Why do so many people not trust academia? Is it a matter of mistrust of all authority, which the Xer generation seems to excel at, as they do not trust government, politicians, or our leadership? Is that part of the problem? Yes, but that is only the tip of the iceberg, part of the problem with the lack of credibility of academia is with academia itself.

Part of it has to do with a catch-22, as those that stick to the facts and refuse to do anything without a level of integrity, they appear to know very little, or any more than common sense might dictate. Thus, they are not needed and cannot get funding for their meaningful work and incremental gains in actual knowledge.

Other academics will PR themselves, postulating about the unknown while standing on their academic credentials, as they publish and churn out paper after paper to receive additional funds for their so-called research. They are constantly trying to push the buttons of the pop-culture to stir the pot and use society to help propel legislation to fund research.

Meanwhile things will only get worse in the future as the next generation of scientists and academics are now kids and teens and they are cheating on tests, with YouTube videos actually explaining how. The students in high-school and college are paying for essays and academic reports, but how would I know? Well, I am often discretely contacted to write these papers, that's how. No, I won't help them cheat, but I know others will and often do. There are even companies that make money doing this.

And let's not even get into Alternative Energy and Global Warming issues. Nearly a 100 Million Dollars have been given to academia for Global Warming Research projects, and they must deliver the goods, proving the Climate Change Theories are accurate and things are heating up at alarming levels. And they must attempt to show that it is man-made CO2 doing it.

We've seen faked research on cloning, climate change, and just about anything, that any K-Street lawyer run lobbying firm will pay for. What happened to academic integrity? I have absolutely no trust anymore, nor should you.

By: Lance Winslow
Lance Winslow's Bio Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net.

MYTH: The NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB) ACT directives and requirements have taken all the fun and creativity out of teaching and has set teachers up for failure.

OF HIGHEST CONCERN: This is now one of the most widely heard excuses in the field of education as of late. It is a very destructive excuse because it prevents the forward momentum so much needed in the educational profession.

NCLB is a U.S. federal law that was passed in 2002 aimed at improving the performance of primary and secondary schools. It requires that by the end of the 2006-07 school year that all teachers be highly qualified, and that schools use "scientifically based research" strategies in the classrooms and provide professional development of staff. NCLB also requires that the progress of all students will be measured annually in both math and reading and eventually, science, and that all students show progress. For schools identified as needing improvement, there has been a s substantial increase in funding for programs that will aid in school reforms.

THE REALITY: NCLB, as with most federally funded initiatives, has some serious issues to work through, but in no way does this excuse educators from striving towards the task. NCLB has introduced the educational field to idea of accountability, which in my opinion, is about time! In all the years I have worked as an educator, many "excuses" have have provided a buffer for teachers' justification of why students are not adequately progressing:

• "The students have poor home lives and don't get the support at home"
• "Many of our students only speak Spanish"
• "This student isn't motivated to learn"
• "We need a lot more money and programs to reach our goals"
• "Having every child reading at grade level by 3rd grade is impossible and unrealistic-we are being set up for failure."

And in all the years I have been in education, I have had the privilege of working with some exceptional educators whom not once backed away from the challenges. The most skilled have taken whatever challenges have been laid before them and searched out more effective teaching strategies; taken mundane or mandated programs and made them exciting and fun; were eager to collaborate with colleagues and explore the most effective means to get results; took uderserved groups of children and helped them thrive; and, while doing all of that, had a lot of fun because teaching is their passion.

HOW TO LEAVE A LOT OF CHILDREN BEHIND:

• Use excuse after excuse for why cannot educate students effectively
• Complain to every one you meet about being set up for failure
• Use emotion and feelings about testing to lead your instruction and obsess about the standardized tests
• Network with all of the other negative educators-misery loves company

HOW TO THRIVE AS AN EDUCATOR:

• Focus on the students' time with you in school-not out of school
• Quit vocalizing excuses and increase your knowledge on research-based strategies and how to become a more effective educator
• Get support from a coach or consultant to help you through your challenges and improve your knowledge as a professional
• Attend quality professional development that you can use immediately
• Research the positive outcomes and programs from grants funded by NCLB (See NVReadingFirst )
• Start networking with positive, collaborative, and most importantly, professional educators; trust me, their energy and passion is contagious
• Remember to do what you love, focus on student growth and keep in mind that educating will always be very challenging, but oh, so rewarding!

By: Kristen Gonzales
Educational coach, consultant and literacy coordinator
http://www.elevateme.net

An intriguing ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could re-open discussion about the brainwashing that occurs in all-too-many public school classrooms these days.

The High Court this week issued a thumbs-down to so-called "diversity" plans in two large school districts that use race as a factor in assigning students. According to an Associated Press report, the ruling could affect not only schools in Seattle and Louisville, but could impact like-minded plans in hundreds of school systems around the country.

Chief Justice John Roberts said the school districts involved "failed to show that they considered methods other than explicit racial classifications to achieve their stated goals." Roberts and the rest of the Court majority believe that the proposals in Seattle and Louisville conflicted with Constitutional guarantees for equal protection. Granted, the Court was split 5-4, but a decision is a decision, and one can only hope this decision deals a fatal blow to ill-conceived race-based school policies.

Of course, liberals are already offering a knee-jerk assessment of the decision. Justice Stephen Breyer in his dissent said, "To invalidate the plans under review is to threaten the promise of Brown (v. Board of Education)."

But wasn't the dream of civil rights leader Martin Luther King to establish a society when people weren't judged on race, but on the content of their character? As the Bush Administration argued, racial diversity may be a noble goal, but it should only be achieved by race-neutral means.

Lawyer Teddy Gordon argued that the Louisville district's plan was a form of discrimination. In the AP report, he's quoted as saying," Clearly, we need better race-neutral alternatives. Instead of spending zillions of dollars around the country to place a black child next to a white child, let's reduce class size. All the schools are equal. We will no longer accept that an African-American majority within a school is unacceptable."

Let's keep in mind here that it was parents themselves who were upset with the programs in Seattle and Louisville, and it was the parents who sued. Now, it would stand to reason that parents are in the best position to determine what kind of educational plan is best for their own children. They're far more concerned about whether Johnny can read than who Johnny sits next to in class.

No child should have his or her educational opportunities limited because of race. America is supposed to be the land of freedom—not a place where arcane bureaucratic rules and outdated theories of education reign supreme. Parents should have the greatest flexibility in determining where their children go to school—particularly since it's the parents' tax dollars that are supporting the schools. It's simply wrong to hang a sign on a schoolhouse door saying only a certain percentage of blacks or whites are allowed in.

It's morally repugnant to the vast majority of Americans to discriminate against anyone based on race. Therefore, it's time to retire the liberal guilt which states that we have to assign students to schools based on race. Otherwise, we'll never achieve the color-blind society envisioned by King.

By: Nathan Tabor
http://www.theconservativevoice.com
Nathan Tabor is the Founder and CEO of TCVmedia.com and TheConservativeVoice.com. After just eighteen months, TheConservativeVoice.com gets over 250,000 unique visitors a month, 1.7 million page views and has over 150,000 email subscribers. The Conservative Voice has over 100 columnists and features up-to-the-minute news. He is heard daily on over 250 stations nationally with AConservativeMoment.com.

Featured by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal Resources and Lifestyle Resources portal.

Are you getting depressed over what's going on in the world today? Do you need something to pick you up? Do you need some laughter in your life? Check out our Jokes index and brighten your day.

Comments: For those of you that would like to comment on this or any other post in this blog, go to the Contact me link on the upper right hand side of this page and send your comment via that link. If your comment is on topic, whether pro or anti, and even fairly well written, we will post it with the article. If you have a site that you would like to be linked to your comment please supply it and we will include it.