"WHAT W SAID":

Obama: Shutter failing schools and bring down the teacher 'firewall': In a tough talk on education, the president spells out criteria for winning $4.35 billion in federal grants. He challenges rules that say teachers should not be judged by how their students perform. (Christi Parsons, November 4, 2009, LA Times)

Declaring that there should be "no excuse for mediocrity" in public schools, President Obama this afternoon pledged to push for recruitment of better teachers, better pay for those who succeed and dismissal of those who let their students down.

When principals are trying to determine which teachers are doing well, he said, they should be able to consider student performance as part of the evaluation.

And when schools are failing, "they should be shut down," Obama said. "But when innovative public schools are succeeding, they shouldn't be stifled, they should be supported."

The president's tough words -- fighting words, for some union officials -- came as Obama spoke to students and teachers at a charter middle school here.

Although he turns the poetry into prose, he does best when he just imitates George Bush.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 4, 2009 2:59 PM