Nerd News: Home Schooling in the News

Article in the New York Times.  Honestly, with education being the mess that it is with No Child Left Behind and Common Core and the obsession with standardized testing, I would probably want to home school too if I had a Mini-Me.  As it is, I've already been asked to consult a bit on my areas of specialization by some friends home schooling their little ones.

Nerd News: School Lunches From Around the World

Lunch time!  OK, not to cater to national stereotypes, but I gotta call it as I see it: that British lunch looks completely disgusting.

Nerd Notes: 3 Thoughts About Education

Take a look:

1. The high school achievements arms race
2. Kindergarten done horribly wrong
3. "My students don't know how to have a conversation."

Nerd News: 3 Thoughts

There are a few stories that crossed my path recently:

• Teacher training's favorite myths
• Taking aim at charter schools
• HERESY!  (It also happens to be the truth.)

Nerd News: Asians vs. Affirmative Action in California

Again.  

As a friend once said, "Asians don't count.  You're too successful."  

Someone else not too long ago: "You don't count as a minority.  You count as a white person."  (Me: "You know that that was the same attitude in apartheid South Africa?")

Nerd News: Idiotic Opinion Is Idiotic

This opinion is aggressively stupid.  James Taranto explains why.  You know, I'm getting sick of people mouthing off about public education and being self-righteous, bullying idiots about it.  This latest ... effluence reminds me of how pretty-faced Hollywood numbskull Matt Damon went on and on about how we need to support public schools and then promptly (of course) put his own kids in some posh private school (quelle surprise).

Headline of the Day: Latest "Zero Tolerance" Idiocy

Here's the (gratifyingly snarky) headline: "6-year-old has Lego-sized toy gun on bus, everyone loses their minds."

You may recall my previous post about this sort of nonsense.

Quote of the Day: On "Zero Tolerance" Policies In Schools

Why, yes:

One of the problems with these policies is that they have this tough-sounding name (ZERO tolerance!), and enforcers of them somehow get it in their heads that their absurdly literal interpretations indicate discipline and seriousness. In reality, these actions trivialize the problem and make the administrators who enforce them look like buffoons. 

While “Zero Tolerance” does aptly describe such policies, it’s not the only name that fits. It would be just as meaningful to call them “Zero Discretion” policies, seeing as none is called for, or “Zero Responsibility” policies, since none is assumed. But clearly the best name for such rules would be “Zero Intelligence” policies, seeing as none is required or used.

I hate edu-crats.

Hello Kitty Monstrosity of the Day: 5-Year-Old Girl Criminal

I yield to nobody in my hatred of the mouthless cartoon cat, but this news item is insane.  The monstrosity this time isn't a Hello Kitty-themed object but the behavior of "adults" who should know better.  Headline: "Pennsylvania kindergartener uses Hello Kitty bubble-gun at school, suspended for 'terrorist threat.'"  

A threat? It's a pink plastic toy that makes soap bubbles, for goodness sake!  The little girl's parents are considering a lawsuit.

Nerd News: Florida's New Plan for Racially-Based Educational Goals

OK, how is this not both stupid and blatantly raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacist?

The Florida State Board of Education passed a plan that sets goals for students in math and reading based upon their race. On Tuesday, the board passed a revised strategic plan that says that by 2018, it wants 90 percent of Asian students, 88 percent of white students, 81 percent of Hispanics and 74 percent of black students to be reading at or above grade level. For math, the goals are 92 percent of Asian kids to be proficient, whites at 86 percent, Hispanics at 80 percent and blacks at 74 percent. It also measures by other groupings, such as poverty and disabilities, reported the Palm Beach Post.

There's so much wrong with this that I don't even know where to start. The Florida State Board of Education sucks, and you can quote me on that.  

Best Comment Yet On the Chicago Teachers Strike

This is even better than "Rahm Emanuel Likes Nickelback."  Check out this gloriously snarky tweet, baseball fans:

AWKWARD.

Heh.

Mandatory Mandarin Lessons in Georgia Public Schools?

What?  As usual, my objection is to the "mandatory."  Something else: it's involved with funding from the Chinese government.  Hmmmm.

Nerd News: Idiocy, Preschool Edition

Stupid school policy is stupid.  Do these people really have nothing better to do than harass a 3-year-old deaf boy about his name?  SUE THESE MORONS, STAT.

Don't Know Much About History

ALAS.  Nevertheless, some of us are still fighting the good fight.  I refuse to give up.  I know you do too.  

Nerd News: Short-Changing the Bright Students

Edu-pocalypse continues.

Nerd News: No Edu-Crat Left Behind

*Sigh.*

Two years after Pittsburgh Public Schools received $40 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase teachers' effectiveness, the district has spent or allocated nearly a third of it on consultants and contractors, mainly from outside the state. 

Administrators told board members that they need consultants to perform specialized work outside the expertise of district personnel. 

"We're on track right now to be able to provide teachers and support teachers in improving their practice, in a way that hasn't been done before," said Sam Franklin, executive director of the district's Office of Teacher Effectiveness, whose $110,000 annual salary [my emphasis -- MM] is paid with Gates money.

On Tyranny, Liberty, and Founding Principles

Here is an interesting essay.  Constitution, schmonstitution?

Edupunk Nerd News: Online Schools

The changing face of education.  Still, there is no substitute for a real, live human being as a great teacher-mentor.  Of course, I've had a few duds along the way whom I would have gladly replaced with an app!

Nerd News: Two Ways In Which We Are Screwed

One: Administrative bloat and educrat-a-palooza on university campuses.
Two: Even more government meddling in K-12 education.