Badass link of the day

Math Facts

I have been using this website to quiz my kids. It does multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division. It allows you to review missed questions, set time limits, etc, etc...

My kids love it. I have my 3rd grader reviewing her addition facts, and my fifth graders doing multiplication tables to review (get them in the groove after the summer). After they get through the sequence, I will start them on subtraction and division.

They normally run 3 minutes tests and see how many they can answer correctly. They love it. I normally have to kick them off to let another kid have a go.

"Everyday Math" teaches students about sequencing | islandpacket.com

"Everyday Math" teaches students about sequencing islandpacket.com



Via Math Without Tears

I am embarrassed for them.

Teaching Needy Kids in our Backward System by Zig Engelmann

I just received the book Teaching Needy Kids in our Backward System by Zig Engelmann. I will let you know how it is.

Prescriptive Schools

Eduwonk » Blog Archive » Eduwonk Charter Naming Contest Draws in More Celebrities, Fails to Find Clear Winner.

Richard Whitmire is looking for a catch phrase to refer to the KIPP, Achievement First, Match style of schools.

I nominate the phrase "prescriptive schools".

If your mortgage is through Indymac, you might want to stop paying your mortgage

FDIC: Loan Modification Program for Distressed Indymac Mortgage Loans

The streamlined loan modifications will be available for most borrowers who have a first mortgage owned or securitized and serviced by IndyMac Federal where the borrower is seriously delinquent or in default. IndyMac Federal also will seek to work with others who are unable to pay their mortgages due to payment resets or changes in the borrowers’ repayment capacities.

If you pay your mortgage on time, you're a fool. The government only helps out those who are irresponsible.

More "No duh"

Boys will be boys, girls will be girls from birth - CNN.com:

As a good postfeminist-era mom, I certainly didn't push my son toward trucks and my daughter toward tutus.

In one study, when 18-month-old boys and girls saw pictures of a doll and a vehicle, most girls chose the doll
If anything, I went out of my way to avoid giving them gender-stereotyped toys, offering glittery finger paint to my son and trains to my daughter. But it didn't matter: My son turned his doll's crib into a race car and my daughter was obsessed with shoes.

Calculators Okay In Math Class, If Students Know The Facts First, Study Finds

The researchers found that the calculator’s effect on subsequent performance depended on how much the students knew to begin with. For those students who already had some multiplication skills, using the calculator before taking the test had no impact. But for those who were not good at multiplying, use of the calculator had a negative impact on their performance.

New school year starts

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I am very optimistic.

My 8th grader was a straight A student last year, and I fully expect her to continue her streak. She isn't in Algebra, but will be next year.

My 3rd grader has the same awesome teacher she had last year, the one who helped raise her reading 2.5 grade levels.

As an experiment, we are putting both of our 5th graders in the same class. Basically, we were sick of having two kids in the same grade with different amounts of homework, different assignments, different field trips, etc... This way we figure if one forgets something, the other one can help out. Besides, they are a boy and a girl and both pretty well adjusted and independent.

Forbes editors needs to go back to school

America's Best Colleges sorted by State - Forbes.com

Went to Forbes list of "best colleges", sorted by state and only two entries came up for Alaska; Hendrix College and John Brown University.

One problem, they are both in Arkansas, not Alaska.

UPDATE

Should of taken a screen shot. They changed it already. I did get this from my site meter.

15 Aug 18:55:23
http://webmail.forbes.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://parentalcation.blogsp ...

This Week In Education: "We Are Not Government Issued"

This Week In Education: "We Are Not Government Issued":

Russo linked to this article.

“If you go to some Manhattan schools or places where the families have a higher income, you don’t see the recruiters there,” said Ebony Thurman, 18, who was once approached by recruiters at the Atlantic Avenue subway station. “But if you’re in Brooklyn or in lower income neighborhoods, that’s where you really find them trying to recruit people. They tell you that you’ll get job skills or college money. And if you’re a girl they’ll flirt with you and say there a lot of cute guys you could meet if you enlist.”

Here is my response on This Week In Education.

"The military is proud of its diverse makeup and makes a conscious effort to have it's force mirror that of the civilian population, The military firmly believes that it is healthy to have all factions of the population represented in it's rank... for obvious reasons it would be unhealthy to have the military consist entirely of white men from Idaho (or any other group). The military also firmly believes that diversity improves performance and that a diverse group of members adds knowledge and flexibility and makes it stronger.

What many people don't realize is that the military is very selective. The military doesn't have problems finding people wanting to join... it has problems finding people wanting to join AND WHO ARE QUALIFIED. The medical requirements, educational requirements, moral/legal requirements, and ASVAB all disqualify a large (very large) part of the population.

Unfortunately given the poor HS graduation rate and low test performance by minorities, it is a challenge for it to find a proportionate number of minority candidates. It's the exact same problem that Universities and Colleges have.

To counter this struggle, the military uses affirmative action like it was originally meant to. It casts a wider net... it goes to schools to ensure that it can offer opportunities to populations that might not be aware of the benefits and privileges that the military has to offer.

Does this Art teacher protest against universities that recruit in minority schools?

I would wager that the teacher would probably protest if the military was disproportionately white, arguing that it was discriminatory.

I am a bit disappointed that you linked to this story, giving its false insinuation credence."

Edwards is a son of a ....

Edwards admits to extramarital affair - CNN.com

Edwards is a son of a something... besides for being a son of a mill worker.

Ironically, now I sort of wished I had voted for him. He could of totally been the second coming of JFK.

By the way...

By the way, Right Wing Professor totally looks like a biker, tattoos and all. He is just as interesting in real life as he is on his blog.

He didn't even make fun of me and my friend for being slightly left leaning.

Yuengling rocks

Official Yuengling Web Site: America's Oldest Brewery

Yuengling is the best beer in the United States. Several days of hardcore drinking, and not a single hangover.

Eduwonk has fish porn, I am officially starting beer porn.

Me and some friends enjoying a pint of Yuengling at a pub in Harrisburg, Pa. I'm the blurry guy on the right.

Gender and Math: Quiz

Jim scored a 97, Bob scored a 76, Dan scored a 45.

Jane scored a 81, Barb scoed a 78, Dana scored a 66.

Who is better at math, the boys or the girls?

Which gender has the worse performer?

Which gender has the top performer?

Originally posted in comments over at the Core Knowledge Blog.

Aim low, avoid disappointment

Alaska thinks(pdf) that 81.7% of its 4th grade students in 2007 were advanced/proficient in reading.

The NAEP says that only 29% of Alaskan public school 4th graders were at or above proficient. In fact the NAEP shows that only 62% of it's public school 4th graders were above basic, which is still a pretty big difference.

The NAEP expects 4th graders to read three syllable words; Alaska only expects 4th grades to read two syllables.

I didn't look at math scores, but I am guessing its the difference between counting to 10 and counting to 5.

Coming to the East Coast

I am going to be in Washington D.C. next week for a conference, and then spend the weekend of 1-4 August in Harrisburg, Pa hanging out.

I will be the short bald guy nursing a hangover.

Right Wing Nation

Right Wing Professors blog rightwingnation.com has gone missing. I suspect it's a domain registration issue.

Sort of bummed me out.

The American Scholar - The Disadvantages of an Elite Education - By William Deresiewicz

The American Scholar - The Disadvantages of an Elite Education - By William Deresiewicz:

"Elite schools pride themselves on their diversity, but that diversity is almost entirely a matter of ethnicity and race. With respect to class, these schools are largely—indeed increasingly—homogeneous. Visit any elite campus in our great nation and you can thrill to the heartwarming spectacle of the children of white businesspeople and professionals studying and playing alongside the children of black, Asian, and Latino businesspeople and professionals. At the same time, because these schools tend to cultivate liberal attitudes, they leave their students in the paradoxical position of wanting to advocate on behalf of the working class while being unable to hold a simple conversation with anyone in it.Elite schools pride themselves on their diversity, but that diversity is almost entirely a matter of ethnicity and race. With respect to class, these schools are largely—indeed increasingly—homogeneous. Visit any elite campus in our great nation and you can thrill to the heartwarming spectacle of the children of white businesspeople and professionals studying and playing alongside the children of black, Asian, and Latino businesspeople and professionals. At the same time, because these schools tend to cultivate liberal attitudes, they leave their students in the paradoxical position of wanting to advocate on behalf of the working class while being unable to hold a simple conversation with anyone in it."

Via Liam Julian at the Flypaper and John Derbyshire at the National Review, I came across this great article. Definately go read the whole thing.

#98 The Ivy League « Stuff White People Like

#98 The Ivy League « Stuff White People Like:

"Once you have determined that a white person did not attend an Ivy League School, you should try to give them the opportunity to explain why their school was actually a superior educational experience. Some easy ways to do this are to mention grade inflation, professors who value research over teaching, or high tuition costs. Any one of these will set a white person off on a multi-minute rant."

I am officially a white person.

You're kidding me, right?

Camp Education « Jay P. Greene’s Blog

"I think it’s worth thinking about what we can learn from camps to make schools more effective"

As a parent of 5 kids, let me give this some thought...

Is he crazy... my kids waste enough time at school on silly projects with no educational value.

My son's gifted class last year was a lot like camp. The teachers idea of math enrichment was having them do some crazy number wheel.

Creativity is a mantra, not an teaching tool.

More like camp... he seriously didn't say that did he?

Anchorage Housing Market in Pictures

Enough said.

Graph from zillow.com

A conversation with Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools - Charlie Rose

A conversation with Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools - Charlie Rose

Where Michelle Rhee explains that teaching is a popularity contest, and that if more teachers brought their students McDonald's, everything would be honky-dory.

Disclaimer: I am having a hard time lately seeing the difference between education reformers and the education establishment.

Update: She wasn't all bad. At least she didn't pull a Wendy Kopp and avoid substantive answers.

Even more: She is frickin impressive as hell actually. I want to work for her.

A picture is worth a thousand words (and looking at pictures is a reading strategy anyway)

click to enlarge

One of my commentors mentioned teacher creativity. My daughters teacher expressed her creativity by the use of blue paper and fancy fonts. Note the same old "looking at pictures" as a reading strategy, it even gets higher billing than sounding out words.

No Fucking Duh

I just took dropped my daughter off for her last day of school, and went in to talk to her summer school teacher.

I asked the teacher, how much progress my daughter had made and if she had any test scores, assuming that school used some sort of formal diagnostic assessment. I know, I am an idiot.

Her teacher told me that she had "done some stuff at the computer lab", had a few spelling tests, and done a lot of writing.

I asked if their was anything formal.

"It's all formal" she replied.

"So you have no way of measuring progress" I asked.

The teacher then went on to explain to me that six weeks just wasn't a lot of time, so they worked on some "reading strategies".

The teacher was obviously sensing my frustration and tried to placate me.

"You daughter is a good reader, she just has problems with her decoding"."

"No FUCKING duh", I thought to myself, "you're a fucking idiot."

"You do know what decoding is, don't you?" she asked, assuming my shock was lack of understanding.

I walked out.

Math or Elementary

I have been planning on becoming an elementary school teacher after I retire because I think that it's elementary education that needs the most reform, but lately I have been tempted to become a math teacher.

I have two Airman in my shop who are currently taking college algebra online. I have been helping them with their class, and have sort of enjoyed it. Maybe it runs in the family. My father was a math teacher in New Zealand for a number of years, at least until we moved back to Los Angeles and he became a programmer.

The big minus with becoming a math teacher is I would have to take a bunch more courses and get a second degree. This would seriously delay my future time line.

Any input?

TFA love... what it would take!

What it would take for me to start having some TFA love?

1. A tilt towards elementary education, or at least an acknowledgement that TFA math and science teachers are just a stop-gap until elementary school education is fixed.

2. An expansion of recruiting into working professionals and retiree's. If TFA's recruiting and training system is so great, wouldn't it work to identify smart motivated middle aged or older professionals looking to make a difference.

3. Drop the whole "pipeline of leaders" meme. We need more soldiers and less generals, more teachers, less administrators.

4. Start your own Education School. One that conducts real research and then uses it to produce superior teachers. Certify your own teachers.

5. Wendy Kopp's phone number. Just kidding Mr. Barth, I am married (and might need a job someday).

The TFA responds to accounting fraud failures

The Quick and the Ed

But the Office of Inspector General at the US Department of Education has charged TFA with failing to account for half of the $6 million the organization received in federal discretionary grants between 2003 and 2005. The IG's office scrutinized a sample of the federal funds and concluded in a reported released last month that "TFA did not fully comply with applicable laws and regulations..." The organization "could not provide adequate supporting documentation [for half of its expenditures] because it lacked sound fiscal accountability controls," the IG's office wrote, adding that, "On several occassions, we requested additional documentation from TFA's Vice President of Accounting and Controls, but she never provided us with adequate supporting documentation or an explanation of the expenditures."

A newly hired TFA alumni responds:

"Like oh my God, you know...

Accounting rules are like, so contributing to the achievement gap. Totally.

If more teachers were, like, totally more like us, then everything would be like sooooo cool.

I mean its not like we are sending alumni to Wall Street or anything... well even so, that is just like, so unfair.

Gag me with a spoon. you know?"

I might vote for Obama after all...

Jackson's Obama comments almost went unnoticed - Los Angeles Times

Anyone who can piss off Jesse Jackson deserves at least a second look after all, besides McCain is mutating into Bush Lite.

What my kids and the military taught me about teaching...

Last year, one of my daughters asked me to help her study for a social studies test she had at school the next day.

We got out her text book and I asked her what we were studying. "Unit 3" she said. I flipped to Unit 3, and realized that Unit 3 consisted of three chapters, each at least 10 pages long. It seemed to cover the entire history of the United States up until and including the Revolutionary War.

The tears started almost immediately. She correctly deduced that there was no way she could cover the whole unit in one night.

I asked her if her teacher had highlighted any areas to key in on, but my daughter couldn't remember.

I told her to just skim read the Unit and concentrate on the main points. I was met with black stares. She had no idea which were the key points and which was just fluff.

Flash forward a week later...

My daughter brings home the test, and she has gotten a C-. I decided to look over the test and see what was covered, but as far as I could tell it was nothing but a quiz of random facts from the Unit. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Trivial matters were covered, but questions about key events were missing. As far as I could tell, she would of had to have memorized the entire Unit to get an A.

...

The Air Force is very big on professional development of the enlisted force.

As soon as an Airman gets selected to be an NCO, he/she is immediately sent to Airman Leadership School, and enrolled in a "Train the Trainer" course. The professional development, both residence and computer based is reinforced through each state of an NCO's career.

This continuous professional development is one the key reasons our enlisted force is the backbone of the most competent and powerful military forces ever assembled.

In ever single professional development course I have taken, one of the key themes that we are taught in training and mentoring is the establishment of training objectives and measurable goals.

When I am assigned a new Airman, I am required to sit them down and specifically state my expectations. I have been trained to make the expectations easily measurable, and not subjective.

When I develop training plans, I have to write a specific goal, and then define a measurable evaluation. Before conducting any training, I tell my trainee's exactly what I expect them to be able to accomplish upon completion of the training.

It's my responsibility to break down the task, and to go over each step. I am to assume nothing, and develop the tasks so that someone with zero experience will be able to accomplish the task upon completion of the training.

If upon evaluation, my trainee can not perform the task to the measurable objective then I immediately schedule remedial training.

I do not give up or make excuses.

I am continually trying to improve. If someone doesn't get something, I assume that it's because I haven't explained it clearly.

If my Airman were not to get trained properly, my bosses and my commander would hold me responsible.

...

If I were to conduct my training or mentoring like most teachers teach, I would be fired.

If I were my daughters teacher, I would clearly communicated as to what information they needed to know out of the Unit.

I would of conducted evaluations of my students through out the Unit, and if I had detected an area of weakness, I would of immediately gone back to reteach the material before I moved on to the next section.

By the time my students had taken the final exam, they would of been quizzed and reviewed on the key themes and facts.

My test material would not of been a surprise to the students or the parents.

...

My example is not uncommon, with the only exception of spelling and math tests.

I coin this method of teaching and testing, "Gotcha education".

Plagiarizing myself...

Backed Halibut... hmmmm

To save time and effort, I am just going to post the comments I made at other websites.

On eduwonkette: The Rhetoric of Reform: Does Research Count?

It's not like private school or charter school teachers get any different training that public school teachers.

To me this is a no duh study.

It's basically the same result when you randomly place low SES students in middle class schools.
Vouchers or school choice are only useful if parents choose a school that uses effective teaching practices. Then again, it would be so much simpler if public schools improved their teaching techniques.

If our government is going to spend money on studies, someone needs to do a long term study on which education schools produce teachers who have the greatest effects on student achievement.

Who wants to bet that the results show that education schools that concentrate on the mechanics of teaching do much better than the schools that concentrate of edujargon?

Actually, hold of on doing the study, I smell a great thesis paper for my graduate studies in a few years.

More from eduwonkette: Guest Blogger Mica Pollock on: Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School#comments

Arguments that race isn't biological are naive see... Lewontin's Fallacy. The critical debate is whether IQ/intelligence/academic ability is genetic, but to focus on that question misses the boat when it comes to education.

Education standards should be set based on the premise that they are achievable by all students regardless of their ability (speed of learning) or starting point. Once we have accepted this, the key then is to figure out how to get all students across this line.

I am probably spoiled and naive when it comes to addressing race due to my upbringing (adopted multiracial family) and to the Air Force (most successfully integrated organization in the world), but I realize that there are probably some system/organizational changes to made to provide every student with the proper opportunities and outlook.

However, I am convinced that the key to improving education outcomes for disadvantaged groups just aren't going to be solved by addressing race. Simply put, it all boils down to the curriculum and pedagogy. There are right ways and wrong ways to teach. It’s just that middle/upper class students have the advantage of parents and an environment that can compensate for the shortcomings.

As to ability grouping, it really comes down to a simple premise.

Ability grouping is better for low, middle, and high performing kids in absolute terms. The problem is that in comparative terms, the differences between the groups get relatively larger and larger.

Our system has subtly decided that it's better to keep the relative differences smaller instead of making greater performance gains for all groups. Ironically, given NCLB's measuring stick of all kids getting above a certain line, the system works against itself. Talk about cognitive dissonance.

No comments allowed... if you must call me an idiot, do it at the original website.

Something fishy...

Ever wonder what an opinionated education blogger does on holidays. Well this 4th of July I was in Homer, Ak on a halibut charter.

They might not be the biggest halibut every pulled out of the Kachemak Bay, but they will still taste delicious.

Between me and my wife, we have 39 pounds of halibut filet's in the freezer. Anyone know any good recipes?

p.s. I suppose I should mention my wife caught the biggest fish on the boat... beginners luck I say.

Love Fest in Anchorage

Que rant...

In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards. Mark Twain

Lately, I have taken to watching Anchorage School Board meetings on my local cable community channel. I have come to the conclusion that the Anchorage School Board is nothing but a rubber stamp for the school district administration.

During the decision to adopt "Everyday Math", there was almost zero debate or inquiry into the rational behind the decision. In fact, the commentary by the school board was more like a love fest than a decision making process.

I do not doubt for one second that the school board members are caring, intelligent, members of the community, but my suspicion is that unless it comes to money issues, the members are intimidated by any discussion of curriculum.

Then again, I am guessing that the majority of voters in school board elections are teachers, perhaps the board members are all ringers but in by the teachers unions and Ed School mafia.

To Too much pressure...

Schoolgate - Times Online - WBLG: The Ten Best Blogs about Education

Sarah Ebner was kind enough to mention my blog as a decent read. She must of caught my blog on a good day, because rumors of my competence are greatly exaggerated. Perhaps she found out I used to live in Cambridge... who knows?

In order to deflect attention away from myself, and relieve the guilt associated with not posting (or proofreading) nearly as often as I should), here are five blogs that are much better than mine, and truly must reads...

D-EdReckoning: Ken writes the most comprehensive, coherent, and educational blog around. If you disagree with him, there is a good chance that he will make you look silly. If you don't have facts or evidence to back your position, hang it up.

Teaching in the 408: TMAO is probably the best pure writer around. His blogs posts are as close to literature as you can get in the blogging world. Hopefully, he can keep his mad skills while writing for the Education Trust - West.

From the Trenches of Public Ed.: The more I learn about education, the more I find that I agree with most of what Dennis has to say. Don't tell him that, because he is officially my nemesis.

kitchen table math: What do you get when you combine the talents of 10 to 20 of intelligent parents and teachers, all focusing on math and math instruction,... only the best damn group blog around. Catherine Johnson anchors it all together, but the rest of the semi-regular posters kick ass as well.

NYC Educator: I am pretty sure that I am opposed to most of what NYC Educator posts, but I love that he doesn't mince words and he tells it like it is. I suspect that Major Bloomberg and Joel Klein have a secret department solely dedicated to keeping track of him.

Right Wing Nation: He isn't a pure education blogger, but when it comes to common sense and higher education, he is spot on. Lately he has been focused on the elections, but even if you don't agree with him, you can always steal some great recipes from his website.

NBA Hires Army Maj. General to Oversee Referees - washingtonpost.com

NBA Hires Army Maj. General to Oversee Referees - washingtonpost.com

NEW YORK -- The NBA hired Army Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Johnson on Tuesday as senior vice president of referee operations, a newly created position to help strengthen the league's officiating programs following the Tim Donaghy scandal.
...
Johnson recently retired after 32 years of service as a combat engineer. He was commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region division, from 2003-04, responsible for overseeing $18 billion of reconstruction in Iraq.

"Ron's wealth of leadership and management experience, together with his engineering expertise in areas such as systems analysis, processes, and operations, make him an ideal candidate to lead our officiating program," Stern said in a statement. "Our referees are the best in the world but they never stop striving to improve and Ron has made a career out of getting the very best out of people."

I don't know crap about basketball, refereeing, or civil engineering, but I do know that officers almost never have any practical hands on experience. They don't pay Generals to engineer, they pay them to lead and manage.

I predict he will be just as successful as Vice Admiral David L. Brewer, III.

Told you so and four letter words

Teaching in the 408: Rumors Of My Demise...:

In a few weeks I start work with the stellar folks at The Education Trust – West, an organization doing heavy lifting on ed reform, and one I’ve admired for some time.

...

This blog, or a similar version located elsewhere, will continue to exist.

Told you so.

The Education Trust - West does great work. If someone is going to be their front man, it might as well be someone as experienced and talented as Kilian.

Do you think they will still let him use four letter words in his posts?

p.s. I am still taking bets on his book

eduwonkette: Guest Blogger Sarah Reckhow: Easy to Blame

eduwonkette: Guest Blogger Sarah Reckhow: Easy to Blame

Eduwonkette lets ex-Douglass High School Teacher (and TFA alumni) Sarah Reckhow try and defend Douglass High School from the review that Liam Julian wrote for the National Review.

Like the documentary, her review does nothing to help Douglass High School. She rambles on for about 5 or 6 paragraphs before finally offering the only good thing that she can muster about Douglass High School.

Yet grumbling about the teachers who work in this difficult environment is not the answer. In fact, the film offers some illuminating scenes of teaching and learning at its best, only they don’t take place in a “typical” classroom setting. These include the school’s debate team, choir, band, and music production class. The students involved in these activities display precisely the attitudes we want schools to instill—pride, enthusiasm, and curiosity. Furthermore, the students are expected to perform well and rise to the occasion. Much of the commentary on this film has focused on Douglass at its worst, but much can be learned from Douglass at its best. [emphasis mine]

That's it. The best she can do is say that the students like extra-curricular activities. Her school has hit on a secret... that just about every other school in the world has already figured out.

At least she didn't blame the failures on money.

Sam Singer: Where Teach for America goes wrong (And Troops to Teachers gets right)

Sam Singer: Where Teach for America goes wrong - Opinion

Well crap, this 21 year old kid hits the nail right on the head.

Proponents claim that little by little, Teach for America can change this. That by enlisting only the academic elite - corps members carry top-tier credentials, and studies show them to be more effective than permanent faculty at participating schools - Teach for America is cultivating a commitment to public service and education among some of the brightest minds of our generation.

But hold your applause: According to The New York Times, of the trifle more than half of participants that actually remain in education, most do so in an administrative capacity. Turns out Teach for America hatches superintendents and curriculum planners far more frequently than it does teachers. If these numbers are on target, this isn't a teacher training corps - it's an incubator for would-be deans and well-rounded law students. [emphasis mine]

He forgot to mention that TFA is also good for producing bloggers, books, and charter school systems, but he still nails it though. His best line, though, is this:

Any grandeur that primary education had left was lost the moment we forced trained professionals to share faculty lounges with unseasoned college grads, many of who finished their final semesters with blood-alcohol contents that rivaled their grade point averages.

I might take issue with the term "trained professionals", but you get his point.

And just to add a comparison to Sam's first point:

According to the latest performance report from the Department of Education, the percentage of Troops to Teachers participants who remain in teaching for three or more years after placement in a teaching position in a high-need school is 88% for 2005, and 84% for 2006.

Once again, I think it's safe to say that TTT beats TFA.

Of course you don't see the NY Times or any other major newspapers writing semiannual puff pieces on Troops-to-Teachers.

When a link aint good...

Ordinarily, I would be estatic to get a link from an esteemed blogger like TMAO, but not when the post he links to sort of makes me look like an ass.

While I love the freedom blogging gives me to express my opinions, it is always a bit frustrating in that it is difficult to convey the totality of the person behind the blog. I think it might have to do with the fact that blogging takes effort, effort which is more easily mustered during bouts of indignation, emotion, or frustration. This leads to posts that are don't always reflect the entirety of my offline mellower personality.

To sum up: I am not as big a d**k that that blog post makes me seem like... really.

Hard Times at Douglass High: First Impressions

If the goal of the HBO documentary HARD TIMES AT DOUGLASS HIGH: A NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REPORT CARD was to make me feel sorry for the kids. schools, or to turn against NCLB, then it's a failure.

After watching it, I am convinced of one thing. Once the kids get to 9th grade it's to late to save them. Education reform will have to start at the elementary school level.

Fish hate me

I have been fishing a lot lately. What do you expect, I live in Alaska now.

Fish don't like me. I guess that's why they call it fishing and not catching.

On the education front, the new GI Bill rocks! This means that my teacher certification is paid for and my family still gets to eat.

The Quick and the Ed

The Quick and the Ed

Kevin Carey comments on TFA haters:

And while it may be frustrating to advocates for the professionalization agenda that TFA complicates their narrative, that's no excuse for wasting valuable time and energy trying to tear down a program that unambiguously makes the world a better place.

"unambiguously" is a might strong word isn't it. There are many arguments about how TFA might not make the world a better place. I previously laid one out here, which boils down to the suspicion that the media's obsession with TFA deflects from other reforms that could make a much more significant dent in educational outcomes.

Success for All

My 2nd/3rd graders summer school program uses Success for All to re-mediate struggling readers.

My question is if SFA works so well for remediation, why not just use it during the school year?

On another note...

A teacher at the summer school was handing out brochures for parent math worksheets, so I asked her if it was for "Everyday Math".

She said no, but asked me if I wanted to know anything about EM. I said, "Only when is the school district going to get rid of it?"

She replied back, "Oh never, we love it."

I responded, "Of course you do, keeping kids in Summer School is job security."

Kevin Carey Has Mad Mojo

Read what Kevin Carey, from The Quick and the Ed, said a few days ago in this OpEd at Inside Higher Ed.

The world is extremely large and, comparatively speaking, Yale is very small. It could easily credential ten times, a hundred times more students over the Internet than it currently does in New Haven. Students would have more incentives to take great Yale courses, and the number of valuable Yale-certified learners would increase. This would rankle those who value Yale’s exclusivity over the bounty of knowledge, culture, and insight the university could potentially provide. But that’s a morally suspect position. Who cares what such people think?

He must have some pull at Yale, because look at todays news in the NY Times.

The president of Yale University announced on Saturday that Yale will increase its undergraduate enrollment by 15 percent, to about 6,000, by building two new residential colleges that are expected to open in 2013.

Kevin, if you happen to read this, could you put in a word to the admissions department about my kids? Would totally love to get them into Yale.

EF is the new IQ

What do you get when you cross this

"executive function," may be more important to academic success than traditional measures of intelligence

with this

a set of capacities known as "executive functions" - is almost entirely genetic in origin

Worse week...

This has been the worst week of my career, and today was the worst day. I really, really dislike my job right at this moment.

Want to feel old...

Want to feel old?

Ask your kids what a record is.

Anchorage School District Adopted Everyday Math

I was poking around the Anchorage School District website, and discovered that the ASD just adopted Everyday Math 2007, Third Edition. It will be mandatory for all ASD schools within two years. It was done with little controversy and no protests.

Saxson math lost out because it scored poorly on the rubric they used to evaluate the different programs.

Here is the "Student Lens" part of the rubric:

I. Student Lens

The materials provides the following for the needs/rights of students:

a. The purpose of learning, including objectives, standards, goals, criteria and evaluation rubrics are clear for students

b. Students can choose from a variety of strategies to explore, solve, and communicate math concepts

c. Students are engaged through a variety of activities which may include independent projects, cooperativelearning, manipulatives, technology, collaborative work, etc.

d. Students have opportunities for self-monitoring and self-reflection

e. Materials make connections to real life applications

f. There is support for individual learning levels

Is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling the evaluation was rigged?

I am so glad my kids are going to get "opportunities for ... self-reflection" in their math class. I was afraid I was going to have to sign them up for yoga class.

Should I be worried?

p.s. Anchorage and Alaska are awesome. I am taking the summer off of school so I will be blogging again.

How TFA harms education...

I originally posted a version of this post over in the comments at The Socratic Method:

While I admire the mission of TFA, I am starting to have an issue with what I perceive as TFA elitism. For such a tiny percentage of classroom teachers, they have a large percentage of the education media coverage. They fill a niche, but TFA is never going to fix the system. Furthermore, the focus on overachieving young do-gooders minimizes the endemic issues present in the education system; poor education schools, poor pedagogy, and poor working conditions.

Imagine if instead of focusing on the glory boys of TFA, the media started focusing on school districts like Gering, which D-Edreckoning has profiled. By doing nothing more than adopting a curriculum and pedagogy that has been around for 20 years, the school has made amazing progress. They haven't started recruiting Ivy League graduates, they haven't thrown dollar after dollar at the program, they haven't relied on the public social welfare programs; all they have done is improve the way they teach.

Will the media pay attention... of course not, not while they have the glamour boys of TFA to profile... because it’s a much more interesting story to read about a Yale graduate working in the inner city using sheer strength of will to teach low income students, than it is to read about some small midwestern school district using methods like direct instruction. After all, if only those teachers would try a little harder... the system would be fixed. Please...

Update: Obviously TFA hating is starting to get trendy. Check out Teach For America-Debunking the propaganda. I also found a great summary of studies done of TFA effectiveness over at the NCATE website, of course I think the NCATE is as big a problem as TFA.

For the record...(what really scares me)

For the record, TMAO at Teaching in the 408 has been one of my favorite bloggers, and a prime motivating factor in my drive to become a teacher after I retire, but ever since I have found out he is resigning, I have been a bit annoyed.

In his latest post, TMAO goes through all the reasons why he didn't resign, including this last one.

I’m burnt-out. This is another one of those things I hear teachers say frequently, and more often than not it prompts an immediate, and probably unfair, response: Burnt-out? Fool, you gotta be on. fire. first. then maybe we can talk about burnt-out.
...
I'm not happy unless I'm putting the best product in front of kids, but I'm not necessarily happy in the constant construction and revision of that product. I'm not happy unless I use work hours 80-82 to take kids to the District All-Star Basketball Game, but I'm not necessarily happy working hours 80-82. I'm not happy unless I'm being the teacher I see in my head, but the process of finding that guy and living as him no longer makes me happy.

I'm sorry, but what he describes sounds exactly like burnout. I just completed 18 credit hours in one semester with a 3.8 GPA, but I had to take the semester off. While I enjoyed learning, I enjoyed my classes, and I enjoyed the sense of satisfaction I got making progress towards my degree; I just didn't enjoy studying anymore. I didn't enjoy the long weekend's writing papers. I quite simply was burntout.

Perhaps it's the military NCO in me, but I call it like I see it. Instead of trying to make play word games about the reason he resigned, I am much more interested in what he thinks the system could have done to prevent his burnout. What could of he done differently to prevent his leaving the profession?

Supposedly it's not because he wasn't supported, or prepared, or successful, but it must be something... because if there is nothing the system could of done better, and there is nothing he could of done better, then it seems to me the whole concept of education reform is f*cked.

Perhaps what really annoys me is that in his resignation, I have to face my own insecurities. If the system can't keep a bright, articulate, dedicated teacher like TMAO, then what chance does someone like me have?

I'm scared because if I were his situation, then I would probably be resigning as well.

Disclaimer: Despite rumors to the contrary, I am not reconsidering my future career choice. Us military types can't let TFA'ers get all the glory. :)

I don't get it...

I don’t get it…

Boys are improving, Girls improving faster = no crisis

Minorities improving, Whites improving faster = crisis

Standardized tests = bad, unreliable if they show racial/ethnic achievement gap

Standardized tests = not bad, unreliable if they show boys and girls relatively equal

Grades = important for college

Grades = unimportant for measuring gender gap

via Joanne Jacobs

Alaska Warm

I have decided there is warm and there is "Alaska warm".


Alaska warm is 55 degrees on a beautiful May afternoon. There is snow on the mountains and the grass is just turning green. Intellectually you know its cold, but you still find yourself wearing a short sleeve shirt and basking in the sun.



The Air Force pays me to live here, can you believe it?

In the Basement of the Ivory Tower

Remember that guy, Professor X, Kevin Carey was pissed off at? well here is the article that set him off, along with an excerpt.

In the Basement of the Ivory Tower

I wonder, sometimes, at the conclusion of a course, when I fail nine out of 15 students, whether the college will send me a note either (1) informing me of a serious bottleneck in the march toward commencement and demanding that I pass more students, or (2) commending me on my fiscal ingenuity—my high failure rate forces students to pay for classes two or three times over.

What actually happens is that nothing happens. I feel no pressure from the colleges in either direction. My department chairpersons, on those rare occasions when I see them, are friendly, even warm. They don’t mention all those students who have failed my courses, and I don’t bring them up. There seems, as is often the case in colleges, to be a huge gulf between academia and reality. No one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass. The colleges and the students and I are bobbing up and down in a great wave of societal forces—social optimism on a large scale, the sense of college as both a universal right and a need, financial necessity on the part of the colleges and the students alike, the desire to maintain high academic standards while admitting marginal students—that have coalesced into a mini-tsunami of difficulty.

I really don't like the guy, but he tells the truth. Some people simply don't have the capability to do college level work, but do have the capability to imagine themselves as some sort of "feel-good segment on Oprah."

Needless to say, the paper she turned in was a discussion of the pros and cons of gun control. At least, I think that was the subject. There was no real thesis. The paper often lapsed into incoherence. Sentences broke off in the middle of a line and resumed on the next one, with the first word inappropriately capitalized. There was some wavering between single- and double-spacing. She did quote articles, but cited only databases—where were the journals themselves? The paper was also too short: a bad job, and such small portions.

“I can’t believe it,” she said when she received her F. “I was so proud of myself for having written a college paper.

I am not sure how I am meant to feel after I read the article. Unlike Kevin Carey, I don't get pissed off at the state of the K-12 education system. I do feel sorry for Mrs L., the poor middle aged woman in the article who has never operated a computer and can't string together even a decent paragraph. It's heartbreaking when she receives her "F", but at least she had a chance... and if she had a chance, so did the 37 year old enlisted guy who works full time, raises 5 kids, blogs semi-regularly, and just completed 18 credit hours with a 3.83 GPA.

The Quick and the Ed: Cruel, But Not a Hoax:

http://www.quickanded.com/2008/05/cruel-but-not-hoax.html

There's a good higher education article in the The Atlantic this month, not on-line yet, titled 'In The Basement of the Ivory Tower.' It's written by an anonymous 'Professor X,' an adjunct English instructor at both a small private college and a community college in the northeast. The gist is that many of his students are woefully unprepared for even the introductory courses he teaches. So he must fail them, exposing, in the words splashed across The Atlantic's cover, 'Higher Education's Cruelest Hoax.' Either that or, as the article's blurb puts it, the 'destructive myth' that 'a university education is for everyone.'

One thing's for certain: this piece will be catnip for those who like to adopt the contrarian too-many-people-are-going-to-college-these-days position. This is an especially attractive stance for elitists and/or people who spend a lot of time searching for opportunities to loudly begin sentences with some variation of the phrase 'I know it's not politically correct to say this, but...' as if this denotes intellectual bravery of some kind. The article's sad story of one Ms. L, who says she was 'so proud of myself for having written a college paper,' only to be crushed by a grade of 'F,' will be used as evidence that we are not doing people any favors by letting them into college. Charles Murray has apparently written a whole book about this--adorned with blurbs from Jonah Goldberg, Bill Bennett, P.J. O'Rourke, and Tom Wolfe no less--to be published later this year.

I love it when Kevin Carey gets pissed off.

There is a whole spiel about how adult non-traditional students are big dummies, the system failed us, we can't write sentences, colleges makes lots of money off of us, Charles Murray is evil, some students shouldn't go to college, that's B.S., poetry and Hamlet are a waste of time, adjunct professors are underpaid, etc, etc, etc, bla, bla, bla...

Writing as an adult non-traditional student, it's true. Many of us are big dummies. You should see some of the crap posted in my online and evening classes, especially when I was taking them at a community college in South Carolina. I finally transferred to an online four year college school/program that targets military students and the quality of my classmates has increased immensely.

Of course us online students have to be at least smart enough to navigate online classes. We also have to be fairly self-motivated to complete the classes, and the vast majority of us are holding down decent enough jobs to be able to afford the tuition.

Ironically, I want to get my bachelors degree in order to get a job earning less that I would if I stayed doing the same thing I am doing now.

Another one bites the dust...

Teaching in the 408: Meet Jake:

Jake's a graduating senior at Yale, with only a few days left, which means that as you read this, he is either hungover or drunk.
...
Jake's gonna report for duty at the TFA Los Angeles Training Institute sometime in the middle of June. He doesn't know how to diagnose, scaffold, or assess. He doesn't know what CELDT stands for and wouldn't know what to do with that information even if he did. Jake thinks objectives are something second-tier applicants put on the top of resumes and he's generally aware that standardized tests are badbadverybad, but couldn't really tell you why in any great detail.
...
Let's hope the smart-and-excited-trumps-experienced gamble pays off.

Let's hope like hell, cuz Jake or someone like him will be in room D2 next year, teaching my kids. I resign on Monday.

TMAO, a TFA alumni is resigning. I loved reading his blog, but it just won't be the same if he isn't teaching. Without his personal stories, he will be nothing but another highly educated, articulate, ex-teacher pontificating on the problems with education. Want to bet he ends up as a policy wonk at some education think thank? I will also give you 50/50 odds that he writes a heart wrenching book about how the young idealistic teacher ventured into the inner city to save the poor brown masses, but was stymied by the evil establishment.

Then again, maybe he will open up his own charter school, that's what all the cool TFA alumni do.

Note: Yes I am cynical today, but I spent all last week researching education programs for after I retire, and one of my favorite teacher blogger quits. Oh well, there is always dy/dan.

p.s. Just came across another TFA quitter.

Alaskans kids not on the path of higher education - KTVA

Alaskans kids not on the path of higher education - KTVA

A new study released by the Alaska Commission on Post Secondary Education shows Alaskans kids are not on the path of higher education. In fact, a high rate don't even make it out of high school.

Stacked up against the rest of the nation, Alaska's children are near the bottom, when it comes to high school graduation rates and college success. Those stats are causing a lot of educators to sit up and take notice.

The numbers are staggering:

"For every 50 Alaskan ninth graders, 31 will graduate high school, 14 will go to college and nine will return to college after their first year. Only three will get their college degree within six years."

Personally, I just don't think you can compare Alaska to other states.

Despite our extremely low ranking in college completion, our average income remains above the national average. Many jobs in Alaska, just don't require a college education. There are plenty of workers who make way more money welding up on the north slope, than they ever would if they got a degree at old State U.

Having said that, Alaska's reliance on oil and fishing as core industries will not last forever. If our state is wise we will start transitioning our priorities now.

I might...

I think I am going to take the summer off school. I am completely burnt out. I will have completed 18 credit hours this semester, not to mention my full time + job supervising 28 personnel in my section.

What does this mean for you? I might just get off my lazy ass and start blogging.

That's typical

Three state department employees snooped on Obama's passport file. Isn't that just like a typical white person.

Anchorage housing market is bubblicious

adn.com Money : Anchorage housing market healthier than most perceive

Housing market just fine... "it's different here"... at least according to the brokers who wrote this op-ed.

From Zillow...

The dark green line is Anchorage, the light green line is the United States.

No Bubble here... right?

Hot Governor knocked up by fisherman

No, it's not gossip its news...

adn.com Alaska News : Gov. Palin reveals pregnancy

Talk about family values... it will be her 5th kid.

Of course here in Alaska, barely anyone blinked.

In other news... my kids were a couple of minutes late home from playing tonight.

They got boxed in by a moose at the playground...

I love Alaska.

UPDATE: For obvious reasons, I would like to point out that parentalcation officially endorses McCain and Palin, not because she is hot, but because she kicks ass. Also see the following posts:

Parentalcation Endorses McCain/Palin

Mayor of a Small Town vs Community Organizer

Hot Governor

Sarah Palin on Education

Also see the website Draft Sarah Palin For Vice President for much more information (and videos) on Sarah Palin.

And for those who want a good picture

This bear underestimated Sarah Palin too.

House refund

Fed chief says mortgage crisis set to continue - Stocks & economy- msnbc.com

One of the suggestions Bernanke made was for mortgage and other financial companies to reduce the amount of the loan to provide relief to a struggling owner. “Principal reductions that restore some equity for the homeowner may be a relatively more effective means of avoiding delinquency and foreclosure,” Bernanke said.

With low or negative equity in their home, a stressed borrower has less ability — because there is no home equity to tap — and less financial incentive to try to remain in the home, he said.

What a clown.

Don't worry if you miss a few house payments, Bernanke will have the mortgage companies lower your mortgage.

Do they seriously pay this guy to come up with ideas like this?

Leave Obama Alone

"How fucking dare anyone out there make fun of Barack Obama after all he has gone through..." wait, I meant Britney Spears.

Sorry, but thats how Obama supporters come across to me. Exhibit 1: this comment from O.J.

Hillary, her "husband," his intern and their cigar, are much more a celebrity that Sen. Obama is, so you Hil-hacks need to continue to WORK ON YOUR MESSAGE.

Luckily, after tomorrow, there will be plenty of time to do that...

Also, srsly dude! Barack scares me too.

The only thing than scares me more that Big black people are sinewy and hungry looking black people. Black people who appear smarter than me terrify me. I get an uncontrollable urge to make the sign of the cross at Black people who wear reading glasses. Black people whom other white people like and listen to, particularly, give me the chill. I fear and loath Oprah, Condi Rice, and especially Don Cheadle.Making fun of these people helps me to feel more powerful. Damn you, Don Cheadle...

Making fun of these people helps me to feel more powerful.

Damn you, Don Cheadle...

I don't really get the sarcasm since my fear of Obama has to do with his cult like status among his worshipers fans?(I mean supporters) as opposed to his race.

On another note, I had to google Don Cheadle. I had no idea who he was.

And remember, if Obama doesn't scare you, his cult followers should.

Alaska rocks...

The Official Site of the Iditarod®#

Woke up this morning, piled the kids in the car, drove 10 minutes, and watched the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, "the last great race".

Later today, the kids are going sledding.

My name is so much worse than Obama's

Republicans decry use of 'Hussein' in Obama's name - CNN.com

Barack Hussein Obama isn't so bad. My middle name is Donald (way worse than Hussein), but if I catch you using it I will kick your ass.

p.s. google "barak obama scares me" and I am the top result. Pretty awesome huh.

Disclaimer: for all you Obama worshippers out there, I am only joking. Lighten up, and don't hunt me down and sacrifice me in some weird Obamite sacrificial ritual.

McCain visits

McCainBlogette.com

I was going to post about how John McCain stopped by the hotel that our conference was at yesterday, but in trying to link to the relevant post at his daughters blog, I came across a much more significant issue.

McCains daughters website has no way to link to individual posts. WTF... Seriously poor blog design.

For the record...

1. John McCain doesn't look that old in person.

2. He was very friendly to us military guys, but obviously pressed for time.

3. All I heard from his speech was "keep the Bush tax cuts, blah, blah, blah..."

4. His daughter Meghan really is a huge hottie.

p.s.

I am in San Antonio this week for a conference. Talk about urban sprawl... nothing but strip malls as far as the eye can see.

And it's way to hot as well.

The government wants you to pay your neighbors mortgage

House discusses $15 billion mortgage bailout - Mortgage mess- msnbc.com

WASHINGTON - Investors could sell up to $15 billion of troubled mortgages to the government under a plan key House members are discussing to bolster the U.S. housing market.

The tentative plan would allow the government to purchase up to 1 million mortgages over five years in an effort to help struggling borrowers avoid foreclosure and financial markets avoid more credit-related losses. The loans would be bought by the Federal Housing Administration, a Depression-era agency that insures loans made to borrowers with poor credit.

The effort shows that the housing crisis has evolved to the point where government officials are considering bailing out large groups of borrowers and Wall Street investors — something that seemed anathema to Democrats and Republicans all last year. Still, many lawmakers and the Bush administration have been leery of proposals that would transfer risks to U.S. taxpayers.

Next year your taxes might very well be used to subsidize refinancing that upside down ARM mortgage that your want-to-be house flipper neighbors bought two years ago, you know the ones... they make $50K a year, yet still managed to buy a house for $600K. Yes those people.

American Idol 7

My wife makes me watch it... but for the record, these are the 6 guys who should make the top 12 finalists.

David Cook

Robbie Carrico

David Archuleta

Jason Castro

Michael Johns

Danny Noriega (I actually hate this guy and really, really want to punch him in the face, but its cathartic to scream at the television every once and a while)

The Importance of Alaska

The Importance of Alaska

What does the father of the U.S. Air Force have to do with Alaska? What does the world’s most advanced military aircraft have to do with the resource security of the United States? Byron King has some intriguing thoughts on these topics.

Billy Mitchell is a hero in the USAF, but he was also a big advocate of Alaska as well.

Part I of the series. See below for part II.

The Importance of Alaska

The Importance of Alaska

This is the second installment of a series on the strategic importance of Alaska. In Part I, Outstanding Investments editor Byron King discussed the life of Billy Mitchell, the father of the U.S. Air Force. Mitchell had a lot to say about both air power and Alaska. In this article, Byron will discuss Billy Mitchell some more and focus on both the geology of Alaska and its place in military strategy.

Bringing Alaska to blog land.

Designer jeans in Anchorage, Alaska? - American City Business Journals- msnbc.com

Designer jeans in Anchorage, Alaska? - American City Business Journals- msnbc.com

My new found home hits the national media.

The tumultuous years of oil booms and busts in the 1970s and '80s have given way to two decades of steady growth, and Anchorage's economy has expanded to include burgeoning retail, health care and tourism industries.

The influx of non-oil, non-military jobs has altered the city's demographics, making it less like a frontier town.

At one time, men far outnumbered women in Alaska. But in 2006, the city of 270,000 had 102 men for every 100 women, state demographer Eddie Hunsinger said. The ratio for the rest of Alaska was 108 to 100.

Leese Lloyd and Ashley Brusven, young baristas who grew up in Anchorage, said the notion that the city has an overabundance of men is an outdated stereotype.

"Where are they?" Brusven joked as customers in the adjacent New Sagaya City Market surveyed stuffed grape leaves, caprese, baklava and other un-Alaskan foods.

The city is also reshaping its modest skyline with a $100 million museum expansion, a $93 million convention center and a parking garage with room for 830 vehicles. Companies are putting up new hotels and glass-plated office buildings.

Anchorage really is quite civilized, but it's still Alaska and has its quirks. I regularly dodge moose in the road and dog sledding results are reported on all t.v. and radio sports round ups.

The winters here are over dramatized. It's actually a lot milder than some places in the northern lower 48. It's not that the winters are unbearable, they just last a long time. For me, I love it. When I see snow, I still feel like a kid, besides the skiing is great.

Battle of wills...

On monday, my sons "spelling" homework was to make a collage of spelling words. I made him write the words 3x each and sent a note in saying that we had run out of glue at home.

Today his teacher sent home a stick of glue...

Should I come up with another dumb excuse or just tell the teacher the truth... I am ethically opposed to cutting up perfectly good magazines and newspaper?

Barack Obama = Britney Spears

Barack Obama fans fill arenas with an eye on 'history':

"To hear those in the nosebleed sections explain it, playing hooky from work or school to see Obama has become less about politics, and more about bearing witness to history - the phenomenon that is Obama."

I wonder if these same people will still watch as closely if he self-destructs. Of course they will, witness Britney Spears.

adn.com | Money : Housing hard times hit builder and his clients

adn.com Money : Housing hard times hit builder and his clients

HOUSING MARKET WOBBLES
Baker's troubles seem to coincide with a slowdown in the local housing market.

Home sales have dropped, builders are seeking fewer construction permits, and homeowners are having to wait longer to sell their properties.

Foreclosures also have surged as some homeowners struggle to make mortgage payments.

But builders and other players insist the sky isn't falling for the local real estate market.

They say the Anchorage area isn't experiencing anything like the collapse of the late 1980s, when home construction far outstripped demand, prices crashed and many builders, bankers and property owners found themselves hopelessly under water.

They also say the Alaska housing market has remained fairly isolated from the Lower 48 housing depression brought about in part by easy loans to home buyers with weak credit.

Dan Fauske, who heads the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., a state lending agency, contends the local market is sound, though not what it was a couple of years back.

"It's actually, in my estimation, a pretty good buyer's market," he said.

Still, Fauske and others said it's not surprising the downturn could nail some builders such as Baker's Discovery after a string of bullish building seasons.

"Last year, people were pretty much in denial that nongrowth was happening," said Chuck Spinelli, owner of Spinell Homes, one of the area's largest home builders. "Everybody thought that by spring and summer of last year, this little hiccup bubble would be over and we'd be on the fast track again. By fall, everybody realized it didn't happen and there were some harsh realities showing through."

The whole local housing industry has tightened up for leaner times, he said.

Spinelli said he normally builds and sells 150 homes a year on average. But that slowed to 88 homes last year, he said.

"Nobody is out there lending money on speculative building the way they were a year and a half ago," he said.

Bush signs ...

President Bush signed the increase the debt, pander to the electorate, wont do any good, send money to China, delaying the inevitable economic stimulus bill today.


Bush signs stimulus package into law - Stocks & economy- msnbc.com

Barack Obama scares me...

Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In Share this video and invite your friends to join our movement

The "Cult of Obama" is really beginning to scare me. I was over at his website reading some of the user comments about the text of his latest victory speech, and the commenter’s come across more as Britney Spears fans than concerned citizens. Now the man can speak, but speaking isn't necessarily saying anything.

Don't get me wrong, Obama would make a great cult leader, but as a President? We can do better than Obama, yes we can...



(p.s. this video freaks me out)

Guess so...

Last week I had sent an email to the Air Force Times asking if they were going to do a story on the housing meltdown and the military.

I am wondering if there is a story in the Military and the Housing Market, especially in regards to Luke and Nellis AFB. Las Vegas and Phoenix have posted some of the largest drops in home prices in the last year. Military members are particularly susceptible to foreclosure, because they are often forced to sell due to a PCS. With a nationwide drop in the housing market predicted, this is going to spread to more and more bases. Here are two references from my blog.

Legislation to Help Military Veterans Survive the Subprime Mortgage Crisis Mortgage Foreclosure & Refinance Resource

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) on December 19, 2007 introduced a pair of bills to address the needs of veterans during the ongoing subprime mortgage market crisis.

Well in the latest issue of the Air Force Times their are four stories on the subject. They are behind subscription walls, but here are some quotes from them.

Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, believes the VA loan program needs changes.

He wants the maximum VA loan increased to $630,000 and applied to new and refinanced loans. And he wants loan fees, which now range from 1.25 percent to 3.3 percent of the loan value, to be capped at 1 percent.

“The current VA home loan program is irrelevant because fees for the loans are too high and equity requirements are overly restrictive,” Filner said.

He also wants to expand the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act so that National Guard and reserve members called to active duty are protected from foreclosure for up to a year after their mobilization ends — on all mortgages, not just those from the VA.

His proposals are included in bills HR 4883 and HR 4884, introduced Dec. 19.

and this...

But some of the states hit hardest by home foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies, such as Georgia, California, Florida and Ohio, have large military populations. And it’s not just subprime loans that are getting people in trouble.

and...

Ripple effects

A sailor in San Diego who bought a home for $417,000 two years ago using a loan backed by the Veterans Affairs Department now finds that his home is worth $317,000, said Keith Kaufman, personal financial management program manager for the Fleet and Family Support Center for the Navy’s Southwest Region.

That means the sailor is upside down on his loan — he owes more than the house is worth.

and of course they covered this:

Foreclosures negatively affect a person’s credit rating — which can affect service members’ security clearance and harm their careers, he noted.

All points I have mentioned before. Now when is CNN going to pick up on it.

parentalcation: And it starts:

parentalcation: The Military and the Housing Market Prediction

parentalcation: The Housing Bubble and the Military

McCainBlogette.com

If pissing off Rush Limbaugh isn't enough of a reason to support John McCain, how about the fact that his daughter and her fellow "bloggettes" are hot.

McCainBlogette.com

BLOOD ON THE STREET: Manhattan meets reality

BLOOD ON THE STREET: TRADER

A trader at the New York Stock Exchange could not name a Wall Street firm that did not cut staff this week. Many swung the ax all right - handing out pink slips even as bonus season failed to lighten the dark mood.

I wonder what this will do to the Manhattan housing market? Oh thats rights, there are boat loads of foreigners just dying to buy the vacant properties.

And it starts:

Legislation to Help Military Veterans Survive the Subprime Mortgage Crisis Mortgage Foreclosure & Refinance Resource

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) on December 19, 2007 introduced a pair of bills to address the needs of veterans during the ongoing subprime mortgage market crisis.
...
H.R. 4883 will prohibit foreclosure of property owned by a servicemember for one year following a period of military service.
...
“For many of our returning servicemembers and veterans, the stress of what they have gone through in war is still prevalent when they return home,” continued Chairman Filner. “Unfortunately, for many of these heroes, subprime loans are the only option when they do not have the best credit score, and more often than not, their low credit score is a direct result of their service to our country."

Winston-Salem Journal Military families among those hit with home foreclosures

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The number of defaulted home mortgages in the state has risen sharply in recent years, and about a third of foreclosure auctions in the Fayetteville area have involved active-duty military families or veterans.

Military members are going to be particularly susceptible to the housing crash because in many cases they will be unable to wait it out, and be forced into a position of having to sell, due to mandatory military moves.

Anchorage Real Estate: 2007 Annual Homes Sales Data Published

Anchorage Real Estate: 2007 Annual Homes Sales Data Published:

The headline numbers are that the average price of a home in Anchorage rose 3.75% last year, notwithstanding a 10.3% decline in total residential sales. Only high-end homes, above $750,000, are experiencing excessive market times. Those sellers are in the process of adjusting their expectations.

The gap between final listing prices and ultimate selling prices has widened to 1.75%. That figure does not, however, reveal what I believe is a pattern of larger below-the-top-line concessions like seller-paid closing costs and builder upgrades. Nor does it break out market performance by quarter for last year, which probably would have shown a weaker market in the fall and early winter than the first half of the year.

Niel Thomas here is referring to this story, Home sales to remain slow, in the Anchorage Daily News.

I am slowly learning to read between the lines. Niel Thomas is a Realtor who has no incentive to downplay the market, so we must take his slightly bearish remarks as evidence that the market isn't all peachy keen.

I wonder if he would say if "now is a good time to buy"?

As I have mentioned, I know three people who have purchased homes in the last two months. All of them will be force to sell in at least the next four years when their tour is up. At least they aren't stationed in Las Vegas or Phoenix.

Young people and voting

I was listening to NPR on the way to pick up my daughter from daycare this evening, and there was a story on young people and what motivates them to vote.

The women who was being interviewed argued that young people are only motivated to vote if their is an issue that they care passionately about.

This might be true to a degree, but I also think there is a "pied piper" effect. In other words young people are more likely to be motivated by charisma. Not John Edwards or Mitt Romney pretty boy charisma, but real charisma. I don't know how to define it, but I know it when I see it. McCain has it, so does Obama.

The Military and the Housing Market Prediction

The housing crash is going to hurt everyone, but the military is going to be especially hit hard.

1. Because of frequent moves, military members are much more likely to have purchased their house in the last few years during the height of the housing bubble.

2. Because of the availability of 100% financing through VA loans, military members have less built in equity.

3. Because of the nature of the job and assignment changes, military members are under a lot more pressure to sell quickly than civilians.

Perhaps the only thing that military members have going for them is the fact that we tended to stick to traditional fixed rate loans.

Prediction: We will see several national media stories focused on military victims of the housing market in Las Vegas and Phoneix.

p.s. I think I am upsetting people at work. Several people I work with have recently bought homes, and it is amazing how uniformed they are about the market and the risks of a decline in prices. The only advice most of them got was from their relators... not exactly unbiased advice.

Alaska Real Estate, Anchorage

Alaska Real Estate, Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Sitka:

"Anchorage is easily the state’s largest urban center with nearly half of the state’s population. Housing sales have slowed like the over-whelming majority of the country, and Anchorage is projected by Housing Predictor to see deflation of 4.1% in 2008. The market boomed for a while, but not at double digit levels like in other areas of the nation."

It's hard to find independent analysis of the Anchorage housing market, but I did come across this. Thank god I am renting.

A Bearish Sign on N.Y. Home Prices - December 27, 2007 - The New York Sun

A Bearish Sign on N.Y. Home Prices - December 27, 2007 - The New York Sun:

New York City's status as a rosy exception to the nation's slowing housing market may be starting to come to an end.

Right now, most residents of NYC think that they are immune to the housing crash slump, but I'm not so sure.

Some real estate analysts say that despite the country's overall slowdown, Manhattan apartment prices will maintain an upward trajectory in the fourth quarter. "Our fourth quarter report is coming out next week and we expect price growth will continue," the chief economist at Halstead Property, Gregory Heym, said. "Several new condo developments are starting to close, such as the Plaza and 15 Central Park West, which will help push up prices."

In addition to apartment closings at new developments, where prices are often high, there are many larger units that are also closing, Mr. Heym said. Despite the market turmoil, Wall Street bonuses at many firms are expected to be solid, and with a weak dollar, foreign buyers continue to flock to Manhattan.

I guess in a few years Manhattan is going to consist of nothing but Wall Street executives living amongst a bunch of empty foreign owned apartments that are only used a couple of weekends a year.

Seven things

Seven things at Joanne Jacobs

So Joanne tagged me. Normally I don't participate in these sort of things, but as you may of noticed, I have been slack about blogging. So without further ado, seven random things about me:

1. I have lived over half my life overseas, in New Zealand and Europe.

2. I am planning a trip to Vietnam this year to help my brother find his birth father.

3. I divorced my first wife twice.

4. While living in Europe, I got involved in Hashing.

5. I have had the same best friend since 7th grade.

6. I hate horror movies.

7. I have two 1959 Vespa GS150 scooters in my garage that I am restoring (very very slowly).

This branch of seven things will die with me, since most of the blogs I read have already been tagged.

Multiple Choice Question

EXCLUSIVE: Paulson 'Optimistic' on Subprime Plan:

Paulson said the plan will not be a government-run bailout of subprime borrowers, and the banks that loaned them money. Instead, Paulson said, the government is just providing an industry-sponsored solution to borrowers who can afford to own a home but would have trouble making their mortgage payments after a reset.

'This is not a government subsidy that we're talking about here,' said Paulson.

'This is something that the industry will do where it makes sense.'

The plan would establish guidelines for lenders to freeze payments for homeowners who qualify for the program. Paulson said the program would be completely voluntary, and only some borrowers would qualify.

He said homeowners who can handle an increase in payments and those who don't 'have the financial capability to own a home' will not be offered an interest-rate 'freeze. [emphasis mine]

Once upon a time their were three families who both bought a home June of 2006. The families were identical in every way. They had the same credit rating, the same amount of debt, the same income, the same number of kids. For all practical purposes they were mirror images of each other, except for one thing...

The first family decided to buy a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom starter house in a decent neighborhood using a fixed rate interest loan which they were able to get because they had been saving up for a down payment for several years. They made sure to take out a loan that they could afford and because they already had some built in equity, they weren't to worried about the housing market.

The second family decided to buy a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom executive home in a great neighborhood. They did take out an adjustable rate loan, but they weren't to worried since they made sure that the house wasn't so expensive that they couldn't afford the reset if for some reason they were unable to refinance in a couple of years. It would be tight, but they figured they would be ok, especially since their payments were exactly the same as the first family and they had a bigger and better house.

The third family decided to buy a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom McMansion instead. They knew they wouldn't be able to afford to the reset, but figured what the hell, they would always be able to refinance, because after all "housing prices always go up." They can afford their current payment, but it is tight.

Multiple Choice Question: Which family will soon get a helping hand?

The first family is living within their means, they made good decisions, and are financially sound... they won't be getting anything from the government.

The second family is still OK. They might be overstretched, but at least they were smart enough to make sure they could afford the reset. The government doesn't give a crap about them either.

The third family is living it up, living far and above their means. Yes... this family will be getting a helping hand from President Bush and the rest of the crooks that run the predatory mortgage companies.

Can you say Moral Hazard?

Moral Hazard is the prospect that a party insulated from risk may behave differently, for example, that an insured party's behavior will be more risky than it would without the insurance. Moral hazard arises because an individual or institution does not bear the full consequences of its actions, and therefore has a tendency to act less carefully than it otherwise would, leaving another party to bear some responsibility for the consequences of those actions.