July 1, 2013

Bonne Fete du Canada!

Happy Canada Day, mes amis!

June 25, 2013

Hundreds protest Education Cuts in Harrisburg 6/25

Education Advocates Protest Funding Cuts In Harrisburg
June 25, 2013 4:16 PM

Jon Delano


PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Hundreds of teachers and public school supporters rallied in Harrisburg Tuesday afternoon hoping to stall school closings and layoffs this fall.

It comes as legislators continue to debate a state budget that, critics say, does little to restore funding cuts made to education in earlier years.

About 150 teachers, parents and students boarded three buses in Pittsburgh Tuesday morning headed to Harrisburg as part of a rally of more than 800 at the State Capitol to protest Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget cuts to education.

More at link: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/06/25/education-advocates-protest-funding-cuts-in-harrisburg/

June 20, 2013

Latest goings-on with NCLB re-authorization in Congress

Republicans' No Child Left Behind Bill Passes House Committee, Moving Away From Bush's Vision


The House Education and the Workforce Committee on Wednesday passed the Student Success Act, chairman Rep. John Kline's (R-Minn.) rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act with a 23-16 vote along party lines.

"Our students deserve more than a short-term fix," Kline said. "They deserve a better law."

Kline's bill goes further than any No Child Left Behind reauthorization attempt in recent years, moving far afield from George W. Bush's 2001 education brainchild by dramatically reducing the federal government's role in America's schools. Kline has eschewed federally prescribed performance goals, a shift for which groups ranging from education advocates to the Chamber of Commerce have attacked him. Kline says preserving the requirement that states must report student test scores by ethnicity, language ability and socioeconomic status is accountability enough, since it empowers parents.

More at link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/republicans-no-child-left-behind_n_3464857.html

June 18, 2013

This is really a question for ATA, but....

I don't know if anyone has asked it because so many posts are still under review over there.

Why are clicks on a poster's name taking us to their journal instead of profile? I don't want to see journals. I just want to see the basic information like gender and location.

Anyone else agree with me?

June 17, 2013

Will the Supreme Court decision on Arizona's Voting Law have an effect in PA?

copied from LBN: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014510941#post7
It seems very similar to PA's law which is now "on hold" (or something) pending state court proceedings.

Justices Reject Arizona Voting Law Requiring Proof of Citizenship
Source: NY Times

Arizona may not require documentary proof of citizenship from prospective voters, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-to-2 decision on Monday.

Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, No. 12-71, said a federal law requiring states to “accept and use” a federal form displaced an Arizona law.

The federal law, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, allows voters to register using a federal form that asks, “Are you a citizen of the United States?” Prospective voters must check a box for yes or no, and they must sign the form, swearing under the penalty of perjury that they are citizens.

The state law, by contrast, required prospective voters to prove that they were citizens by providing copies of or information concerning various documents, including birth certificates, passports, naturalization papers or Arizona driver’s licenses, which are available only to people who are in the state lawfully.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/us/justices-reject-arizona-voting-law-requiring-proof-of-citizenship.html

June 17, 2013

Well, the Prez.does pride himself on bi-partisanship.

I'm not against the Dept. of Ed. I think they do some valuable oversight of Title programs, for example. I'm just anti-Arne and consider him to be unqualified and a shill for the so-called "reformers". It makes me crazy to hear Obama tout RTTT.

As to local control.... well we still have it, but in many places this has been co-opted by the wingnuts to subvert separation of church and state, for example. Conservatives are notoriously anti-public education as well. Some of them want to decimate local districts so they can replace them with for-profit charters. If that means "local control".... I completely oppose that -- as do most democrat I would think.

June 16, 2013

Fire Arnie Duncan and ditch Race to the Top.

Let qualified (real) educators set education policies. Eliminate NCLB before next year when the 100% proficiency takes effect.

Re-introduce the Public Option. As a lame duck, you have nothing to lose.

Forget about Chained CPI and save our Social Security!

Go back again for gun registration. You came close last time, don't abandon it so quickly.

How's that for starters?

June 16, 2013

My dad.....

1922-1996. He died suddenly and way too young.

He was a WWII hero, having served in the Pacific. He and his five brothers all served at the same time. They built the house I grew up in.

He was an incredibly hard-worker who managed to put three kids through college even though he only had a tenth-grade education. He was the most generous person I ever knew.

I wish I had known him better and longer.

June 16, 2013

I agree with you about testing.

However, I don't believe that many DUers would have been affected by the emphasis on standardized testing, which has really cranked up since NCLB under bush (2001). Do we have that many recent HS grads at DU? (The test is given in grades 3, 8, and 11.)

JMO, but I think people don't read much anymore! How many times have you read through a lengthy link and then returned to the OP to see additional comments that are obviously ill-informed? Way too many times I have seen people respond to posts with a short "sound-bite" instead of a well-thought-out position.

Whether this has anything to do with education, I really don't know. We still teach reading comprehension! In fact, it's on
"the test"! Why not just blame the media instead. They are a better target than the schools.

June 16, 2013

Wait a minute!

That is a pretty broad-brushed indictment of our educational system. Have you ever been to the Education Group here at DU?

If not, please enlighten yourself: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1124

There are good schools, great schools, and struggling schools. There is no "system"--- but there sure is a part of the country that is too ready to jump on educators for all of society's shortcomings. Democrats need to support schools, not blame them.