Traditional wisdom has stood the test of time, while conventional wisdom is merely what everyone believes at the moment, which is nothing more than the latest philosophical flavor of the day and may leave devastation in its wake.
By Rich Kozlovich,
This week as I was preparing to go to work my wife and I watched the news about the Strongsville teachers strike. The two talking heads just seemed to be in great emotional pain over this issue, giving the impression, at least to me, that they were grieving for the strikers and the “pain” they were suffering. What was the terrible source for their suffering? The teacher interveiwed by the station claimed their only concern was over the children's safety because of the unwillingness of the school board to sign the contract they wanted, forcing them to go on strike. Giving the impression that the children's safety was the only thing at the forefront of their minds, since they couldn’t be on the job protecting them. My question was; from whom were they protecting them? When you see the video recorded by Sun Newspapers, (make a point of watching in order to understand the other comments) you may begin to wonder if their being off the job might not be good for the kids. As for the teacher in the video being interviewed between images of surly, rude, nasty strikers….they aren’t your kids!
School Reform
By Rich Kozlovich
The Heartland Institute has a link on their home page called “reform our schools”, taking you to a page called the “Parent Trigger”, which promotes the idea of school reform by parents, for parents. This is followed by rotating messages saying;
· It’s time to make our schools work for students.
· It’s time to bring education reform back to the parents.
· It’s time to pull the parent trigger.
This is followed by talking about the tools necessary and examples. I think you may find this an interesting and enlightening excursion.
By Mary Grabar, Posted January 15, 2013
This first appeared here. I would like to thank Mary for allowing me to publish her work. RK
Ask any college freshman what he knows about communism and he will likely engage in a word association game. “The red scare, McCarthyism,” he will blurt out, displaying lessons well-learned from his high school textbooks and teachers.
One way to go beyond the idea of communism as evidence of paranoia, though, is to recall George Orwell’s Animal Farm. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” will be the phrase students recall. Students—who increasingly are disinclined to read novels—seem to have a fond place for this one. Students seem to get that “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” never works out in reality.
Parents in suburban Nashville are furious after an elementary school announced plans to limit the number of times they could visit their children during lunchtime. “Everyone is very frustrated, very angry,” parent Becky Rutland told Fox News. “I feel like it’s a violation of my rights as a parent.” Rutland has four children who attend Clovercroft Elementary School in Franklin, Tenn. Like a number of other parents, she enjoys visiting her youngsters during their lunch period. “They’re gone from me every day for seven or eight hours,” she explained, noting that occasional lunch time visits allowed her “to see them, to touch base with them and to know who their friends are.” Under the new policy, a parent would only be allowed to eat lunch with their children twice during a nine-week period…..To Read More……
By Wes Walker
It’s a controversial question: what if it’s a mistake to say that schools are “failing”? Students today clearly have a weaker grasp of the “three R’s” than they ought, but what if many school administrators have a private, and different, set of goals defining success in education than Joe Public does?
Sure, politicians of every stripe decry how education is failing our students, and pledge to “do better”. Doing better means shoveling more money, equipment, or books at the problem, or maybe testing new educational theories on our kids.
But specifically how are schools failing? By what standard do we measure, and what constitutes a failed outcome? Many school models exist, with widely differing objectives, and methods. Against whose standard are we measuring results?
If the public assumes that the main goal is literacy, numeracy, competency and learning, many schools have objectively failed. But measuring the success of our schools in that way would unknowingly misinterpret their results — IF the system has a different goal. To Read More…..
I have attempted to explain to my readers that socialism is the serpent in the garden promising Godless utopia. Yet they have failed to deliver the basics in life for so many hundreds of millions of those poor people suffering under their rule. However, the elite within such a system not only get the basics....it reaps the rewards of absolute rule for themselves. As you read today’s posts please keep in mind that the left has always understood that in order for their insane views to be taken seriously they must redefine everything in terms that makes insanity seem rational. A deliberate form of twisting reality that Orwell called Newspeak in his book 1984. I do so wish that more people had read that and Animal Farm, which I read in 1966. What I find even more interesting is that the leftist abusers of language are constantly accusing others of being guilty of their own tactics. Today’s posts are an example of such action by the left, whether it involves green issues, domestic issues, foreign relations or even human rights issues. Defining insanity to seem sane is their stock in trade, and that must start with the children in order to last.
What are our educators learning before the teach our children? Major schools of education are increasingly trying to indoctrinate new teaching candidates with radical, far-left ideas. Propaganda spouting radical professors are putting numbers of talented prospective elementary and high school teachers in the unfortunate position of allowing themselves to be reeducated – or having to quit their post-graduate teaching credential programs. Consequently, American schools are losing some of the best and the brightest future teachers; those who refuse to be beaten down into politically correct submission.
Robert Holland and Don Soifer of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Virginia gave me a preview of their explosive new report Radicalization of Teacher Education Programs in the United States that was just released. This new study blows the lid off of just how far Bill Ayers and other radical education gurus have succeeded in brainwashing a new generation of American teachers – often at the taxpayer’s expense. To Read More…..
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Exclusive: Patrice Lewis urges youth to think about future before plunging into debt
Many years ago, a horticulturalist told me how and when certain potted plants bloom. When people see flowers, he said, they often think the plant is healthy and happy because the flowers are so beautiful. But he said that plants often bloom because they’re under physical stress, and they’re making a last biological shot to reproduce before they die. So while things may look beautiful and rosy, the presence of flowers often indicates the end is near.
Now fast forward to this week when I got my fall issue of U.C. Davis Magazine. UCD is my alma mater, and despite graduating nearly 30 years ago, the complimentary subscription has followed me wherever I’ve moved.
The table of contents summarized the cover article as follows: “With state funding down to 1997 levels and student fees up 82% in just six years, the UC is at a critical turning point.” To Read More......
Our education system seems to do more to create unrealistic beliefs than to impart knowledge and skills to students.
August 24, 2012
This first appeared HERE.
It’s always interesting to see how educational policies play out in the real world, especially when complaints come from a 32-year-old Generation X-er, like Mayra Jimenez, co-founder of the designer swimwear company, The Orchid Boutique. In a recent article in Inc., she listed five “rants” about the lack of work ethic among her slightly younger employees, the under-30 “Millennials.”
Education bureaucrats tout preparing workers for the “21st century global economy.” But instead of helping students improve their knowledge and skill levels, their policies seem to do more to prolong adolescence and lead to the very behaviors that Ms. Jimenez “rants” about.
There is a species of radical Leftist that believes that it is the main purpose of taxpayer-funded universities to engage in indoctrination of students into radical leftwing ideology. Such people believe that the only legitimate form of scholarly research and teaching is to force upon students the ideas and agendas of the radical Left, because only these represent correct thinking.
For such people, the highest form of academic inquiry is to engage in one-sided advocacy. They believe that faculty members at universities should be hired mainly, if not exclusively, on the basis of their devotion to radical leftist ideology. They believe that classrooms should be arenas in which students are immersed into leftist NewThink. They believe that student grades should reflect the extent to which the student toes the ideological line of the radical Left. They believe academic conferences and research forums should be restricted to those who advocate the Left’s political agenda, while non-leftist dissident thought should be suppressed and barred. Most importantly of all, they believe that those who dare to criticize the radical tenured Left should be silenced and demonized.Top of Bottom of Form
Student government seeks another eatery to take its place
(FOXNEWS) — A North Carolina university’s student government has voted to ban a Chick-fil-a restaurant on campus because the fast-food chain’s president is against gay marriage. Elon University’s Student Government Association voted 35-11 to ask its food vendor to find another restaurant to take its place, the Daily Advance reports. Now, the decision goes to the Student Government Association’s executive president, Darien Flowers, who can accept the vote or veto it. Flowers said he wants to talk to students and other people before making a decision, according to the paper. The ultimate decision on whether Chick-fil-A stays will be made by senior administrators at the private college and Elon's president, school spokesman Dan Anderson told the paper.
In July, Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family."“We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that." To Read More…..
'Political correctness deterred ability of our military to speak frankly'
(WASHINGTON TIMES) — When Army Lt. Col. Matthew Dooley last year began teaching a class to fellow officers on the dangers of radical Islam, he seemed to have landed in a perfect spot. A highly rated armor officer who saw combat in Iraq, Col. Dooley planned to instruct for several years at the Joint Forces Staff College within the National Defense University, then seek command of a combat battalion — a ticket to better postings and higher rank.
Today, Col. Dooley finds himself at a dead end while being targeted for criticism by American Islamic groups, at least two of which are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, which advocates universal Islamic law. More important, Col. Dooley’s critics include Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Keep Reading....
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.” -- Marcus Tullius Cicero, January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC
What are our educators learning before the teach our children? Major schools of education are increasingly trying to indoctrinate new teaching candidates with radical, far-left ideas. Propaganda spouting radical professors are putting numbers of talented prospective elementary and high school teachers in the unfortunate position of allowing themselves to be reeducated – or having to quit their post-graduate teaching credential programs. Consequently, American schools are losing some of the best and the brightest future teachers; those who refuse to be beaten down into politically correct submission.
Robert Holland and Don Soifer of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Virginia gave me a preview of their explosive new report Radicalization of Teacher Education Programs in the United States that was just released. This new study blows the lid off of just how far Bill Ayers and other radical education gurus have succeeded in brainwashing a new generation of American teachers – often at the taxpayer’s expense. To Read More…..
Exclusive: Patrice Lewis urges youth to think about future before plunging into debt
Many years ago, a horticulturalist told me how and when certain potted plants bloom. When people see flowers, he said, they often think the plant is healthy and happy because the flowers are so beautiful. But he said that plants often bloom because they’re under physical stress, and they’re making a last biological shot to reproduce before they die. So while things may look beautiful and rosy, the presence of flowers often indicates the end is near.
Now fast forward to this week when I got my fall issue of U.C. Davis Magazine. UCD is my alma mater, and despite graduating nearly 30 years ago, the complimentary subscription has followed me wherever I’ve moved.
The table of contents summarized the cover article as follows: “With state funding down to 1997 levels and student fees up 82% in just six years, the UC is at a critical turning point.”
By Rich Kozlovich
There has been a great deal of talk about the outrageous increase of the cost of higher education these days. I think these insane increases in education are the best thing that has ever happened to higher education. I know that may sound insane, but in the real world it is the cost of things that re-focuses people’s attention. At some point someone will stand up and force this issue of personal funding for higher education by the government and the demands they impose on the institutions. That is where the problem lies entirely. Furthermore the universities deliberately raise tuition costs in order to make it possible for more students to qualify for government loans or funding of some kind.
But, there is a question that must be raised. What is higher education all about?
Anyone who remembers his American history courses in grade and high school - when American history was still being taught, because very little of it is today - will also remember all the glowing, adulatory accounts in standard textbooks of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. One encountered nary a disparaging word about them. They "saved the world," were "forward looking," or "ahead of their time," and "served selflessly" the cause of "democracy" and "social justice." These particular presidents appeared in those textbooks as squeaky clean, literal saints, and were held up as models of political and national leadership. They could do no wrong, and if these real-life Dudley Do-Rights failed in their missions to reorient the electorate to be more easily led to moral adventures, the New Frontier, and Great Societies, it was all the fault of greedy obstructionists and other Snidely Whiplash villains in Congress or the Supreme Court. Worse still, it was implied ever so subtly that we the people didn't deserve to have them as leaders. They were too good for us. We'd be punished for not living up to their expectations, for eschewing the need for "leaders." And we have been punished: We got Barack Obama.
Politician says 'we do not allow' instruction on church beliefs - Allowing Catholic schools to teach the faith’s beliefs on abortion would be “misogyny” and cannot be allowed, according to a government official in Canada. “We do not allow and we’re very clear with the passage of Bill 13 that Catholic teachings cannot be taught in our schools that violates human rights and which brings a lack of acceptance to participation in schools,” Education Minister Laurel Broten said at a recent press conference.
Teachers Union Fights School Choice With Discredited Study In Washington State
Right now, Washington is one of nine states that does not allow charter schools to compete with the public school system. That could change this November, when Washington residents vote on Initiative 1240. This is not the first time Washington voters have considered allowing charter schools in the state. Voters have rejected similar initiatives three times: in 1996, in 2000, and in 2004. So why do the backers of Initiative 1240 believe this time is different? Perhaps partly because 1240 is being promoted by a well-funded campaign whose supporters include Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen. According to a recent Elway Poll, a polling firm based in Washington state, 47 percent of Washington residents now favor 1240′s passage, while 38 oppose
Mary Grabar — September 21, 2012
This first appeared here. I would like to thank Mary for allowing me to post her work. This is an important piece that should not be ignored. RK
Three years after the Department of Education announced a contest called Race-to-the-Top for $4.35 billion in stimulus funds, some parents, teachers, governors, and citizen and public policy groups are coming to an awful realization about the likely outcomes:
· A national curriculum called Common Core
· Regionalism, or the replacement of local governments by federally appointed bureaucrats
· A leveling of all schools to one, low national standard, and a redistribution of education funds among school districts
· An effective federal tracking of all students
· The loss of the option of avoiding the national curriculum and tests through private school and home school
Working behind the scenes, implementing these policies and writing the standards are associates from President Obama’s community organizing days. In de facto control of the education component is Linda Darling-Hammond, a radical left-wing educator and close colleague of William “Bill” Ayers, the former leader of the communist terrorist Weather nderground who became a professor of education and friend of Obama’s. Follow the link in the Title to the whole article.
While teacher unions are succeeding in bankrupting Chicago, the teacher unions of Wisconsin are trying to bankrupt the entire state in the name of getting what they “deserve.” All in one week, the Chicago teacher unions halted the education of 350,000 students by striking for increased compensation, the right to not be evaluated via student standardized tests, and control over teacher-hiring for Chicago’s failing school system. In Wisconsin a teachers union convinced a Circuit Judge to overturn a portion of Governor Scott Walker’s collective bargaining reform law, also known as his “Budget Repair Bill.” As reported by the Associated Press, Circuit Judge Juan Colas reasoned in his ruling that sections of the law,”…single out and encumber the rights of those employees who choose union membership and representation solely because of that association and therefore infringe upon the rights of free speech and association guaranteed by both the Wisconsin and United States Constitutions.”
I have a great deal of sympathy for Michelle Apperson, the Sacramento "Teacher of the Year" who was laid off. Assuming she deserved the award, she should not have been laid off……Teachers' unions are 100% to blame for this mess. Unions protect the under-performers at the expense of those like Apperson. Unions even protect repeated sexual predator teachers……In one case, a male teacher in Manhattan was accused of inappropriately touching a female student in 2010, but the arbitrator imposed only a suspension without pay. And now — after more disturbing episodes — we’ve filed charges against this individual for a third time. As it stands, public school teachers accused of sexual misconduct enjoy protections that no other city employee has. That puts children in danger, and we cannot allow it to continue. …….Here is a Google search of Teachers Paid to Sit if you want more examples. Now factor in incompetent teachers and poor teachers. The union protects them too…….An overhaul is indeed needed. It's time to get rid of collective bargaining of public unions, and it's time for merit pay for teachers…..Union mentality is also to blame for inability of school districts to get rid of sexual predators and grossly incompetent teachers.
By Stephanie Simon
Mon Jun 18, 2012
(Reuters) - Hundreds of mayors from across the United States this weekend called for new laws letting parents seize control of low-performing public schools and fire the teachers, oust the administrators or turn the schools over to private management.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday unanimously endorsed "parent trigger" laws aimed at bypassing elected school boards and giving parents at the worst public schools the opportunity to band together and force immediate change. Such laws are fiercely opposed by teachers' unions, which stand to lose members in school takeovers. Union leaders say there is no proof such upheaval will improve learning. And they argue that public investment in struggling communities, rather than private management of struggling schools, is the key to boosting student achievement. But in a sign of the unions' diminishing clout, their traditional political allies, the Democrats, abandoned them in droves during the Orlando vote.
Every pay period, the Philadelphia school district puts $155 per union member into a special fund that helps educators pay their personal legal bills, which includes everything from routine legal advice to estate planning. That single perk, nestled deep within the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ union contract, cost taxpayers $2.6 million during the 2010-11 school year. It also contributed to the district’s financial woes, which led to 2,200 teachers being laid off last year. The “PFT Legal Services Fund” is just one example of Philadelphia public schools’ extravagant spending practices, which are the focus of EAGnews.org’s latest investigative report, “Sucking the Life Out of America’s Public Schools: The Expense of Teachers Union Contracts.”
By Rich Kozlovich
Whenever you hear the statement, "It's for the children", you had better start looking a lot deeper into the subject because that is an emotional trigger that is used to hide something. For decades I have heard that teachers are so grossly underpaid that we need to give them all raises; substantial raises! We are told they are so over worked that we need to reduce class sizes substantially. We are told that teachers gave up wonderful careers in business to teach our children, so they deserve so much more; which of course is a logical fallacy because they have no clue as to whether they would have even been able to hold down a job, let alone have a wonderfully successful career in business.
By Mary Grabar
Posted June 25, 2012, originally posted at National Association of Scholars, www.nas.org. A colleague on the job market tells me about a posting for a lecturer in World History at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, that, along with the usual transcripts and letters of recommendation, requires “a separate statement describing a history of working with or demonstrated commitment to addressing issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and/or other issues of historic marginalization.” To make it even more clear that conservatives need not apply, the college’s web page advertises the fact that it is located in a “friendly, progressive community.”
