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File this under crazy…
If you think I am taking a swing at Maryland today, you are right. Why not bash the liberal bastion to the North? After all, they have to push some sort of agenda. Aside from the economic outlook for Maryland, there will soon be some changes to the high school curriculum, and this won’t surprise you the least.
Maryland high school students will now have to take an environmental literacy course before they can graduate high school. While some students are struggling with knowing basic grammar skills and history, there will not be a shortage of learning how not to pollute the environment and how to save the Chesapeake Bay. Yep, you can forget about the date of the Magna Carta, but you can ensure that students will become indoctrinated with the environmental agenda.
Perhaps, it is time for Marylanders to step aside and think about electing new leadership that will actually improve the quality of education, rather than pushing forward an agenda.
Fairfax County School Board Sued Over Secret Emails
Last Friday, a lawsuit was filed against the Fairfax County School Board and Fairfax County Public Schools over the content of emails released under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) regarding the recent closure of Clifton Elementary School. This lawsuit will require Fairfax County Public Schools to release the secret emails and other electronic communications relevant to the Clifton Elementary School closure. After the release of the information is made public, the lawsuit asks the Court to compel the board to hold a public meeting to reconsider and vote again on the Clifton closure.
The lawsuit centers around public hearings that were held last year in June and July, and according to the filing, “School Board members exchanged substantive e-mails among each other in secret relating to the matters being addressed during the public meetings.” A decision was reached by the Fairfax County School Board to close Clifton Elementary School. The lawsuit further states that the school board violated VFOIA and further deprived members of the community from hearing the discussions among the board members on public business.
You can read some of the emails here.
It is sad that Clifton Elementary School will be closing at the end of the year, and hopefully, the decision can be reversed as the school is central in the community.
Public School Allows Cheating at what cost
On my way to work this morning, I was surprised to hear on WMAL that West Potomac High School in Fairfax County is not failing those who cheat on exams, rather they are allowing them to retake the same exam. Ironically, this school has also asked teachers to banish failing grades. I just love what the Principal of the school emailed to teachers:
“West Potomac High School Principal Cliff Hardison last month instructed teachers to allow cheaters to retake tests. The idea was that cheating should “result in a disciplinary consequence separate from an academic consequence,” Hardison said in a Nov. 5 e-mail to teachers.”
A disciplinary consequence? Huh?!? Both the disciplinary and academic consequences alone are enough to ward off cheaters. A disciplinary consequence will only ensure that the behavior will occur again. As a public school graduate, I witnessed cheating in many of my classes. The students who cheated were not only punished academically, but they also received the embarrassment of having the teacher openly confront them in class and then having their parents called in for conferences to remedy the problem. Usually, both consequences solved the cheating issue.
Meanwhile in the real world, if you are caught doing unethical acts (such as cheating, stealing, etc.), you are generally fired, along with having that act on your record for the rest of your career. Unfortunately, this message has not reached those at West Potomac High School. They are merely enabling the future generation that you can get second chances, as mentioned before, this is often not the case. When public officials discuss school reforms, they should look at reforming academic standards and creating more accountability amongst the students.
Cross posted at Bearing Drift
"Public Option" for Student Loans should be a no go!
Anytime the government seeks to take over a failing industry, there is always a probability that failures can ensue. After all, when has the federal government ever got anything right?
Now, the Obama Administration is moving to exclude all private lenders from making government guaranteed student loans. This job killing move will cost tens of thousands private sector jobs as the government earns a profit on charging students for higher education. Additionally, schools and families will lose the choice of how to borrow money to pay for college. Currently, legislation is being drafted in Congress to federalize student loans, and Senator Tom Harkin, who chairs the Senate HELP Committee has promised to schedule hearings as soon as this bill passes the House. (This eerily sounds like Obama’s health care reform…doesn’t it?)
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent around this letter to colleges and universities encouraging them to switch to government loans now (even though, the bill has not even been passed yet). Since when do departments institute laws before they are even passed?
From: Duncan, Arne [mailto:Arne.Duncan@ed.gov]
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 10:39 AM
Subject: Letter from the U.S. Department of Education regarding student loan programs
THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20202
October 26, 2009
As this academic year moves forward, it is hard to believe we already need to consider the 2010-2011 year to come. In doing so, I am writing to seek your assistance and offer mine in taking the necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted access to federal student loans by ensuring your institution is Direct Loan-ready for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Eighteen months ago, uncertainty in the financial markets seriously threatened the availability of Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans for the upcoming 2008-09 academic year. Congress acted quickly to provide the Department of Education with unprecedented temporary authority to directly finance loans made through FFEL Program lenders. The goal was to ensure that every student or parent with a need for a federal loan would be able to get one, whether or not the student’s educational institution had taken the steps to provide loans through the Direct Loan Program (where loan access was not affected). This stopgap measure, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA), was helpful in assisting FFEL Program lenders in making $61.3 billion in new loans to students and their parents this past year. And the bulk of those funds—some $46.3 billion—was provided by the Department of Education.
While many institutions like yours continued to use the FFEL Program loan delivery process last year, more than 500 others responded to the uncertainty by switching to the Direct Loan Program. These colleges’ move to direct lending happened in an efficient and effective manner, without any interruption of service to students, and the number of Direct Loans increased by nearly two-thirds compared to the previous year. As you know, the Direct Loan Program provides students with the same types of loans, with essentially the same terms, as those made in the FFEL Program.
I do not anticipate any major loan access problems during the remainder of this academic year because Congress’s temporary measure remains in effect. However, while there are encouraging signs that the financial markets are rebounding, the most prudent course of action is for you to ensure that your institution is Direct Loan-ready for the 2010-2011 academic year. That way, loan access for your students will be assured. As you may know, President Obama has proposed that Congress make the loan system more reliable by moving to a 100 percent Direct Loan delivery system. In any event, under current law, ECASLA will expire, and the continued participation of FFEL Program lenders will be in question.
The Department of Education stands ready to assist with any questions you and your staff may have about becoming Direct Loan-ready. Many institutions have already taken the initial step of contacting us to ensure the appropriate transition steps have been taken at Federal Student Aid to begin the process. If your school has not taken this initial step, we recommend that you do so. Please also reach out to your technology, financial aid, and business offices to make sure they are working together to ensure federal loan access for your students and their parents. If they are unsure of the steps to take, please have them contact our school relations center at 1-800-848-0978, or e-mail us at DLEnrollment_FSA@ed.gov with questions.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Arne Duncan
This has caused quite a firestorm at colleges and universities throughout the country, even prompting them to send letters to legislators urging them not to support any legislation that would federalize the student loan industry. In fact, Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) sent letters to Secretary Arne Duncan in November warning of the ramifications of doing this to the student loan industry.
There is great anxiety by the states that could be impacted: Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, Delaware, and New York will all lose jobs due to this legislation (if passed). With unemployment at an all-time high, wouldn’t you think that the Obama Administration would allow private businesses to flourish and create new opportunities? Instead, it appears they are planning to destroy them and continue adding to the unemployment numbers.
As I was entering college in 2000, I relied on student loans to pay the $30,000 a year tuition at the private college I attended. If I did not have the opportunity to borrow from a private lender, my dreams of being the first female and first person on both sides of my family to graduate with a degree would not have been reality. I received a fine liberal arts education and have received many opportunities that would not have been open to me otherwise. If the government takes over the student loan industry, this would be shutting the doors of opportunity on others, whose stories might be similar to mine.
Note: Erick over at RedState has more on this, as the New York Times came out in defense of this proposed legislation.
Samantha Rucker for School Board Fundraiser
On Friday, December 18th, Samantha Rucker will be holding a fundraiser with special guest, Governor-elect Bob McDonnell. This fundraising reception will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on the 18th. Rucker is running for the open seat (which has not yet been vacated by Kaye Kory, who won election as Delegate in the 38th District) representing Mason District on the Fairfax County School Board. For more details, click here.
Rucker touts an impressive resume, as she is active within the Mason District community and being active in public education. Aside from her community involvement, Rucker is a fellow graduate of the Jennifer Byler Institute, which is an excellent program ran by the Republican Party of Virginia geared towards getting Republican women prepared for public service. You can learn more about her credentials and campaign here.
Good Grief…The Indoctrination Continues
Warning: the video you are about to witness shows a New Jersey Elementary School taking things a little too far, when it comes to worshipping our President.
Whatever happened to educating on the subjects of Math, English, or Science?
President Obama Delivers Speech to Students Today!
Wonder if they will make the kids sing praises to Obama today. Thankfully, the Presidential speech will not be shown in Harford County, Maryland and Loudoun County, and the classroom will be able to focus on the most important things: learning the subjects that matter most, not indoctrination.
Is Islam Coming to Fairfax County?
This evening, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will be holding a hearing on whether the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) will be allowed to expand their campus. This is the same school, whose 1999 valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was arrested on terrorism related charges, including assisting Al-Qaeda in an conspiracy attempt to assassinate Former President George W. Bush, as well as a 2003 graduate, who was arrested for boarding a U.S. Airways flight with a butcher’s knife.
Greg over at Black Velvet Bruce Li has more information about this hearing, which will be taking place this evening. Additionally, David R. Stokes has a compelling article in yesterday’s Townhall edition.
In the meantime, check out this flyer and call your Supervisor and urge them not to approve the zoning request.
D.C. Opportunity Scholarships: Parents and Students Speak Out
As promised, here is the remaining video from yesterday’s Save School Choice Rally in Washington, D.C. These videos feature a parent, two students, who will be directly impacted by the loss of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships, which allow them to attend their respective schools: Archbishop Carroll and Georgetown Day, and School Choice Activist Virginia Walden Ford, who delivered 7,000 petitions to the White House at the end of the rally.
Parent addressing the audience about the impact that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships had on her son.
If the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships are eliminated, the future of these two young men could be detrimentally impacted.
Virginia Walden Ford addressing the crowd at the School Choice rally. Stand Up for School Choice and PUT CHILDREN FIRST!!
Children are our future, and this fight will not just impact D.C. It will impact America and the future of ensuring school choice for every parent in our great nation.
Save School Choice: Video from the Event
Yesterday, there were several speakers who spoke to the crowd of students and parents, who rallied in D.C.’s Freedom Plaza to save school choice. Right now, hundreds of D.C. Opportunity Scholarships, which allow students to attend private schools over the lower performing public schools in their neighborhoods, are at stake of being eliminated by President Obama and Congress. Many of these families have talked about the difference this program made in their children, and it is time for President Obama to stand for positive change for children all across this country, who benefit from school vouchers.
Here is some video from the event:
Mya and Ginuwine addressed the crowd at the rally.
Former DC Mayor Anthony Williams addressed the crowd at the rally.
DC Councilman Marion Barry addresses the crowd at the rally.
More video will be coming later this afternoon. If you have some spare time this afternoon, I encourage you to contact the White House and urge President Obama to save the funding for D.C. Opportunity Scholarships. A parent should have the choice to be able to send their child to a higher performing school, and Obama’s decision to eliminate these scholarships show that he does not stand for the parent’s right to choose quality education for their children.
