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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

UPDATE: The Hunger Games, Archery, and Racing to the Top Schools Matter: Haslam Sends BRT Puppet to Help McIntyre Get Funds for Disproven Bonus Pay Plan for Knoxville Teachers

Schools Matter: Haslam Sends BRT Puppet to Help McIntyre Get Funds for Disproven Bonus Pay Plan for Knoxville Teachers:



The Hunger Games, Archery, and Racing to the Top

A major goal of PE is to introduce students to a variety of sports. In this spirit, it is exciting that archery has become so popular. According to “Archery coming to Frontier Middle School in Wentzville” (Feb 19), one of the motivations for including archery in school is The Hunger Games.
But the message of The Hunger Games was not to get good at shooting arrows. The message was the Capitol’s efforts to divert the districts’ attention from the source of their problems, the Capitol’s oppression, and to devote their energies to competing against each other in a cruel game of death.
Haymitch recognized this when he advised Katniss to “ …. remember who the enemy is” as she entered the arena for the second time.

Posted at: http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/stcharles/education/archery-coming-to-frontier-middle-school-in-wentzville/article_db0f3d50-c89a-589f-90e0-9d4bfe3f5172.html?mode=comments


Haslam Sends BRT Puppet to Help McIntyre Get Funds for Disproven Bonus Pay Plan for Knoxville Teachers

Last year when it came budget time, Slick Jim McIntyre did his best to get an extra $35 million to fund a bonus pay plan for teachers based on test scores.  Even though there are research studies that show these plans have a demonstrated track record of failure, that isn't stopping McIntyre from going back to well to try again.  To help their losing cause this year, Gov. Haslam has put a member of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce on the case, and with the help of other non-educators and non-researcher, they have conducted a survey designed to provide "data" to make their case.  (SM is now trying to a copy of that survey.)

The other priority item for Eli Broad's Supt. McIntyre is "technology," which means building the capacity for online high-stakes national tests that will be part of the national standards known as the Common Core.  Are Knoxville parents supportive of public schools?  Yes.  Do they want to waste money for the benefit of profiteers and schemers who are draining money from public schools?  No.  Do they believe in good research and frown on