December 24, 2001

Texas Eagle Forum News & Notes

BOTH HOUSES PASS LAVISH EDUCATION BILL
President George W. Bush has promised to sign his high priority education bill, described as education "reform, " early next year. It was passed overwhelmingly (381-41) by the U.S. House Dec. 13 and by the Senate (87-10 ) on Dec. 18. The bill authorizes $26.5 billion in federal spending for education about $8 billion more than the previous year, and $4 billion more than President Bush requested. The annual state testing for reading and math in grades three through eight which it requires will not begin until the 2004-05 school year. It requires schools to raise reading and math proficiency over the next 12 years, to develop periodic report cards comparing their scores with other schools in the state, to "close gaps in scores between wealthy and poor students and white and minority students," and to "ensure that within four years all teachers are qualified to teach in their subject areas."

The bill provides more money for schools that perform poorly; but if they fail chronically, they risk being "reconstituted," with a total overhaul of curriculum or staff. The only bone thrown to those who hoped for federal funds for some form of school choice was a provision that parents whose students attend a "chronically failing" school may receive funds to pay for after- school tutoring! The hard-fought provision that schools discriminating against the Boy Scouts would lose federal funds remained in the final version.

Among the few senators to vote against the bill was Vermont's Republican-turned-Democrat, Sen. James M. Jeffords. According to Davy Boyer of the Washington Times (12-19-01), Jeffords failed to convince the White House to include increased funds for special education and an Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act in its education package. Jeffords' new friends in the Democratic majority did not add that provision either. He also did not achieve the renewal of the Northeast Dairy Compact, which was reportedly promised for his party switch. On the "Today" show this week, Jeffords was asked whether his switch had been for nothing, and replied, "In a way." 

Source: Eagle Forum News & Notes


VALUE OF TEACHER CERTIFICATION QUESTIONED
One of the sacred cows of the educational establishment now being richly rewarded by the education legislation is the dogma that all teachers should be fully certified. A column by Linda Seebach (12-18-01) challenges that assumption. She points out that private schools usually have no such provisions, and have far lower proportions of certified teachers on their faculties than public schools, with no apparent problems. It is claimed that studies prove certified teachers are better. However, a researcher at the Abell Foundation in Baltimore reviewed some 150 of the studies, going back almost 50 years. She concluded, "The academic research attempting to link teacher certification with student achievement is astonishingly deficient." For example, many of the authors fail to use objective measures of student achievement, or to observe the norms of statistical analysis, such as controlling for variables like poverty or prior achievement. Her study can be found on line at www.abell.org

Source: Eagle Forum News & Notes


U.S. NEWS CREDITS ELAINE DONNELLY AND HER C.M.R FOR POLICY CHANGE ON WOMEN IN COMBAT
Paul Bedard writes in "Washington Whispers," (U.S. News and World Report, 10-29-01) that the Bush administration has made an about face on the role of women in combat, at a time of wartime military deployment. He reports that a senior Defense official says front-line units "won't involve women," and that the Clinton administration proposal to put women into battle zones will be killed. As for the radical feminist-dominated Defense Advisory Committee on Women in The Services (DACOWITS), it "will slowly be minimalized and marginalized." Bedard writes, "The change represents a victory for brass who opposed the Clinton rules and the private Center for Military Readiness [CMR], which has fought applying political correctness to the Pentagon." 

Source: Eagle Forum News & Notes


SUPREME COURT ALLOWS VIRGINIA'S MOMENT OF SILENCE
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the mandatory "moment of silence" for public schools enacted by the Virginia legislature last year. The law states that the purpose of the silence is to encourage introspection and discourage a perceived increase in violence in schools. It requires teachers and students to observe silence, and specifically mentions [silent] prayer as one of the activities a student might engage in. However, it does not require students to pray. 

Source: Report from the Capital, 11-07-01


GOVERNMENT BIOLOGISTS RESORT TO FRAUD TO CAUSE CLOSING OF PARKS
The Washington Times has exposed a previously unreported Forest Service investigation which revealed an appalling scandal in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The investigators revealed that three Forest Service employees, two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials and two employees of the Washington (state) Department of Fish and Wildlife introduced false evidence into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state, by planting three separate samples of Canadian lynx hair on rubbing posts used to detect the presence of that animal in the area. If the deception had not been discovered, the government would probably have banned many forms of recreation and use of natural resources in the two forests. When discovered, the culprits explained that they were merely testing the lab's ability to identify the cat species through DNA analysis.

Retired Fish and Wildlife Service biologist James M. Beers called the incident "amazing but not surprising." He added "I'm convinced that there is a lot of that going on for so-called higher purposes." The employees are still on the job, and were merely banned from participating in the three-year study of the lynx! However, after learning about the incident, several lawmakers from western states, including Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-ID), have called for their dismissal. 

Source: Washington Times, 12-17&19-01


'CLOUDY FUTURE FOR U.S. WOMEN'S AGENCIES.' 
Pro-family women were cheered to read that headline in the New York Times (12-19-01) The news article reported that the Bush administration is considering shrinking or eliminating some federal offices charged with women's (i.e., feminist) interests, such as the 10 regional offices of the Labor Department's Women's Bureau. NOW president Kathy Rodgers is upset, but she surely didn't vote for George W. Bush anyway, so there is no reason why he should be upset that she is upset. Five feminist advocacy groups wrote to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to protest the possible elimination of the Women's Bureau regional offices and the Labor Department's multimillion-dollar initiative on equal pay for women. They did not explain why we need a costly initiative to promote what has been the law of the land since the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963. The Women's Bureau itself was a vociferous advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment during the 10 years when it was before the state legislatures. ERA died in 1982. The Times admitted that many conservatives have long contended that government offices dealing with exclusively with women's concerns have outlived their usefulness and should be eliminated. 

Source: Eagle Forum News & Notes


QUOTE OF THE DAY!
Feminists don't like me and I don't like them ... I don't know why feminists have it out for me, but that's their problem, not mine."
Mel Gibson


SURPRISE LAST MINUTE ACTION IN THE HOUSE
Without prior notice and without any text on the internet, the House passed H.R. 3525 on Dec. 19 by voice vote after 40 minutes of debate. The House bill appears to be the companion to S. 1749, the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2001, a compromise Kennedy, Brownback, Feinstein, Kyl immigration bill. 

Source: Eagle Forum News & Notes

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