A Victory For Balance

 

I’m always intrigued by the social media discussions that we are now privy to when historic news breaks, such as today’s Supreme Court decision in NFIB vs. Sebelius. Naturally, much of the coverage and comments have zeroed in on Chief Justice Roberts’ justification of the individual mandate as a tax rather than as an acceptable form of interstate commerce regulation, which was the main argument offered by proponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Some have claimed that Roberts’ reasoning opens the door for the federal government to tax anything and everything in ways that will allow it to shape citizens’ behavior to a frightening extent. I think that ship has already sailed, though.

The Race

 
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Author Charles Wheelan gave readers of the Wall Street Journal a preview of his latest book at the end of April in an essay entitled “10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won’tTell You.” Perfectly timed with the onset of the prom dress and cap-and-gown season, I was especially drawn to item #5 on his list. He refers to what he calls “the Little League arms race”, an extended metaphor that illustrates a social trend that, I would argue, is increasingly defining American culture

My Qualification

As I send applications hither and yon, many schools and districts have been asking about my qualifications to become a school administrator. Here’s an answer that doubles as an explanation for my blog’s admittedly incendiary title.

The Identity Crisis in Our Schools

I applaud the federal government’s No Child Left Behind – and its lesser-known predecessor, Clinton’s Goals 2000 – for compelling schools to define themselves. Regardless of the public distaste for the standards and tests in their current form, most states and schools operated in a vacuum beforehand. There were many curricular “black holes” in America.

National Champions - 2011

In 1994, Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, California became the last school to officially be crowned a national champion by the National Forensic League. For the following four years, the NFL held their annual speech and debate tournament without recognizing schools in any way save for the Bruno E. Jacob Award, which touted a school’s continued participation at Nationals across several years.