Isn't that what TEACHERS are for?

[maxx]

I lived in the Virginia burbs of DC for a number of years. As was noted earlier, DC has a very high rate of per pupil spending and highly paid teachers. What the school system there needs is not an educator, it needs a very competent manager. The school buildings are literally falling apart because of slip-shod maintenance caused by a totally disfunctional, dishonest, and featherbedding buildings and grounds crew full of seagulls [[They sit around all day doing nothing, they only eat, sleep, defecate, and fornicate, and you can't shoot them because they are protected by the government.).

A retired A-A US Army Lt Gen who I know and respect took over the DC school system for a brief period. He was driven out by the school unions [[not the teacher's union) for using profane four-letter words like "work".

I heard that Robert Bob was fired from his job in D.C. and replaced with Michelle Rhee.

[maxx]

If the kids were to only use them in school, it might work. I just don't see Detroit investing in these [[it would be nice if DPS would).

And if the teachers really wanted to safeguard them, they could take them home. The TeacherMates didn't look very big.

[firstandten]

I heard that Robert Bob was fired from his job in D.C. and replaced with Michelle Rhee.

When Mayor Fenty [[ who by the way is around the same age, maybe younger than Kwame Kilpatrick) took over the schools he fired the president of the school board Mr. Bobb, There school board is appointed not elected then made Michelle Rhee his chancellor for the schools thereby giving her almost unlimited political cover much like what Mr. Bobb has here.

[maxx]

Store managers, for example, are evaluated against each other despite the existence of many unique factors between stores like population, income, competition, location, etc. Doctors and hospitals for years resisted the notion that their performance could be measured since every patient is different, but time has shown it to be possible, and very beneficial. In fact, making decisions based on performance is part of Obama's health care reform effort.

Store managers just have to get customers into their stores. No one wants to be given the hard sell about every or any product on sale. Stores offer enticements like discounts and free chatchkies. Doctors and hospitals have patients who have the same goal as they, the improvement of their health and/or physical condition. Schools don't. Schools work with minors who are influenced by their families and neighborhoods. Some minors can be enticed by praise; others not so much. There is only so much food enticements teachers can hand out. Students don't all learn at the same rate. I've been substituting in a first grade class as a parapro this past week, and I'd say that of the six and one-half hours of school at least thirty minutes is devoted to maintaining order every day. And this is with teachers working together so that children who are doing something inappropriate can be sent to the class next door. This teacher has children who range from one with cerebral palsy and one who may have a touch of Asperger's. Some families can afford to go on field trip type vacations; others can't. Working with children is a very complicated process and should not be compared to making widgets on an assembly line.

[maxx]

When Mayor Fenty [[ who by the way is around the same age, maybe younger than Kwame Kilpatrick) took over the schools he fired the president of the school board Mr. Bobb, There school board is appointed not elected then made Michelle Rhee his chancellor for the schools thereby giving her almost unlimited political cover much like what Mr. Bobb has here.

I can't believe the amount of angst that accompanies the closing of an elementary school. It's as though people live in a fantasy world where the cold reality of delining enrollment can be ignored. Detroit appears to have too many people whose first response to a situation they don't like is to get very angry.

[maxx]

Another school issue.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/school_lunch_meat/

"...A recent investigation by USA Today found that the meat sold to U.S. school cafeterias faces less testing and lower safety standards than the meat that's served in most fast-food restaurants -- outlets that aren't otherwise known for their health consciousness and are as cost-conscious as the most passionate deficit hawk."

There's a petition to sign.

[maxx]

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireles...?currentPage=1

And it looks like schools could invest in netbooks instead of the big desktops for older students.

[maxx]

Here's an economics lesson instead of just learning about opportunity costs.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

[maxx]

http://www.mat.upm.es/~jcm/Pogo.jpg