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Students in the class of 2021 did not have to prove they could write or do math at a basic level to earn their diplomas. A bill headed to Gov. Kate Brown would prohibit any such requirement at least until 2027. A bill to prohibit Oregon schools from requiring students to show they can read, write and do math at a basic high school level is headed to Gov. Kate Brown after lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday. The idea is to hit pause on the requirements, in place since 2009 but already suspended during the pandemic, at least until the...

Money section get to the mind early... in schools... As the proud parent of two elementary school-aged children, I am extremely concerned about my children being used as guinea pigs in the Department of Education's misguided quest to reinvent the mathematical wheel. A spokeswoman for the department, Jessica Hickernell, was quoted as saying, "It's a transition, so it takes awhile." While "awhile" may seem perfectly acceptable to Ms. Hickernell and the Department of Education, I could not disagree more as I recognize the elementary years as, unarguably, the most influential ones in shaping their entire educational future.

From a history teacher: I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in your Rotten to the Core series. As a history teacher, the Common Core Standards don’t have much of an impact on my teaching (yet – and to my understanding). The whole of this program seems to be shrouded in edu-speak and double talk (which are mostly the same). In addition to the Common Core, we were given an intro to another change coming to my district… and from what I’ve seen, it is spreading to districts across the country. The new model for teaching is Strategic Planning Strategies...

Here is the education story from Wisconsin this week that really matters: only 39% of eighth graders in the public schools are proficient in math, and only 34% in reading, despite a 65% increase in per-pupil spending over the past decade. While the attention of the nation is focused on what Wisconsin teachers earn, the question of what they do to earn it has been largely ignored. What they do not do is educate our children. The public education system is operated under the work rules that have been collectively bargained; that is reason enough to end collective bargaining privileges....

Dropouts Seek a Boost From Equivalency Exams Numbers Seeking a Degree Swell -- But Gains May Be Limited A growing number of Americans are taking high school equivalency tests in their hunt for any leg up in a bleak labor market. Adult-education centers across the country report backlogs and waiting lists for prep courses cramming dozens of topics and years of lessons into weeks or months. But the potential for a better job and pay that drives many to seek a General Educational Development diploma comes with a caveat: The certificate generally is of limited value unless students use it...

The soaring costs of a college degree are prompting colleges to consider a three-year degree program. Britain has long granted a degree for three years of college. I would like to suggest a one-year degree program. And I don’t mean an associate’s degree. Here are some hard facts most colleges will never tell you and most parents could not tolerate hearing. The general requirements of the first two years at most colleges are what high school should have been. That is what junior should have learned had he not been busy getting high, getting drunk, and being socially promoted. Better...

No Compromise Left Behind by: Heather Latham, February 17, 2009 In a room with five educational experts discussing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), opinions fly. But with a particular group of five experts at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI), one thought rang loudest—NCLB can work, but it will take some work. These experts were Michael J. Petrilli, vice president of national programs and policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute; Dianne M. Piché, the executive director of the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights; Williamson M. Evers of the Hoover Institution; Andrew J. Rothersham, cofounder...

Put On Your Happy Face by: Bethany Stotts, August 26, 2008 Less than one quarter of high school graduates who took the ACT have a 50% probability of getting a B in all four college-level subject areas of math, English, reading, and science, test results from the American College Testing Program (ACT) show. “This year’s results, released Wednesday, reveal that more than three in four test-takers will likely need remedial help in at least one subject to succeed in college,” wrote the Associated Press on August 13. Previous statistics, released this July, indicated that about 60% of America’s community college...

No Teacher Left Behind by: Malcolm A. Kline, November 08, 2007 Although education officials dreaded the Bush Administration’s allegedly two-fisted approach to public schools in its No Child Left Behind program, a new study shows that they seem to have found ways to work around it. “For one thing, the law included a number of loopholes that allowed states to claim that veteran teachers were highly qualified using a wide variety of criteria that might not be associated with quality,” the Aspen Institute found. “For example, in Minnesota, all elementary teachers licensed before 2001 were deemed highly qualified, regardless of...

Not As Good As You Think by: Emmanuel Opati, October 23, 2007 It has been reported that middle-class children in suburban schools are not as proficient at their grade levels as most parents think. Presenting their research findings from a study carried out among California middle class schools, at the Heritage Foundation recently, Lance Izumi and Dr. Vicki Murray noted that of the 284 California middle-class schools where the median home price was more than $400,000, 78% of the students failed standardized tests in English or Math. Although the U.S. Department of Education’s Nation’s Report Cardwhich was released in September...

College Bargain Basement Standards by: Malcolm A. Kline, October 10, 2007 When you pay dearly for a room at a luxury hotel or a meal at a five-star restaurant, the price tag may sting but at least you can see, feel, taste, touch and smell what you are getting. The same is not the case in higher education. “We don’t have answers to parents who ask us if spending one-third of their income on a college education is worth it,” Sarah Martinez Tucker of the U. S. Department of Education said last month at the American Enterprise Institute. Statistics from...

America’s German Envy Misplaced by: Heyecan Veziroglu, October 03, 2007 It might surprise some education policy analysts who look enviously at the German method of education as a model for the United States to learn that at least one Teutonic intellectual admires the American system. “The U.S. has an inspiring climate for thinking,” Ingo Rollwagen who is Senior Analyst at Macro Trends Deutsche Bank Research said at an American Institute for Contemporary German Studies Conference. He noticed that studying abroad brings a more refined understanding of learning processes to ensure persistence of learning. Thus, in the U.S., qualifications and credentials...

Money Matters by: Bethany Stotts, October 03, 2007 The numerous problems with the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have sparked criticism from both liberal and conservative policymakers. The National Education Association (NEA) has pushed for higher teacher salaries, smaller classrooms, and ‘indicative’ longitudinal testing. In contrast, the libertarian CATO Institute education policy analyst, Neal McCluskey, argues for the end of federal and state government intervention in education. Although increased funding has not translated into educational gains, special interest groups continue to push for increased expenditures. According to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) 2006 Education Report Card, between...

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2007 – Iraq’s police officers are rapidly acquiring experience and proficiency as they contribute to the establishment of law and order across the country, the senior U.S. military policeman in Iraq said today. “The majority of the police officers are doing the job they’ve been paid to do,” Baghdad-based Army Brig. Gen. David D. Phillips said during a conference call with reporters today. Phillips is the deputy commanding general of the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team in Iraq. Phillips said there are more than 200,000 regular Iraqi police on the rolls. He praised the professionalism evidenced by...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation Wednesday that proposed an instant fix for students failing to meet California's standard for proficiency: redefine proficiency. Schwarzenegger concluded that changing a few words won't solve academic woes. "Redefining the level of academic achievement necessary to designate students as 'proficient' does not make the students proficient," his veto message said. Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, called the governor's veto of her Assembly Bill 2975 a "missed opportunity" that ultimately will hurt students. "Schools will be labeled as failing schools even if they are making progress and improving their test scores," she said. AB 2975 argued that...

Texas Pre-Kindergarten Limited English Proficient (LEP) Pilot Program The following applications have been preliminarily selected to receive a grant for the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Pilot Program. Revised 4/12/06 Contacts: Carlos Garza(Funding) Discretionary Grants Phone: (512) 463-9269 carlos.garza@tea.state.tx.us Roberto Manzo (Program) Office Education Initiatives Phone: (512) 936-6060 roberto.manzo@tea.state.tx.us Program Description: The purpose of the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Pilot Program is: To implement multi-age programs serving 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds that assure that English language learning children receive appropriate activities to enter school prepared to succeed. The pilot program must provide many opportunities for the...

The 10th annual Latino Education Summit, just held in San Diego, wasn't much different from the previous nine. Each year, San Diego County's Office of Education reports to educators, parents and students on how well Hispanics are faring in county schools. The news this year, as in summits past, wasn't good – while nationally there is evidence the achievement gap between Latino and white students is narrowing, especially among younger students, a sizable gap still exists in San Diego. The gap is even larger – up to 51 percentage points at some schools – for English learners, most of them...

Labor Department Announces Availability of $5 Million To Train Workers with Limited English Proficiency WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration today announced the availability of approximately $5 million in demonstration funds to test innovative and unique training strategies to serve individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and Hispanic Americans. “The ability to communicate effectively in English is an essential element to career advancement,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “This $5 million in funding will be used to develop and implement programs to address the language and job training needs of workers with limited...

We have been discussing inexpensive ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84 The thread title was not well thought out, because some parents might instinctively skip over it due to attached stigma, whether real or imagined.

I've been getting asked more and more about my position that high school is a waste of time and my recommendation for parents to give their children a choice to skip high school. This is in response to the liberal agendas now prevalent in high schools as well as the simple fact that such a strategy would give kids a 4 year head start on their peers. Below are some useful links for investigating this option. I will repost my own experience under that. http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/school/equivexam.html UCB Parents Advice about School Taking the High School Equivalency Exam Advice and recommendations from...