Is the Council on Postsecondary Education Relevant?

For several years now the effectiveness of the Council on Postsecondary Education has been called into question. The most recent volley was fired by the Courier-Journal last Friday.

C-J said CPE was "utterly useless in terms of setting priorities for state spending on public colleges and universities, because the General Assembly ignores its recommendations whenever it chooses." They called for Governor Steve Beshear to "re-invent the council by executive order."

If the governor wanted to preserve CPE's authority over both the universities and the legislature it could be easily done, and at no cost to the public. The way to make CPE respectable is to give them control over the distribution of athletic tickets to legislators. Instantly, legislators would be in a position to listen.

As it is CPE will soon have an opportunity to test its own relevance without any such motivators.

Will CPE hold the line on the 3 to 7 percent tuition increases it previously outlined? Or will it bend to popular opinion (at least among students and parents) that tuition increases must be held down? On the heels of C-J's skewering it is reasonable to suspect that a few CPE members may have their hackles up.

The failure of the legislature to adequately support education, has created a no-win situation.

State universities who take their missions seriously (and follow the requirements of higher education reform as outlined by HB 1) cannot sit idly by while their goals fade to nothing. Absent state support, the only option for staying on track is to raise tuition. But faithful adherence to a mission that is in the best interest of Kentucky students may also price some students out of the market - at a time when Kentucky needs to double the number of college graduates.

EKU President Doug Whitlock told the Herald-Leader that he understands the council's "legitimate" concern over higher tuition, but said a "balance has to be struck" between affordability and the "ability to offer classes and help students be successful."

Meanwhile, Beshear holds little hope for improved state funding for elementary and secondary education in the near future.

This from the Herald-Leader:

Tuition plans to get hard scrutiny
HIGHER ED PANEL TO REVIEW STATE SCHOOLS' PROPOSALS

As two state universities approved proposed higher tuition rates Tuesday, a key state official said those requests and others will face tough scrutiny before gaining final approval.

Brad Cowgill, the embattled president of the state Council on Postsecondary Education, said the group has arrived at a consensus that tuition should generally go up 3 to 7 percent, with room for exceptions if schools successfully make their case at the council's tuition hearings April 30 and May 1.

On Tuesday, the University of Kentucky's Board of Trustees approved a 9 percent rise in tuition and Eastern Kentucky University's Board of Regents approved an 8 percent increase -- both for in-state students.

Officials at both schools said they regretted the increases but found them unavoidable after two rounds of budget cuts reduced their state funding by 6 percent.

Meanwhile, Cowgill called the Kentucky Community and Technical College System's proposal for a 13 percent tuition increase "clearly excessive," noting that its tuition has increased 151 percent over the last 10 years and is now 26 percent higher than the national average for community colleges...

For those keeping score, here are the tuition rate increases

under consideration for Kentucky's universities so far:

KCTCS - 13 percent

Northern Kentucky University - 9.68 percent increase
Western Kentucky University - 9 percent increase
University of Kentucky - 9 percent increase
University of Louisville - 9 percent increase
Eastern Kentucky University - 8 percent increase

Kentucky State University - 8 percent tuition

Murray State University - 6 percent increase
Morehead State University - tuition increase will be based on number of credit hours

Mark Hebert has a statement from CPE head Brad Cowgill:

Yale Bans Abortion "Art" Display

Abortion as Art???!!!

Let's hope this is just a publicity stunt. But...

Aliza Shvarts' senior art project was to be displayed today at Yale University's School of Art, but a university official said that the project was banned.

Last week, Shvarts caused a media firestorm with her announcement that she had deliberately impregnated herself multiple times and then aborted her children using drugs over a period of nine months, as her senior art project.

Yale University officials quickly distanced themselves stating that the claim was false and that Shvarts' announcement had been a piece of "performance art."

Dean of Yale College Peter Salovey said "In this case, we will not permit her to install the project unless she submits a clear and unambiguous written statement that her installation is a work of fiction: that she did not try to inseminate herself and induce miscarriages, and that no human blood will be physically displayed in her installation."

The display was scheduled to be opened today and was to be critiqued by faculty.

This from the Yale Daily News:

As Aliza Shvarts ’08 maintained her silence Monday, the University kept its promise to forbid the Davenport College senior from installing her controversial senior art project in a public exhibit planned to go on display today...

... Shvarts has not spoken publicly since Friday, when she defended her art project in an interview with the News and in an op-ed piece published in the newspaper. She did not return telephone messages over the weekend and remained silent Monday as time ticked away bef re today’s scheduled opening.

Since then, the University has disciplined two faculty members — the adviser, School of Art lecturer Pia Lindman, and one other — who knew of Shvarts’s project, which drew ire on campus and across the country last week when she first revealed its details. Yale officials have maintained that her project was an example of “performance art,” terming it a “creative fiction.”

In her public comments last week, Shvarts rebutted that assessment, calling it “ultimately inaccurate” and gave no indication that she planned to capitulate...

LifeSiteNews reports:

The press coverage was so intense that it shut down the website of the Yale Daily News. Public reaction to Shvarts' announcement was such that even campus pro-abortion groups are distancing themselves from the student. The Executive Boards of the Reproductive Rights Action League at Yale (RALY) and the Yale Law Students for Reproductive Justice issued a statement saying that although Shvarts was "within her rights", she was wrong to have done the self-induced abortions, if indeed she has done so.

In a letter to the Yale Daily News, the two groups said, "Although we stand by the right to reproductive freedom, we cannot approve of her approach and presentation...[W]e are shocked by the content of the art piece in question and the manner in which very serious aspects of reproductive rights have been treated. We seek to protect the rights of real women and real families who deal with real issues of health, safety and access."

Appeals court upholds NYC school cell phone ban

This from Newsday:

NEW YORK - A ban on cell phones in the nation's largest school system was upheld Tuesday by a state appeals court.

The Department of Education passed rules in September 2005 barring students from having their phones in public schools.

School officials, as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have called the phones a distraction and say they could be used for nefarious purposes, including cheating.

Parents insist they need to stay in touch with their children in case of emergencies like Sept. 11. They call the ban irrational and unsafe and say it intrudes on their right to determine what is best for their children.

City lawyers argued that education officials had the right to make policy decisions _ "the kind government officials make all the time" _ about devices students may have at school.

The state Supreme Court's Appellate Division agreed. It said that nothing about the ban interferes with any of the rights claimed by the parents, nor does it prevent students and their parents from communicating before and after school...

Spellings Pens Regulatory Changes Without Congress

"Graduate" = leave on time with a regular degree

This from the Associated Press:

No Child Left Behind faces changes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Unable to push education fixes through Congress, the Bush administration is taking its own pen to the No Child Left Behind law.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says she plans to make a host of changes to the education law through regulations being unveiled Tuesday.

Among the biggest changes will be a requirement that by the 2012-13 school year, all states must calculate their high school graduation rates in a uniform way.

States currently use all kinds of methods to determine their graduation rates, many of which are based on unreliable information about school dropouts, leading to overestimates.

States will be told to count graduates, in most cases, as students who leave on time and with a regular degree...

...While states will no longer be able to use their own methods for calculating grad rates, they will still be able set their own goals for getting more students to graduate. Critics say that allows states to set weak improvement goals.

...Lawmakers recently tried but were unable to pass an updated version of the law due to disagreements over how to judge schools and teachers, among other things. Without a renewal, the existing law stands.

Spellings has been taking steps in recent months to make changes from her perch. However, the proposed regulations amount to the most comprehensive set of administrative changes she has sought so far.

"The Congress, I guess because of the political and legislative climate, has not been able to get a reauthorization under way this year," Spellings said in an interview. "I know that schools and students need help now, and we are prepared to act administratively." ...

...The administration is seeking public comments before finalizing the regulations in the fall...

Principal's Internship Falls Victim to Education Cuts

Study after study suggests that a well-trained and well-supported principal is a key component to successful school reform.

To assist with the successful placement of new principals in Kentucky, KERA anticipated an internship that would allow a new principal to work closely with a veteran principal serving as mentor, a district administrator named by the superintendent, and a university professor for their first year.

But university coordinators were informed by EPSB last week that the Kentucky Principal's Internship Program would be cut.

In an email from EPSB Director Cindy Owen state universities were told, "no funds are provided in the appropriations for the operational costs of KPIP in the 2008-2010 fiscal biennium and no monies can be spent on KPIP after June 30, 2008."

Principals currently "in process" will be handled as follows:

Principals and Full-Time Assistant Principals Already Participating in KPIP Principals and full-time assistant principals already participating in KPIP shall continue the internship as currently established through June 30, 2008. Upon receipt of the Summative Report On Principal Intern, the Principal Mentor’s Time Sheet and Travel Form, and a $35.00 cashier’s check or money order, these principals will be issued the Professional Certificate for Instructional Leadership (School Principal).

Principals and Full-Time Assistant Principals Hired Prior to June 30, 2008

To ensure all principals, full-time assistant principals, and deans of students (where applicable) hired prior to June 30, 2008, have the opportunity to benefit from the mentoring aspects of KPIP, all principals, full-time assistant principals, and deans of students (where applicable) still have the opportunity to enter the KPIP program if hired prior to June 30, 2008; however, this is not a requirement. If an individual desires to participate in KPIP prior to June 30, 2008, a Confirmation of Employment (COE) must be submitted to EPSB.

For principals, full-time assistant principals, and deans of students (where applicable) hired prior to June 30, 2008 who do not wish to participate in KPIP, a Confirmation of Employment (COE) and a $50.00 cashier’s check or money order should be submitted to EPSB. Upon receipt, the Professional Certificate for Instructional Leadership (School Principal) will be issued.

However, those who choose to participate in KPIP between now and June 30 should then follow the procedures above to receive the professional certificate after July 1, 2008.

Principals and Assistant Principals Hired After June 30, 2008

For principals, assistant principals, and deans of students (where applicable) hired after June 30, 2008, simply complete and submit to EPSB the Confirmation of Employment (COE) and a $50.00 cashier’s check or money order. Upon receipt, the Professional Certificate for Instructional Leadership (School Principal) will be issued.

SOURE: EPSB email

In the interest of full disclosure, I have served for several years as a state trainer for KPIP.

Black-White Gap Widens Faster for High Achievers

The most difficult issue surrounding closing the white-black test score gap is finding those factors that are good for all children, but that disproportionately benefit disadvantaged children.

When schools finally began addressing this problem (in the mid-90s) we quickly found that the implementation of typical school programs had the tendency to produce gains - but the white kids we growing faster than the black kids - thus expanding the achievement gap, rather than narrowing it. Initially some schools approached the problem by lowering standards, or by placing all of their resources in traditional remediation programs. Both approaches failed.

As resources moved away from top students, now comes a study that suggests the students who lose the most ground academically in U.S. public schools may be the brightest African-American children. As African American students move through elementary and middle school the test-score gaps between them and their better-performing white counterparts grow fastest among the most able students and the most slowly for those who start out with below-average academic skills.

Some researchers believe the patterns have something to do with the fact that African-American children tend to be taught in predominantly black schools, where test scores are lower on average, teachers are less experienced, and high-achieving peers are harder to find.

Education Week reports:

For his analysis, Sean F. Reardon, an associate professor of sociology and education at Stanford University, analyzed reading and mathematics scores for nearly 7,000 elementary students taking part in a federal study known as the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort. From kindergarten to 5th grade, he found, the achievement gaps grew twice as fast among the students who started out performing above the mean than they did among lower-performing children.

A second report from economists Steven G. Rivkin and Eric A. Hanushek (whose testimony in school finance cases like Young v Williams should come with a warning label) shows "The higher the initial achievement score, the researchers found, the more scores diverged over time between black and white students."

“It appears on average to be worse for a child to be in a school with a high black enrollment share, but it’s not clear why,” said Mr. Rivkin. “It could be important given the recent [U.S.] Supreme Court decision on desegregation,” he added, referring to a ruling in June of last year that sharply limited schools from using race to assign students to schools."

A third paper by Lindsay C. Page, a Harvard University researcher, found that differences between the schools that black and white students attend began playing an increasingly important role in recent decades in the growth of racial achievement gaps at the national level.

That analysis also determined that the national gap, which narrowed in the 1970s and 1980s and then widened again in the 1990s, tracked closely to changes in the percentages of white and black parents with more than a high school education.

This mirrors findings from Christopher Jencks and Meredith Phllips who found the greatest gains made by black students came between 1968 and 1980 and were explained by the civil rights movement, the War on Poverty and school-based improvements. The trend was reversed following "Reaganomics."

As Brandeis University law and social-policy professor Thomas Shapiro understood, "the wealth gap is not just a story of merit and achievement; it's also a story of the historical legacy of race in the United States."

Changing that legacy will require a fully-funded and efficient system that provides the resources students need to attain high standards; greater access to pre-school and kindergarten programs, more help for English-language learners and special needs students, and additional school days. It may also require attention to the social needs of the poor. It will require a comprehensive approach.

But the most recent meeting of the Kentucky legislature revealed no understanding of the problem or any motivation to fix it.

State student-loan program may stop taking applications

This from Nancy Rodriguez at the Courier-Journal:

May 1 deadline set; more funding sought

The agency that oversees Kentucky's college-loan program says it's unable to secure money for new loans right now -- meaning thousands of students may have to turn to private lenders to pay for their education.

The Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corp. blamed ongoing fallout from the global credit crisis as it announced yesterday that it will suspend making college loans to first-time borrowers on May 1, until it can secure additional financing.

The corporation, also known as The Student Loan People, said it will continue to make loans to previous borrowers, based on availability of funds. The corporation uses federal and private funding to provide loans.

"We're hoping things will move and we will be able to come back in 30 days and tell the universities we will be able to make loans we ordinarily would," said Jo Carole Ellis, vice president for government relations and student services at The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, which acts as guarantor for loans provided by The Student Loan People.

The announcement was particularly bad news at a time when public universities and colleges in Kentucky are preparing to raise tuition for next school year. The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education is scheduled to vote on those proposals May 9...

Blogger Protection Act of 2008

This from the Drudge Report:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Libertarian Party is hailing a new piece of legislation introduced by Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) that would protect the coterie of Internet "pajamas journalists" known as "bloggers" from FEC restrictions.

H.R. 5699, called the "Blogger Protection Act of 2008," would give bloggers permanent protection from FEC campaign laws when linking to campaign Web sites or editorializing about candidates.

"These guys really don't get the credit they deserve for all the work they've done to create accountability and transparency in American politics," says Andrew Davis, national media coordinator for the Libertarian Party. "Often, bloggers are the first to expose politicians for lying and corruption, and hold all politicians to a new level of accountability that would have been impossible only a few years ago. They fully deserve the same protection from government interference that is given to traditional media outlets."

Bloggers were granted protection two years ago from FEC regulations that would have potentially considered linking to a campaign Web site or editorializing about a candidate a contribution or expenditure when blogging. However, those protections were only regulatory, and could be changed without Congressional approval. H.R. 5699 seeks to make those protections a statute...

Read H.R. 5699.

Hat Tip to the Bluegrass Institute.

Assault with a Deadly Peanut ?

Well...wanton endangerment actually.

This from the Herald-Leader:

13-year-old charged with felony
ENDANGERED A STUDENT ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS

A Morton Middle School eighth-grader faces felony charges after putting crumbled peanut butter cookies in the lunch box of another student with a severe allergy to peanuts.

The allergic student, another eighth-grader, did not eat the cookies and did not suffer a reaction.However, even trace amounts of peanut oil can cause severe reactions and even death.

Symptoms can include hives, welts and swelling that can restrict airways. Earlier this month, it was reported that a 13-year-old boy died in Australia at a school camp due to an allergic reaction to peanuts.

Letters went home Friday to parents of Morton students notifying them of the incident, according to a press release.

The incident occurred Thursday out on the school's running track, where students had gone to eat lunch and enjoy the warm weather, Fayette Schools spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said. As the students neared the end of their lunch time, a student was seen putting the crumbled cookies in the allergic student's lunch box, she said.

It was well known that the other student suffered from severe peanut allergies...

Twenty Somethings Worry Dads

Tom Eblen writes today in the H-L about a topic that worries both of us - whether our adult children are safe out there.

We are both fathers of twenty-somethings and that brings the typical worry that some evil might befall them in the world. But there is also the fear that our children may fail to use good judgment and place themselves in jeopardy.

Tom says...

Senseless deaths are parents' nightmares
TOO MANY PROMISING LIVES ARE CUT SHORT

There's an old saying among parents: Nothing good ever happens after midnight.

Last week, two very bad things happened in Lexington while most of us slept.

Two University of Kentucky students died in tragic accidents. By all accounts, they were the most promising of young people.

Brian Hardin, 27, died Wednesday after falling and hitting his head on a sidewalk. He was walking near the intersection of Woodland Avenue and Maxwell Street about 4:30 a.m. after a night out with friends at a nearby bar...

...Three days before Hardin's death and a few blocks west on Maxwell Street, Connie Blount, who was about to turn 19, was killed as she crossed Broadway with a friend. It was 2:15 a.m. and raining. The police report said that as the couple crossed the street, against the signal, she "stopped in the roadway for unknown reason" and was struck by a hit-and-run driver...

...It's too early to say what role alcohol played in last week's deaths, but it appears to have been a factor -- just as booze in the wee hours contributed to the deaths of seven other UK students since 2002. Two young women fell into a flooded storm drain. A young man ran in front of a truck; another in front of a train; a third in front of a car, whose driver also was drunk. Another fell off a cliff while camping with friends. Another fell through a third-floor dormitory window, along with the brother of another student...

The fact is, our adult children know what they are supposed to do; and not do. They know the safe thing. Too often they think it's boring. ..or don't want to risk being labeled unfavorably.

So like we did in our youth, sometimes they choose otherwise. Faced with the peer pressure and some desire to party, by whatever means are fashionable according to the day and the peer group, all too often they roll the dice. Most of the time they win, and have a story to tell. ...very reinforcing. Sometimes they lose and we call it a tragedy.

Fortunate, but no better; I have a story

As a rising senior at UK I had to work in the summer to raise money for school. That year I was working at the Levi Strauss warehouse in Florence. My same-aged co-workers were from Grant County and I accepted an offer to go "honky tonking" one night along Highway 25. I was always a late bloomer and a bit of an alcohol wimp, so I watched with amazement as my new friends drank boilermakers in several establishments. But, with no real critical regard for what was going on, I kept getting back into the car. This was long before the days of designated drivers and if I had a thought for my own safety, I don't remember it.

Sometime after midnight, on our way to the next place, we approached a railroad crossing. Stopped about twenty yards short of the tracks was another car, waiting as a freight train passed at full speed. The lights were flashing. The bell was clanging. And of course, there was the train itself. But in defiance of reason our driver decided to pass the stopped car at about 40 miles per hour. Two of us saw what was about to happen and screamed. The driver slammed on the brakes but not before the car's hood slid under the train, which sheared off a 3 inch square section of the Grand AM's hood.

I have always thought of this as "the night I should have died."

A Fathers Fear

Tom reflects on the father's fear...

These tragedies have been on my mind a lot this week, and I know why. I'm the father of two daughters in their 20s. The younger one turned 21 last Monday, and, of course, she had planned a big night out with her friends.

I told her at least three times that day to be careful, be responsible. I'm sure she thought I was overdoing it, because she has always been responsible. But bad things happen to good kids.

Today's young adults have new rituals.

Most bothersome to me are those that involve binge drinking and the current fashion for celebrating ones 21st birthday involves over-indulgence-as-celebration.

This from the New York Times by way of MSNBC:

Risky 21st-birthday booze ritual gains popularity
Survey: Drinking 21 shots is more common than previously thought

The ritual of drinking 21 or more alcoholic beverages to celebrate the 21st birthday appears to be far more common than expected, according to new research...

...It's estimated that more than four out of every five American 21-year-olds drink alcohol to celebrate the birthday milestone, which is the the legal drinking age in the United States. But a new study from University of Missouri researchers of 2,518 students shows that many young adults aren't just drinking to celebrate — they are drinking to extremes.

Among those students who drank alcohol to celebrate their 21st birthdays, 34 percent of the men and 24 percent of the women reported consuming 21 or more drinks, according to the research to be published in The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The report is believed to be the largest study of the drinking ritual, which often involves shots of alcohol. The students in the study were followed for four years and asked a variety of questions about their drinking behavior over the course of their time in college. Although the findings likely can't be applied to the general population, the data likely do reflect the drinking culture at large, public
universities, say researchers...

21 for 21

This VIDEO from MSNBC: (It’s called “21 for 21” — young people binge-drinking 21 shots of alcohol to mark turning 21 — and it can be fatal. Matt Lauer talks to a mother whose son tragically drank himself to death.)

So we dads are afraid. There is good reason to be.

Calls for a Special Session

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky League of Cities and the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is urging Gov. Steve Beshear to call a special legislative session within 30 days to overhaul the state's retirement programs.

This from PolWatchers.

C-J says: Beshear should put CPE in Receivership by Executive Order

This from C-J:

CPE is a mess; scrap it

Gov. Steve Beshear was right to ask for an attorney general's opinion on the legality of the process through which Brad Cowgill became president of Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He asked CPE members not to sign a contract with Mr. Cowgill under these circumstances -- a reasonable request.

It makes sense for the Governor to go even further.

CPE is the one failed part of Paul Patton's higher education reform, as outlined in House Bill 1. It is utterly useless in terms of setting priorities for state spending on public colleges and universities, because the General Assembly ignores its recommendations whenever it chooses.

The council also fails to fully coordinate public campus programs, which is obvious in the fact that community college students so often have trouble transferring credits to four-year institutions.

The council also has failed to contain the ambition of some comprehensive (read, "regional") universities to become full-blown doctoral degree-granting campuses -- a role that's supposed to be played by the state's two major research institutions, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, in order to avoid expensive duplication.

The council has been a shell since its first president, Gordon Davies, was, in effect, fired.

Whatever legal conclusion Attorney General Jack Conway reaches, there's no question about the intent of House Bill 1. It called for a national search to find an experienced educator who could lead the state system. Instead, current members decided to appoint a lawyer with minimal full-time experience in higher education, and they looked no further than Frankfort to find him. A council full of Ernie Fletcher appointees ignored the law and appointed the former Republican governor's onetime budget director.

Mr. Cowgill is a lawyer and former bureaucrat, articulate and quite capable. His ideas for changing the system through which public campuses are funded are sound. The problem is, he's not an experienced academic administrator. For a salary like $275,000 per year, his background should fit the legal job description.

Mr. Cowgill could prove that he understands the dynamics of success in such a position by stepping aside voluntarily. The CPE members who chose not to honor the law's clear intent could give up their positions, too. But neither of those things will happen. In government these days, nobody sacrifices in order to "do the right thing."

Mr. Beshear clearly will change the makeup of this council as his opportunities to make appointments arise, but that will involve destructive delay.

The Governor should, instead, put the CPE operation into receivership in the Education Cabinet, until a way forward can be sorted out. Gubernatorial intervention -- as heavy-handed as that might seem -- is preferable to weak-kneed acceptance of a bad situation. Mr. Beshear can re-invent the council by executive order.

An effort to restore some power to the governor's office is overdue. Since the time of John Y. Brown Jr., that office has been undermined, and by more than just the emergence of a strong, independent legislature. Annual sessions further diminished an office long weakened by the state constitution's provision for mere-majority overrides of gubernatorial vetoes. Then came the era of inflexibly partisan Frankfort politics, which further constrains a governor whose party does not control both chambers of the General Assembly.

If nothing else, Mr. Beshear must respond to the CPE's conduct forcefully so that every board and commission and all 30,000-plus state workers know he won't let them ignore his requests to act according to the law's intent.

African American Principal named for Booker T Washington Academy

This from the Herald Leader:

WENDY BROWN NAMED PRINCIPAL

Wendy Brown, a Kentucky Department of Education official, has been named principal of Booker T. Washington Academy, effective July 1.

She will replace Peggy Petrilli, who left as principal last Aug. 26 after parents complained to Superintendent Stu Silberman that Petrilli allegedly mismanaged school funds and was allegedly unethical in administering and scoring standardized tests.

Petrilli alleged that she was forced to leave the school because she is white and parents wanted a black principal. She has filed a lawsuit and is seeking $75,000 in damages.

Brown, 35, who is black, has bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Georgetown College.

Early last week Kentucky School News and Commentary was informed that the internal report on the events surrounding Petrilli's departure was still incomplete.

This from FCPS press release:

Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman announced today the school based decision making council selection of a new principal for Booker T. Washington Academy. Wendy Brown, who is currently a highly skilled educator with the Kentucky Department of Education, will assume her new post on July 1.

Brown has 11 years of experience in education. She started her career in Scott County where she taught first, second and fourth grades at Eastern Elementary. Since 2005 she has worked for the Kentucky Department of Education providing assistance to schools in Clark and Fayette counties. In Fayette County she has worked with Dixie and Johnson elementary schools.

“I’m excited about the position and ready for the challenge,” Brown said, explaining that she was drawn to the position at Booker T. Washington Academy because she enjoys working with a diverse student population.

“I want to be the principal for the students,” she said. “My job is to help improve student achievement and to build community and staff and parent relationships.”

Brown said her first goal will be to familiarize herself with the school – meeting faculty and staff, students, parents and community supporters – in order to assess the needs of the school and identify areas where improvements can be made. She said she will have an “open door policy where we all work together on decisions for the school.”

“We’re excited about the expertise that Wendy will bring to the school based on her experience as a highly skilled educator with the Kentucky Department of Education,” said Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman.

Brown, 35, is married to Tannare Brown and has a 15-month-old son named Tannare. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Georgetown College, her Rank 1 in instructional leadership from Eastern Kentucky University and her supervision of instruction and superintendent’s certificates from the University of Kentucky. Brown is an active member of First Baptist Church, Georgetown, where she is co-director of children’s church and the youth and children’s choir.

In Athletics: Publics to Give Privates the Cold Shoulder

This from the Courier-Journal:

Superintendents discourage public schools from playing private schools

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, which represents 174 public-school districts in the state, endorsed a plan today that would eventually mean fewer sports contests against private schools.

Kentucky’s public and private high schools have been at odds over athletics for at least three years; public schools contend that private schools have an advantage because they can draw their students – and athletes – from large geographic areas, and public schools are much more restricted.

The KASS revealed its “schedule reduction” plan today, and their executive director, Blake Haselton, paid a courtesy call on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s board of control in the morning to provide details.

The wording of the plan:

“KASS has endorsed a proposal that would encourage all Kentucky public high schools to no longer enter into any contract to participate in any sports event with any Kentucky non-public high school. Exceptions:“

(1) Existing contracts will be honored;“

(2) Games that must be played in order to qualify for championship play;“

(3) Due to community pressure, continuance of contracts with in-county/close proximity non-publics with long standing positive relationships;“

(4) Public schools are encouraged not to invite but may participate in
multi-school events that include non-public schools.”

Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent Sheldon Berman said that the
concerns are "viable and serious" but he said Louisville public schools aren't
participating.“At this point we’re not specifically going to do anything other
than what we’re doing,” he said.

Haselton appeared before the KHSAA board about an hour. Afterward, he
said:“Yes, they just won’t be playing private and parochials unless they have
one of those exclusions…. They’ll be playing them in district games that count
toward seeding or if it’s required to eligible for district (tournament)
play.”Haselton added that many schools already have scheduled football and
basketball games for next season and the impact would be greater the following
year.

Now, That's Gonna Leave a Mark

This from the News Enterprise:

It's going to leave a mark

ISSUE: Internet bullies

OUR VIEW: It’s time to pay attention

Most people across this country — parents, educators, law enforcement officials, clergy and many others — were shocked when six Florida teenage girls videoed themselves last month taking turns bullying, brutally punching and kneeing a defenseless 16-year-old girl cowering in a fetal position.

However, anyone paying attention to what many teens, and adults, are posting and viewing on the Internet these days wouldn’t have been surprised at all. Fight videos, especially featuring girls, have become common. In fact, Google “girl fight” and you will find thousands of similar videos.

The Florida teenagers, including two boys who stood as guards during the 30-minute videoed mugging, apparently planned to post their assault on YouTube, the online video host, for all the world to see. They didn’t get the chance because when the injured victim finally called 911, police seized the video and released it to the public to be aired repeatedly on TV and posted online.

It clearly is time to begin paying attention to what our young people are putting online, what they are viewing, how they are being influenced and what they are learning there.

The Internet has become a miraculous tool opening opportunities that a few short years ago most of us couldn’t have imagined. As with all technological developments, the digital evolution also presents opportunities for abuse. This, and other types of pornography, are unfortunate examples.

Banning YouTube, as some now demand, is no answer. It serves legitimate communications and educational purposes empower citizen participation. Outlawing it would not be possible, anyway.

The argument that video beatings exercise free speech protected by the First Amendment makes absolutely no sense, either. They are no more free speech than yelling “fire” in a crowded theater.

There does need to be some safeguards, self-policing within families, institutions of education and faith. And when they fail, law enforcement has to sweep in. Parents can and should help by paying attention to what their children are posting and viewing online. It is their responsibility. They should be aware there are ways to find out what sites their children are visiting. And to check routinely.

The latest example of cyber bullying took place in a faraway state. However, in Kentucky, Gov. Steve Beshear on Tuesday signed a bill into law that requires policies against bullying in this state.

A video of a school fight at Madison County Schools was posted recently on YouTube which officials say could be considered a type of “cyber bullying,” according to The Associated Press.

The Florida incident is a warning to anyone who would be tempted to emulate the teen attackers. Not only was their victim seriously injured, possibly suffering a concussion, but their names forever will be associated with the beatings.

And they could go to jail for a long, long time.Tried as adults, as they unquestionably should be, on charges of kidnapping, assault and tampering with a witness, they could spend the rest of their lives in jail. Let’s face it, that’s not very likely to happen. But for the rest of their lives what is sure to happen is every time they apply for jobs, try to enter a college or university or receive security clearances, the video of their brutal spree will be an obstacle. Impressions of their police mug shots and news stories will pop up every time one of their names is typed into a computer search browser.

The realization that such thoughtless deeds have serious, lifelong consequences should send a strong message reverberating across the country, at least for awhile.

What Establishment of Religion Looks Like

There are probably many teachers who have Bibles in their classrooms and it's never a problem.

There were probably times when I had a Bible in my classroom. In fact, I'm not completely sure how one teaches western civilization and the persistent conflicts between the church and the state without some understanding of the Book of Matthew.

That said, an Ohio teacher provides a field guide for those who would establish religion in the public schools.

He led his football players in prayers before games; before practices; before meetings. His district had to settle a $18,000 suit as a result. Later, he taught Intelligent design. More recently he posted the Ten Commandments on his classroom door, and now, supported by a religious activist, refuses to remove a Bible from the view of his students.

His persistent effort over time to impose his strongly held views promoting a specific religion smells like ...establishment.

This from the Columbus Dispatch:

Teacher, school district battle over Bible in classroom

A Mount Vernon science teacher said today that he will refuse to remove a Bible from his classroom desk, despite his school district's order.

"Thousands of citizens in this community have built their lives on deeply held religious convictions, and it is for them that I stand today," John Freshwater, 51, who teaches at Mount Vernon Middle School, said in a news release.

The religious activist Dave Daubenmire, Freshwater's friend, acted as his spokesman today. "This is not a religion issue; this is a free-speech issue," Daubenmire said. "He didn't take the Bible to read to anybody."

Mount Vernon Superintendent Steve Short said Freshwater's characterization of the events leading to the district order that he remove religious items from his classroom was "not entirely accurate," but Short wouldn't elaborate.

The district later released a one-paragraph statement saying that district officials don't oppose religion but are required "under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to protect against the establishment of religion in the schools. As a public school system the district cannot teach, promote or favor any religion or religious beliefs."

Freshwater and Daubenmire believe that separation of church and state "is a fraud" and that the framers of the Constitution never intended it to be practiced the way it is today, Daubenmire said.

The district asked Freshwater last week to remove the Ten Commandments from the door to his classroom and to remove the Bible from the view of students. About 3,900 students attend Mount Vernon schools. Mount Vernon is about 52 miles northeast of Columbus.

Freshwater took down the Ten Commandments but decided that being prevented from taking a Bible into the classroom was going too far.

In the past, Freshwater has taught his students about the "holes in evolution" and intelligent design, the theory that a supernatural power created complex forms of life, Daubenmire said.

"Would our government ask a follower of Islam to remove her burqa in order to teach school?" Freshwater said in his written statement. "Would we ask a science teacher to remove The Origin of Species from his desk merely because the origin of man has never been proven?

"I cannot with a clear conscience follow a directive that makes religion and the religious viewpoint any less credible by those who deem themselves more enlightened."

Freshwater wouldn't answer questions directly because of the likelihood he will file a lawsuit charging "viewpoint discrimination," Daubenmire said.

Daubenmire is the former London High School football coach whose district was sued in 1999 by the American Civil Liberties Union because he led his players in prayer at games, practices and meetings. The district settled out of court, and its insurance company paid the ACLU $18,000 for court costs.

And this from the Mount Vernon News: Photo by Pamela Schehl.

AUDIO of Rally.

MOUNT VERNON — Nearly 100 people gathered on Mount Vernon’s Public Square on Wednesday afternoon, in a show of support for middle school science teacher John Freshwater.

The Mount Vernon City School administration has demanded Freshwater remove a Bible from his desk at school, even though a Bible has been a fixture in his classroom for many years.

The school district told Freshwater he cannot, as a public school teacher, engage in any activity that promotes or denigrates a particular religion.

Freshwater complied with a request to remove a a copy of the 10 commandments from display in his classroom, but is resistant to removing the Bible. He said the district’s mandate is an infringement of his First Amendment rights to free speech and to freely express his beliefs.

It is unclear as to what prompted the school district’s action.

September 12, 2007:
Parents’ objections spark cancellation of FCA speaker—Administrators of public institutions, such as schools, are sometimes caught up in a balancing act, trying to ensure the rights of citizens are not violated while at the same time following established rules and procedures. That seems to be the case with regard to an occurrence Tuesday at Mount Vernon Middle School.

June 3, 2003:
Mount Vernon Board of Education turns down proposal— The Mount Vernon Board of Education turned down a proposal on the teaching of evolution at its board meeting Monday at the Mount Vernon Middle School library.

Learning to Lie

This from New York Magazine; Photo by Martynka Wawrzyniak.

Kids lie early, often, and for all sorts of reasons

—to avoid punishment,

to bond with friends,

to gain a sense of control.

But now there’s a singular theory

for one way

this habit develops:

They are just copying their parents

In the last few years, a handful of intrepid scholars have decided it’s time to try to understand why kids lie. For a study to assess the extent of teenage dissembling, Dr. Nancy Darling, then at Penn State University, recruited a special research team of a dozen undergraduate students, all under the age of 21. Using gift certificates for free CDs as bait, Darling’s Mod Squad persuaded high-school students to spend a few hours with them in the local pizzeria.

Each student was handed a deck of 36 cards, and each card in this deck listed a topic teens sometimes lie about to their parents. Over a slice and a Coke, the teen and two researchers worked through the deck, learning what things the kid was lying to his parents about, and why.

“They began the interviews saying that parents give you everything and yes, you should tell them everything,” Darling observes. By the end of the interview, the kids saw for the first time how much they were lying and how many of the family’s rules they had broken. Darling says 98 percent of the teens reported lying to their parents.

Out of the 36 topics, the average teen was lying to his parents about twelve of them. The teens lied about what they spent their allowances on, and whether they’d started dating, and what clothes they put on away from the house. They lied about what movie they went to, and whom they went with. They lied about alcohol and drug use, and they lied about whether they were hanging out with friends their parents disapproved of. They lied about how they spent their afternoons while their parents were at work. They lied about whether chaperones were in attendance at a party or whether they rode in cars driven by drunken teens.

Being an honors student didn’t change these numbers by much; nor did being an overscheduled kid. No kid, apparently, was too busy to break a few rules. And lest you wonder if these numbers apply only to teens in State College, Pennsylvania, the teens in Darling’s sample were compared to national averages on a bevy of statistics, from academics to extracurriculars. “We had a very normal, representative sample,” Darling says.

For two decades, parents have rated “honesty” as the trait they most wanted in their children. Other traits, such as confidence or good judgment, don’t even come close. On paper, the kids are getting this message. In surveys, 98 percent said that trust and honesty were essential in a personal relationship. Depending on their ages, 96 to 98 percent said lying is morally wrong.

So when do the 98 percent who think lying is wrong become the 98 percent who lie? ...

Hat tip to Alexander Russo.

Mother Outraged Over Alleged School Bus Discipline

This from WKYT TV:

A Southern Kentucky mother is furious after she says her son was forced by a bus driver to walk behind the bus on the way to elementary school.

The mother, Tara Warriner, says her son was asked to get off of the bus for misbehaving on the way to school in Russell Springs. School officials say they've taken care of the situation, but Warriner says the driver needs further repercussions for making her 7 year old walk in the road for 5 minutes. The Russell County school superintendent says the boy did not have to walk at all.

"There was a minor discipline problem with a child on a school bus. The bus driver, in a repeated attempt to get the child to sit down, ask the child to step off the bus to get his attention, then the child was taken back home," said Superintendent Scott Pierce.

Warriner says this is the second time her son has been made to walk behind the bus, but school officials say they're not aware of an earlier incident.

A shameful end

This from C-J:

The Governor and every Kentucky legislator, mayor, public school teacher and government employee knows how critical solving the pension problem is. The
current system is unsustainable and has a $26.6 billion unfunded liability.

Taxpayers will have to pay that debt -- which increases by hundreds of millions
each year.

No issue was more important. All parties said a solution would be found. Then a little before midnight on the last night, the House balked. Ironically, the proposal it rejected was almost exactly what it had wanted. The Senate had given in on the last two contentious issues, including its determination to divert some retirement money to a 401(k)-type plan.

The Senate did, however, want to keep the possibility of these "defined contribution" plans open for the future, but, sadly, that wasn't acceptable to some interest groups friendly with the Democratic-controlled House. Brent McKim of the Jefferson County Teachers Association, for example, calls that provision "a Trojan horse." Never mind that 401(k)s are a reality for most private sector employees.

So the hope for solving this problem died. Last year, the House also killed a pension bill. Others can share some blame for this year's failure. The Governor didn't push the pension bill effectively. Senate President David Williams, in a casual remark weeks ago, led House members to believe they need not seriously negotiate, because the Senate's fallback position would be to accept the House plan. Finally, the legislature's dysfunctional way of doing business hurt, too:

Members save too many big decisions for the last minute, leaving little time even to read last-minute versions of far-reaching proposals.

Still, the House deserves the most blame. In the aftermath of this debacle, Sen. Williams said, "It may be that with the current makeup of the House, we can't do pension reform."

That's a sobering thought. Taxpayers have every right to expect better.

And more from Mark Hebert.

Blame Game in Frankfort

House Speaker Pro-Tem Larry Clark called it the worst final day of a session he's seen during his more than 20 years in Frankfort. Clark says he's "embarrassed to be a part of a leadership" and embarrassed to be a part of what happened last night in Frankfort...

David Williams blamed the KEA and JCTA for killing the pension bill, saying the teachers' lobbyists scared enough house members about details of the agreement reached between House and Senate leaders...

dude. do u need a bag?

OK...so, this principal confiscates a kid's cell phone...uses it to call one of his buddies ...and entraps him in a drug deal?!

This from the Boston Globe:

Principal lured drug suspect to arrest

CONCORD, N.H.—A Concord High student is fighting a suspension after being lured to an alleged drug deal by the principal of another school who was posing as the student's friend through text messages.

Police say Brady High School Principal Jean Barker arranged the alleged drug deal with 17-year-old John Huckins through text messages on a cell phone she had confiscated from one of Huckins' friends.

Police reports say Huckins began the exchange of text messages by asking his friend if he needed a bag. Barker suspected that meant marijuana, said yes, arranged for the student to come to Brady and called police.

Huckins is charged with possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute. He was suspended from Concord High for 10 days after his arrest last month. But Concord school officials are also trying to suspend him for the rest of the year because they allege Huckins began the drug transaction on his cell phone while on Concord High property.

Barker is defending her decision to pose as a student to set up an alleged drug buy, saying Huckins' alleged willingness to bring drugs to Brady put her school at risk....