Sad

According to national statistics, Flint and Detroit are the two most violent cities in the US.  Wow!  I know this has been the case for the recent past, but it doesn't make it easier to swallow.  Both cities hold special places in my heart and it breaks when I read this stuff.  I don't have the answers to the question of violence, but certainly they lie somewhere in convincing people that a change in culture is needed.  Thuggery, which often leads to violence, must be condemned.  Citizens can't hide criminals, family members or not.  People need to turn in the thugs.  Of course, the article also cited the US Attorney's Office and the Detroit and Flint police depts, as well as local politicians.  None excited any confidence that they can make a difference. Education, instead of being blackballed, needs to be encourage and embraced.


Another article compared unemployment of upper level incomes with lower level incomes.  Upper level income jobs are almost in full employment, an unemployment rate of about 3.8%.  For the lower levels, it is a bit over 20%--that's still Depression-level numbers.  And, this crunches the middle class, which is shut out of a full upper level and is pushed into the lower level income jobs, reducing their incomes.  The answer is education--college, skilled trades, technology, etc.  That is, education, instead of being blackballed, needs to be encouraged and embraced.
Several people have asked why I oppose the Common Core Curriculum.  Here is as good an answer as I've seen.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130916/OPINION01/309160004/1008/OPINION01/Engler-sells-out-Michigan-s-future

You may remember that, months ago, with the Common Core I suggested that we "follow the money."  That's what Common Core is all about, money.  Bill Gates and others have spent millions to con people into thinking CC will improve education.  No, what it will do, purportedly, is to train workers for work in businesses.  That, of course, will save businesses money.  (And I hope nobody believes those savings will be passed along to consumers; just like Snyder's business tax cut, at the expense of retirees, didn't lower prices.)  Again, as I noted earlier, who wrote the CC?  Yep, private concerns, who stand to reap millions from adoption.  Also, realize that some who were opposed to the CC earlier are now supportive--after sizable grants from, you guessed it, the Gates Foundation and other businesses who will make money off the CC.  I also pointed out earlier that some folks who were on the original CC board have been critical of the standards because, well, they don't do a thing to improve learning/education.  That John Engler is on board supporting the CC is an immediate warning.  And educators, once again, have sold out.

Remember, education is no longer about learning ("Is love of learning no longer enough?"); it's about testing, testing, testing (and the money others can make off of it). 

For years, too, I've been a critic of all the Advance Placement classes and tests, for the majority of students who take them.  A new report comes out claiming what I've claimed all along--the AP courses and tests, for the majority of students who take them, are a "waste," esp of federal and state monies.  It's a question of, once again, "follow the money."  And, once again, schools and educators have sold out--or at least jumped on the wrong bandwagon one more time--to the detriment of many students and taxpayers.  Yet, we keep allowing the same kinds of people to run our schools.  (Don't expect teachers to stand up for what's right!)