten literally knowing hundreds more words than poor children.

True. There are so many reasons for this. Several, children having children, lack of education on the parents part, abuse, etc... This also starts with from day 1 enabling a child's higher order thinking skills, not telling a child to "shut the f***up," when the parent is asked a question, oh and reading to a child.

We've long known that family income combined with parental education is the strongest predictor of how well a student will do on most standardized tests. There is abundant evidence that in schools in the poorest communities, achievement is considerably lower than in schools with more socioeconomic diversity.

And schools alone - not even the very best schools - cannot erase the effects of poverty.

I really have nothing to add here. It is so obvious. So clear cut.

I disagree with his glowing over Newark's charter schools, and not advocating treating, or giving the same resources to public schools as charters. But that is a story for another blog posting. I am writing about this today because once again, Whitney Tilson has shown everyone what a moron he is.

On August 12, I wrote how Whitney said;

"a public school system that systematically, all over the country, gives black and Latino students the very worst teachers and schools, thereby trapping black and Latino communities in multi-generational cycles of poverty, violence and despair."

Yes, he said that. That is one of the pleasures of receiving his mass convoluted emails. I devoted a radio show with a trained, licensed, competent, world renowned social worker to contradict (so easily) how wrong, ignorant, and misguided Whitney is. But why you might ask am I rehashing this?

The reason why is in Whitney's mass convoluted email of last night, September 5. Whitney blabbered;

"NYU Ed Prof. Pedro Noguera with an op ed in the NY Daily News that (believe it or not) I mostly agree with – of course poverty and other disadvantages have a MASSIVE impact on how well prepared students are to do well in school. But this mustn’t be used as an excuse for many schools’ utter failure to set high standards and properly educate students; rather, it means that schools serving the most disadvantaged students, in order to help students overcome these disadvantages, need to be the very BEST schools, filled with the very BEST teachers.

Say what? How dare you Whitney!! How dare you say this is an excuse! Not one teacher I have ever worked with has said used poverty, used circumstances as an excuse. It is an explanation. But teacher's feel they are swimming upstream against these circumstances when there is no support from the school administration, Tweed, or the parents.

Whitney blabbered on;

"Alas, our educational system SYSTEMATICALLY does the exact opposite; so much so, in fact, that two factors, skin color and zip code, largely determine the quality of public school a child is likely to get. This is deeply, profoundly wrong and contrary to everything this nation stands for."

But, Noguera has said it has nothing to do with the schools themselves. Even the LA Times in their story about Value Added Assessment said that the best teachers are not necessarily in the best schools.

What I find so funny Whitney, and yet so sad is the last sentence of your diatribe;

"This is deeply, profoundly wrong and contrary to everything this nation stands for."

Which country have you been living in? Yes, on paper, we all are afforded the same rights, the same. Remember, the Constitution condones slavery. Have you ever faced REAL discrimination? Has any one in your family been chattel? Has any member of your family been forced into gas chambers? Has any member of your family been told they need not apply? The only you discrimination I am sure you have faced is for being the dick that you are. But I, and many others I believe can live with that.

You sit so high up in that gilded stage of yours looking down on others. You really are a racist. You are the worst type. The White Man who thinks he knows what is best for those he sees beneath him. Get a clue.