


... And that's almost laughable, if we weren't talking about kids getting their heads kicked in, because it sounds like Ackerman is pretty much describing her own problem in Philadelphia. Columnist Annette John-Hall writes:
Which is what happened during Ackerman's mishandling of the beatings of Asian students by African Americans at South Philadelphia High School, which pretty much sealed her fate as far as many were concerned.

At a School Reform Commission meeting in December, Ackerman, who'd worked for six years with a predominantly Asian student body as superintendent in San Francisco, surprisingly sat poker-faced as anguished student after anguished student and some of their parents testified.

She got defensive. And did not offer an apology when she was asked for one.

It sure felt like cultural insensitivity.

Blasted in the media (including by me), and critics from all sides, the lifelong educator acknowledges that she's learned a hard lesson.
The piece goes on to paint a picture of Ackerman as something of a warrior and a survivor who, after going through the ringer, has come out on the other side, found peace and focus and is ready to move on. Or something.

Sorry, but did I miss something? The headline says that she's learned from last year's mistakes... but I've scoured the article and can't find the part where she actually admits to making any mistakes herself. Because from where I stand, she made a shitload of mistakes.

UPDATE: Here's Helen Gym's blog post in the Philadelphia Public School Notebook, responding to the Inquirer piece on Arlene Ackerman. While she's no fan of Michelle Rhee, Helen calls Ackerman's assessment of Rhee a "racialized potshot": Ackerman and Rhee: 'Cultural competence' and the national urban education agenda.

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