By [email protected] December 23, 2015 Uncategorized 4 Comments “Twas the year before the election and all across the nation;Presidential candidates were plump with feigned indignation.They were uttering nonsense and acting as buffoons;And not even Hillary Clinton was fully immune.” In case you missed it, Ms. Clinton, speaking off the cuff to a gathering of supporters […]

In the early 1990s, the United States Postal Service (USPS) adopted the catchy slogan of “We Deliver for You.” And deliver they do. As their long-standing creed says: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Yesterday, the USPS experienced its busiest […]

This past August, education blogger Scott McLeod (dangerously!irrelevant), shared an insightful commentary on the process by which a person or entity might go about dismantling one of the most important components of a democratic society—its public schools. His original article was re-posted on Diane Ravitch’s national blog this morning. His proposition was that you have […]

I came to the classroom armed with ten years of experience as an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps, including eight months as a battery commander during the Persian Gulf War. I used my Bachelor’s degree in Geology to receive my alternative certification and began my career as a middle school science teacher […]

By now, I hope you have had time to nibble on the first few chunks of “ESSA the Elephant” I carved out for you last week. In my three previous posts, I have jabbed my fork into several of the more meaty slabs from ESSA’s backside, specifically: (1) High standards; (2) Annual Standardized Testing, and […]

In yesterday’s Journal Record, guest columnist Arnold Hamilton crushed Oklahoma Republican leaders’ fragile explanation for the recently announced “revenue failure” with a 614-word sledgehammer. In his column, Hamilton, who is also the Editor of The Oklahoma Observer,  called the term “revenue failure” a misnomer. In his opinion, the whole mess should be more accurately labeled a “leadership” failure. Here is […]

Let’s break down $900.8 million. We have six irresponsible tax breaks for oil and gas corporations. A constitutional question (SQ766-Intangible Property) which stripped hundreds of millions of dollars from the state budget. Two pitiful income tax breaks which overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Oklahomans. A list of favorable tax incentives and corporate loopholes you would need an economics degree just […]

In my first two stabs at the beast that is the new federal education law–the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)–I discussed the issues of “High Standards for All Students” and “Annual Standardized Testing.” From the diagram, you can see we still have a lot of fat to chew on in the next few months as […]