Blog 3 Columns

Michigan Public Schools Reading Religious Poetry?0
- August 28, 2015
In today’s schools, it seems it’s anathema to make any mention of God, the Bible, or Christianity. But surprisingly, that doesn’t seem to have been the case 100 years ago in Michigan Public Schools. Published in 1916 by the Michigan Superintendent of Education, the Manual and Course of Study [for] Elementary Schools recommends ten poems
READ MORE
How New Orleans Schools Turned Around After Katrina 0
- August 28, 2015
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. For non-residents of Louisiana, the news of the Hurricane was a dark cloud over their lives for a few days, which then moved on as the initial disaster passed out of the news. For others, the effects of the disaster remain present. But what was a
READ MORE
Friendship is a Gift, Not a Guarantee 0
- August 28, 2015
There’s a line at the end of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life that has always bothered me. After he has just experienced an influx of generosity from the people of Bedford Falls, and while everyone is singing “Auld Lang Syne,” George Bailey picks up the angel Clarence’s copy of Tom Sawyer. The inside cover
READ MORE

Why Families are Abandoning Public Schools, Part II 0
- August 27, 2015
Last week we reported that American families are increasingly choosing homeschooling over public school. This decision stems largely from the reduction in the “‘quality and content of instruction at local public schools.’” In California, however, homeschooling is seeing explosive growth for an additional reason: the mandatory vaccination requirement for students which was signed into law
READ MORE
Is there evil?0
- August 27, 2015
These days it is fashionable to dismiss the idea of good and evil. If there is good and evil, then not everything is relative. If there is good and evil, then our lives can and should be judged. If there is good and evil, then other bigger questions arise, such as purpose and meaning. Life
READ MORE
Embracing Values, Losing Meaning 0
- August 27, 2015
“Nowadays we hear a great deal about ‘teaching values’ in schools. Although sincerely held by many people who mean well, this notion is a mistaken concept. For what true education attempts to impart is meaning, not value. This sly misemployment of the word ‘value’ as a substitute for such words as ‘norm,’ ‘standard,’ ‘principle,’ and
READ MORE

Chart Shows That Increased Spending Hasn’t Improved Academic Performance in America’s Schools 0
- August 27, 2015
This chart, produced by the Cato Institute, shows that inflation-adjusted spending per student has increased almost 200% since 1970 while scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) have remained flat. Save this article to favorites
READ MORE
Can Conservatives Have Problems with Capitalism?0
- August 27, 2015
In our present climate of polarization, conservatives and liberals often feel bound to subscribe to the perceived dogmas of their respective camps. Thus, when it comes to economics, many liberals may feel pressured to support the current welfare system, and conservatives may feel the need to toe the company line on capitalism. But on this
READ MORE
7 Past Quotes on American Immigration 0
- August 27, 2015
America is famously referred to as the “melting pot,” where people of many cultures and nations have formed a unity on the basis of shared principles. Given that, should every U.S. immigrant – regardless of his or her cultural background – be assimilated into the principles and traditions which made America what it is? Here’s
READ MORE

Michigan Public Schools Reading Religious Poetry?0