“Reading First” (Cost: $1 Billion/Year) Comes in Tied With “Nothing Different”
by David Safier As part of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration has plowed $1 billion per year into a program called “Reading First.” Its purpose, according to the Department of Ed’s website, is “to apply scientifically based reading research—and the proven instructional and assessment tools consistent with this research—to ensure that all children … Read more
Arizona Charter Schools: The Good, The Bad, and The Costly
by David Safier This is the first of what will be a series of posts about Arizona’s Charter Schools, and more specifically about Arizona’s online charter schools, also known as “Cyber Schools.” The question I’m trying to answer for myself is, Should a Cyber School, with no building and no daily classroom meetings of staff … Read more
When Will The News Media Require John McCain To Disown The Crazies In His Campaign?
Posted by: AzBlueMeanie Sen. Barack Obama has denounced and disowned his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The Washington Post in an editorial Parting With the Pastor – washingtonpost.com concluded that “we don’t see how anyone can question his commitment to transcending old racial battles and finding common ground. The Rev. Wright doesn’t speak for … Read more
Heads Should Roll
By Jeff Latas One of the units of the 82nd Airborne returned back to Fort Bragg earlier this month. Most of us would expect them to receive a hero’s welcome back to their base in North Carolina after a 15 month deployment. Of the 31 soldiers, 20 had been involved in Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) … Read more
Mule Train Mail: Mickey Duniho on the Hand County Audits in Pima County
by Mickey Duniho When SB1557 was first passed in 2006, Pima County’s attorney told the Board of Supervisors that it would be illegal for them to do a hand-count of the September Primary Election because the new law had not been completely approved by the US Justice Department. Despite a last-minute plea the day before … Read more
Next Morning Ruminations about the TUSD Board Meeting
by David Safier I got off one shot before my camera went bad. It was a Tucson Media Circus out there last night. Here are a few bits and pieces I didn’t have time to write about, including some thoughts about the whole process from Mark Stegeman, who is running for School Board. • The … Read more
McCain Gets a Pass From Arizona News Media – Update
Posted by: AzBlueMeanie The Arizona Daily Star published a letter to the editor on April 29, 2008 regarding the New York Times article "A Developer, His Deals and His Ties to McCain." Brian Sowle wrote: "I was certainly expecting to see the story the following morning in the Star. But no, the Times of New … Read more
