24 Questions for Elementary Physics

The State Board of Education (SBOE) has been meeting in Austin to set the curriculum standards to be used in Texas schools for the teaching of social studies. The board is split, with eight of the fifteen members solidly or frequently in the conservative camp. And by conservative, I'm talking Texas conservative. For example, former chairman of the board Don McLeroy wants to rehabilitate communist witch hunter Joseph McCarthy in our children's history books ("Read the latest on McCarthy. He was basically vindicated."). Read the Washington Monthly article for scary details about this powerful faction setting standards not only for Texas schoolchildren, but for textbook publishers who will sell into states all across the country.

After the jump, what century-old math questions can tell us about teaching social studies in the 21st century.

Poor, Pitiful Haiti

Given the vastness of the death and destruction from the Port-au-Prince earthquake, nothing else is worth talking about today. The hair length of first-grade boys and the fate of elementary school cafeteria murals don't deserve much attention in any case, but today, they come to mind only as examples of first world problems that show just how blessed most of us in Richardson, Texas, are. Hug someone you love today, then go to WhiteHouse.gov to learn how you can help the people of Haiti deal with this incomprehensible natural disaster.

Labadee, Haiti

From 200903 Labadee

I've been to Haiti. Well, yes and no. What I saw was the beautiful sand beach on a cruise line's private property on the north coast of Haiti, safely fenced off from the real Haiti, the Haiti seen in today's news stories from Port-au-Prince. What can I say? The vast gulf between my vacation experience in Labadee and the day-to-day life of residents of Port-au-Prince, even before yesterday's disastrous earthquake, is immeasurable. I can't defend it. I can't say what can be done about it. Pity is not a solution, but it's what I feel right now. Hopefully, Americans' spirit of generosity will prove true again and many of us will go to WhiteHouse.gov to learn how we can help the people of Haiti.

RISD and the Vision Thing

This week, the school board for the Richardson school district (RISD) announced a new Vision Statement for the district. I know what you're thinking. Motherhood and apple pie. Ho hum, right? Maybe not this time.

After the jump, what the changes might tell us about what's to be expected from the new superintendent the RISD is searching for.

Of Open Meetings and Gag Rules

The "law of unintended consequences" states that any well-intentioned action will produce some unintended, unwanted consequences. The Texas Open Meetings Act is not exempt from this law. The act stipulates that local governments must publicly post agendas for meetings at least 72 hours in advance. They are forbidden from deliberating issues that are not included in the agenda.

The purpose of the Open Meetings Act is to make sure the public is aware of what business the governmental body will conduct and where and when that business is conducted. By and large, the act has served its purpose. Meetings are open.

After the jump, what can be wrong with that?

What's In Your Netflix Queue?

Richardson's #1 Rental

The New York Times has published a fascinating time waster, "A Peek Into Netflix Queues", which allows you to "examine Netflix rental patterns, neighborhood by neighborhood, in a dozen cities," including Dallas and nearby suburbs.

After the jump, an analysis of mine and my neighbors' tastes in movies.