News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
The public school system in America has been on a mission for decades. I used the timeframe of 50 years in today’s article title because it coincides with the Department of Education’s founding. Jimmy Carter already locked up the worst presidency in history, until Joe Biden moved into the White House, so adding the Department … Read more
One privilege bestowed on me as an accident of birth that I share with few others is that I am the child of genuine, unrepentant Stalinists. And you thought being raised by wolves was tough. I started consuming the Marxist canon at the age of thirteen, and I was, and remain, a quick study. As … Read more
Given that our readers pay attention to such things, you may have already heard, but WaPo blew another gasket (I hope they have that special “repair” insurance for that recurring problem). Tesla, whose vehicles they were happy to watch burn eleven months ago, has offered its founder a trillion-dollar ten-year thing. The gazillionaire innovator will … Read more
Is public education broken? That depends on whether you think the goal was to redirect private resources to create knowledgeable citizens capable of self-education and self-rule. That was never its purpose, though we must confess that at least a few of the kiddies walked out the other end at least able to read and think … Read more
Many of us who research public education know that teacher morale is at an all-time low. Most teachers understand what a strong curriculum looks like, how to teach content effectively, and how to manage a classroom. But today’s classroom looks very different. Curriculum has been watered down, teachers are told to “facilitate” rather than teach, … Read more
The Bill of Rights in the NH state constitution was written to protect citizens from state establishment of religious values, attitudes, and beliefs. In Part 1, the founders tried to protect Inalienable Rights of Conscience in Art. 4, Religious Freedom in Art. 5, and to tolerate a variety of sects and denominations without compelling anyone … Read more
Last March, I ran for a seat on the Claremont school board and lost. Nowadays, I am thrilled that I did. Besides the relief from not sitting on the business side of the table at school board meetings and facing a large crowd of upset and fearful people, I can engage in “told ya so.” … Read more
The City of Claremont is in a tough spot. The district’s teaching staff has not been able to produce students educated to an acceptable level of proficiency for quite some time.
Claremont’s School Board School District Meeting Disaster
The Vermont School District Redistricting Task Force met for the first time on August 1st. I’ve been checking the Agency of Administration’s web page for the group, hoping they’ll post the meeting recording or at least the minutes for review. So far, no good. But they did post the agenda (no actual work involved; just a meet … Read more
If you can get past the stock progressive narratives littered across Gary Rayno’s latest contribution to InDepth New Hampshire, you’ll find…nothing. Well, irony isn’t exactly nothing. He presumes to be challenging the New Hampshire legislature’s integrity. The big question is whether members are representing the best interests of their constituents. He begins by lamenting the … Read more
To be honest, there is no real online vendor today that protects your child’s personal data that they collect. When you read their privacy statement, it will sound like your child’s personal information is secure, but they won’t tell you that their data is not secure. Many kids in school use I-Ready. I-Ready comes with … Read more
Just a reminder here that former National Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker once admitted, “When schoolchildren start paying dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren.” True that! And watching the debate in the legislature over how to reign in public education costs and improve student outcomes, I think that sentiment resides … Read more
The classic bait and switch for Democrats has long been the issue of immigration. When Barry Obama’s open borders policy was crushing border states, the Dems defended Federal Supremacy over Immigration policy and enforcement. States that tried to regulate any aspect were dragged into court. The moment Trump 1.0 led by that example to close … Read more
For years now, Vermont’s public schools have been used as an experimental testing ground for the indoctrination of children with “theories” that eclipsed learning of core learning in math, reading, writing, and other subjects. Queer theory, race theory, Social Emotional Learning, and other speculative (partisan) policies were launched against Vermont’s children by school administrations unaccountable … Read more
I’ve been warning you about the chaos in the classroom for a while now. There are a few reasons for the chaos, but it looks like Stratham taxpayers may be on the hook for more of their tax dollars in order to manage it. There are a few reasons for the “chaotic classroom.” Some of … Read more
I read what Ian Underwood writes on these pages about education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), education, funding, and learning goals. I have to say I agree, and like Ian, I like the idea of EFAs, so I hope you will tune in tomorrow for my interview with Ian and Jody. We talk about education. From money … Read more
Gambling, for most people, is a voluntary activity, a choice. Why does the state force the rest of us to gamble on education? When gambling, players know the basic odds before playing, and accept that the house has an advantage. They put money up front and depend on chance (in a fair game) to let … Read more
Almost any professional profession (sorry, just HAD to do that!) has standards that they have to follow, especially if they want some letters after their names (e.g. RN, MD, PE, CPA, PMP, CEH {heh – Certified Ethical Hacker! Really, it’s a “thing”}, AWS, CSCP). Study hard and take the exams (sometimes, multiple times, like trying … Read more
As I have noted in past observations of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont, this collection of special interest group lobbyists has no real desire to solve the property tax/education finance crisis facing Vermonters today. Their objective, quite to the contrary, is to keep the money flowing unhindered and unquestioned into … Read more