Renewed Perspective

Note to my readers: Just in case you wondered why there has been a pause in posts on this blog I wanted my readers to know that I took a break from blogging to travel out West. I traveled to Yosemite and other great sites and enjoyed this and other wonderful natural wonders in the western part of our country. I believe that an appreciation of the lasting beauty of nature is a great way to remind us that the puny actions of man are often not very important in in the grand scheme of history.

Meanwhile I am pleased to refer my readers to several prolific education and political writers who have done a great job in the last few weeks of chronicling the recent developments in Governor Jindals' erratic and poorly planned education reform program. I particularly want to refer my readers to the new blog by Diane Ravitch. Dr Ravitch has produced several revealing posts in the last few weeks exposing the many flaws in the Jindal program which will damage public education in Louisiana. I hope my readers will go to her blog and take the time to get the perspective of one of the few writers who truly understands the critical issues in education and who is willing to tell the truth to all who are willing to listen.

In addition, a very experienced local political writer, Tom Aswell has also written much recently in his blog Louisiana Voice about the many missteps of the Jindal administration on  education and other issues. Finally, I refer my readers to the Geaux Teacher! blog  and the Educators for All blog. These are blogs by local educators who have been intensly involved in trying to counteract the recent attacks on public education. I recommend also that readers check regularly with the Louisiana Association of Educators and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers for the latest news on education. In the coming months I will be consulting with LAE concerning contacts with educators on the critical issues facing educators in Louisiana.

Please allow me a little time to get back to my home base and get reoriented to the continuing development of education issues in Louisiana. I am anxious to restart dialog with our many fine educators, school board members and parents.

My highest priority now will be working with leaders of the Coalition For Louisiana Public Education to prepare a set of suggestions for educators to utilize in communicating with their local legislators concerning needed changes in the reform efforts. I plan to meet with my legislators soon to discuss some of these needed reforms of the reforms. I hope that my readers will do the same.

If you have not already done so, please send me an email requesting to join my Defenders of Public Education data base. Include your address so I can organize members by their legislative districts. I plan to send specific emails to members as issues arise that the Defenders can communicate to their legislators.