Free Republic

Facing a stagnant economic situation overseas, more Chinese students are returning home after studying overseas, a trend that looks likely to continue in coming years, a report released this week says. The report on the situation in 2013, conducted by the Chinese international education service provider EIC, said 22 percent of returned overseas Chinese students thought they would have better prospects finding a good job in their "home country". The survey interviewed more than 9,100 respondents by questionnaire over five months. More than 5,800 had been overseas students. "China's high-speed economic growth in past years has motivated overseas students to...

Petition to legalize 4TH TRIMESTER abortions.

Stringent state rules require school districts to lay off employees based on flawed rankings, according to a new study. And the state's report card might be punishing school districts and education employees who are doing a good job. The Michigan Department of Education is required by state and federal laws to rank schools to try to measure their quality. The MDE developed "Top-to-Bottom" rankings, which are broadly based on student proficiency (50 percent of a school's grade), student growth (25 percent) and achievement gap (25 percent). But the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and many school officials say the Top-to-Bottom...

According to a report in the Yangtse Evening Post, a Nanjing-based Chinese language newspaper, the authorities in East China's Jiangsu Province are considering reforming college entrance examinations, also known as gaokao, in 2016. It is possible that English tests will be excluded from the rating system for the overall mark. Instead, there will be two English tests every year and a grading system will be introduced. Universities can then make their own requirements of English proficiency for applicants. Although the plan is still a draft, the reform lowering the importance of English should be applauded. Gaokao is a prerequisite for...

It certainly makes for a good story: a scrappy kid from Baltimore flunks out of an English class at what is now Loyola University Maryland only to become an international bestselling author. The problem is that the oft-told tale concerning Tom Clancy is just as fictitious as Jack Ryan. “It was an urban legend that just wouldn’t die,” said Carol Abromaitis, the English professor accused of giving Clancy an F in her class. For decades, Abromaitis urged English majors to let others know the truth. Her efforts bore little fruit. “One major said to me, ‘Of course not. It makes...

We are all familiar with the progressive “cradle-to-grave” agenda. But now, at least one Oregon educrat is publicly pushing his grubby government hands even further into our children’s lives. Out: K-12. In: P20. As in “prenatal” to age 20, from womb through graduate school. ...Oregon deputy state schools superintendent Rob Saxton

IS a college degree's worth best measured by the income its recipient makes five or 10 years down the road? Is college primarily a catapult to wealth? These were questions implicitly raised by President Barack Obama's recent proposal that the Federal Government look at graduates' earnings when rating schools in an effort to steer students towards the best ones. Is time in the military, in a store or at home with children comparable to time in a classroom, and should it count in some way towards a degree? There are university administrators who think so and who are trying to...

HONG KONG - When Chinese President Xi Jinping hails the "Chinese dream" as a "national rejuvenation for the Chinese people", he clearly does not have Tash Aw's latest (and most ambitious) novel in mind. In Aw's Five Star Billionaire, five vividly drawn characters, all outsiders who have recently arrived in China's throbbing financial capital of Shanghai, desperately search for love and riches amidst the city's towering skyscrapers and equally imposing dreams. There is Phoebe, the illegal migrant worker; Gary, the down-and-out former pop star; Yinghui, the one-time social activist turned hard-working businesswoman; Justin, the clinically depressed scion of a wealthy...

California’s Modesto Junior College decided it was just too dangerous for Army Vet Robert van Tuinen to pass out copies of the Constitution of the United States on campus. Van Tuinen was hoping to gain support for his proposed Young Americans...

I’m sure glad our Kern County (Cal) Superintendent of Schools thinks Common Core is cool. I just don’t buy the line about all the decisions being made locally or that children can be okay with wrong answers. Until they know the basics – including knowing how to write cursive – an excellent exercise in character building and left-right brain interaction – they need time to grow straight and true as children should. The other evening, I helped a 4th grader with a 4 equation, 4 unknown math problem designed to determine if “a” was a larger or smaller number than...

The powers of government should be so divided and balanced among several bodies of magistracy, as that no one could transcend their legal limits, without being effectually checked and restrained by the others. ~ Thomas Jefferson writing in Notes on the State of Virginia Some historians are either woefully ignorant about our Republic or intentionally deceitful. You're reading false claims that the House of Representatives "shutdown the government" . . .

The outrageous promotion of homosexuality to extremely vulnerable children in the public schools -- without concern about how it affects them -- has become legendary, particularly in Massachusetts. This is the story about how one angry mother, with support from MassResistance, is fighting back. She is confronting the Massachusetts Legislature, pushing a bill she had her State Representative file to protect other children and their families from going through what happened to her family. Certain traumas during the formative years are known to cause sexual identity issues during adolescence. Most children outgrow this confusion unless otherwise influenced, which is why...

CAREFREE, Ariz. – Some parents of students at Cactus Shadows High School are outraged over a play that has students acting out sexual encounters with a goat, and using vulgar sexual expressions. Other parents of students in teacher Andrew Cupo’s advanced drama class believe the concerns are overblown, and resent parents who questioned their children about the sexually explicit play without their permission. Parents attended the governing board meeting for the Cave Creek Unified School District Tuesday and shared about two hours of public comment on the play “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” by Edward Albee, which revolves around...

In Bridge Magazine, author Ron French argues that teacher certification requirements should be increased to keep ineffective teachers out of classrooms. Hasn't Bridge heard? Apparently Michigan's teaching pool is doing quite well. After all, 99.6 percent of Michigan teachers were rated effective or better in 2012. Some school districts claim they don't have a single teacher who isn't doing his or her job. All sarcasm aside, Bridge's point regarding public school quality in Michigan is valid. The state's public schools have mediocre graduation rates, and public school students post poor results on the NAEP, often called the nation's report card....

- Rep. Duncan Hunter was on with Megyn Kelly again tonight to discuss the fact that Obama and Harry Reid had a change of heart and tonight Obama signed a bill to ensure military families get the death benefits they so deserve. Megyn Kelly made a great point during this, that if it was really a concern for the DoD that death benefits weren't going to be paid out to military families, that they would have come back to Congress 9 days ago and said fix it. But they never did, according to Hunter, who says that someone made a...

As the Supreme Court's October term beckons, it is worth noting that the Justices have accepted an important case, Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action. This case pits defenders of a Michigan constitutional amendment designed to prevent racial preferences against those who wish to protect such preferences. Passed with overwhelming support by the voters of Michigan in 2002, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative would prohibit both discrimination and preferential treatment on the basis of race or sex in public university admissions. Proponents of this initiative point to verified evidence showing that admissions based on merit rather than race improve...

First published on FrontPage Magazine. By Enza Ferreri Britain is reaping the fruits of its multi-decennial multicultural policy and of what is euphemistically called “tolerance” - and realistically “bending over backwards” - to Islam. If anyone doubts that Muhammadanism is a supremacist doctrine, this doubting Thomas should take a look at what’s happening in an English school currently in the news. Britain's first Muslim “free school” (namely, government funded but outside local authority control), Al-Madinah School in the city of Derby, underwent a two-day (October 1-2) inspection by officials of the government’s education regulator Ofsted. The school has been...

Well, I didn’t think I could get any more pissed today, but I’m there. First, I hear that Obama has blocked the death gratuity for families of fallen Rangers. But, I was heartened to hear a private foundation stepped up to the plate to help: After families of fallen U.S. military personnel were denied benefits due to the government shutdown, the Fisher House Foundation has stepped forward to help cover travel and funeral costs to help families receive the remains of their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The Fisher House has been providing housing and...

Every day it seems that our country becomes increasingly insane and the further deterioration of our country becomes move evident. Nowhere is this trend more prevalent than it is in our schools. Over the last several decades, many physical activities have been banned at schools with dodgeball being the big baddie that had to be put down. Now comes news that at the Weber Middle School in Port Washington, Long Island, have banned footballs, baseballs, games of rough tag, and even cartwheels without the supervision of a coach or an adult. Yes, the wussification of America continues its relentless pace....

Earlier this year, Michigan Radio Education Reporter Kate Wells wrote a story about how Ann Arbor Public Schools district sending out 233 pink slips to teachers was more evidence of a financial crisis among schools. In her story, Wells wrote that the district sent out 100 pink slips in 2010, but that "those were false alarms," because all of those pink slips eventually were rescinded. "This time is different," Wells wrote in May. However, of the 233 teachers issued pink slips, only one full-time teacher and one part-time teacher actually were laid off, according to the school district. Wells, who...

Because there’s just no better way to show who’s boss than scaring the living crap out of a bunch of elderly tourists from numerous countries. What a bunch of fascist asshats: Vaillancourt was one of thousands of people who found themselves in a national park as the federal government shutdown went into effect on Oct. 1. For many hours her tour group, which included senior citizen visitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, were locked in a Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard. The tourists were treated harshly by armed park employees, she said, so much so...

Leftist geography professor at taxpayer-funded university rails at students over shutdown 9:35 AM 10/07/2013 Eric Owens Education Editor Last week, a geography professor at the public, taxpayer-funded University of Wisconsin-La Crosse used a required assignment in one of her courses to wage a campaign against Republicans, blaming them entirely for the government shutdown over federal spending. Rachel Slocum, an assistant professor in the UW–La Crosse geography and earth sciences department, sent the vitriolic email entitled “government websites” on Oct. 1, reports Media Trackers Wisconsin. Here it is, unexpurgated: hi everyone Some of the data gathering assignment will be impossible to...

The next legislative step for the Common Core educational standards likely will take place Wednesday afternoon in Lansing. That's when a special joint meeting of the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12, School Aid Education is scheduled examine the issue. The "Common Core State Standards" resolution (HCR 11) passed easily in the House last week on an 85-21 vote. HCR 11 would authorize the state to move toward the implementation of the standards under certain conditions set forth in the resolution. Common Core standards were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010, but the...

Vladimir Putin allegedly said off the record: "Negotiating with Obama is like playing chess with a pigeon. The pigeon knocks over all the pieces, sh*ts on the board and then struts around like it won the game."

Common Core, a set of education standards that reportedly would bring uniformity to school curriculums across the nation, passed the Michigan House on Thursday. The “Common Core Concurrent Resolution,” (HCR 11) passed on an 85-21 vote. A Senate committee hearing on the measure is expected this week. According to the state Legislative Service Bureau, HCR 11 would: "authorize the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education to move forward to expend resources to implement the use of the Common Core State Standards so long as the conditions of this resolution can be met." Gov. Rick Snyder, the...

tl;dr: Sued Corvallis PD officer in federal court for unlawful detainment, won. This post has been on my mind for some time, and finally I feel that I can share it with you all, as the dismissal of the case was filed today. As you may or may not remember, on October 26, 2011 (ironically the 10th anniversary of the U.S. PATRIOT Act being signed into law) I was illegally detained by Corvallis PD while I was checking my mail. At the time I didn't say much about it because I didn't want my version of the events to be...

In 1994, when Arizona started its shall issue concealed carry weapon (CCW) program, there was considerable interest in how many and what types of homicides would be related to the new law. I started teaching classes for the Arizona CCW permit when it went into effect, and I immediately noticed that my students were well above average in attitude, responsibility, and civility.   They always pitched in to assist in setting up where necessary, and their personal checks have always been good. When the first statistics became available, I eagerly digested the information. One person with a CCW permit had committed...

This is the second part of a 3-part article by our new guest writer, Stephen St. George, a Catholic born in Iraq who now lives in the United States. The first part, in which he describes his early experiences in Iraq, is here: Let’s Throw Pebbles in the Ocean! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’ve heard and seen many attacks directed at anyone who speaks the truth about the atrocities that Muslims are perpetrating upon innocent people all around the world. These are some of the attacks, untruths, insults and propaganda spewed by Muslims or their liberal defenders, and my answers to them....

This image of a biker gang pummeling Internet executive Alexian Lienn as his wife helplessly looks on is terrifying.Biker mob assaulting NYC Internet executive Alexian Lienn. Photo via CarScoops.com Lienn and his wife were enjoying a day out celebrating their wedding anniversary with their baby daughter when a so-called “pop-up gang” of bikers surrounded them as they drove on Manhattan’s West Side Highway. One biker, later identified as Chistopher Cruz, swerved in front of Lienn’s Range Rover and “brake-checked” the vehicle by slamming on his brakes, forcing the vehicle to stop. 2,000 lb SUVs being much harder to stop than...

When college students voted for Obama, not once but twice, did they become what is now labeled as America’s lost generation? Have they been betrayed as their futures were mortgaged with huge student loans and then found out that the employment opportunities are being outsourced to job contractors in India and other foreign countries?

Every school in Michigan is ranked on the state's “Top-to-Bottom” list, which is used by parents, policymakers and the media. If a school scores low enough, the state can force the principal to be removed. But what if the rankings, which are based on student proficiency (50 percent of a school’s grade), student growth (25 percent) and achievement gap (25 percent), are flawed? When evaluating schools, the consensus among education analysts is that a lot of a student’s performance tracks with socioeconomic status. While the state report card gives points for student growth, this may not be enough to make...

Cruz and Mark Levin discuss the situation and that Republicans need to Hold, Hold, Hold, as in the movie, Braveheart. 4 Videos on the page Here is the speech of William Wallace from “Braveheart”: “I am William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny! You have come to fight as free men. And free man you are! What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?” “Two thousand against ten?” – the veteran shouted. “No! We will run – and live!” “Yes!” Wallace shouted back. “Fight and you may die. Run and...

Obama is punishing America and her heroes any way he can. He’s punching us in the face, while proclaiming to the Republicans: “Now look what you made me do!” He’s guilty of domestic abuse on America. Small wonder… Mooch must beat the crap out of his Marxist little soul when he gets home at night. I mean, have you seen her arms? Obama caused the Government to be shut down because he would not budge on the monstrosity that is Obamacare. He would not even come up with a budget, much less balance it. Never has, never will. He just...

On my daily commute home from work I passed a small shopping center in Chichester, PA where I saw a young boy and girl holding signs in front of the Family Dollar store. I initially thought they were raising money for something but as I slowed down I read the words "I STOLE" on the boy's sign. I turned around and drove by again to get a closer look at what the signs actually said. photo 2.jpg I STOLE CANDY FROM FAMILY DOLLAR. MY MOTHER DID NOT RAISE ME THAT WAY. photo 1.jpg I STOLE A $100 CELL PHONE FROM...

Is having a college or university diploma still the avenue to a well-paying job or is the ability to access information technology enabling job seekers to bypass costly higher education that may leave them in debt for years to come?

Exxon-Mobil has taken a leading role in promoting Common Core Now, when you pump obscenely expensive gasoline into your family car, Exxon-Mobil leverages your purchase to drive a publicity campaign supporting a policy initiative that is a hazard and a menace to the well being of children attending public schools. Exxon-Mobil are by no means the only players in this crusade to transform our schools. In the linked column, I include a short list of Fortune 100 – 1,000 businesses that are assisting Obama and the Dept. of Education in selling Common Core to states and school districts. Unfortunately, the...

  Urban decay in Detroit from Imgur  There is an urban myth floating around the Internet under some variation of the  the title:   The United States is ranked 3rd in Murders throughout the World. But, if you remove just 4 cities from the statistics : The United States is 3rd in murders throughout the world. But if you take out Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC and New Orleans, the United States is 4th from the bottom for murders. These 4 cities also have the toughest gun control laws in the United States. This tell you anything? PS: These cities are...

The Oregon agency behind Obamacare-promoting, taxpayer-funded ads that have garnered national attention for their hipster and trippy vibes defended the spots Wednesday. And next up? The agency will be looking for high school marching bands to play the pro-Affordable Care Act anthem in a contest aimed at bringing more attention to the government-funded health care exchange. The ads have grabbed much criticism for their lack of detail about the Affordable Care Act. “We’ve heard the criticism that those ads don’t tell people enough what Cover Oregon is,” said Amy Fauver, senior marketing manager at health exchange agency Cover Oregon, during...

A Wisconsin school district is apologizing after middle school students were shown a video that featured Hollywood celebrities pledging to be a servant to President Obama.“I pledge to be a servant to our president,” Demi Moore said in the “I Pledge,” video shown Wednesday at Hudson Middle School. The video was part of a number of Peace One Day activities, an international event to build peace awareness. The students were also invited to make their own pledges after viewing the video. But there was a big problem – the video conveyed the idea that Americans should serve the presidency instead...

I am attending the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Houston today.  Last  night there was a reception, and many prominent second amendment supporters attended.  I was able to snap some photos of a few.  I missed many.  I have included  links to their organizations. Alan Gottlieb Prime Mover for these conferences: Second Amendment Foundation Alan Korwin (red ribbon): Gunlaws.com and Jim Irving Buckey Firearms Association David Kopel, Independence Institute Charles Heller, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) Doug Ritter,  Knife Rights Jeff Knox  The Firearms Coallition Dr. Timothy Wheeler  Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership Phillip Van Cleave  Virginia...

A new type of play sand for inside.

So as conservatives rally behind Cruz for taking on the establishment and doing such a great job trying to prevent the statist from destroying health care, I have figured, soon after it will be time to turn the same attention to the gov't's attempts to take over our education and gov'ts attempts to use education to enslave the people. Student loans are pretty close to being as dire a crisis as saving health care from gov't tyranny. The following are solutions that conservatives have suggested for student loans: 1. Privatize student loans entirely 2. Cap the amount students can borrow...

More shooting and showing the cool little XDs in 9mm, as well as a reminder about the recall. I'm anxious to get this pistol back from Springfield, as it is definitely a fine shooter.http://www.springfield-armory.comhttp://www.springfieldrecall.com

Where the culture goes, so goes the electorate and then eventually self-government. So where does that leave us? Apparently “twerking” before the ruling class. For the newly initiated, “twerking” is described as a “low squatting dance” that involves “moving ones buttocks in a circular, up-and-down, and side-to-side motion; basically a slutty dance derived from strip clubs”. Miley Cyrus demonstrated on national television recently by grinding her rump up against her male co-star on stage. Real classy. With each passing year, what passes for popular “culture” has become progressively more low-brow and increasingly sexed up. So-called “celebrities” are usually just famous...

The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has released its latest report on state funding for schools, and claims that Michigan is spending 9 percent less on schools than it was in 2008. The report, however, ignores billions of dollars, a major flaw that Mackinac Center for Public Policy experts identified last year. In its analysis of school spending for 2007-08, CBPP left out about $10 billion in education funding, including $6 billion in revenue from property taxes and $1.4 billion in special education money. CBPP's report is especially meaningless for Michigan because of the way the state foundation allowance...

Waitresses at the diner pose after the encounter in the middle of Texas I was on my way to the Gun Rights Policy Conference when it happened. I had been riding along I-20, covering lots of miles on my Suzuki 650, looking for a likely place to stop for lunch.   Sometime after Big Spring, chance met preparedness, and I dropped speed and got off the freeway.   The location appeared a little more rundown than I liked, with boarded up windows in an apartment building next door and a paucity of cars in the parking lot. I was committed now. ...

DALIAN, CHINA – There may be many unemployed young people in Japan, but there are also a lot of companies that can’t fill their vacancies due to a shortage of talented applicants, Darryl Green, president of major staffing and workforce solution service company ManpowerGroup, said in a recent interview. Warning about Japan’s labor market, Green told The Japan Times there are plenty of openings for technical positions in Japan, such as engineers and in sales, but most people who have recently graduated from Japanese universities have no practical skills to qualify for those jobs. “The needs of corporate Japan are...

Despite the individual benefits of completing a postsecondary education, the value to taxpayers of subsidizing higher education is becoming increasingly threatened. Student debt has, and continues, to rise dramatically, fueled in part by ever increasing government-subsidized student loans. Taxpayers' direct costs for Michigan colleges and universities continue to stretch the state budget. It is becoming clear that neither students nor taxpayers are getting a good return on their investment. This problem has several reinforcing causes that must be addressed to achieve quality career outcomes for students and a skilled workforce. First, consumers lack access to clear data on the success...

People openly carrying guns obtained as private buyers at a Phoenix gun turn in event An open carry march in Toledo, Ohio, gained some media attention.  Ron in Toledo writes of his experience at the event on opencarry.org: September 22,'13 - Our open carry walk through down town Toledo today was covered by local TV stations, our friendly WSPD Radio 1370 AM, and The Toledo Blade news paper. It was windy and quite cool for this old man, and I was the eldest in attendance. I am proud of the turn out and I met some of the nicest...

In July, the state of New York announced the results of its first tests based on the Common Core: The region hasn't been this battered since Superstorm Sandy. Just 26 percent of students in third through eighth grade passed the English exam, and only 30 percent passed the math test. In one Harlem school, just seven percent of students received passing scores in English, and 10 percent in math. We've gone from No Child Left Behind to Well-Just-About-Every-Child-Left-Behind ...progress of a kind. If 'learned helplessness' is the Common Core's goal, it's a stunning success." Businessman George Ball Indeed, the tests...