‘Yes, we can!’ Charter School Fails in St. Louis

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‘Yes, we can!’ Charter School Fails in St. Louis

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First used by Barack Obama in the concession speech that followed his Jan. 8 primary loss to Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, “Yes, we can!” went on to become an official slogan for the Democrat’s successful bid for the White House.  But will Obama’s use of the substance-free, hope-and-change campaign slogan translate into effective governance?  Not necessarily.

A Texas-based organization that opened a new charter school in inner-city St. Louis less than a year ago will not reopen it this fall, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Despite having a name that could be mistaken for a condensed version of Obama’s campaign slogan (i.e., The CAN! Academy of St. Louis) and despite offering visitors to its web site a plethora of hopeful “I CAN…” messages, the school failed to succeed.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a fan of school choice, school vouchers and charter schools and use the example of a charter school only to make this point:  Saying you can do something and delivering on that declaration are two completely different things.

If Obama is to live up to the mainstream news media’s premature anointing of him as “The Messiah,” he must deliver substantive change that benefits all Americans and moves this country toward a brighter future.

-- Bob McCarty Writes