DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

Why an Apology from Obama on Geronimo is Unlikely “It soon became clear that Obama would not apologize, nor did he seem to understand that there was even a controversy boiling in Indian country. In an appearance on May 8 on 60 Minutes, none of this seemed to trouble him. ‘There was a point before folks had left before we had gotten everybody back on the helicopter and were flying back to base, where they said ‘Geronimo’ has been killed,’ Obama told journalist Steve Kroft with a look of pride in his eyes. ‘And Geronimo was the code name for bin Laden.’ The look, meanwhile, in the eyes of many Indians was quite different.” (Indian Country Today)

New crack-cocaine law could impact hundreds of old cases in D.C. region “Since the 1990s, advocates have complained that crack offenders are treated more harshly than those arrested with powdered cocaine. Many critics view the disparity as racial discrimination because black drug offenders are more likely to be charged with federal crack offenses and to serve longer prison terms than other offenders. The Fair Sentencing Act, signed by Obama in August, attempts to remedy that disparity by changing the amount of crack cocaine required to trigger five and 10-year mandatory sentences.” (The Washington Post)

Cheating Investigation Casts Shadow on Testing“‘This is a very pro-test period in American education,’ said Washington Teacher Union President Nathan Saunders. ‘As a result of teacher performance and school closures being directly related to tests, unfortunately some educators have used alternative schemes, including cheating to meet the mandates.’ Some critics disdain the tests themselves and the commercial motives of the companies supplying them. The Washington Post Co.’s Kaplan division has attracted scrutiny. Kaplan Inc.’s testing and “university” is the Post’s primary revenue generator, yet in reporting about the testing dust-up, Post reporters have apparently not bothered to note this, which some observers consider a possible conflict of interest.” (afro.com)

Nationals team with D.C. for SE youth facility “The academy will be built on 9 acres inside the park and include playing fields for youth baseball and softball games as well as a facility that will house multiple classrooms, batting cages and locker rooms…(it) will be modeled after the Harlem RBI program in New York City, which in the past six years has helped more than 97 percent of its members graduate high school and sent 95 percent to college last year, according to the Nationals.” (Washington Times)

McKinley Tech principal cleared of grade-doctoring “D.C. officials have cleared the McKinley Technology High School principal who had been under investigation for alleged grade doctoring, saying Tuesday that they expect he will remain in his post. Questions about David Pinder came to light in March when former school staff accused him of changing at least 13 senior transcripts in 2009 to give students credit for courses they did not take.” (The Washington Post)