School System $93ML Shortfall : Philadelphia Ponders Funding

It always seem to come down to the need for more money to save our kids, education, and if we don't we will lose an entire generation to ignorance. I wonder why it was never mentioned, if money is the real problem, the monies to fund the schools couldn't found in other areas of government?

Is it possible that the Philadelphia government is so well run that every dollar of tax revenue is accounted for and so well spent that cuts cannot be made or streamlined for more efficiency? Really?

But the final analysis, I believe, this is all about politics, as usual, and feeding the appetite of the major players of the voting base in educational community, the teacher's unions.

Debate Over School Funding in Philadelphia
Source: Mary C. Tillotson, "When it comes to class sizes, Philadelphia School District's numbers don't add up," Watchdog.org, July 28, 2014

August 4, 2014

A school funding debate has emerged in Philadelphia as the city faces a $93 million funding gap for the school district's 2014-2015 budget. According to city officials, Philadelphia may be forced to fire 1,300 workers. Class sizes in the upcoming school year, says Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter, could reach 40 students. The mayor has called for a $2 per pack cigarette tax in order to fill the gap.
At Watchdog.org, reporter Mary Tillotson questions the 40-student classroom figure. Currently, she writes, the Philadelphia School District has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1, just slightly smaller than the national average of 17 to 1. How would laying off 1,300 teachers cause classrooms to become so large?

• A student-teacher ratio is not the same as classroom size, but research from Matt Chingos of the Brookings Institution indicates that a 17 to 1 student-teacher radio typically results in an elementary school class size of 22 and a high school class size of 26.
• The Philadelphia school district has not said what its average class size is.
• A teacher's union agreement indicates that a 25-student classroom should be the goal, though the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers says that class sizes likely consisted of more than 30 students.

But according to Tillotson, even if the 1,300 layoffs were full-time classroom teachers (as opposed to teachers in other positions), the student-teacher ratio would be just 20 to 1. A resulting classroom of 40 students, she writes, is unlikely.

Even so, the 40 to 1 claim has become a central talking point in the demand for additional school funding, writes Tillotson.
 

Pronounced Man & Wife : Update Your Status Now?

I hope it never get this bad, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Long Term Unemployed Increasing? : Solutions Suggested

As long as the progressive socialist democrats are in power there will never be an solution to long term unemployment or any unemployment as this is the ideology of the progressives. Democrats believe if they can force enough people to become dependent on the government they will have succeeded in establishing a voter base that will last for generations.

That having an ever increasing number of people that can't or won't find work spells enormous problems for our country. If this isn't enough to scary the hell out of you, believe there are more then 40% of the population that still believes the democrats are more concerned about the people then the Republicans.

Voting democrat will prove to be self inflecting wounds that will not heal for decades or generation.

4 Million Americans are Long-Term Unemployed
Source: Michael R. Strain, "Here's Why Conservatives Should Worry More about Long-Term Unemployment," Poverty in America - and What to Do About It, American Enterprise Institute, page 29, July 31, 2014.

August 4, 2014

In a new report on poverty for the American Enterprise Institute, Resident Scholar Michael Strain explains why Americans should be especially concerned about long-term unemployment.
Around 4 million people in the United States are considered long-term unemployed (unemployed for 27 or more weeks).

• Not only does having so many people out of the labor force for such an extended period of time hurt economic efficiency and productivity, but it means that more people become reliant on government welfare.
• Significantly, the longer that a person is unemployed, the more difficult it becomes for him to find employment.

Strain offers some solutions that he contends would help the long-term unemployed, including:

• Relocation vouchers: Unemployment rates vary from place to place, but moving can be a significant expense. Strain suggests providing vouchers to Americans who move, which could make it easier for them to find a new job.
• Work-sharing: A work-sharing policy works like a prorated unemployment benefit, Strain explains. Firms that have to cut employees' hours can do so, and those employees become eligible for a percentage of unemployment benefits based on the amount of hours cut. The policy would allow firms to cut labor costs as necessary while workers could remain employed.
• Lowering the minimum wage: Americans without a high school diploma and young workers make up a large percentage of the long-term unemployed. If employers could offer these employees $5 per hour, for example, they would be more likely to hire them than if they were required to pay them the full minimum wage.
• Improving transportation networks: A person's residence can restrict his mobility. Strain writes that improved transportation systems could increase the number of job opportunities available to the unemployed. He gives the example of buses that run from low-income areas.

 

United Kindom Looks to Fracking : Regulations & Enviros Killing Porgress

How is it when a new source of revenue that will be boon to local, state and national communities it is immediately demonized by special interest groups? Fracking across the world seems to be th answer to a lot of problems when it comes to solving one of the most pressing problems, energy and how it will effect our future and yet governments allow an incredible small group of self-serving individuals are allowed to rule the day.

Worse, these money grabbers are known to be con men by government officials and yet they dictate rules and regulations on how our future will be determined.

U.K. Allows Companies to Explore for Natural Gas
Source: Jared Meyer, "Will fracking lead to a UK energy renaissance?" CityAM.com, July 31, 2014.

August 4, 2014

For the first time in six years, the United Kingdom is allowing oil and gas companies to acquire natural gas exploration licenses. Jared Meyer, policy analyst at Economics21, explains that the nation has increasingly developed a dependence on other countries for energy:

• The U.K. became a net importer of petroleum and natural gas in 2013.
• Just one-third of the natural gas consumed in Britain comes from domestic sources.

Increasing energy exploration is a welcome development, but Meyer identifies some lingering problems that could keep the nation from taking advantage of fracking:

• The gas exploration permitting process in Britain is incredibly time-consuming. Would-be explorers must first obtain a license from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and drilling is not allowed without permits from the Environment Agency and Health and Security Executive.
• Landowners in Britain do not own the rights to minerals underneath their lands. Without that ownership, they lack the financial incentives to support energy exploration under their property.
• Environmentalists are firmly opposed to fracking.

According to the British Geological Society, the country has an estimated 1,300 trillion cubic feet of gas underground. Notably, most of Britain's natural gas deposits are in economically-depressed areas, which have a lot to gain from development in the region, explains Meyer.
 

Teacher Evaluation Debated : Little Light - Mostly Smoke

Teacher evaluation is probably one of the most contentious subjects that dominates the debate when teachers and school boards have their new contracts are negotiated. Unions will stone wall any program that puts their members at risk of being found incompetent and fired.

The teacher base is the very foundation of power to make demands for salaries and work rules, and to allowing a group of nonunion people deciding qualifications to teach is unacceptable. The unions and their supporters will say and do anything necessary to protect that power to control outcomes.

Teacher Evaluation Debate Full of Falsehoods
Source: Michael Q. McShane, "Union freakouts are hurting the hunt for good teachers," Washington Post, July 31, 2014.

August 4, 2014

Identifying the best teachers is critical to education reform, and some form of teacher evaluation is necessary. Yet, the debate over evaluations has largely focused on student test scores and has been full of false information, explains Michael McShane, research fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

Teacher evaluations need reform. McShane uses California as an example: Only 2.2 percent of the 250,000 teachers in the state are fired each year, yet California scores significantly below the rest of the nation in math and reading.

Most teachers have opposed the use of student test scores in evaluating educator performance, and many who have heard the evaluation debate would believe that student test scores are the primary means by which teachers are evaluated today. In fact, that is far from true:

• Rarely do test scores count for more than half of a teacher's evaluation.
• Most states use three measures of evaluation: student test scores, classroom observations and other measures (such as attendance or graduation rates).
• Washington, D.C. has been criticized for placing too much emphasis on test scores, yet only 35 percent of a teacher's evaluation is based on student test scores, while 50 percent is based on classroom observation. In Maryland, 20 percent is based on student test scores, and in West Virginia, the figure is 15 percent.

Additionally, many have charged that new teacher evaluation systems have led to large amounts of teachers being identified as ineffective, but this is not the case:

• A 2009 report of 12 districts across four states found that less than 1 percent of teachers were rated as ineffective.
• The numbers today remain close to that. Tennessee and Michigan each instituted new evaluation systems, and just 2 percent of teachers were found ineffective as a result.
• Indiana and Florida also imposed new systems, resulting in ineffectiveness rates of 2 and 3 percent, respectively.

Perhaps most staggering of all, the vast majority of teachers cannot be evaluated by test scores at all. The No Child Left Behind law requires schools to give math and reading exams in third grade through eighth grade and at least one time in high school. Two-thirds of Florida and Tennessee teachers fall outside of this system, because they do not teach those grades or subjects. McShane writes that the numbers are similar across other states.
 

Common Core Repealed? : Ohio On the Attack

Why is it that so many among us don't take the time to understand a problem and how to fix it before they immediately turn to the universal solver, 'we need more money'. And even worse, when it the progressive socialist government that tells the state they will foot the bill if they accept and install our program that we believe is best for everyone.

It seems like the definition of insanity where 'doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results' is the rule of the day. Everyone knows, I hope, that any time the federal guy that shows up at your door with a box of cash and the statement,' I'm from the government and here to help' should have alarms going off warning everyone to run for cover.

Ohio Tries to Repeal Common Core
Source: Chrissie Thompson, "Ohio House leaders move to repeal Common Core," News-Messenger, July 28, 2014; Blake Neff, "Ohio Lawmakers Launch New Common Core Repeal Effort," Daily Caller, July 29, 2014. 

August 1, 2014

State legislator Matt Huffman has introduced a bill to repeal Common Core standards in Ohio, according to a report in the News-Messenger.

Huffman says that his bill has the support of House leadership in the state, and lawmakers hope to have a full vote on the measure when they return to the Statehouse in November. Parents and legislators are concerned that the standards are a prime example of government overreach and one that fails to consider the unique needs of states.

However, Ohio Governor John Kasich has been a supporter of Common Core, and he has veto power. Many have expressed skepticism that the governor would agree to a Common Core repeal. The Daily Caller, however, reports that while Kasich recently reiterated his support for the standards, he also said that he shares "the concern about loss of local control."

Ohio would be the fifth state to withdraw from Common Core. Already, Oklahoma, Indiana, South Carolina and North Carolina have left the program. Missouri is looking at revising the standards, while Governor Bobby Jindal is fighting to do away with Common Core in the state of Louisiana.
 

Driverless Cars Accepted : Generational Stress Increasing?

What a grand time to be living in such an innovative time where the car next to us speeding down the interstate doesn't have anyone at the wheel. Feel a little uneasy? Yeah, and rightly so. Our generation will have to make a lot of changes in our habits and traditions before we can safely accept just sitting by while an unseen machine does the driving.

I wonder if it will be anything like my Micro Soft Explorer program that all of sudden says, "And Error has occurred and must be shut down". Are you feeling even more uneasy now?

Britain Will Have Driverless Cars Next Year
Source: Peter Dominiczak, "Driverless cars heading onto British roads in 2015," Telegraph, July 29, 2014; "UK to allow driverless cars on public roads in January," BBC.com, July 30, 2014.

August 1, 2014

British lawmakers have announced plans to have driverless cars on British roads in 2015, reports the Telegraph.

To allow the computer-controlled automobiles to operate lawfully, the U.K. will have to change its Highway Code. Driverless vehicles will not be fully autonomous, and drivers will have the option of taking control of their vehicles. Still, many British motorists are wary of the driverless car, concerned about safety.

The United Nations Convention on Road Traffic recently made a change to reflect the likelihood that driverless cars will soon be a reality. While the U.N. rule used to say that "Every driver shall at all times be able to control his vehicle," an amendment now allows for automated driving, provided that the driver can override the system or switch it off.

According to the BBC, the U.K. is offering three cities the chance to host driverless car trials. The testing period will run from 18 to 36 months. It will be the first time that the vehicles will have been allowed to operate on public, rather than private, roads in the U.K.

In the United States, three states have already approved driverless car testing: California, Nevada and Florida. Google, which has developed its own driverless car model, has logged over 300,000 miles on California roads.
 

Charter Schools Outpreform Public Schools : More Bang for The Buck

As one might expect, it boils down to money and how and who benefits. Public schools for the most part are controlled by unions and therefore politics rules the day where the focus is on maintaining the power to control the money flow to union head quarters and then to the progressive democrat party.

Charter schools, as this article points out, are focused on delivering an education at the best possible price with quality as the end product.

Charters Outperform Public Schools in Cost Effectiveness and Return on Investment
Source: Patrick J. Wolf et al., "The Productivity of Public Charter Schools," School Choice Demonstration Project, Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, July 2014.

August 1, 2014

Researchers at the University of Arkansas' Department of Education Reform have produced a report on the productivity of public charter schools: Do people get more "bang for their buck" from charters than from traditional public schools, the study asks? The six researchers who conducted the study said yes: the average charter school outperforms the traditional public school both in terms of cost effectiveness and return on investment.
To calculate cost effectiveness, the researchers compared students' National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores per every $1,000 per pupil investment in 21 states and Washington, D.C. They found:

• Charter schools had a 40 percent productivity advantage in math, providing students with 17 additional NAEP points for every $1,000 invested in math.
• In reading, charters gave students an extra 16 NAEP points per $1,000 invested -- a 41 percent productivity advantage over traditional public schools.
• The cost effectiveness of charters varied from state to state. In Hawaii, charters had just a 7 percent advantage over public schools in math, while Washington, D.C. charters had a 109 percent advantage.

Return on investment was calculated by determining the amount of learning that took place during charter school or public school years. With that, the researchers could estimate expected lifetime earnings and compare it to the cost of the education. According to the study:

• Charter schools provided a larger ROI over public schools in all states.
• The ROI of a charter school exceeds that of a public school by 3 percent with just one year of charter schooling.
• 6.5 years of charter schooling produces a ROI that is 19 percent higher than public schools.

The authors suggest that charters are more disciplined in their use of education funds, and thus more productive, because they receive less of them than public schools do.
 

Democrats Shun Isarel : Israel won't Compromise

Isn't this interesting - little wonder Mr Obama finds having to deal with the Jews repugnant. I wonder as well how he obtained his ill feelings for Jews? From his father maybe? His early childhood classes in Kenya and Indonesia? Do ya think?

Social Securtiy Broke by 2033 : Reform Unlikely

Social Security is the mother of all third rails in politics, and therefore will not be reformed until, I can only fantasize on something like this scenario,  Republicans have a super majority in both houses of congress and a Conservative in  the White House, and even then it wouldn't be a sure thing.

After all politicians are what and who they are depending who they depend on for reelection. Doing something that is beneficial for the people is not part of being a politician.

Social Security Will Be Bankrupt in 2033
Source: Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Gordon Gray and Conor Ryan, "The Future of America's Entitlements: What You Need to Know About the Medicare Trustees Report," American Action Forum, July 28, 2014.

August 1, 2014

In a report for the American Action Forum, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Gordon Gray and Conor Ryan break down the details of the latest Medicare Trustees report. The Trustees report makes clear that the Social Security program (including its retirement and disability funds) will go entirely bankrupt in 2033.

The financial picture is bleak. Social Security collected $752.2 billion in non-interest income in 2013, yet it spent $822.9 billion. Since 2010, the program has run a cumulative deficit of $219.7 billion, and the program will owe almost $9 trillion more than it is estimated to bring in over the next 75 years.
When funds are depleted in 2033, the American Action Forum report explains that the program will be able to fund just 77 percent of promised benefits -- a number that will continue to fall. Without some sort of reform overhaul, the payroll tax (which funds Social Security) would have to rise by 24 percent.

The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is also in poor financial straits:

• The program spent $143.4 billion in 2013, despite taking in just $106.5 billion in non-interest income. Since 2005, SSDI has added more than $179.8 billion to the debt.
• In two years, the SSDI trust fund will be exhausted.
• The program's 75-year liability is $1.2 trillion.

Recently, Liqun Liu, Andrew Rettenmaier and Thomas Saving of the Private Enterprise Research Center authored a report for the National Center for Policy Analysis that analyzed possible Social Security reforms. The authors explained how a reformed Social Security program would benefit workers while reducing the size of the federal budget.