BY JOHN THOMPSON Even many of the staunchest pro-charter corporate reformers are criticizing virtual charters for their poor outcomes and draining resources from public schools. For instance, Todd Ziebarth of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, criticizes the high rates of “churn” they contribute to, their low graduation rates, and low levels of student…
BY FROMA HARROP You’d think that with stocks still up for the year and the new tax law smiling on big earners, the financial community would be gung-ho for Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. But it’s not. For the first time in a good while, Wall Street is giving more in direct donations to Democrats…
BY JOE CONASON Whenever someone commits a heinous gun crime like the massacre in Las Vegas, politicians swiftly assure us that the victims and their families are “in our thoughts and prayers.” What these mush-mouthed messages mean, in plain English, is that government, as embodied in those politicians, will do nothing to make the country…
BY FROMA HARROP There are regions where economic stress coexists with a beloved way of life. It can be hard to make a living in parts of the rural West, northern New England and the South. But people stay put in these places for reasons other than the almighty dollar. They include community, tradition and…
BY MARK Y.A. DAVIES Here in Oklahoma, we take our sports seriously – very seriously. One could argue [and I agree] that we take them too seriously, but bear with me and imagine if you will that you are the parent of a high school basketball player in Oklahoma. In the course of the season…
