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.

National Champions - 2010

As school years have kicked off, the competitive season for high school speech and debate is likewise gearing up. To honor the coaches and students in this activity, I’ll continue a series I began this summer outlining the top ten schools from the National Forensic League’s annual championship tournament.

FIFA Follies

***NOTE: This is one of my last-ditch efforts to purge summer distractions from my mind before returning to the classroom. Thus, if you’re looking for more thoughts on education, gimme a week or so. This is pure diversion.

If college football fans believe the rankings of the Bowl Championship Series are ludicrous, they should check out how the rest of the world assesses “football”.