New-School Solutions To Old-School Problems

John Edwards isn't the only politico who's got a growing focus on poverty, as this NYT story on new efforts in New York City reveals (Bloomberg Plans New Office to Help New York’s Poor). Bloomberg is taking a traditional liberal issue (poverty) that many old-school educators and traditionalistas believe needs to be addressed before or alongside school reform, and giving it a new, Clinton-esque spin. Note the presence of Geoffrey Canada from the Harlem Children's Zone in the picture. See previous post: Cash For Coming To School?

UPDATE: Joe Williams is already on the case, writing in Poverty and Schools, Part XXI that paying kids to stay in school is only a good idea if the school is good enough. I get what he's saying, but I'm not sure that kids are better served on the streets than they are at a low-performing schools.