Victor Davis Hanson:
Harvard has refused to accept the orders of a Trump administration commission concerning its chronic problems with anti-Semitism, campus violence, and racial tribalism, bias, and segregation.
Yet, unlike some conservative campuses that distrust an overbearing Washington, Harvard and most elite schools like it want it both ways. They do as they please on their own turf and yet still demand that the taxpayers send them multibillion-dollar checks in addition to their multibillion-dollar private incomes.
Aside from the issues of autonomy and free expression, there are lots of campus practices that higher education would prefer were not widely known to the public.
But soon they will be, and thus will become sources of public anger. Perhaps envision elite private colleges as mossy rocks, which seem outwardly picturesqueâuntil you turn them over and see what crawls beneath.
So, if there are protracted standoffs, our elite campuses will be hard-pressed to defend the indefensible. This effort will be difficult because public confidence in higher education has already plummeted to historic lows in the most recent polls.
Kayla Huynh:
Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them,â he said, citing federal test scores that show K-12 students behind in math and reading. âThe federal education bureaucracy is not working.â
Wisconsin joined 20 other states last month in suing to block plans to close the department. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a former state superintendent of public instruction, called Trumpâs efforts âridiculous.â Evers placed blame on Congress, though, for âdoing absolutely nothing.â
Some members of Wisconsinâs congressional delegation, including Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, have hailed the changes as giving states more control and limiting the federal governmentâs role in education.
âIâm with President Trump,â Johnson posted on social media last month. âShut it down.â
Wisconsin education officials and education policy researchers say the changes could affect students and families in Madison through funding, financial aid, civil rights protectionsand other areas.
However, schools would still fall under state education regulations and might be able tomaintain their largest sources of funding, such as local taxes, state aid and student tuition.
âŚ..
The Office for Civil Rights has also opened investigations at UW-Madison and 44 other universities âfor allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in ⌠graduate programs.â The office says it is examining ties to an organization called The Ph.D. Project, which aims to help students from historically underrepresented backgrounds earn advanced degrees in business.
While UW-Madison is no longer affiliated with the Ph.D. Project, according to campus spokesperson John Lucas, the federal investigation remains ongoing.
âŚâŚ
Bell said a majority of the grants the Wisconsin Center for Education Research receives come from federal funds, which are used to support projects and pay researchersâ salaries. (it is useful to have a look at the WCERâs substantial taxpayer funded budget)
âââ
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading RecoveryâŚ
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanicâ
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacherâs Remarks to the School Board on Madisonâs Disastrous Reading Results
Madisonâs taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
âAn emphasis on adult employmentâ
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but canât read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?