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Lawmakers pass 24-credit HS diploma; NCLB waiver bill dies
Lawmakers pass 24-credit HS diploma; NCLB waiver bill dies. The first in a series of notes on this year’s session. I can no longer write a summary of what happens during the actual session, particularly in short sessions where the budget negotiations take until the last !@#$%^&* minute. (I will be less testy about this…
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Use of “economic models” to mislead the public
The Washington Policy Center, a right-leaning think tank, published a report today with a terrifying title: “Economic model shows Superintendent Dorn’s proposed tax increases would cost 18,500 jobs“. This is “truthy”, AN economic model did show this. Of course, THIS economic model ALWAYS shows job losses from proposed public policy proposals. Economic model shows Superintendent…
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Suing schools when kids can’t read?
Interesting piece in the Seattle Times that questions if suing schools when students can’t read will work. My guess is no, it will not. Suing schools when kids can’t read?. The law that defines basic education requires that schools provide a reasonable opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, but does not…
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Resisting the Urge to Judge the Affordable Care Act
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Blog/2013/Dec/Resisting-the-Rush-to-Judge-the-Affordable-Care-Act.aspx A super-interesting (and brief) overview of how all the moving parts of the ACA have affected us, including the bad (website rollout) with the good (additional coverage, bending cost curve, rebates for excessive adminstrative spending, etc.)
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Transportation
I made some remarks at the Bellevue Rotary yesterday that seem to have been misinterpreted by some people, so I’m clarifying: Passing a transportation package this session is incredibly important for the Puget Sound region. I support a well-designed package. Starting in January King County Metro will start reducing service to make up for an…
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Pay It Forward
Recently a number of people have written to me about the “Pay it Forward” concept for funding higher education in Washington. The basic idea as described on the Economic Opportunity Institute website: (www.eoionline.org) Pay It Forward: A Debt-Free Degree Students attend college with no upfront tuition or fees. Instead, students contribute a small, fixed-percentage of their…
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Early Learning
I visited a family child care provider in Bellevue last week. I’ve been working with Representative Ruth Kagi on trying to figure out how to improve both the reach and quality of our early learning system for at risk kids, and seeing how stuff works in person is pretty valuable. This wasn’t a facility for…
