Pittsburgh Schools Hold That Education Is All in A Name

Larwyn has just forwarded this one. Tom Elia of the New Editor blogs a story by Joe Smydo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"The Pittsburgh Public Schools will drop 'public' from its name and adopt a new, standardized way of referring to its schools as part of a campaign to brighten and strengthen the district's image.

"... the district also will begin using 'Excellence for All,' the name of its sweeping academic-improvement plan, on all stationery and other written materials. 'Excellence for All' has its own logo with a gold swirl and star.
...

"Also, the district last night announced plans to upgrade its parent hotline into a 'customer service center,' another initiative aimed at boosting the district's image."

This follows a century of Democratic Party rule in Pittsburgh.

At the same time that Michael Moore agitates for public health insurance in Sicko, using public education as a rationale, Pittsburgh is so embarrassed about its public education system that it tries to pretend that it is not public. This says something not only about the failure of public education, but also about the likelihood of the success of public health inusurance.