Tag Archives: video

"I Ask You, President Obama, to Please Save My Scholarship"

My tummy feels sick today — not because of something I ate, or any bug or anything. But because of the news that Congress’s latest spending binge includes a provision to take away school choice from some of the neediest kids in the nation’s capital. Watch the video from Voices of School Choice. These kids can tell you why it’s important for President Obama to stop what Congress is trying to do (H/T Matt Ladner): I’ll let the Wall Street Journal sum up with its excellent editorial today: On Tuesday, Mr. Obama spoke of the “historic investment in education” in the stimulus bill, which included a staggering, few-strings-attached $140 billion to the Department of Education over two years. But he also noted that “our schools don’t just need more resources; they need more reform,” and he expressed support for charter schools and other policies that “open doors of opportunity for our children.” If he means what he says, Mr. Obama won’t let his fellow Democrats consign 1,700 more poor kids to failing schools he’d never dream of letting his own daughters attend. Please do your part in asking the President to save the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. (And hope that […]

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Westminster Switches to Standards System (the Next Doogie Howser?)

As I look forward to my full-time education here in Colorado, I have to wonder if innovative ideas like the program Westminster School District has started will catch on. From a 9News report (including video) (H/T Complete Colorado): The district will shed the traditional kindergarten through 12th grade system in exchange for a standards-based model with assessment levels of one through ten. Students of different ages will be grouped together by assessment level. Students can only move on the next level if they show proficiency in the standards at their level. “There’s nothing magic about nine months in a classroom or at a particular grade level,” said [superintendent] Dr. [Roberta] Selleck. “The critical component in our standards-based model is that time becomes the variable.” This model was developed by smaller school districts in Alaska. Adams 50 will be the first larger school district in the nation to eliminate grade levels, certainly the first in Colorado. Dr. Selleck says this will allow students to learn and advance at their own pace. Some students will be able to move up levels during the school year, while others may take more than one school year before moving up. Wow! I just have a […]

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Utahns Quizzed on School Spending

There’s a neat new site you ought to see if you care about public schools: Utah Education Facts. The highlight of the site is a video where they interview average Utahns and ask them questions about the financing and spending of their state’s education system: For those who aren’t from Utah, what if somebody asked you these same sort of questions about your state? How prepared would you be? Of course, the point isn’t to pick on individuals for their knowledge or lack thereof. Instead it highlights the misinformation on which poll-based demands for more education funding largely are based. Ultimately, such a project should aim to arm the populace with more knowledge and information. And isn’t that a major part of what education should be about? Does anyone doubt a similar “man-on-the-street” interview video project here in Colorado would be a good idea? I hope somebody out there is paying attention.

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CEA Members Can Ask for their Political Money Back Before December 15

My friends in the Education Policy Center enlisted the help of a veteran teacher in Jeffco Public Schools to briefly explain about this thing called the Every Member Option, or EMO. In this 2-minute video, you can watch Michael explain the EMO better than some union officials have tried to do. The Colorado Education Association‘s $39 EMO is collected from every CEA member along with their dues, and goes to fund political action. Some of the CEA local unions collect their own separate EMO worth as much as $24 this year. Teachers and other education employees who choose not to have this money spent on politics have the opportunity to ask for the $39 CEA refund before December 15. Go here to find more information about obtaining the local refund. As Michael says: “And remember, spending money on politics is your choice.” Spread the word!

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Amendment 49 Sock Puppets: Maybe Not Too Rich for Your Piggy Bank

My friends at the Education Policy Center usually want me to talk about, well, education. But can I be forgiven if I take a break just for today? This is your official reminder from Eddie to make a bid on the famous Amendment 49 sock puppets. The bidding is already too rich for my piggy bank, but maybe someone out there will think of me on their Christmas list. On second thought, I’d much rather have a new bike. You can keep the sock puppets for yourselves. But don’t forget to keep bidding for a good cause. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the video that started it all:

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Chicago Parents Glad for Charter School Option; Coloradans Can't Wait to Get In

Sometimes people get tired of seeing what I have to say about the need for more school choice. It’s times like these that are good to hear from real parents and students who benefit from having options. In that spirit, here’s a video created by the Illinois Policy Institute talking to families who benefit from charter schools in Chicago: As Denise at Colorado Charters points out, our state is blessed by comparison. In a state that serves nearly three times as many public school students, Illinois only enrolls 19,000 students (or fewer than 1 in 100) in public charter schools. Colorado has about 55,000 charter school students (or about 1 in 15 of the total public school population). Still, though, the demand is great. As Denise reminds us, 24,000 are on waiting lists to get in. What are we waiting for? Isn’t public education mainly about serving the kids and providing them the options that fit them best?

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United States Not Doing As Well in Online "Education Olympics"

Olympic excitement has taken hold. All eyes are on China to watch the best swimmers, runners, cyclists, gymnasts, boxers, weightlifters, shooters, and ballplayers compete at the highest level and represent their countries under the brightest lights on the international stage. But there’s another Olympics taking place, as well. The Thomas Fordham Foundation has created the Education Olympics website, as a way to measure America’s education performance versus other nations, according to a series of different measures. After two events, Finland and Norway have taken home the gold, while the United States has been shut out of the medal count so far. You can stay tuned with video clips that provide “coverage” of the “events”. Here’s hoping – and all but expecting – that the United States will perform better in the real Summer Olympics in Beijing than in the Education Olympics.

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