Marc Comtois
As we’ve learned, the state American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union has decided to support Race to the Top (RTTT). It isn’t too much of a leap to see the link between the recent Central Falls agreement and the AFT sign on, but there also can be little doubt that rank-and-file teachers remain skeptical about…
Reading the Sunday ProJo, I noticed the weird picture of a normal looking business-type guy smiling alongside a couple others dressed in suits, but with dinosaur heads. The picture accompanied a piece explaining how the London theatre crowd was aghast that American audiences just didn’t get the London hit play Enron. Basically, according to the…
Rick Hess at EdWeek interviewed RI Ed. Commissioner Deborah Gist in light of the recent agreement between Central Falls teachers and Superintendent Frances Gallo. Hess’ focus was on the importance of a good evaluation system for making reform work. Rick Hess: The deal turns critically on the teacher evaluation component that’ll be introduced next year…
The anecdotes provided by John DePetro in this piece are, unfortunately, entirely predictable: Callers from North Providence were calling in to my show on WPRO regarding the FBI arresting three members from the council. Some of the comments: * “It wasn’t taxpayer money they took.” * “25 grand ain’t a lot of money. It ain’t…
October 14, 2005. The White House [needs to] recognize that, in the absence of any judicial record on her part, in the absence of any significant work that she appears to have done related to Constitutional issues, that she is going to need to be more forthcoming and the White House is going to need…
Boston’s Mayor Menino made one of his typical gaffes the other day when he was describing such “ionic” Boston sports moments like that time Varitek split the uprights for the Patriots. The Assistant Village Idiot (an “iconic” title 😉 explained that the sports-knowledge and vocabulary deficiency that Menino displayed is an indicator about politicians’ knowledge…
New (Citadel?) media site GoLocalProv has compiled a ranking of the Rhode Island Public High Schools. The top 10 comprise some of the usual suspects and some that may surprise: 1) East Greenwich 2) Block Island 3) Narragansett 4) Barrington 5) South Kingstown 6) Classical 7) Exeter-West Greenwich 8) Lincoln 9) Middletown 10) Mt. Hope…
In a video posted today (at the previously-unknown-to-me RIDETV website), RI Education Commissioner Deborah Gist speaks directly to educators regarding Race to the Top (RTTT) and how, regardless of whether or not RI wins this round of RTTT, there will be a new teacher evaluation system implemented. The system will be used to evaluate all…
In his latest, Victor Davis Hanson admits that he’s beating a dead horse when it comes to “media polarities” that “are getting to the point of absurdity.” Perhaps so, but its worth taking stock every now and again and doing the ol’ compare and contrast: Bush, the lazy golfer while we were at war; Obama…
Blogger Mickey Kaus is running for U.S. senator in the Democratic primary in California and thinks its time for the Democratic Party to re-think their relationship with unions (h/t). It’s time for Democrats, even liberal Democrats, to start looking at unions and unionism with deep skepticism. I don’t mean we should embrace the right-wing view…