Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Better than the Orange Bowl: Berkowitz w/Paul Vallas on Obama’s Race to the Top educational program and much more; Cable and now streaming

Tonight’s Chicago metro suburban edition of Public Affairs features Paul Vallas, currently CEO of the Recovery School District of New Orleans and previously CEO of the Chicago Public Schools . The Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule is included, below.
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You can now watch “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” featuring Paul Vallas, Superintendent of the Recovery School District of New Orleans, streaming here.
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Does Obama’s “Race to the Top,” promote charter schools?

Jeff Berkowitz: Let me raise the other point that the Wall St. Journal raises: Race to the Top …no longer discourages states from capping the number of charter schools; the school system can ban charter schools, as long as the system has something called “innovative schools.” Isn’t that an accommodation with the teachers’ unions?

Paul Vallas: Well-

Is Arne Duncan accommodating the teachers’ unions?

Jeff Berkowitz: Is Arne Duncan accommodating? Just as his boss, Barack Obama would say, “Well, you know Arne, sometimes you should play politics, be an accommodator.”

Paul Vallas: Well, I think they have made some sacrifices. But, let me point out that schools, that states that do embrace charter schools and that do promote school choice and that do establish value added assessment systems, which hire teachers, promote teachers, reward teachers based on their performance, based on data driven performance in the classroom—those districts are most likely to get “Race to the top,” dollars as opposed to other districts—

Jeff Berkowitz: Even if they don’t have more charter schools?

Paul Vallas: That’s right.

Jeff Berkowitz: Even if they ban charter schools?

Paul Vallas: Yeah.

Is “Race to the top,” true to the spirit of charter schools?

Jeff Berkowitz: You trust them. You don’t think they are just getting around charter schools? They are remaining true to the spirit of charter schools?

Paul Vallas: Well, I think that they will not get as many points as they are getting in Districts that have, for example, an intervention arm, districts that are actually transforming schools. Because there are provisions in the application that require that you take over schools that are failing, that you transform them. And, whether they become an innovation school or a charter school, or whether or not you privately contract out for that school to be managed by an outside entity, for profit or not for profit, those are all things that get you points in the application [for “Race to the Top,” federal funds].
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New Orleans' Recovery School District CEO Paul Vallas interviewed on Sunday, December 27, 2009 on "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz, and airing this evening in 24 Chicago Metro North and Northwest suburbs on Comcast Ch. 19 or Ch. 35, as indicated, below.
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For an additional partial transcript and more about Paul Vallas and our show with Paul Vallas, please go here.
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The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," featuring this week's guest, New Orleans' Recovery School District CEO Paul Vallas, airs:

tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.

The Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," usually airs, as well, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.

Due to a transfer this month of control of broadcast facilities from Comcast to the Village of Highland Park for the above referenced ten suburbs, the airing of Public Affairs in those ten suburbs ceased for the month of December, but will resume, on the same airing schedule, on January 6, 2010, [and with same extra airings planned for this Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, as well].

We anticipate airing the Public Affairs show featuring Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Senator Dillard on Jan. 6 and Jan. 8 in the aforementioned ten suburbs, in the same time slot we have previously aired, i.e., Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19. This Thursday night's show, at 8:30 pm, in the same ten suburbs on Ch. 19, will feature 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Arie Friedman, M.D. The special airings on this coming Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 pm will feature Paul Vallas.
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The Public Affairs show, featuring New Orleans' Recovery School District CEO Paul Vallas also will air on Monday night, January 18, 2010, throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21
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More than 118 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Now streaming are our most recent shows w/Paul Vallas, Supt. of the Recovery School District of New Orleans, 10th Cong. District Republican Primary Candidate Arie Friedman, M.D. (R-Highland Park), Republican Guv candidate State Sen. Kirk Dillard(R-Naperville); Cong. Danny Davis, Patrick Collins, former Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission;
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com.
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