Nov 30, 2012
A Louisiana state judge, in a major victory for public education, ruled this afternoon that the state’s school voucher program is unconstitutional. The ruling is a blow to Gov. Bobby Jindal and vindication for the Louisiana Association of Educators, which has fought the program since it first arose in the state legislature this spring. Judge [...]
Nov 30, 2012
“About the American Legislative Exchange Council “Jobs, Innovation, and Opportunity in the States has been published by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) as part of its mission to discuss, develop, and disseminate public policies which expand free markets, promote economic growth and limit the size of government. ALEC is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary [...]
Nov 29, 2012
Blessed be the Lawmakers — A Seasonal Kind of Celebration…. by Amy Kerr Hardin | Democracy Tree Oh ye fine ladies, tis anon thouest doth pay homage to thine heroes of ye honourable Michigan O’Legislature – cometh now, permit not thou pouteth such, be ye good fair maidens and displayeth proper respect and beareth due homage uponst thine finest of menfolk… Exalt! Courageous leaders be they! Get your shit [...]
Nov 27, 2012
here is something I received today that merits everyone’s attention: A bad idea that could dismantle the U.S. Postal Service is gaining traction in Congress, and we need your help to stop it. Working behind closed doors, holdover members of the House and Senate are trying to ram through harmful changes to the Postal Service [...]
Nov 25, 2012
Now on Sale at Walmart, Education Rephorm Diane Ravitch referred to this blog today which wryly makes some excellent points. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Walmart is leading the effort to give low-income Americans more ¢hoi¢e in education, while insuring that they remain low income. It is a well known fact that students who attend our union-stifled public schools [...]
Nov 24, 2012
In an excellent piece of investigative journalism written by Bob Sloan that was released by the Voter Legislative Transparency Project on ALEC memberships/dues you will find this statement: Kasich, Walker and Brewer are all alumni. How about Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor? Both are known ALEC “alumni” and with the discovery [...]
Nov 24, 2012
If you’ve turned on the news or picked-up a paper you’ll have seen protests on the streets of Cairo where angry mobs torched the offices of the Islamist Party over President Morsi’s decree granting himself omnipotent authority that can not be challenged by the courts. Most Americans are outraged that this democratically elected leader has aborgated the democratic principles [...]
Nov 23, 2012
The latest news is that on Nov. 19, after several discussions over the past year and at least one postponed vote, ALEC’s legislative board of directors has voted not to adopt the resolution opposing the common core, the group announced in an email. ALEC stated that it will remain “neutral” on the common core, “but [...]
Nov 23, 2012
At the K-12 levels, high-quality teachers and well-run schools are essential to student achievement. However, public educators are largely being blamed for struggling students rather than focusing on larger systemic issues such as children in poverty, unsafe neighborhoods and substandard schools which can make it difficult to learn (1). Although there is a lot of focus on education problems by policymakers, [...]
