Leaders Update…Caution! Do Not! Say Again Do Not Take Off Life-Jackets! And, No Impure Rumors Here!

This is not a call to return to the lifeboats but here is more information on the ELC situation:

First, multiple confirmations from very informed sources that numerous resignations have taken place within the last week including chief of staff, office manager, and other senior types. Fiscal viability of the organization? Extremely uncertain according to multiple sources.

Second, multiple reporters (real reporters, with notebooks, tape recorders and everything!) working on stories about all this and not only trade press.

Third, this person cannot be pleased. Is all this just about beating the clock and keeping the heat off for 41 days? Nah, that would be too out of character for anything involving the Bush Administration right now…

Also, from an Ed Daily story:

[ELC Policy Director Gary] Huggins took issue with an item on Eduwonk, an education Web site, which wondered whether the cancellation signaled that the ELC “was going under,” but later posted an update, pointing to the December rescheduling. “I was extremely bothered by that,” said Huggins. “Maybe that’s the way Web blogs work, but it was just pure rumor.”

First, Eduwonk readers can rest easy, “pure rumors” are not published here if for no other reason than I’d have no time for anything else (a lot of you have a lot of axes to grind…). So fear not, you are not reading Ratherwonk. Our rumors are high-grade and checked-out. Second, time will tell…seems like big changes coming. Eduwonk calling Vegas books for odds now.

Stay tuned…and remember, no heavy drinking!

Also II: One emailer wants to know what, if any, useful things have come out of ELC to date. For Eduwonk’s money two things: ABCTE, which is sorely needed, and NCTQ, which is as well. ELC helped launch both, and both encourage pluralism in education policy and diminish group-think, badly needed. Beyond that, it’s unclear what Follow The Leaders has produced (despite $20-plus million in federal money) and although Eduwonk surely didn’t agree with ELC on everything, he was glad to see another voice in the debate. Unclear they’re filling that role now though…

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