Friedman on teachers, education

by David Safier Tom Friedman infuriates me again and again when he writes about geopolitics, and especially the Middle East. But when his subjects are the environment and education, he may get a little utopian, but he can be right on the money in the direction he wants us to move. Sunday's op ed was … Read more

Comment on “Laptops” post

by David Safier I wrote yesterday about freshmen at Desert View and Sunnyside High School getting free laptops. As AZW88 commented at the end of the post, most of the money and equipment for this program has been donated, but he notes one prominent company which hasn't participated. Companies and organizations have donated tons of … Read more

Now this is surprising, and hopeful

by David Safier Listen to what John McCain said on Fox, according to Sam Stein, writing on Huffington Post: Reverting to the role of Republican foil that made him an unpopular figure for many conservatives, John McCain argued on Friday that historical circumstances should compel his GOP colleagues to work closely with Barack Obama. "There … Read more

This can’t be good for Arizona ELL

by David Safier The Arizona fight over ELL funding is going all the way to the Supremes. The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to step into a long-running lawsuit in Arizona over funding for services to English-language learners. The justices accepted appeals from legislative leaders and the state schools superintendent of lower-court rulings that Arizona … Read more

Laptops to high school freshmen

by David Safier Here's a story that feels good and probably is good. The long awaited day to give computers to freshmen at Desert View and Sunnyside High School arrived, and 505 students are now proud owners of brand spankin' new HP laptops. Here's how the program works. To earn a laptop, they had to … Read more