Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott raised eyebrows last month when he and State Board of Education members engaged in a discussion of the intense focus on testing students. Scott, an appointee of Gov. Rick Perry, called the overemphasis on testing at the state and local level a “perversion” of what accountability proponents had intended. You […]
Recent Blogs
Hypocrisy and Women’s Health Care
The hypocrisy is pretty clear to see. Last week religious-right groups expressed outrage that the Austin City Council passed an ordinance requiring so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” to post signs telling visitors if they have no licensed healthcare professionals on site. Such facilities are typically not medical clinics and exist primarily to persuade pregnant women not […]
The Week in Quotes (Jan. 29 – Feb. 4)
Here are some of the week’s most notable quotes culled from news reports from across Texas, and beyond. […]
Calculated to Inflame and Offend
In language clearly calculated to inflame and offend, anti-abortion extremist Randall Terry has issued a provocative press release suggesting that Catholic voters are “the ‘new Negro’ of the Democratic Party.” Terry lays out various court cases — including the 1944 U.S. Supreme Court’s Smith v. Allwright case that struck down the Texas Democratic Party’s all-white […]
Talking Points
From today’s TFN News Clips: “It’s a Biblical principle. If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach.” — Alabama Republican state Sen. Shadrack McGill, offering a novel argument against raising teacher salaries. But McGill, who was speaking at a prayer breakfast, defended a 62 percent pay hike Alabama […]
