Tag: Education
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‘Story of Stuff’ video attempts to shame us into depression
A video claiming that American-style capitalism is ruining the earth is making its way into our nation’s schools as “a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation,” according to a story on the front page of the New York Times in May. It’s produced by one Annie Leonard, described in the Times as “a former…
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Kansas school spending lobby pot calls kettle black
After the 2009 Kansas Legislature ended its session in May (notwithstanding the formal closing in June), the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA, the teachers union) produced a document wrapping up the session and setting the stage for the future. Kansans need to be aware of the agenda of this organization and its allied school spending…
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The effectiveness of court-ordered funding of schools
As the school spending lobby in Kansas beats the drums of a new school funding lawsuit, we ought to consider whether these lawsuits have any merit. That is, have they produced positive results in the classroom? Or do these suits serve only to increase spending?
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Markets could guide Wichita school district
Reduce either the number of administrators or their salaries, and that would make more money available for other things, such as teachers. Currently the district needs to cut its budget, however, so the savings would more likely be used to meet that demand. This brings up the broader question of staffing in the Wichita public…
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The inevitability of parental choice
By Howie Rich A year ago, the nation’s largest newspaper wrote in an editorial that it was time to “move beyond vouchers” in the debate over America’s educational future. Although it did not reject any particular solution outright, the paper’s recommendation at the time was that America focus its energy and attention on less controversial…
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School choice is a civil rights issue
Al Sharpton called school reform the civil rights challenge of our time. He said that the enemy of opportunity for blacks in the U.S. was once Jim Crow; today, in a slap at the educational establishment, he said it was “Professor James Crow.” Sharpton is only partly correct. School reform is not solely a racial…
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Study of public and private school teachers reveals sharp differences
Last week the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice published research that examines how teachers feel about their jobs. In particular, the study compared how public school teachers and private school teachers viewed their jobs and working conditions.
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Schools need to be more productive
If your blood test comes back with bad results, do you address the problems it reveals — or do you blame the doctor who interprets the test? The U.S. Department of Education just released the latest long-term results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, an important diagnostic tool for measuring the…
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Education reformer to speak in Wichita
Noted education activist and reformer John Taylor Gatto will be appearing in Wichita on May 22. Gatto will present an insider’s perspective on problems within public schools. He is the author of The Underground History of American Education: A Schoolteacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling.
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Articles of Interest
Wichita school funding, Wichita city property, Kansas campaigns, Great Depression, No Child Left Behind.
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Kansas City charter school succeeds in urban environment
USD 259, the Wichita public school district, doesn’t want them. The Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) — the teachers union — doesn’t want them either. But where they’re able to exist, charter schools usually do a good job. They often excel. And where they don’t do a good job, they usually go out of business.
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Wichita-area school superintendents make flawed case
Sunday’s Wichita Eagle contains an op-ed piece by several Wichita-area public school superintendents that calls for the Kansas Legislature to spare K-12 education from budget cuts. The piece starts with a recognition of the importance of education. I don’t think that anyone will disagree with this assertion. From then on, however, there’s little that I…