Jay P Greene

Jay P. Greene the author of Education Myths What Special Interest Groups Want You to Believe about our Schools And Why It Isn't So has a BLOG.

On said BLOG is a great post titled AFT Goes Up In Smoke by Matthew Ladner guest poster.

Here is a portion of the post.

P.J. O’Rourke once described the early Clinton administration as “running the country by dorm-room bull session.” Some recent ferment among education progressives makes me wonder if they too have fallen back onto some old college habits. Catherine Johnson over at Kitchen Table Math for instance wrote on Randi Weingarten’s first speech as AFT President. Weingarten engages in NCLB bashing, and then lays out a vision for the future of public education:

“Imagine schools that are open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance … and suppose the schools included child care and dental, medical and counseling clinics, or other services the community needs,” Ms. Weingarten said. “For example, they might offer neighborhood residents English language instruction, GED programs, or legal assistance.”



Personally, I’m trying to imagine a system of public schools that could teach 4th grade kids how to read after spending $40,000 or more on their education. In 2007, 34% of American public school 4th graders scored below basic in reading on the NAEP. If we can’t trust schools to teach kids how to read, just why would we want them trying to fix our teeth or attempting to resolve our legal issues?

To read the rest of the post go to AFT Goes Up In Smoke.

Quote of the Day" If we can’t trust schools to teach kids how to read, just why would we want them trying to fix our teeth or attempting to resolve our legal issues?" Matthew Ladner

Failures of Our Public Education System,

Our entire school system is based on the notion of passive students that must be "taught" if they are to learn. . . . Our country spends tens of billions of dollars each year not just giving students a second-rate education, but at the same time actively preventing them from getting an education on their own. And I'm angry at how school produces submissive students with battered egos. Most students have no idea of the true joys of learning, and of how much they can actually achieve on their own.
Adam Robinson, co-founder of The Princeton Review

California - Homeschoolers Win Landmark Case

In a 3-0 decision the California Court of Appeal reversed its earlier ruling which would have required homeschoolers to be certified teachers in order to homeschool. To read the rest of the story go to the the Home School Legal Defense Association's website.

Bravo to the homeschoolers of California. I would like to see New Hampshire homeschoolers step up to the plate and work for total homeschooling freedom. How is it a state as large and as regulated as California has friendlier homeschooling laws than little old New Hampshire? Maybe it is time for New Hampshire to get new homeschooling advocates who really care about homeschooling freedom and homeschooling families.


“Tens of thousands of California parents teaching over 166,000 homeschooled children are now breathing easier this afternoon,” Michael Farris, Chairman of HSLDA.

Cathy

Video that Explains the Argument for School Choice.

Hat tip to Lennie Jarratt of Education Matters to referring CRAFT to this video.

This video is really funny. If you have dial-up I suggest viewing it at your local library of downloading overnight.

Cathy

A Peek into New Hampshire's Future

If you want to take a peek into New Hampshire's future just look to the south at Massachusetts. While it appears the educrats and many Democrats are paving the road for an income tax in New Hampshire. The people at the Center for Small Government are pushing to get rid of the income tax in Massachusetts.


The Center for Small government reports that "The tax repeal would give every Massachusetts worker a 5.3% after-tax pay raise, or about $3,700 extra income per worker."

The following piece appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

"Boston Tax Party"
August 5, 2008

Massachusetts is about the last place one would expect a tax revolt, but that's what's brewing in Beantown. The state board of election recently certified that citizen activists have gathered the 125,000 signatures required to qualify an initiative for the November ballot to eliminate the state income tax.

The Small Government Act would repeal the 5.3% income and wage tax, as well as the state capital gains tax, which reaches as high as 12%. The ballot initiative would replace the $12.5 billion in taxes with . . . nothing. "One of the points here," explains Carla Howell of the Committee for Small Government that is driving the referendum, "is to force the state legislators to start cutting the bloated state budget." The political shock of having no income tax would force the pols on Beacon Hill to make the difficult spending choices they now refuse to make.

The referendum may seem the longest of long shots in a state represented by some of Congress's biggest spenders. But the same initiative was on the ballot in 2002, and though the political establishment roared with laughter through Election Day, the measure got 45% of the vote. This time pro-tax forces such as the Massachusetts Teachers Association are planning to spend millions of dollars warning of Armageddon.

They have cause to be worried. A Fabrizio poll for Citizens for Limited Taxation discovered that the average Massachusetts voter believes that 41 cents of every state tax dollar are wasted. Coincidentally, that's the share of the state budget funded by the income tax. One big drain is a pension program that doles out billions each year to double-dipping
pensioners and state workers retiring at taxpayer expense in their late 40s or 50s.

Nine U.S. states have no income tax, including such economic climbers as Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. These states are doing fine funding schools, hospitals and police without the income levy. Over the past decade 330,000 Massachusetts residents have packed U-Haul trailers and left - more than have even fled Michigan -- and many have gone to
no-income-tax New Hampshire.

"The idea here is to stop being on the defensive in fighting against big government and to start taking the political offensive," says Ms. Howell. She says the tax repeal would give every Massachusetts worker a 5.3% after-tax pay raise, or about $3,700 extra income per worker.* That's attractive when Census data show that, after inflation, state budgets nationwide are up 18% since 2005 while paychecks have remained flat.

The forces of the tax-and-spend status quo will descend on this initiative like British troops after the original Boston tea party, but somebody has to make an effort to stop the relentless growth of government.

* * Corrected for accuracy

Quote of the Day "Government says it has barely enough for necessities. Too many tax dollars are tied up in waste and luxuries." - Michael Cloud

Jim on WNTK today.

Jim will be on 99.7 FM WNTK tomorrow morning at 7:10 a.m. Jim will be discussing education issues and education issues in Croydon.

Public Service Research Foundation

Hat tip to our friend Chris Jenner a fiscally responsible school board member for pointing us to the Public Service Research Foundation website.

The Public Service Research Foundation studies the impact of unionism in government on government.

One of my major bones of contention with the public education system aka the government education system aka the taxpayer paid education system is that it has been hijacked by the teachers unions. The Public Service Research Foundation has a series of studies regarding the impact of teachers unions on education. There is an absolute plethora of information and a must read for all parents and taxpayers.

One of the foundations most recent articles is titled "The PTA, the NEA and Education" another must read for parents considering joining the PTA.

I saw all too well the power of the PTA has over parents and voters during the most recent school board elections in Croydon. When teachers do not like a school board candidate they use the PTA to get parents to vote for candidates who are in the teachers best interests not the parents. I am glad a has third party has research for parents to view for themselves.

Cathy

Quote of the Day "I say this not to the teachers, but to their unions: If education were a war, you would be losing it. If it were a business, you would be driving it into bankruptcy. If it were a patient, it would be dying. " Bob Dole 1996