Free Republic

TRUTH WITHOUT INTERRUPTION DAY ( www.choice4truth.com/twid.htm ) On April 21, homosexual activists and their supporters will hold "Day of Silence" events on high school and college campuses throughout the country, sponsored by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. (For more details, see www.dayofsilence.org.) It will be a silent vigil and the usual victimhood and "gay" rights claims. Participants will hand out material promoting homosexuality, bisexuality and cross-dressing. How would you like to hold a counter-event the same day? We are calling it the Truth Without Interruption Day! Finally - a chance to get a word in edgewise! If...

It's called "soft dictatorship" – government's attempt to control every aspect of American life for your own good or for the good of the children. The ultimate issue is power. This week's example: government's assault (at all levels) on the homeschool movement, which now includes threats to send homeschool parents to jail. Government's great fear in this matter is not that the kids are being short-changed or abused – it's that they might be getting a better education than the government-educrat de facto monopoly can provide and that the word might get out. Yes, government has an obligation to ensure...

Cost-adjusted school district revenues for elementary and secondary education totaled $319.7 billion in 1997–98, or about $7,028 per pupil. State governments provided nearly half the total (49 percent)—about $155 billion, or about $3,413 per pupil. Local governments provided the second-largest share (45 percent)—about $144 billion, or about $3,167 per pupil. The federal government provided the remaining 6 percent of revenues—more than $20 billion, or about $447 per pupil. School District Revenues for Elementary and Secondary Education: 1997–98 Joel D. Sherman, Barbara Gregory, and Jeffrey M. Poirier This article was originally published as the Executive Summary of the Statistical Analysis...

Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- Mary Kreiss-Papalski was shocked to open her New Jersey Education Association newsletter and find an announcement that the teacher's union was inviting members to join the union in supporting and attending the pro-abortion March for Freedom of Choice Rally in Washington D.C. this April. Not only was the invitation published in the March 2004 NJEA review, the announcement also stated that the Association's Women in Education Committee, "with approval form the NJEA Executive Committee, will charter two buses for members." "When I read this I was quite upset," said Kreiss-Papalski, an NJEA member and guidance secretary...

What passes for educational enlightenment these days boggles the mind. Matt Gouras, of The Associated Press, writing in the Jan. 5 Seattle Times tells a story about Tennessee schools. The success of some students has made other students feel badly about themselves. What're the schools' responses? Public schools in Nashville have stopped posting honor rolls. Some are considering a ban on posting exemplary schoolwork on bulletin boards. Others have canceled academic pep rallies, while others might eliminate spelling bees. Nashville's Julia Green Elementary School principal, Steven Baum, agrees, thinking that spelling bees and publicly graded events are leftovers from the...

Home schooling has often been dismissed as a fringe activity, its practitioners caricatured as head-in-the-sand reactionaries and off-the-grid hippies. The most vocal and organized home schoolers have tended to be religiously motivated, most often conservative Christians. But a newer breed of home schooler is emerging, motivated not by religious belief or countercultural philosophy. Uppermost for such parents are concerns about violence, peer pressure, and poor academic quality in their schools. Back in 1980, home schooling was illegal in 30 states. It was not until 1993 that all 50 states made the practice lawful. But in recent years, the practice of...

Labor Department Investigating National Education Association Reports WASHINGTON (AP) - A teachers union that spends heavily to support political candidates is acknowledging for the first time that the government is investigating whether all its expenditures have been reported. National Education Association general counsel Bob Chanin confirmed the Labor Department investigation began in April 2002, the same month a conservative law firm complained to the Bush administration that millions of dollars in political spending went unreported. "We believe we reported all political expenditures properly," Chanin told The Associated Press. "We concealed nothing. I am confident we'll get a clean bill...

Is NEA a 'terrorist organization'? Posted: February 27, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern By Brannon Howse© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com On Feb. 23, 2004, at the National Governor's Association meeting in D.C., United States Secretary of Education Rod Paige called the National Education Association "a terrorist organization." The firestorm has started and Paige will be asked to apologize – but should he? Before the NEA gets up on their soap box about being called a terrorist organization, they should remember that they and many of their liberal members have spent years hurling insults at moms, dads, taxpayers and teachers that have been fighting for traditional academics...

SYRACUSE, NY--Can Queen Latifah help high school students understand the writings of Karl Marx? Can Sean "P. Diddy" Combs help them appreciate the work of towering historical figures like Galileo, Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci? The Syracuse school district thinks they can. The district has sent a 12-page packet to each teacher at its four high schools that suggests ways to incorporate hip-hop performers and their work into their teaching. The packet, put together by two teachers and the district's coordinators of fine arts and social studies, is intended to harness the energy the March 10 Hip-Hop Summit is generating and...

ORLANDO - Education Secretary Rod Paige again apologized Friday for calling a teachers union a "terrorist organization," yet repeated his criticism that the National Education Association obstructs federal education policies. "In this post 9/11 world, the word I used obviously has a grave and sad meaning," Paige said at a convention of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "I wish I had used different words to express my point, and for the insensitive choice of words, I express my deepest regrets." Paige touched off the controversy Monday, when he made the "terrorist" remark at a gathering of governors. The...

State News February 26, 2004Darwinism to Face Scrutinyby Sonja Swiatkiewicz, state issues analyst Ohio and Minnesota have the opportunity to make a difference in how Darwinism is taught to schoolchildren.Ohio made history in December 2002 when its state Board of Education approved changes to public school science standards requiring students to be tested on their understanding of evidence for and against Darwinism.Just over a year later, Ohio again stands at a crossroads of sorts, while its school board seeks to establish a model curriculum to implement 2002's changes. Minnesota, likewise, has come to a place of decision — whether...

For Conversational Purposes... The Hispanic Club, the Chess Club and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance are just some of the clubs that have displays in the hallways of Portland schools. But after the Bible Club at Marshall High School (search) put a Bible and some other Christian books in a display case, some teachers complained to the principal. After a call to the district's lawyer, the display was taken down. District officials said they felt the display gave the impression that the school was endorsing Christianity

"[Calling the NEA a 'terrorist organization' is] the most vile and disgusting form of hate speech, comparing those who teach America's children to terrorists." — Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Of course Rod Paige was wrong when he called America's most powerful teacher's union a "terrorist organization." Al Qaeda isn't nearly as bad at terrorism as the NEA is at educating our children. Everyone agrees, including Secretary of Education Paige himself, that his flippant comment went too far. He apologized, the White House is pleased that he apologized, and the Democrats are thrilled to have yet another opportunity to...

WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Rod Paige says he chose poor words in calling the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization," but he stands by his claim that the group uses "obstructionist scare tactics" in its fight over the nation's education law. Paige used the terrorist reference Monday in a private White House meeting with governors while answering a question about the National Education Association, which has 2.7 million members. His words startled members of his audience, triggered outrage from prominent Democrats and deepened the divide between the country's top education official and its largest union. Paige told The Associated...

Rod Paige Criticizes Teachers Union Education Secretary Paige Calls Teachers Union 'Terrorist Organization' The Associated Press WASHINGTON Feb. 23 — Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" during a private White House meeting with governors on Monday. Democratic and Republican governors confirmed Paige's remarks about the National Education Association. "These were the words, 'The NEA is a terrorist organization,'" said Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin. "He was making a joke, probably not a very good one," said Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. "Of course he immediately divorced the NEA from ordinary teachers,...

Check your local listings for airtimes. (Current show is updated every weekday at 5pm EST.) HEALTH Health Experts Warn of Antidepressant Dangers for Children, Teens By Darla SittonCBN News Producer In America, Prozac is the only drug the FDA has "approved" for pediatric depression. CBN.com – (CBN News) - As many as one in eight adolescents suffers from clinical depression. And these kids are often treated with anti-depressant drugs that have been tested and approved for adult use. But the drugs may not be safe for children. Corey Baadsgaard doesn't remember storming into his honors English class with a...

<p>A federal judgeon Wednesday backed the city's Department of Education, ruling that the display of the nativity scene, unlike Christmas trees and menorahs, was not secular and has no place in classrooms.</p> <p>Judge Charles Sifton in Brooklyn dismissed the lawsuit brought forth by Andrea Skoros, 34, of College Point, saying the city's holiday displays policy banning non-secular symbols from schools did not violate her right to free exercise of religion.</p>

Eco Logic / Powerhouse Trackside commentary... Arkansas takes over the state's schools By John D'Aloia Jr. On the heels of Judge Bullock's preliminary decision finding that the method used by Kansas to fund education was unconstitutional, the Associated Press article out of Arkansas must be bouncing around the halls of the capitol like a hot potato. The Arkansas courts, after giving the legislature over a year to resolve constitutional funding issues, took over the school system. A special master will be appointed to determine a course of action which will, no doubt, include opening up the wallets of Arkansas taxpayers...

WBAL AM-RADIO Baltimore Ron Smith's "Something to Say" Commentary School Budgets, Teaching and TeachersFriday, February 13, 2004 “I could see the fury in their eyes,” said Baltimore Teacher’s Union President Marietta English upon her arrival at the polling place where city school teachers voted “no” to accepting a pay cut to reduce the budget deficit faced by the reeling school system.            It’s clear that teachers feel they shouldn’t have to suffer for the financial ineptitude of their bosses.  One can sympathize with their emotions; especially since many of them regularly dip into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies...

There is a reason why Democrats want the government to keep control of the education of our children. If you do not understand that reason, then you probably went to government schools. Is there a parent out there who hasn't lived through this scenario? You have a soon-to-be brand new first grader in the house. Yes, after over five years of careful nurturing your little rug rat is ready for that great adventure called education. It's time for school. Sadly, for most parents, it's time for government school. You're about to take the most precious thing in your life and...