Unions: Harmony or Strife?

This from Del Stover at American School (the American School Board Journal):

When striking teachers display a giant inflatable rat outside a school—and name their new mascot after the superintendent—it’s clear that relations between school leaders and the teachers union are not good. Another clue: Teachers are spitting on cars crossing the picket line.

Name calling, rumor mongering, nails spread across the driveway of a teacher who chose not to strike, intransigence at the bargaining table—school officials saw it all during last year’s bitter, four-week strike in Richmond Heights, Ohio. “It got particularly nasty,” recalls Superintendent Walter Calinger. “The methodology was to attack unmercifully. Don’t worry about the truth of the matter. Attack. Attack. Attack.”

Thankfully, most school boards never confront such brass-knuckled tactics when dealing with their union. Last school year, there were only a score of teacher strikes, hardly a noteworthy figure given the nation’s nearly 15,000 school systems. If anything, the numbers suggest the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have decided to forsake militancy in favor of singing “Kumbaya” with school boards.

Not ready to buy that? Then let’s try another explanation: Decades of contract talks have resolved the most divisive labor-management issues, and no-strike laws in many states are keeping teachers at the bargaining table. A new generation of teachers is less interested in bread-and-butter issues and more focused on educational and professional matters. And the standards movement, coupled with inadequate school funding and a growing at-risk student population, has given teachers and school boards even more incentive to make common cause.

Today, the relationship between the school board and the union generally can be described as mature and well-established. But it’s seldom comfortable—or predictable. Thus we see the union in Denver collaborating with the school board in a partnership on performance pay that would have been inconceivable a few years ago.

Meanwhile, in Quincy, Mass., we watched the teachers’ union go on strike in defiance of state law—the first teacher walkout in a decade in that state.

At the national level, the unions have a clear agenda. Union political strategists are planning to put millions of dollars into the upcoming national elections, and lobbyists are working the halls of Congress in hopes of a major rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). And there has been an aggressive effort to bolster the unions’ membership rolls by targeting teachers in right-to-work states, higher education faculty, school nurses, and paraprofessionals. In the last few years, the NEA’s membership has grown by 400,000; the AFT is up 200,000.

There’s a lot going on—and good reason to pay attention, say education policy experts. “They are the most powerful organized force in the politics of education, period,” says Terry Moe, a professor of political science at Stanford University.

“They have a huge impact on education policy, on the way the schools are organized, and on what school boards can and cannot do.” ...

UK Programs Make U.S. News Rankings

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 28, 2008) − Several University of Kentucky graduate programs are listed among the best in the nation according to newly released rankings in the U.S. News and World Report's 2009 Edition of America's Best Graduate Schools.

The UK College of Pharmacy ranked highest on the list as the fifth best pharmacy graduate school in the nation.

"This survey ranking is just one indicator of the success of our students and faculty as national and world leaders in pharmacy," said Dean Kenneth Roberts. "UK College of Pharmacy students and faculty consistently are recognized and honored as among the best in the United States. These accomplishments can be attributed to the dedication and high standards of our students, educators, researchers and clinical care providers. I hope all Kentuckians share our pride in the continuing success and high achievement of our students, 90 percent whom are young men and women from the Commonwealth."

Other UK rankings on the U.S. News and World Report list, scheduled for publication in the April 7–14 issue, include:

The College of Nursing is tied for 26th place for the second year in a row."The faculty in the College of Nursing are very pleased with our US News and World Report Ranking of 26," said Dean Jane Kirschling. "The College has a long history of preparing master’s prepared nurses for the Commonwealth. Our graduates care of Kentuckians in their communities, in ambulatory care settings, and in in-patient settings. This work is done in collaboration with other health care providers, many who have also been educated at UK. Having the opportunity to learn alongside other health professionals is key to the success of our graduates. I am pleased we are recognized for our excellence."

The Martin School of Public Policy and Administration rose two spots from last year to a ranking of 32nd overall and tied for 21st among public institutions. The Martin School's public finance and budgeting program rose from sixth to fourth place."We are delighted to see the continued national recognition of the Martin School Master's of Public Administration and Master's of Public Policy programs. The new rankings reflect the excellence of our faculty, the quality of our students, and the rigor of our programs," said Edward Jennings, director of the Martin School of Administration and Public Policy. "Providing further evidence of our excellence and surely part of the reason for our national reputation is the fact that Martin School students have won national and regional awards for their research every year since 1993, a total of 24 awards in 16 years. We look forward to building on these accomplishments as the university moves to secure its position as a Top 20 public institution."

Clinical Psychology is tied for 33rd place overall and 27th among public institutions.“Our Clinical Psychology program continues to rank amongst the country’s top programs and maintains an exceptional level of excellence,” said Steven L. Hoch, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The Department of Psychology is actively working to find psychological solutions to defeat problems in Kentucky, such as alcohol, tobacco, school bullying and ADHD, and this ranking shows their impact is being felt.”

The UK College of Law is tied for 59th place overall, rising one spot from last year, and 31st among public institutions.“I congratulate the faculty and leadership of these highly ranked programs," said Provost Kumble Subbaswamy. "Our Top 20 plan calls for improving the national ranking of more of our graduate programs, and with support from the Kentucky General Assembly, we are confident we can deliver.”

SOURCE: UK press release

So Far, No Good

This from Tom Loftus at the Courier-Journal:

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- House and Senate budget negotiators have spent seven working sessions over the past three days trying to craft a final 2008-10 spending plan for the state.

And as leaders of each side made their case, the friction between Senate President David Williams and Rep. Harry Moberly surfaced time and time again....

... "We want to do these good things, but we don't want to pay for them," Moberly said. "One of us is just being irresponsible about this."

Williams answered, "We're praying for you that you won't continue being irresponsible."

Moberly replied, "Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate that. I appreciate your smart-ass remark."

The two clashed again yesterday morning when Williams asked House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, "to get your chairman under control and talk to him and have him take a couple of deep breaths."

Moberly shot back, "I don't appreciate that, that I need to take a deep breath. You need to take it just as much as I do." ...

Elsewhere, Governor Steve Beshear waved a white flag.

Kentucky's Health Ranks 32nd, Heading South

Congressional Quarterly today released a ranking of all the states in terms of their health care.




No surprise that Kentucky ranks below the middle, but unfortunately the data seem to be trending in the wrong direction.

The Healthiest State designation is awarded based on 21 factors chosen from the 2008 edition of Health Care State Rankings. These factors reflect access to health care providers, an emphasis on preventative care, affordability of health care, and a generally healthy population.

Negative Factors
1. Births of Low Birthweight as a Percent of All Births
2. Teenage Birth Rate
3. Percent of Mothers Receiving Late or No Prenatal Care
4. Age-Adjusted Death Rate
5. Infant Mortality Rate
6. Age-Adjusted Death Rate by Malignant Neoplasms
7. Age-Adjusted Death Rate by Suicide
8. Average Annual Family Coverage Health Insurance Premium
9. Percent of Population Not Covered by Health Insurance
10. Percent of Children Not Covered by Health Insurance
11. Estimated Rate of New Cancer Cases
12. AIDS Rate
13. Sexually Transmitted Disease Rate
14. Percent of Population Lacking Access to Primary Care
15. Percent of Adults Who Are Binge Drinkers
16. Percent of Adults Who Smoke
17. Percent of Adults Obese
18. Percent of Adults Who Do Not Exercise

Positive Factors
19. Beds in Community Hospitals per 100,000 Population
20. Percent of Children Aged 19-35 Months Immunized
21. Safety Belt Usage Rate

The 21 factors ...were divided into two groups: those that are “negative” for which a high ranking would be considered bad for a state, and those that are “positive” for which a high ranking would be considered good for a state. Rates for each of the 21 factors were processed through a formula that measures how a state compares to the national average for a given category.

The positive and negative nature of each factor was taken into account as part of the formula. Once these computations were made, the factors then were weighted equally. These weighted scores then were added together to get a state’s final score. This way, states are assessed based on how they stack up against the national average.

The end result is that the farther below the national average a state’s health ranking is, the lower (and less healthy) it ranks. The farther above the national average, the higher (and healthier) a state ranks.

"Principal of Year" moves on Mid-Year

This from the Enquirer:

DRY RIDGE – Grant County High, which boasted the state’s principal of the year just a week ago, is now searching for a new one.

Tracey Glass-Lamb, named the high school principal of the year earlier this month by the Kentucky Association of Secondary School Principals, left the school last week to become principal at North Bullitt High in Shepherdsville. The schools are of similar size.

Monty Joe Lovell, a part-time associate principal at Grant County, will fill in as interim principal for the rest of the school year.

Glass-Lamb was in her fifth year at Grant County. She said last week North Bullitt wanted her to start as soon as possible. The school has had an interim principal since
former principal Greg Schultz became Bullitt County Public Schools’ assistant superintendent of learning last August, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Grant County Superintendent Michael Hibbett said Glass-Lamb originally intended to leave June 30.“But we wanted to help her out,” Hibbett said. “They were very eager to get her.”

Grant County’s site-based council, responsible for hiring the next principal, is accepting applications.While losing a principal during the year isn’t ideal for any school, Hibbett said he felt comfortable letting Glass-Lamb leave because of the experience at Grant County...

Kentucky School Districts That Got Recalled Beef Are Listed

This from the New York Times:

The Department of Agriculture on Thursday released a list of all school districts nationwide that received beef included in last month’s recall of 143 million pounds of meat from a California slaughterhouse.

The 226-page document, which the agency released under pressure from lawmakers, includes a list of so-called “school food authorities” — the rough equivalent of school districts — that received the recalled beef.

The Department of Agriculture issued the largest beef recall in United States history last month after the Humane Society of the United States released undercover video showing workers at Hallmark/Westland Meat Company in Chino, Calif., forcing sick cows onto a slaughterhouse kill floor by using forklifts, electric prods and high-pressure water hoses.

There have been no reported illnesses from the meat, and agriculture officials emphasized that the chances of someone becoming sick was slim. ...

...Students at any one school on the list might not have consumed potentially tainted beef. The... inclusion of a school food authority did not necessarily mean that all schools within that district had received the beef.

Kentucky School districts on The list:

DAVIESS CO SCHOOLS

JEFFERSON CO SCHOOLS

FAYETTE CO SCHOOLS

MARION CO SCHOOLS

ANDERSON CO SCHOOLS

FULTON CO SCHOOLS

MARSHALL CO SCHOOLS

PIKE CO SCHOOLS

BOWLING GREEN IND SCHOOLS

GRAVES CO SCHOOLS

MAYFIELD IND SCHOOLS

RUSSELLVILLE IND SCHOOLS

BOYLE CO SCHOOLS

GRAYSON CO SCHOOLS

MCLEAN CO SCHOOLS

SHELBY CO SCHOOLS

BRECKINRIDGE CO SCHOOLS

HANCOCK CO SCHOOLS

MEADE CO SCHOOLS

SIMPSON CO SCHOOLS

CHRISTIAN CO SCHOOLS

HARDIN CO SCHOOLS

MERCER CO SCHOOLS

UNION CO SCHOOLS

CLARK CO SCHOOLS

HENRY CO SCHOOLS

MONTGOMERY CO SCHOOLS

WARREN CO SCHOOLS

MUHLENBERG CO SCHOOLS

WAYNE CO SCHOOLS

DIOCESE OF OWENSBORO

JESSAMINE CO SCHOOLS

OWENSBORO IND SCHOOLS

ERLANGER ELSMERE IND SCHOOLS

LINCOLN CO SCHOOLS

PENDLETON CO SCHOOLS

PERRY CO SCHOOLS

Do Over in California Home School Case

This from the San Francisco Chronicle:

California homeschooling case to be reheard

(03-26) 18:00 PDT LOS ANGELES -- A state appeals court has agreed to reconsider its decision last month that barred homeschooling by parents who lack teaching credentials, raising the possibility that the judges will change a decision that has infuriated homeschool advocates nationwide.

The Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles granted a rehearing Tuesday at the request of a couple who have taught their eight children at home without credentials.

It is not unusual for appeals courts to reconsider decisions, and the result is often a minor revision that leaves the original conclusion unchanged. But the three-judge panel in the homeschooling case hinted at a re-evaluation of its entire Feb. 28 ruling by inviting written arguments from state and local education officials and teachers' unions.

It said it will hold a new hearing in June.

"Another look at this case will help ensure that the fundamental rights of parents are fully protected," said attorney Gary Kreep of the U.S. Justice Foundation, the father of the homeschooled children.

Last month's ruling, if upheld, could put many parents at risk of prosecution for violating the state's compulsory-education law. Homeschooling advocates say 166,000 children in California are taught by at home, most of them by parents who lack teaching credentials.

The law has been largely unenforced for many years, however. State Schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell responded to the ruling by saying he favors parental choice in education. Since taking office in 2003, O'Connell has left enforcement up to local school districts and has suggested that parents could comply with the law by creating private schools in their homes.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denounced the ruling and promised to change the law...

Several hundred U of L students protest higher tuition

This from the Courier-Journal: Photo by Michael Clevenger.

They also call on state to fund higher education

Chanting "listen to us, we matter," several hundred University of Louisville students rallied yesterday against anticipated tuition increases and state cuts to higher education.

Some of the students walked out of class to take part in the demonstration, which included calls for U of L not to raise tuition more than 5 percent for the coming academic year and to include more students in tuition-setting decisions.

"Student tuition makes up about 40 percent of the university's revenues, and we want a voice equal to that," said Jennifer Wallin, a psychology and sociology major who helped organize the rally. "And we hope Frankfort sees this and thinks twice about the budget."

During the rally -- which was outside Grawemeyer Hall, the school's main administration building -- students talked about the rising cost of getting a degree, burgeoning student debt and the state's low national ranking -- 47th -- when it comes to adults with bachelor's degrees.

Mike Sewell, 50, a student from Bullitt County, said he related to a lot of the contentions raised during the protest.

I've been here since 2003, and every year I have been here there has been a tuition hike," he said....

Jefferson County schools drop racial ratio for teachers

This from the Courier-Journal:

Jefferson yields in face of lawsuit

Faced with a lawsuit they say they couldn't win, officials with Jefferson County Public Schools say they will no longer consider race when hiring or transferring teachers.

The decision ends the district's longstanding policy of dispersing its limited number of black teachers among all schools.

"After consulting a variety of experts, we determined there was no way to enforce it," said district personnel director Bill Eckels, citing last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling rejecting the district's policy of similarly using race in determining student assignment.

The demise of the so-called "Singleton Ratio," which was named after a 1960s desegregation lawsuit and used in Jefferson County since the 1970s, is part of a confidential settlement between the district and Laukhuf Elementary teacher Lorraine Hill.

The teacher assignment policy had required that most Jefferson County schools maintain their percentages of black instructors between 7 and 22 percent, depending on the grade level...

Budget Update

Lawmakers from the House and Senate continued slogging through their differences on the state budget Thursday morning, unable to agree on much of anything. (PolWatchers)

EKU President Doug Whitlock told a faculty group this morning, that as of 6PM yesterday, the conference committee had identified at least 315 items of difference between the House and Senate versions of the Budget Bill.

Whitlock praised both houses for their careful consideration of higher education in the budgeting process. He reminded the faculty that the original "worst case scenario" included the original 3% cuts plus another 12% on top of that. As it stands now, worst case appears to be the original 3% cut, plus another 3% cut; and that second amount could go down to zero if all goes well.

Of course, this compares to an original budget request from CPE that called for $7 million plus in new money for EKU plus a 6% increase in tuition.

KSN&C hears that some universities are considering new...shall we say creative...means of increasing tuition, such as beginning to charge students for every hour they take. Presently, the typical practice is to charge for each hour up to full-time status (12 hours). If students are charged for every hour, it will likely be phased in, and at a reduced rate for hours beyond 12, initially.

Final Decision expected on Casinos this afternoon. (PolWatchers)

Bluegrass Institute declares the budget "dead."

Harry Moberly and David Williams are STILL fighting like two little girls at a Barbie birthday party. (Page One Kentucky) by way of The Arena.

Kentucky Board of Education to Meet

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The Kentucky Board of Education will meet Wednesday and Thursday, April 2 and 3, in the State Board Room of the Capital Plaza Tower in Frankfort.

On Wednesday, the full board will meet at 9 a.m., with committee meetings beginning after lunch. On Thursday, the full board will meet at 9 a.m.

Agenda items include a presentation on end-of-course examinations, reports from the Christian County and Jefferson County school districts on low-performing schools and preschool funding rates.

A full agenda follows.

KENTUCKY BOARD OF EDUCATION
APRIL 2-3, 2008
STATE BOARD ROOM
FIRST FLOOR, CAPITAL PLAZA TOWER
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

BUSINESS SESSION - FULL BOARD
STATE BOARD ROOM
9:00 a.m. (EDT)

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

III. Approval of minutes from the February 6-7, 2008, regular meeting

IV. Report of the Secretary of the Education Cabinet

V. Report of the President of the Council on Postsecondary Education

VI. Report of the Executive Director of the Education Professional Standards Board

VII. Report from the Pre-K to 16 Council

VIII. Report of the Commissioner of Education

IX. Full Board Items
A. Presentation by the 2008 Kentucky Teacher of the Year -- Chandra Emerson, Oldham County Middle School; 15 minute presentation/5-minute discussion
B. AdvanceKentucky – Kentucky’s Participation in the National Math and Science Initiative -- Elaine Farris and NMSI staff; 25 minute presentation/10 minute discussion
C. End-of-Course Assessment Pilot -- Ken Draut; 15-minute presentation/10-minute discussion
D. Minority Superintendent Internship Program (MSIP) -- Steve Schenck and Michael Dailey; 15-minute presentation/10-minute discussion
E. Minority Applicants for Certified Vacancies in Kentucky School Districts 2006-2007 -- Steve Schenck and Michael Dailey; 15-minute presentation/10-minute discussion

X. Lunch
(Lunch provided for KBE members, Invited Guests and Commissioner’s Planning Committee members/Associates only)

XI. Full Board Items (Cont'd)
F. Reports from the Christian County and Jefferson County School Districts on the status of school support plans – district staff, Elaine Farris, Steve Schenck and Johnnie Grissom; 2-hour presentation/discussion

COMMITTEE MEETINGS
STATE BOARD ROOM

XII. Management Committee Meeting

A. Action/Consent Items
1. District Facility Plans: Boone, Laurel and Oldham County School Districts
2. District Facility Plan Amendments: Anderson and Shelby County School Districts
B. Action/Discussion Items

1. 702 KAR 1:001, Implementation guidelines - Kentucky School Facilities Planning Manual (Final)

XIII. Curriculum Committee Meeting
A. Action/Consent Items
1. Appointment to the State Textbook Commission

B. Action/Discussion Items
1. Preschool Funding, 2008-2009 Rates

C. Review Items
1. Presentation by the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development on the Adolescent Literacy Coaching Project and an update on the Kentucky Adolescent Literacy Plan
2. Update on Wallace Grant work: Kentucky Cohesive Leadership System (KyCLS) grant (formerly known as the State Action Education Leadership Project – SAELP)

RECESS

Thursday, April 3, 2008

BUSINESS SESSION - FULL BOARD
STATE BOARD ROOM
9:00 a.m. (EDT)

XIV. Full Board Items
A. Presentation from the Kentucky Council on Economic Education - Jan Mester, President of the Kentucky Council on Economic Education; 15-minute presentation/5-minute discussion
B. Discussion on potential policy changes relative to low-performing schools -- Commissioner Jon Draud; 20-minute discussion
C. Discussion of tabled motion on adding language to KHSAA Bylaw 33 on not penalizing a student or school for following a court order -- Brigid DeVries, KHSAA Commissioner; 20-minute presentation/discussion
D. Hearing Officer's Report -- Kevin Noland; 15-minute presentation/discussion
E. 2008 elementary and secondary education legislation and budget -- Kevin Noland, Bonnie Brinly, Robin Kinney and Petie Day; 40-minute presentation/discussion

XV. Approval of Action/Consent Agenda Items (approved as a block of items)
A. District facility plans
B. District facility plan amendments
C. Appointment to the State Textbook Commission

XVI. Report of the Management Committee on Action/Discussion Items

XVII. Report of the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Committee on Action/Discussion Items

XVIII. Board Member Sharing

XIX. Information Items

A. KDE Employment Report

XX. Litigation Report

XXI. Internal Board Business

XXII. Adjournment

SOURCE: KDE press release

Principal: Raise Test Scores or 'I will kill you all and kill myself.'

This from the Houston Chronicle:

New Braunfels teachers: Principal said he'd kill them

NEW BRAUNFELS — A middle school principal threatened to kill a group of science teachers if their students did not improve their standardized test scores, according to a complaint filed with the New Braunfels Police Department.

Anita White, who taught at New Braunfels Middle School for 18 years before being transferred this month to the district's Learning Center, said Principal John Burks made the threat in a Jan. 21 meeting with eighth-grade science teachers.

She said Burks was angry that scores on benchmark tests were not better, and the scores on the upcoming Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests must show improvement.

"He said if the TAKS scores were not as expected he would kill the teachers," White said. "He said 'I will kill you all and kill myself.' He finished the meeting that way and we were in shock. Obviously, we talked about it among ourselves. He just threatened our lives. After he threatened to kill us, he said, 'You don't know how ruthless I can be.'

"We walked out of the meeting just totally dumbfounded because it was not a joke," White said...

The Eighth Ring of ...Truth

Alexander Russo has been hanging out at the AERA conference in New York this week. Apparently that set him to thinking psychologically about the sometimes curious relationships among educators, education researchers and education journalists.

Journalistic Self-Loathing & Coverage Of Education Research

Held in a windowless conference room in the massive ant farm known as the Sheraton New York, Tuesday afternoon’s session about media coverage of higher education research was in many ways a preview of the Thursday morning session I’m doing with others about education research and the Internet.

Much of the substance was familiar, if not yet widely heeded: Journalists (NPR’s Steve Drummond, USA Today’s Mary Beth Marklein, and Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik) telling academics and PR folks to send better press releases and explain their findings better. Plus the usual concerns about “real” academic research vs. “pseudo” research that’s more readily available and better translated for popular consumption.

Interesting stuff, and smart people making good points, but most of it not entirely new. The thing that jumped out at me for some reason was the idea (I forget who floated it) that coverage of education research might suffer not only for substantive and structural reasons -- we all know those -- but also for psychological ones: Journalists' tendency to dismiss or downplay ed research because of its affiliation with teacher training, education’s favorite scapegoat.

It’s an interesting thought – especially since lots of ed research comes from far outside ed schools. And it got me thinking that another possible reason that media coverage of ed research is so sparse and so critical: journalists themselves are often underneath it all soft-hearted liberal types who can’t add much less comprehend stats.

But for the grace of God, they might well have been teachers, or academics, or social scientists themselves. And so they dismiss ed research not only because it's sometimes bad and associated with crunchy ed schools, but also because of self-loathing that's projected outward. Totally psychological, and completely unsupported, but it has the ring of truth -- to me at least.

The challenge in education research is the fact that it's social science. The variables don't hold still. The instruments lack the reliability of natural science instruments - like the thermometer - which can be counted upon to produce consistent results. People differ, and they change.

If education was a natural science...it would be like meteorology. Billions of data points constantly in flux, and highly localized. What you get - whether it be sunshine or tornadoes - depends largely on where you are.

As it is, too few research dollars for too expensive clinical trials has left the field with a host of studies that stretch the credibility of the statistics they rely upon. But that's not the worst of it.

The "pseudo"research Russo refers to is a fraudulent condition where one begins their research with the end clearly in sight. The predetermined outcome in advance of inquiry is the modus operandi of far too many (most?) think tanks and other politically (or religiously) motivated groups. Formed for a particular purpose, everything they do is aimed at proving their point - even if that means ignoring conflicting evidence. I suspect there's a nice bonus in it for the think tanker who produces the best pseudo-science. What some groups have done very well, however, is to get the occasional spun outrage into the press before any critical attention can be paid to it; thus trafficking in hyperbole.

Balanced reporting is better.

Dante once wrote about a place - I believe he called it the Eighth Circle - where conscious panderers and falsifiers are beset by disease, or forced to march for all eternity while being whipped by demons. But, I don't believe in that. Do you?

Turning to Home Schools for Religious Reasons

Many American families have turned to home schooling as a means of controlling the curriculum and assuring that an appropriate amount of attention is drawn to Christian principles - said to be lacking in American schools.

Increasingly, Muslims are turning to home schooling for just the opposite reason - to protect their children from a school-going population that is too Christian for their children's comfort.

LODI, Calif. — Like dozens of other Pakistani-American girls here, Hajra Bibi stopped attending the local public school when she reached puberty, and began studying at home.

Her family wanted her to clean and cook for her male relatives, and had also worried that other American children would mock both her Muslim religion and her traditional clothes.

“Some men don’t like it when you wear American clothes — they don’t think it is a good thing for girls,” said Miss Bibi, 17, now studying at the 12th-grade level in this agricultural center some 70 miles east of San Francisco. “You have to be respectable.”

Across the United States, Muslims who find that a public school education clashes with their religious or cultural traditions have turned to home schooling. That choice is intended partly as a way to build a solid Muslim identity away from the prejudices that their children, boys and girls alike, can face in schoolyards.

But in some cases, as in Ms. Bibi’s, the intent is also to isolate their adolescent and teenage daughters from the corrupting influences that they see in much of American life...

This from the New York Times, Photo by David Kadlubowski.

Budget Unlikely to Move Kentucky Forward

The Courier-Journal is rightly disappointed by a budget that now heads into the choppy waters of a conference committee. They're not wild about the partisan gamesmanship still on display from the Bully of Burkesville either.

Probably no final document can prove satisfying this year, given the state's poor revenue situation and the lack of willingness of lawmakers to do anything dramatic to address that problem -- raise significant taxes, for example, or approve casinos and expanded gambling.

But some scenarios are less bad than others, and there are some parts of each chamber's budget that ought to be preserved...

Senate needs to go along with the House on the wimpy little tax increases House members voted to impose....

But the Senate version is superior on some critical justice system issues. ... [and it modestly starts] to fund the pension liability...

Looking at all versions of the budget, the real sadness is the lack of interest in moving Kentucky forward this year. Those who have the power to do so have decided to try and contain damage instead.

Passing any budget will be challenging during this session, given the poor revenue situation, philosophical differences between chambers and the short tempers on display in the last week.

But passing a budget is the General Assembly's main duty. Members must realize neither side has all the best answers.

Digital Learners

In our aged wisdom we "old timers" occasionally forget that our children have grown up in a world very different from the one in which we were reared. We thought the shift from radio to television was a big deal; and one that had implications for teaching and learning. But the rate of technological change our children have experienced has been staggering and challenges our notion of what childhood is really like for today's youth. Blogs, podcasts, cell phones with cameras, distance learning, text messaging, video.... What are the implications for teaching and learning?

This 4 minute take on 21st Century learners encourages an expanded use of new technologies in teaching - but the objectives aren't really new.

We need to teach our students to think...and create.



Thanks Roger.

Residual Pride

I haven't been the principal of Meadowthorpe Elementary School since 1989, or Cassidy School since 2004, but I'm still happy when I see "my" students doing well.

Meadowthorpe tops Region 20

Congratulations to Meadowthorpe Elementary School, which captured first-place honors in the Governor’s Cup regional competition.

The Governor’s Cup, the state’s premier academic event, was founded in 1986 as a way to promote, recognize and reward outstanding achievement.

In the elementary division (grade 5 and below), students take part in a district and regional competition. The March 20-22 regional finals included Quick Recall and Future Problem Solving team contests and individual assessments in six subject areas.

For complete details, go to http://www.kaac.com/ and click on Governor’s Cup results. Fayette County’s elementary schools are in Region 20.

FINAL STANDINGS (top 10):
1. Meadowthorpe Elementary School
2. Cassidy Elementary School
3. Rosa Parks Elementary School
4. Dixie Elementary Magnet School
5. Ashland Elementary School
8. Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School
9. Garden Springs Elementary School

Future Problem Solving (team):
2. Meadowthorpe Elementary School
4. Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School

Quick Recall
(team):
1. Meadowthorpe
2. Dixie
3. Rosa Parks
4. Clays Mill

Hume Sportsmanship Award: Maxwell Elementary School

INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT:

Math:
1. David Stevens, Cassidy
2. Elaine Lin, Rosa Parks

Social Studies:
1. Eric Xiong, Meadowthorpe
2. Will Walters, Meadowthorpe

Science:
1. Chris Ward, Cassidy
2. Will Walters, Meadowthorpe

Language Arts:
1. Elaine Lin, Rosa Parks
2. Alice Li, Meadowthorpe

Composition:
1. Chelsea Southworth, Ashland
2. Mariah Mowbray, Cassidy

Arts & Humanities:
1. Erin Christopher, Athens-Chilesburg
2. Max Morris, Meadowthorpe

SOURCE: FCPS press release

Map of the Internet

Here's a little wikiwisdom:
Dark blue: net, ca, us
Green: com, org
Red: mil, gov, edu
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From Matt Britt.

Saturn and Titan from Cassini

Just because...

This from NASA.

Explanation: Spectacular vistas of Saturn and its moon continue to be recorded by the Cassini spacecraft. Launched from Earth in 1997, robotic Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in 2004 and has revolutionized much of humanity's knowledge of Saturn, its expansive and complex rings, and it many old and battered moons. Soon after reaching Saturn, Cassini released the Huygen's probe which landed on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and send back unprecedented pictures from below Titan's opaque cloud decks. Recent radar images of Titan from Cassini indicate flat regions that are likely lakes of liquid methane, indicating a complex weather system where it likely rains chemicals similar to gasoline. Pictured above, magnificent Saturn and enigmatic Titan were imaged together in true color by Cassini earlier this year.

Bridging the veteran-and-new-teacher divide

This from the Los Angeles Times blog, The Homeroom:

I want to come clean about something that has bothered me since I started to teach: Veteran teachers get a bad rap.

And now comes the rather difficult part, explaining why this bad rap exists. I will generalize to best illustrate the point. The reason younger teachers are usually suspect of their veteran counterparts has nothing to do with actually seeing these teachers at work. Instead, it has to do with their sense of cynicism and skeptical disregard for proposed change.

As a corollary, most new teachers approach the school system as idealistically as you could possibly imagine. Wet behind the ears, a few too many feel-good-teacher-films under their belt, newer teachers are here to change the world. We are a brash generation of know-it-alls, and we are ever ready to fix all the problems that no one has fixed before! It’s this inexperienced naivete that is at the heart of the bad rap.

After a meeting one day, a veteran teacher said to me, “I was like you once.” We newbies don’t yet know what it feels like to have decades of attempted reform fail, to see the achievement gap widen, year after year. I was both confused and flattered by the remark. Somewhere along the way, school staff stopped viewing us as “teachers,” and we became either (in with) the new or (out with) the old...