tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2927997201291929602..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: At Least We Don't Have a Kook Like MarysvilleMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87317414468225499382010-06-16T01:46:11.880-07:002010-06-16T01:46:11.880-07:00OK this one is of interest from Bethel SD near Ta...OK this one is of interest from Bethel SD near Tacoma.<br />Vice President of School Board is stripped of vice-presidency for criticizing the Bethel Superintendent.<br />============<br />Courthouse News Service<br />Tuesday, June 15, 2010<br /><br />School Board Member Loses Retaliation Claims<br /><br />By ELIZABETH BANICKI<br /><br />(CN) - The First Amendment does not protect a school board member from being stripped of his vice presidency for criticizing the district superintendent, the 9th Circuit ruled, because it "does not ... immunize him from the political fallout of what he says."<br /><br />Members of the Bethel District School Board voted to remove Ken Blair as vice president "because of his relentless criticism of the school district's superintendent," the ruling states.<br /><br />Blair sued, claiming he was retaliated against for exercising his First Amendment rights to free speech and petition.<br /><br />A federal judge ruled against him, concluding that the board's action did not prevent him from continuing to speak out, vote his conscience or serve his constituents as a board member.<br /><br />On appeal, a three-judge panel in Seattle agreed.<br /><br />"Disagreement is endemic to politics, and naturally plays out in how votes are cast," wrote U.S. District Judge Franklin Burgess, who participated in the panel ruling.<br /><br />"[T]he First Amendment doesn't shield public figures from the give-and-take of the political process." <br />===================<br />Judge Franklin Burgess<br />google Frank Burgess died recently at age 75.<br /><br />Totally awesome dude ... Gonzaga grad ... led nation in scoring basketball in 1960-61<br /><br />Wonderful story of persistence to become a lawyer and Judge<br />==================<br /><br />Ken Blair :<br /> "because of his relentless criticism of the school district's superintendent,"<br /><br />---- Will Ken come to Seattle and train our board members?dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-78581235999440852522010-06-15T10:37:09.005-07:002010-06-15T10:37:09.005-07:00Marysville also teaches intelligent design. These ...Marysville also teaches intelligent design. These idiots are worse than Pagans. They're not educators, they are butchers and they're moral hypocrisy is all over the place up there.kprugmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126184111625382040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61087622682898524472010-06-15T09:08:57.281-07:002010-06-15T09:08:57.281-07:00Dan, I'm thinking their oath of office (or som...Dan, I'm thinking their oath of office (or somewhere in the description of the job) it says something about discrimination or something to that effect. I would think his fellow board members would help him see how he needs to leave.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36972435104617887452010-06-15T07:45:17.907-07:002010-06-15T07:45:17.907-07:00Dan, Public opinion can have as much sway as an ac...Dan, Public opinion can have as much sway as an actual recall petition. If this guy were held to the flame, publicly, for long enough, surely he might take a hint and hit the road on his own?seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45058822123746407982010-06-15T03:25:31.224-07:002010-06-15T03:25:31.224-07:00Melissa,
About that possible Marysville recall, l...Melissa,<br /><br />About that possible Marysville recall, look for at least one incidence of misfeasance.<br /><br />Without citing at least one incidence of misfeasance, or one of malfeasance, or at least two violations of oath of office it is not possible to get a recall petition through the elections office and past a judge.<br /><br />Believe me I have been checking and NOT for Marysville.<br /><br />dandan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-84235833605657233012010-06-15T03:18:47.232-07:002010-06-15T03:18:47.232-07:00Kook like Marysville .. eh?
No we have much more...Kook like Marysville .. eh?<br /><br />No we have much more harmful kooks.<br /><br />Good intentions are not enough and may in fact mask the kookiest of behaviors.<br /><br />The continually growing math achievement gaps are hardly beyond control if instructional planning was rational but no.... We have kooks in Central Admin and sprinkled throughout UW CoE etc.<br /><br />=================<br /><i>"Teachers have been very ill-served by an <b>Education research community that trains and advises them based on hokum. Whole language and Discovery math are two examples.</b> Meanwhile ed school training is sadly deficient in teaching elementary teachers math and science. This is an expected result from using unsound experimental methods to determine what works and for which groups."<br /><br />"The main beef I have with the recent book by Ravitch is she totally misses <b>the role played by the broken Ed Research community.</b> I think this is probably because she is accustomed to think the Ed Research folks actually know how to do research. Given her background there is no reason for her to think otherwise. It is <b>all just one huge mess, compounded by teachers, administrators and foundations unknowingly taking junk research and expecting it to work.</b> The Gates foundation did this in spades with their <b>small high schools initiative</b>."</i> <br /><br />Thanks to David A. Orbits for the above.<br /><a href="http://www.box.net/shared/svy9fmjakm" rel="nofollow">Here is</a> Dave's Seattle Math Report<br /><br />============<br /><br />In regard to effective efficient instructional techniques:<br />Visible Learning, Project Follow Through, NMAP give clear indications of what works and the SPS does something entirely different. Now Seattle has one really harmful set of KOOKS.<br /><br />Marysville is lucky by comparison if they only have a few.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-49885523311690009212010-06-14T21:24:30.514-07:002010-06-14T21:24:30.514-07:00Love Stephen Gould- also Bill Bryson and recommend...Love Stephen Gould- also Bill Bryson and recommend <i>The Great Human Diasporas: The History of Diversity and Evolution</i> by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza for back history to Guns/Germs/Steel.Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15548088677943506432010-06-14T21:06:28.745-07:002010-06-14T21:06:28.745-07:00Oh thank goodness. I wasn't sure from the cont...Oh thank goodness. I wasn't sure from the context. I think Stephen Jay Gould's books are a wonderful introduction to scientific method for young readers (or anyone really). The Mismeasure of Man is a good resource for countering these really simplistic arguments about race, gender, and intelligence.Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715140880268606856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64248704223600195352010-06-14T20:50:42.813-07:002010-06-14T20:50:42.813-07:00Sorry I was unclear.
Yes, the Mismeasure of Man i...Sorry I was unclear.<br /><br />Yes, the Mismeasure of Man is a good selection and would make excellent reading for all minds capable of growth.<br /><br />It was written for lay people, not scientists and the science may not have been precise, but the idea comes through loud and clear. It is, to a significant degree, a response to "The Bell Curve", a psuedo-scientific book that tried to make the case that Black people are somehow genetically less intelligent than White people. I would also recommend Guns, Germs and Steel for a sort of natural history of "civilization".Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55990163217143124622010-06-14T19:15:10.554-07:002010-06-14T19:15:10.554-07:00Kundu now says he shouldn't have used the word...Kundu now says he shouldn't have used the word "definitive" about the research (although he seems to still believe it). Tribal leaders want him to resign but he says he won't. Look for a recall election.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50223673804512740012010-06-14T18:52:23.937-07:002010-06-14T18:52:23.937-07:00Are you serious Syd?Are you serious Syd?seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01231800476411684686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75416235416378715352010-06-14T16:04:43.706-07:002010-06-14T16:04:43.706-07:00What are you saying in that last comment Charlie?A...What are you saying in that last comment Charlie?Are you saying the Mismeasure of Man is a good resource or no?Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715140880268606856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20548552314786844402010-06-14T14:09:08.294-07:002010-06-14T14:09:08.294-07:00Should we be pleased and proud that our racists ar...Should we be pleased and proud that our racists are more subtle and sophisticated than the ones in Marysville?<br /><br />Our Language Arts standardized materials are very short on non-fiction, but <i>The Mismeasure of Man</i> by Stephen Jay Gould might actually be on the list.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-89705250116128143782010-06-14T11:52:03.817-07:002010-06-14T11:52:03.817-07:00oops, I'm reading the thread I posted the link...oops, I'm reading the thread I posted the link to, and don't see the place where he makes these inflammatory comments....more searching is in orderseattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-22928450898280035032010-06-14T11:47:27.330-07:002010-06-14T11:47:27.330-07:00This is rich, from the first paragraph of his infl...This is rich, from the first paragraph of his inflammatory email (found here:<br />http://joannenova.com.au/<br />global-warming/michael-<br />kundu-censors-science/<br />#kundu1<br /><br />"One of the pitfalls of being a school director is that we are often the target of propaganda from a variety of non-credible sources; since our opinions often become reflected in policies adopted within our districts, it is important that we develop a judicious ability to make intelligent decisions about data that is presented to us as fact."<br /><br />Turns out this guy wrote the email from his "seawolf" organization email, SeaWolf being some sort of marine environmental organization. He is also on the board of the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club.seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71676660584462368822010-06-14T11:41:01.959-07:002010-06-14T11:41:01.959-07:00Yikes. Good for the Board President for calling ra...Yikes. Good for the Board President for calling racism and calling it loudly.<br /><br />One would hope that a recall vote on Kundu is already scheduled? Perhaps we can help our neighbors to the north by writing, protesting etc? That is SOOOO out of hand...seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.com