Monday, August 22, 2005
No State Left Behind? (or: Some Days It's Good to Be a Nutmegger!)
Fans of states' right, take note! A bold move taken today by the attorney general of Connecticut may force the federal government to ensure it has enough money budgeted to pay for national programs. The scenario in question centers around my favorite recent piece of federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires annual standardized testing to ensure students are meeting national education standards. The trouble is not with the intent of the law, which Blumenthal notes is laudable, but rather its lack of flexibility. In the case of Connecticut, for example, students have already been tested every alternate year beginning in 4th grade. The NCLB mandate for annual testing, along with targeted programs to help specific districts meet federal guidelines, will require an expenditure of $112 million, of which the federal government is only providing $71 million. So who pays for the remainder? Take a guess.
If you said the taxpayers of Connecticut, you'd be right. But puzzle this further. A quick visit to the NEA website indicates that Connecticut already pays its public school teachers the highest average salary in the country ($57,337/yr.) and the second highest per student public school expenditures ($11,774/student, just below New York's $12,325/student). Given Connecticut's strong test scores (off the National Center for Education Statistics and CT Dep. of Education websites), it seems markedly unfair for the federal government to insist that the state spend even more money to fix a system to implement further testing...especially since what's in place seems to be working relatively well. Students are meeting performance goals, and the achievement gap (both racial and socioeconomic) is decreasing.
The old saying comes to mind, "if it ain't broke...don't fix it." If the federal government is going to force Connecticut to fix a relatively unbroken system, the very least they can do is provide the money and resources necessary to make that a reality. Otherwise broad, underfunded federal mandates like NCLB will only serve to undermine state government authority over their own budgets and frustrate taxpayers. Hopefully, other states will follow Connecticut's example so that the Powers That Be in Washington realize that when it comes to educational problems, "one size fits all" solutions may not prove viable.
Fans of states' right, take note! A bold move taken today by the attorney general of Connecticut may force the federal government to ensure it has enough money budgeted to pay for national programs. The scenario in question centers around my favorite recent piece of federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires annual standardized testing to ensure students are meeting national education standards. The trouble is not with the intent of the law, which Blumenthal notes is laudable, but rather its lack of flexibility. In the case of Connecticut, for example, students have already been tested every alternate year beginning in 4th grade. The NCLB mandate for annual testing, along with targeted programs to help specific districts meet federal guidelines, will require an expenditure of $112 million, of which the federal government is only providing $71 million. So who pays for the remainder? Take a guess.
If you said the taxpayers of Connecticut, you'd be right. But puzzle this further. A quick visit to the NEA website indicates that Connecticut already pays its public school teachers the highest average salary in the country ($57,337/yr.) and the second highest per student public school expenditures ($11,774/student, just below New York's $12,325/student). Given Connecticut's strong test scores (off the National Center for Education Statistics and CT Dep. of Education websites), it seems markedly unfair for the federal government to insist that the state spend even more money to fix a system to implement further testing...especially since what's in place seems to be working relatively well. Students are meeting performance goals, and the achievement gap (both racial and socioeconomic) is decreasing.
The old saying comes to mind, "if it ain't broke...don't fix it." If the federal government is going to force Connecticut to fix a relatively unbroken system, the very least they can do is provide the money and resources necessary to make that a reality. Otherwise broad, underfunded federal mandates like NCLB will only serve to undermine state government authority over their own budgets and frustrate taxpayers. Hopefully, other states will follow Connecticut's example so that the Powers That Be in Washington realize that when it comes to educational problems, "one size fits all" solutions may not prove viable.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
No Vacancies?
So I visited Underwood a few days ago. School starts in another three weeks or so and I wanted to chat with the roster chair before going too much further with my long-term unit planning. Unfortunately (for me, not for him), he was on a cruise in Aruba. Fortunately (also for me), there were things going on in the main office.
The office was also cursed.
Because the activity in Underwood's nerve center was divided between two main activities:
1. Preparing for today's freshman orientation. Which my beloved academy leader was supposed to be running, before she and her husband absconded for the shore. And surprise, surprise, it looked like they were going to be short staffed. Oh, Ben...could you maybe show up and help us run orientation? And do some experiments? We could really use your help. That last part always gets me, which is why I'm up and blogging at 7 AM.
2. Filling staff vacancies: One reason we are so desperate for volunteers for ninth grade orientation is that around half the ninth grade staff had to leave last year for various reasons. Whether finding nicer jobs in the suburbs or being forced to leave due to certification issues, we're now down at least 2 English teachers, 2 math teachers, and a science teacher. That's 1/3 of the 9th grade teachers right there. And those slots need to be filled before the school year or there will be hell to pay.
Which is what the principal was working on when I visited. Because the district, in all its wisdom, had not updated the vacancy listing online. Perhaps they think teachers really do have that preternatural ability to detect jobs that are left unlisted. Or that principals can spend the summer roaming the city hunting down their ideal staff. In either case, another case of the head not knowing what the tail is doing.
In a perverse way, I missed that bureaucratic inefficiency. No wait...no I didn't!
Ok, must run...I have freshmen to help orient.
Postscript: The Wikipedia blooper reported earlier in the Prairie Home Companion article has been corrected. Still looking for bloopers though...send them along if you see them.
So I visited Underwood a few days ago. School starts in another three weeks or so and I wanted to chat with the roster chair before going too much further with my long-term unit planning. Unfortunately (for me, not for him), he was on a cruise in Aruba. Fortunately (also for me), there were things going on in the main office.
The office was also cursed.
Because the activity in Underwood's nerve center was divided between two main activities:
1. Preparing for today's freshman orientation. Which my beloved academy leader was supposed to be running, before she and her husband absconded for the shore. And surprise, surprise, it looked like they were going to be short staffed. Oh, Ben...could you maybe show up and help us run orientation? And do some experiments? We could really use your help. That last part always gets me, which is why I'm up and blogging at 7 AM.
2. Filling staff vacancies: One reason we are so desperate for volunteers for ninth grade orientation is that around half the ninth grade staff had to leave last year for various reasons. Whether finding nicer jobs in the suburbs or being forced to leave due to certification issues, we're now down at least 2 English teachers, 2 math teachers, and a science teacher. That's 1/3 of the 9th grade teachers right there. And those slots need to be filled before the school year or there will be hell to pay.
Which is what the principal was working on when I visited. Because the district, in all its wisdom, had not updated the vacancy listing online. Perhaps they think teachers really do have that preternatural ability to detect jobs that are left unlisted. Or that principals can spend the summer roaming the city hunting down their ideal staff. In either case, another case of the head not knowing what the tail is doing.
In a perverse way, I missed that bureaucratic inefficiency. No wait...no I didn't!
Ok, must run...I have freshmen to help orient.
Postscript: The Wikipedia blooper reported earlier in the Prairie Home Companion article has been corrected. Still looking for bloopers though...send them along if you see them.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
A new car?
Yes, that's right. After 16 years of loyal service to my family and two very solid years as my vehicle of choice, the Invisible Ben Mobile is being replaced. Tomorrow, I travel by train to pick up Version 3.0, with features like reliably working air conditioning and a CD player. No more CD/Tape adapters for me! Another shift in car color is also in the cards. Those of you in the know recall that Ben-Mobile, v. 1.0 was dark blue. In an inadvertent nod to the Civil War, v. 2.0 is gray, or if you're feeling benevolent...silver. The latest Ben-mobile breaks from the trend, with a shiny red paint job. Technically, that's not true. While doing research on various car models, I quickly learned that cars do not come in red anymore, or blue or silver. The simple Crayola colors of our youth have been deemed overly generic by today's automakers. Which is why my new car is not merely red. No, to appeal to today's younger, hipper audiences it's
SANGRIA RED!!!
Which is ironic when you think about the fact that sangría, by definition, is an alcoholic beverage. And nothing says responsible driver like a cool refreshing bit of the alcohol. What does next season hold for automobile model colors? Coors Silver? Guinness Black? Johnny Walker Blue? Hmm...I may be on to something here.
In any event, I'm looking forward to the car. And I certainly am glad I didn't trade it in for that mystery box.
Some other quick news points:
That's all for now folks. Until next time...keep watching the skies. (Perseid meteor shower is coming on the 12th!)
Yes, that's right. After 16 years of loyal service to my family and two very solid years as my vehicle of choice, the Invisible Ben Mobile is being replaced. Tomorrow, I travel by train to pick up Version 3.0, with features like reliably working air conditioning and a CD player. No more CD/Tape adapters for me! Another shift in car color is also in the cards. Those of you in the know recall that Ben-Mobile, v. 1.0 was dark blue. In an inadvertent nod to the Civil War, v. 2.0 is gray, or if you're feeling benevolent...silver. The latest Ben-mobile breaks from the trend, with a shiny red paint job. Technically, that's not true. While doing research on various car models, I quickly learned that cars do not come in red anymore, or blue or silver. The simple Crayola colors of our youth have been deemed overly generic by today's automakers. Which is why my new car is not merely red. No, to appeal to today's younger, hipper audiences it's
SANGRIA RED!!!
Which is ironic when you think about the fact that sangría, by definition, is an alcoholic beverage. And nothing says responsible driver like a cool refreshing bit of the alcohol. What does next season hold for automobile model colors? Coors Silver? Guinness Black? Johnny Walker Blue? Hmm...I may be on to something here.
In any event, I'm looking forward to the car. And I certainly am glad I didn't trade it in for that mystery box.
Some other quick news points:
- First off, this article by Alexandra Starr explains what anyone teaching in an inner city public school could have told you...low standardized test scores do not automatically demonstrate a lack of intelligence among American high school students. Rather, it confirms the lack of incentive to perform well on tests which seem to have no impact on their lives. An interesting read, even as a part of what Starr refers to as "the weak link of the U.S. educational system." (Thanks to Mr. Barker at Thought for the Day for bringing this to my attention.)
- Secondly, I have added a few new links to the Invisible BlogRoll of late. Check out the ruminations of some of Dartmouth's finest at The Hanover Collective . Or if you prefer technologically inspired anarchy, perhaps you'll enjoy Technological Solutions to Social Problems .
- Third, the politically minded among you might enjoy this MP3. It's brought to you by Harry Shearer and the kindly folks at LeShow, and is therefore, almost certainly a copyrighted feature of that site. But, I still think it's worthy of dissemination as it effectively encapsulates our Commander-in-Chief's unique justification for the difficulties our troops face in Iraq.
- Fourthly, speaking of copyrighted features, I am still trolling around for Wikipedia Bloopers [TM], and I could use your help. All you have to do is browse Wikipedia, and if you find an error in an article, send it along to me at the Invisible E-Mail so that we can archive it for posterity. The more blatant and hilarious, the better. And unlike a Wikipedia article, you will get sole credit for your work...so get to it!
That's all for now folks. Until next time...keep watching the skies. (Perseid meteor shower is coming on the 12th!)
Saturday, August 06, 2005
More Fun with Wikipedia (TM)
So originally I was going to post about my tests and the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, but as I was browsing the web this evening over dinner something caught my eye. And so without any further ado, it's time for
Wikipedia Bloopers! (a copyrighted feature of this blog...as Harry Shearer might say.)
Today's blooper centers around that anchor of the ever competitive weekend public radio schedule, A Praire Home Companion. Yes, with its old fashioned charm, nostalgic humor, and monologues about life on the prairie, it can hardly be surprising that this rollicking variety show would be made into a motion picture.
Let's see what Wikipedia has to say:
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prairie_Home_Companion_%28movie%29
It stars the show's creator, Garrison Keillor, who wrote the film screenplay. Big Hollywood names in the movie include Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, Lily Tomlin, Maya Rudolph, Tommy Lee Jones, and Woody Harrelson. There is talk about possible cameo appearances from Sora Takenouchi. A few Prairie Home regulars like Sue Scott and Tim Russell will also appear in limited roles.
Most people have probably heard of the the big Hollywood names mentioned in the article, and die-hard fans may recognize Sue Scott and Tim Russell. But who is Sora Takenouchi?
Let's click on the link and find out!
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sora_Takenouchi
Sora Takenouchi (武の内 空 Takenouchi Sora) is a character in the anime and manga series Digimon. She is partnered with Biyomon. Sora is a very reliable person and tries to take care of the other kids. Her father works as a professor at the Kyoto University but she lives only with her mother, a famous flower arranger. Sora is the bearer of the Crest of Love.
Well, color me impressed. Talk about your cross-marketing. Finally a movie to appeal to all ages, from nostalgic senior citizens to junior high kids with the attention span of a hyperactive gnat. Altman and Keillor are geniuses. I only wonder where they plan to fit Sora into what will likely be a convoluted plot. Perhaps she'll ask Guy Noir to seek out the Crest of Love when it is stolen by Generic Anime Bad Guy #1.
This has been another fun filled episode of Wikipedia Bloopers!
(Found a blooper on Wikipedia? Send it along to theinvisibleben@gmail.com , and we'll spread the hilarity before it gets edited away!)
So originally I was going to post about my tests and the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, but as I was browsing the web this evening over dinner something caught my eye. And so without any further ado, it's time for
Wikipedia Bloopers! (a copyrighted feature of this blog...as Harry Shearer might say.)
Today's blooper centers around that anchor of the ever competitive weekend public radio schedule, A Praire Home Companion. Yes, with its old fashioned charm, nostalgic humor, and monologues about life on the prairie, it can hardly be surprising that this rollicking variety show would be made into a motion picture.
Let's see what Wikipedia has to say:
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prairie_Home_Companion_%28movie%29
It stars the show's creator, Garrison Keillor, who wrote the film screenplay. Big Hollywood names in the movie include Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, Lily Tomlin, Maya Rudolph, Tommy Lee Jones, and Woody Harrelson. There is talk about possible cameo appearances from Sora Takenouchi. A few Prairie Home regulars like Sue Scott and Tim Russell will also appear in limited roles.
Most people have probably heard of the the big Hollywood names mentioned in the article, and die-hard fans may recognize Sue Scott and Tim Russell. But who is Sora Takenouchi?
Let's click on the link and find out!
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sora_Takenouchi
Sora Takenouchi (武の内 空 Takenouchi Sora) is a character in the anime and manga series Digimon. She is partnered with Biyomon. Sora is a very reliable person and tries to take care of the other kids. Her father works as a professor at the Kyoto University but she lives only with her mother, a famous flower arranger. Sora is the bearer of the Crest of Love.
Well, color me impressed. Talk about your cross-marketing. Finally a movie to appeal to all ages, from nostalgic senior citizens to junior high kids with the attention span of a hyperactive gnat. Altman and Keillor are geniuses. I only wonder where they plan to fit Sora into what will likely be a convoluted plot. Perhaps she'll ask Guy Noir to seek out the Crest of Love when it is stolen by Generic Anime Bad Guy #1.
This has been another fun filled episode of Wikipedia Bloopers!
(Found a blooper on Wikipedia? Send it along to theinvisibleben@gmail.com , and we'll spread the hilarity before it gets edited away!)
Wish Me Luck...
The more I study chemistry, the more I realize how very little I truly know. Now if I can only convince the company that scores the certification test I'm taking in a few hours that I actually know a lot more...
Just a few hours and it'll all be over.
Tally-ho and so forth!
The more I study chemistry, the more I realize how very little I truly know. Now if I can only convince the company that scores the certification test I'm taking in a few hours that I actually know a lot more...
Just a few hours and it'll all be over.
Tally-ho and so forth!
