The Face of Progressivism

Many people will throw the word 'progressive' around and intend for it to have a negative connotation. Well, newsflash: one of the many facets of progressivism is the protection of the weak from the abuses perpetrated upon them by the more powerful. That also extends to the educational environment and Massachusetts has now passed the most progressive anti-bullying legislation in the country.

Next time you think about using the word 'progressive' as a synonym of any negative word you can conjure up, think of this law and put a face on it. Then kindly rephrase your statement.

What Our Youth is Reading

Follow the link to see the list.

A little scary when you think about it....

To paraphrase the latter Bush: What is our children learning?!

Humanities Alive and Kicking?

That's what these two articles would have you believe.

Not only are the numbers of Humanities majors growing to levels not seen since the sixties, but they are doing so in a time of continuous decline in tenure-track positions.

On UCs and Higher Education

University of California president Mark G. Yudof has written a paper about what the Federal Government's role should be in higher education across the nation. He has also expressed the same sentiments in an article published in The Chronicle.

Regardless of what I think of him, he is right on this point.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, Yudof & Co. voted to increase fees by 32% in the University of California over the next year. With another predicted deficit in California's budget, there is a good possibility that funding to education will be cut further, resulting in even higher fees and tuitions in the near future.

Students at UCLA, who had come from all of the UCs, protested the measure.

Indoctrination?

Via TPM, I found a release from the White House with the entire speech to be given by president Obama tomorrow. He asked that it be broadcast in schools across the nation, but the idea has been extremely controversial among right-wing ranks, which fear liberal indoctrination.

Well, here is the speech in its entirety, as it will be delivered. Unless telling kids to try hard and stay in school is indoctrination, the right-wing has lost this battle and had better shut up.

Newt Gingrich apparently has and is now praising the speech.

California in the News

A couple of developments from California:

First, the governator [sic, though I am henceforth abandoning the 'sic'] called the state legislature in a special session to vote for the removal of what he termed a 'firewall,' which prevents the state from applying for a $4.35 billion for an education stimulus fund. I assume it is to rectify the grievous ill that public education suffered in the state after the cuts to balance the budget.

Second, as part of efforts to curb increases in the deficit, some prisoners may be released earlier, or some other individuals facing charges might not even serve any time. The senate approved the decision with a 21-19 vote, with Republicans opposing it and law enforcement advocating against it.

Personally, I think the prison system in the United States is shameful. It does a good job of keeping people locked up, but the conditions it allows within prisons are downright 'cruel and unusual,' and they provide more hardening than reformatory conditions for criminals.

Read to Rid Yourself of God

Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish posts this latest study on his blog. Apparently (and I'm not one bit surprised), your major in college affects your belief in God.

My favorite part:

Being a humanities or a social science major has a statistically significant negative effect on religiosity—measured by either religious attendance and how important students consider the importance of religion in their lives. The impact appears to be strongest in the social sciences.

I am glad humanities can redeem themselves thanks to the shackles that they weaken or remove. I suppose all that reading teaches humanities majors there is better company here on earth.

California Budget Woes

Why, oh, why is it that education and healthcare for the neediest are the first to go?