Election 2010: Teabaggin' the Ds & Rs

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

There's one overarching variable: class size. If you can get class size down to less than 17-18 from the 25-30 range, it makes a huge difference. The next big jump, to class sizes of less than 10, isn't feasible for public schools. Best national policy: a mandate of at least a couple hours a day in a class of 15 students or fewer.

No disagreement, but I'd be curious as to how that could be achieved.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

No disagreement, but I'd be curious as to how that could be achieved.

Give me a school system and make me king, and I'd make two changes overnight: (1) Every administrator has to teach. Administration is a part-time job, and we need fewer of them, not more. No exceptions. (2) Mix up the size of classes. Stick a kid in a 100 person lecture class for three hours and a 10-12 person seminar for another three hours, instead of putting them in 30 hour classes for 6 hours.

As to the school principal, I'd have every principal teach two classes, on the subject of their choice: one to incoming freshmen, in the smallest seminars possible, one to exiting seniors, same deal. Job #1 is to know the kids.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Those spendthrift Rs hating on America yet again.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Give me a school system and make me king, and I'd make two changes overnight: (1) Every administrator has to teach. Administration is a part-time job, and we need fewer of them, not more. No exceptions. (2) Mix up the size of classes. Stick a kid in a 100 person lecture class for three hours and a 10-12 person seminar for another three hours, instead of putting them in 30 hour classes for 6 hours.

As to the school principal, I'd have every principal teach two classes, on the subject of their choice: one to incoming freshmen, in the smallest seminars possible, one to exiting seniors, same deal. Job #1 is to know the kids.

(3) Make the head of the schools answer to the mayor, rather than a separately elected official. Accountability to the voters.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Res ipsa loquitur:

House Republican leaders yesterday unveiled major changes to House procedural rules that are clearly designed to pave the way for more deficit-increasing tax cuts in the next two years. These rules stand in sharp contrast to the strong anti-deficit rhetoric that many Republicans used on the campaign trail this fall. While changes in congressional rules rarely get much public attention, these new rules — which are expected to be adopted by party-line vote when the 112th Congress convenes on January 5 — could have a substantial impact and risk making the nation’s fiscal problems significantly worse.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

(3) Make the head of the schools answer to the mayor, rather than a separately elected official. Accountability to the voters.

We're in year 15 of that in Chicago and, while there's some progress at the elementary level, there still isn't an open enrollment high school that is beyond barely acceptable. And the number that are barely acceptable totals one. Out of about 125.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

What's your 2010 political IQ?

9/10

[sgtclub]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

What's your 2010 political IQ?

9/10

9/10 - From a Fox News watcher no less.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by sgtclub

9/10 - From a Fox News watcher no less.

the "how many candidates have a parent in congress" thing got hard after Teddy got deadey

[Penske 2.0]

Originally Posted by sgtclub

9/10 - From a Fox News watcher no less.

Congrats! You are qualified to be a Mod here!

[Penske 2.0]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

What's your 2010 political IQ?

9/10

Same. I missed the one on kids of other members of Congress running for office in 2010.

At least the current mods of this Board have acceptable political IQs, although for one of us, tendencies towards censourship and overuse of spurious blogs in the past cloud the current achievement. No offence.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Penske 2.0

Same. I missed the one on kids of other members of Congress running for office in 2010.

At least the current mods of this Board have acceptable political IQs, although for one of us, tendencies towards censourship and overuse of spurious blogs in the past cloud the current achievement. No offence.

Also towards .gifs.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

What's your 2010 political IQ?

9/10

If you were paid for Mod services, I'd move to dock you for offering a test that bad.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

If you were paid for Mod services, I'd move to dock you for offering a test that bad.

If you pay me for Mod services, I will offer a better test.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Cletus Miller

We're in year 15 of that in Chicago and, while there's some progress at the elementary level, there still isn't an open enrollment high school that is beyond barely acceptable. And the number that are barely acceptable totals one. Out of about 125.

One problem with education reform is that most voters don't care. In the exit polling I saw, voters in Washington D.C. with kids in the public schools voted for Fenty, and by a larger proportion than any other group identified.