Supe's On (Different burner)

A number of e-mails have come in wondering what happened to The Supe.

Here's the story. The Super's Blog had a small number of very dedicated readers - a number of them from around the nation and a handful in Indiana.

The number of hits on The Super's Blog was limited to a small number of reader's of interest and was not growing.

On the contrast - another superintendent blog site I have monitored is called The Wawascene. It is run by a Superintendent in Syracuse, Indiana. It gets 100,000 hits a month and seems to be growing. I decided to let The Super's Blog lie dormant for awhile and watch some local superintendent blogs to see what is happening.

What did I learn?

You've heard the saying, "All politics is local?"

I believe the power to improve education lies at the local level. The greater public is not so interested in what an anonymous superintendent in this nation is saying - no matter how fun the satire is.

But supe's listen up - the community does care about what you have to say and what you think about various issues. But do they really know? What unfiltered forums do you have to get a message out?

Some Supe's are finding out that blogging at the local level is one way.

I noticed on the AASA website that Superintendent Mark J. Stock from The Wawascene ( http://wawasee.blogspot.com ) is scheduled to lecture on this phenomenon along with Superintendent Clayton Wilcox at the AASA conference in New Orleans. Both of these gentlemen ( I am assuming that they are indeed gentlemen) wrote articles for AASA in the May, 2006 magazine, The School Administrator.

I will watch other Supe's local blogs and will leave this one dormant for awhile.

Teachers that blog

Teachers that blog get some mainstream media attention.

Article here.

National testing

Here is the cry again for national testing!

If the goal is to make everyone in America learn the same things, then let's just make it easy. Adopt a national curriculum. Take RFP's for a set of national "materials" whether textbooks or software driven. Then require everyone to use them.

Then we can be just like the competitors we envy so much, China, India and Japan. Meanwhile, they are trying to figure out how to become like us.

I know the thought of this is horrifying. I speak in jest. But I get so sick of the wasted efforts in "textbook adoption" and curriculum revision efforts that are never ending and are repeated with redundancy in every system with the same publishing companies pushing the same generic products. Meanwhile, the curriculum just narrows and narrows and narrows as testing mania shows no signs of letting up. If we have a national testing agenda that narrows the curriculum to a single national assessment - how far are we the thought of national instructional "materials?"

Nahh. We'd rather play the pretend game and pretend we have local control.

10 Million short

I can't help but wonder what in the world went wrong in the Lucas Oil Stadium project where someone forgot to consider 10 million dollars in annual operating expenses. Those poor Colts.

That would be like a superintendent renovating all the district's facilities by adding air conditioning but forgetting to include the increased utility costs in the budget! Whoops! Have to lay-off 20 teachers next year.

I haven't seen anyone step up and take ownership nor have we seen any project planner's head on a platter.

You don't suppose they knew this all along but didn't think they could get it passed if they said it was 10 M higher upfront do you?

Daniels promotes "Hoosier Homegrown"

Indiana has announced a new alternative energy initiative that Governor Daniels has termed "Hoosier Homegrown."

This alternative energy plan was immediately denounced by Indiana Democrats who claimed the state shouldn't be promoting drug use. The state's leading Democrat spokesperson said, "How D.A.R.E. the state promote such a thing. We've hemped and hawed around long enough. It's time for the state to take a firm stand against growing our own. "

He added, "Our counties have been on a long term hemp eradication project for some time and now is not the time to reverse the trend."

The Republicans just smiled and said, "Their just blowin' smoke."

Blogging Break

The Super's Blog will be taking a break from blogging (as if you hadn't noticed) until at least August. When the Indiana General Assembly starts up again and the madness begins anew, we will resume with some good natured satire.

Until then, enjoy the summer seasons.

Math and Science, Math and Science......what about....

Here is an interesting article link provided by a regular reader. (Note: the link does require registration but it is fairly simple)

The basic premise is that all the talk is about Math and Science, but what about all the other issues and needs? Here is an excerpt....

Of course, fretting about public education is something of a national pastime. Every few years a new survey comes out, showing that American schoolchildren lag
behind their global counterparts in science and math. That inevitably sends lawmakers and the public into a panic. Soon, we hear, the United States will
become a nation of baristas and retail clerks, while Asians leave their kids with the Nannybot, commute to work on cold fusion-powered monorails, and fine-tune the software that will put Microsoft and Google out of business.

And yet, for all the anxiety that science and math education inspires, the state of global languages, politics, history, and culture in U.S. schools may actually be scarier. Whether it is translating and analyzing intelligence intercepts in Arabic and Farsi, guiding American industry through new markets in Asia, collaborating with research partners across the globe, or shaping the foreign policy of the world’s only superpower at the ballot box, young Americans will struggle to bear their responsibilities.

Indy's Star's recipe for success

Here is Indy Star's recipe for success in today's editorial:

1. Invest in early-childhood education: A significant portion of students enter kindergarten already well behind their peers. The gap tends to widen as the children age. In next year's session, state legislators could make a significant contribution to narrowing the achievement gap by approving full-day kindergarten.

2. Share the facts: Educators tend to be overly defensive when discussing low test scores, low graduation rates and other indications that the status quo isn't working. The public needs to hear the truth, untouched by spin. One example: The state for years has claimed that the high school graduation rate is 90 percent. Preliminary data, based on a more realistic formula, indicate that the statewide graduation rate for the 2004-05 school year was 70 percent. Once lawmakers and taxpayers learn that three out of 10 students aren't completing high school on time, they likely will be far more willing to make the necessary investments and changes.

3. Embrace innovation: When Eugene White took over as superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools last year, he didn't whine about the growth of charter schools in the city. Instead, he decided to compete with and in some instances partner with them. As a result, IPS is preparing to open a middle school based on the KIPP Academy model and create high schools focusing on government and law and the life sciences. Other struggling districts could use similar creative approaches.

4. Recruit the community: Mentors can make a tremendous difference in helping students succeed. Although many efforts exist, community and business organizations need to take more of a lead in providing volunteers.

5. Reward good teachers: If an outstanding worker is compensated at the same level as a mediocre employee, where is the incentive to excel? Yet, that's precisely the model set up in public schools. Merit pay for teachers along with bonuses for educators who take on the most challenging sets of students would justly reward high achievers and those willing to take chances.

Future High Schools to be like Colleges?

Article here declares that future high schools will look like colleges. One person quoted in the article says "students have got to get more focused." No disagreement there.

Three specifics are mentioned:

1. Small specialized schools
2. High school career tracks built around majors
3. Technology as king

I would agree for the most part. Might not be a bad thing to shoot for.

One little problem, students choose to go to college, logic tells you they might be more focused if its a choice.

Illinois announces new gambling curriculum

NEWS RELEASE

The Governor of Illinois announced this week a proposal to fund schools by selling the lottery off to the highest bidder.

Shortly thereafter the Commissioner of Education, Dr. Bettin' DeFarm informed state curriculum experts that there would be new Gambling Appreciation Standards put in place for 2006-2007.

"We think 12 th grade is the logical place for these standards. Seniors too often gamble away their last year anyway," explained Dr. Bettin DeFarm.

"Our Illinois gambling standards will have several new strands including: Riverboat Gambling, Internet Poker, Blackjack and more," he continued.

He explained, "Illinois will need a steady stream of gamblers to make sure that this is a good deal for all parties." When a few naysayers expressed doubts about the long term goals of funding noble purposes with gambling dollars, Dr. Bettin' DeFarm said with a roll of the dice, "I wouldn't bet against us."

Offshoring as a school improvement initiative

NEWS RELEASE:

The Federal Department of Education in conjunction with the Bush administration, stunned the educational community recently by authorizing the use of "outsourcing" and "offshoring" for schools that fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under NCLB.

In recent weeks, the individual states have been releasing their lists of failing schools under the increasing demands of NCLB, prompting the feds to announce new methods for dealing with students struggling under the rising expectations.

"This is a very progressive move. The business community has been asking schools to perform more like a business and what better expression of this than the use of "offshoring," explained Margaret Spellings.

"All failing schools under NCLB will now be allowed to ship all failing students to third world countries. This should help the bottom line immediately."

When asked if that wasn't a little harsh, Spellings said, "Hey it's a dog-eat-dog business world out there and its now a global economy. I don't see anything wrong with offshoring students to a third world country. If they can't graduate they can at least get a job there!"

Heard the one about.....

Washington Post on Sunday

Bracey tries to find all those Chinese engineers.

Bloated scores or floating cut scores?

Indy Star likes these type of headlines. Indiana is criticized for reporting high graduation rates and state proficiency levels higher than NAEP scores.

From reading most of the actual paper posted on line by the author, one of the major problems is trying to rank the states when the states use different measuring sticks for determining proficiency.

The author seems to think that if the NAEP proficiency percentages match the state's reported percentages on their statewide assessments, then they are "not inflated."

Yet who says the NAEP cut scores are appropriate? Who says Indiana's scores aren't a better measure of true proficiency? Well it depends on what your agenda is. There certainly has been enough educational researchers question the appropriateness of the NAEP proficiency levels.

Here is an article from 2004 that describes why it is hard to make sense of all the proficiency hoopla.

Blogging about flogging...

Indiana Republicans have taken notice to Greg Walker's recent primary conquest over the Indiana Senates most powerful republican Robert Garton. Garton has run unopposed since 1970 in the Republican primary and has never been defeated. Until now. He was soundly trounced by an opponent whose most interesting platform plank is his support for public flogging as a disciplinary measure. Click here for more.

Rumors have it that Democrats are considering probing Walker's public support for stocks and bonds. At first they thought it was his accounting background but maybe he supports "stocks" on the courthouse lawn and various other types of "bonds."

Democrats will just have "whip" up a new strategy to defeat him in the fall electrocution, I mean election.

It's illegal, no it's not, well...we don't really know...just wait till you are sued and then find out

In the Alice and Wonderland world of public laws affecting education, consider the following:

• Kindergarten is not a requirement for students in Indiana
• However, schools are required to offer kindergarten for students in Indiana
• Indiana funds only half-day kindergarten
• Some Indiana schools offer full-day kindergarten and charge fees to support the additional costs
• A recent Indiana Supreme Court ruling on parent fees resulted in attorney opinions saying schools can't charge fees for full-day Kindergarten because the state requires schools to offer it so it must be tuition free
• Indiana schools are faced with dropping the extra half day of Kindergarten or offering it as child care only and providing only child care providers instead of teachers (then you can charge for it) Note: Did you screw one eyebrow up in the air after that one?
• The state department sends another memo saying essentially, "don't worry about it until you get sued"
• The governor and the department of education are promoting full day kindergarten as a needed program with the state willing to fund for it.

Let's sort this out:

Kindergarten is important enough to offer. Not important enough to require.

You can charge for child care if you want because it isn't instruction. You can't charge for an "extra" half day of kindergarten because it is an extension of a required curriculum. It is required for schools but not for students. Hmmm.

Oh well, just another day.

Critique of Newsweeks Top 100 High Schools List

By now most of you have seen the Newseek magazine annual list of America's top 100 high schools. Here is a critique of their methodology.

Why Newsweek's List of America's 100 Best High Schools Doesn't Make the Grade

Our research shows that Newsweek's methodology is far too focused on one
discrete indicator of school quality and that many schools that fail to make the
Newsweek list may be doing a better job educating all of their students.

Republicans quell gas price anger with tote bag offer

Link here

Indiana Senate's most powerful republican takes a flogging

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Robert D. Garton, one of the most powerful men in the state, has lost the seat he's held for 36 years.

The president pro tempore is one of the most influential positions in the state because the president makes committee assignments and controls the flow of legislation, which can help defeat or advance bills.

"It just says that people are ready for a change," said Walker, who was celebrating at his Columbus home before going to Bartholomew County GOP headquarters.

Walker had parked his not-to-be-missed 1970 bright-orange Plymouth Valiant outside the polling place at Parkside Elementary School in Columbus. The car reminds voters of the year Garton was elected; Walker has pitched himself as a man with new ideas.

Walker faced criticism for one of those ideas. He has said he supports public flogging, a stance he defends by saying "no skin would be broken," and the public humiliation could change lawbreakers' ways.

I am not sure how to interpret the fact that the Indiana Senate's most powerful person lost his seat to someone who has been publicly reported to believe in public flogging as long as "no skin is broken."

We suggest his fall democrat opponent park a "not-to-be-missed" bright silver chariot and a dark brown horse outside the polling area to remind voters of the last time public flogging was widely popular.

High Stakes Testing - More dropouts?

A new study coauthored by respected educational researcher David Berliner, indicates
Three Key Findings:

1. States with greater proportions of minority students tend to implement accountability systems that exert greater pressure.
2. Increased testing pressure is related to increased retention and dropout rates.
3. NAEP reading scores at the fourth- and eighth-grade levels were not improved as a result of increased testing pressure.

Standardized testing has a place, but as time goes on, this period in American educational history will be best remembered not for what schools GAINED during this period, but for what students had to give up.

Indiana announces new initiative " Driving Money out of the Classroom."

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Indiana has announced a new initiative titled, "Driving Money Out of the Classroom." A spokesperson for Governor Daniels announced, "We are very proud of this subterfuge. While we announced publicly that our goal was to drive money to the classroom, our true efforts are to drive money out of education all together."

She explained, "The new property tax caps in the new law we just passed that we refer to as the '2% circuit breaker' is designed to cap every patron's property tax at 2%. The cool part of this is that areas that have total property taxes over 2% will have to lose funding. The schools in those areas that have debt payments for building projects will still have to make their payments to avoid defaulting on their loans. So all over there will be schools having to use general fund money to make their debt payments. Neat huh!"

She added, "The net effect will be to drive money out of education altogether. That's even BETTER than driving money into the classroom."

Dueling Dropouts

My data is bigger than your data! So there. Dueling dropout reports.

Debate on April 27th.

Meanwhile, another one bites the dust.

Carny

Indiana's Governor Mitch Daniels announces he may take a job as a "part time carnival barker."

Story here.

New sanctions for No School's Behind Left

In a recent press release, the Federal Department of Education has announced a new investigative procedure for all schools failing to meet AYP under No School's Behind Left.

When asked about how this particular investigative procedure had application to education Mrs. Spellings expounded on the topic.

"I think my previous background as a proctologist has uniquely qualified me for this position of overseeing the schools who fail to make adequate yearly progress. These procedures aren't meant to be overly invasive and schools shouldn't take offense. We are just here to help. We haven't even taken the gloves off yet," she said with a smile.

With content provided by - Annie of course

Fewer choose teaching

Accoring to stateline.org:

Classroom enrollment is up in most parts of the country and so is the demand for public school teachers. But many states report that fewer people are choosing to become teachers -- a trend that could lead to a national teacher shortage crisis, especially if baby boomers, who make up the largest age group in the profession, begin retiring en masse.

Brain drain in education

EdWonk posts a story today explaining why a Math teacher with 12 years experience leaves the classroom for private industry.

The contracts that education unions have negotiated across America (and schools boards have agreed to!) are heavily weighted toward seniority. When I was teaching I tried as hard as I could but I couldn't seem to get older any faster.

In recent years we have had this scenario happen with several Math teachers who left for greener pastures.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Announces 65% Solution

Breaking News in Health Care

In a major announcement today, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance company revealed it's new nationwide initiative entitled, "The 65% Solution."

In a well staged press conference, breathless spokesperson I. M. Inshured2BadUrKnot stated, "The 65% Solution" is likely to be the answer to controlling health care costs in all health care situations involving surgical procedures. "

I.M. Inshured reviewed the key points. "The major step is to insure that the surgeon gets 65% of every claim. Only 35% of surgical costs can be spent on support services, anesthesia, surgical rooms, medical supplies, or janitorial services or even nurses unless they are on the surgical team. Sixty-five percent of all claims must go directly to surgical services."

When questioned about where the idea came from, Blue Cross Blue Shield spokespeople freely admitted they stole the idea from First Class Education.

I. M. Insured stated, "State legislatures everywhere are applying the 65% solution to education and are requiring 65% of all education costs to be spent on instruction."

When asked where the research base was to support the 65% threshold the Blue Cross spokesperson grinned and said, "The same place First Class Education got their research on the 65% solution. They pulled it out of their heads or somewhere else."

Carnival of Education

Don't forget to take a walk on the midway today and check out the Edusphere's blog submissions this week. The Super's Blog has been woefully lax in submitting our link to the EdWonks Weekly Carnival of late but we shan't forget to shamelessly stump for EdWonk anyway!!! :-)

Scrappleface Satire

Here is a satire post from Scrappleface regarding the recent public flap over the geography teacher that likened President Bush to Hitler.

Ouch!

This article echoes what I hear in the trenches every day.

"Maybe it isn't the teachers....."

Indiana's new ISTEP test

I saw in one article that Indiana had proposed changing its new ISTEP test to the acronym REACH. Since this is the state of IN, I think this is excellent. That makes the new test REACH IN. Being from the basketball capital of the entire universe this also makes perfect sense. How about Higher Opportunities for Outstanding Progress (HOOPS)?

Or, my favorite. How about Future Opportunities for Unlimited Learning (FOUL).

IN students get 5 opportunities to pass the test before they FOUL out.

The Unschooled

Here is a new term for you. "Unschooling." According the Chicago Tribune it is a growing trend.

This evidently goes beyond homeschooling by focusing more on what the students themselves are interested in learning instead of what the adults want them to learn.

Ironically enough, teachers used to feel more free to follow student interests but more and more state intervention into local curriculum has stymied most of these urges.

And people wonder why cynicism exists...

Educational grant rules broken.

Politics as usual.

Teacher Pay?

According to stateline.org

Paying teachers based on talent and student performance instead of seniority is
gaining traction in the states thanks to support from governors and new federal
incentives to tie teacher pay to student achievement.

No College Student Left Behind

Here comes the push for standardized testing requirements for any colleges that accept federal funds.

Our university systems were the envy of the world.

By golly we can't have that. Let's test 'em all and let God sort 'em out.

No Child Left Untested.

Indiana announces winning bid on K-12 public education

The Super's Blog has discovered a heretofore undiscovered top secret memo that explains in excruciating detail future plans for selling Indiana's K-12 education system.

According to government sources the U.A.E (United Arab Educators) is in the running for top bid in Indiana's efforts to sell education to the highest bidder. Explaining the bid was Indiana's top education advisor. "Any port in a storm, I always said, so I think this bid to sell Indiana's K-12 system to UAE is an excellent offer. The financial picture for public schools doesn't look good so I say take the money and run."

Details of the plan show that UAE would take over all Indiana K-12 school corporations for 75 years by paying 4 bazillion up front and Indiana would forego all profits to UAE. When reminded that schools don't make profits, they meet expenses, spokespersons disagreed.

They replied, "Hey it works for port security and it works for Hoosier toll roads. It works for all private outsourcing the same way. What's the diff. The bumper sticker saying used to be "Buy American" but now the bumper sticker says, "Sell America!"

When asked how Spain and Australia can make profits on toll roads but Hoosiers cannot, an anonymous spokesperson said it bluntly, "Patrons will not tolerate government raising tolls for roads nor funds for schools, but patrons EXPECT private businesses to raise costs and make a profit. It's just that simple."

"Get used to it."

Anti-dropout Bill

Indiana has proposed an anti-dropout bill that would NOT allow a student to drop out of school before the age of 18 unless it were for medical reasons or financial hardship.

Why am I skeptical? A law can't really address WHY students dropout - it can only say "you aren't allowed to." The reasons are so socially complex in most cases I know of that simply saying "you can't leave here" isn't going to make a difference.

How do we address the emotional and social complexities of why 20-30% of our students give up at this point in their lives?

What some principals predict is that a significant number of potential dropouts will willfully break known rules in order to get themselves kicked out. If they don't want to be here they won't be there - a new rule won't change that.

Sooooooo....back to the real issue. How does society address the real reasons why so many students find school irrelevant?

Liberty VS Equity

The tug of war between liberty and equity is a never ending battle. However, if it ever does end, our country is doomed. When the teeter totter tips to the liberty side, equity decreases. When the teeter totter tips to equity, personal and social liberties decrease. And so the epic struggle between political views goes on.

This liberty VS equity debate is evident in some recently proposed legislation here in Indiana that would allow schools more freedom to operate. The bill supposedly targeted over 900 rules and regulations that schools could be freed from. It does protect some core laws, such as collective bargaining, compulsory school attendance, discipline, parental access to records, immunizations, accountability, assessment and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

But the scope of what could be out the window was astounding to some on the committee and several who testified.

It seems to me that schools often cry out for more freedom, then when offered it they get nervous.

Yesiree, we want liberty and freedom from onerous regulations, whoooops ..... not THAT much. Hmmmm. Why not? It depends on how much inequity society can tolerate. I admit it. I have lived with so much regulation that I sometimes have trouble even recognizing it anymore. That's why we should be embracing it at some level.

Personally, I think we need to pursue deregulation or eventually the only deregulated schools will be private schools. Until they start taking federal and state money of course!! They should think long and hard about that. The trade off might not be worth it!

Voucher advocate proposes "no fiddling with the data."

Another recent study of 13,577 schools shows that public schools hold their own against private schools. The report calls the public school students’ scores “statistically significantly higher,” because 10 points is generally considered to represent one grade level’s difference. “This analysis makes it appear that there isn’t anything magical in private schools that leads to a significant difference in achievement,” Mr. Lubienski, co-author of the study, said.

In what has to be one of the most nonsensical quotes ever, Joe McTighe, Executive Director of the Council for American Private Education had this response to Education Week, “When you look at the data as is without any fiddling, students in privates outperform those in publics by a wide margin,” he said.

Let me interpret "without any fiddling." It means "don't look too closely at the data." When they broke the data down and compared students with similar backgrounds, public schools outperformed private schools.

Look for a huge push from voucher advocates in the next year. Indiana has already vowed to do so. I think there will be more desperation to do so soon because the longer time goes on the better and more thorough the research base will get. And that....might not be what private schools and voucher advocates really want.

Vouchers fail in IN - advocates vow to return

The Indianapolis Star reflects on the voucher bills dying in this year's General Assembly. Supporters vow to return with a grass-roots appeal to the public.

Look for a greater push next year. They believe the time is now.

Superintendent Search Process

In this article, a Minneapolis paper ponders the superintendent search process.

More than anything else, it demonstrates the lack of a deep candidate pool for these jobs across the nation. I would guess that many of these jobs have less than 10-20 qualified applicants.

NCLB driving testing industry

Article here says that NCLB has driven testing companies to emphasize multiple choice items due to high demand.

The quality of tests in U.S. schools is declining as companies producing the exams rely more on multiple-choice questions because of a surge in demand sparked by the No Child Left Behind Act, according to a recent report.

Full report from Education Sector is available here.

Teaching students to think outside the standardized test box

Read this article linked here, then tell me if you think this type of instruction is more likely or less likely under NCLB. One could argue that this type of instruction was hard to find before NCLB and you might be right. However, teachers tell us you are even less likely to find such creative, enthusiastic, open-ended activities like this when teachers are overly pressed to "teach to the test."

America, once the world's leader in developing creative entrepreneurs, is rapidly joining the rest of the world in standardized test mania. With the move to spring ISTEP in Indiana we will move from 5 weeks of test review to 5 months of test review. Our kids are so enthused they can't wait!

NEWS FLASH!

The Super's Blog has received a leaked copy of a press release that spokespeople close to the governor say is to be announced publicly in the next few hours.

NEWS FLASH:

Governor Mitch Daniels will be announcing his intentions to lease Indiana's statewide assessment plan called ISTEP, for a 75 year period to foreign countries. Daniels said, "Singapore and India have submitted the high bids. This will bring in 45 million dollars to Indiana immediately and will help us pay the cost to move the test."

Leading Democrats said, "It's highway robbery."

Dr. Sueellen Reed said, "These decisions are taking a toll on public education."

The Republican plan to move ISTEP testing from fall to spring has cleared the Indiana House on a party line vote. An amendment was added to put a little American flag on each test booklet.

Daniels admitted, "It's similar to the amendment to put an American flag on the Indiana highway toll booths to be owned by Australia and Spain." "Besides" he added, "There is nothing wrong with selling America to foreign countries. More and more savvy business people are doing this every year."

He added, "Another benefit is that when a teacher has a tech support problem with the on-line version of testing all they have to do is call tech support in India or Singapore to get help."

To which Democrats said, "Yeah, but you may be on hold for 75 years to get an answer."

Daniels smiled and said, "But we got the money up front!"

Origins of the 65% Solution

As most readers are aware, the "65% solution" has been trumpeted as a way of "Driving Money into the Classroom." I thought a little background on its origins might be interesting for those who haven't followed it.

The primary person given credit for the "65% solution" is Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com. Interestingly enough, this eccentric CEO was also the dubious winner of CNNMoney.com's "Dumbest Moment in Investor Relations for 2005. (To find the link you will have to click on 2006 Smart List and follow the "10 Dumbest Moments link at the top) Here is what CNNMoney.com had to say about Patrick Byrne.

Over the course of 2005, Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne issues increasingly shrill pronouncements about nefarious short-sellers driving the company's stock into the ground. After listening to an Overstock conference call with investors in August, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban posts to his blog a list of the topics Byrne covered: "Miscreants; an unnamed Sith Lord he hopes the feds will bury under a prison; gay bath houses; whether he is gay, does cocaine, both, or neither; phone taps; phone lines misdirected to Mexico; arrested reporters; payoffs; conspiracies; crooks; egomaniacs; fools; paranoia; which newspapers are shills and for who; money laundering; his Irish temper; false identities; threats; intimidation; and private investigators. All in 61 minutes." Cuban then short-sells 10,000 shares of Overstock.

Not to join Cuban in selling Patrick Byrne short, but I am not sure what else qualifies Byrne for knowing what each school system in America needs to spend as a specific percent on instruction. Nevertheless, the the 65% solution picks up steam.

George Will, in the Washington Post, thinks Byrne's 65% solution is a great one. Will writes in April of 2005...

His idea -- call it the 65 Percent Solution -- is politically delicious because it unites parents, taxpayers and teachers while, he hopes, sowing dissension in the ranks of the teachers unions...

So there you have it. "A politically delicious" idea from the eccentric Winner of "The Dumbest Moment in Investor Relations" for 2005.

Not to be outdone, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, comes out with a ringing endorsement of the 65% solution proposed by the group First Class Education. I guess Grover is in competition with Patrick Byrne for President of the "I-wish-I-hadn't-said-that-now Club."
Here is an old Norquist quote reported more recently in the Washington Post.

"What the Republicans need is 50 Jack Abramoffs...," Grover Norquist told National Journal in 1995.

There you have it. Expert testimony from two big name supporters of the 65% solution. The brains behind the idea is the Winner of 2005's Dumbest Moment in Investor Relations, and the leader of the Americans for Tax Reform organization who thinks Republicans "need 50 Jack Abramoff's."

Educators everywhere --- don't you feel better now knowing about two of the characters that help frame and define educational policy debate in America?

A thoughtful parent reflects on NCLB

This is an excerpt from a Letter to the Editor written by a parent opposed to NCLB. I thought it had some excellent points.

We can do better for our teachers and our students than to standardize away attention to the variety of styles, interests, and abilities of both. We can design a better vision than one that holds a minority child or group accountable for the failure of a school. We can create a better plan than to have our brightest students in a program of study that is geared for minimal "proficiency" and memorization on standardized tests, which excludes the expansive spontaneity of creative debate and discovery. And, we can do much better than to spend hours training our least able children to bubble answer sheets to cheat the system as well as the child. We can use new and creative methods to help stimulate a joyful quest for knowledge and resist the boring, rote, and meaningless learning that is geared toward a limited and small-minded outcome that substitute for real learning. Yes, our students need to learn basic skills, but more importantly, they need to learn to think independently, to reason, to be honest and thoughtful, and to decipher and apply the principles and values of our democracy. These are the skills they will need to become informed citizens in a society that will require their participation.

With the imposition of and adherence to the NCLB act, neither the rhetorical nor statistical manipulation can recover the many losses suffered by our students, our teachers, and our system of public education.

A.E. Levin Garrison

Public schools do better...again.

NY Times reports on another large scale study of public and private schools.

The study, by Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Theule Lubienski, of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, compared fourth- and eighth-grade math scores of more than 340,000 students in 13,000 regular public, charter and private schools on the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress. The 2003 test was given to 10 times more students than any previous test, giving researchers a trove of new data.

"Over all," it said, "demographic differences between students in public and private schools more than account for the relatively high raw scores of private schools. Indeed, after controlling for these differences, the presumably advantageous private school effect disappears, and even reverses in most cases."

The Superintendent Selection Process: What parents REALLY want!

Superintendents might find it interesting to view how one parent and school advocate views the superintendent selection process going on right now in two east coast school districts.

Click here to follow the story

In frustration this parent (We'll call her Annie) previously asked me to post a list of job qualities SHE was seeking from her children's superintendent. I posted the list because I was struck by the difference between what the PARENT said they wanted for their child and what the official "search teams" always say is important.

Click here for the original Help Wanted list posted on this blog.

Giving it up for NCLB

A recent commenter said this:

"What WOULD schools have to give up for 100% of their kids to be proficient in Reading, Math & Science? Sounds pretty good to me. If you have the solution, let's get to it!"

My premise is that in a pluralistic society where the school systems are run as democracies with locally elected lay boards, making the drastic changes necessary to reach 100% proficiency of all students by 2013-2014 under NCLB is near impossible. Most communities are not willing to give up what it would take.

But, let's hear it from everyone...

What WOULD schools have to give up for 100% of their kids to be proficient in Reading, Math and Science?

Connecticut sues over NCLB

Connecticut has sued over the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Two-thirds of the state's school boards have signed on.

A sign of things to come?

Shanmugaratnam, Minister of Education for Singapore

Here is a Newsweek article that quotes the Minister of Education for Singapore talking about American schools. I think he gets it.

I talked to Tharman Shanmugaratnam to understand it better. He's the minister of Education of Singapore, the country that is No. 1 in the global science and math rankings for schoolchildren. I asked the minister how to explain the fact that even though Singapore's students do so brilliantly on these tests, when you look at these same students 10 or 20 years later, few of them are worldbeaters anymore. Singapore has few truly top-ranked scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, business executives or academics. American kids, by contrast, test much worse in the fourth and eighth grades but seem to do better later in life and in the real world. Why? "We both have meritocracies," Shanmugaratnam said. "Yours is a talent meritocracy, ours is an exam meritocracy. There are some parts of the intellect that we are not able to test well, like creativity, curiosity, a sense of adventure, ambition. Most of all, America has a culture of learning that challenges conventional wisdom, even if it means challenging authority. These are the areas where Singapore must learn from America.

Does this mean we shouldn't worry about improving America's math and science performance? No, it just means we better not throw the "baby out with the bath water." The "baby" is the American sense of creativity and curiosity that continually challenges the world in application of new ideas for products and services. The free-wheeling representative democracy that has defined America, is what allows this culture to exist.

The problem I see is that as teachers hunker down and overemphasize specific test results, the loss of creativity and curiosity is often an unintended consequence.

Daniels issues executive order on cooperative purchasing

PRESS RELEASE

In a stunningly bold move, Governor Mitch Daniels has proved that he can not only save daylight time in Indiana but he can even change time itself.

According to a spokesperson close to the governor, Daniels and his advisors were recently shocked to find out that Indiana school districts have banded together since 1981 under Indiana statute SC-1 to save money through cooperative purchasing agreements made through Regional Service Centers. This realization unfortunately came soon after they had publicly announced a major initiative encouraging schools to band together to do cooperative purchasing.

The Super's Blog has learned through its top secret mole in the state house, that The Governor will soon issue Executive Order 06-01 which encourages schools to purchase commodities, natural gas and other supplies through cooperatives and hereby declares all such cooperative purchases to be made retroactive to 1981 when Indiana's Regional Service Centers were first created.

The mole said, "Don't tell anyone, but he just wants a little credit for it. It's not good for his conservative base to know that public schools have done this for years."

A spokesperson close to the Governor said, "This Governor doesn't need daylight savings time, he can change time itself."

Governor's speech tonight

Here is what the pre-speech notifications indicate the Governor is going to say about education tonight:

Mitch says: Indiana continues to make a strong financial commitment to k-12 schools. Hoosiers spend 14% more of their income on K-12 schools than the US average.
(Maybe we should be proud of that instead of embarrassed Mitch. You'll likely say that like we should be ashamed. And guess what 60% of Hoosiers surveyed said they are willing to spend more taxes for education. Bet you don't say that tonight.)

Mitch says: K-12 spending was one of the only four areas to see an increase in the 2005-2006 state budget. The problem is where the money goes. (That's good as far as it goes. But many schools and students got less or the same while expenses rose. And as far as "where the money goes" not one patron here has ever told me that their local board's decision to renovate our facilities was a problem.)

Mitch says: School construction projects in 2003-2004 cost Indiana taxpayers 146% of the US average. Debt service on school construction is now 10% of property taxes bills, 3x the national average. (Paid for by local patrons with local money from decisions made by their locally elected representatives with a remonstrance process in place. Your point is...you want to control it instead? Mitch knows best. So much for your push to provide more local control! You're moving around Mitch. Your talking local control and consolidating central control at the same time. Some aren't buing it..)

Mitch says: Only 61% of school operating budgets go toward instruction and learning.
(And society says the perfect number is____? Maybe with the cost of gas, insurance and other operating expenses it should be 50%?)

Indiana ranks 50th in the percent of K-12 employees who are teachers.
(What's a "teacher?" We have numerous teacher "aide" positions teaching Reading Recovery and other positions. Many of them have teaching degrees and work directly with students. They aren't labeled "teachers." In this respect the "efficiency cult" should praise us for stretching our pennies. In other cases the increases in student performance are a result of "instructional coaches" who do not directly teach children but work directly with teachers. Again, performance gains for kids - but they aren't "teachers" in the traditional sense of the word. Makes the comparison muddy but makes a nice sound bite anyway. )

Mitch says: The solution is to increase the percent of funds spent on instruction and learning.
(Rob Peter to pay Paul.. )

Every 1% moved from overhead to instructional spending would free up $100 million for student learning. (It's amazing what you guys can call overhead. Are guidance counselors, nurses, bus drivers, teacher aides, and computer technicians really overhead ?)

65% solution or 65% delusion?

Around the nation, many governors and legislators are falling all over themselves to trumpet the "65% solution" as a way to hold down costs in education. The "65% solution" simply argues that 65% of all funds going to education should be oriented to instruction. Indiana has been reported to be at 61% but that figure is debatable, as they all are. Politicians undoubtedly see this as a political winner. Who could be against "driving more money into the classroom?"

At least our Indiana governor was smart enough not to attach a specific percentage to it as an absolute target. There is no research to support 65% as the "ideal" public funding level for instruction! Of course he couldn't resist suggesting maybe we could get that up to 70% or even higher.

Here is an article discussing the 65% solution in Texas. Evidently in their current plans football coaches salaries would be considered "instruction" but librarian salaries would not. After winning the Rose Bowl and finishing the BCS as #1, this might actually fly in Texas!

This simple illustration shows that the simplest concepts can be amazingly complicated.

In order to make such state-by-state comparisons about the level of "instructional" funding, clear definitions are required - never an easy task. This only seems simple to people who have no clue.

Here are a few examples:

Are librarians instructional expenses? Maybe it depends on whether they only check books at the counter or whether they purchase your child's reading materials.

Is a teacher aide instructional? Maybe it depends on whether they put up bulletin boards or whether they tutor kids.

Is a computer technician instructional? Maybe it depends on whether they repair your hard drive or whether they work with students and help make instructional software purchases.

Is air conditioning instructional or operational? Maybe it depends on whether or not you ever served as a teacher on a 90 degree day with 90% humidity in a school without AC.

Is a football coach instructional? Maybe it depends on whether your child learned about sacrifice, teamwork, self-discipline and goal setting or whether they learned how to cheat to win.

Is the bus driver's salary instructional? Maybe it depends on whether or not the child would be at school without the bus.

Is the cook's salary instructional? Maybe it depends on how well you learn when you are hungry.

Sorry - but 65% solutions are 95% delusions.

Hoosiers surveyed about education

From IU’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.

Some 65 percent of Indiana residents surveyed said the schools in their communities were excellent or good

72 percent rated teachers as good or excellent

62 percent of Hoosiers believe the state’s K-12 schools are underfunded

Almost 60 percent said they would pay higher taxes to make more money available to them – an increase of 11 percent over 2004.

And From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette "a glowing report about education."

Republican Photo Op: Driving more money into the classroom

News Release:

At 1:57 PM Eastern Time (or was it 1:57 Central DST..no maybe it was... Eastern DST or...) representatives of the National Republican Party staged a "photo op" to demonstrate their national commitment to "Driving More Money into the Classroom." The 1997 late model car was stuffed with coins in various amounts of small change and carefully choreographed to careen through the window of Mrs. Ruth Jones busy 3rd grade classroom. A Republican spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous stated, "It demonstrates our commitment in a very clear way." "Mrs Jones said, "All 37 kids were absolutely terrified. It would have helped if they had told us ahead of time they were planning this. But at least all the kids managed to scramble away as the glass shards were raining down around us."

Mrs. Margaret Spellings said, "At least No Child was Left Behind."

Vouchers Trojan Horse

You could almost see this trojan horse rolling up the plank.

Some Indiana Republican legislators recently announced that they were going to seek legislation allowing a vouchers program for parents of children with autism.

They forgot one little teensy-weensy thing...maybe parents of children with autism aren't interested.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette today ran an editorial indicating that the Autism Society was not aware of the proposal and furthermore, may not be interested.

“There’s a concern that they are putting forth this bill without having consulted anyone in the autism community,” said Susan Pieples, president of the Autism Society of Indiana. “We want to make sure we’re not being used as a pawn for school choice.”She said House leaders showed “little integrity” in proposing the voucher plan without first consulting those most affected.

“We don’t want to see money taken away from those programs,” she said. “The general education system has to be shored up first. It is really a travesty that we can find money to fund a new (Colts) stadium, but we’re so underfunded when it comes
to children.”

Not all Republicans were behind this trojan horse of course, but enough were that they felt comfortable to run the idea out in public.

Are the Indy Star's graduation stats just as inaccurate?

Many high school principals have privately complained in years past about there not being a consistent way of reporting graduation and dropout statistics.

This fall the Indianapolis Star ran a series on graduation rates and dropouts in an effort to bring public attention to the issue.

Unfortunately, after a number of pretty decent editorials, they go too far with this one.

The Star's version of graduation rates is just as twisted as the old high school rates.

Here are a few quotes from the Star:

IPS, with a graduation rate of 39 percent in 2005, remains home to the region's worst dropout factories.

The failure of state and local educators to report realistic graduation rates, however, conceals such dismal performance. Says (Stan )Jones: "They think their schools have nice facilities and things are fine, when in fact things are not."

Inflated graduation numbers have lulled the public into believing that dropping out is rare. It's not.

Read through this list of Indy area schools and then look at the Star's definition of "graduation."

The Star's editorial board's calculations were made by taking the number of seniors graduating in 2005 and comparing it to the number of 8th graders in 2001. Couldn't get it more simple...and couldn't get it more wrong. Just as wrong as many of the "bloated" high school rates they are taking to task.

The Star claims that the Indianapolis Public Schools has a graduation rate of 39%. However, compare this 39% statistic to the Census Data ( note: click on the county for which you want stats - wait for the red arrow and click when the hand appears) which shows the percentage of adults over the age of 25 in Marion County with high school diplomas is 81.6%. Is there a disconnect? I guess there could be. Maybe 42.6% of them all leave the county or finish up high school before they turn 25. Or maybe this is a new version of the famous economic "brain drain" problem in Indiana? :-)

Except where do they go? Here are all the counties surrounding Marion county and the percentages of adults over 25 with high school diplomas.
Marion County 81.6%
Hamilton County 94.2%
Boone County 88.3 %
Hendricks County 88.5%
Morgan County 80.7%
Johnson County 85.7%
Shelby County 79.8%
Hancock County 87.8%

According to Census Data placed on the Department of Education website for the Indianapolis Public Schools, the percentage of adults WITHOUT a high school diploma in the IPS area has been reduced from 41.3% in 1980 to 28.3 % in 2000. This improvement trend was the same in almost every single school corporation on the Star's list.

I suppose the true graduation rates are closer to the census data numbers than they are the old "glorified" graduation rates the high schools reported or the Star's pessimistic view.

A Legal Holiday Greeting

The Super will take a holiday break from blogging and will resume on January 2, 2006. Don't worry taxpayers, I am still at my day job. :-)

From Your Lawyer Friends:

"Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher."

From Your Other Friends:

Here's wishing all of You a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

A sign of things to come.

The Indy Star ponders the question, "Are tutors worth the costs?"

In what is sure to be a sign of things to come in the "freewheeling" world of competition for students, the Star reviews the competitive world of non-profit and for-profit companies competing for tutoring contracts with large, mostly urban, school systems.

Vouchers needed to escape high performing schools

This one is kind of interesting. I am not sure what to make of it. Read "The New Separate But Equal."

According to the author, liberal white parents are fleeing high-performing schools in large numbers in areas of San Francisco because there are too many high-performing Asians.

The author says, "Our best hope for a truly color-blind society is not quotas or reverse discrimination, but to allow all parents the opporunity to provide the best edcuation for their children by offering them options such as tuition vouchers, charter schools, school choice and merit-based techer pay."

So, let me get this straight - the "best education available" is to make sure I take my voucher and go to a lower-performing school.

As they say, if your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. This is the first argument for vouchers I have heard that involves the need to escape a high-performing school.

I think voucher advocates would have gotten a lot further in their efforts if they had just tackled this from the beginning with the liberty/parental rights perspective.

This approach might have avoided a few of the ongoing disputes over charter school effectiveness, and the effectiveness of vouchers etc. Trying to prove charter schools are better than public schools is proving to be a tough row to hoe. Arguing over whether or not to give parents more choices is a much "cleaner" argument.

The winner of the caption contest

Home Schooling

EdWonk discusses the trend of home schooling increasing in the African American population.

Indiana has some of the least restrictive home schooling regulations in America. When it is done well, home schooling can hardly be beat. With internet resources growing daily and the home school network continuing to grow - it should come as no surprise.

Some of them have their own extra-curricular teams and even organize large scale field trips.

With a knowledgeable parent or tutor, the right resources and an independent or motivated learner - it can work wonders.

12 Days of a Hoosier Christmas

From the Indy Star Editorial Board comes the 12 Days of a Hoosier Christmas.
Covers the major issues of Indiana's 2005 year

Indiana gets an A for Science Standards

At a recent meeting in Indianapolis, State Superintendent for Public Instruction, Dr. SueEllen Reed, was overviewing Indiana's academic progress. Governor Mitch Daniels replied that the LA Dodgers had improved too, but they play in a weak division.

Indiana was recently one of 6 states in the US given an "A" rating for it's Science standards.

I was trying to figure out which weak division that is...

Indiana Caption Contest

We have a growing group of national readers who might not pick up on the statewide Indiana issues. But for you Indiana folks- put on your thinking caps. E-mail The Super Blogger (link is on the sidebar) your favorite Mitch sayings. We will pick the best ones and run them. Or you can go to the website and select your own and e-mail the graphic. It's meant to be good clean fun.

Congress to consider new sanctions for failing schools under NCLB?

The Supers' Blog has discovered that new sanctions are being proposed for failing schools under NCLB.

Margaret Misspellings, the federal spokesperson for NCLB, stated,"We believe that this proposal is the next logical step for America's public schools. We serve students breakfast lunch and dinner and some are still hungry. We provide after school programs for latch-key students and counseling services and nursing services for the sick and confused . We provide physical activities and extra curriculars and they still can't get 100% to hit federal weight goals. We teach them abstinence, and they still have sex. We teach them to use protection and some still get pregnant. We teach them to drive cars and they still have accidents. We teach them to cook a basic meal with the food groups and they still go to McDonalds and order the large combo with extra fries. We try to teach them how to get along with each other and how to handle a conflict without hurting each other and some still scrap and squabble."

She sighed, "We just don't go far enough. So we are proposing legislation that would require all school board members and school employees to legally adopt all children who fail to meet proficiency on their state exams."

She continued, "Of course we wouldn't consider 100% to be a reasonable standard in most circumstances of life, but Language and Math are different. We finally have come to the conclusion failing schools who fall short of perfection might as well be required to adopt them."

Starting in 2010, all failing schools will be required to implement a lottery-based system that requires every failing student to be legally adopted by school employees.

Misspellings added, "At least the new parents will receive a federal voucher to send their failing children to a different school."

Are we educating them or raising them?

The Washington Post ponders the huge agenda handed to public schools today. Before school programs, lunch programs, after school latch-key programs, counseling services, nursing services and the list goes on and on.

Some say it is a grand plan hatched by the liberal left but the Washington Post says, "It's more a grand hodgepodge, created by those on the left, the right and in between."

Mold

Joe Thomas over at Shut Up and Teach ponders why we don't apply the same standards for testing children as we apply to testing mold.

I find this post so ironic it is funny. Good find Joe.

Feds tell governors to pick on someone their own size!

PRESS RELEASE:

The Super's Blog has discovered a heretofore unknown top secret memo outlining a federal plan that would require governors to pick on someone their own size. Since a number of governors have been calling on schools to eliminate food with high sugar and fat content recently because of obesity concerns, congress is reportedly considering requiring all state houses to follow the same requirements they are foisting on schools.

Starting January 1, 2006 all state government offices will have the following restrictions.

1. All legislators will be weighed and measured annually and their height and weight statistics will be mailed in a report card to all voters.

2. All elevators will be turned off. Some say a few never reached the top floor anyway.

3. All legislators will carry a free and reduced lunch magnetic swipe card issued from their favorite lobbyist of course. A few had already swiped theirs.

4. All legislators will be required to walk around the building two times a day and do jumping jacks. They say a few didn't know jack anyway.

5. All legislators will be required to pick on someone their own size. That one might be tough.

6. All legislators are forbidden to utter the words, "biggie-size it."

Said federal congressperson, Ima Biggun, "We think this is the least we can do. At least this way state officials will have to put their money where their mouth is if they can't pick on someone their own size."

"Driving More Money into the Classroom"

PRESS RELEASE

The Republicans announced today the rollout of their new national education initiative titled, "Driving More Money Into the Classroom."

Chief Spokesperson for the Republicans, C.D.L. Laidlaw, revealed the highlights of the new initiative.

"We like the way Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has instituted his 'cult of efficiency' in Indiana and so we have closely modeled our national transportation plan for driving more dollars into the classroom after his Bureau of Motor Vehicles consolidation plan," stated Laidlaw.

He continued, "Indiana closed license branches everywhere based mostly on which lease arrangements they could get out of and required patrons to drive somewhere else for their business. It was very efficient for the government to require patrons to drive 30 miles and more roundtrip to take care of a simple transaction."

"Our new initiative called, Driving More Money Into the Classroom, will be implemented following this model. It will require all patrons to drive their children to the bus driver's house every morning for transport to the school. This way we won't have half empty buses."

"We are laying down the law," said Laidlaw, "We have been absolutely appalled to learn that America's school buses have been running their bus routes at 50% capacity for half of the time!"

Gerald Bracey's letter to the NY Times

Gerald Bracey sent the following letter to the NY times as a response to this NY Times article about NAEP scores.

Sam Dillon makes a fundamental error in his article about discrepancies between state tests and NAEP. He assumes the NAEP achievement levels are valid. They are not. Ideologues who wished to sustain the sense of crisis created by "A
Nation At Risk" created them in the 1980's. The NAEP levels are impossibly high. For example, In the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, American 4th graders finished 3rd among 26 nations (emphasis mine) in science. Yet NAEP said only 30 percent of them were proficient or better in science. Similar results occurred in math. Little wonder, then, that the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Education, the Government Accounting Office and the Center for Research in Evaluation, Student Standards and Testing have all rejected the NAEP levels. They continue to exist only because there is so much political hay to be made from saying that American schools and students stink.

Misspellings clarifies NCLB "leeway" remarks

PRESS RELEASE:

The Bush administration today clarified what it means by granting more "leeway" for schools trying to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) laws.

According to Bush's top education advisor, Margaret Misspellings, the new revised law will be called All Schools Still Pretty Much Left Behind (ASSPMLB).

Misspellings was careful to clarify reports in The Washington Post about granting leeway to schools under NCLB. She stated,"We are excited about granting schools more leeway. But the purpose is to hold firm in our surreal requirement that 100% of all students in every disaggregated subpopulation in 100% of America's schools score at the proficient level on their state standardized assessment or they FAIL. While blindly holding firm in this unreasonable and irrational standard, we hope to provide additional flexibility in the myriad of ways in which schools can work hard and still fail."

Misspellings added, "It is only by labeling all of America's schools failures and developing alternative methods of failure that we can increase the number of private schools who are not held to these same irrational standards."

She added, "I hope this clarifies what we mean in the reports stating that we are giving more schools leeway."

Sent by an astute trend spotter

Governor finishes last in his division again.

Rumors have it that the guv kinda got into it with Dr. SueEllen Reed, Indiana's State Superintendent of Public Instruction, at an Education Roundtable meeting. Evidently a report was being given that indicated Indiana's student achievement had been slowly and steadily rising in many areas. The governor took exception to any good news and revealed that the LA Dodgers had improved too but they play in a weak division.

I have about had it with the lame sports analogies. This is not a game - its education! American obsession with rankings and ratings will be our demise.

These folks don't get it. The unintended consequences of trying to be number one on some international or national test will eventually choke out what remains of the American creativity and ingenuity. (See the previous post on this blog.) Teachers in the trenches will confirm this.

My son came home with an A- the other day. I guess using the governor's flawed logic I should frown and ask him why he wasn't number one in the class that day AND tell him that since he is
not in the advanced math class that he should be disappointed because he is in a weak division.

As they say, "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

Unintended Consequences

Last week one of our teachers who has been going room to room helping teachers implement some new programs, told us in an administrative meeting that the standards-based reform efforts have become so emphasized, that teachers are resorting to "chalk talk" and lectures because they feel so pressured to cover the specific indicators that they feel could be tested.

They feel so rushed to cover everything tested that they don't feel they have time to take material into depth and do something interesting with it. In other words, the unintended consequence is that school becomes less fun, and less engaging for students.

So....Sad.....

Trapped Teachers

EdWonks weighs in on an issue I have long felt impacts teacher morale.

This was posted on The Education Wonks blog site today.

If Congress wanted to do something useful for teachers, maybe it could pass a law that would permit teachers who are currently shackled to their jobs by outmoded seniority rules escape from school districts that have toxic work-environments and transfer their seniority to districts that are dedicated to fostering a culture of educational excellence and high employee morale.

For a long time now I have noticed how trapped educators are by the archaic salary schedules. Once a teacher gets about 7 or 8 years under their belt, they are trapped for life in their current school district with few if any options. Due to their higher salary they are stuck with few if any school districts able to afford hiring them as a veteran teacher. This too leads to morale issues as teachers begin to feel trapped.

We used to hire a few veterans now and then until health insurance, utility costs and rising fuel costs compounded by dwindling state revenue came to be. As it stands now - teachers are stuck.

This is the trade off the unions accepted when they fought for pay that is exclusively seniority based.

"Return to Cinders....."

News Flash.....

Elvis was spotted at a recent Indiana Property Tax Control Board Meeting when the following comments were made by Member Maury Mills.

Superintendent Paul Garrison made a presentation stressing how the community and past boards had stressed only academic facility needs for 50 years, and now needed to address some special use space. Their building is a 1954 structure, with a combination gym/auditorium shared by all six grades. The superintendent noted that the gym could not accommodate all PE needs. Part of the project was for an auxiliary gym and a new track. After a facility study estimated a cost of $17 million, the board and administration cut the project to an estimated $8.3 million.

Member Mills asked for a breakdown of cost by each project item. He questioned the cost of the latex running track, and asked "are we all out of cinders?"

Nice Maury. I can only assume your grandkids don't run track or take PE there.

Ok... everyone do your best Elvis for me now....ah 1, and ah 2, and ah 3 and go.."Return to Cinders...."

Property Tax Control Board defines "local control"

Evidently Indiana's Property Tax Control Board has created the following operational definition for the term "local control."

local control (lo'kul kun'trol) 1. we the state, control the locals

Recent decisions by the Indiana State Property Tax Control Board, as well as comments by board members in the meetings, show an agenda that is so obviously political it is appalling. One school district went for approval of a 10 year construction bond issue and was only approved when they made it 18 years instead. The rationale? I can only assume the state board wanted to show they lowered the tax rates. Nevermind that it was a local decision and it would be paid with 100% local tax payer dollars.

Now...the community will pay more by borrowing over the long run. Now mind you, there is nothing wrong with either approach. We can also argue that it should be a user tax by spreading the cost over 18 years so everyone pays a little. The point is....WHO should make that decision? Political hacks trying to protect the governor from being accused of raising taxes? Or local patrons who pay the freight on the project?

local control (lo'kul kun'trol) 1. we the state, control the locals

Impossible Goals and NCLB Failure

Jim Horn at Schools Matter points out the irrationality of NCLB and the ensuing cry for privatization that is sure to follow.

No Child's Behind Left

PRESS RELEASE

President Bush's top education advisor, Margaret Smellings, announced today that President Bush was rolling out a new education plan closely modeled after Vice President Dick Cheney's new torture policy.

Smellings stated, "For a long time we have been advocating that Vice Principals be given broader authority over handling detainees awaiting discipline in the office. Even to the point of torture with wooden instruments."

Smellings indicated the new program would be called, "No Child's Behind Left."

The plan will overturn state laws that have previously limited the use of corporal punishment and will give Vice Principals one more tool in the torturous task of determining who did what to whom and when did they do it?

Smellings sniffed, "If torture is good enough for the Vice President and the CIA it should be good enough for the Vice Principal and the CYA."

Ain't America Great!

Where else but America could a prison inmate be elected to the school board. LOL

NCLB violates federal promises?

From federal legislation under Goals 2000 comes this closing paragraph to section 319....

(b) REAFFIRMATION.--The Congress agrees and reaffirms that the
responsibility for control of education is reserved to the States and local
school systems and other instrumentalities of the States and that no action
shall be taken under the provisions of this Act by the Federal Government
which would, directly or indirectly, impose standards or requirements of any
kind through the promulgation of rules, regulations, provision of financial
assistance and otherwise, which would reduce, modify, or undercut State and
local responsibility for control of education.

Have the feds lived up to their promise not to undercut state and local control?

Jim Horn over at Schools Matter blogs about the increasing cry for national curriculum and national tests.

Is Your State Chamber of Commerce Out of Touch?

Many superintendents have observed that their state chamber of commerce representatives repeatedly take positions on issues that do not necessarily reflect the local chamber of commerce in their communities. There might be something to this.

Recently, I attended a community business and education forum in which the following statistic was quoted.

"Seventy percent of the jobs available in the future will NOT require a four year degree."

In addition, a graph was distributed showing the results of a round table discussion of community leaders who were asked, "What can education do to advance the interests of business? The most frequent response by almost 2 to 1? Give them graduates with "skills." From reading all their comments it is obvious that they meant soft skills and technical skills, not what most view as academic skills.

Meanwhile the state education policy, driven by business roundtables at the state levels, is driving almost all students to college preparatory tracks. Which has never been a "track" proven to emphasize technical or soft skills.

This might indicate that local business needs are at odds with the state chamber of commerce's view of needs. Meanwhile, the nation's governors are driving attempts to make high school more academically rigorous because they know that students that take more rigorous courses do better on international and national tests.

Students are getting mixed messages.

Disconnect?

Obesity Fad: Junk Science?

Here is a research study on your school's vending machines.

Conclusion: Much ado about nothing.

Finally, a FUNDED mandate!

For years educators have railed against "unfunded mandates."

I have finally discovered a "funded mandate."See the photo of a plastic rafter square and flexible tape measure?

This is Indiana's method of funding a new obesity initiative. Indiana's educators will soon be required to weigh and measure all public school students and send the data to the state in a spreadsheet along with their confidential student ID number.

Now, I figure it will require each teacher an hour to put the books away, line up the class, take them to the room where confidential weigh-ins will occur, supervise the class and take them back to the room and resume instruction. At 200 teachers x 1 hour each, times $30.00 per hour of instructional time, that's $6,000.00. Not to mention the nursing staff hours to man the stations and organize the spreadsheets for uploading to the state.

Our FUNDED mandate is a $4.99 rafter square and $6.99 tape measure our nurses received in the mail.

Now THAT's efficiency.

Finally...a FUNDED mandate!

Teachers suspended with pay for breaking up fights?

According to an individual posting on the Indy Star web site, Indianapolis Public School teachers have been put on administrative leave pending an investigation after students have alleged the teachers used excessive force in breaking up a student altercation.

Wow this is tough. Liability issues have the entire nation under siege. Administrators are afraid not to treat these seriously until the facts are sorted out...but now the teachers will be afraid to get involved which is the WRONG message also.

Tough spot.

Here's the link.

Here's an excerpt:

Several teachers have been suspended this year because they were involved in
breaking up fights. After the fights were stopped, a student alleged that he or
she was the victim of a teacher using too much force to separate the combatants.
Principals must report the allegation to Child Protection Services and IPS Human
Resources. The teacher is then suspended with pay pending the CPS investigation.
The mere fact that this suspension and investigation have happened becomes a
threat to the career of the teacher.

Is the system collapsing under the weight of it all?

This year alone you can add to your curricular pile...obesity, bullying, intelligent design, and now.....middle school foreign language requirements? (according to this morning's Indy Star)

What would you like us to leave out?

Of course you don't want us to leave anything out.

It's all important isn't it?

Press Conference: Indiana Governor Supports Change to Constitution

This is a rerun of a previous post. It is reposted today in response to the recent meeting of the Indiana Efficiency Commission in which a brief discussion was held about revisiting the original intent of the Indiana Constitution and what it has to say about education. I'll save them the trouble.

PRESS RELEASE: March 28, 2008 (Hint: Note date...this could be satire)

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, has announced his support for a bold new amendment to the Indiana Constitution. This amendment is purported to bring Indiana's system of public education more in line with the current administration's vision for public education.

Below is the current Indiana Constitutional language describing the "Common School System," established on February 10, 1851:

ARTICLE 8. Education
Section 1. Common school system

Section 1. Knowledge and learning, generally diffused throughout a community, being essential to the preservation of a free government; it should be the duty of the General Assembly to encourage, by all suitable means, moral, intellectual, scientific, and agricultural improvement; and provide, by law, for a general and uniform system of Common Schools, wherein tuition shall without charge, and equally open to all.

It has been widely reported, that Senator Flubbers will introduce legislation containing new language using the "strip and insert" process so popular this legislative session. The problem as usual, is finding bills "germane" to the topic.

When questioned, education policy advisor David Shame stated, "I didn't see a problem with any of the bills being "germane." The few bills I actually read all seemed to be in English."

The following language has been circulated in a leaked memo.

Proposed Constitutional Change/New Language on Education:

ARTICLE 8. Education

Section 1. Common and Uncommon school systems

Section 1: Knowledge and learning, general or specific, diffused or confused, throughout a community, being essential or nonessential to the preservation of a free or oppressive government; it might or might not be the duty of the General Assembly or General Disassembly, to encourage or discourage , by any or all suitable or unsuitable means, moral or immoral, intellectual or unintellectual , scientific or unscientific, agricultural improvement or lack of improvement; and provide or maybe-not-to-provide, by law or without laws, for a general or not-so-general, uniform or not-so-uniform system, or possibly no system at all, of Common or Uncommon Schools, wherein tuition most assuredly will be with charge and generally not equal or open to much of anyone, unless people of means or maybe, mean people.

A spokesperson close to the governor said on condition of anonymity, "Of course we believe in 'common schools.' The Governor just has a different VISION and understanding of the word "common."

He added, "For goodness sakes people, that constitution was written clear back in 1851! We've changed our minds about the constitution being a founding document. We've now decided that the constitution is an evolving thing. You know, a 'living document'. He just believed that when he worked for the Hudson Institute. He's moved on."

To which national voucher advocates replied, "We like it, it works for us."

The long and short of it...

Press Release from Scott Foresman Publishing Company:

In a follow-up to yesterday's post, the publishing conglomerate, Scott Foresman Incorporated, announced today its hostile takeover of the company Cliff Notes.

Scott Foresman spokesperson, I. M. A. Bridged, stated, "We have accepted the fact that in today's MTV world our busy teens do not have time to read the full versions of our literature texts. Between ball practice, and the evening shift at Burger Death, they simply cannot leverage the time to read full text literature.

Our vision is to deliver the Cliff Notes versions of the classic literature most often assigned by today's English teachers, in text messages over cell phones. These short versions can also be downloaded in MP3 sound bites to iPods for auditory review before tests and quizzes."

Cliff was unavailable for comment and was widely reported to be enjoying his new found wealth by curling up with a good book.

Are their attention spans really THAT short?

Over at Get Schooled, Friday, it was posted that a textbook rep was marketing their "short version" stories because of the students "short attention" spans.

I hate to think that we have to use abridged versions of the classics because we think students can't pay attention long enough to read them.

If we use abridged versions of everything don't we just expand their short attention spans?

Do Parents Matter?

This news article in the LA Times seems to imply that parent involvement is not a factor in student achievement.

Reading the article carefully however, will reveal that all schools in the study were low-income schools.

In other words, when comparing students of poor parents to other students of poor parents, parental involvement is not as significant as curriculum alignment and high expectations on the part of the school personnel.

However, comparing the parental involvement of students in middle-class and upper-class schools to students of parents from poor backgrounds could reveal a different headline.

So whose fault is it that property tax rates are rising?

One of the great advantages that state governments have through controlling educational policy, is that they not only get to set policy, but they get to decide who pays for it. They can have their cake and eat it too. Make new rules, pass it off to local tax payers then say, "It's those dang schools again...if they would just control spending...."

Here is good quote:

Bill Blomquist, a political scientist at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, said, “What you see, especially in Indiana, is that state officials are more than happy to claim credit when local property taxes are reduced, and more than happy to blame local officials whenever property taxes go up,” Blomquist said.

Here is a link on a full article on property tax increases in Indiana.

Are the public schools the best solution to every social problem?

This question was posed by an Indiana superintendent on a local school corporation blog site in Indiana.

His blog post was titled "Another Big Fat Mandate."

Indiana is evidently going to consider a bill to weigh and measure every student in the state and require them to send the data to the state.

Another great idea - at what cost?

For newcomer's - click on this link to see the cost. Scroll to the bottom of Jamie Vollmer's website, click to see The Burden animation.

Help Wanted

Notice to all Superintendents:

The following Help Wanted ad was received by The Super through e-mail from a parent in a large east coast school district that is looking for a new superintendent.

I present this ad as proof that the more parents know about NCLB and it's insidious side-effects, the more they want their educational leaders to stand up for their children and not just go along with the throng throwing money at the testing industry.

Wouldn't you like to see a help wanted ad that actually looked like this?



HELP WANTED:

School superintendent who meets the following criteria:

Thinks independently and creatively about public school education.

Does not buy into the NCLB act or it's insistence on participation in the standards and testing industry.

Endorses a curriculum that is sensitive to the needs of the individual child.

Solicits the professional input of teaching staff.

Endorses an awareness of and dedication to current knowledge about learning.

Believes that smaller classrooms, varied assessment tools, creative curriculum and competitive salaries for teachers belong on a priority agenda.

Dedicates resources, not only to minority and special needs students, but also to real and varied academic opportunities for the entire range of students.

Is willing to research and consider other avenues for students advancement besides AP, IB or other overused, academically disputed recipes.

Will hope to foster community and parental interest, input, and support for our schools, our teachers, and our students.

Has no financial claims or interest in contributing to the growing financial returns of academic test, textbook or tutoring industries.

With no particular political agenda, still believes that our public schools present an opportunity to prepare and educate our students for a better future.

Enjoys shellfish.

Ok Supe's - any takers?

If you could do it over again, would you still be a teacher?

I have been noticing a growing trend in the teaching profession. Ask a few random teachers if they would encourage young people today to go into teaching.

Ask them, "If you could do it all over again would you still be a teacher?"

Many of them are saying they have not encouraged their own family members or other young people to go into education.

The most prevalent reason seems to be that the respect factor is now gone or diminishing and the constant bombardment and negativity from media and politicians has created a growing dissatisfaction.

A second reason is that the teaching profession has not kept pace with the increasing wages found in other professional careers.

This feeling seems to be supported by this month's AFT study showing that teachers' pay increased just 18 cents for every extra dollar earned by other professionals.

Searching around on the web, it's hard to find much that would give a bright, eager high school student a reason to go into what used to be a valued and respected profession.

Sad thing is, we need good people now more than ever.

More Bill Bennett

Since Bill Bennett has been getting press for his comments lately, I thought I would post a link that sheds some light on how Bill feels about public schools.

A True Story About Bill Bennett by Reed Hundt

Excerpt from article:

Quoting Reed Hundt, former chairman of the FCC who says he had asked Bill Bennett for Republican help in passing legislation to provide internet capabilities to public schools:

He told me he would not help, because he did not want public schools to obtain new funding, new capability, new tools for success. He wanted them, he said, to fail so that they could be replaced with vouchers,charter schools, religious schools, and other forms of private education.

"You did a jood job, now stop that!

What does it mean to comply with NCLB? Did you think it meant making sure that your students were making adequate yearly progress (AYP)? Evidently that is just part of it.

Here is good one for you.

Our district received a two-page letter this week from the Indiana Department of Education's Division of Compensatory Education (Title I). The letter lays out a "five-tiered monitoring system" that is intended to "ensure proper administration of federal funds."

Under #4 "On-site monitoring," the letter indicates which school districts are likely to get on-site visits, presumably to see if we are "properly administrating federal funds."

The letter implies that your district is likely to be visited if it is one of those "districts with compliance risk factors such as fiscal management issues (i.e. repeated excess carryover)."

Here is a perfect example of how the "Alice-in-Wonderland World" of federal grant funding works.

If you spend too little of your federal grant funds then you are a district with a "compliance risk factor" because you carried over too much money to the next year.

In other words, you did an efficient job, now stop that!

Educational Researcher discovers hidden correlation

Press Release:

Researchers at the Department Of Official Weights And Probabilities (DooWap) have discovered a hitherto unknown correlation that is reported to finally shed some light on 30 years of school reform movements characterized by standardized testing initiatives.

The head researcher, Dr. I.M. Whackey stated, "We are so excited that the National Roundtable of Corporate CEO's funded us with this research grant. Through these corporate grants, we have been able to search far and wide and leave no stone unturned until we finally found what we were looking for. We have finally discovered the 'holy grail.' We have finally found a correlation between how well 13 year-olds bubble in answer sheets on a warm Friday afternoon in May...and how well the economy is performing. The CEO's are eagerly awaiting the presentation of our findings! They always knew there was a relationship!"

However, Dr. Whackey added, "The good news for the CEO's is that there is a relationship between standardized test scores and the world's greatest economies. The bad news for the CEO's who have been promoting standardized testing programs is that it is an inverse relationship."

He sighed, "The good news is that a few more years of improvement in our test scores and we will finally beat Japan in international comparisons, the bad news is that by then, our economy may look like theirs too."

Quiz (Indiana Version) : How to tell if you are a recovering republican

Take the Indiana Quiz:

1. Did you vote for Governor Daniels? 1 point

2. Are you finding that on some issues he is in a different time zone than you? 1 point

3. Have you begun to have second thoughts about daylight savings time (DST) now that you know 19 counties have asked to be in a different time zone? 1 point

4. Did you attend a local hearing on closing your license branch (BMV)? Enough said. 2 points

5. Have you paid a visit to the new and improved and more efficient Bureau of Motor Vehicles, probably located in a different time zone now that YOUR branch was closed? 3 points

Note: True story. Recently we received three vehicle registration renewal forms in the mail at our house, along with a note that said they couldn't get our credit card to process. (It still works for everyone else.) One of the registrations we received in the mail was from a different Hoosier motorist, complete with HIS credit card information. (Doesn't that make you feel safe!) Three weeks later, after numerous phone calls to sort it out, we are still driving around on expired plates. The BMV clerk said, "We are so swamped and behind we are doing the best we can. Hopefully you'll get it, maybe next week."

As the Indy Star says in it's editorial, "You're doing a good job, Silvie."

(For non-politicos this is what President Bush said about Mike Brown, head of FEMA, two days before he fired him.) "You're doing a good job Brownie."

5. How do you like toll roads? That's what I thought. 2 points

Scoring:

8-10 points: You might be a recovering republican
5-7 points: You might just be a recovering voter.
0-5 points: You might just be recovering.

You're right. It's a rotten quiz. As long as you are from Indiana you could get 8 points and probably be a member of the Green Party. LOL


Next: the 12 step plan for recovering republicans

Carnival of Education Week 35

The Carnival of Education Week 35 will give you a taste of what's happening in the Education Blogosphere.

Take a walk on the midway.

How to tell in 10 seconds or less if you are a recovering republican.

The last person shuffled slowly, head down, into to the dimly lit church basement and plopped into the last unoccupied metal folding chair in the semi-circle. Everyone present quietly acknowledged each other and waited for the leader to begin. Clearly his throat, the weekly leader began the meeting. "My name is Rush Limberger and I am a recovering republican." And so it continued around the circle.

The Super has recently discovered that there has been an alarming increase in this phenomenon occurring around the nation, and especially in Indiana. Therefore, the Super has developed a Galledup Poll that is based on an almost scientifically accurate survey of random voters. Using this poll, the Super has developed a proven 10- second method for determining if YOU are a recovering Republican. Coming soon, in a Reader's Digest near you...

Take the Quiz:

1. In the last year have you privately listened to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, and/or Glen Beck at least once a week? 3 points

2. In the last 3-6 months have you found your shaking hands switching over to NPR when your buddies were not in the car? (It's ok to admit it - you are safe here.) 3 points

3. Even though you don't agree with NPR politics, have you privately began to enjoy the thoughtful discourse instead of testosterone-infused yelling and screaming and cutting off guests on the phone lines? (Not to mention the mostly commercial free news and original programming.) 1 point

4. Have you started to wonder if there is a political party that really represents you? (It's ok to admit it - there are recovering democrats too.) 2 points

5. Have you started to wonder what would happen if a third party emerged, what would they be like? 1 point



If you scored:

8-10 points: You are clearly a recovering republican and you will need the 12-step plan for recovering republicans that will be unveiled here in due time.

5-7 points: You are a republican having second thoughts

0-5 points: Not sure what you are

In a few days, The Super will unveil the eagerly anticipated, Indiana-specific version of the 10 point survey. Stay tuned.

Schools are the whipping boy again..this time it's local property taxes.

From the Fort Wayne Gazette comes this nugget regarding comments made by Governor Daniels:

Daniels, giving the keynote address to the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns annual convention, told the more than 1,000 attendees at Grand Wayne Center that Hoosiers can no longer afford to think only of themselves. The state budget cuts should be an example, not blasted, he said.

“The totally provincial thinking in Indiana where what’s good for someone else is bad for me has got to go,” Daniels said. “I’m losing patience with people … who jack up taxes 10 or 15 percent at the same time they’re whining about a lack of state money.”

(Helllloooooooo......this is what the legislature planned. I guess you are tired of the republican majority house and senate then, your own party. They are the "people who jacked up" local property taxes.)

Daniels said that if every governmental body limited its spending the way the state did this year, “we would not have a property tax problem, we would have property tax relief.”
He then reassured the group of municipal officials that “I’m not talking about you,” saying the biggest driver of property tax increases is schools.

This is so misleading I have a notion to call the Governor a liar again, but I won't because superintendents know what happens when you call the guv a liar, you have to tell the man you're sorry.

Which schools was it governor? Many schools received no new money but taxes will go up anyway because the STATE legislature (not locally elected school board officials) pushed the responsibility to the local property tax owner and then said, "We didn't raise taxes, it was those schools that did it."

Democrats (which in the past did not include me by the way) are going to remember this one.

Bush fills the last Voucher Cabinet slots

President Bush announced this morning that he has named the final four cabinet slots left on the National School Voucher Cabinet.

In the days leading up to this announcement Bush had previously announced that Katrina and Rita would be joining Chairman Kofi Annan on the School Voucher Cabinet. Annan, formerly the head of the UN, was perhaps best known for his "oil for food" program.

Annan stated, "Katrina and Rita are excellent choices. They will perhaps do more for our federal school voucher efforts than any other efforts we have tried. Providing private school vouchers instead of basic food and housing are excellent ideas. It is very similar to my successful 'oil for food' program."

President Bush indicated that the final four slots will be filled by Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma. Bush indicated that they were lucky to find these four since they were the only four names left.

He quipped, "After these four names - I guess you could say.....it's all Greek to me!"

Bush Completes U.S. National School Voucher Institute Cabinet

On Saturday April 2, 2005, The Super's Blog revealed on this site, the hither to unknown information that President Bush was naming Kofi Annan to head up the federal voucher effort. Annan, previously known for his successful "oil for food" program at the United Nations, was touted as a logical choice for the "snake oil for vouchers" effort.

The Super has intercepted this recent draft press release that is making the rounds in the Bush administration.

Press Release:

President Bush is pleased to announce the naming of another individual to the National School Voucher Institute Cabinet. Joining Kofi Annan immediately will be Katrina. President Bush stated, "We are very happy to name Katrina to the Voucher Institute. We believe she will be very helpful in advancing our voucher efforts. If things work out, we also hope to add Rita to the cabinet as well. These two will do more for our voucher efforts than all the other efforts we have tried."

Kofi Annan stated, "Vouchers instead of food or housing is an excellent plan. I have extensive experience in similar programs. My "oil for food" program was equally excellent at providing for basic needs."

A spokesperson for the Bush administration stated that the remainder of the cabinet will be announced later this week.

School vouchers for hurricane relief?

President Bush has found a new supporter of private school vouchers.

Her name?..........Katrina.

Critics of vouchers are blasting the president because it smacks of opportunism to them and the proponents say nonsense...if it's a good idea..then it's even a better idea when there is a such a need.

ISTEP Spring or Fall?

The Super's Blog stakes out its official position on the controversy surrounding Indiana's standardized testing routine:

Our position is:

"Who cares!"

Actually our position is slightly different. We believe it doesn't make much difference one way or the other. Therefore, the time and expense and change are not worth it. There is little to be gained.

It's kind of like, should it be Coke or Pepsi? Some would argue that neither one is all that great for you.

Now the governor on the other hand, believes that spring testing is the "most natural time to do it."

Maybe some pollster has decided this is a hot button issue or something. I don't see it.

It just disrupts the continuity of most schools' current programs, changes their current assessment cycles and starts new baselines all over again.

Unless that IS the point.

Ed Wonk says..been there done that!

EdWonk says that Hawaii is a step ahead of us! Darn. Indiana can't be first at anything!

Our satire piece hinting that Indiana was going to require teachers to "weigh in" on their personnel evaluations was evidently not so far off after all. EdWonk reports that Hawaii is already considering it.

Indiana announces new teacher evaluation component

Satire Press Release:

Indiana has announced plans to introduce legislation requiring all teachers to report their body mass index (BMI) on their personnel evaluation forms.

As many educators may be aware, many states have begun to require individual teachers to report their students body mass index (BMI) on their grade cards along with other more traditional criteria such as grades and attendance.

A key legislator who proposed the unsuccesful bill spoke off the record, "It is about time we held Indiana teachers to the same standards as students. And...as far as that goes we think that each superintendent should weigh in at each monthly board meeting and make the results part of the public record. In addition to reporting the individual teachers' weight and BMI on their individual personnel evaluation, we intend to require each school to calculate the average teacher BMI and average weight and report it on their school improvement plan. Any school not meeting AYP (adequate yearly progress) on their weight loss goals will be hit with sanctions up to and including, elimination of their snack boxes and pop machines located in the teacher work rooms and lounges."

Katrina

Well, as if a being a hurricane survivor and refugee wasn't enough, we now learn that Margaret Spellings' official position on NCLB is that LA refugees should still be required to take any assessment tests applicable in the schools that they are displaced to.

Teacherken has a post discussing the issue. Scroll down to the bottom for the text.

Parents and Fellow Educators: Listen !

Today's Indianapolis Star editorial discusses the importance of parents in the educational process. I sometimes wonder are we encouragers or discouragers of parent involvment?

Killing fleas with sledge hammers?

IC 20-19-2-8 requires the State Board of Education to adopt guidelines for cheerleading safety.

The statutory language reads as follows:

Sec. 8. (a) In addition to any other powers and duties prescribed by law, the state board shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 concerning, but not limited to, the following matters:...
...(10) The establishment and enforcement of standards and guidelines concerning the safety of students participating in cheerleading activities....

I am not against standards and guidelines for cheerleading safety. Most schools already have them.

My question is this...

Why is the solution to every American problem these days...."Make another law."

It seems to me this is another case of killing fleas with sledge hammers.

Education or Efficiency?

Editorial from today's Fort Wayne newspaper ponders the question, "Will the Education Roundtable work to improve education or just work to make it more efficient?"

Hopefully we can do both.

Fort Wayne Gazette tells it straight.

Tracy Warner and the Journal Gazette editorial writers get it right.

Principal questions Daniel's data

Letter to the editor from the Evansville paper.

Should home schools be regulated?

Should home schooling be more regulated?

Everyone recognizes that home schooling in Indiana is a wide-open affair. When done well, home schoolers excel. There is not much in the way of public schooling that can beat the combination of a self-motivated learner and personal tutor/instructor who knows what they are doing.

However, the all too common experience of most school administrators is a parent or child who gets mad at the school and announces, "I'm done! I'm home schooling now." Then not much happens thereafter.

Here is an editorial position on home schooling by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Indiana to outlaw all calendars?

In another stunning discovery, The Super's Blog has learned that a growing number of restless Indiana voters are initiating a voters referendum requiring Indiana's Governor Daniels to enforce a "No Calendar In Any Household" rule. This means that no calendars would be permitted in any household.

This "No Calendar" rule comes on the heels of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles recent announcement that "No Clocks" will be permitted in BMV offices, presumably to keep slacker employees from watching the clock or to keep patrons from keeping track of how long they wait. This is a new "efficiency" move from Joel Silverman, the BMV chief. I guess Joel's plan is that it will still take just as long to get your license renewed, you just won't know it! I suppose now they will have to hire 2,000 new police to confiscate your watches as part of this new efficiency plan.

Why are voters clamoring for a "No Calendar Rule" for all households in Indiana?

This will keep voters from fixating on how slow the time is passing while they wait for the next gubernatorial election.

As if Daylight Savings Time wasn't silly enough....

I didn't make this up......I swear. It's not satire. It's the truth.

Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles has outlawed clocks at it's branch offices.

Indiana's BMV chief, Joel Silverman, who was appointed by Governor Daniels, knows that all government employees are worthless "clock watchers" and therefore the clocks have to go. The only other reason could be that he doesn't want the citizens to know how long they are waiting to get their license renewed.

LOL

I'm Back

Sorry folks.

Blogging will resume shortly. No major catastrophes on my end but I should have informed everyone that I was going to take a break! My bad.

Being relatively new to the blogosphere I didn't think much about it.

Stay tuned.

Thanks for checking in.

Fasten your seatbelt - the year is ready to start.

The Super

The Future of Indiana School Funding?

Is the Indy Star seeing the future of school funding in Indiana?

If so, it looks a lot like a bake sale followed by another golf outing fundraiser.

Are NCLB changes coming down the road?

The Washington Post has reported that Margaret Spellings may be open to changes in the federal reg's that outline how state's report progress on NCLB.

Evidently the feds may be open to a more student-centered approach by looking at individual student growth.

Hmmmm - a step in the right direction. But getting 100% of all students to attain proficiency by 2013-2014 is still a noble goal and an unscientific and unrealistic law.

Where is the retraction?

Recently the Indy Star ran an article referencing a report from Governor Daniels administration indicating that Indiana had the "heftiest" school construction debt in the nation. The Star was so excited about this news that they ran it in the headline.

Meanwhile, a high ranking state official recently spoke publicly to a group of administrators and explained the misleading headlines.

Evidently, when calculating the Indiana school construction debt, the report included principal AND interest when calculating Indiana's debt, but the national sample was based on interest only.

How's that for apples and oranges.

If this is true one would hope that an explanation or retraction would be in order.

Don't hold your breath.

The education smear campaign continues. And people wonder why educators seem paranoid....... lol

Heftiest Facility Debt or Below Average: So which is it?

Here is the headline of a recent Star article:

State schools' debt burden heftiest in U.S.

The gist of the article is that the governor is pushing a report that claims that Indiana spends more than anyone in the nation on school facilities.

At the end of the article you finally read the other side of the story which contradicts the headlines.

Quoting the last few paragraphs:

Some researchers are using the new national report to show that Indiana doesn't splurge on construction.

For instance, Indiana spent 7 percent of total school money to build or buy school facilities that same year , which is below the national average of 9 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

"The main message is, before you draw firm conclusions on the basis of that one number as proof we're spending too much, you have to ask questions about how the data are produced," said Robert Toutkoushian, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Indiana University in Bloomington.

All the public will remember is the headline - not the details buried at the end. The Indy Star continues to be friendly to the governor's agenda with such headlines.

The governor's staffers are counting on this just like the K-12 Efficiency report. You can predict similar headlines with the next report on consolidation of schools as well.

Governor's appointees get schooled

Indiana's recent flap over closing Bureau of Motor Vehicle offices around the state is an interesting opportunity for school people. It's an opportunity to watch a political fiasco unfold without having a dog in that fight.

The governor has surrounded himself with presumably talented people who don't have much political experience.

Mr. Silverman, Daniels appointed head of Indiana's license branches (BMV) was a former CEO and he is experiencing the frustration of no one caring what he used to do or how efficient his new plan is.

What our administration is finding out is that "efficiency" is NOT an end value for society. Efficiency is a means to other ends.

Out in the hinterlands of Hoosierville, patrons are telling the government that sometimes local service is more important to them then efficently saving money just for the government to spend on someone else's pet project.

California Governor booed during graduation speech

It seems that California's Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger was recently booed and jeered throughout his speech at a recent college graduation ceremony.

Now I don't always agree with many political stands taken by elected officials, but I have to sympathize with the Governor on this one. A graduation commencement ceremony is supposed to be about the graduates, not the speaker. When a formal celebration ceremony on behalf of the students is disturbed and interrupted continually it is an insult to all the students who worked hard and deserve a brief moment of celebration in their honor.

Shame on the crowds. It sounds like it wasn't necessarily the students themselves who were disruptive.

It's happening in your state too!

Indiana has just passed along to the local property owner, one of the largest property tax increases in history. Meanwhile legislators are telling their constituents they kept their "no-tax pledge."

However, Indiana isn't alone. It appears that there are property tax revolts underway in many states due to this same phenomenon. It seems that states everywhere are not keeping up with state financial contributions to education.

"Almost every state is looking at some form of property-tax cap," says Myron Orfield, an expert on property taxes and a law professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "It's a 'perfect storm' for property taxes: There are rapidly increasing home values while states are not keeping up with their contributions to school districts."

Dr. Eugene White named IPS superintendent

Indianapolis Public Schools has named their new CEO.

Dr. Eugene White from Washington Township was named the new super.

Eugene will do a great job - but he has his work cut out for him.

No doubt in my mind that he will rise to the challenge.

I recently heard an interesting fact that I haven't verified for accuracy - but it was something like this.

"Fifty-one percent of America's students are found in 70 school districts in America."

What does this mean? It means that the challenges of urban school centers end up defining American public education in the eyes of the public and media.

Good luck Eugene - every school in Indiana needs IPS to succeed if Indiana's public schools are to be portrayed positively by the media.

How's that for pressure!

Good News: The kids are doing ok!

After constant bombardment of negativity about "kids today", it's refreshing to read something nice about them once in a awhile.

Seems like they're doing ok!

Indiana announces school construction guidelines

Facts:

Governor Daniels has recently issued executive order 05-19 which requires the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance to apply new guidelines to school construction in Indiana.

This executive order was based in part, on the following:

NEW CONSTRUCTION DATA:

Indiana's $126.40 per square foot cost for new construction projects was 3.4% higher than the national average of $122.25 per square foot.

Indiana's average size of 107,431 square feet per new building was 43.1% larger than the national average size of 75,055 square feet per new building.

Based in part, on these facts the following guidelines were issued:

GUIDELINES:

Indiana new school construction may not be approved unless it is less than 10% higher than the national average of $122.25 per square foot.

Indiana new school construction may not be approved unless consolidation and efficiency are considered. No small schools, only large efficient schools.

Based on this logic from the governor's advisers, here is the following satirical press release:

From the Alice and Wonderland World of Politics ...

Early this week, the governor's chief educational advisor David Shane, defended the governor's recent executive order that capped school construction costs.

"We can't believe that Indiana's school construction costs are about 3% over the national average," complained David Shane. "We must do something to stop this," he continued, "therefore we are directing the Department of No Local Government Financing to only permit school construction projects that are up to 10% over the national average. "

"We believe that this will be much more efficient, " he explained.

"And another thing," he continued, "we can't believe that Indiana's average new schools are approximately 100,000 square feet when the national average is 75,ooo. We must do something to stop this. Therefore, we will no longer consider any small schools that will not be efficient. From now on the Department of No Local Government Financing will only approve even larger buildings."

When asked if it was ironic to have a state agency called the Department of Local Government Financing directing how all local patrons spend their money, the governor's advisors said they had a new executive disorder coming out on this specific issue.

Tagged by Joe Thomas

The Edusphere "tag you're it" game is still on. I have been "tagged" by Joe Thomas at "Shut up and Teach." I am therefore obliged to pick five from the following list and respond.

If I could be....

"If I could be a scientist...If I could be a farmer...If I could be a musician...If I could be a doctor...If I could be a painter...If I could be a gardener...If I could be a missionary...If I could be a chef...If I could be an architect...If I could be a linguist...If I could be a psychologist...If I could be a librarian...If I could be an athlete...If I could be a lawyer...If I could be an inn-keeper...If I could be a professor...If I could be a writer...If I could be a llama-rider...If I could be a bonnie pirate...If I could be an astronaut...If I could be a world famous blogger...If I could be a justice on any one court in the world...If I could be married to any current famous political figure..."

Here are my five.

I would be...

a doctor. It would be nice to be in a profession that still enjoyed a general respect from the public. I love my work, but it can be wearisome being a political whipping boy from the powers that be. Doctors are starting to take their lumps, but by-and-large, they are still widely respected and compensated.

I would be...

a professor. I dream of creating a challenging and interactive post-graduate classroom preparing future school administrators who will be instructionally sound and put students first. My day will come.

I would be...

a psychologist. I have always enjoyed psychology, probably because I get to see so many unusual people at this level. By the time the angry parent gets to my desk, they have a variety of issues, many of them unsolvable.

I would be...

a llama-rider. No wait a minute, let me explain. I am an avid outdoorsman. Fishing, hunting, running, you name it. I haven't tried llama riding, but my wife wants an alpaca. Does that count?

I would be...

a modern-day Alaskan pioneer. I know Joe, it wasn't on the list, but I wouldn't mind trying it for a year. I would like to try an Alaskan lake cabin in the summer and fall, and a Colorado cabin in the winter and spring. Live off the land. Treat it with respect. And enjoy the magnificence of what our God has created.

Spring ISTEP Testing: It's Baaaack.

It's Back. Governor Daniels has announced that he intends to push for Spring ISTEP testing by going through the Indiana State Board of Education now that he couldn't get it done during the legislative session.

For the life of me, what is the big deal about switching the state ISTEP test back to spring, again! We have way more important fish to fry than to disrupt the entire accountability structure through another testing change.

For one thing, at least one-third of Indiana's schools are members of the North Central Association (NCA). NCA uses a variety of assessments, including ISTEP, as statistical measures for analyzing changes in student achievement. When a testing switch is made in the middle of a school improvement cycle, it disrupts the school's accountability measures.

I haven't heard one rational reason for the change other than the fact that David Shane, the Governor's education policy advisor wants to. Shane says it won't cost more and we can just move to online testing. That announcement was met with hysterical laughter from everyone in the industry who heard it. It clearly shows that David Shane has never followed the CORE 40 Online Assessment pilot program. Most Curriculum Directors with CORE 40 testing responsibilities are now bald from pulling their hair out trying to figure out how to schedule hundreds and hundreds of students through computer labs within a narrow testing window. Most schools continue to give the tests in paper and pencil versions due to technology snafus. Imagining this on a statewide basis with millions of students taking online assessments is really comical.

Won't cost any money huh David? How about the millions of dollars in technology upgrades which will raise the CPF tax rates for the local patrons?

You're right - it won't cost more.............just like the legislature didn't raise taxes either.

Too bad the Governor won't use his elected Republican State Superintendent of Instruction for some sage advice.

Clearly there must be something else going on, besides the fact that testing at the end just sounds better to someone.

So how's He doing?

Poll: 49% disapprove of Daniels’ performance

Quoted from the Sunday Fort Waye Journal Gazette On-line:

A new independent poll shows Hoosiers aren’t enamored with Gov. Mitch Daniels’ job performance so far.

According to a Survey USA poll taken over Mother’s Day weekend, only 42 percent of Hoosiers approve of Daniels’ job while 49 percent disapprove.

The polling firm conducted similar surveys on governors in all states.

The Indiana Democratic Party points out that Survey USA has been accurate in the past, such as when it predicted Daniels was ahead in the campaign with 53 percent of the vote, his eventual winning total.

Local control is an oxymoron.

Apples to Footballs.

The governor finally agrees that average isn't all bad.

Indiana announced today that they will be capping any school construction projects not to exceed the national average plus 10%.

Here is another one of those convoluted sound bites for you.

"If we were as careful about construction spending as the average state, we would free up millions of dollars for other projects," said the governor. "Today, we are initiating the start of school construction savings for taxpayers across Indiana." (from state e-mail today)

Let me get it straight now, we are going "save money for taxpayers" by "freeing up millions of dollars" to spend for other projects.

Huh?

Oh well, at least we won't have one of those awful Taj Mahal buildings like the new Colts stadium that we just raised taxes for.

I assume that thorough research will reveal that the new Colts stadium will not exceed the national average by more than 10%. To paraphrase the governor, "There's no excuse for spending vastly more money than is necessary for a quality football team."

Peyton was not available for comment and the Irsay's were in Bermuda.

The Carnival of Education: Week 15

The Super's Blog has fallen a little behind in the blogging of late, but never fear, The Greater Edusphere is here.

The Edubloggers have come through with The Carnival of Education: Week 15.

As we said...

As we said yesterday...

The state gets to control the educational agenda, then shift the cost to the local property tax owner. Another on-line article from the Gazette Sunday.

It's a long term brilliant move for those with the long range vision of destroying public education. This increase in the unpopular property tax will create a growing frustration at the local level, further shifting blame to the local school boards. Boards that have been stripped of almost all important educational policy decisions.

Another Deception?

More confusion, or is it deception, from the Indiana state house?

Quoted in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

The state also is freezing property tax relief payments at current levels, which could save the state about $215 million over two years but shift the tab to property taxpayers.

Daniels said local taxes were directly related to local spending, and schools and local governments could avoid property tax increases by “being as careful about their spending as the legislature is about its.”

Read those two paragraphs again. They contradict one another. Paraphrased another way...The state is forcing local property tax rates to rise, but it is the local school board or local government's fault they are rising. Huh????

There are only two explanations. Either the governor and his staffers are still uninformed on how school funding works, or they are intentionally deceitful. I remain hopeful that the governor and his staffers are still on a learning curve. But I wonder....

Indiana all over again

Just so Indiana schools don't feel left out, here is an article on the Missouri state legislature and their attempts to change the school funding formula.

Here is an excerpt that tells what the bill WON'T do:

THE BILL WOULD NOT: Erase inequities in what schools spend. Currently, per-pupil spending ranges from $4,771 to $13,379, depending on the school district. The plan would raise the minimum to $6,117, but it would not prevent wealthier districts from continuing to spend more than twice that amount.

In Indiana, the state formula dictates the differences, not property tax values.

I just found it interesting to see that the issues state-by-state are all the same although they manifest themselves a little differently.

Not to discourage those Missouri folks who sued over inequities in funding, but the national case law on school funding lawsuits indicates that within five years the inequities will be back.

That's because politics (competition for scare resources) dictates the formula, not wisdom.

Are video games making Americans smarter?

Here is a provocative article from The New Yorker that takes on the conventional wisdom of today.

Here is a quote from the article that the author takes from the book “Everything Bad Is Good for You” (Riverhead; $23.95), Steven Johnson proposes that what is making us smarter is precisely what we thought was making us dumber: popular culture.

Imagine if video games had come along decades ago, and books were a new invention. Could this be what they say about books?

Reading books chronically understimulates the senses. Unlike the longstanding tradition of gameplaying—which engages the child in a vivid, three-dimensional world filled with moving images and musical sound-scapes, navigated and controlled with complex muscular movements—books are simply a barren string of words on the page. . . . Books are also tragically isolating. While games have for many years engaged the young in complex social relationships with their peers, building and exploring worlds together, books force the child to sequester him or herself in a quiet space, shut off from interaction with other children. . . . But perhaps the most dangerous property of these books is the fact that they follow a fixed linear path. You can’t control their narratives in any fashion—you simply sit back and have the story dictated to you. . . . This risks instilling a general passivity in our children, making them feel as though they’re powerless to change their circumstances. Reading is not an active, participatory process; it’s a submissive one.

Breaking News: Indiana consolidates

As if moving to daylight savings time wasn't a big enough deal to Hoosiers, Indiana is now considering consolidation of smaller school districts in order to eliminate administrative costs. Under legislation passed this session, Indiana will be forming study committees to look into consolidating school districts with less than 1500 students.

In creating this new "cult of efficiency" the state executive branch now considers efficiency to be a "end value" instead of a means to an end.

The Super's top notch "mole" in the statehouse has received another heads-up on a pending announcement from the governor's office regarding further consolidation.

The Super's Blog has learned that Indiana and Kentucky are going to consolidate as states and create a new consolidated state called, "Indyucky."

"Indyucky promises to be a new and improved and clearly more efficient way of doing business," gushed the governor's staffers, "we anticipate being able to eliminate fifty-percent of the legislative positions and most of the state administrative offices."

"The governor is tickled pink over how efficient this will be."

States tire of federal encroachment

Here is an article describing the growing frustration that state governments have with growing federal involvement in education.

I wonder if state governments ever think about how local school districts feel about the growing state control over local schools?

In Indiana there are very few significant educational policy or funding decisions left in the control of local school officials.

The trials and tribulations of standardized testing

Read Joanne Jacobs, post for Friday, May 6 on standardized math testing.

Then be sure to read the comments made to the post.

I find them to be a perfect example of how deceivingly simple standardized testing can appear, but lurking under the surface are all kinds of value judgments being made.

Top 10 reasons why Governor Mitch Daniels is a one-term wonder

1. He actually thinks like The Godfather, and admits it.
2. He doesn't think before he speaks and usually this is a prerequisite in public service positions.
4. He has surrounded himself with highly competent people who are out of their area like fish out of water.
5. He thinks Hoosiers won't notice because he drives around in an RV and wears flannel shirts.
6. He creates new ethics laws and fines employees for things like accepting a baseball hat from a vendor, but then ignores his own ethics laws and says they don't apply to him. That RV? It's a gift to the state not something personal like a baseball hat or a 10$ lunch.
7. He has kicked a sleeping giant by overlooking, insulting and ignoring public educators.
8. His use of war metaphors is getting old.
car-bombing
hi-jacking
violent agreement
The Godfather
etc.
9. I promised 10 reasons - but due to cutbacks..........and the governor's penchant for efficiency - we can only offer 8

Another rotten apple

This is another Rotten Apple Award winner from researcher, Gerald Bracey.

THE "DEFINING OUR AMBITIONS DOWN" AWARD:

NINA SHOKRAII REES, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

"Hundreds of charter schools have been created around this nation by educators who are willing to put their jobs on the line to say, 'If we can't improve student achievement, close down our school.' This is accountability-clear specific and real."

Joe Nathan, University of Minnesota, 1996

"We have enough information at our disposal to know that charter schools are not harming students."

Nina Shokraii Rees, U. S. Department of Education on NPR's "Marketplace," December 15, 2004.

Ms. Rees, not so incidentally, went to the Department from the Heritage Foundation which received its initial funding from America's First Family of Totalitarianism, the Coors.

Joe Nathan (1996). Charter Schools: Creating Hope and Opportunity for American Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

THE "NINA SHOKRAII REES 'CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE NOT HARMING STUDENTS'" AWARD: (goes to) ....C. STEVEN COX.

(End of Bracey quote)

C. Steven Cox is the CEO of the charter school being audited for mismanagement and fraud.


The quote that Brace uses to establish this award is a classic.

Close your eyes and picture the huge Charter School billboard outside your town. In bold and colorful letters the billboard brags,

"Come to the Sunshine Charter School, where research shows we probably haven't hurt anyone."

Charters earn a rotten apple

If you are not familiar with Gerald Bracey's "Rotten Apple Awards," you should give them a try. Read them all. Like they say, "The only thing worse than finding a worm in your apple, is finding half a worm."

Here is one of his "Rotten Apple Awards" for 2004.

THE "BEST PERFORMANCES IN A FARCE" AWARD:

DARVIN WINICK, CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD AND EUGENE HICKOK, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

Its hand forced by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the U. S. Department of Education finally reported its NAEP study of charter schools on December 15, 2004. "Finally" because the data had been collected with regular NAEP activity and that data had been up on the Department's website since fall of 2003.

It is likely that the data would never have been reported save for the fact that the AFT got hold of it, analyzed it and made its analysis known to New York Times reporter, Diana Jean Schemo. The Times carried the results as its lead story way back on August 17 (see "Right's Charter School Hissy Fit" below). (The delay was in line with Department policy. The Department had been so reticent about another charter school study that the Times had had to use a Freedom of Information Act request to pry the data from the Department's grip. The Final Report of that study was delivered in June, but made public only in November after the Times' request. That study, mostly conducted by researchers at SRI International, also found charter schools under-performing public schools.)

In his opening statement, Winick emphasized, "The pilot study was a trial, however, and the need for caution in using the results is apparent..Most charter schools are relatively new and charters are not evenly distributed across the country. Few students have been in a charter setting for much of their education."

Winick thus repeated the canard often brought forth after the Times August story that, really, charter schools are too new to be evaluated (some have been open for 13 years). It must have come as something of a shock and embarrassment, then, for Winick and Hickok to learn that the longer a school had provided instruction the worse its students did:

YEARS OFINSTRUCTION MATH READING
0 to 1 year: 235 225
2 to 3 years: 232 214
4 to 5 years 227 212
6 years or more 228 210

Only the 0 to 1 year figures are above the scores for public schools which scored at, 234 and 217, respectively.Similarly, Hickok and Winick and others have made much over charter schools' autonomy.

Thus there was likely more shock and awe over findings showing that charter schools that were part of public school districts outperformed charters that constituted their own school district, 234 to 225, math, 218 to 208 in reading. While 10 points might seem small, in terms of growth on NAEP, it represents a full year's difference.

Of 22 comparisons in reading and math, 20 favored kids in public schools.

Hispanic charter school students scored one point better in reading while white charter students' reading scores tied those in regular public schools.

Nick Anderson of the Los Angeles Times asked Winick and Hickok why they took such heart in charter school students attaining parity with public school students when the essential promise of charters was to do better. Didn't this satisfaction reflect an acceptance of the soft bigotry of low expectations for charters? Hickok replied that charters were spending less but doing just as well. Oh, Anderson asked in follow up, does that mean that money actually does matter? My notes do not show any Hickok response.Hickok had primed himself with clichés, including "charter schools that don't work don't stay open." This is basically a lie-few charter schools get shut down and those that close their doors do so because they botched the money; charters that botch the kids' education stay open.

In the words of the study that the Times needed an FOIA request to force out of hiding: Charter schools rarely face sanctions (revocation or nonrenewal). Furthermore, authorizing bodies impose sanctions on charter schools because of problems related to compliance with regulations and school finances, rather than student performance." (emphases in the original).

These findings corroborate an earlier conclusion by Columbia University's Amy Stuart Wells that lack of accountability is the most robust finding in research on charter schools."We are big supporters of charter schools," Hickok said. This is certainly true. In June, the Department lavished $75 million on California to create 250 new charters. Given the data,* the question would have to be "Why?" Charter schools arose because critics said public schools had failed. If they're not doing as well as the publics, the critics are obliged to call them failures too, doubly so because of charters' promise to improve achievement.*

There are lots of data besides the NAEP results that show charter schools faring poorly. "Can Charter Schools Ever Be Truly Accountable?" was commissioned by the Charter School Accountability Center at Florida State University and boy, were they surprised (as was I, actually). The paper is available on request.

At one point, Winick had said that perhaps the proper unit of analysis is the state. Alas, Winick and Hickok can take no comfort in state-level data-evaluations from California, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, and Texas don't put charters in a good light, either.

Sam Dillon and Diana Jean Schemo (2004). "Charter Schools Fall Short in Public Schools Matchup," New York Times, November 24, p. A21.

Diana Jean Schemo (2004). "Nation's Charter Schools Lagging Behind U. S. Test Scores Reveal," New York Times, August 17, p. A1.U. S. Department of Education (2004).

Evaluation of the Public Charter Schools Program, Final Report. Washington, DC: Office of Deputy Superintendent. Document # 2004-08. Accessed at www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/choice/pcsp-final/finalreport.pdf, December 31, 2004.

U. S. Department of Education (2004). America's Charter Schools: Results from the NAEP 2003 Pilot Study.

Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences. Report NCES 2005-456. Accessed at www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2005456.pdf, December 31, 2004.

Amy Stuart Wells (author/editor) (2002). Where Charter Policy Fails. New York: Teachers College Press.

Dairy Farmers Sue Legislature for Daylight Savings Time Decision

Indiana is rumored to be facing its first legal challenge to the legislature's recent decision to move to daylight savings time.

The United Federation of Dairy Farmers has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the change to daylight savings time.

Under pressure from many fronts, republican legislators were caught between constituents who opposed the change and Indiana governor, Mitch Daniels who made the change to daylight savings time a centerpiece of his bold and complex economic revitalization plan.

Dairy spokesperson, Ms. Ima Cow explained, "We are udderly disappointed in the Governor. He claims that somehow this is going to revitalize our economy just because people in other states won't have to ask what time it is here. Our cows never have to ask what time it is. The governor forgets that Indiana is an agricultural state. Our milk cows will not know what time it is and this could have a negative effect on milk production, which will then impact our economy. We will also have employee staffing problems due to having to milk our cows an hour earlier now.

A person close to the governor who spoke on condition of anonymity said, "The governor thinks this will work fine. Despite evidence to the contrary, the governor still thinks education lags behind the rest of the state and nation. Now the cows can join them in lagging behind as well."

"Besides," he added with a smirk, "Mitch says if they have staffing problems they can hire a few of those teachers that are out of work now."

The Shell Game

The state legislatures get to have their cake and eat it too. I don't know about the rest of our readers and how their state school funding formula works, but here is the sorry story in Indiana.

Indiana has a number of republican legislators who ran on the pledge of "no new taxes." Honorable as far as that goes.

However, the legislators have rejected additional taxes on cigarettes and gambling to help pay for schools and will no doubt brag about sticking to their pledge not to raise taxes.

Here is the deal. In order to get out of their self-created financial mess they ALWAYS revert back to the local property tax payer to get the job done. The new budget is loaded with new property tax increases and also contains a cap on property tax replacement credit which will further increase local property taxes.

Meanwhile, in the school district where I work, we will get LESS money than we received this year and our local patrons will pay more for it.

I am waiting for the first republican legislator to complain about increased property taxes. They should immediately be branded as a hypocrite along with any republican legislator who says he/she stuck to their vow not to raise taxes. It's a shell game.


Read about it here.

The Governor shows his true feelings about schools

In several Indiana state-wide rallies supporting education this month, a number of speakers have referred to previous quotes attributed to our current governor.

Most of them quoted him saying, "there is no sense debating the abysmal, atrocious performance of the public school monopoly."

Most of these quotes were attributed to comments Governor Daniels made in an Indianapolis cable news show in the late 90's. He isn't about to let anything change his mind.

Here is a link if you would like to download the video. We only recorded 30 seconds or so to limit the download time depending on your connection speed.

Link here for your viewing pleasure or displeasure, depending on whether these comments reflect your view of the public school your children attend.

Where's Waldo?

Where's Waldo?

Indiana's top Republican vote-getter was Dr. Sueellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction. Where is she? When was the last time you read about her?

The governor has taken the top Republican vote-getter and virtually banished her from his office and out of the loop on anything educational. How's that for more open and ethical government! (More on that later)

Mr. David Shane has taken over as educational policy advisor and he is not an elected official.

What was her crime? The same as mine - a republican who supports public schools. Evidently Godfather Daniels considers a Republican that supports public schools to be a heretic.

He may be overlooking something big. In my area there are a tremendous number of republicans, almost all of whom have been very supportive of our public school system.

The Rotten to the Core .40 Curriculum

Indiana Governor Mitch "The Godfather" Daniels has announced this week that his chief educational policy enforcers intend to roll out their new rigorous high school curriculum for Indiana in 2006.

Mitch Daniels was recently quoted in the Indianapolis Star as revealing, "the best business textbook I ever read was The Godfather." The Star was unable to confirm whether or not the Governor has actually read any other book.

Returning from the National Governor's Conference and Mafia convention, the "Don" announced that Indiana's high school curriculum needs to become more challenging. Quickly moving to the front of the line of all the other lemmings, the Governor raced off the cliff to be the first to announce a new rigorous high school curriculum modeled after his favorite business "textbook."

The Godfather's chief educational policy enforcer, Don David Shame reported, "Starting in 2006, Indiana's high schoolers will have to pass the new and improved "Rotten to the Core .40 Curriculum." Replacing the former Core 40 academic curriculum, the new "Rotten to the Core .40" curriculum is patterned after the "school of hard knocks" philosophy."

Shame distributed information outlining some of the proposed courses.

Rotten to the Core .40 Courses

Modern Bootlegging: How to make pharmaceuticals work for you
12 Uses for the Baseball Bat: It won't earn you a letter in baseball, but it will make you a better swinger
12 Uses for the Carving Knife: It's not exactly Home Economics, and I wouldn't eat what you cook, but it will make you a real cut-up.
Meth Lab 101: It's not exactly the FFA but you will learn to use the same ingredients
The Art and Science of Equestrian Amputation: You will learn to use your head, or at least their heads, to get ahead
Rolling the Dice: How to stop gambling on your gambling profit
Nepotism: How to hire your cousin Guido and keep it in the family
Strong Arming the Opposition (or your own political party for that matter): It won't earn you a letter in wrestling, but you'll still learn to take 'em down

Shame stated, "We are real excited about the new curriculum opportunities. We believe this will be a real step-up for Indiana's high schoolers. Since there are always a handful of them that aspire to be gang-bangers, they might as well learn to do it right."

He added, "This should meet the needs of NCLB (No Corruption Left Behind) and keep the feds and Margaret Smellings off our back."

2015

PRESS RELEASE: November 20, 2015


In 2015, Indiana's newly seated Governor, Ms. Ima Reel Liberal, started her first day in office by signing a record number of execution orders (Whoops..I mean executive orders). The previous record for execution orders was held by former Godfather Governor Mitch Daniels.

Execution Order #1: Reverses Daniels order barring state employees from unionizing. Requires unionization of all state employees under AFL/CIO and all non-union members to pay their "fair-share" of union dues or they will be shot.

Execution Order #2: Requires the establishment of an Office of Inspector General Cluseau to look into allegations of waste and fraud in the state's executive branch. Wait..Godfather Mitch already ordered that one. At least Inspector Cluseau will know where to look now.

Execution Order#3: Terminates all further legislation on daylight savings time. Forever. Or until next session, whichever comes first. Hoosiers have enough trouble telling time. (Every Superintendent has actually heard this one....."What time does the bus come on a two-hour delay?")

Execution Order#4: Puts a 120 day moratorium on all construction projects except multi-billion dollar projects for professional football teams. Whoops...wait..Don Daniels already ordered that one too.

Execution Order #5: Terminates all government committees, task forces and study groups. Whoops .. Mitch ordered that one too.

Execution Order #6: Replaces the governor's rectangular desk with a small, individual, round table.

Execution Order #7: Requires all decisions in the state to be made by the governor's round table.

Execution Order #8: Requires all pencils to be used until the lead reaches the little metal band holding the eraser together. Godfather Mitch pretty much required this in his earlier days. No kidding!

Execution Order #9: Requires all the state's trains to run on time, just like Germany before WWII.

End of Executive orders

Governor Liberal appeared excited about her first official acts as Governor.

She stated, "I am looking forward to building on what Governor Daniels established. He pretty much set the standard for consolidating power in the state house and creating a cult of efficiency. This sets the stage for our regime and sets a precedent for us to follow. Mitch was more of a Napolean Blown-a-part, but I am more of a Stalinist to tell you the truth."

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels admits he would lie, steal, cheat or put a dead horse head in your bed, in order to get what he wants

Well, not exactly, but almost. In the Indy Star, Indiana Republican Governor Mitch Daniels was quoted as saying "the best business textbook I ever read was The Godfather."

This article is very interesting. The Governor's staff is very carefully crafting an image of the governor as a no-nonsense CEO in charge of state government. This is supposed to impress everyone.

Republicans need to be careful.

They may actually get what they think they want - highly efficient state government using a business model.

Highly effective American companies are not democracies. They are benevolent dictatorships. They work because they are free to operate in a capitalistic but democratic government operated by messy, cumbersome checks and balances that keep the sways in power from being too erratic. Most Americans tend to be pragmatists and moderates and not very tolerant of severe swings in any direction.

I don't think our American forefathers ever envisioned a government at any level that was designed to be highly efficient in a business model. Try to imagine something worse than a highly powerful and highly efficient government that has views the polar opposite of what yours are. Do Americans REALLY want efficient government using a business model? Or do you want checks and balances that provide stability for the nation?

Or do you want to wake up with a bleeding horse head in your bed?

It worked for The Godfather and it got things done - I'll give Mitch that.

Stay tuned. Coming soon - a satire piece starring the The Godfather Governor.

The elephant in the living room

I have been told that in therapy circles they describe "the elephant in the living room" as the family denial of the individual with the alcohol problem. Just going through the motions every day and pretending that it doesn't exist. Meanwhile, the elephant is passed out in the corner.

You want to know what the "elephant in the living room" is in education? It's the denial of almost everyone, of the general effect on student achievement that comes from families who raise their children in the culture of poverty. It's not that we deny that it completely exists, it's just that we believe that it doesn't matter. We have an overwhelming optimistic belief that good schooling can prevail over bad parenting. That's because we have seen it happen, and therefore we believe that it can happen on a large scale. It's the large scale part that I am pessimistic about.

There are plenty of success stories of poor and disadvantaged children who made it, but there are millions who don't. Schools can and should continue to raise expectations and efforts to meet the needs of all kids. But let's face a cold hard truth.

It is much easier for good parenting to overcome bad schooling than it is for good schooling to overcome bad parenting!

There are no excuses for either bad parenting or bad schooling, but stuff happens. If educators try to explain this we are accused of being defensive at best and obstructionists at worst.

Bill Cosby recently tried to take on the "elephant." In some cases he was nearly trampled, but he has clearly struck up a chord among black America by no longer pretending it doesn't exist.

Take the time to read this article in City Journal. It might not please the person who thinks a government program will do the trick, but it discusses pretty thoroughly the differences between the parenting strategies used in homes of advantage and those used in homes of disadvantage.

And it points out that erasing the first four years of bad parenting through schooling is extremely difficult and not a very high percentage affair.

Let's run schools like a business they said

Yesirree! If we can just run schools like a business then competition will really reform them. If we loosen up those rules and get rid of the stifling monopoly they will perform like the business world.

Yep - let's see which business will it be.... Enron (Crooked accounting) Conseco (Greedy/sleazy CEO and board) , Tyco................

Public school students out perform private school students

Despite the rhetoric from those seeking to discredit public education, new research is emerging that challenges their assumptions that private school students out perform public school students.

Kimberly at Number 2 Pencil discusses the issue and shed's light on Simpson's Paradox which The Super's Blog has discussed here before.

Carnival of Education: Week 10

Take a ride on the midway of the educational blogosphere. Check out the different blog rides in week ten at the Carnival of Education.

Gazing into the crystal ball again: India and China

America may have more to worry about than debates about the best way to deliver instruction. My personal opinion is that vouchers, tax credits and arguments over private or public delivery models will have little impact on improving the status of the American economy any time soon. But, the business roundtable has done a very deft job of shifting attention to American public schools. Interestingly enough, the increasingly popular American solution appears to be to abandon "government" public schools and to decentralize everything as a way to improve. This is where it gets interesting to me. You see, the nations that are making the most noise right now with an increasing economic presence in the world, are not abandoning their government's central role in their education system, they are increasing it.

American business folks need to be careful, they may get exactly what they ask for. Decentralized schooling where anything goes. I may hate NCLB, but that is because of the overemphasis on standardized testing and the irrational and illogical methods of determining success. I still believe that a country as diverse as America MUST have a coordinated system of assimilating immigrants and others into our country. There is nothing wrong with a government system of schooling. Depends on what they teach! Let's not give up the debate about what the curriculum should look like by just saying, "Forget it, just privatize it and all will be well."

That might be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

There is a regular reader here who goes by the moniker "old retired business man." I have always enjoyed his comments even when I don't agree. He indicates he has traveled in India and China and is impressed with the desire and work ethic of those he has met there. Their students are hungry. Ours seem satisfied.

"Old retired business man" reports that India and China seem to have little care or attention for many students who are left behind or who aren't educated. To many of us in America, myself included, that seems unfortunate and short-sighted, but that's not their current worry. Their agenda is to lead the world economically and politically. They have the raw materials and they have the population. What they need are enough engineers and highly educated people to get the job done. They may be on their way.

Now India and China indicate that they are laying aside some of their own differences and are going to cooperate. This may get interesting. One-third of the world's population is accounted for in this new alliance.

As the "old retired business man" says, " It may be time to invest in the emerging markets."

Wal-Mart announces new educational division

In breaking news today, Wal-Mart announced its plans to unveil a new educational for-profit division called, Edu-Mart.

Sam Walnut, founder of the company explained, "We are very happy to support the private school concept, and now that tax dollars get involved we are very interested in the concept."

Sam explained, "When Mom, Dad, Ralph, Cousin Billy-Bob and three tag-alongs come into Wal-Mart of an evening, we think we can make it more worth their while. Shoot, given how much time the average family spends in a Wal-Mart in one month, it might as well be useful!"

He explained the Edu Mart vision:

"When a parent enrolls a child in Edu-Mart we start by giving them a brain scan and a traditional manual assessment. This will give us a reading of their capabilities and what they have accomplished academically to date.

Then we take an electronic chip containing the results of their scan, complete with their current Reading and Math levels and their complete transcript of national academic standards and an individual IEP for each child. We then embed the chip just beneath the surface of the skin at the back of their neck. It's simple and painless, and we already do it for your pets.

When an enrolled student passes through the electronic doors of any Wal-Mart in the world, an automatic scanner will immediately read the electronic chip and send the information to a waiting Edu-Mart Associate Greeter standing at the Edu-Mart conveniently located at the back of the Wal-Mart just beyond the toy section.

Using our "just-in-time delivery method," by the time the child arrives, the Edu-Mart Associate has already pulled a prepared 30 minute one-on-one lesson from the data bank that is specially geared to the child's needs.

If the family wants to "shop-till-they-drop" then our Associate can "teach-till-they-screech," by adding additional lessons.

Parents and students will also like our Edu-Mart Home School Curriculum that is available for an additional fee. The great thing about this technology is that it will automatically update the embedded chip and keep the IEP current.

Parents will receive additional Edu-Mart vouchers depending on how much they spend while their child is receiving lessons.

School can now be held any place in the world and is available as close as the nearest Wal-Mart.

Added Sam, "We are very excited about this new program. We believe it will be almost as popular as our new chain of funeral home parlors."

Indiana hesitates on vouchers, vows to try again

The Indiana state legislature recently decided to back down on vouchers but to proceed with education tax credits.

More telling than anything else was this quote from a Republican legislator, "We should not try to destroy public education overnight."

Vouchers: Looking into the non-satire crystal ball

These are my predictions for the future regarding the results of the educational voucher movement in America. They are not in any particular order.

1. Vouchers will be approved within 5 years throughout most states in America.
2. Within 15 years, most voucher supporters will be disappointed in what vouchers have brought to the private schools. This will primarily be because big government, which most true conservatives don't trust, will now have strings attached to the money. Big government never gives money away without asking for something in return. Public schools have dealt with this for years. Faith-based charities will be going through the same angst as they begin to regret ever accepting government money.
3. Within 15 years, "balkanization" of America will begin occurring and lawsuits charging discrimination and segregation will once again be working their way through the legal system. Most of these lawsuits will occur in the suburbs of urban markets where a larger number of private schools exist.
4. Salaries for private school educators will have risen due to the market/demand for more teachers. This growing demand for private school teachers will further erode the private school mission. This is because it will be difficult to find large numbers of teachers that are willing to work for lower salaries just because they view it as "mission work." This in turn, will slowly change the culture of their organizations and "union" issues will begin to surface in their organizations.
5. Salaries for public school educators will grow stagnant as public school districts struggle to keep pace with rising health insurance, rising property and casualty insurance, rising utility costs and lack of funding support due to charter schools, tax vouchers and tax credits.
6. Teacher shortages will develop as college students begin to choose professions that haven't been denigrated so badly.
7. More and more alternative licensing for teachers will then become the vogue. This too will result in cultural changes in the profession as more and more teachers will come from more varied backgrounds.
8. In areas of the country where there are many school choices, better students will move to private schools, leaving the public schools with higher percentages of students in poverty and students with special needs.
9. Due to the odd mix of private, charter and public schools, most high stakes standardized testing will only be required on a sampling basis using NAEP type testing. This will be partly due to the costs for nationwide testing and partly due to objections from the private schools who will see it as an intrusion.
10. NCLB will become hated by all schools, private, public and charter, and will eventually be gutted as the standardized testing craze begins to subside.
11. NCLB will eventually be replaced with a national accreditation process that will include random assessment sampling of schools to track national progress.
12. In areas of the country where there aren't as many private school choices, most school communities will remain much as they are, but with a heightened sense of desire to keep improving.

In 15 years, correlational research will show that education and income levels of parents are still strong predictors of student performance. And, while there are some stellar examples of increased public and private school performance, overall much remains the same. Simpson's paradox is still in play. All subgroups across America are improving, but because the population in the subgroups continues to grow, academic performance still appears flat. In other words, the achievement gap between subgroups continues to close, but the flat overall average continues to hide it from the public view. However, Gallup polls on education show a continuing trend upward in the parental satisfaction with schools. These trends follow most market research which seems to indicate higher customer satisfaction in a service or product when it was freely chosen.

In 15 years the overall consensus will be that educational vouchers didn't revolutionize education in America, but they didn't destroy it either.

National Voucher Institute announces new accounting firm

(We've had so many new readers lately - I feel the need to restate the obvious - this is satire :-)

Kofi Annan has announced that he is putting the finishing touches on top appointments in the newly formed National Voucher Institute. The Voucher Institute is a new promotional group formed in anticipation of newly opened education markets. Voucher proponents from the business world see the education market as one of the untapped markets yet to experience the euphoric highs and lows of life in the business world.

As one proponent said, "Thar's gold in them thar shills!"

In previous weeks the following appointments have been announced:

Kofi Annan will head up the voucher initiative with a program titled, "Snake-oil for Vouchers" modeled after the highly successful "oil-for food" program. Annan predicts that voucher programs will help poor Americans the way it did poverty-stricken individuals in the middle east.

Martha Stewart will head up the Home School Curriculum Division. She began her promotion by offering free electronic ankle bracelets to the first 10,000 home school customers.

Ward Churchill was chosen to head the Research Design team. Based on his stellar academic research record, the voucher and charter school supporters hope he can bring the same creativity and talent to the table in helping to combat the emerging research on charter school performance.

Rounding out the top appointments to the Voucher Initiative, Kofi Annan announced his selection of Arthur Anderson as the accounting firm. The Arthur Anderson accounting firm was chosen because of their specialty in document shredding and creative accounting during the Enron scandal.

Stated Annan, "We all know that public school accounting by the State Board of Accounts is unusually thorough and and particularly time-consuming. Not very efficient. With Anderson's experience in document shredding and creative accounting, we hope to capitalize by not only becoming more efficient, but raiding the retirement accounts and stealing the pension funds of employees whenever possible. Then we will declare bankruptcy like Conseco Corporation and all the top officers will take the money and run. Whoops I probably said too much. This is off the record right?"

Annan quickly recovered, and indicated there was at least one more appointment that would be made in the next few days. He added, "The National Voucher Initiative will be ready to begin a state-by-state campaign within the month."

Carnival of Education: Week 9

Stop by the Carnival of Education for a ride. One-stop-shop for blogging on education.

National Voucher Initiative Hires New Research Director

Kofi Annan, soon to be the new director of the U.S. National Voucher Initiative, has been busy this week naming the new staff for this newly established organization. Annan recently announced his plans to step down from the United Nations to head up the American effort to bring educational vouchers and tax credits to every state.

Tuesday, April 5, 2005, Annan announced that Ward Churchill will be appointed to the Initiative's top research post.

"We think that Ward Churchill is uniquely qualified to lead this prestigious organization's research efforts. His rigorous background in academic research will make him a very nice fit with our organization. He is well known for his rigorous standards and attention to detail in academic research. We believe that Ward Churchill is uniquely qualified to lead our charter school supporters in combating the emerging research on charter school performance with research of our own," stated Annan.

Ward Churchill indicated he is anxious to develop a research agenda on the behalf of children. "I am looking forward to working with the " little Tykemanns," he deadpanned.

Kofi Annan prepares to name staff in National School Voucher Initiative

The Super's Blog recently announced widespread reports (see previous posts) that Kofi Annan was stepping down as head of the United Nations in order to accept the top post for the U.S. National School Voucher Initiative.

On Monday this week, The Super's Blog has learned that Kofi Annan intends to begin releasing the names of his top staff as the positions are filled throughout the coming weeks. Individuals close to the National School Voucher/Tax Credit Initiative believe that the first staff position to fill will be the Home School Division head.

Early reports indicate that Martha Stewart has tentatively accepted the offer to head up the Home School Division. Martha Stewart was reached very easily at home and offered this statement, "I am very excited to be offered a position as the head of the Home School Division of the National School Voucher Initiative. Home is where the heart is and my heart is in making lots of money. I will be happy to lead a national initiative to relieve home school parents of their tax credits and/or voucher."

She added, "Plus, the first 10,ooo home school parents signing up for the Martha Stewart Home School Curriculum will receive a free electronic ankle bracelet to help keep that homeschool youngun' close to home during the day. They work great. In 4 months (and counting..) I will even have an extra one to give away."

Kofi Annan resigns from UN to head up national voucher effort

The Super's Blog has received an inside tip that Kofi Annan will soon announce his resignation from the United Nations to head up the United States National School Voucher initiative. Our sources indicate that the new initiative will be called the, "Snake Oil-For-Vouchers" program.

President Annan announced that the "Snake Oil-For-Vouchers" program will closely model the highly successful oil-for-food program that resulted in so much support and help for the Iraqi people.

"Our experience and training with the oil-for-food program will transfer very nicely over to our "Snake Oil-for-Vouchers" program," stated Annan. "I am positive that America's current infatuation with using public tax dollars to fund private education and home school education will undoubtedly help poor Americans as much as the oil-for-food program helped poor people in the Middle East."

A leading voucher advocate who spoke on condition on anonymity stated, "It's a win-win situation. Kofi's son will be joining us as a consultant as well."

Big Government Republicans (It used to be an oxymoron)

I seldom agree with Richard Reeves. But I must admit, I think this is one column that seems pretty close to reality.

Republicans today believe in big government just as much as big government Democrats. The only difference is what they want to do when they have the bully pulpit. It's all about getting the power and then staying in power.

Under NCLB, Big Government Right and Big Government Left came together on the topic of education. BG Left wanted more money for education and BG Right wanted to see the demise of public education. BG Right was willing to "invest" in it to do so, and wait it out. BG Left decided to take the money and run. I assume they thought they could bring logical accountability standards to the table during future reauthorizations of the NCLB Act. Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, as time goes on..........it's less local control at every level, on every single issue.

My prediction? A backlash from the left and right is coming as we grow to resent big government's influence over our lives.

Charters: Much ado about nothing

Another review on charter schools around the nation.

Probably nothing wrong with a charter school, except they are more expensive in many cases, perform no better than public schools in most cases, and lead to more segregation of students.

Other than that, nothin' wrong with 'em.

Carnival of Education: Week 8

Stop by the Carnival. It's the Who's Who of the Educational Blogosphere.

An educational smorgasbord. Beats school food!

Indiana Introduces New Smoking and Gambling Curriculum

The Indianapolis Star reports that Indiana is exploring new cigarette taxes and gambling taxes as a source of revenue.

Shortly after this announcement, The Super Bloggers intercepted a draft copy of a Press Release that shows the governor's Education Policy Advisor is right on top of things when it comes to education.

PRESS RELEASE: Embargoed until April 1, 2005

Indiana Introduces New Smoking and Gambling Curriculum

David Shame, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniel's Education Policy Advisor, has announced the creation of a new smoking program called S.N.A.R.E. (Smoking Nonstop and Rarely Exhaling). This new smoking program will replace the outdated D.A.R.E. program in fifth grade.

Shame added, "We think we will need as many smokers as we can get to fund not only the Colts new football stadium, but some of our other needs as well. Part of our agenda will be to incorporate the Smoking Nonstop and Rarely Exhaling (SNARE) program into each fifth grade classroom so as to insure a steady flow of revenue for our programs. Phillip Morris has donated the materials and we intend to prefund it with the tobacco settlement money. We even have the mascot picked out. The DARE Bear named Darren, will be replaced by the SNARE Cowboy. It is a replica of the Marlboro man with an oxygen tank on his back. Kids will love it. Totally rad!"

Shame also announced the new 12-step gambling curriculum for high schoolers, called Gambling Unanimous. The program will be headed up by none other, than Art Schlichter. The purpose of the program will be to supply a steady stream of gamblers to the casinos to ensure a funding stream for needed programs.

Shame added, "We're betting that this will put us in the elite category of states who have developed bad funding sources for good programs. Our motto is, "We throw BAD money after GOOD."

After hearing about the new curriculum, puritan High School English teacher, Ms. Ima Strictwon, stated, "I guess encouraging gambling and smoking will just bring a new dimension to my unit on Syn tax."

Vouchers: The great bait and switch

Joe Thomas at Shut Up and Teach, blogs about one of my biggest pet peeves.

The claim from the vouchers crowd, that their big interest in vouchers is just to provide poor parents with more access to private schooling. Read, "Fool me once, Darcey."

It's a bait and switch. "The primary recipients of private school tuition tax credit money are families whose children are already enrolled in private schools." (Wilson, 2002)

Follow Joe's link above and then click on BLOGS.

Congressional Hearings to answer question: Is Big-Time Wrestling Real?

The Washington D.C. press corps were jostling for position. The rumor was making the rounds that they had been called together to hear announcements about upcoming congressional hearings on big-time wrestling.

"What prompted this?" probed the veteran D.C. beat reporter from the second row of the crowded press conference. The Washington press corps were squeezed into a small, crowded room for a hastily called press conference after word had leaked out that Congress was intending to call for a second round of formal Congressional Hearings. Congress had just concluded formal hearings on steroid use in baseball.

The congressman behind the microphone, patted his damp forehead with a white handkerchief and took a deep breath. "Well," he paused for effect, making sure everyone was looking at him, "This proves that America truly is the greatest country on earth. It must be the greatest country ever, when the biggest problem we can find to debate, is whether or not a handful of the world's richest and largest men, stuck themselves in the 'hiney' with a needle. 'Butt', it really was a very successful hearing," he added.

"Why was it successful?" someone shouted from the back row. "Did you curb steroid use in baseball?"

"No," he responded forthrightly, "But I did get my picture on every TV in America for 72 straight hours. It was fun to pompously lecture grown men, who make 500 times my salary."

"Yes, but what PROMPTED this NEW set of congressional hearings, the ones on big-time wrestling, of all things?" repeated the hard-nosed reporter from The Post.

"What prompted it, was the recent press release from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) that they intended to mix politics and athletics with their Monday night pay-per-view series featuring the Nation's Governors.

The first WWF "Smackdown" is next Monday featuring Governor of California, Arnold "The Terminator" Schwartzenegger versus Governor of Indiana, Mitch "The Blade" Daniels.

"Our governors must be clean too. Our worries started with Governor of Minnesota, Jesse "The Body" Ventura and then spread when Governor Schwartzenegger announced that he had used steroids in between grope therapy sessions. We think Mitch is clean, just from looking at him, but you never know," the congressman added.

"Now another governor with a bold nickname has entered the national ring, so we figure it is time to see if our governor's are clean. They must all be good role models, or at least as good as Barney Frank."

"Who dreamed up this crazy idea anyway?" asked the New York Times reporter standing in the crowded doorway.

"Well," the congressman replied, "The idea for the Governor's matches was hatched up by the Indiana Governor's Education Policy advisor David Shame, who realized that the National Governor's Conference wasn't getting any upticks in the polls for their announcement that they were raising standards for high school students. Raising standards is old news, so they wanted something really fresh. Something that would grab America's attention. Their travels around the state in their Oregon-made Indiana RV, have helped them take a fresh look at America. Jeff Faxworthy will be their emcee and ring announcer, and former New Jersey Governor, Pristine Whitman will be the ring girl."

A grizzled reporter from the middle of the pack shouted out, "I can see why the governors would want to attract more attention to their educational agendas with a market-oriented publicity strategy, but why would Congress want to get involved with more formal Congressional hearings?"

The congressman patted his sweating forehead with his hanky once again and replied,"Once and for all we want to answer America's greatest unsolved mystery, Is big-time wrestling real? It's the least we can do for America."

The Business Roundtable is Right on Some Things

Disclaimer: This is NOT satire. I've decided this site may need to come with warning labels.

Public education should come clean with a few things. Our expectations HAVE been too low, for too long, for too many of our students. Don't take this wrong teachers, if you are taking the time to read this, you probably aren't the ones we are talking about.

I was in a meeting this week with an elementary teacher I have a great deal of respect for. Not just because he has the courage as a veteran teacher to drop down a few grades and take on a new grade level to stay challenged, but because he tells it like it is. When I want to know as a superintendent, what a current classroom teacher thinks, he tells me.

He let me know a year ago, that a certain "program" the school chose to implement, was not in his mind, appropriate for his grade level. Six months later he has decided that he underestimated the abilities of some of his students, Now granted, the program isn't appropriate for all of his students at this point, but he indicated that he may have underestimated the ability of his top students. He now has students reading three and four grade levels above their current grade, and showing tremendous interest in reading. He isn't totally sold yet, but as a professional he didn't complain, he implemented it under the promise that if it didn't produce results we would change. As a true professional, he can face the facts with an open mind.

Can the rest of our colleagues face the facts with an open mind?

My point is not to discuss any particular program, curriculum or methodology, it is only to bring out a discussion about expectations.

One thing many public schools are finding out, much to their chagrin, is that many students are capable of much more than we expected. While not actually meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) with special education students, we are finding these students are still capable of much more than expected previously. Unfortunately, under the punitive rules of NCLB, their tremendous progress will be labeled "FAILING."

The pressure from the Business Roundtable has been primarily about expectations. I do NOT agree with total dependence on standardized testing, nor do I agree with many of the NCLB requirements, but I have seen so many students rise above what might have been expected of them, that I have to say that raising the expectations for students has been, overall, a good thing. The Business Roundtable isn't all wrong.

I must point out that excellent teachers have always had high expectations. However, in recent years I have seen more and more teachers take on this challenge of raising their expectations. I am proud to say that many of our students (and teachers!) are rising to the occasion.

Our future success will depend on whether or not society will allow us to continue our progress, and it depends on how we handle with care the students who aren't able to meet rising expectations. Will we treat them with dignity and provide them an opportunity to make a living wage in the new economy?

One businessman who posts here from time-to-time said it takes 15-20 years for a business to truly establish it's vision and mission. Will the Business Roundtable and the State Chamber of Commerce groups provide the same time for public schools to rise to our new mission?

Or is the mission of the Roundtable just to break up the public school system no matter what progress is made?

President Bush Names Blue Ribbon Business Panel

President Bush this week has named a blue ribbon panel of teachers and other educators to a National Poundtable Committee. The purpose of the committee is to establish higher ethical standards and to raise the profit margins of American businesses.

President Bush said, under condition of anonymity, "We think this will be a very successful format. It worked so well having the business CEO's develop educational agendas for this nation, that we thought we would try it on the economic front. We have been very disappointed in the economic efforts of our businessmen and feel that our economy will never improve without rigorous accountability measures. We lead the world in many ways, but our economic growth rates are flat. Our educational leaders will show us the way."

The committee will consist of superintendents, principals and teachers who will meet in Orlando, Florida for three weeks, vigorously hammering out the standards and agendas on which business will be evaluated.

The cornerstone initiative is reported to be legislation titled NBLS (No Business Left Standing). "The idea," said, NBLS spokesperson, Margaret Smellings, "is that by 2013-2014 we will require 100% of all employees in all divisions of every business in America to meet Adequate Yearly Profit (AYP). Each employee must demonstrate that they are personally responsible to bring in more money than they cost the company. We will separate the employees into various subgroups and evaluate the entire business on the basis of that subgroup in that division of that business. If the employee fails, the division fails. If the division fails, the business fails to meet AYP. Everyone must be proficient to meet the challenge and maintain our standing in the world."

"The cry from CEO's around the nation sounds suspiciously like those of educators when NCLB was authorized," said Dr. Sup R. Blogger, president of AASA. He added, "I know they think educators don't know much about business, but I know as much about bankruptcy law as they know about dyslexia and special education case law."

A spokesperson for the Business Roundtable said, "The problem is inadequate funding. If we had more money we would have more profit." To which a politician standing nearby replied, "The answer to every stinkin' problem isn't more money."

Business Roundtable Issues National Apology

PRESS RELEASE: March 21, 2035


In a shocking departure from past practice, The Business Roundtable has released a national apology to all American's for it's role in toppling America from it's century long position as the world's leading creator of technologies, products and services that made Americans the envy of the world.

In the 1980's a group of CEO's, calling themselves the Roundtable, created an agenda based on increasing academic standards in America. In later years they supported NCLB legislation at the national level and determined that NCLB would be the vehicle for driving up academic standards. At that time they reported, "There still is a long way to go before we see U.S. education performance that meets or exceeds the best in the world."

However, 30 plus years later, The Business Roundtable has finally admitted that while America is now ranked number one in the world on standardized tests, they may have been playing the wrong game.

In a press conference on March 21, 2035, a Business Roundtable member, said, "It was so deceptive to think that all we needed to do was to hold students and schools accountable with high stakes testing. We had no idea at the time there was a downside to excessive testing. We just wanted to be the best in the world. Who would have known that one reason America led the world in the creation of new ideas, was that schools taught an eclectic combination of content with surprising creativity and hands-on-instruction. It evidently developed students into creative, yet productive citizens that developed products and services that the entire world sought after. Or a least it used to."

"Compared to other countries, we had one of the most comprehensive curriculums in the world. We had no idea that the Art, Music, PE, Health, Social Studies and Athletics all contributed to the rich, comprehensive broad-based backgrounds that actually promoted creativity and independent thought. The simple, but deceptive idea that most of what is important in school can be measured by a one-shot standardized test was too much for us to pass up."

"We now regret the fact that educators took us seriously and actually limited their curriculum and instruction to help students pass these tests we held them accountable to. In the meantime, at our insistence, they quit teaching all the creative things that developed such entrepreneurs in the past."

"Now, that we are number one in the world on these tests, we find ourselves well below number one in the most important category, creating new ideas and technologies."

A CEO from Florida, Al A. Gator, stated, "We thought we were on firm ground with NCLB but it turned out to be swamp." A CEO from Arizona, stated, "NCLB led America into a box canyon." The CEO from Bath and Body Works stated, "We threw the baby out with the bathwater!"

A chief spokesperson for the Business Roundtable noted wryly, "While we were preoccupied with being number one, no one questioned if we were playing the right game. We used to just outsource manufacturing to get cheap labor. We knew we didn't lead the world in manufacturing, but now we no longer lead the world in creation of new ideas either. Thirty-five straight years of trying to bubble in little circles have left American students a little short on the things that really matter. We got our wish. We are number one, but now we are lagging behind."

So What Is The Vision for Education?

The whole country has fallen into a trap.

Those who have given up on public schools cry for "reform" and point out a variety of objections. These range from complaints about unions, to objections to bureaucracy, and on to complaints about universities and teacher/administrator preparation programs. The whole gamut. The greatest country in the world, educated by and large with public schools - is under intense criticism. Some of it deserved, some of it undeserved. Critics attack... and educators defend the status quo. Probably because many of them take it personally.

So let's take this in a more positive direction.

For those critics who post here frequently, we know some of what you don't approve of, but what do you WANT to see for a system of educating America's children?

Critics and supporters alike, everyone take a stab at answering one question:


What SHOULD education look like twenty years from now? What do you see?

Simpson's Paradox: Improving in every category

We have appreciated the comments made by people on this board, especially those who have expressed questioning views and differences of opinion. We have been especially grateful to those who pose questions. But as you can tell, we don't have all the answers.

We hope we can all appreciate the freedom we have in this country to express our views. It is one of the greatest privileges that a democracy provides.

For those of you have been skeptical of public schools, we hope you can stand to read some positive news . :-) Read this report by Dr. David Berliner posted by Joe Thomas in a PDF file at Shut up and Teach. Try to read it with an open mind. What you may notice is that the problem isn't one of declining schools. Rather, it is a phenomenon of shifting demographics in this country.

Dr. Berliner points out the statistical phenomenon known as Simpson's Paradox. This is where every subgroup in a population can show dramatic improvement, but the average stays the same.

Read what happened to SAT scores and NAEP scores. You didn't read it in the newspaper that's for sure. Only negative sells. And... no one seems willing or at least eager, to talk about ethnicity, race or cultural norms among subgroups in this country.