MLK weekend plans and reflections
Tiny bits for Friday evening: If he were alive, Martin Luther King, Jr., would have turned 80 years old yesterday. He was born in the year that a decade-long agricultural slump turned into the Great Depression. One hundred sixty years ago, or twice his birthday from today, the United States was absorbing the Mexican territories […]
“Ther” Florida State University
“He’s Winnie-ther-Pooh. Don’t you know what ‘ther’ means?”“Ah, yes, now I do,” I said quickly; and I hope you do too, because it is all the explanation you are going to get.–A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh Apparently, Florida State University’s administrators are going ther route of adding ther definite article to ther university’s name, in a […]
Disappointed
E-mails have been making the rounds among some educational advocates and researchers, stating rumors that Andrew Rotherham (Education Sector), Wendy Kopp (Teach for America), and Russlyn Ali (Education Trust) were being considered for sub-cabinet posts under Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan, and asking that recipients contact the transition personnel office to object to such appointments. While […]
Oversight boondoggle
Last week the Wall Street Journal lambasted Florida Governor Charlie Crist for failing to appeal a ruling that struck down the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission as an unconstitutional infringement on the powers of county school boards in Florida. The legislature wanted to set up the FSEC as a second authorizer of charter schools in […]
Brooklyn KIPP teachers unionizing
As reported in EdWize. What caught my attention was the issue of turnover: KIPP AMP teachers believe that the high staff turnover at the school has harmed their efforts to build a positive and consistent school culture for their students. “There is a need to make the teacher position more sustainable,” says [Luisa] Bonifacio, “so […]