Privatization, not more money, will fix public education

The state of public education in California is unconscionable. Indeed, little or no progress has been made in the quality of education in our entire country since the scathing 1983 report, "A Nation at Risk."

UCLA Alumni Group Is Tracking 'Radical' Faculty

By Stuart Silverstein and Peter Y. Hong
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
January 18 2006

A fledgling alumni group headed by a former campus Republican leader is offering students payments of up to $100 per class to provide information on instructors who are "abusive, one-sided or off-topic" in advocating political ideologies.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ucla18jan18,1,3718216.story

Ed Schools vs. Education
Prospective teachers are expected to have the correct 'disposition,' proof of which is espousing 'progressive' political beliefs.
By George F. Will
The Last Word
Newsweek January 16, 2006 issue
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10753446/site/newsweek/

Why Professor Johnny can't spell
by Mike S. Adams 11/21

Rebecca Beach is a freshman at Warren County Community College (WCCC) in Washington, New Jersey. Recently, she sent an email to the faculty at her school announcing the appearance of a decorated Iraq war hero named Lt. Colonel Scott Rutter.

The simple email announcement was met with the following blistering response from part-time English Professor John Daly (jpdalyca@yahoo.com):

I am asking my students to boycott your event. I am also going to ask others to boycott it. Your literature and signs in the entrance lobby look like fascist propaganda and is [sic] extremely offensive. Your main poster "Communism killed 100,000,000" is not only untrue, but ignores the fact that CAPITALISM has killed many more....

It's time to privatize education

Though the federal "No Child Left Behind" program is a worthy effort to improve our education system, the nation's report card is riddled with mixed results and little to no progress. However, there are deeply entrenched historical reasons for the difficulties experienced by students, teachers, parents and the education establishment in general, which cannot be easily overcome or corrected.

Spending controls or tax increases?
California
August 5, 2005

Spending $45 million demonizing Governor Schwarzenegger and the Proposition 76 Live Within Our Means Act by the teachers union comes as no surprise. Particularly with the union's militant, selfish interest track record of going all out against any ballot measure that threatens them (such as school vouchers). And campaigning for education bond measures, including a measure that put taxpayers more easily on the hook by lowering the passage of school bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent of the vote.

ONE SIDE FITS ALL

On-campus ideologues smother academic freedom by choking off critical thinking
By Leila Beckwith
professor emeritus of pediatrics at UCLA
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-academicfreedom28aug28,0,4908691,print.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

Published in the Los Angeles Times
April 9, 2005 - lead letter of three letters

Re: "Cheapskate Conservatives Cheat Students"
By Richard Rothstein
L.A. Times Opinion April 3, 2005

EXIT EXAMS
Founder's letter
Published in the Daily Press March 18, 2005

Exit exams no place for timed essays