US Supreme Court Rejects Claim that Federal Courts Lack Authority to Order State Legislatures to Increase Education Funding

REMANDS ARIZONA ELL FUNDING CASE

FOR FURTHER HEARINGS

In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court last week sent back for further hearings an Arizona English language learner funding case that has been pending in the federal courts for the past nine years.

In Horne v. Flores, the high court majority reversed a decision of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that had upheld a district court order finding the state in contempt for failing to follow the court’s previous orders to “establish a funding system that rationally related funding available to the actual costs of all elements of ELL instruction.” The dissenters would have upheld the lower court orders without any further hearings.

Recess Research: “Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil.”

This from MSNBC, Video from Ellen:

9-year-old author reveals secrets of picking up girls

Alec Greven offers tips based on research at recess:

‘Don’t date too many’

Forget the psychologists and relationship experts, guys. If you really want to know how to meet girls, snuggle up to a clever little book written by 9-year-old love guru Alec Greven.

A year ago, Greven was just another third-grader with a writing assignment at Soaring Hawk Elementary School in Castle Rock, Colo.

“We got to write whatever we want, and I chose to write about girls,” Alec told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Thursday in New York. The result of his efforts is “How to Talk to Girls,” recently published by HarperCollins.

Research at recess

Alec did his research on-site, hanging out on the playground at recess watching other boys trying to talk to girls, and taking notes. He realized right away that many boys find it difficult to approach the fair sex, and that the road to true love is paved with potholes.

“They were having a lot of trouble getting girls to like them, so I wanted to write a book to kind of help them,” he explained.

His observations are both simple and incisive. For example, in his chapter on crushes, Alec notes, “A crush is like a love disease. It can drive you mad.” ...