Debate Over Debates: Part 1

Left And Right!
The first debate is officially over, and the punditry has begun. The EdWonk observed the debate via Fox News while simultaneously monitoring the excellent play-by-play account furnished by Kevin Aylward's Wizbang! blog.

If it can be accepted that a challenger must win "hands down" over an incumbent leading in the polls, then it could be argued that, in the words of CNNs Mark Whitaker, "Kerry did not close the sale." The Education Wonks Team concurs in Whitaker's assessment.

The Team believes that President Bush wins by simply not losing. In the eyes of the American people, Bush continues to be a credible and experienced Commander in Chief. The reluctance of Americans to replace an incumbent is well known. Therefore, we believe that the margin of victory belongs to George Bush.

CNN is announcing that the first "snap poll" by the Gallop Organization has Kerry winning the debate with 53% over Bush's 37%. However, the statistical sampling is only 1600 adults. Predictably, CNN is trumpeting these results as a Kerry victory.

The Education Wonks are saddened that neither candidate mentioned the importance of education in any plan for the successful reconstruction of both Afghanistan and Iraq. One of the reasons why vanquished Nazi Germany and Militarist Japan became such stalwarts of democracy is because the principles of democratic government were instilled in the educational systems of both countries as reconstructed by the American Occupation following the Second World War.

The importance in educating a people for democracy is a lesson well-worth remembering.

Principal Confirms Kids Sipped Margaritas

Image: The Smoking Gun

Yesterday, a local TipWonk informed us that The Smoking Gun was listing a story of an exclusive private school near the Nation's Capital that had mistakenly given students Margaritas at lunch time. As always, T.S.G. had the document. (reproduced above) We were intrigued by the fact that the note was not written on any type of school letterhead.

Suspecting a Rathergate-like hoax, the EdWonk's Council made the decision not to post the story until it could be confirmed.
This morning, we telephoned Alexandria Country Day School and spoke with Principal Alexander Harvey IV. Principal Harvey was most happy to answer the EdWonk's questions. He did indeed confirm the story that a number of elementary school students had drank the tequila-containing mixture at lunch time. The mistake was soon detected and the adult beverages removed. None of the children became intoxicated.

Thinking the solution was "limeade," kitchen staff had given the mixture to students after running out of milk. Mr. Harvey says in his letter that the concoction was left over from a "Board/Faculty/Staff dinner."

When asked about the ramifications of the error, Mr. Harvey told the EdWonk, "The Parents are being very supportive."

Tuition at this school is $14,200 for grades K-3 and $15,600 for grades 4-8. We here at the Education Wonks do not know if the price of tuition includes food and beverages.

A member of the Governing Board of this school is Former Democratic Congresswoman Susan Molinari of New York. Ms. Molinari represented the New York City area, and is noted for her liberal viewpoints. It remains to be seen if this liberalism extends to being as supportive of Principal Harvey and the staff as the parents have been.

Possible New Limits On Police Questioning of Students In Schools

Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Sacramento Bee is indicating that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is poised to sign a bill that would require police to notify parents before authorities question their children while on school grounds. The proposed legislation, AB 1012 will codify procedures. A separate process would be used for elementary and high school students.

High school principals would be required to inform students that they would have the right to have a parent or guardian present during any questioning. If a parent is unavailable, then the student would be able to choose a school staff member to act as witness.

Elementary school students would need to have parental consent. If a parent cannot be reached, then a school administrator must be present for any questioning by police. There are exceptions to the proposed rules. For example, should the parent be a subject of police investigation, then parental consent would not be needed.

California is often thought of (and thinks of itself) as a trend-setter for the rest of the nation. It remains to be seen if this extension of parental rights spreads to other states. The EdWonk will continue to monitor developments.

Teachers Behaving Badly Department: New York

Mayor Bloomberg
The New York Post is reporting that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called for the dismissal of a teacher and aide that allegedly required four boys age 10-11 to strip-search in order to recover a ring that the teacher had lost.

The boys are Special Education students attending Public School 186X. Parents are considering additional legal action against the city.

Resignations Rock Education Council

Lisa Graham Keegan
One of our TipWonks in the Nation's Capital has sent us this from The Washington Times. Several policy-setters on the pro-Bush Education Leaders Council have resigned thier posts because the group's source of funding, Congress, is reluctant to continue paying the bills in an election year.

Chief-Executive officer Lisa Graham Keegan will continue drawing her $235,000 salary until the first of next month. Along with Keegan, the chief operations officer and several policy analysts have also quit. Currently, the organization is having difficulty meeting its payroll obligations.

Monthly Payroll for this organization had ballooned from $588,000 in 2001 to $1,200,000 by 2003. Two-thirds of which was paid by the federal government.

These people did not actually teach anyone anything. Their purpose was to analyze governmental policy, publish critiques of current educational programs, and promote the adoption of a school technology program designed to align classroom instruction with state standards.

Your EdWonk hopes that they get Educated in the private sector about the reality of actually having to perform productive work in order to generate that level of compensation.

International Education Dept: Fidel Castro Jails Librarians

Needs To Go!
Among the many documented instances of Fidel Castro trampling on individual liberties, we can now add putting librarians in prison for distributing books that Castro finds as unacceptable. Predictably, one of these books works is George Orwell's 1984. Currently, there are 10 librarians sitting in Castro's jails.

Even though here in the United States parents are often upset about what they find in their child's school library, at least here the librarian is not imprisoned. That does not mean that outraged individuals and groups do not have an effect. Sometimes books are removed from public and school library shelves.

And that is bad enough.

Newspaper in Florida Helping Parents Teach Kids at Home After Hurricane Ivan

Schools remain closed in many areas of hurricane-devastated Florida. However, one school district and a local newspaper have forged an alliance to keep teaching and learning moving forward. According to the Associated Press, The Escambia County School District and The Pensacola News Journal is helping teach kids at home after Hurricane Ivan while schools remain closed.

Lessons, published in the paper, encourage students from kindergarten through sixth grade to draw pictures and write about their experiences surviving the storms. Middle and High school students are asked to read the paper and delve into techniques used by advertisers and political campaigns to exploit the situation.

The program has attracted the interest of Governor Jeb Bush who said, "I think that's one of the most creative ideas I've ever heard," when informed of the partnership between schools and the press.

Notes From The Education Underground: Teenage Students Cutting Themselves

Today's "Anderson Cooper 360" featured a profile of a problem that has been well-known within the Education Community. The concern is that numerous middle/high school age children "self-cut" their bodies as a strategy for coping with the stresses of adolescence. Most victims have (or are experiencing) some type of depression.

The children most prone to this behavior are white, middle/high school females from mostly upper middle-class backgrounds. Experts report that the behavior is actually considered to be "soothing" by those that engage in it. It is thought that children feel empowered by being in control of the amount of pain that is self-inflicted.

Areas most frequently cut are arms and upper legs (thighs). Typically, the tell-tale cuts are hidden by long-sleeves and long-pants. When discovered by adults, the child typically has a well-rehearsed rationale for the cut.

According to experts, there are some 3,000,000-6,000,000 children that engage in self-inflicted cutting. Approximately 60% are female. Experts warn that many times self-cutting may be considered a precursor to a suicide attempt.

All parents are cautioned to be aware of the existence of this condition. Your EdWonk has discovered that, if questioned carefully, most children of middle/high school age will be acquainted with one or more students that are displaying these behavioral patterns.

Union Nonsense: Reg Wants Your Vote

Unelected N.E.A. President
Like many in the Education Industry, the EdWonk is forced to belong to a union. Actually, he is forced to pay dues to three unions: national, state, and local. This is due to the fact that in California, we have the all pervasive and anti-democratic "closed shop."

Reg Weaver is the selected (members don't get to vote) President of the National Education Association. All "members" of the N.E.A. just received a missive from Weaver. As always, the union is urging members to vote the straight Democratic ticket.

Nobody asked the members what they thought, no one polled anyone to see which candidate merited union support. As it has for the last half century, this "legalized syndicate" gave its endorsement to the Democratic candidates. And they continue to give the candidates our money. But they won't tell us how much, just as one cannot discover how much Reg Weaver earns in salary. And forget about finding out what kind of perks these union "honchos" get. Your EdWonk made Herculean efforts to discover this information.

Of course all this costs money, and each year the union keeps raising dues, which are substantial. They don't ask us about that either.

To view more about Reg Weaver, please see posts of August 27 and 29

Fear In Our Streets: L.A. Gangs Continue To Plague The City

Nobody Fixes It
One of our TipWonks has sent us this comprehensive report from the L.A. Daily News. This multi-part article addresses the Gang Problem that Los Angeles has had for over 30 years.

According to the Daily News, the first gang task force was created to combat criminal street gangs in 1975. Since that time, the population of Los Angeles has increased some 44%. During the same time, the number of gang members has ballooned over 400%. In terms of real numbers, in 1973, there were about 12,000 identified gang members. Today, there are over 57,000.

At the same time, the number of law enforcement personnel has only kept pace with the overall population increase. What this means is that the number of gang members per officer, has actually quadrupled.

We know what the problem is. The threat to children in the schools is real, as can be seen by the drive-by shooting of kids that largely goes unreported, or is relegated to the back section of the newspaper. The mystery is why doesn't anyone actually do something about the problem?

True Stories From The Classroom: Excuses, Excuses

These are some of the excuses that my students offered for not studying for a major test that was given last Thursday. (They were questioned because they didn't do as well as they should have.)

1. I couldn't study because my mom hid my textbook.
2. My older brother said to just choose answer "C." (He was a student from last year.)
3. Stayed up late to watch "Cops."
4. I forgot.
5. My dad cleaned-up the garage and put my book into a box.
6. We went to the movies.
7. Soccer practice. (the student has an "F" average)

Kids Are Still Kids
The funny thing is that kids were almost saying about the same thing back in the days of Mark Twain's fictional Tom Sawyer. The sad part is that when Mark Twain was writing, one could get a decent-paying job without finishing high school.

Another Great Moment In Kerry History: High Ten?

What Caption Belongs Here?
From the team that allowed John Kerry to be photographed in the now infamous (and legendary) blue bunny suit, we once again see the Democratic Nominee caught in a less than....er...heroic pose.

As John Kennedy refused to wear any type of headgear during the 1960 campaign, so should Kerry refuse to engage in any sort of out door activity that would be prohibited to a scion on an old Boston Brahman Family such as his. His team needs to get Educated.

Notes From The Education Underground: On-line Quizzes

What Kids Are Doing
When parents are out of the room, middle and high school students all over the United States are taking on-line personality quizzes. These quizzes typically consist of a series of multiple-choice questions.

After taking the quiz, a "stereotype generator" places the participant into a "personality type," as can be seen above. One popular version of this quiz is: Which High School Stereotype are you?. Even though the concept could be amusing, there is nothing cute about an outcome that asks the participant, "Wouldn't it be neat to kill them all?"

Undocumented Students Rewarded For Breaking The Law

One of the EdWonks informants has sent us this little item from the Washington Post. It is the story of a Guatemalan student whose family has been appealing deportation for over 12 years. Arriving as a 31/2 year old child, Brian Marroquin has since grown-up and has now been accepted to no less than five state-supported institutions of higher learning.

The tale began when he, his mother, and two older sisters illegally overstayed their tourist visas. Brian's father soon joined them. Knowing that the legal process takes years, they quickly requested political asylum. Their petition was turned down in due course, and the seemingly endless process of appeals began which have been continuing for 12 years.

The final result is that Brian, his sisters, and hundreds of others like them will not be deported, and will continue to enjoy benefits so easily obtained at taxpayers' expense by a system that refuses to be reformed. And Brian? He will soon begin classes at Virginia Tech.

Arnold Vetos School Mascot Bill

Safe For Now
There are five California High School student bodies that are breathing a collective sigh of relief this weekend. As reported by the Chico Enterprise Record, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill which, if ennacted, would have outlawed the use of "Redskins" as a High School Mascot.

The politikally korekt crowd is certainly gnashing their teeth over this one. Schwarzenegger said in his veto statement to the legislature that he did not want the state to take even more control from local school boards.

Whether or not the use of Redskins is in good taste is a subject for debate. But here at the Education Wonks we like the idea that local boards (which are held accountable to the community) have been defended by the governor.

Teresa Watch: Weekly Roundup

Predicts Osama's Capture!
During this past week, the Kerry Campaign continued its heroic(sometimes futile) efforts to keep Teresa's utterances from reaching the public's ears. Heinz-Kerry was relegated to a speaking tour of minor venues in several western states. Noticeably absent was her husband, Democratic Nominee John Kerry. Somehow, she still managed to garner some attention:
Monday:
This week's edition of The New Yorker quotes Teresa as referring to her detractors as "Scumbags."

Tuesday:
Teresa's youngest son Christopher Heinz gave an interview to Air America Radio's Al Franken. Heinz assured listeners that his mother would make an "outstanding First Lady."

Wednesday:
Heinz Kerry helps Democrats raise $1M at Phoenix event and predicts that Osama Bin Laden will be captured in time for the Presidential Election.

Thursday:
An attorney working for the estate of Teresa's first husband, Senator John Heinz III, attended a hearing before a judge in the Heinz family's continuing efforts to keep financial records secret.


Information Wanted:
It remains unknown at this time whether or not Teresa is using her Gulfstream 5 (called "The Flying Squirrel") as her mode of travel. The EdWonk wishes to discover if the Lady That Would Ban Your S.U.V. has parked her aircraft for the Election Season.

From The Leave Those Kids Alone Dept: Ex Teacher Mary Kay Letourneau

And If She Were A Man?
On CNNs "Anderson Cooper 360," ex-teacher Mary Kay Letourneau revealed why she molested one of her 6th grade students. According to Mary Kay, her victim, Villi Fualaau, was responsible. She says, "He was very assertive."

So there we have it. A teacher behaves badly and it's the student's fault. It seems that the 71/2 year sentence that she served in the 'pen didn't teach the ex-teacher anything. She and her now-adult victim are planning a wedding.

Who Says That Public Education Doesn't Pay?

The $250,000 Man
One of your EdWonk's Sources in the nation's capital has sent him this little blurb from The Washington Times. Unlike most classroom teachers, it seems that first-year superintendent Clifford B. Janey will earn a staggering $250,000 per year to administer the troubled D.C. public school system.

Now here at The Education Wonks we don't really have a problem with folks earning good compensation for a job well-done.

What troubles us is the fact that Mr. Janey has locked the D.C. School District into a 3 year contract. What this means is that (unlike classroom teachers) Janey does not have to serve any sort of "probationary period." If the D.C. School Board wishes to dismiss Janey, then they have to pay him the entire remainder of his three-year contract. He will recieve this compensation regardless of his performance.

We believe that job-security should be based upon actual effectiveness; it should not be a condition of employment. Especially when that educational leader is given the power (or even the expectation) to dismiss other first-year employees for their performance.

And Janey's salary isn't bad either. Your EdWonk wishes that he could get some of that.

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Teachers' Kids Go To Private Schools

Not A Public School..
Our Associate The Pirate has let your EdWonk know about a depressing article from today's Washington Times. It's about how Public schools are no place for teachers' kids . According to a study, more than 25% of public school teachers in the Washington, D.C. area send their own children to private schools. The study also states that nationwide, public school teachers are twice as likely to send their offspring to private school as the general populace.

The Philadelphia Story is the saddest example of public school teachers "opting-out." In the City of Brotherly Love, a whopping 44% of public school teachers have abandoned their own school system and choose to send their kids to private schools.

Because of tenure laws, public school teachers receive much protection from retaliation by their employers should they speak out about why the system is broken. Nearly none do, as the silence is deafening. But instead of being agents of reform, many teachers choose to be tools of accommodation.

Your EdWonk continues to be curious about the state of schools in Our Nation's Capital...

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Another Great Moment In Kerry History

Photo: Reuters
We bring you this from the "What Were They Thinking?" files. When will the Kerryites learn that images make the man? From the same folks who brought you Kerry In The Blue Bunny Suit your EdWonk forwards this unforgettable vision of The Donks' Choice For Commander In Chief.

How this must have hurt a man with this type of blue-blood pedigree to be photographed doing something like this...

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

From The Registry Of Bad Administrators: No First Day

Who, Me?
One of our Operatives has brought to your EdWonk's attention that a certain school in the Washington D.C. area is short one principal. It seems that the first day of school at D.C.s Eastern High School.....wasn't.

The school, just a stone's throw from Capital Hill, cancelled the first day of classes because some 900 students did not have.....schedules. Nobody knew to which class they were supposed to report. The excuse offered to parents that day was that there was a "computer failure."

There must have been a failure of leadership too, because earlier this month Acting Superintendent Robert Rice not only fired Eastern's principal Norman Smith, but he also sacked Assistant Superintendent (in charge of high schools) Juan Baughn, and Technology Specialist Henry Thompson.

This is a rare case of a school system's bureaucracy being held accountable and suffering a consequence for its lack of performance.

There is obviously a Technology Failure in the D.C. school system because none of the schools seem to have a web site, much less on-line photograph, and your EdWonk searched diligently for any picture of either the school or any of the people involved in this story.

The EdWonk is curious and wants to see what else is going on in our Capital's school system.

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Teresa Watch: She Said It Again

Out Of Control?
Teresa has been at it again. Just when you think that the Donks' choice for First Lady has learned some self control, she proves otherwise. She keeps supplying your EdWonk with such compelling incidents of her "candidness." Or maybe it's a lack of education.

In their latest issue, our friends over at The New Yorker, are indicating that she told a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania television reporter that her detractors were "scumbags."

Once again, the Wannabee First Lady has shown us why so many people think of Laura Bush as the First Lady and think of Teresa Heinz Kerry as a Wannabee Lady.

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Teachers Behaving Badly Dept.-- The New Math

New Math

One of your EdWonks' sources from what Bill O'Reilly refers to as "fly over country" has sent us this little tale of a St. Louis teacher that was arrested for attempting to buy a little cocaine. It seems that earlier this month first-year math teacher Jeffrey Breier attempted to buy his 'blow a few doors away from an elementary school.

Now the EdWonk certainly knows that teaching is a stressful job, but wouldn't a little good ole fashioned alcohol been longer-lasting as well as legal? And are teaching salaries so high in St. Louis that first-year teachers can afford this type of illicit diversion? Or perhaps Breier was taking the name of his workplace a little too literally.

Hazelwood East High
As of this writing, Mr. Breier had been relieved of his teaching duties, but was still on the District's payroll. School officials stress that the charges pending against Breier are in no way related to the District. Breier is awaiting his day in court. Your EdWonk is awaiting further developments.

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

What Were They Thinking?

Say It Ain't So...


"General Anouncements:
Eastern High Schools is a latex-free school and latex balloons are not permitted on the grounds of our school district. "

The above announcement is real. It may be seen at this school's homepage, www.eastern.k12.nj.us . Now that we know latex is strictly prohibited, does that mean it's OK for students to bring cigarettes, beer, knives, or guns?

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Just A Matter Of Time

Get It Over With
We here at the Education Wonks have long been admirers of "avant-guard" journalism. We can remember (vaguely from babyhood) when people thought of Dan Rather and the rest of the "60 Minutes" crew as one of the new shining stars over at the Blue Network. But enough is enough. Even though we are not fervently in the George W. Bush camp, it is time to come clean regarding those fraudulent memos.

A journalist is not bound by any professional code of ethics to protect a Source that has knowingly given said journalist false information. Go ahead CBS. It's is a little like going to the dentist...hurts quite a bit, but feels so good when its over with.

cc CBS News

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Textbook Prices Get Ridiculous

According to the Washington Post prices for college textbooks continue to rise faster than inflation. The National Association of College Bookstores (Who would have believed such a thing could exist?) states that wholesale book prices have risen almost 40% in the last five years.



Sadly, students often can find identical books for sale overseas for much cheaper prices.

Publishers use a variety of tricks to keep the prices rising. One such technique is to issue new editions of standard texts nearly every year. Professors, under pressure from college administrations to keep their courses "current" adopt the new edition for their classes. The result is that this "kills" the resale market for earlier, used editions. Of course, the new edition always costs more money than the earlier edition.


Resourceful students are attempting to cope. Some order their texts from various Web sites such as Books on Campus or Dog Ears. Even so, the average cost of a new college text, with ancillary study materials, has now hit a staggering $102.44.

www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Donks Make Little Girl Cry

Where is the tolerance?
Little three-year-old Sophia Parlock cries because supporters of John Kerry have torn her Bush/Cheney sign to pieces. Father and daughter had came to express their views at an appearance by John Edwards in Huntington, West Virginia. Your EdWonk thinks that the individual to the girl's right is in severe need of being Educated by someone more his size.

http://www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

From Our Didn't Pay Attention In Class Files

Didn't Do His Homework
This afternoon, one of our confidential sources contacted us in an effort to confirm a whisper that "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin had experienced some sort of run-in with The Law. Sure enough, our old friends over at The Smoking Gun had the sad tale. It seems that Culkin had been arrested this afternoon for possession of A Certain Illicit Herb and a Prescription Drug for which had had no prescription.

Obviously, Macaulay was not paying attention in "How To Be A celebrity 101." If he had, he would have learned the lesson that Rush Limbaugh did: get one of your housekeepers to buy the dope for you, and that way you are insulated from having the mugshot, perp-walk, and spending hard earned cash on bail bonds. As an extra bonus, you get to blame the housekeeper for your "habit," and earn all kinds of sympathy from the public.

http://www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

From The Teachers Behaving Badly Dept.

Dope Dealing 101?

One of our sources from what Bill O'Reilly terms as "Fly Over Country" has sent your EdWonk the tale of a 4th grade teacher that was Arrested for selling marijuana. It seems that Clermont, Ohio teacher Jamie Bailey and her husband Shawn needed to earn a little extra money.

They got caught because they were, literally, smoking their profits. According to neighbors, the police were called when the couple were heard loudly arguing. As the police approached the couple's door, the distinctive aroma of marijuana could be readily detected.....

A search revealed marijuana packaged in small bags for retail sale, and the couple was arrested and hauled off to the local pokey. Even though your EdWonk can understand that most teachers don't earn nearly enough money, he can't condone the illegal sale of drugs; they have to pay taxes just like everyone else.

After making bail, Ms. Bailey returned to her classroom and taught for several days before her arrest was discovered by school officials. What the EdWonk would like to know is what was the Clermont School District administration smoking when it placed Jamie Bailey on paid administrative leave? The Clermont District has been Educated by The Education Wonks.

http://www.educationwonk.blogspot.com

Teresa Watch: Let Them Go Naked

Once Again, the Donks' choice for First Lady has supplied your EdWonk with an irresitible story. According to the Associated Press, Teresa Heinz Kerry decided that it would be a good idea to visit a Hurricane Aid Center.....in New York City. While there, Teresa, expressed concern that relief efforts were much too focused on items like clothing. Since we know Teresa so well, we are not surprised that she said, "Clothing is wonderful, but let them go naked for a while, at least the kids."

What absolutely terrifies us here at The Education Wonks is the thought of Teresa being caught in a hurricane and us seeing her naked.

http://www.educationwonk.com

From The Leave Those Kids Alone Department

Mary Kay Letourneau
Your EdWonk has learned that ex-teacher and child molester Mary Kay Letourneau has her own official web site at www.marykayletourneau.com . We here suspect that the email address is for picking-up dates.

http://www.educationwonk.com

John Kerry's Little Helper

Edward Kennedy
According to the Associated Press, Kennedy to Hit Campaign Trail for Kerry Ted (let's take a ride across the bridge) Kennedy will be on the stump for John Kerry. Such an ill-advised maneuver as this should just about end any realistic chance that the Donks' nominee might have to actually win the presidency. Your EdWonk would like to know who keeps giving Kerry such bad advice. Could it be that Bush Operative Karl Rove has asserted some sort of mind-control over Kerry's chief strategists? It seems as though the Libs are self-destructing.

http://www.educationwonk.com

True Teacher Tales-"Please Don't Shred The Bible"

Karen Christenson
We have been told that Karen Christenson, a high school English teacher in Burley, Idaho, is under investigation for allegedly ripping a Holy Bible to shreds in front of her students. Burley High's principal, Jeff Harrah, has indicated that Ms. Christenson is not a Bible hater. She was merely making a point. Harrah called her a "great teacher." The question is: What if instead of ripping-up a Christian Bible, Ms. Christenson had shredded a copy of The Koran?
I am sure that she would not have a job at this point, much less be praised by her administrator as a "great teacher."

Now the EdWonk is not a very religious person, but shouldn't all religious texts receive the same respect from educators that teach in public classrooms?

The truly hilarious thing is that your EdWonk has learned that Ms. Christenson graduated from traditionally conservative Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City... Ms. Christenson, you have been educated by The Education Wonks. See more about Ms. Christenson at: TheDenverChannel.com - Education - Teacher In Trouble For Ripping Bible

http://www.educationwonk.com

Let's Get Some Neckties

Washington Post Photo
William Raspberry of The Washington Post has written to let us all know that when students dress for success, then they will much more likely to be successful. Now that we have finally been told the secret to success, what have we been waiting for? Let's get those kids some neckties. And while we are at it, let's get 'em some khakis, blazers, weejuns, and boaters. Everyone knows that the kids need all the help that they can get. Thank you Mr. Raspberry for finally telling us how to fix what is wrong with public education. Get the full story from the Source at: washingtonpost.com: Reengaging Our Schools

http://www.edcuationwonk.com

Teresa Watch: Where Is Teresa?

First Lady Or First Nightmare?
Have You Seen This Woman?
Many of us here at The Education Wonks have been wondering what has happened to wannabee First Lady Teresa Heinz Kerry. Conventional speculation is that the Donk's choice for first lady is being kept safely sequestered in an undisclosed location in order to control her verbal utterances. One of our insiders, however, has whispered to your EdWonk that Teresa is again having "work" done at a clinic near Palm Springs. Was she in need of work? The photograph speaks for itself.

http://www.educationwonk.com