Harris-Perry to Beck and Limbaugh: ‘Allow me to double down’ | The Raw Story

Harris-Perry to Beck and Limbaugh: ‘Allow me to double down’ | The Raw Story:

Harris-Perry to Beck and Limbaugh: ‘Allow me to double down’

By David Ferguson
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 15:09 EDT

Topics: glenn beck ♦ rush limbaugh

 

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Melissa Harris-Perry responded Tuesday to charges by right-wing commentators like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh who say that her recently released 30-second MSNBC promo is part of a United Nations plot to collectivise U.S. children and remove them from their parents’ custody.

In an essay published Tuesday called “Why caring for children is not just a parent’s job,”the Tulane professor and author said that the deluge of hate mail she has received from Beck and Limbaugh fans spurred her into action.

“My inbox began filling with hateful, personal attacks on Monday, apparently as a result of conservative reactions to a recent ‘Lean Forward’ advertisement now airing on MSNBC,” she wrote. “What I thought was an uncontroversial comment on my desire for Americans to see children as everyone’s responsibility has created a bit of a tempest in the right’s teapot. Allow me to double down.”

“I believe wholeheartedly, and without apology, that we have a collective responsibility to the 

When Making Deals In D.C. Hurts Children

When Making Deals In D.C. Hurts Children:

When Making Deals In D.C. Hurts Children

By Jeff Bryant | April 9, 2013

Everyone at all familiar with the Judgment of Solomon has to be aghast as political leaders reverse that Biblical wisdom and proceed to “split the difference” over who gets whose way on matters affecting children.

Instead of putting the interests of children first, there’s a prevailing wisdom among political centrists inside the Beltway that “compromising” with radical conservatives is the only serious approach to governance and policy-making. So when “hard fought” compromises are reached in the back corridors of the nation’s capital, centrists hold self-congratulatory press conferences, but the lives of children are cleaved in two. We see this in deals made over sequestration, in the new budget being proposed by the Obama administration, and regarding school security measures.

The Centrist Rejection Of Solomon’s Wisdom

Recall that when King Solomon was confronted by two interested parties vying over the well-being of a child, he threatened to serve both parties involved by hacking the kid in two.

This caused one party to stubbornly press its case and say, “Go ahead,” while the other party abandoned its own personal interests for what was in the best interest of the child in the long term. Solomon – understanding the long-term best interests of the child, and not the needs of the vying parties, was central to the matter – was able to rule justly and 

Ron Paul's Home Schooling Curriculum Will Turn Your Kid into a Little Ron Paul - Philip Bump - The Atlantic Wire

Ron Paul's Home Schooling Curriculum Will Turn Your Kid into a Little Ron Paul - Philip Bump - The Atlantic Wire:

Ron Paul's Home Schooling Curriculum Will Turn Your Kid into a Little Ron Paul

by Philip Bump

Ron Paul's revolution is not yet complete. The two-time presidential candidate has launched a home schooling curriculum which promises to get your elementary school student up-to-speed on the hijacking of the Constitution in no time. Seriously. It promises that.
The curriculum was announced on Sunday in a post from Paul himself.

A common feature of authoritarian regimes is the criminalization of alternatives to government-controlled education. Dictators recognize the danger that free thought poses to their rule, and few things promote the thinking of “unapproved” thoughts like an education controlled by parents instead of the state. That is why the National Socialist (Nazi) government of Germany outlawed homeschooling in 1938.

Et cetera. The announcement didn't generate a ton of press coverage for some reason. Fox News offered a skeptical assessment, for example.
We are more excited, primarily because of the introductory video. It stars Gary North, research assistant to then-Rep. Paul in 1976, and now Director of Curriculum Development for The Ron Paul Curriculum. Do not adjust your screen; it does indeed bear the aesthetic of a 1960s educational filmstrip, down to North himself. It is not clear whether or not this is meant to be ironic.
Popout
North outlines the four goals that he and Paul agreed upon for this curriculum. The following are direct quotes.

• It should teach the Biblical principle of self-government and personal responsibility, which is also the foundation of the free market economy.
• It should be based on a detailed study of the history of liberty as well as liberty's rivals, in Western 

Cohort Graduation and Dropout Rates for 2012 - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Cohort Graduation and Dropout Rates for 2012 - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Continued
Improvement in State's High School Graduation Rate

SACRAMENTO—Graduation rates among California's public school students are climbing and dropout rates are falling, with the biggest gains being made among African-American and Hispanic students, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

Overall, nearly eight out of 10 students, or 78.5 percent, who started high school in 2008-09 graduated with their class in 2012. That is up 1.4 percentage points from the year before (Table 1). Among African-American students, 65.7 percent graduated with their class in 2012, up 2.9 percentage points from the year before. Among Hispanic students, 73.2 percent graduated with their class, up 1.8 percentage points from the year before (Tables 2 and 3).

"There are great things happening in California's schools every day, and the upward climb of our graduation rate bears that out," Torlakson said. "While I am glad to announce that we are moving in the right direction, the fact remains that we must keep moving to ensure that every California student graduates ready to succeed in the world they will find outside our classrooms."

Along with the rise in the graduation rate, there is a dip in the dropout rate. Of the students who started high school in 2008-09, 13.2 percent dropped out. That's down 1.5 percentage points from the 2011 dropout rate (Table 1). Among African-American students, 22.2 percent dropped out, down 3.1 percentage points from the year before. Among Hispanic students, 16.2 dropped out, down 2.1 percentage points from the year before (Tables 2 and 3).

Another 8.3 percent of students in this cohort are neither graduates nor dropouts (Table 1). That's down 0.1 of a percentage point from 2011. A cohort refers to a particular group of students tracked over a given time period. These students either are non-diploma special education students (0.6 percent), are other students who elected to take and then passed the General Educational Development (GED) exam (0.2 percent), or are still enrolled in school (7.5 percent).

Graduation and dropout rates for counties, districts, and schools across California were calculated based on four-year cohort information using the state's California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). This is the third time this four-year cohort information was calculated, meaning data may only be compared accurately over the three-year period from 2009-10 to 2011-12. Prior year graduation and dropout rates used different calculation systems and cannot be compared to the cohort rates.

Cohort graduation rates are used to determine whether schools met their targets for increasing the graduation rate for the Adequate Yearly Progress reporting under the federal school accountability system. The cohort dropout rate is calculated for high school students grades nine through twelve, although some students drop out as early as middle school.

To view and download state, county, district, and school graduation and dropout rates, please visit the California Department of Education's DataQuest. Interested parties are encouraged to give careful consideration to comparing education rates across individual schools and districts. For example, some county office schools, alternative schools, or dropout recovery high schools serve only those students who are already at the greatest risk of dropping out, compared with the broader population at traditional high schools and therefore cannot be directly compared.

# # # #

Tables 1–3

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

State Schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson Returns
Local Control to Vallejo City Unified School District

SACRAMENTO—The Vallejo City Unified School District has completed the last of the steps necessary to regain local control after a state emergency loan led to receivership almost eight years ago, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

The district went into state receivership in June 2004, when then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1190, authorizing up to $60 million in emergency state loans to help the district continue serving students. The loan must be repaid to the state within 20 years, or by 2024.

Vallejo City Unified is one of nine school districts to have received an emergency loan since 1990 and is the seventh to return to local governance. In these instances, the law requires the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to assume all the legal rights, duties, and powers of the governing board of the district and appoint a state administrator. The school district's elected governing board continues serving in an advisory capacity until a number of conditions are met. This process was begun under former Superintendent Jack O'Connell and continued under Torlakson.

"This is a good day for Vallejo City Unified, for the state and, most importantly, for the students and communities we serve," Torlakson said. "I am delighted to see the district return to financial solvency and local control while also improving educational and professional opportunities—and doing all of this during one of the most challenging economic periods in the state's history."

Over the past few years, Vallejo City Unified has made changes leading to the regaining of local governance in four areas: community relations and governance, personnel management, pupil achievement, and facilities management. Monday marks the return of local governance in the fifth and final area: financial management. A state-appointed trustee will continue working with the local school board as it regains governance. The trustee has the power to veto any decision that has a negative fiscal impact.

Related Content

• State Emergency Loans - Information on emergency loans made to school districts.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

PSAT for 4-9-13: Fax the IL Leg Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 4-9-13: Fax the IL Leg:

PSAT for 4-9-13: Fax the IL Leg

by admin

I just faxed this message to the Illinois House and Senate Education Committees. For Public Schools Action Tuesday, why not share this message with your Reps and Senators, too?

RE: Support school closing moratorium bills SB 1571 and HB 3283

____________________________________________________________________________

 This week's updates on school closing issues:
11% of students lost in last year's CPS closings: From Catalyst:“In 2012, CPS closed only four small elementary schools that altogether enrolled about 500 students. In June, 467 kindergarten through 7th-grade students were at the closed schools. Of those, it’s unclear what happened with 51 children. CPS officials acknowledge that they don’t know where 23 of those students ended up and did not provide definitive information for another 28…” (http://tinyurl.com/bu9x7ty)
Inflated charter school waiting list numbers: WBEZ reported that charter school waiting list figure cited by charter advocates “significantly overstates demand” and that “the 19,000 figure counts applications, not students, meaning if a student applies to four schools, he or she is counted four times. It includes kids who have turned down charter seats and are now enrolled in other schools. Perhaps the most startling finding is that a significant chunk–about 3,000–are high school dropouts applying for alternative schools. What’s more, saying that 19,000 students are on waiting lists to get into charter schools ignores another figure: there are between 3,000 and 5,000 available seats in charter schools right now, according to charter advocates.” (http://tinyurl.com/cpdyzd5)
Closings of “underutilized schools” may result in overcrowding:

UPDATE: Toolkit Tuesday + Zak Malamed – Our Student Voice to Discover Student Voice

Student Voice:

Toolkit Tuesday – Technology Resources

by Student Voice Toolkit Organizer

As we prepare for the 2013 Student Voice Live! Summit this Saturday in New York City, New York, I encourage you to check out the following resources to support with your leadership endeavours.
From venues to help schedule conference calls, to ways to collaborate on a project, this resource is your go-to list!




Clement Coulston is an Elementary Teacher Education Student at the University of Delaware. He is a member of the Special Olympics Project UNIFY® National Youth Activation Committee and a Youth Leader with theNational School Climate Center, co-creating an inaugural 2013 Policy Institute.  He recently co-authored a publication on School Climate and Inclusion. Clem is a Student Voice Social Activist, which is a grassroots organization working towards including Students in the Education Reform discussions now!   All Change Agents, please Join me on Twitter @clementc26.

*DISCLAIMER*
Although the StuVoice.org site may include links providing direct access to other Internet resources, including Web sites, Student Voice is not responsible for the accuracy or content of information contained in these sites.

Zak Malamed – Our Student Voice to Discover

by admin

The Huffington Post will be promoting various Student Voice articles prior to the Student Voice Live! summit on April 13th.

The following is from Zak Malamed 

I was 18 years old. On January 16, 2012 a student, who shall remain nameless, contacted me through a 700-student member Facebook group, and expressed interest in what “cool projects [I had] been working on.” Being an over-involved student, it was not unusual for me to receive such messages, but we had no mutual friends, no past interaction, and we lived hours away from each other.
Despite being a so-called digital native, I was not born into a digital world; so those who think that receiving messages like this one were considered the norm by me, are wrong. It may come as a surprise, but I do remember a time when the playground was among the few places where children would communicate with their friends and make new ones.
By the turn of the century, I was introduced to instant messaging, which was a cutting edge form of connecting. At times, I spent hours hammering away at my keypad with people whom I had never met. The method got old, 

Just in time Jerry: LAO seeks conditions on Brown’s surplus property-charter proposal

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

LAO seeks conditions on Brown’s surplus property-charter proposal

Just in time Jerry:

Sacramento City district trustees vote to close seven schools

 Help! Action Alert! Kate and Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education Needs Your Help!!

The governor’s plan to provide charter schools with more access to surplus property appears to have support within the Legislature – but lawmakers also seem interested in conditioning the proposal.

The plan would extend for five years existing requirements that school districts with surplus land offer the property first to local charter operators before considering bids from other entities. The governor also wants to make permanent, temporary rules that give districts more flexibility in the use of surplus property sale proceeds.

But the non-partisan Legislative Analyst, pointing to the billions of dollars in bond money that the state has provided local communities in recent years for school construction, wants to maintain restrictions on how districts use proceeds from surplus land sales.

Gov. Jerry Brown, who has proved to be a major supporter of the charter movement since taking office, proposed as part of his budget last year a requirement that districts looking to sell or lease property first offer the land to charter schools at no cost. That idea failed to win passage.

Still, the challenge of getting school sites remains a major challenge for many charter organizations even a dozen 

UPDATE: CPPS Announces First Mayoral Forum Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dream Act Dies (But It's Okay if It Happens When a Republican Rules a Committee)

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dream Act Dies (But It's Okay if It Happens When a Republican Rules a Committee):

Some WA State School Districts Exaggering Graduation Rates

by Melissa Westbrook

Is this where we're at now?  We use data to stretch the truth, manhandle it, or, as KUOW puts it, "exaggerate?"  Apparently so because former Renton superintendent, Mary Alice Heuschel, has been telling a really stretched bit of data.  Heuschel is now the Governor's Chief of Staff.

She claims Renton had a 94% graduation rate. Except they didn't.  From the KUOW report:

It's also extremely inaccurate: Renton’s actual five-year graduation rate that year was 79 percent. Only 78 percent of Renton students graduated on time, within four years. The 94 percent rate Renton claimed was merely the district’s estimated five-year graduation rate.

"Estimated five-year rate? "  What's up with that?


Again, from KUOW:

Until recently, the state gave districts a lot of leeway in how they tallied student enrollment. That allowed for 

CPPS Announces First Mayoral Forum

by Melissa Westbrook

From the press release:

Community & Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) Seattle announces the first mayoral election season forum discussing Seattle public education: "Focus on Students, Families, Communities: The CPPS 2013 Mayoral Education Forum." 

The forum will take place April 30th in the Garfield High School Commons. CPPS will hold its annual meeting from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The 90-minute forum will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

All mayoral candidates who filed prior to March 15th have indicated they will attend. 

Community & Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) of Seattle is a citywide network of parents and community members working as one to ensure quality public schools for all Seattle children. It is known for its ability to foster authentic grassroots engagement in the public school system. Instead of lobbying for adoption of its own education philosophies, it works to train parents to effectively advocate for their own students and community 

Dream Act Dies (But It's Okay if It Happens When a Republican Rules a Committee)

by Melissa Westbrook

Getting down to the waning days of this Legislative Session so things are happening quickly.

One bill that has died was the DREAM Act which would have allowed children of undocumented workers access to higher education in the state.  I supported this bill simply because it is common sense.  These kids had no choice about where they were brought to grow up.  If they have the smarts to get through high school and be ready for college, we should let them in.  Because they are not going back to their country of their parents and we are constantly being told we need an educated populace.  Well, with higher ed costs soaring, something has to give.

What really annoys me is the hypocrisy.  You might recall that when the charter school bill was in committee last year, that the committee head, Sharon Tomiko-Santos, refused to allow a vote.  (I thought that was wrong then and I said it.)  The Republicans could not have been more scathing in their reaction.

Fast forward to today when the EXACT same thing happened with the DREAM Act.  The committee chair, 

Tuesday Open Thread

by Melissa Westbrook

Over at the Times, they are doing these short video pieces with those who work in education.  (They list upcoming videos and one including Mary Lindquist of the WEA.   I am quite surprised that Mary would consent to do this if only because the Times has been like a pitbull to her organization.  A recent editorial title was Does the WEA stand for Washington Education Association or We Eviscerate Anyone?  That'll make for an interesting conversation.

First up is an interview Susan Enfield.  I find this piece unintentionally funny.  Not that Dr. Enfield doesn't have serious things to say but the Times made some editing decisions that brought a smile to my face.  The music is one of them; when I heard it I could only think of the Henri the Cat series (and that doesn't exactly engender serious thought).

Heard over on KUOW that (1) Silas Potter is to testify against his co-conspirator, David Johnson, at Johnson's trial and (2) Potter has to pay restitution.  Good luck with the latter.

Coming threads: one school may be exiting the PTA system, my visit to the Charter Commission (there will be a pop quiz with that one) and School Board elections.

I am also asking that if anyone attends either the Assessment Taskforce meeting or the Operations Committee meeting (both on Thursday), could you send me your thoughts.  There are three key meetings that day and I'm choosing to go to the Audit & Finance Committee meeting.  My blog e-mail is
sss.westbrook@gmail.com

What's on your mind?

UPDATE: Will the Connecticut House vote tomorrow to confirm a Charter School Executive to the State Board of Education? - Wait, What?

Will the Connecticut House vote tomorrow to confirm a Charter School Executive to the State Board of Education? - Wait, What?:

The bill? Oh, just hand that over to the Hartford City Official in the far corner, he’ll be paying

by jonpelto

I was recently introduced to a blog written by Kevin Brookman called “We the People.”  Brookman created the site as a way to shine the light of truth into the inner-workings of Hartford City Hall.

One look at the blog and you can see why some of Hartford’s political elite should be living in fear of his efforts to inform the taxpayers of Hartford and Connecticut about what is actually going on in the state’s capital city.

Of particular note is his recent acquisition of 257 pages of credit card charges by city officials, using their city credit card.

Although the information is certainly a public record, Hartford officials failed to provide Brookman with the information, despite a Freedom of Information request for the data.  However, he was finally able to acquire the reports by, as he puts it, “alternative means”.

Brookman writes, “After reviewing the reports below, I can see now why the City did not want me to see them. So much for that transparency they keep talking about.”

The reports reveal literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures charged to 

Will the Connecticut House vote tomorrow to confirm a Charter School Executive to the State Board of Education?

by jonpelto

The Connecticut House of Representatives convenes tomorrow at 10 a.m.

On the calendar is House Joint Resolution No. 75. , the resolution confirming the nomination of Andrea Comer of Hartford to be a member of the of the State Board of Education.

If the General Assembly confirms Governor Malloy’s nomination of Andrea Comer, the COO of the FUSE/Jumoke, Inc. charter school management company, she would be a member of the State Board of Education through February 2017.

While there has been extensive coverage of Comer’s nomination here at Wait, What? there has been limited coverage in the general media.

The entire situation is a sad commentary about what some people perceive to be a conflict of interest and the general acceptance of the corporatization and privatization of 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, April 9, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Diane Ravitch's blog

Education Headlines

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Soulsbyville, Twain Harte could share Winfield

Twain Harte-Long Barn Union School District will decide this week on whether to share a superintendent with Soulsbyville School District.

San Luis Coastal's budget deficit puts 43 jobs at risk

San Luis Coastal Unified School District could cut more than 43 jobs, eliminate bus transportation for high school students and postpone installing Wi-Fi capabilities at its high schools.

Read more here:http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/04/08/2461790/school-district-finances-layoffs.html#storylink=omni_popular#wgt=pop#storylink=cpy

Coachella Valley High School assistant principal will avoid awards ceremony

A Coachella Valley High School assistant principal, who may be removed from his post during a school board meeting Tuesday, has declined to be honored at a local education awards ceremony later this week.

Salinas district teacher contract stalled on class sizes

Putting the final touches on a new contract between teachers and the Salinas Union High School District comes down to one longstanding issue - class sizes.

California Assembly passes bill limiting schools' use of risky bonds

The Assembly voted Monday to limit the use of facilities-improvement bonds that allow school districts to delay repayment for decades while interest obligations accumulate.

Commission says union donation to Twin Rivers board president was legal

Twin Rivers Unified board President Cortez Quinn legally accepted money from the teachers union to help pay a previous fine from the Fair Political Practices Commission, the watchdog agency determined Monday.

Needy students may get bus service

Some of San Diego’s neediest students who face long and sometimes dangerous walks to and from school would be eligible for free city bus passes under a proposal set to go before the board of education Tuesday.

Ramona school district takes strike precautions

The Ramona school board was working Monday to take steps to prepare for a potential teachers strike. An “emergency resolution” would give district administrators the authority to take action in the event of a strike, such as hiring substitute teachers, Superintendent Robert Graeff said.

Butte County schools begin active-shooter training to sharpen response plans

In the wake of the mass killings last December at an elementary school in Connecticut, local school officials are taking steps to improve on the plans they have in place, should it happen in Butte County.

Modesto City Schools to proceed with Enochs pool

Enochs High sophomores may be splashing in their own pool as seniors after the Modesto City Schools board decided to go ahead with the project. Board members voted 6-1, with Rubén Villalobos dissenting, to dive into building a basic aquatics facility at the school, using development fees being collected from north Modesto subdivisions to pay for it.

Granada Hills Charter High buys Pinecrest Northridge campus for $5.6M

Granada Hills Charter High School has purchased the Northridge campus of the private Pinecrest Schools for $5.6 million, with an eye toward expanding its presence in the north San Fernando Valley, officials said Monday.

LAUSD college-prep plan faces uphill struggle, Harvard study says

A Harvard study released Monday found that just 16 percent of LAUSD's Class of 2011 passed the classes needed to attend California's public universities, an indicator of the challenges facing the district as it makes rigorous college-prep courses a requirement for graduation.

UCLA report: Public school suspension policies do more harm than good

A report released Monday by UCLA's Civil Rights Project finds that suspensions affected as many as one-in-nine students beyond the elementary level. The report, titled "Out of School & Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools" looked at U.S. Department of Education data for 26,000 schools across the country.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Coast Unified employees thinking about the unthinkable

Cambria schools, students and teachers could be safer now, thanks to a daylong in-service day Monday, April 1, at which Coast Unified School District teachers, administrators, coaches, bus drivers and other staff members were taught how to prepare for, act and react during an attack or an "active shooter" incident.

Read more here:http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/04/04/2456498/thinking-about-the-unthinkable.html#storylink=cpy

Fate of New Millennium charter school rests with Fresno Unified

The future of a southwest Fresno charter school that the county grand jury says has "failed miserably" to educate students now rests with Fresno Unified officials who have been criticized for inadequate oversight of the school.

The Public Eye: FPPC reviews teachers union's donation to Twin Rivers trustee Quinn

Twin Rivers Unified School District board President Cortez Quinn was fined once by the state's political watchdog agency. Now he faces additional scrutiny for paying at least part of his initial fine with a donation from the teachers union.

Oakland Unified superintendent Tony Smith resigns to be with family in Chicago

In a move that stunned colleagues and parents, Oakland Unified school Superintendent Tony Smith announced his resignation Friday after nearly four years marked by a fractious school board and precarious finances.

The Textbooks Have Eyes: Now E-Books Can Track If You Do Your Homework - Rebecca Greenfield - The Atlantic Wire

The Textbooks Have Eyes: Now E-Books Can Track If You Do Your Homework - Rebecca Greenfield - The Atlantic Wire:

The Textbooks Have Eyes: Now E-Books Can Track If You Do Your Homework

by Rebecca Greenfield

Welcome to the future of education where your textbook—and therefore your teacher—knows exactly how much of your homework you did, how, and when. The idea is that this data will improve outcomes, helping teachers better understand their students habits. And with CourseSmart teachers can do just that, as The New York Times' David Streitfeld explains today. Through what is called "the engagement index" a professor can track the a student's study habits, by looking at what pages of the book were opened, when, and how they took notes. "It’s Big Brother, sort of, but with a good intent," says Tracy Hurley, the dean of Texas A&M's school of business, which has started testing the technology along with eight other schools.
While helping professors understand why certain students are struggling is a good thing, as we've learned repeatedly, it's difficult to predict how people will use data. Take this example of how the CourseSmart data lead to suspicion of a student who had good grades:

Adrian Guardia, a Texas A&M instructor in management, took notice the other day of a student who was apparently doing well. His quiz grades were solid, and so was what CourseSmart calls his “engagement index.” But Mr. Guardia also saw something else: that the student had opened