Tag Archives: schools

So How Do We Improve Public Education? A Perspective…

This week I had a couple meetings with candidates and policy makers (I will not mention their names so as not to damage their reputations.). These meetings were little more than casual discussions about local school issues and broader education issues. The main question, as always, is how do we improve public education? I gave some suggestions during those conversations but wanted to follow up with a little more detail than I provided on the spot.   The answer to question is complex and most politicians and policy makers aren’t willing to go for the complex because it doesn’t fit nicely enough on a piece of literature about how awesome they are at “reforming” education. It involves changing our culture of devaluing people who chose … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Issues, Minnesota Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Most Important Education Article You Should Read Today…

We all want to improve public education in this country. We all want to make our children the most competitive in a global economy. We all want but we do not all understand that it will take more than tearing down teachers in order to create that system. In the United States, where salaries are low and the profession is held in low esteem, top talent chooses to go in professional directions other than teaching. Or, if high performers do choose education as a career, they don’t stay in classrooms very long. Attrition rates among teachers are skyrocketing. A recent study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) found that America’s teacher dropout problem is spiraling out of control, with attrition growing … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Issues, Thing I Read Today... | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Most Important Education Article(s) You Should Read TODAY…

It’s always nice to read something other than the teacher bashing and bubble test pedaling of the corporate education reformers. So, here are a couple good articles about reforms that actually work and what the United States would really have to do to get there (hint: it’s going to take more than firing teachers and a bubble test). The article is from Britain but describes how Finland has come to dominate the world of education: All students in Finland receive a free education from when they start at seven years of age until they complete their university studies. As a result 80 per cent of Finns attend university. During their educational journey all pupils receive free school meals, resources and materials, transport and support services. … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Issues, Labor, National Politics, Politics, Poverty, Thing I Read Today... | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve Been Rubbed The Wrong Way! GROSS!

Local layabout and conservative talking point regurgitator, Gary Gross, announced in a post earlier today that I had been rubbed (and apparently not in a good way). I had been rubbed, according to Gross, in a very wrong way by one Pat Garofalo. Far be it from me to argue with these Gross assumptions of rubbing (whether the right or wrong way) but let’s clear up a couple things. First, Gross asserts that I was rubbed so hard as to become just a little too dramatic: That’s quite the dramatic reaction for something that seems so sensible. There’s nothing radical about wanting as many people voting on important issues as possible, especially on votes that potentially affect their property taxes. That’s weird, I was not … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Gross Inaccuracies, Issues, Minnesota Budget, Minnesota Governor, Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota Politics, Minnesota Senate, MN House District 36B, Politics, Voting & Elections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

President Obama Presents American Jobs Act

The full Jobs Act speech from Thursday, September 8th with a right sidebar providing additional information about what the President is proposing.

Posted in Economy, Education, Election 2012, Federal Budget, Infrastructure, Issues, Labor, Legislation, National Politics, Politics, President of the United States, US House of Representatives, US Senate, Youtube Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment