More on Social Promotion

by David Safier Part 3 of the Star series on social promotion offers up some possible remedies, but as always when it comes to education, they are thin gruel. Not that they’re not good ideas and they won’t work. Not that they shouldn’t be done. But all of them have been done before. Sometimes they … Read more

In Praise of High School Students

by David Safier I spend a lot of pixels criticizing School Boards and Superintendents and the Arizona Legislature. (Have you ever thought how many pixels had to die, how many ones and zeros were cut down in their prime, to create this post? It’s horrifying!) But I can’t remember bad mouthing any students in my … Read more

New ELL Research Trumps Horne’s Old ELL “Research”

by David Safier I’m no expert on ELL education, and I won’t play “Expert” here. I honestly don’t know the best way to teach students who aren’t proficient in English. But I do know the controversy that raged in Arizona over bilingual vs. English Immersion instruction. EI won. According to Tom Horne, his decision to … Read more

Fitz Nails the Arizona Anti-Education Crowd

by David Safier Today’s Daily Fitz in the Star. (Noteworthy: Great party/event last night, linking Drinking Liberally and Smoking Conservatively. About 70 people there (a “conservative estimate,” in honor of the right wing attendees), a mixture of Ds, Rs, Is (Independents) and Ls (Libertarians). Lots of candidates of various stripes as well. A love fest, … Read more