A Fail by the State Board of Education

No, not Core 24--this time, it's their Facebook Page:

Earlier this week whoever maintains their page posted a link to the Tacoma News-Tribune editorial about the Masters pay bump along with the question, "Do we need to change the way we pay teachers?" They didn't question the source material, they didn't stand up for the teachers--they just passed along the big lie without question.

Right now, the State Board is far more interested in reform than they are in education, and it's annoying.

Read more here, if any.

Turn Around--Every Now And Then It Reforms a School But An Awful Lot of the Time, No

The title works if you sing it to the tune of "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

The December 16th issue of Education Week has a front-pager on a recent report from the Center on Education Policy talking about school restructuring under No Child Left Behind; the upshot is that there are no miracles when you try to turn a bad school into a good one. A quote I really liked:

Replacing many staff members in an area where qualified replacements are hard to find, or in a school that lacks a widely publicized vision to help it overcome its reputaiton as a "failing school," hampered improvement efforts, according to the study.

Remember this when the State Board of Education starts pushing the Bylsma School Reform Plan through the legislature. Washington State is about to become the laboratory of education research--time will tell if that's a good thing or not.

Read more here, if any.

Carnival of Email #5: I Love Sunshine Edition

It's a glorious day here in Spokane. I took my daughter out for a long romp this morning, and now that she's down for her nap I'm enjoying some Girl Scouts Thin Mint cookies and cleaning out the email box. Tonight the Mrs. and I are off to town to see America's Got Talent winner Terry Fator do a show. He's easily the best ventriloquist I've ever laid eyes on:



Good times.

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The State Board of Education is having themselves a special meeting this coming Friday in Olympia to talk about the new math standards report. I'm guessing it'll be on TV Washington, and hopefully Where's the Math will have folks in attendance to give a report.

In conference news, registration for the Association of Washington School Principals is now open. I'll be attending on the cheap as an intern member, plus it's right here in Spokane so I don't have to pay for a hotel room. Speaking of hotel rooms, that's also Hoopfest Weekend, which means that every room in town is going to be packed. Make your reservations now!

You've probably seen the video of the girl who was beaten bloody and senseless by two other girls who thought they'd been dissed on MySpace. As is usual after these events, the question has come up: is the internet to blame?

(Editorial answer: No, it's not. Stupidity begins at home.)

The University of Southern California has ended its German department because of lack of interest. In the University's defense, German isn't exactly what you think of when you ponder what world language would be worth learning.

Also from the Golden State, academic powerhouse Stanford University is building subsidized housing for....assistant coaches, who can't afford to live anywhere near the campus. They're also constructing a cardboard box for Robin Lopez to live in after he washes out of the NBA.

If you're interested in starting work on your National Board Certification next year, there are scholarships available. I've been harsh on the NBPTS, and on the WEA for investing so much effort into the process, but with the money that's attached to it now I may need to give it a look.

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Read more here, if any.