Picto Diary - 9, 10 July 2015 - ESEA

Above:  Fritz Edelstein, former senior official at the US Department of Education and publisher/editor Fritzwire, a daily newsletter on nexus between local, state and federal education issues, speaks to La Societe Deux Magots (LSDM), 09 July 2015.  Wasatch Bagel, Park City, UT.
 
From left, clockwise:  Roy Parker, Head Master, Park City Day School, Fritz Edelstein, Kilimanjaro, Sheep.  Image captured by The Bishop.
 
Note taker is fallible.  Mistakes are his.  Fritz is welcome to update, correct or further comment.
 
Fritz is a friend of LSDM and has spoken several times to the LSDM ROMEOs.
 
 
Principal Take Aways
 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
 
House and Senate bills reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for the past 15 years - make important reforms by expanding charter schools, retaining annual testing, streamline federal programs (65 programs eliminated), and increasing transparency so parents, teachers, the business community and the public can judge their local schools for themselves.
 
Parallel House appropriations bill calls for a 4.7% real budgetary cut in Department of Education (DOE) expenditure from prior year.  Senate comparable bill calls for a 2.53% cut.    1 billion dollar difference between house and senate on a 65 billion dollar total spend.
 
Appropriations will have to be reconciled between the two congressional bodies... AND  with the ESEA final reconciliation between houses.
 
Earlier, WH issued a statement of Administration Policy (SAP) indicating no veto of Senate Bill.     Indications are that the process is moving ahead.  But, anybody's guess, when reconciled spending and ESEA bills are presented to the White House as to whether the president will support the bill.
 
Federal mandates of NCLB end.  K-12 education to be primarily responsibility of state government, local school districts, and parents.
 
States to have more influence in how/where to route federal dollars received.
 
Some federal accountability remain, particularly in states identified as falling behind.
 
 
Common Core
 
Process was disrupted when Secretary of Education Arne Duncan tied disbursement of "Race to the Top" federal funds to Common Core compliance by states.
 
Duncan's action weakened the position of those who insisted that the federal government was not involved in Common Core, and served to awaken conservatives, adamant about state controlled education, to rise up in protest to Common Core.
 
Today states fall into three categories as it applies to Common Core.
 
1.    States who adopted Common Core and retained it.  Utah....
 
2.    States who "dropped" Common Core, but in reality kept the standards and just renamed it something else.  Indiana....
 
3.    States who never adopted Common Core.  Texas... Virginia adopted and then dropped Common Core, reverting to its own state education standards.
 
Those who argue for Common Core, say, among others, that a Mississippi student, say, will be disadvantaged in job pursuit if his standard of education is below that of a student, say, from Massachusetts.  National standards, advocates say, will facilitate employers ability to evaluate potential hires.
 
 
Thank-you.
 
La Societe Deux Magots (LSDM) thanks Fritz Edelstein for his informative remarks on recent national education issues.
 
 
La Societe Deux Magots (LSDM) is a non-partisan ROMEO (retired old men eating out) group which meets daily, at 7:00 AM at Wasatch Bagel in Park City, UT. LSDM members are the rightful intellectual heirs of a group of authors (Hemingway, Sartre, Camus, deBouvoir) who met daily at Cafe Deux Magots, in Paris, France in the 1930's.) 

Above: Juvenile magpie on table on our porch. 09 July 2015.

Image taken from inside the house. The image is noteworthy in that the bird was walking back and forth across the table, seemingly nervous or disturbed. I figured it must be his first fly day and he still hadn't gained the confidence to take-off, even though he had obviously flown to get where he was. Given the bird's nervousness I decided not to walk out the door to see what he would do. When I came back one half hour later, the bird was gone.

Above: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Concert. Deer Valley, UT 10 July 2015.

Accompanied by Utah Symphony.

TIMDT said this was the best concert she has attended in ages.

I agree, it was right up there. Swinging in your seat fun!

Above: Drums and Mynduveroan at Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Concert. Deer Valley, UT. 10 July 2015.

Above: 'Cake and Maui. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Concert. Deer Valley, UT. 10 July 2015.

Addendum


Steve, I like your new Ducati, did you have the opportunity to look at the new BMW GT- a local here just bought one and I thought it was sensational ; your thoughts enjoy your bike safely-it would sure be nice for you to come out with Bob or the three of this meet somewhere it would only be big fun

Mr. Z3,
Ojai, CA

I listened to Aaron. I don't regret it.


No, I am building a #1M collector car warehouse and I have to be around to make sure I can begin to fill it with part of the 300 customers to sign up.

Morgan, Chicago, IL (see image, below).


My grand dog [Emma] where she loves to be - in the water!

Aunt Joyce,
Ashland, OR


Steve, I just bought one too. Rode it for the first time today. How do you like it?

Hacienda Squared
Las Vegas, NV

Only 40 miles so far.

I'm doing an overnighter to Mt. Carmel Junction (near Zion) and back Wed and Thurs. 600 miles round trip.

As you know, I had the 2010, the first year of this body style. Seems a lot the same... but, look, I'm the guy who can't tell the difference between powder skis and slalom skis.

I can say there is a much greater ease of going from mode to mode. Dash read outs are clearer and better organized.

I like the fact that it auto weakens ABS for Enduro mode. Before you had to disable ABS separately.

I'll revert with a report by the end of the week.

SDT