Category Archives: education

Check this mess.

Posted on May 3, 2012 by droyles

Due to a budget shortfall running either near or well into (depending on who you ask) the NINE figures, the Philadelphia School District faces a massive restructuring that will strengthen the role of charter schools and private corporations in the … Continue reading →

Posted in education, neoliberalism | Leave a comment

Friday… fun?

Posted on February 17, 2012 by droyles

Via Joe.My.God., here’s a… um… fun browser-based mapping application you can use to simulate the detonation of a nuclear warhead over the city of you choice. By selecting from a drop-down menu, you can drop anything from “Davy Crockett,” the smallest … Continue reading →

Posted in cartography, Cold War, education, history, video breakdown | Leave a comment

Ward Shelley, knowledge, and maps.

Posted on March 20, 2011 by droyles

Ward Shelley has been getting a lot of attention lately (at least in my corner of the internet) for his map of the history of science fiction: Among other projects, including performance art, installations, and sculptural work, Shelley specializes in … Continue reading →

Posted in cartography, design, education, history, racism | 1 Comment

Head-desking for purity.

Posted on March 9, 2011 by droyles

Want to know why monogamy matters? The New York Times’ resident arch-conservative Ross Douthat is here to tell you, pulling together a couple recent studies to argue imply that 1) today’s young people are waiting to longer to have sex, … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatism, Douche Hat, education, gender, history, LGBT | Leave a comment

Sir Ken Robinson sees the violence inherent in the system.

Posted on March 4, 2011 by droyles

This is entertaining and at least a little thought-provoking: I agree that standardized testing is disastrous, and I think many (if not most) people working in education would agree. One problem I see in thinking through how this might apply … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatism, education, history, mo money mo problems, neoliberalism | 1 Comment

Vim, vigor, and vacuity.

Posted on July 12, 2010 by droyles

Here’s something worth re-posting: Tenured Radical has a great piece today on what’s wrong with Teach for America. I don’t mean to denigrate what I’m sure is genuine do-gooderism among many Teach for America teachers, but I think TR (not … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Teddy Roosevelt, voluntarism | Leave a comment