by David Safier Do between 1% and 3% of teachers cheat to boost their students' scores on standardized tests? Or is it more like 4% to 5%? And how many administrators encourage test score manipulation by their staff or even pull out the eraser themselves at the end of the school day? A NY Times … Read more
by David Safier Ever since Reagan, the conservative mantra has been: First, starve government; Then, use lack of funding to kill social programs and weaken public sector unions. "It's not that we want to do terrible things to poor people. We promise we won't shred the safety net. It's just that we don't have the … Read more
by David Safier A march is planned for Saturday in Phoenix. Hispanic leaders are calling for a Day of Action against Senate Bill 1070. Leaders say they are expecting tens of thousands of marchers to stand up against Arizona's new immigration law that has raised tension across the U.S. [snip] Marchers will meet at Indian … Read more
by David Safier The stakes on high stakes tests keeps rising. Teachers' salaries and jobs hang in the balance. Schools' funding, and even their existence, can be jeopardized by bad test scores. So it's not surprising there have been a number of stories about schools cheating on standardized tests. Here's the latest. City and state … Read more
by David Safier The Pima County Democratic Party has given Al Melvin his very own week, devoted to his, shall we say, "Greatest Hits." As a Melvin watcher, I know the Pima Dems have their work cut out for them trying to choose from the voluminous record of howlers and mouth dropping votes Melvin has … Read more