As explained here, I will be guest alongside Colorado Attorney General John Suthers on tomorrow evening's edition of Independent Thinking: I2I Education Policy Analyst Ben DeGrow and AG Suthers will join I2I president Jon Caldara to Discuss Supreme Court Victory on Friday's episode of Independent Thinking. The show will disect the legal victory for the free speech rights of workers. The episode airs on KBDI Channel 12 in Denver (Channel 32 in Colorado Springs) TOMORROW (Friday) at 8:30 PM, and on Sunday, July 8, at 11:30 AM. Just remember: it's an episode labor union leaders don't want you to see. … [Read more...]
Bennett’s Powerful Message: Bring Back American History
Read William Bennett's impassioned plea to teach kids the soul of American history once more, published today in National Review Online. I share Dr. Bennett's passion: So many young Americans today are truly deprived in this respect. Bennett explains: Many of our history books are either too tendentious — disseminating a one-sided, politically correct view of the history of the greatest nation that ever existed; or, worse, they are boring — providing a watered down, anemic version of a people who have fought wars at home and abroad for the purposes of liberty and equality, conquered deadly diseases, and placed men on the moon. And later: In his farewell address to the nation, the large-minded amateur historian President Ronald … [Read more...]
GOP Presidential Candidate to Address Liberal NEA Delegates
Although I can't find it on their website, the National Education Association has confirmed eight presidential candidates to come speak at its annual meeting starting next Friday in Philadelphia, at least according to an email sent by the Colorado Education Association affiliate to its members. The eight candidates are listed alphabetically, as follows: 1. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) 2. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) 3. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) 4. Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) 5. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) 6. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) 7. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) 8. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) There are seven complete non-surprises there. But, if you're at all like me, you are wondering what Gov. Huckabee … [Read more...]
Spotlight on Arrupe Jesuit: Innovative Denver School
A great story in today's Denver Post about the innovative program at the city's Arrupe Jesuit High School. It is a private parochial institution that predominantly serves poor and Hispanic students, with significantly higher attendance and graduation rates than surrounding public schools. The success of Arrupe Jesuit (also highlighted today at the Head First blog) is tied to its innovative Corporate Work Study Program, that requires every student to spend time working entry-level, corporate jobs to provide valuable experience and to offset tuition. Per-student costs are $7,500, compared to $10,000 or more for Denver Public Schools. The report "Rethinking High School" by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation highlights Arrupe Jesuit's … [Read more...]
GOP Senators Tell Boulder School Officials to Straighten Up
Update (6/5): Open blogging keyboard, insert foot. I clearly glossed over the problems with O'Reilly's reporting of the situation. Upon closer examination and analysis, he clearly has distorted the goings-on in Boulder (to be sensational? to fit the thesis of his book? I don't know). Boulder school officials aren't to be completely exculpated, but they have handled the matter more responsibly than the Fox News commentator has given them credit for doing. So, regretful apologies for my earlier misstatement, and hope this adds a little clarity. Republicans in the Colorado legislature have taken their turn now putting the heat on leaders of Boulder Valley School District for putting on a mandatory pro-sex, pro-drugs seminar for high school … [Read more...]
Friday One-Two Punch on Dems Blockading Education Reform
In an opinion piece today for the Denver Post, two Republican state lawmakers - Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, and Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Golden - recap the recent direction of education reform in the Colorado legislature. Among other things, they criticize the Democratic majority for enacting new detailed sex education standards (signed by Governor Ritter this week) while being unable to set even modest standards for math, science, and English proficiency (as I also wrote about many weeks ago): It is not as though meaningful reforms weren't proposed. Senate Bill 73, by Chris Romer, D-Denver, and Michael Garcia, D- Aurora, would have required students to be proficient in English to receive a Colorado diploma. And Senate Bill 131, which we … [Read more...]
Updates
I earlier advertised a new Colorado education blog. Here's a better link to it than the one I provided. I also mentioned my appearance on the Rightalk.com show Labor Pains. The 1-hour show runs on a loop between now and tomorrow (Thursday, 5/17) at noon local time. My segment is on during the last quarter hour, so tune in at 3:45 or 4:45 or 5:45, etc., if you just can't get enough of my opinions and insights. ^^^^^^^ The Cisco 352-001 ADVDESIGN who has been through NS0-163 Network appliance data protection solutions or Microsoft MB2-633 installation and deployment in dynamics CRM is usually great candidates for 1z0-047 Oracle database SQL expert as well as Cisco 642-061 routing and switching solutions for system engineers. Few … [Read more...]
Unraveling Claims of “Bipartisan” Property Tax-Hike Backers
The Dead Governors tout a story about their heroic maverick Republican legislator Al White, who bucked the party line to support a tax increase without a vote of the people (an issue completely ignored in the posting and in the news story linked). White has enabled the Governor to hold forth his property tax hike as a "bipartisan" measure. And the Dead Guvs show no interest in taking a critical look at the piece they so enthusiastically quote. (Nor care to mention the Democrats who voted against it.) The Dead Guvs' silence is consistent with their own faulty usage of the phrase "property tax freeze," which is inaccurate and an abuse of the English language - as I pointed out in a previous post. Unprompted, I am glad to offer my own … [Read more...]
New Colorado Education Blog
This may not be of interest to all my readers, but check out a new Colorado education blog with some diverse viewpoints and provocative thinking: Head First's Schools for Tomorrow. And tell them Ben sent you. … [Read more...]
Denver Union Leaders Should Tout Past Successes
Is the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) a victim of its own salary-negotiating success? Why does the union that represents teachers in Denver Public Schools (DPS) not want to embrace how well it has done to increase compensation for its rank-and-file? Because it's time for DCTA to negotiate for even more money. As the Rocky Mountain News editors highlight today, the district's teachers have not been shortchanged nearly as much as some have touted: The district's figures show a cumulative salary increase of more than 21 percent for teachers who will have worked for DPS for four years, from 2004-05 to 2007-08. To be blunt, that has come in part at the expense of other DPS unions (who have received 11.5 percent) and school … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- …
- 49
- Next Page »