Sun
Feb 26 2012
09:44 am

My latest column takes on a frequent claim by State Rep. Bill Dunn.

(link...)

gonzone's picture

Thanks for your efforts to

Thanks for your efforts to educate the masses and correct "misleading" statements by others.

jcgrim's picture

Thank-you Dr Harmon, you were far too nice to Dunn

I posted this in the comments & I'll re-post it here
(link...)

The cumulative benefits of Early Childhood Education for children with and without disabilities has 40+ years of replicated, independent research with data far too extensive to print in a comment column or in a newspaper op-ed. The literature and efficacy for early intervention is solid, no matter what Dunn and the ignorant nay-sayers from think-tanks and lobbyists claim.

Dunn's objection to pre-k is based on a pervasive anti-intellectual, ideological belief in myth rather than facts. He's been on a crusade to cut public funding for TN Pre-K for years based on nothing other than his unsubstantiated convictions and misinformation.

He has been living off of government money as a representative for years yet he continues to advocate cutting funding for poor and disabled children in the Pre-K program by his ignorance of facts. It's frightening that someone like Dunn, who has an inability to critically analyze science is tasked with decisions over early childhood learning opportunities.
He should be ashamed.

jcgrim's picture

While we're on public education, TN ledge & ALEC in spotlight

again.

In the latest issue of Kappan (V93 N6 kappanmagazine.org, subscription required) the ALEC-written TN education legislation names names on the unproven mandates that feed corruption via privatization of our public schools. NONE of the TN mandates endorsed by ALEC, the state DoEd, Race to the Top, or edu-profiteers, have ANY legitimate evidence of improving school outcomes for kids. Here's an excerpt from the article:

ALEC in Tennessee
Recent legislation in Tennessee provides a vivid example. ALEC created and provided members its model Virtual Public Schools Act. Two large for-profit corporate providers of virtual education, Connections Academy and K-12 Inc., had heavy involvement with the model bill’s creation. Mickey Revenaugh, a lobbyist for Connections Academy, was the corporate chair of ALEC’s Education Task Force and Lisa Gillis, with K-12 Inc., chaired its special needs education subcommittee that created the bill. Tennessee’s State Rep. Harry Brooks and State Sen. Dolores Gresham, both ALEC Education Task Force members, introduced the bill to their respective houses nearly verbatim, even using the same title.

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