by David Safier I doubt "Even Robert Robb" will become a running feature on BfA, though I would love to see it happen, but . . . Even Robert Robb thinks Brewer and Horne are hypocrites and idiots with their countersuit of the feds over immigration. Robb is a Republic columnist of the conservative persuasion … Read more
by David Safier I just watched a DVD of "HOWL," a film about Allen Ginsberg in the 1950s, his first reading of HOWL and the obscenity trial that followed. James Franco gives a marvelous, understated performance as Ginsberg (in the days he had a full head of hair), and the film is filled with recognizable … Read more
by David Safier
Reader and commenter Phillip D sent me a lengthy commentary on my post about TUSD's strategy of firing everyone at Rincon and Palo Verde high schools, then hiring back half the teachers. His opinion is, the single most important hire may be the principal.
Here is a short excerpt from what he wrote. You can read the whole thing after the jump.
It’s hard not to conclude that since great teachers are not going to be walking in off the street [to teach at Rincon and Palo Verde] and, like you pointed out, great teachers will not move in from other schools (let's face it, schools have a quarterback problem), it is the principal's responsibility to make sure teachers are not only teaching specific performance objectives from the state standards, but they are given development time to analyze data and prepare lesson plans that will improve scores. In an underperforming school, therefore, it seems like even if most teachers would recoil from what could be perceived as an overreaching, overbearing inappropriate micro-managing, the principal need to take the extra step of making sure the state standards are being taught effectively and making sure methods and protocols are in place in the classroom that will lead to success. The principal is a key factor, more so than usually thought. Again, this is what modern education in Arizona looks like.
by David Safier Yesterday I wrote about a proposed 50% increase in the amount each person can give as a private school tuition tax credit. (Note, by the way, the bill doesn't offer a similar increase in the public school tax credit, which is already less than half the private school amount.) But I also … Read more
by David Safier First the part of HB 2581 I understand. If passed, this bill would allow individuals to raise their yearly private school tuition tax credit contributions from $500 to $750 — a 50% hike. That means a couple's contribution would go from $1,000 to $1,500. Since every dollar of tax credit is a … Read more