LA Dodgers Falling Short of Bid to "Buy a Championship"

Though the West Coast is the origin of "Moneyball," the latest story on the influence of finances in professional sports comes with the attempts by Los Angeles teams to "pull a Yankees" and buy a world championship in major league baseball.  The policy has failed miserably with the Angels who have dropped hundreds of millions on underperforming superstars like Albert Pujols, CJ Wilson, and Josh Hamilton.  Those three, by the way, must be enjoying the surf in LA because they certainly aren't enjoying the league championship series.  And things are faring much better for the payroll-bloated Dodgers who now trail the mid-range Cardinals 3-1. Here's an interesting meme:

And one final note: Major League Baseball and TBS have made an atrocious scheduling decision to force LA and St. Louis to play Game 5 of the NLCS - which could clinch the pennant - on a weekday afternoon. What moron thought that was a good idea? Would, perhaps, some St.L fans who have jobs like to watch their team win the pennant?

Way to go, Bud. You screwed the pooch on this one.

Does Teach for America Work?

The problems of the American public education system are not a mystery to anyone - poverty equates to miserable school performance, and schools have been woefully inadequate in teaching children to succeed in spite of all the factors working against them.  One organization that seeks to address the inequity and improve student achievement in spite of poverty and all the associate social ills is Teach for America. TFA is the brainchild of education reform darling Wendy Kopp, and it has a very basic premise: recruit the top minds from colleges and train them to go into the toughest and lowest performing schools in the country and teach kids to be successful.  This is, of course, a gross simplification of what TFA does. And, of course, many veteran teachers and educators would claim that TFA's model is a gross simplification of what education is all about.

Plenty of controversy surrounds the model of TFA, and the most notable is that the demands on teachers are unsustainable - a reality born out by the fact that few TFA teachers remain in the classroom beyond their two-year commitment. This particular issue has been born out many times in blogs and columns and newspaper op-eds. The most recent piece to catch critics's attention is Olivia Blanchard's piece for The Atlantic, I Quit Teach for America.  This dark secret has been born out in other places such as Peter Hirzel's piece for Salon, Teaching Ate Me Alive. Hirzel's piece was one of the first to pull back the curtain on the corporate school reform movement.  However, I'm not one to quickly turn on this organization that is making a good faith effort to at least provide an opportunity for a few kids at a time.

The question we have to ask ourselves, as people like Blanchard and Hirzel offer their criticism, is whether Teach for America does any good. For, despite the hardships and struggle, there are many TFA teachers working hard every day - even if it's only for a year or two.  That's the story this month in The Atlantic from Eleanor Barkhorn who admits I Almost Quit Teach for America. But she didn't. And that can't be bad, right?

The Amazing Race - NFL Players Lose Out

The Amazing Race teams finally left Chile this evening, but it was one of the most arduous country exits I've ever seen. In fact, I can't recall a time that twenty-five minutes of the episode had passed before the teams even made a flight and arrived at their first task. It was ... interesting, I guess. However, the drama of the airline reservations was not the stuff of an exciting Race episode. And, this was the second time this season that contestants were severely knocked off their game by a reservation mix-up by third parties. This time, however, it proved to be the undoing of one team - the former NFL players Chester and Ephraim. And that was a real shame.

Having come in first the previous week, Chester and Ephraim had a great lead going to the airport and were supposedly on the first flight to Portugal, a flight that no one else could get on and would arrive five hours earlier than other teams. However, when the ER doctors managed to book the same seats, the fiasco began to unfold. The travel agent had apparently booked the NFLers on a different day, and now they faced the later flights. Which they accepted. However, bad went to worse and worse became a disaster as the travel agent literally called them at the airport and booked them on another flight with two connections through London. Chet and Eph could have declined, but as they walked off they acknowledged the risk - a risk that eliminated them from the race.

It was truly sad to see Phil meet the men at the airport as they raced off ready - finally - to begin racing. Alas, it was all over, and those of us waiting to hear the words "non-elimation round" were sorely disappointed. That may be the first time I have seen such a travel disaster, and I can't recall Phil meeting a team at the airport and eliminating them before they ever got the chance to play.  It was a sad exit - a truly shocking first to worst - and a poignant goodbye for a really good team who got dealt a really bad hand.

Oh, that it could have been "The Exes."

School Sports and Homework in The Atlantic

Time. Despite living in an era with more leisure time than at any time in history, Americans are constantly complaining about how busy they are and how they have no time. For American students, the two primary issues that take up their time are athletics and homework. The debate over the benefits of both sports and homework are endless, and this month magazine version of The Atlantic investigates both topics.

State Concerns about Common Core

60% of Americans have little-to-no knowledge of the new academic standards and expectations that are being implemented in nearly every state across the nation.  The Common Core State Standards are a new set of guidelines for academic expectations that were developed and implemented by a consortium of state governors, education researchers, and business-oriented foundations.  The goal was to guarantee some minimal level of grade-level competence for math and literacy with the intent that no child would be denied access to a quality college prep curriculum as simply a result of geography - i.e.. where he lives.

Of course, this is not without controversy. Conservatives and the GOP - when they're not busy shutting down the government to prevent the implementation of a law - are challenging the Common Core as an unnecessary and unconstitutional intrusion of the federal government into education, which is the business of the state. In fact, the Common Core is not "Obama-Core," as the current administration had nothing to do with drafting or implementing the standards. However, the feds have strongly encouraged adoption of CCSS by linking Race-to-the-Top and NCLB funding to it.

Other opponents are criticizing various components of the new standards, with the teaching of math being the biggest target.  Common Core alleges to move children "beyond computation" to guarantee students understand math on a "conceptual level." However, the practice of that is upsetting many parents and kids, and this issue most recently raised its head with the posting by "South Dakotans Against Common Core."  As you can see in the homework below, a child is given almost no credit and the lowest grade possible because he doesn't display the "conceptual side" of 25 - 6 = 19. As he notes, "he found it out in his head."

Certainly, there is a lot more to the issue worth investigating. And parents and students should have serious interest in understanding the Common Core.

Government Shutdown Should Shut Down Congressional Pay and Benefits

As recent as fifteen hours ago, my students and my son asked me if I thought the government shutdown was going to happen, and I answered no.  My reasoning? They're not that stupid. Alas, Congress proves me wrong again. And, of course, I took to the social media waves when I realized that Congress will still be paid during the shutdown. That is ridiculous. They are federal employees. And if 800,000 other federal employees are locked out of their paychecks, that should extend to those responsible for making it happen. But I will go one step further - Freeze Congressional health benefits immediately. Because this whole ridiculous debacle is related to health insurance, Congress should lose access to health benefits until it is resolved. The Treasury should not pay their premiums and they should shoulder all medical costs out-of-pocket until they open the government's doors. And, to hear the news of Congressman being basically shit-faced drunk during the run-up to the shutdown, they and their livers may be inclined to solve this more quickly.

Ultimately, this attack on the very existence of government is unconscionable, even to those who sympathize with concerns about budgets and government overreach. And no one articulates that better  at this point that conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan.

But there is something more here. How does one party that has lost two presidential elections and a Supreme Court case – as well as two Senate elections  -   think it has the right to shut down the entire government and destroy the full faith and credit of the United States Treasury to get its way on universal healthcare now? I see no quid pro quo even. Just pure blackmail, resting on understandable and predictable public concern whenever a major reform is enacted. But what has to be resisted is any idea that this is government or politics as usual. It is an attack on the governance and the constitutional order of the United States.

It's just sad.

Aloha Plate Wins the Great Food Truck Race

An exciting and fitting end to the latest season of the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race. The boys from Hawaii - Aloha Plate - were the frontrunners for most of the season, so it was only fitting that they should square off against the St. Louisians, TikkaTikkaTaco.  Either team was deserving of the win, and I was not surprised to see the Philly boys go out in the "surprise elimination." They Sambonis are a great group of young men, and they will certainly be successful if they ever do secure their own food truck. But it's nothing compared to the culinary - and cultural - magic worked by the Hawaiian boys on a weekly basis. Their ability to attract and draw an Aloha Crowd in city after city was inspiring, and these young men deserve a business to continue selling great food and spreading the Aloha Spirit. In fact, the finale episode featured footage of the crowds holding a luau and singing Hawaiian songs in front of the truck - and even stopping sales for a few minutes to hold hands and sing a spiritual Hawaiian folk song. It was truly cool and inspiring to see, and it's no wonder these guys are going to be so successful running a food truck. Of course, hats off to the men from St. Louis who hung around for seven weeks, with first place always just out of reach.  Kudos to the Food Network for another great season. This is one of their more entertaining contests, offering great insight into a culinary phenomenon, and borrowing a bit from another great reality show, The Amazing Race.

Amazing Race Returns for Season 23

The longest running and most successful of reality TV shows, The Amazing Race on CBS, returned tonight with contestants setting off from an old western movie set in LA for a "race around the world." Host Phil Keoghan introduced the contestants and sent them off to Chile for the first round.

In terms of contestants, I am impressed with the married ER doctors to begin. And they should have been the big winners this week, had they not broken the cardinal rule of The Amazing Race - always read the clues. Thus, they incurred a 30-minute penalty, which cost them first place and two express passes. It was a pretty big mistake. And I was a little disappointed in "the exes" coming in first. As a viewer I am never a fan of the couples that bitch and nitpick each other week after week.  The NFL players seem to be pretty strong contestants, no pun intended, and the "Afghan-imals" will be amusing, though their schtick may get as annoying as the Sri Lankan twins last season. Not surprised to see the father-daughter team go out early. Those age-difference teams rarely have the stamina to go all the way, though there have been some great families and endearing attempts over the years. The theater actors surprised me with a strong finish, though the physical fitness of one of them leaves me in doubt of their ability to stick around. And the oil rig boys from Nebraska are just not worldly enough to navigate the challenges of foreign travel I fear.  Overall, it looks like a pretty interesting crew, and I'm excited again for a new season and the race to the finish line and "one million dollars."

In a side note, I was a little disappointed to see the Race taking off from Los Angeles again.  Certainly, it's mostly a challenge to predict destination city. However, I would be as interested in the Race choosing a different starting point. The time they left from that beautiful estate on the East Coast was truly memorable, and the producers should consider mixing it up.

The Four-Day School Week

Years ago I was on an alternative scheduling committee for the school where I was teaching, as the school considered changes - to block or modified block or an eight period day or a hybrid - as a way of improving instruction. That was, at least in theory, the only reason for investigating such change - to improve instruction. While no changes were ever made after no evidence could be found for a worthwhile change, I proposed a radical idea - the Four-Day School Week.

While it was a new idea to me, I've learned that many school districts actually function on a four-day week for primarily financial reasons. In fact, as many as 40% of school districts in Colorado only go to school Monday to Thursday. These are almost exclusively mountain and rural districts for which the logistics and savings of not opening the school five days just make sense. However, my four-day week was actually grounded in the idea of college scheduling. Variable schedules for better efficiency. And with a greater emphasis on skills and job training these day, a four-day week would allow - at least at the high school level - greater opportunity for interning and work-study.

I proposed an extended day for Monday-Thursday, and Friday would be an "office hours" day. Clubs and activities could meet on Friday, and sports could offer extended practices. Many meetings such as 504s and IEPs could be conducted on these days, so as not to disrupt classes. And additional staff meetings and professional development could happen as well. Obviously, the plan for office hours and supplemental classes is the heart of the idea to increase student achievement.  The most important aspect is the idea of supplemental learning and academic support opportunities. A chance to "catch up" one day a week could do wonders for student achievement.  And, now it seems the plan is being tested.  The 500-student WACO school district in Iowa plans to shift to a four-day week.

The Great Food Truck Race - Finale 2013

So, Tyler and the folk at Food Network surprised us in the second-to-last episode of the Great Food Truck Race. It's now a two-part finale with a "surprise elimination" along the way. That is, at least for this year, a really nice twist, as any one of these teams deserves to win, though my favorites in order are: Aloha Plate, TikkaTaco, Philly's Finest Sambonis. The Philly boys are actually lucky to still be in it, and if they'd gone out over the inability to sell the Ditka sausages, it would't haven been terrible. This episode featured a great cameo appearance from Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanual, and the Chicago-style pizza challenge was a treat. Personally, I think $1000 bucks for the till was a bit much - but the Hawaiian boys closed that advantage pretty quickly.  On to Maryland.

Blogging's Been Light

For those checking in and wondering where the content is, I apologize for the lack of updates.  In a new role at work with responsibilities that have been cutting into blogging time. Now, with a day of professional development presentations behind me, there should be some time to organize a better system to my days which allows the creation and posting of content.  Some things that have been on my mind and radar, which should have received coverage are:

The exit of the SlideShow truck on the Great Food Truck Race. Sorry I haven't offered any commentary - though I will quickly note that I like all the teams and am sad to see any lose out at this point.

The question of whether youth football should be ended because of concerns about concussions.

Diane Ravitch's astute and thoughtful challenges to current education reform - especially the data-less implementation of Common Core standards, standardized test, charter schools, and vouchers.

Louis CK's excellent rant on cell phones and why he won't give his kids one.

And, because you want to hear the song after Louis' mention of it, here's Springteen's Jungleland.

Stay with me - there will be more to come.

Bowled and Beautiful Exit the Great Food Truck Race

With nothing but skilled and engaging competitors left on the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race hosted by Tyler Florence, it was bound to be a tough loss for one of the teams. The two teams most likely to fall behind were the ladies from Bowled and Beautiful and Philly's Finest Sambonis. While both these teams were tops in weeks past, it seems they are running out of ways to stay competitive. This week the time ran out for the lovely ladies of Bowled and Beautiful - three single moms with a great concept and hearts of gold. Tyler was certainly troubled by having to take their keys, and a part of me hopes some millionaire investor who is watching the show decides to contact these moms and fund their truck out of the goodness of his heart. Who knows - maybe a millionaire chef like Tyler will decide to do that. In fact, that's how I feel about all these trucks at this point. I hope someone watching decides to take a chance on all these people - because they all seem deserving of a shot at their own food truck. I wonder if that has ever happened before. The Hawaiian boys from the Aloha Plate continue to master the challenges of the Great Food Truck Race, and I am certainly hoping they win. Something as challenging as butchering a buffalo was nothing but fun for these guys - and from the size of their winning margins, I have to say those must be some pretty tasty lettuce wraps. Everything about these guys seems to be a winning formula, and I am pulling for them. However, the St. Louisans from TikkaTikkaTaco also impress me.  And the chefs from the Slide Show definitely deserve a truck. With these great trucks - all manned by seemingly really good people - each week will definitely be a tough challenge for Tyler to send them home.