Author Archive
An Inconvienent Truth
I was listening to a story on NPR this morning about how manufacturers have taken phosphates out of dishwasher detergent. As a result, dishes aren’t coming as clean as they once had. One of the persons interviewed about the problem said she wasn’t so sure that phosphates caused algae blooms and so they should put [...]
More on GPA over SAT
Ta-Nehisi Coates – Authors – The Atlantic That point on focusing on the GPA over high SATs is interesting. More evidence for the top ten percent rule at UT Austin. What does it say about the SAT if people with higher gpas from “less challenging” schools are more likely to graduate than those with higher [...]
Religion and Professional Reputation
I would think the question would be whether or not he was teaching it in his astronomy classes, not just talking to religious groups. Then there is also the issue of professional reputation. I do think that people are hired because their reputation would increase the stature of the hiring institution. Assuming that this has [...]
Interesting discussion on the value of Teach for America
The Answer Sheet – Valerie vs. Jay on Teach for America, KIPP, etc. Valerie vs. Jay on Teach for America, KIPP, etc. Ultimately, I think I have to side with Jay Mathews on this one. I think Valerie Strauss misses the point. Teach for America isn’t saying that you need “elites” in public schools to [...]
Does anyone else think that these might be related?
Hoodlums – Ta-Nehisi Coates – National – The Atlantic There are roughly 2.3 million people in jails and prisons in America, more than any country in the world. The United States has 756 people in jail per 100,000 people. No other country has more than 700, and only two are over 600 Russia (629) and [...]
Why we homeschool
Although people homeschooling for religious reasons tend to make the news, there’s a large group who homeschool because of the following including me: Julie Woestehoff: Educational Accountability Doesn’t Have A Time Limits I have a big gripe with the misuse and overuse of time in “education accountability.” I don’t like:timed tests, the artificial “year” during [...]
Illegal doesn’t mean not a taxpayer
An educated guess on Texas students in the U.S. illegally | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News Taxpayers, school districts and the state are entitled to know the number, some argue, because they bear the brunt of the costs. How do we pay for public schools in Texas? Let’s see, [...]
If only they were in Texas, they would have succeeded
I’m sure this will give the Texas SBOE ideas–I would expect them to ban state approved list the book without even checking to see if it’s being used. Parents outraged over finance class reading – Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 Taylor and his wife Aimee became upset when they learned that their son had been assigned [...]
Why aren’t there more?
Sports Briefing – Football – Woman Hired as Coach – NYTimes.com Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington made the rare move of hiring a woman, Natalie Randolph, to coach its football team. Given that it’s perfectly acceptable for men to coach women’s volleyball and softball, we should be seeing a lot more female coaches in [...]
Clearly thinking is not a requirement for school management
Suit: Pa. school spied on students via laptops – Yahoo! News A federal lawsuit accuses a suburban Philadelphia school district of spying on students at home through school-issued laptop webcams. I’m trying to envision this. How did it happen that the school issued laptops, someone put software on them that allowed the school to access [...]