New Grading System: Half Right or Completely Wrong?

port1080.

Posted to Etcetera on Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 06:28:15 PM EST (promoted by DEMachina). RSS.

The city school district in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania recently implemented a new grading policy.  Teachers no longer have complete leeway in giving grades - the minimum score that can be marked is now just 50%.

(8 comments, 333 words in story) Full Story

Stop Your Seditious Teachings.

MayorBob.

Posted to Legal on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 06:10:40 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

It sounds like something out of the McCarthy-era Red-hunting days of the 1950s.  But, it is really the 21st century and this time the target isn't communism.  This time the target is anything that detracts in any way from the notion of the US as a melting pot.  If bill working its way through the legislature now gets passed into law, public education in Arizona would be radically changed.  The public schools would be barred from teaching the history of any ethnic or racial minority group.  Any "organization ... based in whole or in part on race-based criteria" would not be allowed to operate on any of the public colleges or universities in the state.  As a matter of fact, anything "considered counter to democracy or Western civilization" would be outlawed in Arizona public schools.

(76 comments, 432 words in story) Full Story

If Ignorance is Bliss, Why Aren't More People Happy?

skeeter1.

Posted to Etcetera on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 06:44:43 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

There's been plenty of discussion about the topic in the past, but maybe it's worth reexamining.  

There's plenty to suggest that the dumbing-down of Americans is showing no signs of letting up.  My grandparents (turn of the last century) were plenty smart with 8th-grade educations, and my parents (1920s) did pretty well with high school diplomas.

(63 comments, 161 words in story) Full Story

Science: From beakers and bacteria to quorums and quotas?

pO157.

Posted to SciTech on Fri Mar 07, 2008 at 04:10:19 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Title IX has long been recognized as a tool for equality in schools and sports between the two sexes. Should it be extended to into the hard sciences of higher education?

(45 comments, 520 words in story) Full Story

Quotable Quotes of 2007

pO157.

Posted to Media on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 12:29:27 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

The Editor of the Yale Book of Quotations has released a listing of the Top 10 Most Memorable Quotes of 2007.

(29 comments, 292 words in story) Full Story

Are Teachers Going To See The Merit Of Merit Pay?

MayorBob.

Posted to Etcetera on Tue Aug 21, 2007 at 02:03:55 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

In the US, teaching careers are traditionally based on seniority and levels of education.  Yet, this being the era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), funding for the public schools teachers teach at are increasingly becoming linked to how well students perform on standardized tests.  The idea that teachers' pay and promotions should be linked to student test performance is not warmly received by most teachers' unions.  However, some local unions are wavering a bit on this as they negotiate contracts which do connect test performance with teacher pay.

(13 comments, 568 words in story) Full Story

Honoris Causa Be Causin' Some Debate.

pO157.

Posted to Etcetera on Thu Jul 26, 2007 at 08:53:07 PM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

The practice of institutions of higher learning passing out honorary doctorates at commencement started in the late 1470s. Since then, it has sparked debate on whether the unearned degrees cheapen the hard work of university students.

(4 comments, 228 words in story) Full Story

Minimum wage workers get 70¢ raise

pO157.

Posted to Business on Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 01:22:27 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

On July 24th, minimum wage earners in the United States get a mandated raise to $5.85 an hour. This applies only in the 18 states where local governments have not already raised the rate above the previous $5.15hr.

(40 comments, 195 words in story) Full Story

No way. Why should I change? [S]he's the one who sucks.

pO157.

Posted to Business on Mon Jul 09, 2007 at 05:28:15 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

K. Syvette Wimberly is angry because she starred in "Anal Camera 19." Well, technically she didn't. It turns out her name was hijacked by a former high school friend for use in the adult film industry.

(22 comments, 228 words in story) Full Story

A (Driver's) License To Kill: Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die

pO157.

Posted to Etcetera on Mon Jun 11, 2007 at 08:54:00 PM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

In a recent column entitled, Driving to the Funeral, Anna Quindlen argues that automotive shenanigans have lead to a tradition in American secondary education: horrible car crashes, the early funeral for students dead in their prime, and the acceptance of a posthumous diploma at graduation by crying parents.

(9 comments, 277 words in story) Full Story

A Prom's Proviso: Mandated Parental Training

pO157.

Posted to Business on Sat May 05, 2007 at 09:02:13 AM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

Every spring, like clockwork, thousands of high school students in the United States prepare to attend the prom. A good time, full of life changing experiences, is usually had by all, though there are times when it leads to trouble. Many school districts usually attempt to dissuade teens from letting the prom experience become deadly with graphic depictions of what happens when good proms go bad. However, one school district has turned the tables on who gets to sit through pre-prom education sessions by requiring all parents to go.

(6 comments, 358 words in story) Full Story

Better Rethink That Poppyseed Danish In Your Kid's Lunch

pO157.

Posted to Legal on Tue Feb 06, 2007 at 06:24:17 PM EST (promoted by Acefantastik). RSS.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is launching a new initiative wherein $6.5M is available in conjunction with the US Department of Education to fund a mix of mandatory and voluntary drug testing of children in the public schools from grades 6 to 12. It appears public schools can't get enough of the ONDCP and their grant money.

(5 comments, 453 words in story) Full Story