Sharpton, Gingrich, Bloomberg: Odd trio

by Rebecca Cole

An odd power trio descended on the White House today to remind President Barack Obama that, nearly 55 years after the Supreme Court issued landmark desegregation rulings, the country still has a "crisis of inequality" when it comes to education.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Rev. Al Sharpton met with Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan today to discuss ways to close the gap in education between whites and minorities.

More than a half century after Brown v. Board of Education, Sharpton told reporters after the meeting, "there's still a difference" in how some students are treated and funded.

"The spirit of Brown was to have equal education for all Americans," Sharpton said. "And we are committed across our political and ideological lines across that discussion."

Sharpton, who formed the Education Equality Project last year with New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, said that, although the group "may not agree on certain specific issues," it does mean there must be a commitment to reach consensus and "move the envelope" on equality in education.

In some communities, Sharpton said, more than 50 percent of black youths do not get a high school diploma. "We must deal with this as a crisis and we must have all hands on deck."

The nation's future is at stake, Sharpton said, "and we should be bigger than that."

Calling it the "first civil right of the 21st Century," Gingrich said the country has to move forward from the No Child Left Behind Act, former President George W. Bush's program to improve the performance of primary and secondary schools.

"We said, 26 years ago, that if a foreign power did to our children what we were doing to them we would consider it an act of war," Gingrich said, in reference to the "A Nation at Risk" report on public education issued in 1982.

"As Americans, we can reach beyond Democrat and Republicans, beyond liberals and conservatives," Gingrich said, and insist on finding practical solutions to fix education. "I am prepared to work side by side" with anyone committed "to getting the job done and not talking about it for the next 26 years."

It's not just pie in the sky, Gingrich insisted, pointing to Bloomberg's achievements in education over the past several years.

Citing results released today, Bloomberg said that test scores in English for New York City students have consistently improved every year since 2002, outpacing gains in the rest of the state at every grade level. Bloomberg also touted improved scores for black and Latino students that are narrowing the education gap with white and Asian children.

"It is nothing but good news," Bloomberg said. "We are going in the right direction, and the way that you do it is to have accountability."

Bloomberg said he told Obama that, "if the rest of the country wants to actually improve performance" in education, the New York City schools are a blueprint for success.

"There are no secrets here," Bloomberg said. "It costs money, and it takes hard work, and you have to hold people accountable. And those that perform should be the ones that teach our kids."