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These new guidelines from the Virginia Board of Education are a perfect example of passing the buck....when the board initially created these guidelines in January, they were very explicit and strict and there was a lot of backlash to it.(http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2011/01_jan/agenda_items/item_j.pdf) Now if you read the March guidelines, you can clearly see that the board is now asking local boards to define and create policies regarding social networking interactions between students and staff. Seems similar to feds asking states to define mandates, doesn't it?

Scary...

Looks like corporate creep to me...

Indeed, Republican pollsters have advised GOP candidates repeatedly in recent years to avoid calling for the end of the federal Department of Education, largely because it gives the appearance of hostility towards public education, which is thought to be an electoral loser for Republicans. And yet, here we are. Republicans aren't just criticizing public schools, they're overtly calling for the institution's complete elimination. This isn't something they're embarrassed about; these GOP voices are stating the goal plainly, as if there's a genuine appetite among voters to scrap the entirety of the American public education system. All of this, by the way, comes against the backdrop of Republican governors slashing funds for public schools, and even the reinvigoration of the school voucher movement, which has been largely dormant for years.

I am speechless...and that doesn't happen very often. Though I agree that schools have become a means for a lot of propaganda, I don't believe it is the same light as they do. Wow, so what would the American children do with themselves? Are they going to pay stay-at-home moms teacher salaries? Ha...

Even if this is distorted and only half of the information is true... the education reform initiatives enacted by the new governor are atrocious. Yet, you gotta wonder... didn't the voters realize that you reap what you sow? What were they thinking when they elected the man who was CEO of the company that was fined $1.7B--the largest fine of its kind in history--for Medicare and Medicaid fraud? Ethics and social justice were clearly not part of his vocabulary.

Schwartz makes a very VALUED POINT! When will stop debating and really address the issue at HAND. The future of our children are at STAKE here!! He makes 5 points: 1. Stop talking and writing 2. Read and listen to opposing and alternative viewpoints from diverse groups of stakeholders including teachers, students, parents, communities other than your own, union leaders, business leaders, administrators, superintendents, et. al. 3. Process it all in continued silence. This is not about writing comments to a blog post or releasing a study to counter what that other study you read found or even a quick retort with your rehearsed line. Really take it in and think about where it fits within your framework for what it's going to take to help our teachers help our students. 4. Think about how your experiences as a student and perhaps your experiences as a parent of a student have shaped and even biased your views on what our schools need. 5. Resume your writing and speaking being mindful to take time-outs to listen and think.

This fits into our Week 11 --- really thinking. This opinion piece states exactly how I feel right now....and I bet a bunch of others, as well.

Mad power hungry movements towards monopolizing and privatizing education under one person's torch.

Offers a pointed finger for why our education system is collapsing in upon itself. The author provided connections between teaching and curriculum to business and corporate influence. He used powerful quotes by teachers decrying how they feel like frauds telling their kids that what they are learning will prepare them for life.

Gerard Robinson (the Secretary of Education in Virginia) joined Chiefs for Change... along with a number of other governors from the south. Oh, yes and Chris Christy.