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Tag: Education

  • A spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. Thank you, Colbert.

    Just in case …

    On Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations  was ratified by five permanent members of the Security Council which consisted – right after WWII – of the United States, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the Republic of China and was able to secure  46 other members.   It was originally conceived in San Francisco and the charter was created in April and signed into being by the people who conceived it on June 26, 1945.

    The United Nations charter back then was described as being created  to maintain international peace and security and to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems that are derived  from economic, social, cultural, issued or are the result of problems with  humanitarian character – namely it’s lack.  Hitler, and Mussolini to a lesser extent, had shown clearly how devastating the lack of humanity and a humanitarian culture that cared about social and economic issues of the mass population could be on the entire world.

    The goals were noble and as always when dealing with large groups of people problems started immediately.  For instance:  May 14, 1948, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed as British rule in Palestine came to an end.  The next day NYT reported: “The declaration of the new state by David Ben-Gurion, chairman of the National Council and the first Premier of reborn Israel, was delivered during a simple and solemn ceremony at 4 p.m., and new life was instilled into his people, but from without there was the rumbling of guns, a flashback to other declarations of independence that had not been easily achieved.”  The goal was to give a sense of permanency to the many Jews who were transported to  or had fled to Palestine, while it was under British rule.  The  United Nations  partitioned Palestine into Arab and Jewish sections. in November 1947.  Naturally we all know about the many humanitarian issues that evolved from this decision and especially how it was implemented.  Arab Nations are still today upset about it and they often use it as an explanation for their own inhumane behavior.  Naturally Israelis now live in a nation that legitimately needs defend itself.  When they are ruled by someone who doesn’t really care about economic, social and humanitarian issues in the West Bank or Palestine ever more problems are created.

    The original purpose of the United Nations was good.  The way it has been run since Kofi Annan tried to get fairness and attention for African Nations has been pretty awful.  He wanted justice for the African Nations since they often were used and abused by business interests who didn’t care about the population at large.  Unfortunately, a lot of the African leaders are incredibly corrupt and self serving, often killing entire villages to allow international business to “license” the right to excavate property stolen from these villages. Are there problems? Yes.

    Does the current US administration help solve any of the issues?   According to the recent US speeches it seems they want to become one of the top problems in the world.  Declaring Nuclear War as an option is hardly in line with the UN Charter.  Perhaps it is a good thing.  Maybe now leaders will finally realize they are equal. Now we live in an equal opportunity world. The world needs leaders who want to create peace and social and economic justice for all in a democratic and humanitarian way.  Maybe now countries from all around the world will create their own versions of world peace.  Clearly at this moment in history, the US has lost its way as a peace loving nation.  Trump’s speech is undeniably and very clearly proof that there is no US commitment nor interest in world peace.  The truth is out.  It is time for new peace loving leaders. no matter where they come from.

    It is most  heartening that more and more Americans who are listening to the current chosen American leaders like Pence,  Sessions,  Cruz, McConnell, McConnell,  who clearly want Americans to die in the street, and their chosen “education leader” DuBois – ever more people are wondering whether it is time to improve education in the US.  It is finally becoming clear to more and more people , that after 40 years of hoping the various States will educate kids on their own volition has left a country where there is much room for improvement. 

  • Charter School Fraud is rampant and proven and now we have dubious DeVos

    Estimated Enrollment Trends in Full-Time Virtual Schools. (National Education Policy Center)
    Estimated Enrollment Trends in Full-Time Virtual Schools. (National Education Policy Center)
    The National Education Association expresses deep concerns

    A recent study provided that only 41% of Cyber Schools were deemed “academically acceptable.”  The graduation rate on private Cyber Schools was less than half of that of brick & mortar public schools.  So why is the new head of education so interested in providing an easy platform of proven tax dollar theft?

    This is not “liberal hysteria”  this is a genuine concern based on real facts.

    California

    Jessica Calefati of the San Jose Mercury News provided in-depth research about the for profit company K12 Inc. which lead to a $168.5 Million settlement with California. There are proven claims that the Virginia-based Charter School manipulated attendance records and overstated its students’ success.  The SJMN stated in its article: “Harris’ office found that K12 and the 14 California Virtual Academies used deceptive advertising to mislead families about students’ academic progress, parents’ satisfaction with the program and their graduates’ eligibility for University of California and California State University admission.”  Over a twelve year period the fraudster charged the State of California $310 Million dollars.

    Despite these findings the Atlantic Monthly reports:

    “DeVos invested in the online charter-school operator K12, which targeted the growing home school market. But K12’s overly expansive business model made it both significantly less profitable and more prone to regulatory and operating deficiencies than smaller, less ideologically driven competitors. K12 still trades below its IPO price from 2007. K12 was one of dozens of companies originally backed by Michael Milken’s ambitiously named Knowledge Universe, as part of an expansive effort to revolutionize education.”

    Pennsylvania

    Account Neal Prence, 61, admitted guilt in defrauding the government by helping with illegal accounting practices.  AP reported that Nicholas Trombetta, 61, acknowledged using the school’s money to fund a lavish lifestyle, including buying a Florida condominium, homes for his girlfriend and mother and a jet airplane, while socking most of the money away for retirement.  Trombetta used Avanti Management Group, the National Network of Digital Schools and other companies Trombetta also created to perpetrate the scheme.   The fraud was uncovered thanks to the tireless work of the FBI.

    What seems surprising is that despite the fact that they absconded admittedly with $8 Million dollars the maximum sentence the law allows is:  “The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 100 years in prison, a fine of $3,250,000, or both for Trombetta and five years’ imprisonment, $250,000, or both for Prence. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorneys James R. Wilson, Robert S. Cessar and Stephen R. Kaufman are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.”    More

    Ohio

    Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow lost appeal to allow the state to audit the attendance of their online charter school.  The Columbia Dispatch reported on November 13, 2016:  “ECOT could not substantiate nearly 60 percent of full-time students were getting the minimum 920 hours of “learning opportunities” required by the state, meaning the state could ask the school to repay more than $60 million of the $106 million it received in state funding last year. Eight other smaller e-schools also were unable to justify their reported enrollment totals.”   It seems House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville, was not worried about ECOT or Ohio’s other online schools potentially defrauding Ohio.  He simply excused their behavior by saying:  “There are always two sides to the story.”  His comment implies that there may be many more sides than that. Why would a House Speaker support Ohio citizens being defrauded?

    These are only very few examples.  Now with DeVos and her side kick Jerry Fallwell Jr. in charge of “education” we can be sure there will be many more major thefts.  We are now in the era that US founders wanted to avoid:

    It is 49 words in Article I of the Constitution.

    “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

    And the Congress is working feverishly on abolishing the oversight office of ethics to aid the business interests of their now fellow leaders. Here is a great link to a speech Walter M. Shaub, Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics, gave at the Brookings Institute in January 2017.  Link