Category Archives: Education

Warren’s Very Good College Affordability Program

Posted on April 23, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a very good college affordability plan. In terms of tuition and expenses, her plan would do the following: That’s why I’m proposing a historic new federal investment in public higher education that will … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Education, Year of Jubilee | 1 Comment

Schools In The Richest Nation On Earth

Posted on April 22, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

This, from Montgomery County, MD, one of the richest counties in the U.S., is disheartening (boldface mine): When Abbe Milstein’s eldest daughter started at Luxmanor Elementary, the classrooms were roomy. But when her two other children enrolled several years later, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Housing | 1 Comment

Governance And D.C.’s School System

Posted on April 9, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

While he was writing about mass transit policy, the issue about governance raised by Jacob Abinder applies more generally (boldface mine): It does not accommodate the notion that a major transit agency might itself be a political actor, with goals … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, DC, Education | Comments Off on Governance And D.C.’s School System

If Radical Centrists Keep Proposing Mediocre Policies, 2020’s Primaries Will Be A Lot Like 2016’s

Posted on January 4, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

And that’s not a particularly good thing. Speaking of not particularly good things, Virginia governor and possible presidential hopeful Terry McAuliffe had this to say about free college tuition: Listen, I like the idea of free college, but there is … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Education, Fucking Morons | 2 Comments

The Collateral Damage Of IMPACT

Posted on November 28, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve often noted how high-stakes testing in K-12 education collides with Campbell’s Law, whether it be fraud or how students are treated in class. But this in-depth look at a D.C. public school shows how much standardized testing, in this … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Education | Comments Off on The Collateral Damage Of IMPACT

Campbell’s Law And Student Test Scores

Posted on October 10, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

No one could have possibly foreseen this (boldface mine): Thirty years ago, the public schools in Prince George’s County, Md., were hailed as symbols of success. Their students ranked in the 70th percentile nationally in reading and math. Prince George’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 1 Comment

The Problem Kavanaugh Faces After His Thursday Testimony

Posted on September 28, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

All hail the women on the left. The problem Kavanaugh faces is this: To believe Kavanaugh, GenXers who went to college in the 1980s have to completely ignore their own experiences. Colleges, especially the elite ones, were permeated with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Booze, Education, Resistance Rebellion And Death | 4 Comments

One Basic Problem For Math Literacy

Posted on September 27, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

The Washington Post has a very good piece about math literacy and how it affects minority students. Unfortunately, the column focuses too much on attitudes–which do matter–and not enough on why students can’t do math. That is, what are students … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Mathematics | 3 Comments

The Strange Silence Of Education Reformers

Posted on September 25, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Despite the ‘education reform’ movement’s fetishization of the Common Core curriculum*, they never seem to defend the integrity of school curricula. Today’s episode in non-reaction comes from Arizona (boldface mine): Arizona Superintendent Diane Douglas tapped a young-earth creationist to serve … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Creationism, Education | Comments Off on The Strange Silence Of Education Reformers

Opposition To Education Reform

Posted on June 6, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

In a New Republic article about education reform, which discusses how Democratic primary candidate Cynthia Nixon is using opposition to education reform as a successful issue against New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, the opposition to education reform among Democrats … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Education | Comments Off on Opposition To Education Reform