Making Educators Accountable for Student Outcomes

Source: Bacon’s Rebellion.

While I appreciate the writer, Matt Hurt, and support the initiative he describes I sense that public schooling per se is the real problem at issue.

The purpose of the initiative is to make objective measurements of student achievement a highly significant factor in formal teacher evaluations. Apparently this has not been the case in the past.

Surely it is good to improve teacher accountability, but it occurs to me that in the natural order of things parents normally serve as teachers’ quality control function. In this light the initiative looks like an attempt to perfect bureaucracy at the expense of human relationships or as a substitute for parental engagement.

Sadly, perfecting bureaucracy may be the most we can do so long as the institution of public schooling continues. If we want the public to pay for the education of children, a better, simpler approach might be to just give the money to parents.

Dem Bill Gives Special Tax Handout to Media Companies with Up to 1,500 “Local Journalists”

Source: Americans for Tax Reform.

Taken at face value this looks very bad — a direct federal subsidy to media organizations. Since journalism is the main watchdog of government, both the appearance and the reality of conflict of interest could not be more egregious.

Still, one shouldn’t be surprised. Media and government have had a fist-in-glove relationship for as long as both have existed. The only thing new in modern times is the emergence of industrial-scale mass media and the technology of psychological operations. Think last century’s propaganda methods and their implementation by Madison Avenue.

One should, however, notice that the proposed federal subsidy of media is an anti-liberty event. It is the sort of thing our First Amendment was created to stop.

Day One Powers of the Governor – Removal of Members of Boards and Commissions

Source: Bacon’s Rebellion (BR).

I saw Glenn Youngkin on TV last night promising action on Day One of his new job. James Sherlock at BR takes up the practical question, What are the Day One powers of a Virginia governor? He finds that Youngkin can, if he wishes, fire all the members of the Board of Health and the Board of Education.

That would be fun, but I don’t recommend it, and I don’t think it is likely. In the TV spot Youngkin attributed his success in the race to the unexpected transformation of his campaign into a “movement.” I expect he will want to nurture that sensibility by avoiding radical action.

Gun-Toting Ex-Marine Winsome Sears Wins Virginia’s Race For Lieutenant Governor

Source: ZeroHedge.

I couldn’t be happier with yesterday’s election results, especially the clean sweep of the three statewide offices. My takeaway is that America’s accelerating decline will at least be colorful, an interesting show.

I knew nothing about Winsome Sears until I looked up the race at the commonwealth’s election web site a few days ago. What I have learned since appeals to me. I think in particular that governor-elect Youngkin may have equipped himself with a viable successor. Time will tell, but I hope so.

I am glad, too, to be rid of the odious Mark Herring.