Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

05 Mar 2011 10:00

tags

Politics: Obama meets Jeb Bush: Not as successful as it could’ve been

  • As surreal moments go, Obama chillin’ with Jeb Bush in Miami on the education tip could have been a pretty cool one. We think he probably wins some points with the moderates for being willing to give a Bush – and not the unpopular one – the time of day. Unfortunately, it was a moment with flaws – the meeting itself was a tad awkward. And a speech he gave afterwards (in which he mentioned the meeting) actually drew boos for the bipartisanship attempt. It was a calculated political move, yeah, but you have to give the man credit for trying. He’s had relatively little luck pushing through the right side of the aisle, and he made an effort yesterday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 21:31

tags

U.S.: Scott Walker’s deficit-cutting plan: Let’s cut everything, stat!

  • » The end result: Walker hopes to reduce the state’s structural deficit 90 percent to around $250 million – a deep, austerity-focused cut that may stop the deficit but could greatly hurt the state in the process, if you think that way. Walker, well, doesn’t. “I have often repeated references to our state’s constitutional lesson, that it is only through frugality and moderation in government that we will see freedom and prosperity for our people,” he said. Or, you could just raise taxes if you’re really that hard up about fixing this budget problem.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 23:56

tags

U.S.: Every teacher in New England town at risk of being fired

  • ALL teachers in Providence, RI handed pink slips source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Jan 2011 00:09

tags

U.S.: “Separate but equal” returns: On the Kelley Williams-Bolar situation

  • Is this case The new “separate but equal”? The case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, a single mother who went out of her way to put her children in a better public school district that wasn’t crime-ridden, sparks a lot of emotions. The biggest, of course, is caused by the incredibly harsh punishment that Williams-Bolar received. The Akron, Ohio resident, a teacher’s assistant only a few credits shy of a teaching degree, can no longer teach in the state of Ohio because she’s a convicted felon. (They knew this when making the decision.) While she was released from jail yesterday, the court seemed to make her an example for something which doesn’t seem like it should be a crime. Some thoughts:
  • Kelley’s crime The crime that Williams-Bolar committed is one which may not be clear from the surface. She filed paperwork claiming that her children lived with her father, but she in fact shipped them over to her dad’s house daily. Williams-Bolar lives in subsidized housing, and the method prevented her from paying tuition and property taxes – a key issue for many.
  • “But we pay taxes!” For many not so kind to Kelley’s case, this is the crux of the issue. The people who live in the Copley-Fairlawn City School District pay out the wazoo for those nice schools, and in their view, Williams-Bolar is carpetbagging. There are a lot of issues at play, but by no means do they reach the level of felony. It’s way too harsh and has long-term ramifications.
  • The system doesn’t work The school district found out about what Williams-Bolar did by doing a stakeout after they got suspicious. You know, that really says it all, doesn’t it? The public education system, whether it’s intentional or not, favors haves over have nots. This is a brave act on the part of Williams-Bolar. She chose to defy the system, and by doing so, she exposed a major flaw. Kudos.
  • » One other thought: Race plays a huuuuuuuge factor in this story, obviously, and that is one point we don’t want to underplay. Blogger Kalimah Priforce has a great open letter up about the whole situation from a racial/civil disobedience angle. The whole thing is worth a read, but this is the point that really struck home for us: “At some point they determined that your girls didn’t belong in their schools and rather than meeting with you to determine a way for your children to stay with the same teachers and classmates they become accustomed to, they hunted you down and threw you into prison.” Honestly, we could see this case going to the Supreme Court. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jan 2011 21:36

tags

Politics: Education: Obama calls for extension of tuition tax credit

  • I ask Congress to go further, and make permanent our tuition tax credit – worth $10,000 for four years of college.
  • President Obama • Getting specific with education policy. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Dec 2010 10:38

tags

U.S.: New York prison inmates use audiobooks to reach their kids

José Rosado, a convict currently serving on Rikers Island, took part in a program called “Daddy and Me,” where he records himself reading books to his kids. Neat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Dec 2010 10:26

tags

World: WTF study: Early breastfeeding leads to better grades in school

  • 10% improvement in math and writing, two things we suck at
  • 8% improvement in spelling, something we suck at even more
  • 6% improvement in reading; we’re guessing we weren’t breastfed source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Nov 2010 20:24

tags

U.S.: California Supreme Court: Yay immigrants, state’s rights

  • YES illegal immigrants can pay in-state tuition source
  • » Score one for state’s rights. In 2002, California passed a law allowing illegal immigrants at California public universities to pay in-state (read: cheaper) tuition, so long as they’d applied to legalize their immigration status. Plaintiffs argued that federal law, which bars illegal immigrants from gaining “any postsecondary education benefit,” trumped California’s law. But the California Supreme Court disagreed, allowing California universities to continue its policy. The decision was unanimous, and also allows California high school grads who reside in other states to qualify for in-state tuition.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Sep 2010 10:58

tags

U.S.: Would Obama put his daughters in a D.C. public school? No.

  • He says that they’re really bad. And they have the potential to get worse thanks to the uncertain future of D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, a controversial, high-profile education reformer who may not last when Vincent Gray becomes mayor. Obama has a stake in this whole thing because of his daughters, both of whom attend the snazzy Sidwell private school. When asked whether they could get a comparable public education, he was blunt: “I’ll be blunt with you: The answer is no right now.” While he says he could get them in a good public school due to his connections, most parents don’t have his advantage. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jul 2010 12:26

tags

U.S.: “Million Teacher March” rally in Florida oversells itself a little bit

  • 25 people showed up to protest teacher pay source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>