One thing I’ve learned from spending the past four years blogging about education: Comments sections can be caustic, but they’re also telling.

As much as we’d like to tune them out, and maybe some times we ought to, sometimes there can be nuggets of truth that smack you in the face.

Perhaps this is a lesson fellow blogger Ann Cronin hasn’t learned? If she took a look at her comments on her most recent post bashing charter schools, maybe she’d realize just how out of touch her position is  — one parent, in particular, did not mince words:

In case you can’t read the screen shot, Tyrone William’s wrote:

“Here we go again another Hoity Toity white women tell me why its so bad that I send my child to a charter schools. I wouldn’t send my dog let alone my only child to Bridgeport schools. The charter schools have been the best thing that has ever happened to my son. The way you bash these charter schools you would think the Mexican cartel was running the school when in fact the teacher unions are way more corrupt then the Mexican cartel.”

Ok, so, William’s words are a bit harsh – comparing the teachers union to the Mexican cartel might not be a fair analogy, but what’s interesting is his words seemed to resonate with others. There were multiple comments agreeing with Williams.

For example, one commenter Don Forcash, wrote:

“…P.S. I personally like Tyrone’s strong, but heartfelt opinion. I think the credibility of his personal experience is powerful and it comes with no politics or agenda, beyond wanting his child to continue to achieve through his charter school experience. Hard to argue with that.”

Cronin’s Off-base on NAACP Report

Cronin’s article applauds the recent NAACP report’s recommendations on charter schools, demanding that the state enact the report’s recommendations.

In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, last month,  during the NAACP’s National Convention, after holding hearings seven cities including New Haven, the historic civil rights organization released their report on education quality. In it, they pulled back slightly on charter schools, remaining critical while stopping short calling for an all out moratorium as they had done last year.

If  you’d like to learn more about the report:  I published a full run-down here

Since the report’s release, anti-reformers, like Cronin,  have been foaming at the mouth, holding it up as proof that the state should come down hard on charters. Clearly, not everyone agrees with this position.

Clearly, not everyone agrees with this position. Most were tired of the fight because the fact of the matter is for them the NAACP report didn’t give the full story.

I think parent advocate Gwen Samuel put in perfectly in her comment to Cronin:

“We just want equitable access to SAFE high-quality educational opportunities regardless of school model and/or form of education opportunity! Parents [are] tired of folk[s]thinking parents, especially of color and the poor should ALWAYS sacrifice their kid’s safety, education and well-being for messy partisan politics”