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A controversial ad campaign featured in the Washington, D.C., metro area is comparing public school lunches across the country to what President Obama's daughters eat at their elite private school. MyFOXDC.com reports that the ad, sponsored by Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine, shows an eight-year-old girl speaking about the "healthy" vegetarian lunch choices Sasha and Malia Obama have at Sidwell Friends -- a Quaker private school in Northwest Washington, D.C. The girl then asks, "Why don't I?"

I'm willing to countenance the possibility that Barack Obama genuinely believes that the DC voucher program is not helping the students who participate. Here's what I don't understand though: how come the Obama girls benefit from leaving the DC public school system? Surely, if it doesn't make any difference, the Obama girls would do just as well in ordinary, democratic, thoroughly American public schools as in an elitist Quaker institution. Wouldn't it bring wonderful diversity to both the school, and the Obama daughters, to have the children of the president rubbing shoulders with the children of the district's more ordinary...

When Chelsea Clinton was a student at the Sidwell Friends School, the same school the Obama girls attend, the Clinton family’s involvement with the school’s annual benefit brought in big bucks. In 1996, a round of golf with Bill Clinton went for nearly six figures; This past weekend was the Obamas’ first chance to participate in the Sidwell Friends School Dollars for Scholars benefit, and some families who remember the Clintons’ support are disappointed in the Obamas’ first showing. According to a source with ties to the school, the only items up for bid from the Obamas included a signed...

The girls' final encounter for now with A-list stars came on the night of Barack Obama's inauguration. The Jonas Brothers boy band made a surprise appearance in the White House as Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, explored their new home and their parents danced at the inauguration balls. But family friends told Us Weekly that Mrs Obama is "trying to keep them grounded" and insisting on no special treatment as they begin their new lives in Washington. That means an end to hanging out with celebrities such as Beyonce, whom the girls were thrilled to meet during the campaign, according...

Climate Change: As a winter storm shutters D.C.-area schools, Al Gore does a show-and-tell on global warming before Congress. The road to Copenhagen is being paved with good intentions."When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things," a joking President Obama told reporters Wednesday morning. Daughters Malia and Sasha had a snow day as the private school they attend, Sidwell Friends, closed due to a winter ice and snow storm. Truer words were never spoken. When it comes to weather, the current Democratic majorities in the nation's capital don't have a clue....

"Can I make a comment that is unrelated to the economy very quickly?" the new president told reporters at a gathering with business leaders. "And it has to do with Washington. My children's school was canceled today. Because of, what? Some ice?"

For all of his talk about helping the poor and telling us we have to be community activists, we already know how out of touch with even the average American Barack Hussein Obama is. It's not just Obama's "Arugula Moment," when he famously lamented the price of arugula at Whole Foods to Iowa farmers who'd heard of neither the snooty greens nor green purveyor. It's the school to which the Obamas send their kids and the unnecessary and costly redecorating Mrs. Obama will do at the White House. First, the school. We already know that attending Sidwell Friends School--the far-left...

It couldn't really be a weirder first day of school, with their dad set to be president and the family living out of a suitcase. But as you can see by these pictures shared by the Obama Transition Office, Barack and Michelle Obama are trying to make the first day easy for the incoming first kids, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

Barack Obama is to move to Washington this weekend but will be forced to stay in a hotel after President George W. Bush said an official residence was "not available". The Obama family are bidding farewell to Chicago and moving to the American capital shortly after their Hawaii holiday ends on Thursday because daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, are due to start school. Mr Obama had requested to stay at Blair House, opposite the White House, but was told by the Bush administration it was booked up for farewell "receptions and gatherings" and was "not available" until January 15,...

The Obamas have decided to send their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, to Sidwell Friends School in Washington.

President-Elect Barack Obama’s two daughters will be attending the same Sidwell Friends School that former first daughter Chelsea Clinton did. The price tag: $29,000-a-head. Obama brushed aside the “elitist” implications. “Am I saying that the DC public schools are unfit?” Obama asked. “You’re damned right I am. I’m not going to sacrifice the education of my children just because some might think it looks bad politically. Not when I can afford to do otherwise.” This decision has been described as “highly personal” and is not expected to influence the administration’s position on controversial issues like school vouchers or school choice....

"Let's not kid ourselves." "Barack Obama isn't the first (and he certainly won't be the last) Washington politician to send his children to exclusive private schools." "In fact, Sidwell Friends – the elite private academy chosen by the Obamas for their two young daughters – was also selected by Bill and Hillary Clinton for their daughter, Chelsea, while they lived in the White House." "But you won't hear me – or any other true educational choice advocate – condemning either family for selecting the educational environment that best fits the needs of their children."

IF MONEY were the key to great education, Sasha and Malia Obama might be getting ready to transfer next month to the Francis-Stevens Education Center, the Washington, D.C., public school assigned to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., which will be the girls' new address as of Jan. 20. The District of Columbia, after all, boasts one of the most amply funded school systems in America. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the DC public schools spend about $13,700 per pupil. That is a level of funding more lavish than in 48 states and half again as generous as the national...

Why deny Malia and Sasha such gifts as unionized teachers and courses like Transgender Studies?

Why deny Malia and Sasha such gifts as unionized teachers and courses like Transgender Studies? I taught students the same age as Malia and Sasha for a few years in urban Los Angeles. My school was 100% racial minority: 75% Hispanic, 25% African-American. While Sidwell’s exhaustive website notes that the school’s missions include “prizing diversity” and “environmental stewardship,” our motto was simply, “Be respectful, responsible and safe.” I made sure my students abided by that credo. Since it would be a shame for Sasha and Malia to miss out on all the “benefits” of public schooling, here are some recommendations...

Obamas Choose Elite Private School for Kids Friday, November 21, 2008 8:04 PM WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama and his wife have chosen Sidwell Friends School for their two daughters, opting for a private institution that another White House child, Chelsea Clinton, attended a decade ago. "A number of great schools were considered," said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama. "In the end, the Obamas selected the school that was the best fit for what their daughters need right now." She said Sidwell can provide the security and privacy that Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, will need as...

Michelle and Barack Obama have settled on a Washington, D.C., school for their daughters, and you will not be surprised to learn it is not a public institution. Malia, age 10, and seven-year-old Sasha will attend the Sidwell Friends School, the private academy that educates the children of much of Washington's elite. Vice-President-elect Joe Biden's grandchildren attend Sidwell -- as did Chelsea Clinton -- where tuition is close to $30,000 a year. The Obama girls have been students at the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, where tuition runs above $21,000. "A number of great schools were considered," said Katie...

A few months ago, Barack Obama told a gathering of the American Federation of Teachers that he opposes private school choice programs, adding: “We need to focus on fixing and improving our public schools; not throwing our hands up and walking away from them.” It’s not clear whether or not the president-elect will be able to fix our public schools, and I don’t know if he’s thrown up his hands, but he and his two daughters have just walked away from the public schools. Again. When they move from Chicago to D.C., Malia and Sasha Obama will be moving from...

Obama's children: Off to private school at a cost of $29,000 each By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist Barack and Michelle Obama's children will attend Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., it was confirmed Saturday. It's a private school that charges (gulp) $29,000 a year in tuition. And that doesn't cover the cost of textbooks or other services from the school. You can see the eye-popping numbers at the school's Web site. In KC, that's double what the most expensive private schools -- Rockhurst, St. Theresa's, Barstow, Pembroke Day -- charge.

WASHINGTON - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, have chosen a private school in northwestern Washington, D.C., for their two daughters on Friday, where former President Bill Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, has studied. "A number of great schools were considered. In the end, the Obamas selected the school that was the best fit for what their daughters need right now," said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama. Obama's daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, would move to the capital with their parents from Chicago, Illinois, after his father is sworn in as the next president on Jan....