Comments for Jay P. Greene's Blog

Comment on Florida’s Grammar Controversy by Student of History

Student of History — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:17:04 +0000

Ann-

I am going to write a post in a week or so explaining how the entire concept of what constitutes student achievement is modified under common core. It is generally coming in under growth language in the state waiver applications under NCLB. The growth though is not academic as traditionally understood.

Several states already have legislation changing the measurement to Growth, notably Nevada. Which made Las Vegas and Reno good places to pilot the most radical forms of outcomes-based education. Using computers for the vo-tech element this time.

Also on NAEP, Bev Eakman’s Cloning of the American Mind from the mid-1990s does yeoman’s work describing what NAEP is really about and what Ralph Tyler was really trying to do with it. It remains pertinent to what the formative assessments are really doing under Common Core.

Comment on Florida’s Grammar Controversy by Ann In L.A.

Ann In L.A. — Sat, 26 May 2012 19:17:02 +0000

It begs another question: if the Common Core reduces or leaves unchanged student achievement, and with the political and financial price paid to implement the Core, will there be be tampering with the NAEP to show non-existent gains? When all the eggs are in the federal basket, the feds have the power to scramble them any way they want.

Comment on Penn on Drug Policy Double Standards by Brian

Brian — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:37:54 +0000

Zim–

Gonzalez v. Raich, the federal case that ruled that state medical marijuana laws are trumped by federal authority, was decided with respect to the Controlled Substance Act (and in a larger sense, the federal Commerce Clause). I don’t believe the FDA has been involved in this dispute. So I think it is actually right for Penn to “meander” towards decriminalization. The criminality issue has been the main barrier that medical marijuana laws have faced.

Comment on Penn on Drug Policy Double Standards by MatthewLadner

MatthewLadner — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:17 +0000

Now I’m not entirely sure, being only partially fluent in Libertarian Rant, but I believe Penn was complaining about the use of enforcement discretion by the administration to aggressively harass the medical marijuna people. Penn seems to find this an incongrous stance give the “weed and a maybe a little blow” personal history.

Comment on Florida’s Grammar Controversy by Florida’s Grammar Controversy | Renascence School International News Blog

Florida’s Grammar Controversy | Renascence School International News Blog — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:30:32 +0000

[...] be able to enjoy come 2014, when national standards and tests are to be fully implemented.”(more) Comments (0) Return to main news [...]

Comment on Penn on Drug Policy Double Standards by Career Sergeant Zim

Career Sergeant Zim — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:26:44 +0000

I’d agree with that … but Penn starts off with medical marijuana (as a state’s rights issue) and ends up with decriminalization, his logic is meandering and that weakens his point.

Comment on Penn on Drug Policy Double Standards by matthewladner

matthewladner — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:22:40 +0000

Zim-

I’m sure that Penn would start growling something about the 10th Amendment on the Controlled Substances Act, but I think his larger point is that President Obama ought to support decriminalization and hasn’t.

Comment on Penn on Drug Policy Double Standards by Career Sergeant Zim

Career Sergeant Zim — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:55:20 +0000

Well for medical marijuana to be a states rights issue, you have to logically remove the FDA and the Federal Controlled Substances Act from the process and all approval of pharmacological drugs must be made on the State level, no? The pro-medical marijuana crowd seems to want to exclude marijuana from our national system of approval of drug approval without a real principled reason to do it.

The question of total legalization, which Penn drifts in and out of is a different issue.

Comment on $243,000 per student school districts? It’s about sending a message. by Mark

Mark — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:15:20 +0000

A lot of the funding in CA schools is hidden. For instance LA Unified claims that they spend 12K per student, but when you include all the money they collect for constructing new facilities, and all the other property tax additions to add technology etc,, the average goes up to 26K per student. Not sure what exactly is counted, in the how much is spent figure up there, if it is self reported funds or just state funds – then the figure is grossly off. I wonder too, even at 12K per student that comes out to 250 000 dollars per class with about 20 kids. That isn’t enough to teach the students?

Comment on Administrative Bloat is Here by How academics make their own job market even harder. | Statistical Epidemiology

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:16:53 +0000

[...] cuts in higher education are part of the problem. Administrative bloat is another, further shrinking the money left over to pay for lecturers and professors. Often [...]