7/31/12
Education Policy Center Newsletter July 31, 2012
— Space Available Thursday for John Corcoran Brown Bag Lunch Event
— Dougco Teachers Union Still Waiting for Governor’s Decision
— DeGrow Comments, Adds Context to School Funding Debates
— Eddie Returns from Vacation, Blogging Strong
Let’s Treat Irreplaceables (Teachers, Not Cartoon Superheroes) Accordingly
One of the themes my Education Policy Center friends and I like to harp on is how poorly most of our K-12 system does in distinguishing high-quality educators from their low-performing counterparts. And the problem is especially pronounced in low-income urban communities, where tremendous need exists for great instruction to compensate for the challenges more […]
August 14, 2012 Energy Debate Series for Women. #1 Fracking. Is it safe?
An Energy Debate for Women Fracking. Is it safe? Tuesday August 14, 2012 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM RSVP to 303-279-6536 x118 or Cherish@i2i.org
“You’ll Be Given Cushy Jobs”
Mame Reiley, a professional political activist who supports liberal Democratic causes in Virginia, recently resigned from the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority (WMAA), the entity that is extending Metrorail to the Dulles Airport. Immediately upon resigning, the authority hired her as an “advisor” and will pay her $180,000 a year. Since […]
Why Colorado has a Huge Fiscal Incentive to Opt Out of Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion – Forbes
Medicaid expansion will cause state budgets to explode. Matching funds won’t last. New ease of enrolling will bring many eligible people out of the woodwork. Very costly. Continue reading
Let’s Put Together Good Ideas to Improve How We Hold K-12 Schools Accountable
More than 10 years after Washington, D.C., gave us the No Child Left Behind era, the issue of educational accountability is returning to the forefront. How do we measure and attribute school success (or failure)? Who should be held accountable, and how should that accountability be shared? What should be the consequences, both positive and […]
Paul Hsieh, MD on how to survive socialized medicine
With ObamaCare confirmed by the Supreme Court, what can a person do to preserve his health under America’s increasingly socialized system of medical care? Continue reading
Opportunity Culture Promotes Smarter K-12 Spending through Teaching Enhancement
Edublogger extraordinaire Joanne Jacobs brought my attention to Opportunity Culture, a new website project of the group Public Impact. The idea? How to extend the reach of excellent teachers with innovative uses of time, space, technology and professional roles. Opportunity Culture has a smart group of people advising the project, and of course Public Impact […]
Obamacare Decision Suggests U.S. Malpractice Bill Unconstitutional
Little-noticed amid the commentary on the Supreme Court’s health care decision is the decision’s blow to congressional efforts to federalize medical malpractice law—a potential element of the Republican plan to “replace Obamacare.” Medical malpractice cases, like most areas of civil justice, traditionally are judged by state courts under state law rather than by the national […]
Because $117 Billion Wasn’t Expensive Enough
In 2010, Amtrak proposed to spend $117 billion to upgrade its Boston-to-Washington high-speed rail corridor. This idea was so unrealistically expensive that the Antiplanner called it “gold-plated high-speed rail.” Apparently, Amtrak wants platinum plating instead, as its 2012 update to the proposal has raised the cost to $151 billion. This includes some additional bells and […]
Insurance with HSAs gain popularity, but authorities want to ban them
It figures. Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs, have been so successful at reducing the cost of health care, the ObamaCare people are out to get them.” Continue reading
Will Hick’s $10,000 from AFT Affect Dougco Intervention Decision?
Five weeks have passed since the Douglas County Federation of Teachers (DCFT) filed a request with the Colorado Department of Labor to intervene and protect the union’s monopoly power. The clock is still ticking. What is Hick going to do? Labor Department executive director Ellen Golombek’s longstanding ties to the AFL-CIO — the DCFT’s mother union — have been well established. But ultimately the decision rests with her boss, Governor John Hickenlooper.
