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Fact Check: Stanley Kurtz And The Chicago Annenberg Challenge

September 23, 2008

CHICAGO TRIBUNE CALLED STANLEY KURTZ’ ANNENBERG WORK “ALICE IN WONDERLAND JOURNALISM” BECAUSE OF ITS “CONCLUSION FIRST! RESEARCH AFTERWARD!”

Chicago Tribune: Stanley Kurtz’ Work On Obama And The Annenberg Challenge Is “Alice In Wonderland Journalism – Conclusion First! Research Afterward!” On August 31, 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported, “Kurtz had just started poring over nearly 1,000 archival files of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge at the University of Illinois at Chicago. But even before he’d gotten access to the documents, he’d assured National Review Online readers they would ‘provide significant insight into a web of ties linking [former Annenberg board chairman Barack] Obama to various radical organizations.’ This is Alice in Wonderland journalism—Conclusion first! Research afterward!” [Chicago Tribune, 8/1/08]

• Chicago Tribune Called Stanley Kurtz A “Partisan Attack Dog” Who Is “Actively Engaged” In The “Guilt-By-Association Campaign Against Obama.” On August 31, 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported, ”WGN-AM 720 host Milt Rosenberg erred Wednesday night when he had partisan attack dog Stanley Kurtz as his only guest for a two-hour show….Rosenberg, who is himself quite the partisan, tut-tutted right along with Kurtz. It all disguised that Kurtz really had nothing new to add to the insinuations and innuendo in the guilt-by-association portion of the campaign against Obama in which he’s actively engaged.” [Chicago Tribune, 8/31/08]

• 8/27/08: Kurtz Said “There’s A Lot That We Don’t Know That We Would Like To Know” When Asked About His View Of The “Content” Of The Obama-Ayers Relationship. On August 27, 2008, Milt Rosenberg’s asked Stanley Kurtz on his radio show, “What’s the content of the Obama-Ayers connection?” Stanley Kurtz responded, “There’s a lot that we don’t know that we would like to know.”
[Audio Clip, Stanley Kurtz on Obama and Ayers, Milt Rosenberg (WGN), 8/27/08]

Zengerle: “I Almost Feel Sorry For Stanley Kurtz…His WSJ Article Is Titled ‘Obama And Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools,’ But The Evidence For That Consists Largely Of Scare Quotes And Leaps Of Logic Designed To Substitute For Actual Evidence…Pretty Weak.” On September 23, 2008, Jason Zengerle wrote, “I almost feel sorry for Stanley Kurtz. Last month the conservative writer was making a big stink that, in the course of researaching Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, the University of Illinois at Chicago library had denied him access to ‘the internal files’ of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which was a nonprofit educational group both men were affiliated with in the 1990s. Kurtz protested: The records in question are extensive, consisting of 132 boxes, containing 947 file folders, a total of about 70 linear feet of material. Not only would these files illuminate the working relationship between Obama and Bill Ayers, they would also provide significant insight into a web of ties linking Obama to various radical organizations, including Obama-approved foundation gifts to political allies. Obama’s leadership style and abilities are also sure to be illuminated by the documents in question. Well, lo and behold, Kurtz finally gained access to those 70 linear feet of material, and, judging by the op-ed he's produced in today's Wall Street Journal, it looks like he found less an inch worth of damning material. Not that Kurtz would admit as much. His WSJ article is titled ‘Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism on Schools,’ but the evidence for that consists largely of scare quotes (‘leadership,’ ‘organized,’ ‘external partners,’ etc) and leaps of logic designed to substitute for actual evidence…So Kurtz spends days wading through 70 linear feet of material, suffers lord knows how many papecuts, and the best he can come up with is that Ayers was part of a five-person ‘working group’ that signed off on Obama joining CAC's board? That's pretty weak.” [New Republic (The Plank), 9/23/08]

STANLEY KURTZ’ WORK ON OBAMA AND THE ANNENBERG CHALLENGE IS FILLED WITH FALSITIES, BASELESS CLAIMS, AND CONVENIENT OMISSIONS

KURTZ CLAIM: KURTZ HAS REPEATEDLY DOWNPLAYED THE MAINSTREAM NATURE OF THE ANNENBERG CHALLENGE, INSTEAD IMPLYING THAT IT WAS A “RADICAL” GROUP RUN ONLY OBAMA AND AYERS REALITY: KURTZ DOES NOT MENTION THAT THE CHALLENGE WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY WALTER ANNENBERG, A STAUNCHLY CONVERSVATIVE NIXON APPOINTEE, MAJOR GOP DONOR, AND LONGTIME FRIEND OF RONALD REAGAN Walter Annenberg Was A “Conservative Republican” Who Donated A Total Of $128,100 To Republican Candidates From 1981-2000. In 1990, the Los Angeles Times described Walter Annenberg as a “conservative Republican” who was “familiar of kings, princes, and Presidents.” According to FEC reports, Walter H. Annenberg, Jr. donated a total of $128,100 to Republican candidates and Republican campaign committees between 1981 and 2002. [fec.gov, accessed 4/20/08; Los Angeles Times, 8/12/90]

President Reagan Awarded Annenberg The Presidential Medal Of Freedom – The Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor – For His Philanthropic Work On Education. In 2002, the University Of Pennsylvania Almanac reported, “President Ronald Reagan awarded Ambassador Annenberg the nation’s highest civilian honor in 1986, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing him for a ‘brilliant career in publishing, for his pioneering use of television for educational purposes, and for his devotion to the development of higher education.’” The New York Times wrote, Reagan “will also continue to visit this gaudy desert oasis for the well-heeled, where he came this weekend to celebrate New Year’s Eve for the 20th time at his friend Walter H. Annenberg’s 350-acre estate, complete with its own golf course, on the corner of Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra drives. [UPenn Almanac, 10/8/02; New York Times, 1/2/89]

Walter Annenberg Was President Nixon’s Ambassador To Great Britain From 1969-1974. From 1969-1974, Walter Annenberg served as President Richard M. Nixon’s Ambassador to Great Britain.
[usembassy.org.uk, accessed 8/21/08]

REALITY: CHICAGO ANNENBERG CHALLENGE PROPOSAL RECEIVED SUPPORT LETTERS FROM REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR JIM EDGAR AND THE DEANS OF EDUCATION FROM 16 CHICAGO AREA UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

Deans of Education At 16 Chicago Area Universities And Colleges, Including Northwestern and the University Of Chicago, Wrote A Letters Of Support For The Original Annenberg Grant Proposal. In 1994, the Council of Chicago Area Deans of Education, which included the Deans of Education at sixteen Chicago-area universities and colleges, wrote a letter of support for the Chicago Annenberg Challenge grant proposal written by Prof. William Ayers, Anne Hallett and Warren Chapman. The Council wrote, “We are pleased that the Annenberg Challenge guidelines emphasize the importance of professional development of teachers. The Council of Chicago Area Deans of Education supports the proposal written to the Annenberg Foundation by the Chicago School Reform Collaborative, co-chaired by Anne Hallett and William Ayers…We look forward to working closely with the Chicago area schools as partners to enhance student growth and development. We pledge our resources to advancing the goals of the Annenberg Challenge in Chicago.” [Deans Council Letter to Vartan Gregorian, 8/5/94]

Republican Governor Jim Edgar Wrote A Letter Of Support For The Original Annenberg Grant Proposal. In 1994, Illinois Republican Governor Jim Edgar wrote a letter of support for the Chicago Annenberg Challenge grant proposal written by Prof. William Ayers, Anne Hallett, and Warren Chapman. Governor Edgar wrote, “I am pleased to support the concept paper for the Annenberg Challenge Grant submitted by the Chicago School Reform Collaborative Working Group. Their efforts to make urban schools more responsive to their local communities are commendable.” [Edgar Letter to Vartan Gregorian, 8/5/94]

• 1995: Illinois Governor Jim Edgar (R) And Mayor Richard Daley (D) Joined A Citywide Gathering Of Children, Parents, Teachers, Principals, And School Reform And Civil Leaders” For The Grant Announcement. In 1995, Brown University’s Annenberg Institute issued a press release on the presentation of Chicago’s Annenberg Challenge grant. According to the release, “The Annenberg Foundation today announced a five-year grant totaling $49.2 million to support Chicago school reform, calling Chicago reform ‘a major breakthrough from which the nation can learn.’…Mayor Richard M. Daley and Gov. Jim Edgar joined a citywide gathering of children, parents, teachers, principals and school reform and civic leaders at Washington Irving Elementary School for the grant announcement.”
[News Release, 1/23/95]

REALITY: OBAMA SERVED ON THE CAC BOARD WITH NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT ARNOLD WEBER, A FORMER ADVISOR TO NIXON AND REAGAN

Arnold R. Weber, A Chicago Annenberg Board Member, Was An Assistant Secretary Of Labor And Associate Director Of The Office Of Management And Budget Under President Nixon; Weber Also Served As An Advisor To Carter And Reagan. Arnold R. Weber, former President of the Commercial Club of Chicago’s Civic Committee and a longtime Republican donor, was a member of the Chicago Annnenberg Challenge Board from 1998-2003. According to Northern Illinois University (NIU)’s website, Weber served as an advisor or cabinet-level appointee for three U.S. presidents. [Chicago Annenberg Challenge IRS Form 990, 1998-2003]1994, the Chicago Tribune reported, “As a faculty member at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business from 1958 to 1973, Weber developed a reputation as a labor expert. The Nixon administration called on him several times-as assistant secretary of manpower in the U.S. Department of Labor in 1969-70, associate director of the Office of Management and Budget in 1970-71 and executive director of the Cost of Living Council during the 1971 wage-price freeze.” In 1994, the Chicago Tribune reported, “He served in various capacities for the Nixon, Carter and Reagan administrations. His associates include former Secretary of State George Shultz, a colleague of Weber’s while they were at the University of Chicago.” [Chicago Tribune, 12/23/94]

• Weber Has Given $1,500 To McCain In 2008. In 2008, Arnold Weber made donations of $1,000 and $500 to McCain’s presidential campaign. [fec.gov, accessed 8/21/08]

KURTZ CLAIM: KURTZ SINGLED OUT ONE OUT OF SEVERAL HUNDRED CAC GRANT RECIPIENTS AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE PROGRAM’S WORK AND CONNECTED IT TO JEREMIAH WRIGHT AND TRINITY UCC BECAUSE THE GROUP ADVOCATED JUNETEENTH DAY CELEBRATIONS

REALITY: ANNENBERG CHALLENGE DONATED TO OVER TWO HUNDRED CHICAGO SCHOOLS AND FOCUSED ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1995-2001: CAC Invested In School Improvement Efforts On The Ground In More Than Half Of All Public Schools In Chicago. According to an archived page of the CAC website, CAC “invested in school improvement efforts on the ground in 250 schools working together in 45 networks throughout the city.” Another archived webpage contains a statement from Ken Rolling, the CAC Executive Director, claiming that, “By the end of our initiative in 2001, more than half of all public schools in the city will have participated in the Chicago Annenberg Challenge-inspired school improvement efforts.” [chi-challenge.org (archived)]

Annenberg Spawned The Chicago Public Education Fund (CPEF), A Group Of Chicago Civic And Corporate Leaders Dedicated To Raising Funds For Teacher And Principal Leadership Development, Which Helped Chicago Public Schools Increase Its Number Of National Board Certified Teachers From 10 In 1999 To Nearly 700 In 2006. The Chicago Tribune wrote that “the Chicago Annenberg Challenge group, which expires next year, provided the largest financial support to The Chicago Public Education Fund, one of several such funds across the country, officials said.” In 2007, the Philanthropy Roundtable reported, “Their first major initiative was Leadership Fund I, a four-year $10 million fund launched in March 2000 that invested in programs dedicated to recruiting and retaining talented principals and teachers. One of The Fund’s most significant achievements was its “master teacher” plan, which helped Chicago increase the number of teachers with certification from the independent, nonprofit National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. That number grew from ten in 1999 to 379 in 2004, nearly doubling to 646 in 2006, with a goal of 1,200 by 2008. The Fund achieved this success in part through a $1.25 million commitment to a two-tiered incentive strategy: up to $3,000 for every teacher who achieved board certification and $30,000 to schools where teams of teachers achieved board certification. Leadership Fund I also drove policy changes which improved the quality of training aspiring principals receive by requiring that all Chicago Public School principal preparation programs combine business and education models, high admissions standards and rigorous internships. And it coordinated a comprehensive audit of CPS professional development spending, resulting in budgeting and accountability improvements. [Chicago Tribune, 3/29/00; http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/printarticle.asp?article=1481, 8/6/07]

• Chicago Tribune Editorial Praised Public Education Fund On Teacher Incentives As An “Example [That] Over Time Can’t Help But Show Other States That It’s A Lot Less Costly To Develop And Lure The Most Outstanding Teachers To The Most Disadvantaged Schools Than It Is To Pay Later For An Intractable Achievement Gap.” In 2004, the Chicago Tribune wrote in an editorial, “Most of the teachers who do pass [certification], unfortunately, end up in the more affluent, high-achieving schools, particularly in states that don’t provide adequate incentives to lure them to schools that most need their expertise. Illinois, along with California and New York, has been a proud exception to that rule. The reason has to do with generous salary incentives for board-certified teachers who work in low-performing or high-poverty schools. Illinois provides state, local and private money to support teachers to prepare for, apply to sit for and even retake the final exam. Chicago’s Public Education Fund, a business-backed non-profit that promotes board certification, this year is providing $2,000 stipends to individual Chicago teachers awarded the certificate. The state kicks in another $3,000 each year for 10 years for those who earn National Board Certification, while Chicago Public Schools gives a one-time $2,500 bonus. Here in Illinois, those kinds of commitments must be sustained and even expanded as more teachers seek the master teacher credential. That example over time can’t help but show other states that it’s a lot less costly to develop and lure the most outstanding teachers to the most disadvantaged schools than it is to pay later for an intractable achievement gap.” [Chicago Tribune, Editorial, 4/14/05]

REALITY: KURTZ HASN’T MENTIONED THAT AYERS HOLDS THE TITLE OF “DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR” AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, WHERE REPUBLICAN GOV. MARK SANFORD SERVES AS EX-OFFICIO CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Bill Ayers Has Held The Title Of “Distinguished Scholar” At The University Of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum of Education Since 2005 And Has Participated In Several Events At The School. Since 2005, Bill Ayers has held the title of Scholar At The University Of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum of Education, and has participated in teaching/education related events at the university. [Prof. Bill Ayers’ Curriculum Vitae (billayers.org)]

• Governor Mark Sanford (R) Is The Ex-Officio Chairman Of The University Of South Carolina Board Of Trustees. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, is the ex-officio chairman of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees. [sc.edu, accessed 8/22/08]

USC Museum Of Education Website States That “The Museum of Education Continues To Revel In The excitement Of The Recent Gallery Talk By Bill Ayers.” Text on the USC Museum of Education’s webpage on the “Carolina Shout” program states that “the Museum of Education continues to revel in the excitement of the recent Gallery Talk by Bill Ayers of the University of Illinois-Chicago.” [http://www.ed.sc.edu/musofed/news.html]

Carolina SHOUT! Emcee Called Bill Ayers “One Of Our Most Devoted Participants, And, After Attending the First Event In 2001, He Has Become Our Official Shout Historian And Archivist.” “Jocelyn Sanders: Bill Ayers is one of our most devoted participants and, after attending the first event in 2001, he has become our official Shout historian and archivist. Also, Dr. Ayers is a internationally-renowned education author who has delighted USC audiences through the years with his lectures and numerous publications. His career has taken many paths: as longshoreman, co-director of a day care center, community activist, preschool teacher, deputy commissioner of education for the city of Chicago, baker, founder of three magnet schools, and, presently, Distinguished Research Scholar at the USC Museum of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois- Chicago where he is director of the Center for Youth and Society . . . . Bill Ayers.” [ed.sc.edu, accessed 8/25/08]

University of South Carolina Website Features Three Reflective Essays By Prof. William “Bill” Ayers, Who Writes About His Experiences At USC Museum of Education’s Carolina SHOUT! Teachers’ Celebration. The University of South Carolina’s School of Education website features a piece of writing by University of Illinois-Chicago Prof. William (Bill) Ayers about his experience at a USC-sponsored event celebrating local teachers. The piece is called “2001 Carolina Shout Reflections, By Bill Ayers.” In the essay, Ayers wrote, “I knew I would be there from the start…But, CAROLINA SHOUT?..I had no idea. It began as it should have begun—old friendships renewed, some time to catch up and catch on, good connections remembered and remade. There was conversation, then, with students and faculty from the University of South Carolina, with schoolteachers from nearby cities and towns, with a few guests from far away…Meeting Cleveland Sellers after a span of more than thirty years—a lot of water under that bridge, a whole lot of water—also took my breath away. I remembered Cleve as a brilliant and courageous field secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a teacher and an organizer who embodied a belief in the ability of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things…And now here he was a professor, an historian, but still with his mind and his heart and his eyes set on freedom. Seeing him reminded me of the danger of looking backward with a kind of anesthetizing nostalgia—even if the intent seems beneficent—when there’s so much more to be done, and we talked about rejecting the construction of ‘the sixties’ as a straightforward narrative with a message of obvious progress and a neat conclusion. There’s so much more to be done…CAROLINA SHOUT! CAROLINA SHOUT! Thank you, Carolina, thank you.” Ayers published similar “reflections” in 2004 and 2006, both of which are posted on the website. [ed.sc.edu, accessed 8/25/08]

Bill Ayers Was Featured In A Video Speaking To Children At The University Of South Carolina; Ayers’ Is Identified As “Bill Ayers, McKissick Museum Of Education, University Of South Carolina. A caption and link underneath a photo on the USC Museum of Education website, reads, “The Museum’s first Gallery Talk to a SRO crowd. see a video clip: “The Call To Teach” by Bill Ayers. The link leads to a youtube video of Ayers speaking. Ayers is identified as being with the USC Museum of Education in the video. [ed.sc.edu, accessed 8/25/08]

KURTZ CLAIM: KURTZ HAS REPEATEDLY MADE THE FALSE ALLEGATION THAT BILL AYERS ARRANGED OBAMA’S CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE ANNENBERG BOARD

REALITY: OBAMA WAS RECOMMENDED FOR THE CAC CHAIRMANSHIP BY DEBORAH LEFF, NOMINATED BY PAT GRAHAM, AND ELECTED BY THE ORIGINAL ANNENBERG BOARD

Former Joyce Foundation President Devorah Leff Recommended Obama To Serve As Chair. “While working with Adele Simmons and Patricia Graham to identify a highly qualified person to chair the education reform organization the Annenberg Challenge, I recommended Barack Obama to serve as Chair. After meeting with Obama to review his qualifications, Patricia Graham asked Obama to become a candidate for the position.” [Deborah Leff, former president of the Joyce Foundation]

Obama Was Elected Board Director By Founding Board Members Susan Crown, Pat Graham, Stanley Ikenberry, Ray Romero, Arnold Weber, And Wanda White. “After being recommended by Deborah Leff and recruited by Pat Graham, Barack Obama was elected as Chair of the Annenberg Challenge by the founding Board of Directors of the Annenberg Challenge – Susan Crown, Pat Graham, Stanley Ikenberry, Ray Romero, Arnold Weber, and Wanda White.” [Ken Rolling, former executive director of the Annenberg Challenge]

KURTZ CLAIM: KURTZ USED OBAMA’S SERVICE WITH AYERS’ FATHER AND BROTHER ON THE CPEF LEADERSHIP COUNCIL AS A FURTHER PROBLEMATIC TIE

REALITY: THE CURRENT CHAIRMAN OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ILLINOIS HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE CPEF LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SINCE IT WAS CREATED

Illinois GOP Chairman Andrew McKenna Has Been A Member Of Chicago Public Education Fund (CPEF) Leadership Council Since Its Creation In 2001. Since the Chicago Public Education Fund (CPEF) was created in 2001, Andrew J. McKenna, Chairman of the Republican Party of Illinois, has been a member of the CPEF Leadership Council. [CPEF 2001 Annual Report; CPEF 2002 Annual Report; CPEF 2003 Annual Report;CPEF 2004 Annual Report CPEF 2005 Annual Report; CPEF 2006 Annual Report]