Grade Inflation: Diamonds or Rhinestones
Editors: The column this week is for immediate release to accommodate holiday schedules. (573 words with optional cut). by Clarence R. Deitsch, Ph.D. and T. Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. Colleges and universities routinely produce lots of things, including evidence about their students’ accomplishments and credentials. Students’ athletic achievements, for example, are reported with fanfare and Read the full article…
No Way to Pick a President
For release May 25 and thereafter (664 words) Bring back the smoke-filled rooms, please. Without the smoke. Thoughtful deliberation by political insiders intent on winning the general election would produce far better candidates for president than the mass-media vetting process we use now. Mitch Daniels decided against a run for the White House because his Read the full article…
The Colts and Zimbabwean Eco-Devo
For release noon May 18 and thereafter (673 words) A friend with an office in the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Building, a poor man’s John Galt from “Atlas Shrugged,” has a poster on his wall that could be signed by Ayn Rand herself — a framed copy of “Zimbabwean Corn Production 1975-2007.” His explanation to Read the full article…
Indiana Textbook Reform
For release May 11 and thereafter (665 words) School Superintendent Tony Bennett wasn’t exaggerating when he declared, “From top to bottom, it’s a new world for Indiana schools.” Even textbooks won’t look the same. House Bill 1429, which passed the House 80-11 and the Senate 40-9, didn’t get the attention that went to vouchers, charter Read the full article…
This Recession’s Innocents
For release May 4 and thereafter (511 words) It will take years for scholars to fully understand the extent and severity of the 2007-2009 recession. For certain, though, children being raised by parents unable to find work earning income sufficient for a family’s needs will carry long-term psychological effects. Until now, such household catastrophes were Read the full article…
Now Indiana Schools Can Change
Senate Bill 575, the first of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ education-reform measures to get his signature, may end up being the most transformative. It’s all in the hands of Indiana schools. The law limits collective bargaining with teacher unions to salaries and wage-related items. This will empower 310 schools — their boards, superintendents and principals — Read the full article…
