Mr. Charles Darwin Had the Gall to Ask

Remember what we know about the Chicago Public School (CPS) system: out of 400,000+ students, only 8 percent are white. To call it a failed system – despite plenty of money and high per pupil spending – would be a stretch: it’s not even a system, more like state-funded K-12 daycare. An incredible 82 percent of these students receive a free or reduced priced lunch at school.

Free Nike Shoes in Detroit Public Schools to get kids to attend and $25 gift cards in Chicago Public Schools to get parents involved will get us back to moon sometime this century... 

This should come as no surprise then: the former CEO of the CPS system says “radical change” is needed to bring change and… hope [Chicago schools need radical change, Chicago Tribune, Jean-Claude Brizard, 10-30-2012]:

In 2011, fewer than 24 percent of Chicago Public Schools graduates were prepared to attend a four-year college, and only 1 in 7 African-American students tested college-ready. While we made tremendous progress in less than two years, resulting in some historic gains, transformational change will require a radical redefinition of the district.

 Why does this matter? Because President Obama recently told a black radio host in Chicago that his second term will focus on “communities of color” – knowing that they represent the future workforce of America [Obama dispatches election lawyers 'all across the country', Washington Examiner, 10-29-2012]:

Urging supporters to vote early, as the president himself did in Chicago last week, he told black radio host April Ryan that voters should contact his campaign if they are prevented from voting. "If you try to vote early and you see that problem, we've got time to fix it," said the president. Ryan, a long-time White House correspondent known for her news-making interviews, also pressed the president on the high joblessness among blacks and Hispanics. The president responded by saying he would focus on "communities of color" in his second term because those two groups are the "future workforce" of America.

 There’s no such as a free lunch in America: unless your black or brown (and enrolled in public school), because then the white taxpayer will fit the bill for you!

Recall that in Detroit, every student gets a free lunch: to avoid the stigma of being enrolled at an all-black school and having enough lunch money to provide your own sustenance. Also recall that a store in Detroit gave free Nike shoes to DPS students who attended class on a certain day (consequently, the day attendance is taken to see how much federal and state money the system will receive to remain a seasonal K-12 daycare system).

Not be outdone by the DPS system, the Chicago Public System is going the extra-mile to try and raise those test scores; well, as long as the extra-mile takes you into your local community Walgreens [Chicago Schools Bribe Parents With Gift Cards To Stay Involved, Huffington Post, 10-31-2012]:

Parents have long debated whether or not it's healthy to bribe kids to do things like finish their homework on time or eat all of their vegetables. But what happens when the tables are turned and parents are the ones being bribed to cooperate? 

Chicago, Ill. is considering doing just that. As part of a pilot program launched at 70 public schools, Chicago parents will be given $25 Walgreens “Balance Rewards” cards in exchange for picking up their child’s report cards and attending parent-teacher conferences, according to a press release from the city. 

The program is being viewed as a way to incentivize parents to stay more involved in their children's academic lives. All of the schools selected to participate have had continual difficulty engaging parents. 

The public-private partnership appears to be a win-win for both the schools and for Walgreens, which just launched its first loyalty card in an attempt to attract shoppers with discounts, the Chicago Tribune reports. With over 150 stores in Chicago alone, Walgreen’s CEO Greg Wasson said he only hopes that the pilot program will expand to more schools. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who thought up the program, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he envisions the program will close some of the communication gaps that now exist between many public school students and their parents. The city's schools plan to track and analyze the data to see how effective it is in promoting parent-teacher involvement.

So… does the same offer stand for parents in the suburbs who struggle to pay for their children’s lunch? A $25 “balance reward” card would go far for the struggling members of the white working class that Obama famously abandoned back in 2011.

He’s more interested in participating in the game of racial socialism that we call “democracy” in America. The redistribution of wealth so that… black kids can get free Nike’s in Detroit and brown and black kids parents can get a $25 gift card for Walgreen’s. At least we now know the monetary value of parental involvement. 

Michael Stipe of R.E.M obviously had other things in mind when he wrote “Man on the Moon,” but t one line from the song cuts through the inanity of the current ideological system we live under:  “Mister Charles Darwin Had the Gall to Ask…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…”

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