Stories that caught my attention: layoffs, boycott and confusion
-PERSONAL LOOK AT DISTRICT LAYOFFS: More than 60 central office employees in the Dallas school district were shown the door at the start of this week, and more cuts – including teachers - could be on the way later today as officials try to remedy an $84 million budget shortfall. Here’s a view on the situation from Donald Claxton, who briefly headed the communications department at Oklahoma City Public Schools under former Superintendent John Porter after working in the Dallas district.
-BOYCOTT MOVES TO THE BALL FIELD: An Illinois state senator from Chicago 
took his stab at school funding reform to last night’s playoff game between the Cubs and the Dodgers last night. Sen. James Meeks also led a student boycott of lower performing schools at the start of the year.
-CONFUSING STUDENT ASSESSMENTS: This Washington Post story talks about a literacy program’s assessments that start on a seemingly arbitrary scale of 2 to 16 and then switch to the letters J through P. I’m not questioning the scale or the program there, but the article did make me think about whether parents can always understand how their students are evaluated.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
Education hurdles stave off Olympics withdrawal
Michael Phelps did his job, collecting eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics that ended yesterday. But back in Maryland, his mom’s job is just beginning. The Flypaper blog by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute reports that Debbie Phelps is the principal of Windsor Mill Middle School there.
Flypaper also mentions the 2008 Education Olympics, where the U.S won a single medal, compared to a 35-medal showing by the top contender: Finland. You can check out http://edolympics.net for a recap, whether you’re tired of Phelps reruns or whether they’re not playing often enough to satisfy your Olympic spirit.
Wendy Kleinman, Education Reporter
Back to school, back to court
Two weeks ago, I talked to families in Oklahoma for a national basketball tournament who defended their decision to take part in homeschooling. They were on the defense because of a California court’s ruling that parents without teacher certification cannot constitutionally teach their children at home.
But homeschooling families also went on the offense after the ruling was handed down, and the appellate court has agreed to rehear the case.
The court this time also asked for opinions from the union and state board of education for California, and the union and school district for the city of Los Angeles. Other interested parties were invited to file so-called “friend of the court” briefs.
Judges are scheduled to hear the case again in June.
What do you think the ruling should say this time around? Share your thoughts here at http://blog.newsok.com/educationstation.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Your thoughts on homeschooling
The Oklahoman published a package of stories and video clips today about homeschooling — why parents choose it, how they feel about recent judicial and legislative moves, what they do to ensure a quality education for their children, how they join together for athletic competitions, and what recent research shows, among other issues.
We’ve shared information with you. Now, we want you to share your thoughts with us. Post your comments here to get a discussion going about these homeschool topics.
From the “duh” files
This just in — Highly-educated University of Texas at Austin researchers have discovered that “College Students Drink More on Game Days!”
Their study found that students drank more on football game days than on Halloween or New Year’s Eve, other holidays with a reputation for inebriation.
Male students drank more for all games. Female students tended to chug-a-lug most during away games.
Said one study author: “Most events associated with heavy drinking occur only one a year, such as Spring Break, or once in a lifetime, such as a 21st birthday, but the weekly football schedule presents students with more regular opportunities to drink.”
The study is published in November’s issue of Addictive Behaviors.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Should Students “Tote ‘em, Quote ‘em and Use ‘em in Class?”
There are two subjects sure to stir debate in Oklahoma: Football and Religion.
I’ll decline to discuss the former — that’s been done enough this week. My last post here was about a call-to-action by a New Jersey Christian activist to bring Bibles to school this week to coincide with See You at the Pole day.
Bob Pawson urged children to take their Bibles to class and quote passages they felt were relevent to their class subject. (Not sure how that would work in Algebra….)
I asked news.ok readers what they thought of Pawson’s campaign, and whether they’d support non-Christian groups doing the same thing. What if Muslims brought the Quran to school?
Here are some responses emailed to me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com.
Claude of Yukon said the real question is “Are we a nation under God as our national flag salute states or is it under Allah or Buddha.” Claude goes on to say, “We should study the Bible that expresses our belief in God and is commonly accepted by our religious traditions of all faiths — not the Bible of some foreign religion.”
Does Claude know that the Bible originated outside the United States?
Cheryl of Warr Acres said Pawson’s campaign could lead to chaos in the classroom. “Some with fervent views on their beliefs might resort to physical violence,” she wrote.
Robert, a high school teacher in Oklahoma City, said students have the right of religious expression, as long as it doesn’t disrupt regular classroom activities. He said the Bible is a great source of literature and helps put other works in perspective.
“For example, I am teaching the early English epic Beowolf. The monster Grendle is said to be the off-sprig of Cain, the first murderer in the Bible. Most of my students don’t know who Cain was or the story from Genesis.”
I even had an e-mail from Pawson himself, who saw my earlier posting. He said the campaign is intended to generate dialogue, not disruption. He said Muslim students should bring their Qurans and prayer rugs because everyone has equal rights under the constitution.
What do you think? I’m open to further discussion on the matter. Football? That’s another matter.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
*Footnote to baseball history
Branding irons typically are used to mark livestock or steaks. One will be used to mark an asterisk on the baseball that earned Barry Bonds his record-breaking 756th home run.
More than 10 million votes were cast in an eight-day period over what to do with the ball.
Overall, more than 80 percent of voters felt the ball should go to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. – but 47 percent of the voters wanted it branded first as a reminder of the allegations that Bonds used steroids.
Another 34 percent of voters thought the ball should be bestowed without being branded, and the other 19 percent wanted it blasted into outer space.
The poll was sponsored by a man with a brand of his own – Marc Ecko, a fashion designer who paid $752,467 for the ball.
To see news clips of Marc Ecko and get to YouTube and MySpace forums about the vote, go to http://www.vote756/marcecko.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Staff Writer
Barry Bonds baseball: Bestow, brand or banish?
I saw Barry Bonds hit his 758th home run in San Francisco last month. I don’t know where that ball is now.
I do know where his record-breaking 756th home run ball is — in your hands.
Fashion designer Marc Ecko paid more than $750,000 for the ball that broke baseball legend Hank Aaron’s home run record, and he wants the public to decide what to do with it.
Until Sept. 25, you can cast your vote. Should the ball be bestowed to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.; branded with an asterisk as a reminder of the steroid dispute surrounding the record and then given to the Hall of Fame; or blasted into outer space and banished forever?
Go to www.vote756.com/marcecko to vote, and visit the forum on NewsOK.com at http://newsok.com/article/3129752 to tell us why you think the ball should be bestowed, branded or banished.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Staff Writer
Football for Dummies
It’s here — football season — and I feel like I walked into the twilight zone.
All the water cooler talk here has been Monday Morning (except it’s Tuesday) Quarterbacking. Who played well, who’s ranked what, who’s in jail and not on the gridiron.
Football fans might as well be talking Greek to me. It’s not that I hate football, I’m just not interested. I don’t understand the fuss.
And I haven’t tried to understand it, so shame on me.
Basketball I can understand. Mostly. Baseball bores me, but at least I know what’s happening.
But I am a football idiot. Which just might get me kicked out of Oklahoma.
My colleague David Zizzo wrote a story over the weekend explaining the fundamentals of the game. I was following along until we got to first-downs. That’s when I realized that if I start to comprehend the game, I might start to LIKE the game, and become a poll-prowling, team-touting, Monday Morning Quarterback.
Sometimes — especially when your team is losing — ignorance is bliss.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer (and OSU student during the 1991 season when the Pokes were 0-10.)
