February 3, 1988
In a January report, the legislature's Select Committee on Quality Education points out that total school employment in the state has increased by more than 5,000 over the past six years. During that same period, it notes, student enrollment has declined by nearly 70,000.
The law, which dates from the 1870's, requires grand-jury selection in 28 of the state's 186 school districts. Opponents of the system say it was designed to perpetuate white control of the districts and is now in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.
In a January speech to the school board, Ms. Clayton also said she would be considering a reorganization of remedial and academic-support programs.
The gift, the largest ever made to the endowment, will pay a third of the program's costs over the next three years, according to Lynne V. Cheney, chairman of the neh
Betty Castor, Florida's commissioner of education, has been appointed to a 25-member committee that will prepare the education platform for the Democratic National Convention, to be held in July in Atlanta.
Gov. James J. Blanchard of Michigan was named to head the committee.
Mr. Rogers argued that if such candidates perform well and pass the state's teacher-certification tests, they should be granted certificates.
Overall, Mr. Mabus is seeking an increase of $108.7 million--or 17.5 percent--in precollegiate-education spending for fiscal year 1989, which begins July 1.
"We need a change in attitude and in the priorities of our people," Mr. Bell said. "We need to become more education-conscious and learning-oriented, and that's where I think our leaders can help us."
And last week, after a peaceful rebellion encouraged by teachers, the Greenfield, Mass., 5th graders got just what they wanted: 300 sets of utensils donated by a local businessman.
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969): School officials' decision to punish students who wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War violated the students' First Amendment free-speech rights. "[T]he prohibition of one particular opinion, at least without evidence that it is necessary to avoid material and substantial interference with schoolwork or discipline, is not constitu4tionally permissible."
Adopting the child-development model of the psychologist Erik Erikson, he explores the consequences such miseducation may have in the child's resolution of what Erikson described as "crises" in the formation of personality: Feelings of mistrust, shame, and doubt may come to outweigh those of trust and autonomy; guilt and alienation may overshadow initiative and belonging; and inferiority and helplessness may eclipse industry and competence.
If the critics are correct, we have "dumbed down" the curriculum, ''closed" the American mind, and otherwise produced a race of dummies who are going to drag down the power of the United States. We are not competitive on the world stage because our schools aren't as good as those in Japan, Germany, etc., etc.