Nine Shift

Teachers, no surprise, resist accountability

Teachers are resisting accountability.
Now Schools of Education are resisting accountability.

Here's a great story on how schools of education do not want any independent evaluation.
Now, the proposed US News survey may very well be a lousy evaluation tool, but schools of education could come up with their own criteria.

Right now Schools of Education admit students with below average academic success, graduate them without providing the necessary skills and knowledge to teach in the 21st century, and then watch as a huge percentage of them drop out of teaching within 5 years, another major wasted expense in education. 

Teacher accountability is coming.  So is accountability for Schools of Education.

Time to Celebrate High Gas Prices Again

As the price goes over $4 here, am celebrating high gas prices again.

It can only mean fewer deaths, less pollution, and discussion on transportation.

Some 70% of our oil imports are wasted on cars, killing the environment.
And Americans, just 4% of the world's population, contribute almost 25% of the world's pollution.

Democrats and Republicans alike are clueless and equally to blame for destroying our planet and our children's futures.

Eventually we will switch to trains and save lives, the environment, and time.  Til then, the voters are getting what they asked for- - - high gas prices. 

Photos: Top, me this week. Bottom: in 2008

Wisconsin Protests: Tears are Shed

Our town’s local recall office is not only the site for activism and volunteering.  It is also a place where people go to tell Julie their stories, often in tears.  Here’s three:

*A teacher, in tears, tells how she would like to keep teaching, but with all the cuts, she is afraid of losing her retirement benefits.  Like hundreds of other teachers, she reluctantly retires.

*An unemployment man comes in with a 50 page study a consultant did for the county, afterwhich the county cut his wife’s social work pay by $15,000 a year.  Family hardship, bitterness, promises not kept.

*A school librarian, and childhood friend, says that her school system is now eliminating all school librarians, destroying what she spent 30 years building.

Photo: More tears than kisses. Julie in the local recall office.

Wisconsin Protests: A Day to Celebrate

One day of celebration and victory.

At an outdoor rally locally, volunteers announced that they had collected 24,000 signatures to recall State Senator Sheila Harsdorf in this rural conservative part of the state.  Only 15,600 were needed for the recall.

The next day a five car caravan went to the State Capital to turn in the petitions to the Government Accounting Bureau.

In just our county (one of four), some 58 people volunteered their time. There were no paid organizers in our county.  So there must have been over 100 volunteers throughout the senate district.  Much happiness on a job well done.

  Photo: TV cameras even showed up for the local announcement

Wisconsin Protests: Recall Still "On"

Back from a 25th anniversary in Paris (with my wife), we find the recall effort and Wisconsin protests still "on."

* There's a big van and people with signs on Main Street still urging people to sign the Recall petition for our State Senator Sheila Harsdorf.

* New this week:  our local radio station is so full of ads for Harsdorf, it's hard to listen to the station right now.  Big question: who is paying for all those ads?  Not-so-big guess: Koch Brothers and other out-of-state rich people.  Certainly means Harsdorf is worried- - the recall petition signatures haven't even been submitted, and she's campaigning already.

* Growing confidence that the recall petitions have reached or exceeded the required numbers. The recall office in River Falls is still being staffed by volunteers daily. 

* Put up my daily sign again. After 4 inches of snow today's sign reads "Cheer Up. Spring and Recall Coming."   Had it up 2 seconds and guy drives by and honks and waves his approval.

(I got other secret news, waiting for approval to share with you.)  Photo: My sign for Sunday

Wisconsin Protests: Support from Victories Past

100 years ago U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette fought an uphill battle (and won) to allow citizens to participate in the democractic process.

100 years ago:
* Only a few rich men owned half the wealth in the country (just like today)
* Citizens could not find out how their Senators and Congressman voted.
* People could not elect their U.S. Senators.
* Citizens could not have referendums, or recall elections.

La Follette, called "Fighting Bob," won most of his battles eventually. And we can draw on the fights of progressives in 1911 as support for the fights of citizens in 2011. 

Latest Unemployment Numbers

No unemployment!  Gone!  Happy days are..... 
well, IF you have a college degree.

6% unemployment is historically "full employment" according to government folks and economists.

So here's the latest numbers:

4.4 %    for people with a 4 year college degree

7.4%    for people with some college, like a 2 year degree

9.5%    for people with a high school degree

13.7%  for people with less than a high school degree

Source: New York Times, April 2, 2011.

Economists are now coming up with fancy terms to describe what we predicted in our book ten years ago:  that a high school degree is not adequate in the Knowledge Society.  Not even a 2 year college degree is enough. They call it "structural unemployment" or "bifurcation."  Sounds complex. It means: Get a college degree.

Since 80% of Gen Y surveyed say they want a 4 year degree, even kids without a college degree know more about the economics of this century than the economists.  Photo: Your blogger here after applyinig for a basketball scholarship

Martin Luther King Would Have Supported the Wisconsin Protests

From Memphis to Madison is how it was billed.

Last week marked the anniversary of the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN.
He was advocating for the right of garbage workers to unionize.

So two garbage workers who went on strike in 1968, plus Jesse Jackson, met to commemorate King's death - - they met in Madison, Wisconsin.

Rev King's son, Jackson and the workers all said Dr. King would have supported the Wisconsin Protests.  He was working on behalf of the working man and woman when he died.   Thank you Dr. King. Thank you workers.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Wisconsin Protests: It's Back to the Recall

The day after the big State Supreme Court elections, Recall volunteers are back at it.

While the news media is reporting that $67,000 is being spent on the Recall effort on Senator Harsdorf, there is no big money coming into the River Falls office, one of the hot spots.  People are still donating cokes, computers, printing flyers with their own money.

The rumor is that there are enough petitions signed to do a Recall Election with Senator Harsdorf. I like rumors.

Wisconsin Protests: 100 Years Ago This Week

100 years ago this week Teddy Roosevelt first announced his support for Recall Legislation, the ability of voters to recall an elected official. I love how history rhymes.

He announced his support in Madison, Wisconsin.   How's that for history repeating itself?

Recall Legislation was advocated by U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette, from Wisconsin !

Recall Legislation was not passed until 1926 in Wisconsin, after both Roosevelt and La Follette had died.  But it passed.  And 100 years later we are benefitting from their advocacy of democracy. Note: Both Roosevelt and La Follette were Republicans.  This is NOT about "politics."