In honor of Star Wars' 30th anniversary, the United States Postal Service is unveiling a new commemorative stamp March 29. And my very own Lincoln, Neb., is one of 200 cities nationwide to be selected for a new mailbox to mark the event.
On Thursday, the Fairfax County, Virginia, school board voted to defy the U.S. Department of Education and not test immigrants with the same reading exams as their native English-speaking peers.
One of the many goals of No Child Left Behind is to decrease the "achievement gap" between rich and poor, white and minority. We already know that isn't happening. At the center of the debate is often money. If these schools only had more of it, they could solve all their problems. In fact, the states themselves seem to generally favor NCLB if only they got a larger portion of the taxpayers' income. Much of what No Child Left Behind seeks to accomplish is "contrary to the letter and spirit of the Constitution and subversive of the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded."
I think there is something fundamentally wrong with a society that has become so violent that we must have a show of armed government force to keep order in a public school. If anything should hint to America that school is no longer a safe place for children, the perceived necessity of police force should.
Virginia is planning a pilot program for the state's proposed universal preschool program. The pilot program is to begin next year for 1,000 children and gradually expanded to include all four year olds in the state.
There has been quite a debate raging about the National Animal Identification System among farmers and ranchers. Ostensibly in the interest of disease control, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been pushing for improved tracking of animals. While the program is voluntary for now, the hope is to have all animals registered by 2008 and full implementation by 2009. No chicken, cow or horse shall be left behind.
Research done by Tel Aviv University Professor of Psychology Avner Ziv confirms that students retain more information when humor is used effectively to illustrate important points. Of course, humor is very subjective, but here is a roundup of stories that I have run into recently that are at least worth a smile.
It is possible for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to achieve at levels equal to and even superior to their more economically advantaged peers. The problems inherent in poverty are great, but they are not insurmountable. I know this because I have seen it done, and the children involved are not statistical anomalies.
On Tuesday, school districts in Michigan, Vermont and Texas, together with the National Education Association asked a federal appeals court to revive an old lawsuit, arguing that schools should not have to comply with requirements which aren't funded by the federal government.
Beginning in 2007 all Florida eighth grade students will be required to choose from a list of state-approved "majors." School board member Sandra Richmond thinks the program won't "do too much damage."
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