Arpaio hearts Huppenthal for Ed Supe

by David SafierOur friends on the right over at Sonoran Alliance are thrilled to announce, "Arizona's most popular elected official endorses Sen. John Huppenthal for Schools Superintendent." That may be a good thing for Hupp's primary chances. It looks like he and Rep. Rich Crandall may be squaring off for the Republican spot — the … Read more

K12 Inc. school in Philadelphia accused of fraud

by David SafierIf you've been reading BfA for awhile, you know I ran a series of investigative posts about the charter, Arizona Virtual Academy, which is one of a group of nationwide online schools run by K12 Inc. What I had found was that the school and others in the system were outsourcing student papers … Read more

Four year community colleges?

by David SafierHigher education is not my specialty, so I offer this for discussion without taking much of a position one way or the other. Should we turn some of Arizona's two year community colleges into four year, Bachelors Degree granting institutions? It's happening elsewhere. On the plus side, a four year college education would … Read more

Bye bye, Encarta

by David Safier I was never a big encyclopedia fan — the 25 volume Britannica I grew up with in my living room pretty much gathered dust in my literate household — but the end of Encarta, Microsoft's digital encyclopedia, merits notice. In the internet age, it no longer serves much purpose. Its last gasp … Read more