The “Redskins” Controversy May Not Now Seem to Be a Life and Death Issue, but, from a Cultural and Historical Perspective, It Is Fundamentally Just That Sort of Issue

Even if the name “Redskins” is offensive, one can at least argue that the image featured in the team logo is rather dignified. The same cannot be said for the Cleveland Indians mascot’s appearance or name– Chief Wahoo: Interestingly, Chief Wahoo’s skin color less resembles that of a Native American than that of a very…

The Dirty Secret in the Education Wars: Money Matters

This post was written by Jeff Bryant for the blog of the Campaign for America’s Future [http://ourfuture.org/] which has become a driving force behind the New Populist Movement. The group’s report, Organizing to Take Back America: The New Populist Movement, is available at: http://y.ourfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/New-Populist-Movement-Organizing.pdf. Prepared by Riger Hickey, the co-director of the Campaign for America’s…

"We Know What Works"

Writing in The New Yorker last month, Dale Russakoff had this to say about today’s education “reformers,” personified (in this case) by New Jersey governor Chris Christie and then-mayor of Newark Cory Booker (who is now, of course, one of the state’s U.S. senators): Decades of research have shown that experiences at home and in neighborhoods…

If You Go Far Enough to the Right, Do You Somehow End Up on the Left?

Thus far, the most vocal and sustained criticism of the Common Core Standards being relentlessly promoted by Arne Duncan and the other “reformers” in the Department of Education has come from Progressives—that is, President Obama’s own supporters. Of course, the objection is that the administration has wholly and enthusiastically embraced what was a Republican idea—for…

President Obama’s Commencement Address at West Point

President Obama delivered the following remarks at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., commencement ceremony on May 28, 2014. Transcript courtesy of Federal News Service.   PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, General Caslen, for that introduction. General Trainor, General Clarke, faculty and staff at West…

Religious Freedom and Discriminatory Student Groups

John Leo at Minding the Campus discusses the issue of discriminatory policies by registered student organizations and claims, “religious groups should have absolute freedom in the process of picking their leaders.” Actually, he doesn’t really believe that, because that’s what I believe. The whole argument over religious student groups is the demand by some that…