Sen. Tom Harkin to Chair the Education Committee

This from Politics K-12:

It's official! Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa is going to be the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Comittee. As we've said before, this puts Harkin, who already has control of the Senate subcommittee that oversees education spending, in a very powerful position.

He's now the go-to guy in the Senate on both money and policy for K-12 schools, just as the reauthorizations of No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are likely to get going.

So what will this mean? Mandatory full funding of special education may actually become a reality, for one.

And Harkin will almost certainly push for a federal school facilities program. And he may give the administration some push back on K-12 issues...

Quick Hits

Curriculum focused on Sept. 11 attacks to be offered at some schools: A curriculum to teach middle- and high-school students about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was unveiled Tuesday. The curriculum, which will debut this year at schools in at least seven states -- including New York -- will include videos, lessons and interactive exercises. In one activity, students will use Google Earth software to track terrorist activity worldwide. It is believed to be the first comprehensive teaching guide on the attacks. (The Associated Press)

Study- More engineering in schools would bolster math, science: Engineering concepts should be included in the curriculum of schools, according to a recent study by a committee comprising two nonprofit organizations. The National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council concluded that engineering -- the study of product design and construction -- has a vague presence in American schools but could boost student interest and achievement in math and science. (Education Week)

Education translates into higher earnings around the world: Investing in education may seem difficult in the current economic slump, but it can have a huge payoff in the long run, writes Education Week staff member Sean Cavanagh in this blog post. He explains the results of a recent report that makes a strong economic case for education. In the countries studied by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the average college-educated man earned $186,000 more in his lifetime than a non-college-educated peer. (Curriculum Matters)

Gates Foundation to use television for anti-dropout message: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hopes to curb the dropout rate with an education campaign on television channels that are popular with students. The foundation is partnering with Viacom on the five-year "Get Schooled" campaign, which began this week with a documentary and will integrate a message against dropping out into popular programming on channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. (Houston Chronicle)

Bible-literacy law's vagueness baffles some Texas school districts: A recent law requires Texas public schools to offer Bible literacy in the classroom this year, but it does not provide specifics on teacher training, curriculum or funding. "Asking a school district to teach a course or include material in a course without providing them any guidance or resources is like sending a teacher into a minefield without a map," said a religious-studies expert critical of the plan. Some schools are offering the material in elective classes; others are incorporating Bible literacy into regular curriculum. (The Dallas Morning News)

Hawaii looks to move student assessments online: State tests in Hawaii could be given online as soon as 2011, and officials say the change could provide faster results and allow students to take the assessments more often. "Because the results would simultaneously be coming back, teachers will see immediately if a student does or doesn't know the standards," said state Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto. (The Honolulu Advertiser)

Gates Foundation plans to watch teachers at work: As part of its five-year, $500 million initiative to look at effective teaching methods, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will videotape 4,000 educators in selected U.S. school districts and analyze teacher practices against student performance. The foundation seeks "a fair, reliable, clear view of teacher effectiveness that both teachers and researchers can support and embrace," said the director of the foundation's education division. (Education Week)

U.S. lags behind other nations in child-welfare study: The U.S. spends more per child but has higher rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and child poverty than other industrialized nations, a survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found. The group's report says the U.S. should shift more spending to children younger than 6 to improve health and educational performance. (The Associated Press)

Kentucky High School Coach Gets Players Baptized

This from ABC News:

Coach Scott Mooney's Actions Questioned

After Field Trip Includes Baptisms

The actions of a Kentucky high school football coach have been questioned after he took nearly two dozen players on a field trip to an evangelist church service where nearly half the kids were baptized.

Breckinridge County High School Coach Scott Mooney last month used a public school bus to transport the kids approximately 35 miles but arranged for a volunteer driver and promised to pay for the gas himself, according to Superintendent Janet Meeks, who attended the service and witnessed the baptisms of her public school students.

"It was completely voluntary," Meeks told ABCNews.com, noting that of the team's 46 players, about 20 elected to go on the trip. Of those attendees, nine were baptized.

"They didn't get anything for attending," she said. "They didn't get anything for not attending."

The mothers of one of the baptized boys has said publicly that she was upset to learn her son had been baptized without her consent on a trip sponsored by a public school employee...

The Courier-Journal reported,

[Player] Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.

“He said it would bring the team together,” Robert, a sophomore, said in an interview.

Two other parents, however, said in interviews that their sons told them that Mooney had said the voluntary outing to Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church in Hardin County would include a revival.

Mooney, contacted by phone, said school district officials instructed him not to comment.But Superintendent Janet Meeks, who is a member of the church and witnessed the baptisms, said she thinks the trip was proper because attendance was not required, and another coach paid for the gas.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, told C-J that the trip would appear to violate Supreme Court edicts on the separation of church and state — even if it was voluntary and the school district didn’t pay for the fuel.

“If players want to attend the coach’s church and get baptized, that’s great,” Friedman said. But a coach cannot solicit player attendance at school, he said, noting, “Coaches have great power and persuasion by virtue of their position, and they have to stay neutral.”

The Associated Press reported,

Forty-seven people at the Southern Baptist service were submerged in water, an act of obedience symbolizing one's acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior and "rebirth" in faith....

School Superintendent Janet Meeks, also a member of the church, said Tuesday in a statement on behalf of school employees that the coach's use of the school bus after school hours for an outside activity was allowed. He asked to take about 20 players to the church on the bus, the fuel cost was donated and a volunteer drove.

It is not known if the Breckinridge County Schools allow other citizens to use school buses without fees, so long as they pay for gas and provide a driver, or if this was a special privilege only afforded members of the superintendent's church.

A constitutional attorney in Kentucky said the coach and the school system broke the law.

"A school cannot promote an endorsed religion," said Edwin Kagin, a constitutional lawyer in Kentucky who focuses on religion cases with atheists. "Doesn't matter if it's poor judgment, it's a crime."

Lisa Gross, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, said most school districts in Kentucky have a policy that allows the use of school buses for extracurricular activities.

"There's nothing inherent in state law that would prohibit" a trip like the one the team members took aboard a school bus.

Gross said the department is aware of what happened but does not plan to investigate the trip.

Gross, went onto tell the AP that state law bans "adult-led religious activities," but only in a school setting.

More from WLKY.

Stinson trial: Teen's father recalls how views changed

This from C-J:

Gilpin had defended coaches

Max Gilpin's father told a Jefferson County jury Tuesday that he initially defended the Pleasure Ridge Park High School coaches who oversaw the football practice where his son, Max, collapsed from heat stroke, telling the media that they hadn't done anything wrong and tried the best they could to help his son.

“I didn't see them tell Max to run or point any fingers at him or deny him water,” Jeff Gilpin testified.

But he said his views changed after more facts emerged on the way former head coach Jason Stinson conducted that Aug. 20, 2008, practice. And he criticized Stinson for standing idly by while his son waited for an ambulance.

“He was standing there … with a nervous look, never doing anything,” said Gilpin, who arrived near the practice's end.

Gilpin's testimony, in which defense lawyers pointed out how his account of the case had changed in the months after Max died, punctuated a day of revealing testimony in Stinson's trial on reckless homicide and wanton endangerment charges.

For example, Gilpin testified that Max took creatine, an over-the-counter supplement used to stimulate muscle growth, for only a limited time in the spring of 2008, and without his approval.

But Stinson's attorneys said that Gilpin told police in a September 2008 interview that Max took creatine from November 2007 until May 2008 — under his supervision....

Cash for Codgers?

A commenter recently encouraged me to get off politics. I'm sure the commenter meant partisan politics. That became a problem on the last story because it was all about partisan politics and its impact on the schools, but apparently we can move on now.

But first...a teacher sent me the following piece of political humor, so I figured, as long as we're here... It's just a little something to lighten the mood. Try not to take it seriously.

Democrats, realizing the success of the President's "Cash For Clunkers" rebate program, have revamped a major portion of their National Health Care Plan. President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Sen. Reed are expected to make this major announcement at a joint news conference later this week.

I have obtained an advanced copy of the proposal which is named.... "CASH FOR CODGERS" and it works like this:

• Couples wishing to access health care funds in order to pay for the delivery of a child will be required to turn in one old person.
• The amount the government grants them will be fixed according to a sliding scale.
• Older and more prescription dependent codgers will garner the highest amounts.
• Special "Bonuses" will be paid for those submitting codgers in targeted groups, such as smokers, alcohol drinkers, persons 10 pounds over their government prescribed weight, and any member of the Republican Party.
• Smaller bonuses will be given for codgers who consume beef, soda, fried foods, potato chips, lattes, whole milk, dairy products, bacon, Brussel sprouts, or Girl Scout Cookies.
• All codgers will be rendered totally useless via toxic injection.
• This will insure that they are not secretly resold or their body parts harvested to keep other codgers in repair.

Better keep an eye on your kids, they may be looking at you as a trade-in.

Tempest in a Teacup: Plus, Robertson and Conway Agree, Everybody Else was the Problem.

President Barack Obama delivered his much debated, nationally televised/webcast speech this afternoon and one wonders in retrospect what all the fuss was about.

Hat tip to the Detroit Free Press:

Among Obama's most vocal critics was Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer who claimed to be appalled that taxpayer dollars were being used "to spread President Obama's socialist ideology." And he's from Florida ! where American taxpayers have spent tons of money on bailouts of Florida's decimated real estate market and on Florida banks. A large percentage of Florida's population depends on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - yet Greer denounces socialism? Any chance the rest of us can get that money back?

But it turns out Greer was only scoring political points and he wasn't so principled after all.

The Reaction

This from The Guardian:

Schools across the US went ahead with a boycott of a broadcast by President Barack Obama today in spite of many rightwing critics rowing back at the last minute from a campaign accusing him of socialist indoctrination...

Having seen the advance copy, some of the most vocal critics such as Jim Greer, the Republican party chairman in Florida, who had accused Obama of trying to spread "socialist ideology", backed off. Greer said: "It's a good speech. It encourages kids to stay in school and the importance of education."

The call for the boycott was started by rightwing television and radio commentators.

There was a slight embarrassment on the part of mainstream Republicans, who initially joined in but were today distancing themselves. Among Republicans supportive of Obama's right to make the speech were Newt Gingrich, the Republican former House speaker, who told NBC that there were other presidents had established such a precedent. "President Reagan did it, President [George] HW Bush did it … It's a good speech, I recommend it to everybody if you have any doubts."

This from the Wall Street Journal:

Obama Address: A Tempest in a Teacup

This from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Obama Spoke. Nobody Died.

...I talked to many media colleagues about the rancor toward the Obama school address and none of us could remember anything similar when we covered members of Congress or senators speaking to school groups. National political candidates have even spoken to local high schools with none of these accusations of indoctrination or political posturing. Indeed, some rock groups have gone into schools without objection....

Meanwhile on WLAP,

Leland talks with the Chairman of the KY GOP, Steve Robertson & former Lexington Public School Principal Richard Day about Obama's Speech to school kids.

I essentially said,

By turning an innocuous little message encouraging students to do well in school - something we can all agree on - into a communist plot, the Republican’s have effectively scored political points – at the same time President Obama does something we should all admire.

I must assume political points is all you were after…because it’s hard for me to imagine you were really concerned that some mass hypnosis was about to overtake our school children.

I mean, it makes for good radio chat fodder…but...If your kid can’t listen to a 20-minute message from the president of the United States about working hard in school – without being galvanized into unbridled communism – then you’re just not doing your job as a parent.

I argued that the use of the word creepy - lowered the political discourse and was pleased to hear him segue to the word "odd."

In American democracy If we don’t show some level of personal respect for each other then we can’t debate the issues. It becomes more about personalities and less about objective facts.

In his conversation with Conway, Robertson said,

"I don't have a problem with an American president addressing students about the importance of staying in school and working hard" but I do have a problem with the Department of Education...preparing a curriculum with an Obama focus. ... focus "was to raise awareness of Obama as an individual" ...

Conway: "One blog in particular accused both you and I of taking this term creepy, and they were saying that denoted pedophilia ... That thought, personally, never crossed my mind. Creepy, to me is a statement that is universally used when you have a vague sense of distrust"...

"That's why I used the word. I don't know exactly why you did because it's just by chance that we both used the same word."

Robertson: "Well it certainly is, and I guess that shows great minds think alike. I read that blog as well, and you know, a haunted house is also creepy. And you know, I found it odd that the Herald-Leader through their editorial board... seemed to take their entire premise for that editorial piece out of that blog that you mentioned." But you know it's really discouraging, when you try and involve parents in the education of their children, and you try and have a public dialogue, that institutions like the Herald-Leader and their liberal editorial board have to run to racism; have to run to assertions of pedophilia, which I find creepy... and that anyone that disagrees politically is assassinated publicly

Conway: The message I'd like to send out to people is don't back down because if you back down, this kind of crap wins....

So let's get this straight. Robertson's original statement in the Herald-Leader went like this:

[The] Chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky, said Obama's desire to speak directly to America's schoolchildren is "very concerning and kind of creepy." Robertson said the speech was an effort on behalf of the president "to circumvent parents" and "gain direct access to our children."

And now he would have us believe what he really meant was creepy....like a haunted house?! ...because he was only trying to get parents involved in their children's schools?!

Readers can judge that for themselves, but my BS meter went off.

Of course, there is still the problem of the Herald-Leader lying to us all the time. How can we trust the news reporting of a paper with such a biased editorial board? This became an issue recently when I picked up H-L's reporting of Conway's on-air comments and wrote, "Conway advised parents to keep their children at home." Amy Wilson originally reported,

Originally, Conway said, he advised concerned listeners to either take their children out of school and read the Constitution to them instead or attend school with them that day and watch what teachers did "because it's important for parents to know what goes on in the schools."

Conway denied saying it and asked KSN&C to correct it's reporting, so we posted everyone's comments for the reader's to judge. But on Labor Day Monday, Conway was not on the air live. Rather, WLAP replayed his original broadcast from their "best of" series and I got to hear his comments for myself.

Conway very clearly said he would "applaud any parent" who kept their children home. Go to the tape. It's there.

Turns out the Herald-Leader news reporting was accurate.

And now a word from Joel Pett

President releases tomorrow's remarks

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia

September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

THE PRESIDENT'S BACK-TO-SCHOOL MESSAGE TO AMERICA'S STUDENTS

Updated: OK, so I'm sitting here at my desk working on tomorrow's lecture when all of a sudden my speakers come alive with a health care rally from the White House. This morning I posted what I thought was an embedded video ad of NASCAR guys promoting the president's speech to school kids tomorrow. Apparently, however, the White House feed goes through the same portal...or something, because out it came. That's why I took it down this afternoon.

This from the White House:

Help get America’s students engaged! On Tuesday, September 8 — the first day of school for many students — the President will talk directly to students across the country on the importance of taking responsibility for their education, challenging them to set goals and do everything they can to succeed. We want to make sure that as many schools and classrooms nationwide can participate in this special opportunity, so we are making the President’s address and all the information that comes with it available as widely as possible. Whether you are a teacher, a school board member, or a member of the media, find information below to help you watch and be engaged with the President in welcoming our students back to school.

When
•Tuesday, September 8th, at 12:00 PM (EDT)

How to Watch
•The President's message will be streamed live on WhiteHouse.gov/live, and broadcast live on

C-Span
•Downloadable video of the speech will be made available on this page later that day as it becomes available

Classroom Engagement Resources
•Menu of classroom activities for students in grades preK-6 to stimulate discussion on the importance of education in students’ lives
•Menu of classroom activities for students in grades 7-12 to stimulate discussion on the importance of education in students’ lives
•A video contest for students will be launched soon - details will be available here.

Watch the video of Damon Weaver from the KEC TV News Team out of Kathryn E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary breaking the big news about President Obama’s plan to address students across the country on September 8th:

Using Children for Political Purposes

The recent flap over President Obama's speech to America's school children has been roundly denounced by conservatives as inappropriate political indoctrination.

No self-respecting conservative would tolerate that, right?



Despite my little quip, this is a serious issue. And conservatives who scream about the communist boogey man have yet to wrap their minds around the fact that America has given over to the world's largest communist nation, China, trillions of dollars of our debt.

So communism is evil. But without communist China, we'd be out of business. Go figure.

As an old Rocky & Bullwinkle fan, I would ask how many readers would get in Mr Peabody’s Way Back Machine and set the date for the Clinton administration, when America had a surplus, and conservatives were complaining that America should give money back.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be in that position today?

But that is not to let Clinton completely off the hook. The banking deregulation legislation that President Bush allowed to bankrupt us was born during the Clinton administration – and many of today's players were a part of it then.

This surprisingly balanced report from Fox:

Road Trip

The Queen City from Paul Brown Stadium
Kentucky over the Suspension Bridge on a beutiful day

Hartline on the attack. CATS 42, Miami zip squat

The Ratio of Blue to Red

Dad swears he got that shiner when he fell while hiking in the woods, but Mom has a pretty good left hook.

We've Got Mail

I picked up a note from WLAP's Leland Conway on Facebook this morning asking for a correction on my recent "Robertson and Conway: Giving Conservatism a Bad Name" piece.

I had written,

"Conway and Robertson are concerned that such an event might bring partisan politics into the schoolhouse, so they decided to politicize the event. Conway advised parents to keep their children at home."

I based my statement on a Herald-Leader report, that

Originally, Conway said, he advised concerned listeners to either take their children out of school and read the Constitution to them instead or attend school with them that day and watch what teachers did "because it's important for parents to know what goes on in the schools."

Then from Conway, this congenial note:

"I hope this email finds you well. I was writing to see if you would please correct an attribution you made to me in your column. I did not recommend people keep their children home. In fact, I recommended that they go to school with thier [sic] children and participate in the process. I did say, however, that I am supportive of parents rights and would support any parent's decision not to have their child participate."

Readers can judge if I got it wrong, based on H-L's report. But since I wasn't listening at the time whatever comments were made, I'll take Conway at his word.

Then he invited me on his program, WLAP-630's The Pulse (3-6pm)...for a spanking one supposes.

That will depend on how much work I can get done this weekend...but for today, it's a road trip to Cincinnati to support the CATS.

C-J Smacks Holliday; H-L Channels KSN&C; Obama not the First; WH to release text; Other reactions

This from the Courier-Journal:

A bad decision

In our hyper-heated political times, this inspirational talk is being turned into a major controversy, with some parents demanding that their children not be subjected to the President's message.

How sad it is that we have come to the point in this country where the President of all the people cannot talk to children about taking responsibility and working hard. Could the outrageous demonstrations of hate and prevarication that have dominated health care forums this summer now move to the schoolroom?

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday has knuckled under to parental requests and told school officials that they must provide alternative activities for children of the objectors. This isn't just sad; it's outrageous.

The President of the United States — be he Barack Obama, Dwight Eisenhower or Theodore Roosevelt — ought to be able to speak words of encouragement to young people without being subject to parental censorship. Have we become so splintered in this nation that we can't unite over something as fundamental as the subject Mr. Obama will discuss? We hope Mr. Holliday has the good sense to reverse this bad decision.

This from the Herald-Leader:

Message from the president

The president of the United States will urge the nation's youth to work hard in school, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning.

Unless you're getting a paycheck from the Republican Party or for trashing Barack Obama, there's no reason to see anything sinister about this.

If anything, Obama should be thanked for using his bully pulpit and popularity with youth to communicate the value of education and persistence.

The right-wing backlash speaks volumes about Obama's detractors. The ranters are wound up after a season of red-faced anger, lies about health care and guns displayed at public events.

They go beyond the pale, though, by saying the nation's children need protection from our president's words.

What do they fear? That in a 15-minute speech Obama can hypnotize the nation's youth into forgetting everything their parents ever taught them and ... what? Do their homework?

It's especially repugnant that Kentucky Republican Party chairman Steve Robertson uses imagery associated with pedophilia — "circumvent parents . . . gain direct access to our children . . . creepy" — to demonize Obama. Robertson plays on the fear of black men, an old and ugly racial stereotype, and he should be ashamed...

Susan weighs in at Prichard:

The president and the children

I wish President Reagan had thought of an annual opening message and every president since had followed his example. It is not just an opportunity for a president can give voice to our shared national respect for education. It's an opportunity for the students to experience our shared national respect for the leaders chosen through our democratic process, including those for whom we (or our parents) did not vote.

Turns out...Reagan did. So we should shine a little light on this from PolitiFact:

Barack Obama is not the first president to address school children.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged the nation's principals to allow their students to watch a Sept. 8 address on the importance of education from President Barack Obama...

We rated that claim Pants on Fire! ...

President George H.W. Bush gave an address to schools nationwide in 1991, from a junior high school in Washington, D.C. News reports from the time said the White House hoped that the address would be shown at schools nationwide, and Bush began his remarks by saying he was talking to "millions" of students "in classrooms all across the country."

You can read Bush's complete remarks via the Web site of his presidential library...

You may have guessed this already, but news reports from the time indicate that Democrats criticized Bush for giving the speech.

"The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students," said Rep. Richard Gephardt, then the Democratic majority leader in the House of Representatives."And the president should be doing more about education than saying, 'Lights, camera, action.'" ...

Republicans, though, defended the right of the president to address students. "Why is it political for the president of the United States to discuss education?" asked Newt Gingrich, who was then the House Republican whip. "It was done at a nonpolitical site and was beamed to a nonpolitical audience. . . . They wanted to reach the maximum audience with the maximum effect to improve education." ...

We also found that Ronald Reagan took questions from high school students at the White House in 1986, and the question-and-answer session was broadcast nationally.

Reagan urged the students to stay in school and say no to drugs, but he also discussed overtly political matters, such as national defense funding, nuclear disarmament and -- in suprising policy detail -- taxes. (Read Reagan's complete remarks.)

This from Politics K-12:

Flap Continues: Rep. John Kline Asks Obama to Release His Remarks

Rep. John Kline, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, sent a letter to the White House asking President Barack Obama to publicly release the text of his back-to-school address to kids, to be delivered next week. (According to this Washington Post story, Obama already had planned to do just that). UPDATE: And indeed, the White House said today that the text of the speech will be available on Monday at whitehouse.gov.

As you may know, some Texas districts have expressed qualms about letting kids listen, because of language in one of the lesson plans accompanying the speech that gave students suggestions for how they could "help" the president, prompting claims that the speech would politically indoctrinate kids...

And this from Justin at EdJurist:

The President's Speech to Students and the Craziness that Ensued

Okay ... approaching the edge of sanity today with the public outcry against the President's upcoming address to students returning to school. This whole thing, the politicization of this event by some, makes me a little sick to my stomach....the common trend I am seeing from administrators today is to a) either don't interrupt the schedule for it, or b) allow students to opt out. I am seeing some administrators on the various listservs I belong to requiring their students to see it - and I commend them for it - but they are the exception. The safe route here is to permit students to opt out. In fact, the new Commissioner here in KY has said that schools need to "provide alternatives." So, as long as you are providing an alternative (hello, study hall) to students or parents that are on the edge of the deep end, then you school administrators should be fine.

This, too, shall pass.

There was plenty of reaction in letters section of the Herald-Leader as well.

This from Jeff Worley in H-L:

Incited perhaps by WLAP 630-AM's conservative talk-jock Leland Conway, who called such a direct address to students "creepy," 25 to 50 parents phoned the Fayette County school district to complain about the president's noontime Tuesday speech to their kids. What are these parents afraid of?

Kentucky GOP chief Steve Robertson knows: The talk is an effort by Obama "to circumvent parents" and "gain direct access to our children."

Yes. Can't you just hear the president now (in a sonorous, hypnotic tone): "Now you kids be sure when you go home tonight to tell your mommies and daddies to support Uncle Obama's health-care plan, OK?"

Fueled by unfounded fear, parents who refuse to allow their kids to view this presidential talk are depriving their children of an exciting, unique and historical event.

This from Dave Woods:

Please tell me that the reporter incorrectly quoted Steve Robertson, Kentucky GOP chair, in the Thursday article regarding President Barack Obama's speech to the nation's children.

Having been an educator for 30-plus years in Kentucky, I am starting to realize why some children come to school with unfounded fears, prejudice and a reluctance to think thoughts other than what has been said to them by authoritative figures in their young lives.

"Kind of scary," an effort "to circumvent parents," and "gain direct access to our children" are statements that frighten me in relation to the president of the United States speaking to children.

Please have Robertson announce the candidates he is endorsing so I can vote for the opponents!

And from Tom Ringley:

So, it appears that the official Republican talking-points word for President Barack Obama's address to schoolchildren is "creepy."

You have to hand it to them. Republicans may despise every good and decent thing this country has ever stood for, but they have the best message discipline of anyone since the American Communist Party of the 1930s and 1940s.

And Dan Wu knows satire:

I couldn't agree more with Steve Robertson of the state GOP and talk-show host Leland Conway. An adult speaking directly to children without their parents present is very creepy. This is why I attend school everyday with my daughter; that way she's never alone with other adults trying to educate her.

As for the content of President Barack Obama's speech, I happen to have a copy of the agenda right here so parents can decide if they want their kids exposed to it.

Barack Hussein Obama will begin the broadcast with a reading from the Koran, followed by a visual lesson on gay marriage using two Ken dolls. Then he will decree a ban on slingshots and water guns then institute a tax on milk and Tater Tots. He will then conclude with a singalong to the socialist anthem The Internationale.

As you can see, conservatives' fears are well founded, as always.

Apologies for the fonts. I used Firefox on this post. It's a lot easier than IE is some ways but I'm having real difficulty controlling the font sizes.

Warning: A scary black man is coming to school and he wants to seduce your children.

Robertson and Conway: Giving Conservatism a Bad Name

In the early 1990’s, then US Congressman Larry Hopkins came to Cassidy School to speak to Marcia Foster’s second grade class. It never occurred to me to ask parents if they wanted their children to be excused from the event.

We were teaching children about our democratic form of government. That Hopkins was a Republican and the principal was a Democrat mattered not at all. He was our duly elected representative; he was there for all children; and we were honored. Parents came too and brought treats for the children.

It was a memorable visit. Like a grandfather on career day, he talked about his job and how important it was for every child to work hard in school. I’ll never forget that as Hopkins unfurled his gift to the school - a flag that had flown over our nation’s capital - a child “got sick” all over it. Old Glory saved Hopkins from tragedy. Hopkins’s aide was horrified. Hopkins was amused. I went to the laundry. That’s just life in the school business.

We flew that flag until it wore out.

For a number of years, during the Clinton and Bush (43) administrations, it was my privilege as principal to read a letter from those presidents to our “graduating” fifth graders as we awarded the President’s Academic Fitness Awards. Both extolled the virtues of education, reinforced the notion that hard work led to a prosperous America, and generally challenged students to go on to success in high school, college and in life. It never occurred to me to censor the letters in any way. They were messages from our president. Neither acted politically.

Since 2004, Secretary of State Trey Grayson has held 11 regional summits with hundreds of students and teachers arguing that Kentucky must “increase the civic literacy of our people.” Like Thomas Jefferson, Grayson believes that “civic engagement is essential to the success of a democratic government." Grayson's advocacy is not partisan. It is not meant to stifle speech. It is fundamentally American.

Now comes word that for the first time in history, President Barack Obama will conduct a televised/webcast address to America’s school children, at noon, on Tuesday September 8. The White House says, “the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.” The chat will be broadcast live on the White House Web site and on C-SPAN.

Suddenly alarms are sounding on the far right.

It is unclear who called whom, but both Steve Robertson, chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky and WLAP 630-AM's conservative pundit Leland Conway called the president’s planned address “creepy.”

Conway and Robertson are concerned that such an event might bring partisan politics into the schoolhouse, so they decided to politicize the event. Conway advised parents to keep their children at home.

But what is truly outrageous here is their use of the word “creepy” to describe the address – imagery that is clearly intended to besmirch Obama in a personal, undeserved and vicious manner. By using language befitting a pedophile or some other depraved individual who might prey on children, Robertson and Conway have fabricated an illusion of the president that is totally without merit.

Moreover it is troubling that Conway - (H-L, 10/6/08) who has argued that there is little racism in Kentucky because you can’t prove otherwise - should evoke such fears about our first African American president harkens back to the Jim Crow days when white populist politicians stirred concerns over miscegenation – as if Obama is coming to despoil our children. This is outrageous.

Robertson and Conway should be ashamed of themselves – but I doubt they are.

There is, indeed, something creepy going on here. But it is not the president of the United States publicly addressing America’s school children. It is the depths to which the neocon wing of the Republican Party and reactionary radio pundits are willing to stoop in order to engender fear and widen the political divide.


This from the Herald-Leader, Photo by Charles Dharapak/AP:

Should kids hear Obama?

Plans by President Barack Obama to speak directly to the nation's schoolchildren Tuesday are sparking controversy in Kentucky.

Fayette County parents will receive a note from Superintendent Stu Silberman on Thursday explaining that the district will participate in the president's address and that parents can call the school if they have concerns. Parents can ask to have their children opt out of the planned noontime speech, and an alternative assignment will be arranged, provided that plans are made ahead of schedule. Other schools in the Bluegrass are following suit.

There were "between 25 and 50 calls" Tuesday and Wednesday to the Fayette County school district, according to Silberman. "We want to respect the office of the president and to respect parents as well," said Silberman. "We want this to be a good event."

Silberman said there are no plans for any discussions after the speech...

This from the Courier-Journal:

Holliday says schools should provide

alternative to Obama speech

Kentucky’s education chief told school superintendents Thursday that if they show President Obama’s coming address to students, they should provide alternative activities for children whose parents object.

Some districts “have received requests for alternative activities from parents who do not wish their children to view the broadcast or webcast,” education commissioner Terry Holliday said in an e-mail.

Here are the scary remarks Obama made yesterday while visiting a charter school in Washington:

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AFTER READING TO THE SECOND GRADE CLASS
Capital City Public Charter School
Washington, D.C.
February 3, 2009

THE PRESIDENT: Well, listen, you guys, you've been terrific. Thank you so much for your hospitality --

MRS. OBAMA: -- your good questions.

THE PRESIDENT: -- your excellent questions.

MRS. OBAMA: -- your outstanding listening skills.

THE PRESIDENT: You're excellent listeners. And the reason we came to visit, A, we wanted to get out of the White House; B, we wanted to see you guys; but C, the other thing we wanted to tell everybody is that this kind of innovative school, the outstanding work that's being done here by the entire staff, and the parents who are so active and involved, is an example of how all our schools should be.

And what I've asked Arne Duncan to do is to make sure that he works as hard as he can over the next several years to make sure that we're reforming our schools, that we're rewarding innovation the way that it's taking place here, that we're encouraging parents to be involved, that we're raising standards for all children so that everybody can learn -- especially things like math and science that are going to be so important for the jobs of the future.

And so we're very proud of what's been accomplished at this school and we want to make sure that we're duplicating that success all across the country. So nothing is going to be more important than this. And the recovery and reinvestment act that we've put forward will provide billions of dollars to build schools and help with school construction. It will provide money to train teachers, especially in subjects like math and science that are so critical. And it will also give Secretary Duncan the resources he needs to reward excellent, innovative schools. And so we think it's really important for the country that we get that bill passed.

But thank you so much, everybody. Appreciate you.

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, guys. This was fun. (Applause.)

Kentucky’s lowest-performing schools eligible for $45 million this year – with strings

State’s Race To The Top application team hard at work

This from Brad Hughes at KSBA:

Kentucky’s academically lowest-performing schools are about to be eligible for new federal funds to help dramatically improve teaching and learning. But before those federal funds – $50,000 to $500,000 this fiscal year – flow to those schools, they must meet “very prescriptive” requirements, according to state officials.

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday revealed that Kentucky is eligible for $45 million in Title I funds this year — and lesser amounts over the next two years — during Thursday’s first meeting of the Department of Education’s Race to the Top (RTTT) Advisory Council. That panel of 14 from KSBA, KASS, KASA, KEA, KASC, the Prichard Committee and other groups will spend the next 14 weeks working with KDE staff and a California consultant to craft Kentucky’s application for a portion of $4.3 billion in RTTT stimulus funds.

“The $45 million in school improvement grants are for those schools in the lowest 5 percent in the state,” Holliday said...

Rules being set by the U.S. Department of Education will be very specific as to which schools may receive the funds and how those dollars may be used. “We’re not going to have a lot of leeway as to who we can support with this money,” [David Cook, KDE’s RTTT project manager] said. “It’s going to be the schools most in need.”

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Wednesday school districts that win the funding through applications must adopt one of four improvement models:

• Replacing the principal and most of the current staff,
• closing the school and sending students to a higher-achieving school,
• turning the school over for operation by a charter school or an “education
  management organization, or
• “transforming” the school through a set of 11 strategies that schools would have to implement.

...During a detailed briefing about the RTTE application process, Holliday and Cook downplayed the much discussed question of whether Kentucky’s lack of charter schools will work against the state in seeking a share of the multi-billion dollar funding.

“Secretary Duncan and President Obama are not interested in ‘more’ charter schools. They’re interested in charter schools that are about providing services to children who may not be getting those services in their current situation,” Cook said...

Panel co-chair and state Education Secretary Helen Mountjoy gave the K-12 and higher education representatives a straightforward message – there’s a lot to do in order to meet the deadline of having an application for the federal stimulus money ready for Gov. Steve Beshear’s signature by mid-December.

“It’s time for us to look at what the next 20 years will bring, at what the next generation of schools will look like,” Mountjoy said. “Although there is the lure of money out there, this is the work that we need to be doing in Kentucky regardless of a federal impetus.

School News from Around Kentucky

Some Jefferson after-school programs on hold, canceled: More than 1,000 Jefferson County Public Schools students who paid for after-school activities are seeing some of those programs canceled or postponed because they violate district policy. The move threatens to end popular programs that had been offered for years at some schools, teaching topics ranging from science and martial arts to yoga and dance. Theresa Jensen, assistant superintendent of elementary schools for the district, said she was notified several weeks ago that some schools were violating district policy by allowing for-profit organizations or businesses to use school property for after-school activities that charged students a fee to participate. (C-J)

Opinion - Better prepared - Two signs that the brightest students are improving: The best and brightest of Kentucky high school students are doing better academically, a clear indication that the state’s high schools are doing a better job of preparing their best students for the academic rigors of college.That’s the conclusion that can be drawn from how Kentucky students are doing on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and on year-end exams in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. In both, Kentucky students are improving.The SAT is not an accurate measure of how well Kentucky high schools are preparing students for college life...Nevertheless, there were 9- to 10-point gains in verbal, math and writing skills among the minority of Kentucky students who did take the SAT. Even more encouraging is the increase in the number of Kentucky students taking Advance Placement classes and the scores they received on the year-in tests...The SAT scores and AP courses tell us little or nothing about how well Kentucky high schools are preparing all their students, but they tell us quite a bit about how well schools are preparing their top students — and the news is good. (Daily-Independent)

Former Fayette teacher sentenced: The former teacher accused of raping and sodomizing two students 30 years ago was sentenced to 6½ years in prison for his crimes, the maximum allowed because that's what the jury recommended when it found him guilty in July. There weren't words strong enough for Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael Jr. when it came to pronouncing the final judgment Friday on Jack Russell Hubbard, 62, for his actions while a science teacher at Beaumont Junior High School in 1978. (H-L)

Kentucky trial of high school coach has wide implications: ...if Stinson is convicted or pleads guilty to a lesser offense that carries a prison sentence, his case could produce major changes in high school football and high school sports in general. It could, for instance, compel high school coaches and school districts to treat players with much more care, and to provide them with added safeguards, such as ensuring that trainers are on-hand at all times, that coaches have undergone extensive sensitivity training, and that purportedly harsh practice conditions (e.g., denying a player water at any time; ordering sprints in hot and humid conditions) be eliminated. ...Stinson's case may also force coaches and school districts to condition the playing of sports on players' passage of rigorous, possibly invasive health tests. ...In that same vein, the profession of high school football coaching may take a hit. If a player's death on the practice field can lead to a coach facing criminal prosecution, the profession suddenly becomes a much less attractive one. The added possibility of tort liability under a wrongful death civil claim only amplifies that point. While a conviction or guilty plea in Stinson's case would undoubtedly prove meaningful, there are potential limitations to the fallout. Most notably, the case is limited to Kentucky law and the choice of prosecution by one Commonwealth Attorney's Office; other states' prosecutors have not pursued such a prosecution under their laws and there is no indication that they would do so. Regardless of its outcome, Commonwealth v. Stinson may encourage coaches across the country to rethink their practice conditions and how they treat players. While some of those coaches would likely deride a softening of football practices, others might embrace a perceived increase in player safety. (Sports Illustrated)

JCPS board appeals closed-meeting ruling: The school board for Jefferson County Public Schools has appealed to circuit court a state attorney general ruling that the board violated Kentucky's open-meeting law by conducting Superintendent Sheldon Berman's evaluation in private. (C-J)

RSS FEEDS AVAILABLE ON KDE WEB SITE: The Kentucky Department of Education now offers RSS feeds on selected sections of its Web site. (KDE)

Quick Hits

Rural school districts feel overlooked by federal policies: National education-reform initiatives are focused on urban environments, say advocates for rural schools. Schools in low-population areas have their own problems, including difficulty developing charter schools and implementing merit pay for teachers -- key conditions for eligibility in Race to the Top stimulus funding. Although officials from some states have criticized the Obama administration for an inner-city focus, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said "rural schools shouldn't let their unique challenges become excuses for keeping the status quo." (Education Week)

Hawaii superintendent considers replacing staff at struggling schools: Hawaii schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto is seeking the power to replace staff and administrators at as many as 36 schools that have consistently fallen short of federal No Child Left Behind goals. "I realize it is not a popular position," said Hamamoto about the proposal, which has opposition from teachers unions and school officials. Legislation granting the state Department of Education power to reconstitute schools failed during the most recent legislative session, but Hamamoto said she will again seek passage. (The Honolulu Advertiser)

Building blocks of math could be taught in preschool: Some education experts are advocating more math instruction in early-childhood curriculum. "The bottom line is that we are saying that little kids, starting at the age of 3 even and certainly 4, in preschools ought to be doing more math," said Herbert Ginsburg, a Columbia University professor and member of the Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics. Advocates say future math skills are based on preschoolers having a basic comprehension of counting, volume, geometry and other concepts that can be taught through activities. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Opinion: National curriculum would be a recipe for "irreversible damage: "The Obama administration's support of national K-12 curriculum standards is a short-sighted strategy that will undermine true student achievement, writes Yong Zhao in this Detroit Free Press opinion article. A professor of education at Michigan State University, Zhao believes national standards curb creativity, stifle innovation and deprive children of real learning opportunities. "I want my children to have an education, not preparation to take tests," he writes. (Detroit Free Press)

Kindergarten expectations concern some educators: Kindergartners learn best by moving around and experiencing learning, according to a retired educator, yet young students are increasingly being asked to take tests and complete other academic tasks that may do more harm than good. "Faced with serious sanctions, [schools] weren't going to say, 'OK, let them play and do all the things they used to do,'" said Ed Miller, co-author of the Alliance for Childhood study. "Instead, we have to put them in testing boot camp well before third grade." (The Boston Globe)

"Broader approach" to replace Wisconsin's longtime assessment test: Wisconsin is dropping a 17-year-old standardized test in favor of a student assessment format that education leaders say will improve evaluation of teacher performance and meet state and federal accountability standards. The plan will leverage multiple computer-administered tests to track how students are progressing during the school year. (Minnesota Public Radio)

Parents worry district's new reading curriculum is too focused on tests: School officials and parents in a North Carolina district are at odds over a new reading curriculum for elementary-school students. Parents argue that the "Reading Street" program, designed to meet No Child Left Behind standards, will not foster reading interest because it is too focused on test preparation. Officials contend that the program will ensure standardized instruction. (The News & Observer)

Florida alters kindergarten readiness test: Florida is changing its kindergarten screening test, which is administered during the first 30 days of school. Students will be asked to recognize letters and sound out words, the latter being a new element to the test. The test helps determine scores for voluntary pre-kindergarten programs. (The Tampa Tribune)

Duncan: Failing schools must be revamped to qualify for Title I grants: Education Secretary Arne Duncan has offered guidelines for school districts on how they may spend $3.5 billion from the School Improvement Fund on Title I schools. Some possibilities include: shutting down failing schools and reopening them with different teachers and administrators, management by charter schools and replacing staff at failing schools. "States and school districts have an opportunity to put unprecedented resources toward reforms that would increase graduation rates, reduce dropout rates and improve teacher quality for all students," Duncan said. (The Associated Press)

Gender, income and race gaps found in SAT results: The latest SAT results show wide differences in scores when broken down by factors such as gender, income and race. The greatest racial disparity was between Asian students, who scored an average of 1,623 out of a possible 2,400, and black students, who averaged 1,276. Average female students' scores were 27 points lower than average male students' scores. The College Board said that SAT participation by minorities reached 40%, the highest rate yet. (USA TODAY)

Top teachers are paid well by new charter but take on big challenge: High-performing educators selected to teach at The Equity Project Charter School in New York City will receive salaries of $125,000. The compensation, more than twice the national average, comes with longer days, large class sizes, fewer support staff and added administrative duties. The school will open in September and is expected to be watched closely by education reformers. (The Christian Science Monitor)

Review shows district's school-choice plan is ineffective: In the early 1990s, Nevada's Clark County School District attempted to reduce the student achievement gap and promote diversity at six elementary schools with a plan offering school choice to students. A recent study, however, shows the plan was ineffective, with poor student performance, language barriers, ethnic isolation and poverty persisting at the participating schools. (Las Vegas Sun)

Concern is voiced over federal government's role in education: Many educators and others had hoped that President Barack Obama would decrease the federal government's role in education and the emphasis on state test scores. However, they say the influx of federal stimulus money for education and the restrictions placed on it could actually increase federal control over education. And with the administration pushing to tie teacher evaluations to student scores, one teacher said "the potential is there for the test frenzy to get worse than it is under No Child Left Behind." (The New York Times)

15 years later, a look at Arizona charter schools: Arizona first allowed charter schools 15 years ago as an alternative to and competition for public schools. An Arizona Daily Star investigation, however, found a lack of oversight, poor student performance, unqualified teachers and other issues at some charter schools. Arizona has 500 charter schools, one-quarter of public schools in the state, and expects to open as many as 100 more with $53 million in federal funds. (Arizona Daily Star)

"Fahrenheit 451" becomes a comic book: In an irony that might be lost on some readers, a condensed, comic-book edition of Ray Bradbury's 1953 classic "Fahrenheit 451" has been released. The book details a future where reading is a crime and only comic books are not burned -- because they are considered to lack meaningful content. (Slate)

Lousy school? Just change the name - Ordered to close, W.E.B. DuBois plans to stay open under alias: W.E.B. DuBois Academy, a charter school that in recent years fell from Ohio's top academic rating to its lowest level, is scheduled to become the first Cincinnati charter school to be shut down by the state for poor academics.But officials at the Over-the-Rhine school on Central Parkway, which began the new year Monday, say they have a way around the law: they'll open another school in the same building.Dianne Ebbs, principal of the 430-student school grades 3-8, said leaders will switch schools - in name and charter - but keep the same building and staff. (Enquirer)

Advancing education

When looking for a solid testing model, one need look no further than the AP program - a test built from the curriculum up. Unlike the ACT, when a student does well on the AP exam, we know what that means. We know students have achieved something worthwhile.

This from H-L:

...In the 12 Kentucky public high schools that participated in AdvanceKY last year, the incidence of students passing national AP exams increased 76.6 percent. That compares to a 17.5 percent increase in Kentucky and 5.7 percent nationally.

Students who do well on their AP exams earn college credit and are eligible for advanced placement when they begin higher education. And people who get a college degree are generally healthier, wealthier and more productive citizens — just the prescription for a poor, sick state like Kentucky...

These early results prove there's a lot of untapped ability among Kentucky students. They also tell us that to give every willing student this opportunity will take a lot of money and effort.

The challenge, always, is to muster the political will. At the state level that means full funding and intelligent policy. Locally, it means everything from committed parents to assessing and collecting property taxes honestly to insisting that school districts aren't a dumping ground for political allies or family members. At the personal level, it means adults supporting their students' highest ambitions and students putting in the time and effort to tackle tougher material.

A maze of statistics flesh out the impressive results but here's the bottom line: In the AdvanceKY schools kids who'd never had the chance before received AP level instruction, took the national exam and earned qualifying scores.

They got into the game and they were able to compete. How can we as adults deny other Kentucky high school students a chance to play at this level?

Kentucky has made strides in education since the Kentucky Education Reform Act became law 19 years ago. AdvanceKy shows us we can do much better still.

Judge denies prosecution’s request to postpone Stinson trial

This from C-J:

A Jefferson circuit judge on Tuesday denied a request from prosecutors for a continuance in the trial of former Pleasure Ridge Park football coach Jason Stinson, saying that both sides have long known that “barring something cataclysmic,” the trial would start this week.

The Commonwealth Attorney’s office sought the delay after Judge Susan Schultz Gibson barred about 1,500 pages of evidence late Monday, saying it had been turned over to defense attorneys too late.

“Things we need to make our case are being excluded,” Jon Heck, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney, told Gibson Tuesday. “… Do we want to do this quick or do we want to do this right?”

Stinson is charged with reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in the heat-stroke death of PRP sophomore lineman Max Gilpin after he collapsed at an Aug. 20, 2008, practice.

Heck told Gibson that the evidence being excluded contained important pediatric and prescription records for the 15-year-old, who died Aug. 23 after his body temperature reached 107 degrees.

But Gibson declined to revisit her ruling or allow a postponement, which Stinson’s attorneys had fought...

Turns out Stinson's attorney, Alex Dathorne, is a family hero of ours. A decade or so ago, Dathorne was a prosecutor in Lexington. We had an incident involving one of our daughters being stalked, along with other neighborhood children near Morton Middle School, by a 25-year old Iraqi national. At one point he held a knife to his throat and threatened to kill himself if our daughter didn't agree to become his girlfriend. In another instance, he offered one of the boys $50 for sex. Alex made him go bye bye for a year.

Now Dathorne appears to be kicking some prosecutorial butt in the Stinson trial.

Supts Object to Charters, Stinson Trial Begins

Blogging will continue to be pretty light this week as other priorities take center stage. The redesign of one of my courses means writing new lectures at the start of the new semester. And my new position requires scholarly writing, so a lot of research awaits final treatment. But I'll get caught up as soon as I can.

In the meantime, Commissioner Terry Holliday travels to south central Kentucky today where he will hear objections to charter schools from local superintendents. The superintendents fear the creation of an elitist set of schools. And they will object to unfair comparisons that are made between public schools and charters which may not be required to welcome every child, provide transportation, or who may not be expected to meet the same standards for suspension or expulsion; rendering the public schools a dumping ground.

Elsewhere, the trial of Jason Stinson began in The Ville, and the judge,

threw out 1,500 pages of evidence Monday in the homicide trial of former Pleasure Ridge Park High School football coach Jason Stinson, after ruling that prosecutors turned over the information too late to the defense.