The Knucklehead Of The Day

I guess the name of the alleged perpetrator was withheld to protect the stupid guilty: PITTSBURGH -- A local mother is outraged after a teacher allegedly gave her 14-year-old daughter a sexually explicit poem.It's called "How Do You Make Love to a Black Woman?"The Murray Accelerated Learning Academy teacher reportedly gave the student the poem after class.The poem includes graphic language.The

Carnival-Carnival

The 108th edition of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by Dr. Homeslice) has opened-up this week's roundup of exhibits from throughout the EduSphere.For extra EduCredit, see what the homies are up to over at this week's edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. --------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

Today's Non Sequitur

And I thought that only stupid spoiled slutty young would-be American "artistes" such as the lamentable Paris Hilton and that possibly certainly certifiable whackjob Britney Spears boasted of going knickerless in public.Veteran British actress Helen Mirren has proven that notion to be incorrect.Didn't someone once mention that our Transatlantic Cousins were supposed to have better manners if not

Giving Homework The Heave-Ho

One San Francisco-area elementary is radically re-thinking homework: A Menlo Park elementary school is saying no to homework for some of its students. The kids, and most parents and teachers like the idea.First graders spend a good six hours a day doing school work -- what they do after school should not include homework. That's the decision made last October by the principal of Oak Knoll

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 108th midway of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by Dr. Homeslice) are due today. Please email them to: drhomeslice [at] hotmail [dot] com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern), 6:00 PM (Pacific). Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Right Wing Nut House took first place with A Rock, a Hard Place, and the

Making Motion But Making Little Progress

Joanne Jacobs:High school seniors’ reading proficiency didn’t improve from 2002 to 2005 and declined from 1992 to 2005, according to the new Nation’s Report Card from NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). In math, less than a quarter of students tested as proficient in 2005. Since 1992, the percentage of 12th graders reading at or above the basic level has slipped from 80 percent to

Let's Carnival!

The 107th edition of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by History Is Elementary) has opened-up the midway with a variety of exhibits and sideshows from across the EduSphere.Round-out your Educational Experience by seeing what the homies are up to over at this week's edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. --------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

An Observation On Our EduTimes

Why is it that so many would-be EduReformers (who are so quick to criticise our public schools) would never consider going into a classroom and actually work with children themselves?We weren't the first one to notice....Some of us who do serve children on a daily basis continue to be amazed at the horde large number of non-teaching teaching experts that are out there.Maybe it would do many of '

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 107th midway of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by History Is Elementary) are due today. Please email them to: historyiselementary [at] yahoo [dot] com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than Midnight (Eastern), 9:00 PM (Pacific). Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Bookworm Room took first place with San Francisco Has Bigger Scandals Than a

Wonkitorial Comment: New York's Santa Spitzer

New York's governor Eliot Spitzer is promising some $1.5 billion in additional funding for that state's troubled school system.Actually, the $1.5 is the first installment of a projected increase of $7.0 billion over the next four years.It's just too bad that Santa Governor Spitzer doesn't also address a basic, more fundamental problem that needs to be solved before New York's schools can make the

The Carnival Of Education: Week 106

Welcome to the 106th edition of The Carnival Of Education! We are delighted that the Midway has returned home.This Valentine's Day collection of exhibits from around the EduSphere represents a very wide variety of political and educational viewpoints. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries were submitted by the writers themselves.If you have a website and are interested in hosting an

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 106th midway of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by us here at The Education Wonks) are due today. Please email them to: owlshome (at) earthlink (dot) net . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern), 6:00 PM (Pacific). Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: American Future took first place with Who Is George Soros?Non-Council

Students Using IM-Speak 4 School Speak

When doing their academic writing more and more students are having difficulty expressing themselves in an appropriate voice, reports the Associated Press: Middle school teacher Julia Austin is noticing a new generation of errors creeping into her pupils' essays.Sure, they still commit the classic blunders -- like the commonly used "ain't." But an increasing number of Austin's eighth-graders also

Getting The Grown-ups To Grow-up

Some Florida schools are doing everything in their power to get parents to visit their campuses: Get a whiff of this: bacon and eggs, grits and toast, at Middleton High School on Monday morning.Hillsborough County schools are rolling out the red carpets for parents this month. Such invites are out from many schools for parents to join their child for breakfast - including a Sweetheart Breakfast

Changing Times In The School Lunch Line

In an effort to improve lunchline efficiency, some elementary schools in Maryland's Frederick County are resorting to so-called modern methods that would befuddle many adults: Some can’t find their money, some forget their pin codes and others don’t remember how to say in English what they want for lunch.Whatever the reason, many Frederick County elementary school students do not move through

It's A Fine Day To Visit A Carnival!

The 105th midway of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by over at This Week In Education) has opened its turnstiles with a variety of exhibits and sideshows from all over the EduSphere.Don't forget to check out what the homies are up to over at this week's edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. --------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

An Observation About The Punctuality-Challenged

Have you ever noticed that it always appears to be the same people who can't seem to get to a staff meeting on time?And have you ever noticed that these habitually-late individuals always seem to have the most habitually-plausable of excuses for their habitual lateness?Why is that? -----------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 105th midway of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week over at Alexander Russo's This Week In Education) are due today. Please email them to: thisweekineducation (at) gmail (dot) com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern), 6:00 PM (Pacific). Contributions should include your site's name, the title of

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Right Wing Nut House took first place with 9/11: Just a Real Bad

When Teachers Catch The Chalkboard Flu

Embroiled in a long-running dispute over salaries and working conditions, half of the teachers in Lansing, Michigan, called in sick today: The debate over Lansing teacher contracts looks like it's far from over. 521 teachers that have already called in sick, that according to a spokesperson for the Lansing school district who spoke with 6 News.That's approximately half of all Lansing teachers and

Is Punishing AWOL Parents The Way To Go?

A proposed Texas law would fine parents who waste a teacher's time miss a scheduled parent-teacher conference: AUSTIN, Texas -- Parents beware: Miss a meeting with your child's teacher and it could cost you a $500 fine and a criminal record.A Republican state lawmaker from Baytown has filed a bill that would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for playing

Was This Teacher "Framed" By A Computer Run Amok?

Former substitute teacher Julie Amero has been tried and convicted of allowing seventh graders to view pornographic material in her Connecticut classroom. Amero faces up to 40 years in the slammer.Proclaiming her innocence, Amero says that it was the popups: (via Huffington Post) On October 19, 2004, Julie Amero arrived at Kelly Middle School to teach a 7th grade language arts class. Mr. Matthew