Many people who attend college will be saddled with large debts and unmarketable degrees. One Minnesota man, though has found one way around it: Load up on college classes while still in high school. The Northfield News reports on one local resident who has earned a high school diploma and a college diploma in the same year. David Greer used Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) a program under which […]
k-12 education
Two school models, two ethical models of financing
As I left the church-based preschool my daughter attends, the director drew my attention to the nearby countertop. On it was a class photo of my girl and all her classmates. Would I like to buy this photo, she asked, for only $10? “Another revenue stream?,” I asked. “Oh yes,” she said, with a mixture of delight and good cheer. “We try to squeeze everything […]
School Lunch Controversy Shows Problems of Centralized Planning
Students in Sharon Springs, Kansas, have produced a YouTube sensation mocking school-lunch guidelines laid down by the federal government.In the video, students collapse from hunger while playing school sports, or even sitting in a classroom. Critics say the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” is leaving students hungry by limiting the calories they can get, and restricting their intake of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Even so, some […]
Let’s honor great teachers by recognizing that not all teachers are great
Arne Duncan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, has been visiting Kansas this week as part of a national tour designed to highlight the importance of excellent teachers. Duncan’s tour couldn’t come at a better time. As he pointed out in Topeka, one million students drop out of high school each year–with serious consequences for them and everyone else. He added that “far too many of […]
Primary Day Reflections on Schools
I went to vote today, at a junior high in that receives my tax dollars. As I walked in the main lobby, I was struck by the fact that there three large banners on the far wall, facing me. One said something about learning, discovery, etc. The other two were variations on “diversity is good.” One included a quote from, Kofi Annan. Oh my, so […]
West Michigan Diary: Shake up education
Recently, I spent a few weeks in western Michigan where I spent the first 30 years of my life. My commentary on Michigan residents’ obesity drew some interesting comments. To paraphrase two of the responses: “If you hate Michigan so much, why don’t you stay in Minnesota?” Ah yes. Making a critical observation about something is an expression of hate. I see. But some miss the lesson […]
Asserting Self-Governance in Education
A core principle of the American ideal is self-governance. The rise of technical expertise, combined with a “progressive” vision of a state-led society, has undermined that vision. Fortunately, examples of self-governance can still be found, and in some cases, growing in number. One place you find them is in education. Today, roughly 9 out of 10 children are educated in a public school that is […]
Is a more-educated retail sales force worth the money?
Is the expense of going to college worth it? When you consider not only tuition and books, but also opportunity costs, the answer is sometimes “no, at least from a financial standpoint.” The Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education, naturally enough, is an advocate for spending on higher ed. It cites, among other things, salary premiums enjoyed by college graduates over similarly situated people without degrees. […]
School choice doesn’t hurt, often helps
Breaking the chain between street address and the school a child attends–school choice–is not only moral, it works. Education Week recently ran a commentary from nine scholars who make that point. The nine, who include representatives from the American Enterprise Institute and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, say that in 20 years we have learned a lot about how to design choice programs, as well as how […]
Minnesota is a Leader in Digital Learning, With More to Do
Minnesota may be a leader in one new development in education, but there’s a long ways to go. The news comes from Digital Learning Now (DLN), which describes itself as “a national campaign to advance policies that will create a high quality digital learning environment to better prepare students.” (For a very quick introduction of digital learning, see this FAQ.) DLN has issued a report card for each state, […]