dayman

I hear ya, and I'm not here to vouch for some Florida education plan that I know nothing about besides the article in the first post. But to say that it is off no use to measure proficiency through a test and have a goal to increase those scores ... hard to buy it. Problems with tests and how they are designed aside, they are necessary and they do teach us something. When you have a number in the 30s ... it has told you that you likely have massive failures. So in setting a goal to get that number up, it's merely saying we want that problem to get better. I don't think that simply having a goal of getting a score up means that somehow the plan to better the quality of education is now problematic. The plan for getting 30is% to 70% in 6 years.....no doubt includes more than just "we'll just try hard and see what the scores are like in 2018." Once again I don't know any more specifics than we all do, those stated in the first link which don't discuss it. But I think to assume that b/c you look at test scores on a standardized test means that you are ignoring measurements in teaching performance is not correct. I would assume that there are a number of things in their "plan" which would include some way of evaluating teachers better, not just to fire bad ones but to figure out what is good about good ones and share it to make others better. Obviously attract better teachers. Certain systematic changes in the hiring structure (for instance that less tenured teachers are fired first when budgets are cut, clearly the worst teachers should be fired first...while teachers in the country do not get in the business for money there should be dollar incentives to increasing their teaching craft which is not measured by test scores alone, etc). It's easy to say that measuring test scores is the wrong thing to measure and assuming you measure only one thing everybody would probably agree this day in age. But there is nothing in that article that suggests this is the plan. And while race isn't the best nor most PC way of looking at the socioeconomic issues that plague our system...we do need to acknowledge that achievement gaps between students of different backgrounds are real...I forget the stat but something around half of the dropouts in this country are from under 15% of the schools and there is some consistent early education issues there that most think lead to this...it's not being black I know this...and I haven't been defending this race classification scheme...but there does need to be some classification. And acknowledging this doesn't mean you ignore those student who are at the top and how to improve things for them either...

To raise proficiency from 38% to 74% in 6 years does seem like a high goal and apparently the people who do know about education reform feel that way, and think they know how to meet it. Then no doubt in 6 years, they'll have a plan to analyze and see how it worked and didn't work and a higher baseline to start from and they'll set goals even higher etc...this is not rocket science.

B/c declaring "every child shall be up to the grade" is being "for excellence" and also b/c this discussion is even remotely partisan.

Ok set the goal: By 2018 EVERY KID WILL BE GREAT. Now that's the goal what tangible plan can we adopt to meet it? Hmmm...oh wait there isn't one b/c that's not a real goal it's something stupid we all wish was true. Guess we can't plan for it specifically...but we can try hard! Goal: Every kid by 2018! Tactics: Try real hard! ...this isn't how plan to improve education man. You look at honest data, make plans to address the data, and set attainable goals w/ timeframes.

Actually no you just beat your chest say everyone should be 100% and work real hard. You don't acknowledge real data and analyze it to find where/who is having trouble and then set realistic goals for various tactics. You just beat you chest b/c the goal is 100%. And btw, Democrats are to blame for black people woes from education gaps to illegitimacy. Hard as it is to believe given the state of the education, the solution is setting a goal of 100% and working hard. Or have you not listened to 3rd and his bravado. EDIT: And btw I've acknowledged from the first post I made in here that race probably isn't the best way to analyze the data, but that is what they did. BTW "they" is Florida and there is only 1 party in the state legislature/running government there. And it ain't Dems

You ready/hear what you want to. There is no other way to put it. Stay angry my friend.

Consider this, before the simulus was passed and Tennessee recieved their race to the top grant 91% of their students were reported to be proficient in math. A year later it was 34% and the minority achievement gap had doubled. It was purely a result of stricter standards...they stopped lying to themselves and dumbing down their standards...now they know the truth and that is a very liberating and motivating thing. Now they can look at the real data...acknowledge real differences in different parts of the state and w/ different groups of kids...and start real change. I won't try and tie this in directly w/ the Florida situation but it speaks IMO to the power of being honest...and I think setting realistic goals is the only way to approach the situation after you have been honest with yourself.

Hey, I agree that it would be wise to maybe set it by socioeconomic status or something instead of race. But there is a "caste system" so to speak in public schools...to understand that and make goals based on that isn't bad IMO. You don't want to set the "realistic" goal for all students somewhere near the level an affluent community is already at b/c you want to be doing the best to improve those as well. And 100%...just not going to happen. You should set goals to reach IMO...not just demand "more" at all times b/c then...there is nothing but failure all the time and goals become meaningless. Not to say I don't agree that you set them high, but you set them somewhere reachable. Bills want to win every game. In that sense our goal is 16-0. But in reality when stepping back we want to win 10 or 11 games and make the playoffs b/c we know where we've been and who we are. So that's really the goal. As it applies here...yes you want every kid, but when setting goals...you need to realistic and accept that it isn't going to happen and decide what is tangible and how to get there.

You can "elite" at RB pretty quickly. It's not like most positions. CJ is "elite" If not for FJax he would consensus #1 pick next year in fantasy. As is he'll be on that top tier "elite" picks. And it's not just fantasy...he's up there in actual football

Remember the infamous quote from Reggie Bush about juking in the NFL? And how it doesn't work? He was right....you have vision and make cuts and use speed and break tackles. EXCEPT...CJ Spiller jukes people in the NFL. Love this man

IDK why he hasn't been active. Maybe he's having trouble with the playbook. Maybe he's not that good. Maybe he just can't get the reps in season to get it all down...idk...but I'm assuming here he is what he is...an averagish QB who will know the playbook by week 8. So...despite 3 demoralizing blowouts...we're looking at best-case or almost-best-case scenario coming up to the bye at 4-3 (once again assuming we beat Tenn). Will this on it's own stop a QB change if we think we can get a slight bump there? Will we just say "well 4-3...QB hasn't been great but stick with it" or will we have the balls to say "lucky to be 4-3 and we need to get better at QB if we're going to steal a wildcard?" To me there is 0 risk at moving TJ in if he can pick up the offense by week 8. 0. We get NOTHING out of Fitz...and frankly...I'm sick of watching him. But would a winning record stop us from making a move despite the on-field play showing we should try? As I see it even at 4-3 (assuming we beat Tenn)...we're still not making the playoffs as is. We need a jolt and even if he plays worse it would be worth a shot. Do you agree w/ this? Or am I an idiot who just needs to accept Fitz for the rest of this season?

Ya but I think the idea is that there's a target, timeframe, and plan...who is to say that people who know about education don't think this is "reaching for more" over the next few years?

I can't still care about this....been too long...

^this

Had to google it, not that surprising really. One guy was banking though...

hmmm....not sure if I consider this racist. Maybe dividing it by race is necessarily racist...but once you do divide it that way and get a lower baseline...having a lower goal is then just realistic.

lol what are you even talking about now?

Basically 0 chance anything suggested in the first topic is true. 1) Obama can't shrug off the Clinton machine, he knows this...as do we all 2) Obama can't put this on Hillary, he knows this....even if he could...not in the next month and come out clean by election day 3) No signs of Clinton publicly doing anything different. 4) Use common sense.

Ass for a few days. yes. 3AM....assuming football weekend goes well...ass next week as well.

True, lemonade stands. Nice point.

Agree w/ the first part, completely disagree w/ the second part. I understand you are Canadian, so it may be hard for you to understand what power our President has and what we sometimes do w/ that power...but "sideshow" is not....US foreign policy. Maybe Canadian foreign policy... (btw...I know you understand this...I'm being an ass)

Tom so terribly disappointed that the great wonk wasn't "allowed" to provide all the secret details that make so much sense? It's just the same crap Tom, Biden cut him of b/c he would delve into the same mismashed fudged figures every idiot blogger uses. It's convenient to assume that had he been able to speak more the world would have realized he is right and all others are wrong (and btw...he spoke a lot...I like how now all the sudden he was never allowed to speak). The bottom line is the Ryan worship from conservative corners is a product of marketing, largely derived from the fact that the left doesn't like his budget and him calling himself a "wonk." It's stupid.The ticket is weak, vote for it if you hate Obama and think that ticket is weaker...fair...but pretend there is some great plan as opposed to anything more than a campaign...stupid. Obama or Romney...pick a ticket...lets not pretend either one is the second coming.

In the short term we'll take reasonable steps in the name of protectionism. In the long term China won't be able to artificially keep wages low and dump whatever they want on whoever they want... ultimately the answer to China's "cheating" will be China...am I wrong?

The youth support Chairman Barrack Zedong

He has quite a bit of time to talk, and gave nothing more than the boilerplate BS on every single issue. One after another. Anyway this thread is hilarious, people debating whether the Kennedy comment was rehearsed? .... better chance the "send me a letter any time I'll entertain it" was rehearsed...and that was a good line.