All Education Matters: Chronicle of Higher Ed: "Education Department Backs Away From Fix to Help Disable Student Borrowers"

All Education Matters: Chronicle of Higher Ed: "Education Department Backs Away From Fix to Help Disable Student Borrowers":

Chronicle of Higher Ed: "Education Department Backs Away From Fix to Help Disable Student Borrowers"

by C. Cryn Johannsen

In late February, ProPublica, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Center for Public Integrity revealed that disabled borrowers face a labyrinthine bureaucracy that makes it essentially impossible to discharge their student loans. After this publication, the department promised to clean things up and help disabled and terminally ill borrowers.

Well, guess what? According to a recent article by Sasha Chavkin in the CHE, it turns out they are backing away from this plan. Chavkin writes, "now nearly six months later, the department says it can't and won't do

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 9-6-11: Commit to valuing all children

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 9-6-11: Commit to valuing all children:

PSAT for 9-6-11: Commit to valuing all children

by admin

Today is the traditional first day of school across the US. That tradition has eroded in many places due to so-called year-round school schedules, experiments like Paul Vallas’s short-term effort to game state tests by adding a few weeks in at the beginning of the school year, and a host of local variables.

Another tradition that seems to have eroded (if it ever truly existed) is that of valuing all children. These days, politicians and media types are boldly yammering on about “saving” some children from failing schools, allowing

Shanker Blog » Labor In High School Textbooks: Bias, Neglect And Invisibility

Shanker Blog » Labor In High School Textbooks: Bias, Neglect And Invisibility:

Labor In High School Textbooks: Bias, Neglect And Invisibility

by Shanker Institute Staff

The nation has just celebrated Labor Day, yet few Americans have any idea why. As high school students, most were taught little about unions—their role, their accomplishments, and how and why they came to exist.

This is one of the conclusions of a new report, released today by the Albert Shanker Institute in cooperation with the American Labor Studies Center. The report, “American Labor in U.S. History Textbooks: How Labor’s Story Is Distorted in High School History Textbooks,” consists of a review of some of the nation’s most frequently used high school U.S. history textbooks for their treatment of unions in American history. The authors paint a disturbing picture, concluding that the history of the U.S. labor movement and its many contributions to the American way of life are “misrepresented, downplayed or ignored.” Students—and all Americans—deserve better.

Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. As the report notes, “spotty, inadequate, and slanted coverage” of the labor movement dates at least to the New Deal era. Scholars began documenting the problem as early as the

Schools Matter: Knoxville Native Offers Firsthand Account of Life Under Broad's Most Vanilla Corporate Boss

Schools Matter: Knoxville Native Offers Firsthand Account of Life Under Broad's Most Vanilla Corporate Boss:

Knoxville Native Offers Firsthand Account of Life Under Broad's Most Vanilla Corporate Boss

by Jim Horn

Broad Foundation stooge, Jim McIntyre, is in the news again, at least in the alternative news, since the corporate media of Knoxville has never had an story that could reflect badly on the Haslam/Chamber of Commerce's pick for school superintendent. The Metro Pulse says in a solid piece of reporting that McIntyre is having another go at privatizing KCS's janitorial services, an effort that failed last spring.

Could this be a precursor to privatizing the teacher corps of Knoxville--or the entire state? Don't think I'm joking, for an effort is underway by Michigan's fascist governor, Rick Snyder, to do just that. This development puts McIntyre's refusal to acknowledge KCEA as a bargaining collaborating unit until the State makes clear its legislative intent into a whole new light.

Finn-esse | Edwize

Finn-esse | Edwize:

Finn-esse

by Ron Isaac

Chester Finn has more listings on his C.V. than there are plankton sucked into the megamouth of a feeding whale shark. Although he is an education policy adviser and erstwhile academic, he is not an educator.

He’s the president of the non-profit (in the sense of potential intellectual gain) Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Reportedly he’s a likeable chap ( likes to be called “Checker,” perhaps because he’s partial to board games as much as board rooms), and not at all brash. His murderous animus for teacher unions is conveyed with old-boy elegance and charm. (The eye is not malevolent when it winks like a pixie. With a twinkle he assures teachers that they have nothing to fear from disembowelment.)

In a recent post on the Education Next blog he draws a sharp distinction between the virtue of teachers and the vices of their unions. He practically says that teachers and their unions should be mortal enemies. They would

Chicago schools begin Tuesday under ‘Rahm Emanuel Generation’ – Chicago Sun-Times « Fred Klonsky's blog

Chicago schools begin Tuesday under ‘Rahm Emanuel Generation’ – Chicago Sun-Times « Fred Klonsky's blog:

Chicago schools begin Tuesday under ‘Rahm Emanuel Generation’ – Chicago Sun-Times

by Fred Klonsky

I am pleased to follow one post that is critical of principals with one that praises them.

After a transparent effort by Rahmbo and Brizard to bully and bribe teachers and principals into breaking their CBA and agree to 90 more minutes a day and a 2% cut in pay, they got three schools to go along with it.

But kudos to the principals association which, in spite of threats from Brizard, called it what it was: union

A Note on the Politics of Charter School Co-Location - Dana Goldstein

A Note on the Politics of Charter School Co-Location - Dana Goldstein:

A Note on the Politics of Charter School Co-Location

by Dana Goldstein

I'm back from my Alaska jaunt refreshed and renewed, but can't help making one last point about Steven Brill'sClass Warfare, this fall's big ed reform book, which I reviewed in The Nation. A hallmark of Brill's education journalism for the past two years has been that he visits charter schools, never traditional public schools, when he wants to demonstrate what an excellent school looks like. In Class Warfare, the only traditional public school on which Brill reports at any length is PS 149 in Manhattan, which is co-located with one of the Harlem Success Academy charter schools.

Brill paints PS 149 in an unflattering light, and I won't go into depth here on the debate over whether his portrait isaccurate and fair or not. What I will say is that visiting only co-located public schools would bias any reporter against traditional public schools. Why? More successful neighborhood schools are typically able to resist co-location with charters, both because they tend to be oversubscribed--more parents want to enroll

The Fine Print on that Groupon Tuition Deal « Student Activism

The Fine Print on that Groupon Tuition Deal « Student Activism:

The Fine Print on that Groupon Tuition Deal

by Angus Johnston

There’s a lot of chatter this morning about Groupon’s latest deal in the Chicago area: A 60% discount on university tuition at National-Louis University.

Sounds amazing, but the full story isn’t quite as impressive.

The offer is for one graduate-level course. Not one course as in “any one course,” but one course as in “one particular course.” A course that was concocted specifically for the Groupon promotion. It does apply toward a master’s in teaching, but only if, after completing it, you apply for, are accepted to, and enroll in NLU. (Given the nature of the class, it’s hard to imagine it being accepted as transfer credit at any other school.) All in all, this

The Educated Reporter: Arne Duncan, Michele Bachmann and the Federal Role in Education

The Educated Reporter: Arne Duncan, Michele Bachmann and the Federal Role in Education:

Arne Duncan, Michele Bachmann and the Federal Role in Education

by Emily Richmond

Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be in Toledo Wednesday, as part of his bus tour of the Midwest. He'll visit the Toledo Federation of Teachers to discuss how their peer review of teacher interns is working so far. The union president Kevin Dalton told the Toledo Blade that Duncan's interest in the initiative is "an indication to its merit and value."

We'll have to wait and see whether Duncan actually endorses the Toledo Plan, as the union's initiative is known. What already is clear is that the education secretary continues to make performance reviews and teacher evaluations a front-burner issue.

Minnesota Rep. and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (who helped start a charter school in 1993) wants to get rid of the Department of Education. She argues that there is no constitutional mandate for the federal

7,000 Miles for the USS Liberty | Dissident Voice

7,000 Miles for the USS Liberty | Dissident Voice:

7,000 Miles for the USS Liberty

by Larry Toenjes

I’m on my sailboat in Valetta, Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, on my way to perform a memorial service for American servicemen killed in action almost 45 years ago.

With Texan crew members Joe and Sherrie Wagner, I’ve sailed 7,000 miles from Galveston. We’re going 1,000 miles more to the exact spot where Israeli forces perpetrated a ruthless, two-hour assault on the USS Liberty, killing 34 and injuring 174.

Israel said it was a “tragic mistake.” The survivors said it was deliberate. Lifeboats were shot up and stretcher-bearers machine-gunned.

The attack occurred in international waters off the coast of Egypt while the Liberty was monitoring communications during Israel’s Six Day War. Most Americans are unaware of that attack because the cover-up began even before the smoke had cleared, the wounded cared for and the dead counted (see ussliberty.com).

The cover-up occurred because President Lyndon Baines Johnson did not want to embarrass Israel, thus

7,000 Miles for the USS Liberty | Dissident Voice

7,000 Miles for the USS Liberty | Dissident Voice:

7,000 Miles for the USS Liberty

by Larry Toenjes

I’m on my sailboat in Valetta, Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, on my way to perform a memorial service for American servicemen killed in action almost 45 years ago.

With Texan crew members Joe and Sherrie Wagner, I’ve sailed 7,000 miles from Galveston. We’re going 1,000 miles more to the exact spot where Israeli forces perpetrated a ruthless, two-hour assault on the USS Liberty, killing 34 and injuring 174.

Israel said it was a “tragic mistake.” The survivors said it was deliberate. Lifeboats were shot up and stretcher-bearers machine-gunned.

The attack occurred in international waters off the coast of Egypt while the Liberty was monitoring communications during Israel’s Six Day War. Most Americans are unaware of that attack because the cover-up began even before the smoke had cleared, the wounded cared for and the dead counted (see ussliberty.com).

The cover-up occurred because President Lyndon Baines Johnson did not want to embarrass Israel, thus

This Week In Education: HotSeat Interview: NYC Educator Describes Book Experience

This Week In Education: HotSeat Interview: NYC Educator Describes Book Experience:

HotSeat Interview: NYC Educator Describes Book Experience

by Alexander Russo

A young charter school administrator named Jessica Reid (pictured) played a small but important role in Steve Brill’s book, Class Warfare, both in illustrating how some of the higher-performing charter schools do things and in highlighting the wear and tear that such efforts can create.

What’s it been like for her to be part of the book – her second stint as a character in a nonfiction account of school reform – and what does she think about key issues such as sustainability, ending LIFO, and unionization? Read the interview below. You might be surprised.

Did you have any idea that you and your career decisions were going to be such a hotly-debated part of debate

AM News: First Day Of School Edition

by Avi Wolfman-Arent

Michele Bachmann suggests axing the Department of Education HuffPost: Bachmann told a forum today that if elected president, she would consider cutting several federal programs and institutions, including the Department of Education -- reiterating a stance she's mentioned before.

What school district budget cuts mean for students NPR: As the new school year begins, many districts face tighter budgets and difficult choices about what programs to cut, which teachers to keep, and what school supplies to provide.

Technology in Schools Faces Questions on Value NYT: Schools are embracing digital learning, but evidence is scarce that the expensive technology is improving educational outcomes. [ALSO: Many U.S. schools adding iPads, trimming textbooks USA Today: Many public secondary schools this fall will move away from textbooks in favor of the lightweight tablet computers.]

Education reform coming to the Maryland suburbs Baltimore Sun: All school districts will begin a transition to new standards and teacher evaluation system -- refroms funded by federal government.

Houston public schools mimic charters NYT: In the first experiment of its kind in the country, the Houston public schools are testing whether techniques proven successful in high-performing urban charters can also help raise achievement in regular public schools.

MORE NEWS ITEMS BELOW

Teachers and other labor union adjust to new reality under Obama HuffPost (AP): Public employee unions are in a drawn-out fight for their very survival in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states where GOP lawmakers have curbed collective bargaining rights.

Bullying linked to lower school performance Washington Post: The research shows that high school campuses with more reported bullying had lower passing rates on Virginia’s standardized tests.

Mass. steps up efforts to cut school bus pollution Boston Globe (AP): Massachusetts environmental officials are starting the school year by celebrating a program that fitted more than 2,100 school buses with devices designed to cut air pollution from diesel engines.

Elite private schools reconsidering admissions policies NYT: Broadly speaking, the schools want to take siblings and legacies, both because it makes life easier for families and because it deepens relationships, which many believe results in long-term generosity. But as schools look to bolster endowments amid the poor economy, some have begun to question that approach.

Mass. school battered by tornado keeps the faith Boston Globe (AP): The school was heavily damaged June 1 by the twister that churned through Western Massachusetts, leaving Cathedral and the surrounding residential neighborhood in shambles. Then Irene doused the region last weekend and left water dripping through already-leaky tarps.

Chicago students return to school after summer of controversy Chicago Tribune: A majority of Chicago's public school children return to school Tuesday, bringing to close an acrimonious summer filled with budget cuts, union strife and a citywide debate over longer school days.

MetLife loses L.A. unified contract over flap with board member L.A. Times: A Los Angeles school board member persuaded his colleagues to kill a multimillion-dollar contract with an insurance company last week after he claimed he was wrongly billed and then received lousy customer service.

Before the First School Bell, Teachers in Bronx Make House Calls NYT: A month before school started, a group of teachers from a South Bronx school canvassed poor immigrant neighborhoods to meet students and their families on their own turf.

Ed Reform 101: Summary Edition

Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Summary Edition:

Ed Reform 101: Summary Edition

by KendalJames

So. What have we learned?

Standardized testing is generally bad for students, expensive, unreliable and biased. It is a terrible tool for evaluating teacher effectiveness. No parent would ever want their child's entire academic identity to be boiled down to one single test on one single day. Who even likes these tests? Not the administrators. Not the teachers. Not the students. But despite that, stacks of bubble sheets, in all of their irrelevance, should be used for making staff decisions in our schools? Even though the folks who design the tests explicitly say that they should not be used for that purpose? And what about those who teach art, music or physical education? The question itself is arbitrary and absurd: "What percentage of teacher evaluation should be based on standardized test scores?" The clear answer for any serious educator or statistician is "zero."

Teachers are critical to the academic success of young people in New Jersey. But teachers are not the most influential factor in student achievement. It simply doesn't matter how "good" a teacher is - a child with a troubled home life (a.k.a. real life for many students) cannot simply walk into a classroom and leave behind the baggage of abuse, neglect, addiction, poverty, or broken family, or any other number of issues faced by students

Working Together to Create World-Class Schools | The White House

Working Together to Create World-Class Schools | The White House:

Working Together to Create World-Class Schools

Posted by Arne Duncan on September 06, 2011 at 06:00 AM EDT

Now that our nation’s children are back in school, I will be travelling through six states with this important message: our nation’s long-term economic security is inextricably linked to education. We have to educate our way to a better economy.

The jobs of today and tomorrow will require knowledge workers with some postsecondary training, whether it is an associate or bachelor’s degree, or technical training available from a vocational school or community college.

Unfortunately, America has a long way to go before we can truly say we’re educating today’s children to be competitive in the knowledge economy. By many indicators, we’re falling far short.

The Obama administration has a cradle-to-career agenda to support states and districts as they reform their schools and make college more affordable for students. This agenda is designed around key principles, including:

• Creating early learning systems that align all of their resources to get our youngest children ready for kindergarten.
• Raising standards so they actually prepare students for success in college and careers.
• Improving the quality of teaching in the classroom by improving the preparation, professional development, and evaluation of teachers and principals.
• And turning around persistently low-performing schools that have been failing students for decades or even generations.

It’s an aggressive agenda, and we’re backing it up with unprecedented investments in reform. We’ve already made the largest investment in higher education since the GI Bill. We’re creating new incentives for states to align their early learning programs to ensure all children are ready for kindergarten. Through Race to the Top, states have made more progress in reform over the past two years than in the previous decade. And the President has a plan to fix No Child Left Behind by offering states flexibility from its one-size-fits all mandates.

Nevertheless, reform will happen in states and communities. Our job in Washington is to provide resources and support for the excellent work happening in states and communities.

That’s why I’m so excited about this week’s bus tour. All across the Midwest, members of my team will be visiting communities where elected officials, union leaders, business owners, and teachers are working together to transform the lives of children.

In these communities, we’ll hear the stories of people working together to create world-class schools. We’re going to see innovative approaches to fixing broken teacher evaluation systems, turning around underperforming schools, and tackling other challenges. We’re going to watch extraordinary people doing extraordinary things to transform the lives of children.

These are the inspirational stories that are happening all over America. They are the reason I’m optimistic that the American people are ready to embrace reform and prepare our young people to be leaders in the knowledge economy.

Arne Duncan is the U.S. Secretary of Education

See more about Education

New Guide for K-12 Schools on Diversity-Related Policy Strategies

National School Boards Association:

New Guide for K-12 Schools on Diversity-Related Policy Strategies

This is a hot topic with students heading back to school, as while legally imposed divisions have ended, school districts are now dealing with new concerns of community migration patterns and economic segregation when creating school boundaries and diversity-related policies.

------------------------------------------------

National School Boards Association and College Board Launch Diversity Guide for Schools

Media Advisory
Contact: Alexis Rice
Communications Director, National School Boards Association
Office: (703) 838-6744; arice@nsba.org

The National School Boards Association (NSBA), the College Board, and EducationCounsel, LLC, through a generous grant from the Ford Foundation, will unveil Achieving Educational Excellence for All: A Guide to Diversity-Related Policy Strategies for School Districts at a press tele-conferencetomorrow, September 7 at 2 p.m. EDT. The report examines the educational benefits of student diversity and the multiple dimensions of diversity and addresses how school districts considering the establishment or refinement of diversity-related policies should undertake those efforts.

The press tele-conference will feature a discussion by national education leaders concerning key issues of policy, law, and community engagement associated with the development of diversity-related policies. Additionally, the panel will discuss voluntary student assignment policies in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2007 landmark decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District.

Achieving Educational Excellence for All: A Guide to Diversity-Related Policy Strategies for School Districts has been endorsed by the American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Association of Teacher Educators, National Association of School Psychologists, National Education Association, and School Social Work Association of America.

What:
Press tele-conference unveiling Achieving Educational Excellence for All: A Guide to Diversity-Related Policy Strategies for School Districts

Who:
Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and Senior Partner, EducationCounsel, LLC
Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director, NSBA
Arthur L. Coleman, Managing Partner, EducationCounsel, LLC
Francisco M. Negrón, Jr., General Counsel, NSBA
Katherine Lipper, Policy and Legal Advisor, EducationCounsel, LLC

When:
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 2 p.m. EDT

RSVP Required:
To attend this tele-conference, please RSVP to Alexis Rice at (703) 838-6744 or at arice@nsba.org by Wednesday, September 7, noon EDT.

# # #

Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their more than 90,000 local school board members throughout the U.S. Working with and through our state associations, NSBA advocates for equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. www.nsba.org

The College Board is a mission-driven, not-for-profit membership organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 5,900 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.

EducationCounsel LLC is an innovative law, policy, strategy, and advocacy organization committed to promoting meaningful education reform. EducationCounsel's multidisciplinary team seeks creative, research-based solutions to the complex challenges facing the education community. Its education law and policy knowledge, coupled with its comprehensive legislative and regulatory capabilities, helps clients effectively address key issues at every educational stage, from birth and pre-school through higher education. EducationCounsel is an affiliate of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. For more information, please visit www.educationcounsel.com.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For 75 years it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Reflections on the March on Washington, July 30, 2011 - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Reflections on the March on Washington, July 30, 2011 - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Reflections on the March on Washington, July 30, 2011

by Diane Ravitch

Editor's note: Bridging Differences resumes its regular Tuesday-Thursday publication schedule today.
Dear Deborah,

Well, we certainly had an eventful summer! The high point for me, as it may have been for you, was the SOS (Save Our Schools) march on July 30 in Washington, D.C. I had the great pleasure of following you in the line-up, and then being followed by Matt Damon. Matt took an overnight flight from Vancouver, where he was making a film. He was introduced by his mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, who is a professor of early-childhood education at Lesley University, and a great champion of children. A friend later said to me, "Did you ever imagine you would be on the same platform with Matt Damon?" Of course, I never imagined such a thing. Even at my age, I was star-struck.

But then, I never imagined an event where I would get to meet face to face with so many of the education activists—teachers and parents—with whom I had corresponded or whom I knew only from Twitter. Each of them

Lobato case: Whose constitution is it, anyway? | EdNewsColorado

Lobato case: Whose constitution is it, anyway? | EdNewsColorado:

Lobato case: Whose constitution is it, anyway?

by Alan Gottlieb

Editor’s note: The following piece was written by Ken DeLay, executive director of the Colorado Association of School Boards.

Students do not show up at the schoolhouse door equally well equipped for success. We know, for example, that young children who grow up in homes where adults regularly read and speak to them by age three have heard 30 million more words and have a vocabulary more than twice as large as children who grow up without those experiences.

There are also differences in intellect and a host of other factors that affect student learning. Colorado’s public schools have been rightly challenged to accept every one of these children, no matter how well equipped to

Is Anybody Up for Defending the Common Core Math Standards? :: Frederick M. Hess

Is Anybody Up for Defending the Common Core Math Standards? :: Frederick M. Hess:

Is Anybody Up for Defending the Common Core Math Standards?

by Frederick M. Hess • Sep 6, 2011 at 9:17 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

Print

Send

RSS

Share

I've been executive editor of Education Next for more than a decade. In that role, one of the things I've done is coordinate our "forums" on various topics. Over the years, we've done forty-odd forums, and have usually gotten our first choice authors. When we haven't gotten them, we've almost invariably gotten our second choice. All of which makes it astonishing that, over the past three months, we've now asked six individuals involved in the Common Core math standards to pen a piece making the case for their rigor and quality, and each has declined in turn. This is, quite literally, unprecedented.

The request is anything but daunting. We've asked these folks to pen 1500 words explaining why the Common Core math standards are rigorous and well-designed. The authors have been promised compensation and at least six weeks to write the piece. We're offering the opportunity to make their case in a leading publication

American schools in crisis | Defend Wisconsin

American schools in crisis | Defend Wisconsin:

American schools in crisis

by AAnderson

A recent piece by Diane Ravitch in the Saturday Evening Post discusses the problems with America’s constant “race to the top” in school achievement, which means more money will be spent on testing students and less money will be available for subjects like foreign languages and the arts that are not tested.

Piece by piece, our entire public education system is being redesigned in the service of increasing scores on standardized tests of basic skills. That’s not good policy, and it won’t improve education. Twelve years of rewarding children for picking the right answer on multiple-choice tests is bad education. It will penalize the creativity, innovativeness, and imaginativeness that has made this country great.

In the article, she addresses recent efforts by state governors like Scott Walker that will push public dollars toward charter schools:

Cost of Early Education and Care Remains High «

Cost of Early Education and Care Remains High «:

Cost of Early Education and Care Remains High

September 6, 2011 by Irene Sege

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

Once again, Massachusetts is among the states with the nation’s least affordable child care according to “Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2011 Update,” from the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. NACCRRA measures affordability by comparing cost with the state’s median income. In addition, in straight dollar terms, full-time child care in Massachusetts is the most expensive of the 50 states.

More than 11 million children in the U.S. are in some form of early education and care each week, NACCRRA notes. “In 36 states, the average annual cost for center-based care for an infant was higher than a year’s tuition and related

In Defense of Reckless Youth « Student Activism

In Defense of Reckless Youth « Student Activism:

In Defense of Reckless Youth

by Angus Johnston

The always-thoughtful danah boyd (those lower case letters are her idea) speaks up for youthful recklessness:

I’m worried about our societal assumption that risk-taking without thinking of the consequences is an inherently bad thing. We need some radical thinking to solve many of the world’s biggest problems. And I don’t believe that it’s so easy to separate out what adults perceive as ‘good’ risk-taking from what they think is ‘bad’ risk-taking. But how many brilliant minds will we destroy by punishing their radical acts of defying authority? How many brilliant minds will we destroy by punishing them for ‘being stupid’? It’s easy to get caught up in a binary of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ when all that you can think about is the consequences. But change has never happened when people simply play by the rules. You have to break the rules to

Hoffa Labor Day SOB comments (video)

Teamster Nation: Hoffa Labor Day comments (video):

Hoffa Labor Day comments (video)

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa at the Detroit Labor Day parade.