The USDOE released a report showing an estimated 8600 schools nationwide that are officially labeled “failing”. This press release lists how many failing schools each state has. Unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere a list of the schools. That info may not be public yet.
I’ve always liked Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
This op-ed is the most negative I’ve seen yet concerning vouchers.
If there’s any silver lining to Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision backing tax-funded vouchers for private schools, it’s that this unfortunate ruling probably won’t be inflicted on Michigan schools anytime soon. At least for the time being, while other parts of the nation are free to experiment with vouchers — probably doing more harm to their public schools than good — Michigan will be able to watch to see when experiments work and which go horribly awry.
Another one to file in the R2HS (Reasons to Homeschool) (It’s not only the PS teachers who are wackos.)Ex-Christian-school principal pleads guilty to running away with 11-year-old girl
This cartoon (I found it on EducationNews.org but I don’t know the original source) made me start singing an old Pink Floyd song:
We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave the kids alone
Hey teacher leave us kids alone
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall
Rhode Island Candidate for Governor speaks Yesterday, Isabel Lyman linked to a HSing Mom who is running for office as an Independent. I wandered over to the candidate’s web-site and came across this: “Learning is a constant endeavor. We are proposing lengthening school days, school years, and even total years of compulsory attendance. Yet, we are making these proposals at a time when, due to technology access, knowledge is doubling in less and less time. And, the costs to provide access to teachers is increasing, with proposals such as smaller class sizes.” Huh??? A homeschooler proposing increasing the years of compulsory attendance? Say it ain’t so!
I wrote the candidate asking for a clarification and she kindly responded this morning:
“We” is the State of Rhode Island and various school districts within the State of Rhode Island. Also, several Bills came up in the Rhode Island General Assembly. Therefore, these are the issues facing Rhode Islanders and not simply homeschoolers. I think that’s the best clarification: Compulsory attendance affects everyone. That message is ringing home “loud and clear” here. I’ve even had teachers write me and say, “You’ve got my vote; how can I volunteer?”[emphasis added]
I don’t stand on the issue of compulsory attendance laws. I stand on the issue of public education in all of its accessible forms: public, private, home, virtual…whatever. I believe that we should not institutionalize education simple because education has become an institution. It is the right of all citizens to be educated, and government serves the people best when it serves the people as they wish. My children have been in private, public and homeschool. I value having the appropriate type of school available to meet varying family educational circumstances. In other words, I value Freedom.
I feel (and I am not alone) that Rhode Island’s proposals are and have been counterproductive to efficient and effective dispensation of education. That seems to be the natural outcome of ‘one-track’ minds.
The educated mind is broader than any ‘one-track’ mind.
Thanks again for chatting on the issues,
Tonya Fuller-Balletta
Independent (as in Unaffiliated) Candidate for Governor
State of Rhode Island
http://www.Tonya2002.com
To tell you the truth, I’m still a bit confused but if the PS teachers are for it, I’m probably agin’ it.
Joanne Jacobs linked to an excellent blog by Fritz Schranck, a DelDOT Deputy Attorney General. Why do the best blogs all seem to be by lawyers? Regardless, F. Schranck is now permanently linked to the left.
Public school teachers, please forgive us.
We send you our often tired, muddled, poorly prepared or just flat-out poor masses of children yearning to sleep in.
Puhlease!!
This CS Monitor column does a good job of putting the “under God” issue in perspective.
When all of the heated rhetoric and political posturing subside, this case will disappear. But the reverberations may last a long time.
For those religious conservatives already angry at public education, this decision – no matter how quickly reversed – will only confirm their worst nightmares about the direction of the “godless schools.” Now they may have an alternative. Last week’s Supreme Court decision upholding vouchers removes a major barrier for those advocating an exodus from public schools.
For nonbelievers, the aftershock of this decision is already being felt. Just listen to the threatening calls received by Michael Newdow, the father who challenged the pledge. How ironic and disturbing. Mr. Newdow was, after all, exercising his liberty of conscience and right to dissent – two of the most important principles represented by the American flag.
A far better outcome would be to turn this controversy into a civics lesson for the nation – starting with elected officials. Apparently many of us need to relearn Civics 101: Respecting the flag means respecting the rights of others, even those with whom we deeply disagree. So let’s say the Pledge of Allegiance on Independence Day. But let’s make sure we really mean what we say.
Really early education may not work, according to this story out of France. Maybe the Wash., D.C. City Council, which is considering reducing the age of compulsory attendance to 2y9mo, should see this.
Another Homeschooling blog The author (who appears to be anonymous) has found some good articles. I’ll add a link to this one over there <