Education

Picture from the Boston Herald.

What a sad day.Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, who was elected with a wave of hope, has turned his back on migrants.

Governor Deval Patrick has decided against taking action to allow illegal immigrants to pay resident tuition and fees at state colleges and universities this fall, an administration official said yesterday, crushing advocates who were counting on the governor to deliver on a pledge to support the students.

Maria Sacchetti - Boston Globe (22 May 2008)

This is a sad day for hundreds of migrant youth, whose only hope to go to college this year was crushed.What makes this an even harder pill to swallow is that Patrick is turning his back on a promise he made during his campaign.

We will have in-state tuition for undocumented aliens when I am governor.

Deval Patrick - WBZTV (4 April 2006)

No...not "Jon Stewart." I'm talking about John Stewart, Provost of John Muir College at the University of California, San Diego. I found out this morning that John Stewart, a man who had a profound affect on my life in college, died last year.

I am an alumnus of John Muir College and UCSD and I knew John Stewart. I should note that we never called him John or Dr. Stewart or Professor. He was always "John Stewart." I don't know why. Some combination of closeness and respect. I probably last talked to John Stewart some 20 years ago, though he may have written me a letter of recommendation or two after that. But probably even that level of contact ended by 1990 or so. For a few years now I have wondered if he was still alive and well. When I knew him he was already 70 or so, and he was backpacking in the backcountry with myself and other gung ho college kids. He might not have been the fastest of the bunch, but I am willing to bet he could have out hiked us if push came to shove. He retired the same year I graduated, so my graduating class was the last he presided over as Provost. I remember being asked to give a short speech at a tree planting ceremony in his honor, an event where the music was played by folk singer and marine biologist Sam Hinton, another friend of John Stewart's. I can't remember what I said, I just remember feeling honored to be asked to do honor to this man. The tree is probably still there, I suppose.

Healthcare is failing in America. Farmers are hurting. The poor are getting poorer. We can't fix our roads, levees and bridges. The deficit spirals out of control. We are told we can't afford to secure out ports against terrorism. And education is underfunded.

And the Iraq war is costing us $720 million per day. Wouldn't that money be spent on improving life here in America?

From the American Friends Service committee:

Bush is hurting America with this failed war based on lies and with no exit strategy. McCain has vowed to continue Bush's failed war. It is time to stop the stupidity and neglect of America by the Republican Party.

Annual Native Amercian Education Summit

Type of Event: Training
Hosted By: J. Dalton Institute
Event Dates: 4/24/2008 - 4/26/2008
Event Location: Albuquerque, NM
Contact: J. Dalton Institute
Email: jdalton98@aol.com
Contact Phone:1-888-886-0664
Contact Fax:920-338-8683
Website: http://www.jdaltoninstitute.com

Course Description:Six Essential Strategies for an Effective Prevention Model, Community Resource Assessment, Critical Elements of Effective Prevention and Community Readiness, Ethics, Professional Networking

How to Register: http://www.jdaltoninstitute.com/registration.html

Head Start Performance Standards
Type of Event: Training
Hosted By: J. Dalton Institute
Event Dates: 10/27/2008 - 10/28/2008
Event Location: Las Vegas, NV
Contact: J. Dalton Institute
Email: jdalton98@aol.com
Contact Phone:1-888-886-0664
Contact Fax:920-338-8683
Website: http://www.jdaltoninstitute.com

Course Description:DAY ONE. Seminar Overview, Professional Networking Exercise, Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Subpart D - Program Design and Management, Program Governancec, Q & A, Close for the Day, Instructor will stay for Individual Issues. DAY TWO. Roles and Responsibilities of Tribal Council and Policy Council, Shared Governance, Developing Impasse Procedures, Required Community Grievance Process, Head Start Performance Standards, Q & A, Evaluations, Presentation of Certificates, Closing. Agenda subject to change.

How to Register: http://www.jdaltoninstitute.com/registration.html

12th Native American Youth Entrepreneur Camp
July 20-25, 2008
University of Arizona campus
Tucson, Arizona

Join us at the 12th Native American Youth Entrepreneur Camp July 20-25, 2008, on the campus of The University of Arizona in Tucson.

Learn to build private-sector enterprises in Indian Country. Visit Native-owned businesses. Enjoy extracurricular activities on and off the UA campus.

Like the real world, the camp is intensive and challenging, but rewarding and fun!

During the six-day camp, students will reside on campus, eat in the Student Memorial Union, and attend classes on the UA campus.

Register by July 1.

For more information, contact Monica Agar at cortes@u.arizona.edu or call (520) 626-0664.

29th Annual American Indian Language Development Institute

June 4 - July 2, 2008
University of Arizona

Creating Spaces for Indigenous Languages in Everyday Life

The University of Arizona and Department of Language, Reading & Culture invite you to the 29th American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI). AILDI 2008 will have a special focus on Native teachers in the classroom and language. Special topics will include NCLB & Native students, language immersion methods in the classroom, Native children's literature & writing and schooling in Native American communities. Our theme, /Creating Spaces for Indigenous Languages in Everyday Life /reflects this emphasis and will be highlighted with guest speakers, presentations, activities, projects, and fieldtrips.

AILDI provides a unique educational experience for teachers of Native children. The AILDI format offers Native and non-Native teachers the opportunity to become researchers, practitioners, bilingual/bicultural curriculum specialists, and especially effective language teachers. The common concern of language loss, revitalization and maintenance brings educators, parents, tribal leaders and community members to this university setting to study methods for teaching Native languages and cultures and to develop materials.

AILDI offers six graduate credits or undergraduate credit hours during four weeks of intensive study. Courses can be applied toward regular degree programs and teacher endorsements.

Alaska Pre-History from a Darwinian Standpoint.
Start Date and Time: 2008-02-12 19:00
Event Website: http://www.auofak.org

Activities:
The event will be held at the Alaska Museum of Natural History with Museum Director Katch Bacheller presenting information on geological and evolutionary changes occurring in the Great Land. Se will guide a free museun tour for early arrivals. Introductions ny Museum Board member Gordon Harper

Address:
201 N Bragaw Street,
Anchorage, AK UNITED STATES
Sponsor: Americans United of Alaskla
Contact: Al Sundquist, stellar_at_yahoo.com, 907-562-7522

Jacksonville: Tracing Our Ancestors the DNA Way--An Anthropological Adventure
Start Date and Time: 2008-02-06 11:00

Activities:
Dr. Connie J. Mulligan, an internationally-recognized anthropologist and geneticist from the University of Florida, will speak on using molecular technology to trace our human origins in the Americas and Africa.

Address:
Florida Community College at Jacksonville-North Campus, 4501 Capper RD
Jacksonville, FL UNITED STATES
Sponsor: Natural Sciences and Student Engagement
Contact: Paula Thompson, PhD, pthompso@fccj.edu, 904-766-6530

I am so sick and tired of seeing the crass way in which the New York Times equats "homeschooling" with radical right, christian fundamentalist loonies. Huckabee Draws Support of Home-School Families is a slap on the face of the millions of parents in this country who believe that independent, child-led, out-of-school, unschooled, parent-directed education is better and far superior than the crap that passes these days as "progressive" school-confined education --regardless of religion

Yet the only people who are to blame are the leaders of the secular homeschooling movement. They have failed to raise money and to raise awareness among the progressive movement about their true politics.

First, their libertarianism has hampered the growth of the independent and even "open source" learning movement in this country because they've stuck their heads in the sand on about what they've needed to do to attack the politics and PR game of extremists like Michael Farris and his radical Home School Legal Defense Association. This guy is one of the signers of "A manifesto for a Christian America", just FYI.

Second, their natural disgust of Democrats has unfortunately marginalize them within the progressive community, even though most homeschoolers are more than liberal but progressive in their education and political thoughts and would most likely align themselves to the Democrats. But because Democrats treat them like three-eyed bible totting hill billies, they'd rather stick with the tried and true millions of the schooling industry and teacher's union than "explore" a constituency that appears anyway to be hostile to them.