Pawlenty's Race to the Top

It isn't clear whether Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to help students or just wants to be the next GOP nominee for President. Whatever the case, Pawlenty is re-introducing his old school legislation.
The governor's education bill would change teacher licensing, pay and tenure structure. Despite having been roundly rejected before, Pawlenty is determined to try, try again, newly claiming the provisions in his bill will make Minnesota competitive in the fed's unfortunately named, "Race to the Top" program.
Since Pawlenty has not substantially altered his failed proposal, one is forced to consider that the re-introduction of this bill is principally designed to aid Pawlenty's political race to the top office.

Text Rage

Cruel and Unusual

Should public school educators use paddling as a method to teach children?

Most of our nation's school districts abandoned the practice of paddling years ago, but corporal punishment remains legal in 20 states -- mostly in the South.

A Congressional subcommittee is currently holding hearings on the matter. Chairperson of the committee, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, wants to end the practice through federal legislation. "When you look that the federal government has outlawed physical punishment in prisons," she told reporters, "I think the time has come that we should do it in schools."

Should we allow teachers to paddle, spank or otherwise physically abuse children? No -- not unless we want them to learn that adults consider physical violence to be a reasonable and effective method of problem-solving.

Total Failure in Rhode Island

An unidentified teacher at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island -- where he and all his colleagues were fired -- hung an effigy of President Barack Obama in his classroom. According to news reports, the effigy was found in the classroom by Superintendent Frances Gallo.

Gallo told CNN that the foot-tall Obama doll was found hung by its feet from a white board and was holding a sign that said "Fire Central Falls teachers." Obama has called the firings in Central Falls an example of holding failing schools accountable.

The Central Falls Teachers Union has been fighting the firings at the high school, one of Rhode Island’s worst-performing schools. Jane Sessums, president of the teachers union, said in a written statement that the teacher hung the doll "as part of what he described as a lesson plan."

Black History Month Lessons at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary

From THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of Dennis Rodman, RuPaul and O.J. Simpson to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms, a school district spokeswoman said.


Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black role models, such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Obama, Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said.

The incident occurred Friday, [February 26] at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles, where the student body is more than 90 percent Latino.

District Superintendent Ramon Cortines placed the teachers -- all white men who teach first, second and fourth grades -- on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted, Pollard-Terry said.

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Urban Techno Power Links

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