Branding Yourself a Maverick

After listening to the VP debates where Palin tossed around the word “maverick” like she was a Coca Cola exec throwing “Coke” into every other sentence, I figured it was time to revisit the meaning and implications of the term. The basic definition of “maverick” is an unbranded range animal. So when you wear it … Read more

Auditing TUSD

by David Safier (TASL) I’ve never been one to go after school districts for misspending funds. It tends to be a red herring used by people who are looking for an excuse not to give schools any more money. It seems to me, any multi-million dollar organization is going to have a certain amount of … Read more

Is Thackery Following the 2008 Race?

by David Safier Last night, as I was reading William Makepeace Thackery’s Vanity Fair (Give me a break! I’m a retired English teacher, OK? And the last time I read it was as a high school junior. Good book, by the way), I came across a passage that’s as true of today’s political scene as … Read more

Do You Haiku?

by David Safier Get your haiku on Palin and/or McCain published in The Nation. Really. People For the American Way is looking for some great haikus about John McCain and Sarah Palin! Three winners will have their haikus published in the Nation magazine. Other prizes will be announced. Ten finalists will be chosen and then … Read more

Mr. Number Asks: Does the State Give AZVA Too Much Money?

by David Safier NOTE: You can read all my posts on the topic of AZVA, K12 Inc. and outsourcing here. If you only want to read one post, this is the one that pulls most of the threads together. (TASL) Arizona Virtual Academy is a charter school that educates its students online, yet it gets … Read more