Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

UPDATE: Schools Matter: Corporate Lobbying by Memphis BioWorks Buys Charter Renewal for MASE

Schools Matter: Corporate Lobbying by Memphis BioWorks Buys Charter Renewal for MASE:


Corporate Lobbying by Memphis BioWorks Buys Charter Renewal for MASE

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports this morning that the Shelby County School Board voted 18-1 to renew the local charter school, MASE, which has worse test scores than public schools that have been turned over recently for charter conversion.
But heavy lobbying by officials of the school operator, Memphis Bioworks Foundation, was evident in the split that developed on the board over the fate of the 10-year-old school.
Below is my letter to the Shelby County Board.

January 29, 2013
Open Letter to the Shelby County School Board:

Those of us who support the concept and mission of public education are trying to understand the Shelby Count School Board's decision last evening to renew the charter of the Memphis Academy of Science Engineering


A comment about teaching the superbowl in class


In response to “Seven Super Bowl Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom” published in Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/super-bowl-lesson-plans-matthew-davis#comment-118336

In the discussion of the superbowl in class, please also include the role of professional athletics in society. Noam Chomsky has pointed out that understanding of the details of athletics (eg points after touchdown, off-side penalties, linebackers, odds, details of players’ strengths and weaknesses …) is often more complex than politics, and that fans are usually capable of deep critical thinking involving many complex issues (pass or kick?