New Study: Whole-Language High Jinks
Check out an important new publication from reading expert Louisa Moats of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, on how whole-language reading programs have made their way into classrooms under the guise of being research-based.
Seat belt laws trivialize law enforcement
In the book Go Directly to Jail: The Criminalization of Almost Everything, author James V. DeLong writes, “When the government criminalizes almost everything, it also trivializes the very concept of criminality.”
A perfect example of this is Senate Bill 151, the primary seat belt law currently under consideration in the Colorado Legislature. Far from a legitimate public safety measure, this law is little more than a finger-wagging nanny state edict, with high potential to distract police from their public safety mission in favor of trivial enforcement of unpopular personal behavior.
The Train Drain: Brookings Institution on Rail Transit in America
The Brookings Institution is America’s oldest public policy think tank. Based in Washington, DC, it is well-respected and generally considered to be moderate-liberal in orientation. As American Enterprise Institute is informally considered a place for Republican office-holders to reside when out of power, so Brookings is regarded for Democratic icons.
Universal School Choice Law in Utah: Non-Public School Scholarships Available for Every K-12 Student by 2020
Utah Governor Huntsman signs into law a landmark bill allowing K-12 students access to scholarships for non-public schools.
HB 1072 attacks individual workers' rights
A controversial legislative proposal debated this week in the State Senate clearly attacks the rights of individual workers.
Having won approval in the House chamber, union leaders and their legislative supporters appear poised to rob non-union employees of the simple opportunity to vote before their paychecks can be raided. House Bill 1072 would remove a vital protection in the Colorado Labor Peace Act.
Offer greater school choice in Colorado
Gov. Ritter’s inaugural address stated a worthy goal: “To provide employers the best educated workforce in the nation, reduce the dropout rate, and close the achievement gap.” The governor should start with looking at the most successful public schools in the state. If he did so, he could see that school choice increases student achievement. The logical next step would be to place the public school system in the hands of “professional parents.”
Benigno Calls for More School Choice to Increase Student Achievement
Pam Benigno explains why Colorado lawmakers should expand school choice and opportunities for parents to take charge of their children’s education.
