Thanks for those who tuned in to News Talk 1310 KFKA this morning to hear my inaugural guest host appearance on the Amy Oliver Show. For those who want more information on the guests and some of the topics discussed: Alan Gottlieb of the Public Education and Business Coalition edits the HeadFirst Colorado blog, which covers a range of education reform issues. Today we talked about the latest on the Bruce Randolph autonomy proposal, including union officials' latest delaying tactic, which Alan also posted on today. There's also a great story from yesterday on the topic at Face the State. I posted on the news of the rapidly growing estimates of revenue from the Governor's property tax hike at the Colorado Taxpayers blog. Other stories … [Read more...]
School Choice for Kids Website
I have been remiss in not blogging about this sooner, but many of my readers probably aren't aware of an innovative new website created by the Independence Institute (full disclosure: where I work), a website created and maintained in part by a lot of intensive labor from my own Mrs. Virtus. If you are a parent of school-age children in Colorado, nor if you care at all about education reform, please pay attention. You can watch this 28-minute video recently aired on Colorado public television to learn more about the School Choice for Kids website (and/or read about some of the site's features below): Add to My Profile | More Videos The School Choice for Kids site contains significant information about every public school in … [Read more...]
A Crack Opens in the Education Reform Floodgates
With the Denver Public Schools board's unanimous approval last night of the Bruce Randolph School's request for autonomy from district red tape and union work rules, we may see a crack opening in the floodgates of education reform. Word is that a dozen other DPS schools are ready to follow in Randolph's footsteps. But everyone is awaiting the union's official response:The autonomy agreement must still be approved by the 22-member governing board of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, expected to vote Jan. 8. DCTA President Kim Ursetta did not mention the proposal in brief remarks to the board. She has repeatedly said the union has some questions about the plan and is working with Bruce Randolph staff to get answers."Working with … [Read more...]
Not-so-shocking News: Union Lawyers Caught Lying
Update: More on this story in today's Rocky Mountain News ... Here's the "dog bites man" story of the day: lawyers for the Colorado Education Association are caught telling a series of lies to stop teachers and leaders at Denver's Bruce Randolph School from obtaining autonomy from restrictive district red tape and union-negotiated work rules. Still, unsurprising as the news may be, it can be thoroughly instructive to read the actual memos and see just how far the union's legal team will go to mislead its own members. … [Read more...]
Take a Step Back in Looking at Murderer’s Upbringing
The journalistic peep show into the life of a murderer continues, as witnessed in this morning's Denver Post:The ultra-religious home-school curriculum that Matthew Murray ranted about in Web postings before he opened fire at two Christian centers forbids dating, rock music and "wrong clothes." It advises young men and women to live at home until their parents release them and counsels parents to choose marriage partners for their offspring. I suppose this information is interesting as far as it goes, but needs to be carefully qualified with three other vital insights, some of which are covered in the article: 1. The clearly misguided and inappropriate approach of the highlighted facets of this home-school curriculum represent the … [Read more...]
On a Transparency Kick
In case you care to read them, below are my two latest published pieces for your perusal, and they strike a common theme: transparency in government. On Nov. 24, the Rocky Mountain News published (printed in the Sunday Denver Post, of all places) my Speakout submission in response to Gov. Ritter's unionization executive order. This Sunday, the Pueblo Chieftain published my op-ed calling for greater online transparency of school district budgets. Want to figure out as a taxpayer just how much your local schools are spending on different items? Think it's easy? Hence, the purpose of the op-ed. So yes, I've been writing on a transparency in government kick lately. It's an important issue more people on both sides of the aisle might … [Read more...]
Teacher Performance Pay Back on the Docket?
For the second consecutive year, State Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, is coming forward with a bill to provide state dollars to schools that develop and implement performance-based compensation plans for teachers - a reform idea that has gained tremendous bipartisan support nationally. Last year I provided legislative testimony highlighting the new body of research showing the effectiveness of merit-pay programs. On a party-line vote, Democrats in the committee killed it. This year, the Governor's P-20 Education Council has included a tepid endorsement of "alternative teacher compensation." With this new political reality, there may be a better chance to see Colorado become a progressive leader in educator pay. But the devil will … [Read more...]
Harsanyi on Indoctrination into “Ritter’s Fantastical World”
On Monday I wrote about Gov. Ritter's plan to impose Greenhouse Global Warming hysteria on Colorado's public school classrooms. David Harsanyi's Denver Post column today explores the issue with more skilled and entertaining prose: Not long ago, Ritter assembled the P-20 Education Coordinating Council to foster a "seamless education system from pre-school to grad- school." Nowhere in the literature of the P-20 Education Coordinating Council - and I've looked far and wide - does it mention anything about the educational system being used to politically indoctrinate children. Yet, the Climate Action Plan says that "the state will work through the Governor's P-20 Education Council and others to make sustainability curricula become standard … [Read more...]
Ritter Calls for Climate Fearmongering in Every Classroom
Mere days after stepping into a major political mess, Gov. Ritter announced an ambitious plan to tackle the problem of global warming. Perhaps he aspires to win the Nobel Prize. More studied individuals than myself can break down the economic costs of his proposals, and I look forward to seeing those analyses. For now, though, I wanted to focus on one aspect of Ritter's 33-page "Climate Change Action Plan": Climate curricula. The state will work through the Governor’s P-20 Education Council and others to make sustainability curricula become standard fare in K-12 classrooms throughout the state. Today’s students will be living in a warmer climate resulting from the activities of previous generations. They need to understand the … [Read more...]
Carroll: Colorado NOT Near Bottom in Education Funding
Colorado's public school establishment has gradually been losing its grip on the education monopoly, and it's also been losing its grip on the funding statistics monopoly. No need to retread old roads, but kudos once again to the Rocky Mountain News' Vincent Carroll for reminding readers that Colorado does not rank near the bottom of K-12 school funding but near the middle: [Denver superintendent Michael] Bennet is right that Coloradans don’t spend lavishly on education, comparatively speaking. But we haven’t exactly been Scrooges, either. For those dying to know more, check out my 2006 Independence Institute report "Counting the Cash." … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- …
- 49
- Next Page »