Opinion: Warning signs on a Trump nominee

View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. Monday, November 28, 2016 [The New York Times] [NYTimes.com/Opinion »] [Opinion] Monday, November 28, 2016 After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans put in place the country's most aggressive version of education reform — full of school choice and test-based accountability for schools. Critics of education reform have tried to cast the New Orleans experience as a disappointment. But they're wrong. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that New Orleans schools are doing far better by the city's children than in the pre-Katrina days. The most comprehensive [study] has been done by two Tulane professors named Douglas Harris and Matthew Larsen. They concluded, in the dry language of academia, that the reforms “had large positive cumulative effects on achievement.” All of which makes [this Op-Ed] by Harris especially noteworthy. He is, quite clearly, not a partisan enemy of choice, accountability, charter schools and the rest of education reform. Yet he expressed deep alarm about Donald Trump's selection for education secretary, a reform advocate named Betsy DeVos: “As one of the architects of Detroit’s charter school system, she is partly responsible for what even charter advocates acknowledge is the biggest school reform disaster in the country,” Harris wrote. A key reason is lack of oversight. In [Friday's newsletter], I urged people not to retreat to their usual political corners on DeVos. I still believe that. The good-vs.-evil nature of the debate over education is silly. Neither traditionalists nor reformers have all the evidence on their side. But as more emerges about DeVos's record, it's clear she has serious questions to answer during the confirmation process. If she insists that Michigan's version of reform was a success, it will be a major warning sign. The full Opinion report from The Times follows, including [Achy Obejas] on Fidel Castro, [Christopher J. Daggett] on how an auction could transform local media and Paul Krugman’s [Monday column]. David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist  ADVERTISEMENT  Editorial [The G.O.P. and Health Care Chaos] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Donald Trump and Congress want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but they have no good ideas for replacing it.  Op-Ed Columnist [Why Corruption Matters] By PAUL KRUGMAN It’s not the money, it’s the incentives.  [People in Miami reacting to the news of the death of Fidel Castro.] People in Miami reacting to the news of the death of Fidel Castro. Scott McIntyre for The New York Times [Op-Ed Contributor] [The Little Fidel in All of Us] By ACHY OBEJAS Who would any of us be if he hadn’t rearranged our destinies and caused this rupture in our lives?  Op-Ed Columnist [Fidel Castro in his car during an interview with a reporter in 1964.] [Fidel in All His Facets] By ROGER COHEN It’s feeble for Obama to say history will judge Castro. There’s been plenty of history in Cuba since 1959, much of it deplorable. Op-Ed Contributor [The Cuban community celebrated early Saturday in Miami, after the announcement that Fidel Castro had died.] [An Unimaginable Day Arrives in Miami] By JENNINE CAPÓ CRUCET The phone kept ringing. Castro really was gone. Taking Note [The author with her parents in Cuba.] [What Castro’s Death Means for a Child of Mariel] By ISVETT VERDE We left Cuba and our extended family behind in 1980. Nothing can bring those lost years back.  Annabelle Grace Cook/Pratt Institute [On Campus] [Divisions in My Dorm Room] By K.N. PINEDA Liberals and conservatives, on campus and off, have spent too much time in their own political bubbles.  Editorial [Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the Pentagon last month.
] [Pentagon: Looking for a Few Good Hackers] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The last thing the Pentagon would seem to need is more hackers. But Defense Department officials are inviting them in. Editorial [Retired Coal Miners Losing Their Safety Net] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Mitch McConnell should help retirees who worked in a dangerous industry and deserve what was promised by contract.  Op-Ed Contributor [An Auction That Could Transform Local Media] By CHRISTOPHER J. DAGGETT Billions of dollars could result from an auction of public airwaves — money that could be invested to counter the decline in local journalism. Op-Ed Contributor [Students in a classroom in a charter school in Detroit.] [Betsy DeVos and the Wrong Way to Fix Schools] By DOUGLAS N. HARRIS Donald Trump’s choice for education secretary was an architect of school reforms in Michigan. The results were terrible. The Stone [Fake News and the Internet Shell Game] By MICHAEL P. LYNCH Even as others deceive us, we deceive ourselves. Op-Ed Contributor [Even as Trudeau Reaches Out to First Nations, Mercury Rises] By STEPHEN MARCHE The Canadian prime minister has made reconciliation with native peoples a critical goal. But an environmental threat could scuttle his mission.  Christina Hägerfors [Op-Ed Contributor] [In India, Black Money Makes for Bad Policy] By KAUSHIK BASU Demonetization will put only a temporary dent in corruption, if even that, and it may rock the entire economy.  ADVERTISEMENT  In Case You Missed It: Sunday Review Op-Ed Columnist [Her game of thrones over, Cersei — as Kevin Dowd nicknamed Hillary Clinton — stood guard over the Dowd family Thanksgiving.] [Election Therapy From My Basket of Deplorables] By MAUREEN DOWD I had an unyielding week, scolded by Donald Trump at The Times and my conservative family at Thanksgiving. Opinion [Why I Left White Nationalism] By R. DEREK BLACK I grew up in a family that embraced extreme views. I’ve moved on. The country can, too. opinion [Actually, Let’s Not Be in the Moment] By RUTH WHIPPMAN Mindfulness is supposed to ease the stress of modern life, not add to it.  From the Archives Opinion [Why You Hate Work] By TONY SCHWARTZ AND CHRISTINE PORATH Excessive demands are leading to burnout everywhere.  A NEW ELECTION PODCAST Listen to Opinion columnists and contributors on The Run-Up, a new podcast from The New York Times covering the final three months of the election. [Available on iTunes].  FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK] [Twitter] [@nytopinion] [Pinterest] [Pinterest] Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »] | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »] ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Subscriptions] | [Change Your Email] | [Privacy Policy] | [Contact] | [Advertise] Copyright 2016 The New York Times Company | 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018