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Friday, August 31, 2012

More Chris Matthews Foolishness On Education

Last night,  Chris "Tweety" Matthews (it's what his staff calls him) made a series of riduculous statements about education during MSNBC's coverage of the Republican convention. Here's the video (it's not embeddable, so I can show it here). I urge you to watch the entire thing, because - despite Matthews's embarrassing performance - I actually find it highly encouraging.

But before I say why, let me finish debunking Matthews. I've already dealt with his cluelessness about our educational standing in the world and its relationship to poverty. Bashing America's schools and students - and, yes, that's exactly what this is - is a favored trope of ignorant pundits; however, what they really love is beating down on unions:
How we deal with the teachers union is a problem - especially a problem for the Democratic party. I live in Washington, D.C., I have to say: Randi Weingarten has not done a good job for our city. We have got a mayor who is got [?] a good mayor, we lost the best superintendent we ever had of education, and I think the school teachers have to explain that.
How does one man pack so much illogic and ignorance into such a short statement?

Michelle Rhee was, of course, the superintendent Matthews was talking about. As Matt DiCarlo points out, Rhee's claims that her performance bonuses helped raise student achievement are contradicted by the fact that test score gains following the implementation of the bonuses were mostly flat.

Rhee has claimed many times that it is important to close the "achievement gap," but it actually widened during her tenure in Washington. And any gains in test scores are highly suspect anyway, as the district has been embroiled in a cheating scandal that hasn't been properly investigated.

None of that matters to pundits like Matthews. Rhee may be a phony and her group, StudentFirst, may be an astroturfering front for the corporate takeover of education. But that doesn't matter: she's a celebrity - like Chris!

It's how these people view the world; it's how they judge credibility. Screw actual performance; all you need is to do is get yourself on the cover of the right magazine, and you can count on Chris Matthews believing any fool thing that comes out of your yap.

Now, why would I be encouraged by all this? It's because of what happened next: Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton, and Chris Hayes managed to rebut Matthews with a series of arguments that come directly from the education blogosphere. Someone is listening to us.

Schultz is right that Scott Walker's attack on teachers in Wisconsin is typical of the Republican party. Matthews attempted to give back the tired answer that everyone loves teachers and wants to see them make more. Schultz, correctly, called that rhetoric; none of the Republican governors who were elected in 2010 have any plan to raise teacher pay.

I'd only add that this isn't just a Republican malady: Arne Duncan, current Secretary of Education, likes to make lots of noise about paying teachers more but has never proposed a serious plan to make it happen. Schultz is dead on when he says this professed love of teachers is nothing more than rhetoric.

Next, Sharpton made a statement I have to correct: he said that Randi Weingarten negotiated the tenure reform bill with Chris Christie. Look, I am a big supporter of AFT, both nationally and in New Jersey. But AFT's presence here is limited to Newark and a few other distrcits; the fact is that NJEA led the tenure reform debate over the last year. The final law is closer to NJEA's initial proposal than any other plan that was out there.

That's not to say AFT wasn't closely involved - they were. AFTNJ is a good group: they've been the only adults in the room during the Perth Amboy mess. But Christie's war has always been with NJEA first, and teachers unions in general second. The fact that NJEA got most of what they want in the tenure law shows that they still wield considerable power. And yet NJ is the #2 state in the nation for student achievement; gosh, could it be that maybe unions aren't the problem with education today?

Where Sharpton gets it right is to point out that the real agenda of the reformy movement is the privatization of public education and union busting. When Matthews pushed back with the next tired reformy point - that we have to give parents options so they can "save" their children - Sharpton made a great point:
Why do we have to select some children and leave others? Why don't we build a system that all children... government's job is not for some children to get out; it's to lift everybody up.
At this point, the evidence is clear: the charter/voucher movement cannot and will not serve all children. Diane Ravitch made a challenge point blank to the darlings of charterism, KIPP, to take on an entire district; they refused, and admitted they can't do it. If that's the case, people like Matthews have an obligation to be honest in their cheerleading for "choice" - it's only a choice for some students.

But, for me, the best moment in all this was Chris Hayes, who does as good a job succinctly encapsulating the education reform debate as I've heard:
What striking to me is this equality of opportunity rhetoric is what we hear about this, right? America offers equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. As equality of outcome expands massively - in America, right, inequality is growing - we put more and more pressure... we say the only institution in American life that is supposed to fix the inequality is the education system. And the inequality grows and grows and grows and we say to the education system: "Do more and more and more to fix it."
If you are committed to equality of opportunity as Jeb Bush and the Republican party say they are, then how does cutting SCHIP, cutting Medicaid, cutting food stamps for kids, cutting the entire universe of redistributive services for those kids provide equality of opportunity?
It's a great point, brilliantly made - but it did not grow in a vacuum. Schultz and Sharpton and Hayes are making a case that has been built up on blogs and internet radio shows and even tweets for years.

Let me speak to my fellow education bloggers for a second. Folks, I know you, like me, often feel like you are out in the wildness, howling at the wind. It's easy to believe that we are simply talking to each other, and we're not breaking through to the larger discussion.

We must understand that this is a long, slow grind. Conservatives took years to build up a right-wing echo chamber that now serves to put the kookiest, craziest nonsense into the mainstream.  That echo chamber is perhaps the most potent force in American politics, and it's all based on conservatives talking to each other. When an idea gains resonance in the chamber, it can't help but spring out and dominate the conversation.

We have begun to build our own anti-reformy echo chamber. It is starting to project ideas out into the ears of Schultz and Sharpton and Hayes and others ready to listen. This is a good thing; this segment is proof that we are making some headway.

This will not be an easy slog, but we have one advantage over the reformy right: the truth. Charters are not replicable. Unions are not antithetical to student success. Teachers are important, but only one part of a much larger picture. Evidence for vouchers is weak. Test-based teacher evaluation is a train wreck. There are many who openly admit they want to make lots of money off of public education.

These are truths. We need to keep stating them over and over and over again. If we do, it will break through; we will be heard.

All hands on deck.

ADDING: There's only one cure for Matthews's cluelessness: Diane Ravitch needs to go on Hardball. Anyone up for a campaign?

ADDING MORE: I don't want to be misconstrued, so I'll say this again: yes, AFT was a player in the tenure law negotiations. But it was really NJEA's proposal that wound up becoming the final bill; I think that's critically important to understand now that Christie is running around the country claiming he was the one who drove the negotiations. He wasn't; the bill happened in spite of him, not because of him.

I'm an NJEA member, but AFTNJ is, again, a very good organization; I don't want anything I say to be misconstrued here as being critical of their role or of Randi Weingarten's in the tenure bill negotiations. I may not agree with everything AFT does (or the NJEA, for that matter), but I am a pro-union teacher, no matter which union we're talking about.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Chris Matthews: A Fool On Education

Tonight, Chris Matthews revealed himself to be a total ignoramus on education. So much nonsense came out of his big, yellow head that I can't address it all in one post. But I won't be able to sleep tonight until I get this first thing on the record (no embeddable video yet; watch here):
"It is an amazing challenge down here in Florida, Rachel. I've never seen such diversity. The classroom I was in had 200 kids from all over the world: South Asia, Latin America, everywhere. An amazing challenge...
"I think it's where the left and the right can agree - and Condi Rice certainly rang the bell last night, I thought rather well - education is the civil rights issue of the future. We have to win this fight. The fact that we're so far down on the totem pole right now worldwide in terms of math and science and general education is the challenge I think. "
Wait a minute Chris: you were just in an American classroom where there were kids from all over the world. Even though you say we are at the bottom.

Are people immigrating to America to send their kids to our bad schools?

Or might it be that part of our challenge is to educate the most socially, racially, ethnically, and economically diverse student population in the developed world?

Which explains why, when you account for poverty, America is actually at the top of the world in education?

Matthews goes on to tell us that Michelle Rhee is the best superintendent Washington D.C. ever had. No, really, he did.

I'll take this nonsense on tomorrow. And I'll tell you why I think this segment may, in fact, be the best news I've seen about the fight against reforminess in a long, long time.

I tawt I taw Michelle Rhee!

"No Excuses": Race, Class, & Education

Last night, Condoleezza Rice stood in front of the Republican National Convention and declared that education was the "civil rights issue of our day." Diane Ravitch points out that it never occurs to these people that poverty should be the real civil rights issue, as poverty is the best predictor of school performance, health, longevity, happiness, and so on.

I'd add that we should also consider that "civil rights" might be the civil rights issue of our time, what with the massive, conservative-driven voter disenfranchisement that's going on in the country. That's closely linked to the destruction of local control of schools in the cities; and it begs a question of those, like Rice, who insist that education reforminess is the answer to endemic poverty:

Why are the corporate reformers creating schools for poor and/or minority children that engage in practices that affluent parents would never accept for their own kids?

Yes, this starts with the governance of schools: suburban parents demand a say in their district's supervision, and would never accept mayoral or state control at the expense of their ability to influence local education decision making. One of the reasons parents in the suburbs of New Jersey pushed back so hard against the expansion of charter schools was that they would have no say over how those schools were run; it would be, essentially, taxation without representation. Yet autocrats regularly insist - usually in coded language - that urban parents and taxpayers are incapable of running their own schools or their own districts, even when state or mayoral control has been a failure.

This notion of "separate but equal" also extends into the curriculum and culture of the urban charter schools that have become the standard-bearers of the reformy movement. This is, until now, a story that has been told by very few (Jonathan Kozol most prominently). But there is increasing evidence that the way children are being taught in a "no excuses" environment of the cities is radically different from the way affluent parents demand their children learn.

Which is why this post from Paul Thomas is so important. I urge you to read the entire thing, but here's a taste:

• Students are nearly silent in class (to quote this teacher) "mostly because they've been trained like dogs [emphasis added] to never speak -- I had to repeatedly tell one class that it was ok to talk to their group during GROUP discussion -- foreign concept for them." ["No excuses" schools confuse "training" with "learning."]

• The students have primarily been taught to be compliant; again to quote the teacher:
"They [the students] can't think for themselves, they have no concept of style and author's craft (they're skill drilled their 9th grade year), and they have a very prescriptive method for annotating texts to the point where the students are annotating in the margins so they won't get in trouble [emphasis added], but they're not making any meaning with the text. One student today asked me how many annotations per paragraph they needed, and when I told her she needed to note where she saw fit, she looked so confused and upset."
• Ironically, teachers have a great deal of support and autonomy, and are primarily themselves treated with respect and as professionals, but, as this teacher notes, that allows TFA recruits (without experience or expertise) to function with little supervision. [Note that increasingly charter schools are afforded autonomy while public schools suffer under impossible mandates.]
This is a description of urban "no excuses" education I'm hearing again and again and again, and you know what? No one in the affluent 'burbs would accept it for their own kids.

Yes, suburban parents demand discipline - but age-appropriate discipline that teaches children, rather than indoctrinates them. Yes, suburban parents want their children to learn when to be silent - but not all of the time; they understand a child must be given the chance to express her opinion if she is to grow. Yes, suburban parents want their children to be fluent in the mechanics of language and mathematical computation - but they want their children to be able to write creative and engaging essays and apply math skills to complex problems.

I've been going off for quite some time now about the predilection of reformyists like Bill Gates and Barack Obama and Chris Christie to play up destructive education policies in public schools that their own children won't have to endure, because these folks send their kids to private schools. Shame on them for their hypocrisy.

But this is worse. It is fundamentally anti-American to espouse one type of education for poor urban children and another type for affluent suburban children. If we really, truly cared about these most-neglected and most-deserving kids, we'd be working to make their lives as much like those of their suburban peers as possible - both in and out of the classroom.

That's the real civil rights issue of our time.

ADDING: Via Diane Ravitch, here's Michael Paul Goldenberg:
But perhaps at least as important is the TYPE of education KIPP provides, the kind of teaching TFA promotes, and what that means for students. On my view, KIPP is a very regressive philosophy. It’s “work hard, be nice” mantra sounds wonderful to many people, but to me, given that KIPP is working mostly with poor students of color, it sounds very much like “get back in your place. Don’t complain. Do what you’re told.” And given that there is so much emphasis on chanting, rote, and in general the sort of bunch o’ facts education that none of its wealthy backers and cheerleaders would EVER accept for themselves or their children, it feels racist, classist, and reactionary: designed to ensure that inner-city students of color and poverty are pacified with marginal and minimal skills that will not lead them to satisfying, challenging lives with competitive salaries. Frankly, I would scream if my son were in a KIPP-style school, and so would most educated parents. [emphasis mine]
Amen. Once again, here's George Carlin preaching the truth:

They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying -- lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want -- they want MORE for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want. They DON'T want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that, that doesn't help them. That's against their interests. That's right. They don't want people who are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they're getting ****** by system that threw them overboard 30 ******' years ago. They don't want that. You know what they want? They want OBEDIENT WORKERS. OBEDIENT WORKERS. People who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork, and just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly ******** jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime, and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

America, Now You Know What NJ Is Stuck With

So last night was the big debut on the national stage for Chris Christie. I'm actually surprised at the number of poor reviews - and not just from liberals:
Fox News host Chris Wallace had nothing but nice words for Ann Romney's speech at the GOP convention on Tuesday night, saying that it was "effective" and that "everyone afterward was buzzing" about it.
But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) convention speech? Not so much.
"I have to say, personally, I thought it was one of the most off-key keynote speeches I ever heard," Wallace said.
He noted that Christie said the word "I" 37 times, "Romney" seven times, and "jobs" one time.
"[I]t seemed sometimes as if he was promoting his own candidacy more than he was Mitt Romney's," Wallce added. "People liked the speech, but not nearly the kind of intense reaction to it and intense listening to it that there was for Ann Romney.
Understand this about Chris Christie, folks: he is an egomaniac of the highest order. It's always about him and his "courage." Those of us stuck with him weren't surprised in the least that last night's speech was so self-congratulatory.

But aside from the politics of the speech (here's a transcript), there are a few things to note:
They said it was impossible to cut taxes in a state where taxes were raised 115 times in eight years. That it was impossible to balance a budget at the same time, with an $11 billion deficit. Three years later, we have three balanced budgets with lower taxes.
We did it.
Uh, no. You only balanced the budget because you skipped pension payments, and you pushed through a law (with plenty of Christiecrats in tow) that allows you to skip full payments for seven years. You also effectively raised taxes on the poor by slashing tax credit programs. And by shifting more of the burden away from the state and toward localities, Christie has overseen a huge hike in property taxes
They said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics. To take on the public sector unions and to reform a pension and health benefit system that was headed to bankruptcy.
With bipartisan leadership we saved taxpayers $132 billion over 30 years and saved retirees their pension.
We did it.
Uh, no. You, Governor, were a blatant liar in the 2009 campaign when you told teachers you wouldn't touch their pensions. You remain a blatant liar when you deny what you knew about the impending pension crisis back in 2009. And you haven't saved the pension system at all: it's still a mess.
They said it was impossible to speak the truth to the teachers union. They were just too powerful. Real teacher tenure reform that demands accountability and ends the guarantee of a job for life regardless of performance would never happen.
For the first time in 100 years with bipartisan support, we did it.

Uh, no. The tenure bill was closer to the proposal of the NJEA than any other draft plan out there - including yours. In fact, most of the proposals you floated over the last two years were removed from the final law.
We believe that the majority of teachers in America know our system must be reformed to put students first so that America can compete. Teachers don't teach to become rich or famous. They teach because they love children.
We believe that we should honor and reward the good ones while doing what's best for our nation's future — demanding accountability, higher standards and the best teacher in every classroom.
Uh, no. You have misused the good will of teachers to create an argument in favor of cutting teacher compensation. Personally, I think it's probably one of the most damaging things you've done to education.
They believe the educational establishment will always put themselves ahead of children. That self-interest trumps common sense. They believe in pitting unions against teachers, educators against parents, and lobbyists against children.
They believe in teacher's unions.
We believe in teachers.
Uh, no - you clearly hate teachers. That's why you have insulted them - not teachers unions, but teachers - over and over again.

Egomaniac, liar, promise breaker, incompetent... no wonder the GOP picked him to be their standard bearer last night. Remember:

Reformy Alert! Booker Presents Dem Platform

This is not a good sign:
Newark Mayor Cory Booker will speak at the Democratic National Convention next month in Charlotte, N.C., President Obama’s campaign announced late Thursday night.
Booker, one of a dozen speakers the Obama campaign announced, will present the party platform to convention delegates on Sept. 4. He will be joined by Retired Army Lt. General Claudia Kennedy and Rep. Barbara Lee of California.
It is unclear what time Booker will speak, but so far, he is the only New Jersey Democrat who has been given a speaking role at the convention, which will be held Sept. 3-6. Booker co-chaired the party platform committee and his speech is an extension of that leadership role.
"We have a platform that will excite not just Democrats but the nation ... and ensure that Barack Obama will be re-elected," Booker said during a C-SPAN broadcast of committee deliberations.
Teachers, parents, and advocates for public education: we are in big trouble. We know the Republicans want to dismantle public schools; however, if Cory Booker is going to present the education plank of the Democratic Platform, it's a sign that the two parties aren't very far apart. As I wrote before:
Yes, folks, Supermayor will be helping to write the planks on education.

The guy who wants to do away with seniority for teachers.

The guy who welcomed Eli Broad's money into Newark to remake the public schools with a minimum of local input.

The guy who wants more charters and more vouchers, even if they lead to segregation by income, disability, or even race.

The guy who turned Zuck's bucks into a gravy train for his friends.

The guy who said of gutting tenure: "There is no greater urgency in my city," apparently unaware of his city's soaring murder rate.

The guy who got a paid consultant in his first mayoral campaign hired as the superintendent of schools; the same superintendent who overrides the will of the citizens elected by the people to ensure a system of charters replaces public schools in Newark.

The guy who endorsed a report that threw the teachers who serve the most difficult students to educate under a bus.

Yes, folks, that Cory Booker will be helping to write the planks on education. How do you think it will turn out?
Now he's more than just writing the platform; he's the face of Democratic policy. And he's massively funded by Andrew Tisch, one of the biggest corporate education privatizers in America.

I'll say it again: I'm not throwing my vote away. Romney can't be allowed to gain the White House under any circumstances.

But when folks like "Reformy" Cory Booker are guiding Democratic policy on education, we clearly have a lot of work to do after the election.

I'm here to save you teachers and parents from yourselves!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly

So the stars of Won't Back Down are starting their press junkets. Let the embarrassment commence, starting with Rosie Perez on Good Morning, America (no embed code; you'll have to click through to watch).

Perez says, "We have the worst education system, K through 12." Leave aside how such a sweeping statement is absurd on its face; not once in her little TV visit does Perez bother to mention that we have almost the worst childhood poverty in the developed world. It's probably too much to expect Perez to know that when you control for poverty, American children are at the top of the world.

We get a clip of WBD next, with Perez's character complaining about another teacher's poor work. Obviously, the primary difference between the educational outcomes of students in and out of poverty is their teachers, right?

Perez then says teachers "should be paid so much money," and the audience and the hosts all applaud and cheer - whoo-hoo! Uh, where you gonna get the money, Rosie? Do you think that Philip Anschutz, Walden Media's owner and producer of WBD, is hot to see his taxes raised to pay teachers more?
Though deeply unfortunate, it is also unsurprising that “Won’t Back Down” is such a false and misleading depiction of teachers and unions. Anschutz’s business partner is on record saying that he intends to use Walden Media (which also produced the equally misleading “Waiting for ‘Superman’”), as way for him to promote their values.
A look at the organizations in which Anschutz invests makes those values crystal clear. He has funded 20 organizations, including ALEC, Americans for Prosperity and the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation. All of these groups operate against the public interest in favor of corporate interests, and all of them actively oppose collective bargaining rights and other benefits for workers. Anschutz has also invested millions in anti-gay and extreme religious-right organizations such as the Promise Keepers, whose founder declared that “homosexuality is an abomination against almighty God,” and organizations affiliated with Focus on the Family. [emphasis mine]
Wow - I wonder what Perez thinks about that?

So, Perez makes videos supporting marriage equity at the same time she takes money to appear in movies bankrolled by notorious anti-gay activists. Nice.

Perez wraps up her appearance by juggling bananas and talking about being naked on stage.

Your American education discourse, ladies and gentlemen. There's no doubt we are in for quite a bit more of this idiocy over the next month - hold tight.

Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess

Randi Weingarten does a nice job taking down Won't Back Down, the reformy, fictional film that ignorant pundits are already using to push an anti-union agenda. I particularly liked what Weingarten has to say here:
The film features the union leader sharing a quote that anti-public education ideologues and right-wing politicians often attribute to former AFT president Albert Shanker: “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren.” Despite the frequency with which corporate interests claim Shanker said this, a review of news reports, speeches, and interviews with Shanker’s aides and biographers, and even an analysis by the Washington Post, failed to find any person or report that could corroborate the statement. [emphasis mine]
Digby calls this "Cokie's Law," named after uber-Washington insider and moral scold Cokie Roberts. See, kids, some time in the 1990's, this country's punditocracy lost its freaking mind and became obsessed with stains on blue dresses and inappropriate uses of cigars. As part of the madness, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was pilloried for allegedly saying something about her husband's psyche that she never actually said.

Roberts, supposedly a journalist, made an interesting point that most of the Beltway elite seemed to agree with: it didn't really matter what Clinton had said; all that mattered was that it was "out there."
"At this point," said Roberts, "it doesn't much matter whether she said it or not because it's become part of the culture. I was at the beauty parlor yesterday and this was all anyone was talking about."
Cokie's Law is being used to great effect within refomy circles these days. Recall that NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf claimed Shanker supported charter school expansion; too bad his widow disagrees with that claim.

Michelle Rhee said the research shows that drill-and-kill doesn't lead to higher test scores, so we don't have to worry that high-stakes testing will narrow the curriculum. Too bad the research she cites says no such thing.

And we had Chris Christie's whine that union officials were putting out a call for members to pray for his death; that, of course, never happened.

But it doesn't matter. It feels right to believe these things; that's why they're "part of the culture." Don't worry whether they're actually true; they're truthy.

And isn't that all that matters?

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What About School Boards?

While commenting on New Jersey's new tenure law, a superintendent in Passaic County makes a very good point:
William Petrick, superintendent for the Little Falls School District, and principal for School No. 3, said the bill promises no real change.
"The bill does very little to change any superintendent who is uninspired, unmotivated, and/or too weak to exercise the means that have always been within his or her authority to document cause for termination of a bad teacher or administrator, tenured or otherwise," Petrick explained. "And it promises no real change because it's a compromise bill that waters down the original intention of the governor. But that doesn't matter because no law, not matter how well-written and intended it might be, will ever be able to address the dysfunction that plagues public education, in my opinion." [emphasis mine]
Whoa! Nice to see an administrator say what's really on his mind for a change.

Despite the hyperbole about a plague of disfunction (I really don't have to point out all the evidence that New Jersey has great schools again, do I?), he makes a compelling point: superintendents have always had the power to document poor teaching practice. If they haven't done it up until now, why assume they will start? Where is their incentive?

(Or could it possibly be that there isn't as much poor teaching as some would like us to believe?)

Continuing directly:
Petrick also commented on the legislation's easing costs for districts when it came to blocking tenure.
"Yes, it has been a very challenging and costly endeavor in the past, however, it was already our job before the legislation passed, and more of us need to do it better, sooner and more often," he added. "And many of us would if the intention of this reform legislation addressed the real source of administrative authority in every school district across the state." Petrick also referred to training school boards in what he called "methods of competent, authoritative, appropriate oversight."
"Authoritative and appropriate oversight by a well-run board of education is, I believe, the only thing that could and would ultimately improve public education in our state, because it's the only thing that can consistently inspire and compel superintendents to live up to their charge," he remarked. "I've yet to see any initiative or legislation that directly addresses the dire need for improving the training of boards of education in New Jersey. It seems to me that they are being completely left out of the equation."
Sorry, but I wouldn't say that school boards are being left out: they are at the heart of the debate about local control. The fact is that both Governor Christie and Education Commissioner Cerf do not trust urban school boards to do their bidding, which is why they are taking away as much power away from them as they can. And even though they've run into more push-back in their suburban base than they counted on, they clearly want more influence over policies there.

Cerf is an autocrat; I think he sees school boards as little more than annoyances that must be dealt with on the way to a reformy utopia.

All that said, I still think Petrick is on to something: a fish rots from the head down, and the ultimate head of a school district is its board. But charter schools and state/mayoral control and parent triggers  are moving the power that used to rest with boards to new places: unelected bureaucrats, insulated charter school boards, and partisan politicians.

Can anyone make a compelling case that this will make administrators more accountable? Is there compelling evidence that giving up the governance of democratically elected school boards leads to better educational outcomes? If so, I haven't seen it.

I'm all for better school board training, and I'm all for boards holding superintendents accountable. Petrick is correct in saying that we've spent a lot time talking about better teachers and better principals and very little talking time talking about better school boards.

But maybe that's because the reformy plan is to supersede those boards anyway.

Wars Of Attrition

Diane Ravitch has been having a bit of a battle with the charter school cheerleaders at KIPP (a battle I've happily joined). At issue is not whether KIPP's schools are "successful"; the question is whether KIPP has found the "secret sauce" that makes their teaching methods replicable on a large scale. Paul ThomasBruce Baker, and Ed Fuller have much more on this.

See, it's much, much easier to teach kids when you only teach the ones who are compatible with your system. As Gerald Coles points out, there's now a great deal of evidence that KIPP does exactly this. No one should be surprised; Matt DiCarlo rightly makes the case that, in a climate of school "choice," it's inevitable that families will choose schools that are the right "fit" for their children. Why would anyone be surprised that many children aren't the right "fit" for KIPP?

The problem is that the KIPPsters seem willing to let themselves be used to make a larger argument: that poverty doesn't matter, and all students can learn. Coles points to this op-ed from Bill Carpenter:
These are “no excuses” schools which clearly show that when given the opportunity students living in poverty can achieve. While some will say that this performance is a result of “skimming” the best from this population, all objective assessments have shown this not to be the case. Rather, the differentiating characteristic tends to be a parent who is seeking an “alternative” to the existing public school option.  Given the state of inner city education, this is hardly a criterion for differentiation but rather admiration.
Well, if KIPP only admits children whose parents sign on to its system, isn't that a form of skimming? Or is Carpenter, like Joel Klein and Arne Duncan and Chris Cerf, using isolated examples of "success" to create a logical fallacy:

Ravitch addressed the issue with a simple thought exercise, posed as a challenge: KIPP should run an entire school district. If they can overcome the effects of poverty for more than just a self-selected handful of students, we could reasonably assume that poverty does not matter after all.

The fact that KIPP has backed away from Ravitch's dare should speak volumes. But too many people have too much invested in poverty-denial; they will not go away quietly.

Which brings us to the latest reformy soldier in the War Of Attrition: Dr. Daniel Musher, an apparently brilliant researcher of infectious diseases. I say "apparently" because I am in no way qualified to judge the man's medical work; I'm an educator, and I know my limitations. Dr. Musher, however, suffers from no such boundaries; he finds himself quite capable of judging Ravitch's scholarship, and even offers some of his own:
Despite her academic title, Ravitch has a long track record of selective referencing, and she tends to cite opinion pieces rather than data. Shown in the two figures and table below are results from a published study that had no corporate sponsors and that Ravitch will never cite (Musher KK, Musher DM, Graviss EA, Strudler RM. Can an Academically Intense Educational Experience for Self-selected Students Improve Academic Performance on Objective Tests? Results from One Charter School. The Educational Forum 69:352-66, 2005).
Students from the first two grades to enroll in KIPP Houston were tested at the time of enrollment (entering fifth grade), and again at the end of fifth, sixth and seventh grades. Four subtests of the Woodcock Johnson-Revised test were administerd to one group of children (upper graph) and six tests to another (lower graph). The data show that students began at or below grade level and, three years later, were at or well above grade level. The overall increase in achievement scores was about 5.3 years during three years of schooling. The differences were highly significant, as the reader can see by referring to the original paper. [emphasis mine]
Here's the paper; yes, the title directly references the fact that KIPP's students are "self-selcted." That ought to end this discussion by itself.

But I went a little deeper and quickly read through the work. Here's the comment I left at Ravitch's blog for Musher:

Dr. Musher, I looked (quickly) at your study here:

The attrition rate of the first cohort taking the WJ-R was 37% between 5th and 7th grade. The second cohort’s attrition rate was 30%.
Yet you dismiss this quite casually in the paper. As you are not an education researcher, you may not know that attrition is one of the most important issues in determining the “success” of charters like KIPP. See:
Dr. Ravitch has commended KIPP many times for its fine schools; that’s not the issue at hand.
The real question is whether the KIPP model is replicable on a large scale. I’m sorry, but your paper does little to shed any light on this.
I have to wonder: if Dr. Musher was doing a study on the efficacy of a new vaccine for Ebola virus, would he so casually dismiss the notion that there might be a problem with a trial that excluded nearly 40% of the treatment group in the final analysis? Wouldn't he want to know why those subjects were excluded? Would he be satisfied with the company that developed the drug simply saying, "Oh, we don't exclude anyone from our trials! See, look at all these healthy people over here! The vaccine obviously works!"

So goes our eduction debate.

ADDING: The Perimeter Primate speaks from the comments:
This effort to defend KIPP is — as my daughter might declare — an “epic fail.” What is not disclosed in Dr. Musher’s comment as well as in the 2005 article published by The Educational Forum is that coauthor Karol Musher has a long, long history with the sample school. She appears in Jay Mathews book as helping with KIPP’s Houston launch and has also been a board member for KIPP Inc. (the Houston branch) for many years. According to a 2008 Houston Chronicle profile, Mrs. Musher worked as a consultant for KIPP Academy from 1995-1997 (the first KIPP school in its Houston cluster), then served on the Houston KIPP board from 1997-2002. She also appears on KIPP Inc.’s 2005 & 2006 Form 990s as Emeritus Director, but is listed as an active director on 2008 & 2009 Form 990s (EIN 133875888; returns for 2010 & 2011 not yet publicly available). Mrs. Musher is currently listed on KIPP Houston’s website as a member of its executive board.
Oh, my.

Monday, August 27, 2012

What Is Going On at CNN?

This is just crazy: CNN does a hit interview on Diane Ravitch, and then appears to delete comments from critical viewers.
As readers of this blog know, CNN posted Randi Kaye’s August 18 interview with me a week after it aired.
I heard there were about 35 comments, and they were suddenly deleted.
People started posting comments again, possibly 20 or so, and then they too were deleted.
People went back for a third round and posted the following comments.
A reader (Teresa H from Oregon) copied the entire batch of them, on the off chance that they might also disappear.  (I copied and added the last three.)
Isn’t this ridiculous?
Why is the web editor at CNN deleting your comments?
Look at the comments: over and over, people claim their previous comments were deleted. Does CNN have a limit on comments, where they expire after a day or two? If so, I can't think of another news site that runs like that.

Or do they just delete things that are critical of their anchors?

Doug Criss is a web editor for CNN; his Twitter handle is @ATLnewsman.

Meredith Artley is Vice President and Managing Editor of CNN Digital; her Twitter handle is @MeredithA.

Perhaps you would like to share with them - politely, of course - how you feel about their commenting policy.


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Shaheedi Purab of 5th Guru Arjun Dev celebrated

The Shahidi Purab of 5th Guru Arjun Dev Ji was celebrated in the Jammu District Gurdwaras. The main function was organised at Gurdwara Digiana Ashram Jammu according the Nanak Shahi calendar published by SGPC Amritsar approved by Shri Akal Takhat Sahib the Shahidi Purab was celebrated under the supervision of Mohant Manjit Singh Ji of Sharomani Deri Nangali Sahib Poonch.
Leaders of the various organization of J&K participated including Sikh United Front J&K five elected member DGPC Jammu Bhai Kanaiya Nishkam Sewa Society, AISSF, Sikh Noujawan Sabha, Sikh Welfare Society, J&K Motor Transport Company Association Jammu.
Many Ragies preachers within and out side state participated in the religious congregation including Bhai Jasbir Singh Ji Ragi Paounta Sahib Himachal Wali Bhai Parvinder Singh, Giani Kingpal Singh religious preacher and Head Granthi Gurdwara Alamgir Ludhiana Punjab, S. Swaran Singh Khalsa religious preacher and of SGPC Amritsar and incharge Sikh Mission J&K.
Others who participated and addressed the religious gathering were S. Rangeel Singh & Raman Bhalla, Ex. Ministers, S. Sudershan Singh Wazir President Sikh United Front J&K and Ex. President J&K State Gurdwara Prabandak Board.
Leaders threw light on the life and history of Martyr Guru Arjun Dev Ji and said that some anti Panthic forces are creating confusion among the Sikh Community by publishing a separate Sikh calendar in
Jammu City.
They thanks Sikh Community for not obeying and approving the so called anti Akal Takat Sahib Calendar and warn DGPC Jammu for creating Disunity among the Sikh general masses.
They appreciated Mahant Majit Singh Ji for obeying the directions of Akat Takhat Sahib Amritsar.
The five elected DGPC members S. Avtar Singh Khalsa, S. Dharbinder Singh, S. Ramneek Singh, S. Fateh Singh, S. Raja Singh also strongly criticized the DGPC Jammu for working against the interest of Sikhism and violation of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib directions.
Others who took participated in the function were S. Surinder Singh Kala Convener J&K Motor Transport Company Association Jammu, S. Harvinder Singh CPO, S. Mohinder Singh, S. Paramjeet Singh, S. Kulwant Singh, S. Rajinder Singh, S. Paramjeet Singh Raina, Ex. Corporater,
S. Surjit Singh Kukoo.

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Situation grave but Mehbooba’s options limited

The situation in Kashmir can only be described as grave. Already 32 people have been killed and 400 injured since violence broke out three days ago. What’s worse, the situation has been worsening with the attacks by terrorist and killing of policeman. It all began with killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by the police and security forces in a joint operation.
The so-called separatists who seemed to have been itching for a clash with the government fanned anti-India, anti-government sentiments and created the present situation. There is no disputing the fact that anarchical conditions prevail in the whole Valley with government hosting lunches for civil society members and seeking their opinion for bringing an end to the violence.
Nobody can support a terrorist organisation like the Hizbul Mujahideen and if one of its commanders has been killed, it should be treated as good riddance. In fact, that is how most people in the country and even in the state view the incident. But as has been true in many incidents of its kind in the past, the separatist were able to create mayhem, not on the basis of the support they enjoy among the people but because of the fear psychosis they are able to create.
They are exploiting the long-festering feeling of alienation and victimhood. The present situation is the biggest challenge the Mehbooba Mufti government has faced since it came to power. As it claims to have support of the people, being the predominant party in the Valley, and the BJP, which enjoys a groundswell of support in the Jammu region, it should not have much difficulty in controlling the situation but up to this point, it has failed to make any visible impact.
It has failed miserably to prevent the outbreak of violence. It is still clueless about handling the separatists. Keeping some of their leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik under house arrest is not an end in itself and not a solution at all. The so-called separatists have managed to create circumstances where even ordinary Kashmiri is feeling oppressed and seeking an end of the same.
A lot more needs to be done to win the confidence of the people and ensure enduring peace. This calls for statesmanship. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti should stand-up and be counted. She should allow the situation to drift. She should bear in mind that it was she who would often be seen with placards seeking justice for those killed in the 2010 mayhem. She cannot escape responsibility of being head of the state. She should not let security apparatus do whatever pleases them to control the situation across Kashmir valley.

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Many opportunities for jobs in cleaning in Grimsby

Jobs in cleaning in Grimsby are advertised in the local job centre, in local newspapers, local radio stations and on notice boards in supermarkets. Various websites such as jobisjob.co.uk and indeed.co.uk have vacancies for jobs in cleaning in Grimsby.

Grimsby is situated on the Humber estaury in the county of Lincolnshire with a population of almost 88,000. Grimsby has almost five hundred food processing companies. Many of these companies are in the fish processing sector with Young's Seafood being the largest and giving employment to 2,500 people in the area.

Due to the thriving economy, jobs in cleaning in Grimsby are plentiful. Cleaners are employed in many sectors including industrial, commercial and by the local council. Council cleaners sweep the streets of litter, clear fallen leaves and unblock clogged drains. They also make sure public areas are clean and litter free and that the public street bins are emptied on a regular basis.

Contract cleaning companies such as Independent Cleaning Services and Kram Contract Cleaning operate in the Grimsby area. Kram offers £6.10 per hour. The office cleaners work outside regular office hours when the day workers have left. This type of cleaning job suits many stay at home mothers who can work in the evening and they do not have to pay for child minding as their partner is at home to mind the children.

Private house cleaning is also an option when looking for jobs in cleaning in Grimsby. These jobs are often filled by word of mouth.

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Not known Facts About Volunter abroad

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

So, this is a bit frustrating. The instructions end with "You're ready to start posting" but I haven't been told how to post. I'm guessing that this is the way, but unsure. That's always a bit unsettling. It reminds me of school math classes where the teachers would tell us how to do one thing then test us on something slightly different, presumably to test our ability to 'figure it out.' Why make things difficult when you can make them easy, I always thought. Apart from that, the process seemed not too difficult.

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text:
Michigan State Reform Efforts Off to Discouraging Start

To listen to the audio version, click play.

The local coverage of sexual assaults at Michigan State seemed to fly under the national radar for months, until hundreds of the victims of former sports doctor Larry Nassar spoke up in court. Now it’s a national headline, and will be for years.

The anger and outrage over Nassar’s two decades of sexual abuse, the scathing ESPN report on football and basketball players, and the role some employees allegedly played in protecting them, provided the dynamite needed to break these cases open, and force Michigan State’s leaders to take action.

But now is the time for cooler heads to prevail. MSU’s leaders need to stop circling the wagons to keep investigators out, while MSU’s most vocal critics need to stop screaming, “Burn it all down!” Neither approach helps.

The gravity of this situation requires strong leaders of integrity who can ensure justice is rendered fairly to all, and real reforms are enacted to make sure this never happens again.

But the first steps have not been encouraging. On Monday, five faculty members of Michigan State’s Steering Committee met with five Trustees to discuss how to transform Michigan State into “the nationally recognized leader in the prevention of sexual harassment and sexual abuse” — a noble goal. The Steering Committee urged the Trustees to conduct an open, thorough search for an interim president, to find an academic with experience addressing sexual harassment and abuse.

The Trustees took just one day to do the exact opposite, on every front, by appointing former Governor John Engler – who has a history of devaluing both assault victims and public schools. The faculty representatives are now preparing to hold a vote of “No confidence” – not a promising start.

But the problems don’t stop there. Engler has publicly endorsed Attorney General Bill Schuette’s bid for Governor. How tough can Schuette afford to be on Interim President Engler’s university when he wants Engler’s support?

Schuette appointed a special prosecutor, former Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth, whose retirement party two years ago was funded partly by Michigan State booster Peter Secchia. He’s the major donor who said, “if you don’t feel comfortable with your children at Michigan State, take them somewhere else.”

The problems are bipartisan. Former Ingham County Prosecutor, Democrat Stuart Dunnings, was convicted of 15 prostitution-related charges. Since most of the sexual assault cases at Michigan State fell under Dunnings’ jurisdiction, how he handled them is now a legitimate question for investigators. His replacement was Gretchen Whitmer, is now Schuette’s most likely opponent for Governor.

At this level it’s difficult to avoid all potential conflicts of interest. But it’s not this difficult.

Another Trustee, Joel Ferguson, boasted that the NCAA would never investigate MSU because it’s too incompetent. Ferguson is actually right about the NCAA’s incompetence, but not about its self-regard. The next day, the NCAA called his bluff. Easy guess: the NCAA, whose president was informed of sexual assaults at MSU back in 2010, will screw this up as badly as it screwed up the Penn State case.

The most important quality any reformers must have is the confidence of the community they’re trying to reform. And that’s something all these leaders lack.

Maybe I’m wrong – and I sincerely hope I am.

Perhaps Engler will prove a wise, strong, and apolitical advocate for the victims, and lead his alma mater out of this mess.

Maybe Bill Schuette will forget that he needs voters both inside and outside the MSU community and make impartial decisions going forward.

And perhaps special prosecutor Bill Forsyth will ignore his ties to former Governor Engler and booster Secchia and act independently; the Trustees will do what’s best for their community, not themselves; and the NCAA will come to its senses and realize the same organization that spends its time debating whether it’s a violation to spread cream cheese on a bagel is not up to the task of adjudicating actual felonies.

But I doubt it.

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9 comments Leave a comment

  • Tom Blaske February 2, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Message (Required)
    Is there any evidence that any of Nassar’s victims were UM athletes?
    If YES, did any of them complain or question or infrom anybody in UM leadership?
    If YES, how did UM leadership handle it?

  • Dan streiffquired) February 2, 2018 at 10:32 am

    Message (Required)j
    John. As an Ann Arbor native, a Michigan fan with a MSU graduate degree I think the trustees realize this is serious and will not impede an investigation. Enjoyed all your books.

  • Phil February 2, 2018 at 10:42 am

    Hi John,

    Listened in on my way to work. Many thanks for an honest and candid assessment of this terrible situation. I’m surprised Joel Ferguson is still on the board following his obvious and ignorant interview blunder. As time passes this story grows more tails, not just with MSU but nationwide, “The Ranch”, USOC, USAG, Twistars, Holt Public Schools, Sue Carter, Shannon Smith, Diane Rork termination, and the miscues in appointing local political hacks as overseers/investigators of the entire matter. The courage of the victims is profound. Last I saw Nolan Finley(The Detroit News) estimates this could cost MSU up to $1B in damages!

  • johnubacon February 2, 2018 at 11:27 am

    I don’t think they’ll impede an investigation, but I don’t think it was wise to alienate the faculty and students with their appointment for interim. Here’s hoping it all goes well for everyone’s sake.

  • johnubacon February 2, 2018 at 11:28 am

    Much thanks, Phil. No doubt, this story is far from over. Let’s hope everyone does the right thing to get to the bottom of it all, take action, enact reforms, and go forward.

  • Bruce February 2, 2018 at 11:29 am

    Be interesting to find out if Dunnings or any other prosecutor or members of law enforcement got invited to the President’s suite for games or had tickets left for them at will call (ala Ed Martin)

  • David M. Fraser February 3, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Bull’s eye Mr. John U. Bacon, Bull’s eye!

    Thank you so much for your consistently fine work.

  • Tom Blaske February 5, 2018 at 10:30 am

    is there a Michigan entanglement with this fiasco?

  • Scott L. Gibson February 5, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    John: Many thanks for your very interesting and informative article on the issues confronting MSU. The arrogance of the Spartan Board of Trustees and the insensitive comments of Peter Secchira and Joel Ferguson are astounding. Is it too much to ask for a fair and impartial investigation of the alleged sexual assaults by Spartan athletes? And what about the lack of immediate action being taken when members of the school’s women’s gymnastics team voiced concerns to their coach about Dr. Larry Nasser? Virtually everyone involved in the so-called investigation is closely associated with MSU. Michigan State does not seem to understand (or care) that it is being tried in the courtroom of public opinion. The issues that confront MSU can’t be rationalized or covered up. Too many young women have already suffered enough! MSU is a great school. Its image need not be tarnished further by an by an investigation that lacks objectivity or credibility in the mind of the public.

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Back to All Events

Community Choral Clinic

  • Berean Assembly of God Church 5299 East University Avenue Pleasant Hill, IA, 50327 United States (map)

Students in grades 2 through 7 are invited to participate in a free and fun-filled choral clinic with Heartland Youth Choir singers at Berean Assembly of God Church in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, on March 3 from 6 - 8 p.m.
Participants will learn songs from Disney's Moana and work with HYC singers on staging and choreography for those songs. HYC instructors will also teach students about healthy singing habits. At the end of the clinic, the singers will give a mini performance to show off what they've learned.
The clinic is free, but space is limited. Reserve a spot for your student at
If you have questions, please contact the Heartland Youth Choir office at or 515-221-3922.

Earlier Event: September 30
Guys Power Sing
Later Event: March 27
An Evening With Elaine Hagenberg


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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

M.A.M.A. Mothers R Making Art

WHAT: The ProCreate Project, the Museum of Motherhood and the Mom Egg Review are partnering for bi-monthly on-line presentations featuring M.A.M.A. – Mothers are Making Art.

WHEN: The 1st and the 15th of each month words and images will highlight the joy and the challenges of being both a mother and an artist.

WHERE: Online is the place! We will host works of art about mothers and mothers-to-be; featuring academic and creative writing in order to promote women internationally and generate cultural exchanges and opportunities.

WHY: We are determined to explore the extraordinary experiences of mothers and how, by means of channeling these new and powerful energies a person can cultivate both motherhood and art. However, support is needed and awareness must be raised to facilitate this process and to finally empower it.

We strive to give voice to all women, make acceptable room for “feelings,” sensations, and interpretations without judgment; we want to make space for mothers in the arts to display their work and move a conversation about “the art of motherhood” forward. LINK to BLOG and Exhibits

@ProcreateProj  @MOMmuseum @TheMomEgg #JoinMAMA

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October 15, 2016

Booking Your Jolly Roger Roatan Shore Excursion

Booking your Jolly Roger Roatan shore excursion couldn’t get any easier! We work with most of the cruise lines that visit Roatan on their Western Caribbean cruise routes. All you have to do is contact your cruise line to book your shore excursion. Make sure you don’t miss out on the best shore excursion in Roatan! Don’t believe us? Take a look at our thousands of excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. We pride ourselves on offering great customer service and ensuring that you get the most value out of your day with us. We provide free photography services, a full bar [Read More]
Facebook IconYouTube IconTwitter IconVisit Our TripAdvisor Reviews


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Home Insurance Types: Explanation and Price-Value Tips to Save on Auto Insurance Bookmark Us
auto insurance
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Project Title

Ela Community, Conf

Project Description

I co-founded and co-organized a remote community and annual leadership conference in Philadelphia, PA that provides professional training and support for marginalized genders in tech.

2015 to 2018

It was important to us that this event be as inclusive and welcoming as possible, which started with the design.

Joni Trythall speaking at Ela Conf 2016Joni Trythall speaking at Ela Conf 2016

My small team and I founded and organize Ela Conf and Ela Community to address the severe diversity gap that exists in tech and to provide a safe community for marginalized genders aiming to advance their leadership skills through speaking, writing, and becoming the best managers possible.

We focus on fostering a healthy community culture through our Slack channel year-round and pay special attention to language used throughout all our materials and sponsor requests; our brand’s voice and tone in crucial to our mission and goals. The event has been referred to as “the conference that launched a thousand talks” and our attendees have went on to speak at national conferences, publish blog posts, and receive promotions; we just couldn’t be prouder or more excited about what this event has become.

Our remote community hosts AMAs, Lunch & Learns, and Office Hours each month, creating a lasting and safe platform for members to learn from and empower one another.

Here’s a 2015 recap, a 2016 recap, and the 2017 recap. The 2017 prospectus PDF design is here

A fun inviting brand, appeal to beginners, provide childcare stipends, a Code of Conduct, offer diversity and financial grants, recruit volunteers, provide CFP assistance, provide talk prep assistance, web and print design, fundraising


text:
06 July 2010

Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

For some perspective, here are my reviews of Twilight and New Moon. Basically I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and was underwhelmed by the second. The third one is arguably the best in the series, mainly because there's more action all around and a bit more backstory for the other vampires. While I logically knew the vampy origins for Jasper and Rosalie were thrown in to give Jackson Rathbone and Nikki Reed something to do, I enjoyed the look away from the nauseating Edward-Bella-Jacob love triangle.

The entire movie is long shots of Robert Pattinson or Kristen Stewart looking forlorn or at each other -- nothing new there. I think I caught Kristen smiling once, probably understanding that she's past the halfway mark on these movies. Still, Pattinson and Stewart's beautiful faces are what fangirls (and fanboys?) came for so it's hard to be critical. I found myself reaching for the fast forward button during the emotional exchanges between Edward and Bella, hoping for the next bit of plot to unspool.

And the plot here wasn't bad. A newborn vampire army; lots of good looking CGI werewolves; Bryce Dallas Howard recast as Victoria, the red headed vampire out for revenge. Of course, the big attraction is Edward versus Jacob. I thought the absolute best scene was watching Edward and Jacob become semi-friends as Jacob happily snuggles up to a freezing Bella, keeping her warm in a storm. See, Edward's a blood cold vampire and can't offer her any warmth. Deep no?

Because I'm squarely Team Edward -- despite his overbearing personality -- I feel like Jacob is just a meddlesome home wrecker. Despite all her protests of "no means no," Jacob just keeps plugging on. She doesn't love you (as much), get over it! What's exciting is that I know what's coming in movie four so can't wait to see how they play that out on the big screen. Eclipse is probably the best movie of the three but without the push and character introductions of the original, I can't give it full marks.

Oh right, I hate Dakota Fanning. Is this a Tumblr already? fucknodakotafanning! I know it's wrong to hate a sixteen year old but I think she started off on the wrong foot with me in I Am Sam. Okay, I don't hate her, that's mean. But I want to gouge my eyes out when she's on-screen.


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You Will Definitely Choose A Better Florist Malaysia

(Last Updated On: July 6, 2018)

A Better Florist is an unforgettable Malaysia flower delivery. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, keep on reading this post to find out some of the reasons why you should definitely click on the link to their website right now.

If you’re picky and selective when it comes to shopping these days, it’s because there’s so much choice and so many businesses, as well as florists, promising a lot, and not delivering very much. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with A Better Florist, as they took a different approach to their flower shop and their customers, making it possible to deliver everything they promise. First off, they have a very small but colourful flower bouquet catalog, that offers just enough variety, but doesn’t overflow your brain with hundreds of pointless bouquets to choose from. They have a small, but carefully chosen selection, so that you instantly cut down on shopping time, and you’re given only the best to choose from. Not only does that make them the best florist in Malaysia, it makes them one of a kind.

Their flower delivery to JB and their KL flower delivery, as well as their florist in Ipoh and florist in Penang makes sure that these bouquets are fresh, in fact, farm fresh consistently. As they cut out the middle men, and deliver their flowers on their own straight from local sources to the flower shop. The great services continues with a fabulous same day flower delivery, that’s totally free. Not a lot of flower deliveries not just in malaysia but everywhere else, offers a free delivery, let alone on the same day that you place an order. But, A Better Florist want to do things differently, and because they want to be and do differently, they set the standards higher.

They also have a pretty chic and beautiful hamper and fruit basket collections, with hampers being one of the best and most popular choices as add on gifts for special occasion. If you love a beautiful, creative hamper, I recommend you check out their new born baby hamper, as well as their get well soon hamper.

If you love A Better Florist in Malaysia, you’ll also be glad to find them selling flowers Singapore loves, as they are the best flower delivery Singapore has currently, they have a store in Brisbane, selling flowers in Brisbane, as well as several other deliveries, such as their Hong Kong flower delivery, a flower delivery Dubai loves and overall several places that offer an UAE flower delivery.

A little bit of online reading is enough to conclude that they are listed as the best HK florist has as well as the best flower delivery in the UAE. So, wherever you are, you have an opportunity to rely on the best florist in Kuala Lumpur, without having to worry about how and when you’re going to surprise someone who’s not in Malaysia. A Better Florist is truly the only florist that enables you to show love to your loved ones in so many different locations around the world. These are all great reasons to give this gift delivery a try.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Fantastic Fest Interviews!

Julia X 3D will be making its North American debut in just a couple of hours!
Have you been keeping up with what director P.J. Pettiette has been saying during our interview?
Here's another clip with our director!

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Julington Creek boat fire caught on camera

JULINGTON CREEK, Fla. -- A passer-by captured cell phone video of a boat fire in Julington Creek Friday morning.

According to James Ramey, who captured the fire on his cell phone, the blaze started around 11 a.m.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue responded to the fire and the Jacksonville Sheriff's's Office provided assistance.

A cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Golf tournament helps fight mental illness

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Rudolph Dunnam said for the first time in his 59 years, he knows what it means to have a life.

"Now I consider myself on the path for living," he said.

Dunnam described it as the best days of his life.

"I have made a 130-degree turn from where I was mind-wise, physically-wise and mentally-wise," said Dunnam.

He has finally learned to control his mental illness, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; mental illness that made it difficult for him to even cope with his family.

The big change in his life began when he walked into the building of Northwest Behavioral Health Services.

"If they weren't there I believe I would have probably perished," he said.

Dunnam said now he functions well, he is more sociable, and he's rebuilding those family relationships that were devastated by his mental illness.

"I'm very grateful for them," said Dunnam

FCN Investigates: What exactly are you paying for at the pump?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- We are just weeks from the busy Thanksgiving travel season.

But, before you fill up for your trip the On Your Side team has three things you'll want to know before you hit the road. It's part of a First Coast News investigation.

At the gas station, every cent counts.

"I get pretty much what my car gives me," said Michael Bryce, as he filled up the car. "I get around $20 half a tank, $40 for a full tank, $5 for an eighth of a tank."

If you feel like something just isn't right, you might be on to something.

It is Anthony Davis' job to find out

He's one of the petroleum inspectors with the Florida Department of Agriculture.

"We want to make sure that consumers are getting what they're paying for," Davis said.

FCN's David Williams joined him at the Chevron station on New Kings Road for an inspection. Inspections are done at least every 12-14 months, says Davis.

Top 5 hottest jobs and how you can land one

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Are you looking for work? If you are, keep the following story handy.

Like many people, 37-year-old Ty Harris of Jacksonville, has been looking for work.

"Off an on for about a year," Harris explained.

He's been doing freelance work in client and project management, but is looking for something more permanent, which is why he came to a job fair Monday.

He said the job market is tough, which makes it harder to help his family of two children.

"I've gotten a lot of 'You're over qualified,'" Harris said of his year-long job search.

FCN's David Williams asked Harris "What if we told you, we know what the top 5 most in-demand jobs are in Jacksonville?"

To that, Harris responded "I would be impressed and I would inquire what would that be?"

Pop Warner team sidelined for season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Wesconnett Park is now silent; the Wildcats football season is over, abruptly.

"It was very heartbreaking," said Teresea Downceroux.

Teresea Downceroux's son is on the team and they're angry.

"My son has been crying since that meeting because he has been devastated," she said.

The team, after a 7-2 season, was poised for the Championship game, but they're sideline. The parents were called into a meeting and told that the season has been forfeited.

"We're out and another team will take our spot," said Chahid Clark.

Assistant Coach Clark said the Pop Warner Football conference received a complaint that one of his players is ineligible, he lived outside the district.

"When he signed up, proof of residency was not required," he said.

Game of the Week coverage from Ponte Vedra

The video clip above features our coverage from the Sideline 2013 Game of the Week featuring Bartram Trail and Ponte Vedra.  The clip features our coverage from First Coast News at 5, 5:30, 6, 7, and 11.

On Your Side: Shutdown worries and mystery green water

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Thursday, the On Your Side team answered an array of questions you sent in and found the solutions.

Ray Green, 59, of Middleburg, said he has served 20 years in the United States Air Force, all over the world. He depends on Veterans benefits and Social Security payments. But, with the government shutdown, he says he is worried.

"If I don't get paid, I can lose my house, car, truck, boat. Everything," Green said frankly.


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Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Summer Days

Been about a month or so since I posted. Partly due to lack of time, but also lack of inspiration. I have been busy putting together outfits for "The Face of October" competition that I entered, and will post those later.
On to the current outfit.For those in the Northern Hemisphere it is almost Summer, for us it is getting into Winter. This outfit caught my eye with it's bright sunshine yellow skirt, and warm balmy days cerise top.With a style that could be casual and beachy, or dressed up as fun summer evening wear, this top and skirt are a winner.
Summer Days
Teamed here with a lovely jewellery set by Finesmith that is colour change so can be adapted to fit almost any outfit, it adds a touch of glam to the outfit.
Summer Days_upper
I just love the top to this outfit. The cut and style of it lends itself to be able to be worn with many things, from skirts, through to shorts, through to pants. Or even just a bikini bottom at the beach.
Summer Days_close-up

What I am Wearing:
Skirt -  Loovus Dzevavor "Banana Skirt" (available at Fashion Limited)
Top - Loovus Dzevavor: "Papaya Tank" (available at Fashion Limited)
Jewellery - Finesmith: "Finesmith Diamond" necklace, earrings, and bracelet
Skin: -  -Belleza- "Mya" Tan BBB
Hair:  - Amacci Hair "Karen" ~ Jet Black
Shoes: -  N-core "LULU" "Group Gift 2013"
Eyes: - IKON "Ardent Eyes" - Glass
Make-up: -  Gaeline *GA* Makeup Eyeliner V2 Black
                  -  .:Glamorize:. "Jaded Black" - Fuschia
Eyelashes: - Gaeline *GA* Mesh Lashes "Mysteria"
Nails: - Izzie's - "80's Round Nails"

Poses: - The Muse Poses - "Rain" (available at Fashion Limited)

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Guyver: The Bio-boosted Armor

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Sho Fukamachi, a normal teenager accidentally found an alien object called Unit and thus, changed his life forever. The Unit bonded with Sho, resulting in an incredibly powerful life-form called Guyver. With this great power, Sho battles the mysterious Chronos organization and it's Zoanoids, in order to protect his friends and his world. Unknown to Sho, the battle against Chronos will lead to the discovery of the origins of human, their destiny, and the Creators.

Type: TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Aug 6, 2005 to Feb 18, 2006
Producers: Oriental Light and Magic, FUNimation Entertainment
Duration: 23 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Guyver: The Bio-boosted Armor Downloads


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Annie's Takeout Tickets, Schedule & Tour dates 2019

Are you a fan of Annie's Takeout? Is there any particular upcoming Annie's Takeout event you cheer for? See full schedule of events for Annie's Takeout at the ticket listing and book Annie's Takeout event tickets and event dates.

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Annie's Takeout Tickets, Schedule & Tour Dates 2018, 2019 Browse Annie's Takeout Tour Dates 2019 and See full Annie's Takeout 2019 Schedule at the Ticket Listing.

If you want to catch the thrills at any rock concert or simply dwell in the trance at a Country or Techno Music festival? Then Just A Ticket offers just what you need!

If you want exclusive Annie's Takeout tickets to any upcoming Annie's Takeout event without draining your budget, then Just A Ticket is the best place to make a deal.

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Annie's Takeout Tickets 2019, Annie's Takeout Tour Dates 2019, Annie's Takeout Schedule 2019

As one of the most reliable and trusted sources for premium event seating and tickets, we offer a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for all our customers, We’re here to make sure you get what you bargained for- i.e. the best seat at your favorite event, without a hefty price tag.

Search up on all upcoming Annie's Takeout 2019 schedule & Annie's Takeout upcoming 2019 tour dates in your area and get Annie's Takeout tickets for the best seats at a very affordable cost.

Upcoming Annie's Takeout Events Schedule & Tour Dates 2019

To check out all upcoming Annie's Takeout events schedule in your area and to book Annie's Takeout tickets, please feel free to give us a call today at (866)4599233 or contact us directly. Our dedicated customer reps work round the clock to help you search up on Annie's Takeout events timings, Annie's Takeout event details, Annie's Takeout tickets, prices, payments and seating.

Just A Ticket offers an amazing opportunity for all sports, theater, Broadway and concert fans all across the U.S. Whether you enjoy watching football or baseball or looking for a night out at a stage performance with a loved one, we have just the solution you’re looking for. Our competitive prices and easy payment terms allow you to search up on all upcoming events in your area and get the tickets for the best seats at a very affordable cost.

US Concerts Tours, Theater Performances, NCAA College Football/Basketball

Why Choose Just A Ticket? We provide premium online ticket reservation and purchase services for the most-awaited and major sporting events and live concerts tours and some of the most critically-acclaimed theater performances. Our events page lists down the date and timings of all upcoming Annie's Takeout events heading your way, along with the number of tickets available. Premium seating arrangement allows you to get the best seat in the house.

Just A Ticket is your ultimate source for hard-to-find tickets to virtually any event, from sold-out concerts tours 2019 and upcoming concerts 2019 by the world's biggest superstars to the best touring broadway shows to sell out sporting events.

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Back to All Events

Bryan Downtown Street and Art Fair

Restored Main Street of an old railroad town on Parents Weekend for the local university, which happens to be rated the 10th best public university in America, Texas A&M

In their own words:

The event will take place on Saturday, April 8th, 2017 from 10am-6pm in the 200 block of W. 26th Street in conjunction with Texas A&M’s Parents Weekend. The event features artists and artisans from across the region selling their handmade creations. There will also be live music, hands on art demonstrations and street performers for your entertainment. Over the last several years, Downtown Bryan has actively fostered arts & culture. This fair continues to build on that by inviting our local artists as well as regional artists to support the rebirth that is occurring there. We hope you can make it out and find a one of a kind treasure of your own. Admission is free and participants are encouraged to spend the afternoon and experience all that Downtown has to offer.

Earlier Event: September 24
Later Event: August 5


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How do Tax Return Preparers Work?

Taxes are something that often brings up the feelings of fear in the minds of individuals. Whether you are the owner of a small business or an individual, it is necessary for you to file your tax return promptly. This is something that cannot be avoided. Tax preparation is of utmost importance for the big and small business owners for ensuring that the quarterly and the end year taxes are filed accurately. It is essential for you to familiarize yourself with the significance of professional tax preparation as this will help you in coming to the right decision when it comes to choosing tax preparation services.

Services Offered by a Tax Preparer

Choosing a tax return preparer can help businesses and individuals in preventing financial penalties that come from the IRS or Internal Revenue Service for not paying tax returns on time. These penalties might include additional interest or taxes which might take a toll on the financial budget of both individuals and businesses. Tax return preparers working on behalf of their clients ask for the thorough accounting of the finances of their clients. They do this for verifying the deductions, exemptions and other important items that fit the financial situation of their clients. They even ask suitable questions to their clients to know the details of their financial condition and their tax payments. Professional tax return preparers will also have the clients producing records and receipts. They do this for minimizing the risk of any dispute between their clients and the Internal Revenue Service.


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Interact with the birds

Irresistible to bird lovers!

The Fuji Kachoen Garden Park welcomes you with 30 species of owls, penguins, emus, lorikeets, and a variety of other feathered residents. You will be able not only watch them, but you will be able to go inside the cages and feel their world by your own. And at the Bird Show, the owls will fly just over your head and even hear the sound of their flapping wings.
If you would like to play with the birds, take pictures of them, or buy bird related souvenirs, you cannot miss visiting the park.

30 species, total of 100 owls from all over the world! In Japan, some owls that can only be seen here.

When you walk in to the ticket counter to buy your admission, you will come across an owl. At Fuji Kachoen Garden Park, owls will be welcoming you from everywhere. However, they can be tricky as an ornament. Do not let them cheat you!
Fuji Kachoen Garden Park has its own breeding center where owls were bred and raised. That’s why some of the owls are used to people, do not live in cages and fly in all their freedom and liberty at the greenhouse.
It will be fun to look for your favorite owl. You will fall for them.

Barn owl

Burrowing Owl

Spotted Eagle Owl

Spectacled Owl

A must-see for the young and the elder! Everybody loves the Birds Show!

The main attraction of the Fuji Kachoen Garden Park.
Do you think that owls just stay put at their trees without doing anything?
Yes, owls usually move themselves like 5% of their day. Just to eat. Though, here at the Fuji Kachoen Garden Park’s Birds Show you will be overthrown by their performances just ahead of you.
Owls are essentially from the wild nature and not used to people, but here at Fuji Kachoen Garden Park, they were bred and nurtured since young birds, and turned to be versatile entertainers.

From a palm-size owl to…

Blowing size owls

Photo sessions available too

You cannot miss the open air Birds Show.

The Mount Fuji on the backdrop itself provides an outstanding event.
The sight of falcons and hawks crossing the skies is breathtaking for all ages. See them fly towards the trainer by the sign of the whistle.

Fall in love with their imperious fly

Fantastic location for photos

Spectacular low flying

Feeding time is so exciting! Eat-lovers penguins

At the Park you can watch some cute flightless birds like the black-footed penguins from African waters.
They usually spent their time swimming or wiling away, but when it comes to feeding time…. They get excited at their MAX. They go crazy grasping for their fish, which is so exciting to see! You can help us feed them too.

Emus are nice and friendly despite their appearance

The emu is the second largest living bird in the world, endemic to Australia.
Like the ostriches, they are flightless but can sprint at 40km/h.
If you meet the emus, try to feed them. You will for sure be healed if you see how nice they are when taking the food from your hand.

The Lorikeet Landing: encountering the world of birds

The Lorikeet Landing is where you will experience the lorikeets and other varieties flying around and laying on your head, arms and shoulders. You will be enchanted not only by seeing them, but also start a friendship by flirting with them with some bird treats.

Spoiled flamingos at the pool might approach you with curiosity

Bred-in-house, they are asking for attention and affection.
You will captivated by the awkward way they eat the treats from your hand.

Sorry,Japanese language only


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Takudai Seminar JKA&SKIF Dresden 2016

SKIF CZ members have attended amazing seminar with the top Shotokan instructors from Takushoku University, where the university karate’s club was funded around 1924 and has produced many prominent karate instructors. Sensei Naka (7th Dan JKA Manager Tokyo Japan) and sensei Murakami (7th Dan Chief Instructor SKIF) demonstrated advanced methods of training karate techniques within the 3 days. The seminar alternated movement theory, practice methodology, to physically demanding burden of the more than 500 participants in two halls who have really enjoyed it. The seminar oversaw Hanshi Asano (9th Dan Chief Instructor SKIEF, SKI-GB) and Shihan Nagai (8th Dan Chief Instructor SKIF Deutschland).

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Being Ms. B

Closing the Teach For America Blogging Gap
Dec 28 2012

In which there is winter break-itis

I have this fantasy that I will unit plan out the rest of the year in the next two hours, leaving time to bond with my family, reconnect with high school friends, fly back to STL, clean my apartment, determine my fate for next year, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc…

That’s a lot of etceteras*.  You probably get the picture.

[*NB - spell check wanted this to be "cafeterias."  People are making more and more worrisome spelling errors, evidently.]

It is both invigorating and annoying to plan during a break.  It’s invigorating because you suddenly have ample time to browse Pinterest for adorable and rigorous projects, hours upon hours to devote to finding the right resources and figuring out the right times to use them.  It’s annoying, because eventually you realize that you’re perhaps a bit too optimistic about the post-Christmas Crazy children that will walk into your classroom.   This juxtaposition of motivations exists, by the way, even when you follow your mother’s mandate of not working before December 27th.

I also oddly miss my children this year, which neither adds to, nor subtracts from, my internal motivation.

Nevertheless, I will continue to oscillate between frantic typing, idle knitting, active television viewing, and obsessive nail painting.

And as I read that sentence, I have to admit: life can be pretty great as a teacher.

2 Responses

  1. I tend to spend too much time planning one great project, only to hit the weekend before school starts and realize I haven’t planned anything practical for the rest of the first week back.

    I just started learning to knit today. Hope it becomes more “idle” when I’m less terrible at it.

    • katb

      YES. And also trying to remember that the whole first day is just, “here’s how we sit down and raise our hands,” again.

      Re knitting – when you master the back and forth/able to watch TV at the same time part, it is the best of things.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Creeps are out there... :(

So with my last post I got a creepy message that had to be erased. I have decided to go private, which I hate. I never thought I would. With Nates job at the prison it would probably be smart to go private as well. I will make it private on march 15. Please leave your emails in the comment if you would like to keep viewing our blog! Even if you just peak at our blog a little leave your email :)

Friday, February 12, 2010