While I know that some forms of determining merit pay for teachers can be unfair, in general I think tying pay to performance is an excellent, indeed necessary idea.
Now the Florida Education Association is trying to block $700 million in grants from the federal government because it’s tied to incentive pay.
Bad idea, I’d say!
With a hat tip to evangelical outpost, I present this quote from P. J. O’Rourke in the LA Times. The Bible is very clear about one thing: Using politics to create fairness is a sin. Observe the Tenth Commandment. The first nine commandments concern theological principles and social law: Thou shalt not make graven images,…
I was happy to see this forum take place, though I only had time to watch a portion of it as it played. (I must note also that I am resistant to watching major political debates this far from the election.) The major reason is simply that there have always been many more people of…
What is the best forum in which to debate scientific topics? How should advocates for science, specifically evolutionary science, determine how to approach such debates? There is currently a report of such a debate on the Citizens for Science web site (Friday night debate in Colorado Springs), in which Steven Mahone and Sam Milazzo debated…
From CBS News: Eighty percent of speech watchers approve of President Obamas plans for dealing with the economic crisis. Before the speech, 63 percent approved. Fifty-one percent of speech watchers think the president’s economic plans will help them personally. Thirty-six thought so before the speech. I have mixed emotions about President Obama’s economic policies, and…
I know headline writers need their splashy headlines, but as the media is filled with word of a stunning upset, we should remember the number of times that one candidate or the other was “destroyed” or “finished,” or the election was declared “over.” A poll takes a snapshot of part of the electorate which is…
I think Barack Obama has done a good job of keeping his campaign from being about race. I’m certain this hasn’t been easy. In reading this article from MSNBC.com I was struck that apparently the commentators are holding his campaign to a standard of perfection. In my view, whether he wins in the end or…
A bad idea indeed!