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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Modern School: Politics and Capitalism Make Kids Stupid

Modern School: Politics and Capitalism Make Kids Stupid

Politics and Capitalism Make Kids Stupid


While pundits, billionaires and politicians continue to scream that the educational sky is falling because of teachers’ selfishness, laziness, poor training and lack of accountability, they simultaneously erode the chances that our students will believe anything they learn at school by bombarding them with pseudoscience and other absurdities.

In one of the latest instances, Gov. Rick Perry, of Texas, has called climate change a hoax, according to theGuardian. This is a man who is considered a serious contender for president, despite the fact that he unabashedly pronounces his stupidity, gullibility and superstition. Then again, he has also suggested that Fed Chair Ben Bernacke could come to great physical harm should he step foot in Texas, a threat that would land most other people in prison, or least earn them a visit from the FBI. So perhaps public displays of stupidity and

Childhood Poverty Hits 20% in California


Today John Fensterwald - Educated Guess published data on poverty rates among California’s youth. While not surprising, considering the state of the economy and the high rates of childhood poverty that already existed prior to the start of the Great Recession, an appalling one in five California children is now living in poverty, an increase of 2% from last year. For African-American and Hispanic kids, the numbers are higher, 29% and 28%, respectively.

As high as these numbers are, the situation could be (and probably will become) much worse, as 34% of children of California children are living in families where no parent has full-time employment. 51% African-American children live in families with no full-time bread-winners. Furthermore, the latest data do not take into account the effects of two straight years of state

solidaridad: Open Letter to DFER's Gloria Romero regarding her recent reactionary letter to the AFT

solidaridad: Open Letter to DFER's Gloria Romero regarding her recent reactionary letter to the AFT

Open Letter to DFER's Gloria Romero regarding her recent reactionary letter to the AFT

I think about former Senator Gloria Romero comparing Compton educators to "batterers" and wondered whether the writers of those words ever stop to think about the consequences of their prose. — Martha Infante

Gloria J. Romero, Queen of California School Privatization, head of reactionary DFER, darling of the CCSA.
Photo by Mark Warner (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Sen. Romero:

Here are some questions I'd like to ask you for an upcoming Schools Matterarticle I'm writing regarding your recent letter to the AFT:

Why did you find the AFT slide show offensive?

Why does the Parent Empowerment Act only contain the punitive portions of NCLB? Why nothing to help existing schools improve? Why nothing that

Hispanic Group, Spread the Word About the Need to Preserve the Colorado River - Hispanically Speaking News

Hispanic Group, Spread the Word About the Need to Preserve the Colorado River - Hispanically Speaking News

Hispanic Group Looking to Spread the Word About the Need to Preserve the Colorado River

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Photo Credits: Hispanic Group Looking to Spread the Word About the Need to Preserve the Colorado River

A number of Hispanic leaders from Western states have come together in a group called Nuestro Rio to ensure the preservation of the Colorado River, as it is being threatened by climate change, chronic drought, and the ever-increasing surrounding population.

The Colorado River in the feeder for a number of water sources in 7 western states, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. It runs into Lake Mead in Nevada, and in the last decade, the lake’s water level has dropped enough that a ring is clearly visible around its walls.

The Gila River, which once flowed into the Colorado River, no longer does due to heavy water

Big Education Ape: 8-18-11 PM Shame of a nation #ASKARNE EDition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Published by Coopmike48 – 5 news spotters today

Sharpton's Racket - Page 1 - Columns - New York

villagevoice.com - The Reverend Al Sharpton has proven that it's a waste of ink to detail his decades of bad behavior: the payoffs, shakedowns, conflicts of interests, campaign violations, and legal problems that hav...

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National child welfare survey examines recession

news.yahoo.com - LAS VEGAS (AP) — Karla Washington worries how she will afford new school uniforms for her five-year-old daughter.Washington, an undergraduate student, earns less than $11,000 a year from a part-tim...

mikeklonsky

Shame of a nation

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Millions of children growing up in poverty A couple of new reports caught my eye yesterday. The first was a new study on child well-being put out by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It found that c...

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coopmike48 Justice Department Joins Probe of S&P, Rivals Over Crisis-Era Ratings . - Democratic Underground -http://t.co/9wG6MYz38 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Career derailed amid allegations of racism - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools -http://t.co/IAXYbFx37 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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Suspension Stories

whatkidscando.org - Suspension Stories: Young Activists Challenge the “School-to-Prison” Pipeline by Barbara Cervone CHICAGO, IL—“He who opens a school door closes a prison,” Victor Hugo wrote in his 19th-century mast...

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SocietySee all

Verizon Strike Solidarity Fund

afl.salsalabs.com - Amid the larger national context of attacks on public employee unions, Verizon has adopted a page from Scott Walker’s playbook to launch an assault on collective bargaining rights and the middle cl...

leoniehaimson

Rick Perry has a funny definition of "miracle"

dailykos.com - You know how the national health care law is modelled after Romneycare in Massachusetts? So if such laws kill jobs, as conservatives claim, then Massachusetts should be in dire straits, correct? If...

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The Persistent Failure of Steven Brill

gawker.com - Steven Brill has a reputation for being a media wise man—a deep-thinking mogul who's always spotting the opportunities of The Future. Which is kind of strange, since the majority of his projects ha...

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BusinessSee all

School Panel, Over Protests, Backs a Deal With Verizon

nytimes.com - The Panel for Educational Policy on Wednesday approved a $120 million contract with a Verizon subsidiary to provide phone and Internet services for two years at city schools, despite calls for post...

leoniehaimson

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Las maestras y los maestros importan

vidayfamilia.univision.com - Una maestra efectiva puede adelantar el conocimiento de sus estudiantes por el equivalente de un grado y medio en el espacio de un año académico, mientras que una inefectiva los hace crecer solamen...

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Secretary Duncan to Hold #AskArne Twitter Town Hall

ed.gov - The Department of Education announced today that Secretary Arne Duncan will participate in the first-ever #AskArne Twitter Town Hall on August 24, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Veteran education journalis...

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