Interesting take on Poverty

Check out this article online: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/baron-davis/breaking-the-cycle-of-inn_b_196785.html. It is great to understand the perspective of those who live in inner cities. Baron Davis is a hero in the fight towards decency. Please check out the post.

How do we Measure Poverty?

Check out this interesting link regarding the rising tide of homeless students. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29356160/from/ET/ How can we accurately measure NCLB when more and more children are becoming transient. Is it fair to measure equity in the classroom, when our economic climate is inequitable? Should one school district, that has a policy of fairness and equity towards the homeless population be graded any less successful than a district that discourages people from joining their census. How do we measure rural poverty? How do we measure corridors of poverty? Corridors of poverty exist when a region is so poor, families move district to district within one year. Tough questions, for tough economic times.

Class Warfare?

Check out this fascinating statistic:

What would you do with an extra $18,000 in your pocket?

That's the amount of extra cash each and every Burger King employee in America would have received last year if Goldman Sachs (one of the fast-food chain's largest owners) had shared its bailout billions with rank-and-file workers. Instead, Goldman Sachs squandered 6.5 billion of our taxpayer dollars on bonuses for their financial staff. These were some of the highest bonuses on Wall Street! Meanwhile, Burger King workers earn wages averaging just $14,000 a year -- well below the federal poverty line for a family of three.

Class Warfare is closer than we think.

Media Watch - Stimulus Package

Most people have ignored the injustices of the bailout of corporations. The stimulus package is a tool for the upper middle class more than the poor. For this reason, I am posting links to media articles that fail to capture the attention of main stream media outlets. Please check out the Media Watch page for current and future articles regarding our nation's quest for equity and fairness, or lack of.

The ebbs and flow of Change

President Obama made some courageous decisions over the past few weeks. However, he is afraid to tackle class warfare issues. He caved in on the bailout. See the link below for details. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/business/economy/10bailout.html?_r=2&hp
Similar to France in the late 1700's, this administration needs to come to terms with the fact that one percent of the population has deeply impacted the living conditions of the other 99%. The inequities of the past 8 years cost us dearly. It is time for our government to help those they hurt by past policies.

Reflections regarding Martin Luther King

In order to understand Martin Luther King, we need to think about his message. We get too comfortable thinking that the dream has been realized. It has not. Even with an African American President, we should not be comfortable. Too many groups are not fully involved in the process of democracy. The prison population reflects the injustices of our times. And with our economy, will the new President work towards social justice? Or will he work for economic justice.
Time will tell. If the emphasis is bailing out corporations instead of people, the dream will not be realized. If the emphasis is on spending billions to kill a terrorist, the dream is not realized. These are tough times. I see poverty increase daily in school. People are making difficult choices regarding paying this bill or gettng groceries this week.
The time for social justice is now. To demand it like Dr. King did does not mean a person is negative. It is positive to be critical, and demand change. A change that lifts people out of poverty. A change that is democratic, inclusive, and equitable. This is what Dr. King would want. This is what I want for my children.

Parents and Educational Professionals - Many Updates Regarding Multi-Age Websites

I have updated the link for multi-age websites. Please check out the many new suggestions from readers of the book and the website. Enjoy. Great for Home Schooled children.