Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Supreme Court Is Considering Forcing You To Fund Religious Education | Americans United for Separation of Church and State

The Supreme Court Is Considering Forcing You To Fund Religious Education | Americans United for Separation of Church and State
The Supreme Court Is Considering Forcing You To Fund Religious Education


One of the most important things that separation of religion and government does is ensure that Americans are free to give financial support only to the faiths of their choosing – or support none at all.
That’s the ideal, anyway. Sadly, the Supreme Court has been drifting away from that principle, and during this term, the high court might even rule that under certain circumstances, taxpayers can be compelled to support religious schools.
In a pending caseEspinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the justices will consider an appeal of a ruling handed down in December 2018 by the Montana Supreme Court.
The state high court struck down a private school voucher program that used tax credits to divert public funds to private religious schools, finding that it violated the clear language of the Montana Constitution, which protects religious freedom by barring “direct or indirect appropriation or payment from any public fund or monies … for any sectarian purpose or to aid any church, school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other literary or scientific institution, controlled in whole or in part by any church, sect, or denomination.”
Religious freedom protection language like this is found in three-quarters of the state constitutions. It’s designed to ensure that no one is taxed, directly or indirectly, to pay for someone else’s religion.
Opposition to church taxes, no matter what they may be called or what form they may take, has a long history in the United States. As James Madison once argued, if the government can force you to pay even a minuscule amount to support religion, it can compel you to conform in other ways.
“Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects?” Madison wrote in 1785. “That the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute three pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment CONTINUE READING: The Supreme Court Is Considering Forcing You To Fund Religious Education | Americans United for Separation of Church and State






CURMUDGUCATION: Yes And

CURMUDGUCATION: Yes And

Yes And

Why do I see such a profound lack of “yes and” in education conversations?

“YES we can criticize bad data AND advocate for preparing students for the jobs of the future.”

“YES we can advocate for abolishing the the tests AND argue to improve education.”


This tweet (shared with permission) really hit me where I live. Because defenders of public education have too often let themselves be pushed into a one-part argument when a two-part argument is what's called for.

Blame No Child Left Behind. It was educational baloney, but rhetorical genius. Every attempt to discuss the empty baloniness of it was met by the same response; "Well, then, which children do you want to leave behind."

Ever since, this has been the ed disruptors' framing for everything. If you want Goal A, then you must support Method Z. If you want accountability, you must support high stakes testing. If you don't like bad schools, you must support privately run charter schools (also, if you support freedom, you must support charter schools).

When pressed, reformsters double down on descriptions of the awfulness of the problem.

Reformster: Look at these test results. Look at these x-rays. You definitely have a brain tumor, and if it's not fixed, you'll soon lose feeling in your limbs and your legs will stop working properly.  CONTINUE READING: 
CURMUDGUCATION: Yes And



A Model Of Mismanagement In Sacramento Schools (Opinion) | Sacramento, CA Patch

A Model Of Mismanagement In Sacramento Schools (Opinion) | Sacramento, CA Patch

A Model Of Mismanagement In Sacramento Schools (Opinion)
COMMENTARY: Sacramento is by no means the only Californian school district in financial and political meltdown.


California's extra budget cash could soon top $26 billion, analysts say - Los Angeles Times - https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-20/californias-state-budget-excess-cash by @johnmyers on @latimes


By Dan Walters,  (BLAME EVERYTHING ON TEACHERS)
Originally published on Monday, November 18
Two years ago, with teachers in Sacramento's school district on the verge of striking, the city's mayor stepped in to mediate a compromise contract.

"Forty-three thousand students, parents, teachers and our entire community can breathe easy this afternoon," Mayor Darrell Steinberg declared after the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Sacramento City Teachers Association agreed to a new contract giving teachers an 11% raise over three years.
"Let this be the beginning of a new day of partnership that puts old wounds behind," Steinberg added, referring to long-running acrimony between the union and the district's administration.
However, the ink was scarcely dry on the agreement before the district's politics and finances began to go south again.
It was soon revealed that the salary increases would drain a reserve account set aside to pay the district's fast-increasing pension fund payments, leaving its budget even more imbalanced. And the war of words between the union and Superintendent Jorge Aguilar resumed, becoming even bitterer.
In 2018, less than a year after Steinberg hailed the new contract, Sacramento County's school superintendent, David Gordon, began rejecting district budgets that fell short of minimum reserve requirements.

California's Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), a sort of rescue squad for troubled school systems, also became involved in 2018, issuing a very critical report and predicting that the district would run out of cash in 11 months unless it closed a $30 million budget gap. "The fiscal risk is real, imminent, and serious, FCMAT wrote. "Without action, state intervention is certain."
However, the labor-management acrimony escalated even further. The union staged a one-day strike last April and a state takeover of the district's operations was averted only by a last-minute fiscal bandage.
Sacramento City's fundamental problems remained unaddressed and Gordon, the county superintendent, continued to reject its imbalanced budgets, most recently in October, calling again for spending reductions.
The administration wants to reduce employee health care costs, while the union insists that spending cuts be made in the administration, citing "bureaucratic bloat."
Sacramento is by no means the only California school district in financial and political meltdown and if it can't resolve its issues CONTINUE READING: A Model Of Mismanagement In Sacramento Schools (Opinion) | Sacramento, CA Patch








Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 4)

Parts 1, 2, and 3 trace the arc of my close friendship with a small group of Pittsburghers beginning in the late-1940s. Far beyond the schooling I have had, my friendship with these “buddies” of mine has educated me and made possible my living a full life.
Turning Points in the Group’s History
Moving from a bunch of teenage boys in high school and college who had learned over years to accept both strengths and flaws in each other to a group of husbands and wives coming together monthly was a huge leap. Most adolescent friendships that survive college, I would guess, founder as couples form and marriages occur.   
In our group, many wives did not know one another well before they married into the group. It was a Pittsburgh Jewish community divided into Oakland, East Liberty, and Squirrel Hill where different B’nai Brith youth groups straddled neighborhoods so some wives had met and knew of one another but not as close friends. Surely, many of us knew the wives when they were dating one of the guys especially as dating evolved into engagements and then marriage. Our annual New Year’s Eve parties brought the women we dated together. For example, I brought Barbara to her first New Year’s Eve party in 1957, a year before we got married.
Wives expand group. Why did the group of close pals accept wives as integral members of the group and make it a joint venture in forming the book club in CONTINUE READING: Education Through Friendship: One Man’s Story (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Education Research Report TODAY

Education Research Report

Education Research Report 
TODAY




Most Teachers Access Academic Research, But Few Use It to Inform Practice
More than nine in 10 educators access academic research about education, but just 16% use it to inform classroom practice, according to new research by the nonprofit Jefferson Education Exchange. Based on surveys of educators from all 50 states and the District of Columbia , the research also found that a majority of teachers have opinions about what education-related topics should be studied, an
Estimating Individual Guidance Counselors' Effects on Educational Attainment
Guidance counselors are a common school resource for students navigating complicated and consequential education choices. I provide the first causal estimates of individual counselors’ effects on high schoolers, using quasi-random counselor assignment policies in Massachusetts. This study find that counselors vary substantially in their effectiveness at increasing students’ high school graduation
K-12 Engineering Education
State education leaders are making strides in their efforts to incorporate technology and engineering into K-12 science standards and instruction. A new Policy Brief analyzes results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Technology and Engineering Literacy and the questionnaires that accompany it. The brief also explores state policies and practices that can continue boosting st

YESTERDAY

Student Outcomes in Middle Schools Participating in the Presidential Youth Fitness Program
Obesity and lack of physical activity among children and adolescents are public health problems in the United States. This Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) evaluation measured program implementation in 13 middle schools and its effect on physical education practices, student fitness knowledge, and student physical activity and fitness levels. PYFP, a free program with the potential to po
Student Outcomes in a Sample of Middle Schools Participating in the Presidential Youth Fitness Program
Obesity and lack of physical activity among children and adolescents are public health problems in the United States. This Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) evaluation measured program implementation in 13 middle schools and its effect on physical education practices, student fitness knowledge, and student physical activity and fitness levels. PYFP, a free program with the potential to po
Nutrition Education in US Schools
Download the research brief pdf icon [PDF - 1 MB] on Opportunities for Nutrition Education in Schools . Schools play an important role in helping students establish healthy eating behaviors, by providing: Nutritious and appealing foods and beverages. Consistent and accurate messages about good nutrition. Ways to learn about and practice healthy eating. 1 Nutrition education is a vital part of a c
Making Time for School Lunch
Download the research brief pdf icon [PDF - 463 KB] on . The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 external icon required changes to the nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program external icon and School Breakfast Program external icon . 1 As a result, schools are serving more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as reducing the sodium content of the meals. 2–4 However,
America's Reading Crisis
Strong reading skills propel us to achieve success in school and advance through postsecondary education, get a job and keep it, increase our level of earnings, and more. Conversely, difficulty with basic reading skills and comprehension can throw one obstacle after another in our path. In fact, research shows that a lack of literacy proficiency can have compounding negative impacts on future lif
The value of higher education is tied to its relevance in their work and lives
Complete report What do Americans value in their education? We haven’t really known, because too often the consumers of higher education have been absent from the conversation. So the Strada Education Network partnered with Gallup to ask more than 340,000 individuals about their experiences with education and work after high school. The Education Consumer Value Equation gives them a voice in what
Building an education-to-employment system centered on adult learners
Complete report As the future of work continues to evolve, more adults will face career transitions that demand the acquisition and demonstration of new skills, creating cycles of learning and earning throughout life. Despite the rapid changes in work, the pathways to employment through education and hiring have not made as significant or important a leap. Traditional pathways to employment were
13 reports an online growth mindset program administered to 9th grade students.
The Mindset Scholars Network has announced that initial findings are now available for the 13 studies funded through the National Study of Learning Mindsets Early Career Fellowship. The fellowship is a project of the Mindset Scholars Network and the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center , with funding from the Bezos Family Foundation . While many of these studies are ongoing, e
Give Schools an Honest Grade, Say School Superintendents
Give schools an honest grade. That's the message to school critics from school superintendents who recently published an infographic urging the public to take a closer look at the real story about school performance. Giving Schools an 


Education Research Report