A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD January 26, - February 2, 2001OFFICE OF NEWS AND MEDIA RELATIONS (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403
CARTOONISTS TAKE AIM AT NEW PRESIDENT -- If you want to get a real idea of how our new president is perceived, forget about the networks' talking heads and instead look to the natio's political cartoonists, says Temple University journalism professor Ed Lordan. "The essence of good cartooning is not in the art, it's in the ideas," says Lordan. "The cartoonist has to use imagery to distill a person or idea down to its core, to express as simply as possible the key concept." And while cartoonists mourn the loss of a subject as rich for ridicule as Bill Clinton, they're already finding plenty to poke fun at about George W. "If the key concept with Clinton was infidelity, the key concept with Bush is his perceived stupidity," says Lordan. Other symbols and themes we expect to see? "As a Texan he's shown in a cowboy hat, as a person of privilege, the silver spoon works well. Others will evolve over time, as his presidency evolves." Reach Dr. Lordan through the Office of News and Media Relations.
LEGISLATIVE INTERVENTION COULD SHORT-CIRCUIT AN AFFORDABLE SOLUTION TO CALIFORNIA'S ENERGY CRISIS --The California legislature is offering to take over the state's hydroelectric facilities in return for clearing debt the utilities have incurred by paying more for electricity than they are allowed to charge. "This may seem like a solution to the potential bankruptcy of these companies; however, the cost to the state of doing this may be very high," says Temple business professor Frederic Murphy. Instead of allowing the utilities to charge floating rates depending upon the market price, the California PUC imposed a cost ceiling, he says, which forced the utilities, who are not responsible for market prices, to incur huge losses. "Now the California legislature wants to assume control of hydroelectric facilities to pay for these losses." But, he adds, someone has to pay for the electricity that the companies purchase. "Either the citizens pay when they use electricity or the companies go bankrupt. If the companies go bankrupt, the state is probably liable for a massive lawsuit, in which case the citizens of California still pay." By failing to allow the market to work, the California government is creating a huge liability for itself, concludes Murphy. "The governor, the PUC, and state legislature cannot repeal the laws of economics." Contact Dr. Murphy through the Office of News and Media Relations.
SOCIAL ISSUES NOT ADDRESSED IN BUSH EDUCATION PLAN -- Though highly touted, President Bush's education plan fails to address the social problems that surround kids in poorly performing schools, Temple education professor Len Waks says. "The problems kids have are not school-based," says Waks, chair of the University's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. "Children in poorly performing districts have inadequate out-of-school supports to do well in school. And Bush's program fails to address the social context issues that explain almost all of a child's academic performance." Additionally, says Waks, Bush's call for additional testing will do little to improve schools if the test standards aren't adjusted to account for a school's socio-economic status. "Tests, even if they're used in an appropriate way, add nothing by themselves. They don't do anything to actually improve a school." Reach Dr. Waks through the Office of News & Media Relations.
HOW CHOICE IS SCHOOL CHOICE? --President Bush is doing what President Clinton did not do. He's advocating the use of vouchers as one of the remedies to improve failing schools. Some educators are skeptical. Temple researcher Salvatore Saporito says vouchers foster racial separation. "Wealthy and white students are more likely to leave public schools under the choice plan for private schools as the percentage of poor and non-white students in these areas increases," says Saporito, who has co-authored research in the journal Social Problems with Temple sociologist, Annette Lareau. Their research demonstrates that white families select schools based on their racial composition and not their quality or safety. "These findings are consistent with patterns found in public school choice programs–including magnet schools and voluntary desegregation programs–that also show that whites leave neighborhood schools with high percentages of non white students." Saporito suggests, "An expansion of school choice through vouchers, as proposed by the Bush Administration, would further exacerbate segregation in public schools." Reach Dr. Saporito at his office, 204-5001, or through the Office of News and Media Relations.
Cheryl AfonsoTemple UniversityOffice of News andMedia Relations215.204.7476[email protected]
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