Rubio off to Panama, school choice and more

How low can you go?

How low can you go? - American Thinker https://t.co/BIss8pptIA

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 31, 2025

 

As we debate the future of the Department of Education, we get news that U.S. children are not being educated. Something is wrong, because this department has a budget of $90 billion. How are we spending those billions? Not well as we see in this report:

America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card.

The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism. The national exam results also show growing inequality: While the highest-performing students have started to regain lost ground, lower-performing students are falling further behind.

Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. The most recent exam was administered in early 2024 in every state, testing fourth- and eighth-grade students on math and reading.

“The news is not good,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the assessment. “We are not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground our students lost during the pandemic.”

The news is not good. Don’t be surprised if more parents want to teach kids at home or call their state legislators to implement some form of school choice.

Honestly, every leader of the Education Department and Teachers unions should admit that they have failed miserably. Maybe too much indoctrination of our kids and not enough spelling and basic math exercises. 

My guess is that the teachers unions will say today that they need more money. Yes, it’s always money with these people.

How are we helping these kids by graduating them not reading at their grade level? We are condemning them to a lousy future of bad jobs. 

I remember when President Carter created the Department of Education. It made no sense to me because education is a local matter to be run by parents and school boards. However, I never thought that I’d be reading about educational failure of this type. Federal control over education has failed and it’s time to buy out these employees and shut down the building.

We cannot overlook two other issues. First, shutting down schools over COVID was a disaster. Second, the breakdown of the family unit or absence of fathers is hurting our young people immensely.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

1865: The House passed the 13th Amendment

On this day in 1865, the US House passed the 13th Amendment.  It was sent to the states for ratification and approved in November.  

President Lincoln just gets better with age. He was the right man at the most critical moment in US history.    A few years ago, a great movie came out about his efforts to pass the 13th amendment that abolished slavery.   

It was a great movie!

P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Jackie Robinson (1919-72)

We remember Jackie Robinson, who was born in Cairo, Georgia, on this day in 1919.     He died October 24, 1972.

Robinson was one of the biggest sports stories of the 20th century, as we see in this biography from his Hall of Fame page:   

At the end of his first season, Robinson was named the Rookie of the Year. He was named the NL MVP just two years later in 1949, when he led the league in hitting with a .342 average and steals with 37, while also notching a career-high 124 RBI. The Dodgers won six pennants in Robinson’s 10 seasons, but his contributions clearly extended far beyond the field.

He retired with a .311 career batting average plus 137 HR & 734 RBI in 1,382 games.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

 

A word about Ernie Banks (1931-2015)

The great Ernie Banks was born in Dallas, Texas, on this day in 1931.     He died in 2014.

My guess is that most people don't know much about his younger days in Dallas, Texas.

Over the years, I've seen some great players in person and TV.  Sadly, I never got to see Ernie Banks in person but do recall hearing #500 on WGN radio.  

Banks was a great player. Better than that, he was a great human being.  

We will miss Ernie Banks for a long time.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Happy # 78 Nolan Ryan

We remember the great Nolan Ryan who was born on this day in 1947 in Refugio, Texas.    

His numbers are unbelievable:   324 wins, 3.19 ERA, 5,714 K and 7 no-hitters.     

Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.