PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Thu, August 07, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
The federal government recently enacted the latest version of a GI Bill, the first of which became law in June of 1944. Passing the House 387-0 and the Senate 50-0 it was in effect until 1956, and ... [View Full Article]
Mon, July 28, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
There is legitimate concern about school laws and regulations that are unworkable, unnecessary, or otherwise in need of revision or repeal. An interesting inconsistency in this regard is how the ... [View Full Article]
Thu, July 17, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Most parents undoubtedly believe that their children are their responsibility. But a contrary view has a long history.
The point was made by Philadelphian Benjamin Rush, a signer of the ... [View Full Article]
Thu, July 10, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Perhaps no field of endeavor praises reform as much and practices it as little, as public education. Here are some rhetorical examples:
"Technology may eventually revolutionize formal ... [View Full Article]
Thu, July 03, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
The idea of a general public school system began to emerge in the United States with the passage of the Common School Act of 1834 in Pennsylvania. Rarely noted today is how strenuous was the ... [View Full Article]
Thu, June 26, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
WHY is it that significant reform is opposed with the claim that research is needed, yet proposals to conduct such research are also opposed?
WHY does the present system not only lack a ... [View Full Article]
Fri, June 20, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
A few weeks ago notice was given to the Cristo Rey schools which began with one school in Chicago in 1996 and has grown to 19 schools with more than 4,000 schools, with more to follow. This network ... [View Full Article]
Fri, June 13, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Perhaps no institution is so criticized to such little effect as the public schools. For example:
"Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the ... [View Full Article]
Thu, June 05, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
In 1996 the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School opened in a Mexican-immigrant inner-city neighborhood in Chicago. Not just another school for disadvantaged students, Cristo Rey began with a number of ... [View Full Article]
Thu, May 22, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
One objection to homeschooling is that the students don't get the chance to socialize with others. There are several things wrong with that view.
For one, it isn't really an argument ... [View Full Article]
Fri, May 16, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
WHY is certification required for those who teach in the public schools but not for the education professors who teach others to teach in the public schools?
WHY does schooling require ... [View Full Article]
Thu, May 08, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Shakespeare wrote "That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." True, but would it be as acceptable? What man would dare bring his wife a dozen skunkweed? And how ... [View Full Article]
Fri, May 02, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Defenders of public schooling would have you believe that all criticism comes from "the far right," conservatives, those who are anti-school, anti-teacher, anti-teacher unions, taxpayers ... [View Full Article]
Mon, April 28, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
This suggestion was first made five years ago. It is being renewed since there are still people who don't realize they have a constitutional right to determine how their children will be educated, ... [View Full Article]
Fri, April 18, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Human memory often forgets the negative and overemphasizes the positive. This phenomenon might be termed Ye Good Old Days Syndrome, or Ye GODS. Thus it is that both reformers and defenders of the ... [View Full Article]
Sat, April 12, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
In the ongoing debate over school choice in its various dimensions
such as vouchers, tuition tax credits, charter schools, a stepping back to
obtain a broader overview seems to be ... [View Full Article]
Thu, April 03, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
It's been said the only two constants are death and taxes. Not true. There are at least two more: change and the need for change.
The need for change is particularly true of public ... [View Full Article]
Thu, March 27, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
The Reading (PA) Eagle of Oct. 12, 2007, contained a list of rules for teachers in 1872 which are currently posted in an historic one-room schoolhouse on the Kutztown (PA) University campus. The ... [View Full Article]
Thu, March 20, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
In 2009 New York City may see a charter school that pays teachers $125,000 a year. However, the school's founder, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, says he will be the school's principal for an annual salary of ... [View Full Article]
Thu, March 06, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Until 1992 there were no charter schools in the United States, then the first one opened in St. Paul, Minnesota and continues to this day. The difference is that it is now joined by about 4200 ... [View Full Article]
Thu, February 28, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
The following is adapted from a commentary by Jake Haulk, President of the Allegheny Institute in Pittsburgh. While written with reference to that city and its schools - which reportedly spend ... [View Full Article]
Fri, February 22, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
The February 13th edition of Education Week has an article, "Promises of Money Meant to Heighten Student Motivation," about programs in places as diverse as Fulton County, Georgia and New York City ... [View Full Article]
Fri, February 15, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
The public school system prevails despite continual and soundly based criticism from the beginning. Here are some examples:
"I have to thank my great-grandfather that I did not go to a ... [View Full Article]
Fri, February 01, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
It's been said there are three kinds of people in the world - those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who don't know anything is happening. To this might be added a ... [View Full Article]
Fri, January 25, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Despite the best efforts of the public school establishment to prevent, or at least seriously hinder the development of, any meaningful alternatives to the present system, the all-too common failures ... [View Full Article]
Fri, January 18, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
Little thought is often given to the degree to which parents exercise their constitutional right to decide what school their child(ren) attend. Even a survey of public school parents a few years ... [View Full Article]
Thu, January 10, 2008by David W. Kirkpatrick
With increasing universal public education it might be assumed that there would be a corresponding increase in the literacy rate among the general public. Wrong.
The U.S. Army defines ... [View Full Article]
Thu, December 27, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Perhaps no institution, occupation or profession is as difficult,
or impossible, to reform as public education. Schools are bigger, more
expensive, and have some recent features such ... [View Full Article]
Fri, December 21, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
From time to time these commentaries return to the topic of school funding. See the May 24 and June 14 issues of earlier this year. This issue could be addressed every week and not exhaust the ... [View Full Article]
Fri, December 14, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
From no charter schools in the United States before the first one opened in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1992, today there are an estimated 4,200 with 1.2 million students in the forty states plus Puerto ... [View Full Article]
Wed, December 05, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
In a recent interview program on television one of the participants said that proponents of school vouchers suggest a number of positive results would occur, including advantages for students, ... [View Full Article]
Thu, November 29, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
The commentary two weeks ago considered the outcome of the November 6th election in Utah which saw the success of an initiative repealing school voucher legislation signed into law last February. ... [View Full Article]
Thu, November 15, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
For the first time since 2000 a school voucher program was on a state ballot November 6th, in Utah. Unlike about ten other efforts since 1972, however, this one did not seek to authorize vouchers ... [View Full Article]
Mon, November 12, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Not until 1871, nearly 240 years after the founding of Harvard, was a system of accreditation introduced, at the University of Michigan. At first it was a process by which University faculty visited ... [View Full Article]
Fri, November 02, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Yet at Harvard University tuition remained at $455 from 1928 to 1948. That was a modest figure even adjusted for inflation. One dollar in 1947 had the purchasing power of $9.35 today. That is, 2007 ... [View Full Article]
Fri, October 26, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
A commentary a few years ago looked at college and university endowments, Harvard University's in particular since it was the largest, worth about $18 billion. It was suggested part of the earnings ... [View Full Article]
Fri, October 19, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
The U.S. Supreme Court, like all of society's institutions, has seen its prestige diminished in recent years. Which is not to say it doesn't compare favorably with other agencies. The Court, and ... [View Full Article]
Fri, October 12, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
In 1875 Congressman James G. Blaine proposed amending the U.S. Constitution to prohibit aid to religious schools, Catholic schools in particular. While his effort failed, Congress subsequently ... [View Full Article]
Thu, October 04, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
In 1875 Congressman James G. Blaine proposed amending the U.S. Constitution to prohibit aid to religious schools, Catholic schools in particular. While his effort failed, Congress subsequently ... [View Full Article]
Fri, September 28, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
In his autobiography, Henry Adams said, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." This is true for politicians as well. Quoting Adams usually implies a ... [View Full Article]
Fri, September 21, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Thirty years ago, one student in four said violence was a problem at their school. At one point, nearly half of the nation's students reported they were afraid to use their school's restrooms.
View Full Article]
Thu, September 13, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
One of the inconsistencies of the public school establishment is the criticism that charter schools tend not to be all that different from traditional public schools. This from a group that, on at ... [View Full Article]
Fri, September 07, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Given the unrelenting opposition to meaningful reforms by the public school establishment, especially the teachers' unions, it has been suggested that the only way to institute serious change would ... [View Full Article]
Thu, August 30, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Again, quotes from multiple sources, adapting an idea by Sydney Harris who occasionally ran a column of things he learned while looking up something else. Most people probably have an opinion about ... [View Full Article]
Thu, August 23, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
Few institutions are as sensitive to criticism as the public school establishment, particularly teacher unions. Any critique, however mild or soundly based, is likely to be countered with ... [View Full Article]
Thu, August 16, 2007by David W. Kirkpatrick
The title of a previous column was Pre-K Schooling. It cited studies and experts critical of early schooling but not education. Too often schooling and education are used as synonymous terms, which ... [View Full Article]