Pop quiz time. “Teacher shortages have gotten worse.” True or false? False. And yet‚ that sentence was part of a recent Washington Post headline. And it’s far from uncommon. In fact‚ public schools have been on a hiring spree for decades. It began with President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society and has continued to the present day‚ aided partly by a temporary federal COVID-19 bonus payment of $190 billion. In some school districts—mainly in the South and rural areas—and in some subjects (math‚ special education‚ and foreign languages‚ chief among them)‚ schools have trouble filling teaching positions. But this problem is not acute. Nationwide‚ there were 5% more teachers in America’s public schools during the 2020-21 school year than during the 2017-18 school year. Taking a longer view‚ in 1965‚ when Johnson launched his War on Poverty—a third of which‚ he said‚ “would be fought in the classrooms of America”—there were 1.7 million public school teachers for about 42 million students‚ equating to a student-teacher ratio of 25-to-1. By 2021‚ that figure had climbed to 3.2 million public school teachers educating about 55.5 million students‚ shrinking the student-teacher ratio nationally to just 15-to-1. And teachers aren’t the only employees in public school districts. Indeed‚ today‚ teachers make up just half of all education jobs‚ a trend documented by professor Ben Scafidi at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Since 1950‚ public schools have added personnel at a rate nearly four times that of the rate of growth in student enrollment. That increase in school personnel has been disproportionately nonteaching staff. The increase in new teacher hires was nearly two and a half times the increase in students‚ but incredibly‚ the number of non-teachers (that is‚ administrative and other staff) increased more than seven times that of student enrollment. From 1950 to 2019‚ while the number of students increased 100%‚ the number of teachers increased 243% and the number of administrators and all other staff increased 709% . This staffing surge has been a deliberate decision made by the education establishment. And it’s had repercussions. One has been relatively stagnant teacher salaries. This choice made by teachers unions—to prioritize hiring more staff (teaching and nonteaching staff) over higher salaries—equates to more dues-paying union members‚ which is‚ of course‚ good for the unions’ bottom line. Here again‚ Scafidi points out that while inflation-adjusted‚ per-pupil spending increased by 27% from 1992 to 2014‚ teacher salaries fell by 2%. Public schools chose to fund a nonteaching staffing surge rather than direct ever-increasing taxpayer-funded spending to higher teacher salaries. Although teacher salaries have increased somewhat in real terms since that time (inflation-adjusted teacher salaries have risen from about $54‚000 on average in 2002 to about $59‚500 today)‚ this relative stagnation isn’t due to a lack of spending. It is a function of poor management choices made by public school districts for decades. Per-pupil spending in public schools has more than tripled in real terms since 1965. Inflation-adjusted spending grew from $4‚412 per pupil during the 1965-66 school year to $14‚789 per pupil by the 2019-20 school year. And that’s all before factoring in the $190 billion that schools received for “COVID-19 relief‚” courtesy of federal taxpayers. Public schools‚ to borrow from President Ronald Reagan‚ don’t have a revenue problem—they have a spending problem. And‚ by extension‚ public schools don’t have a teacher-shortage problem. They have a problem with the misallocation of abundant resources. What can be done in those areas where schools have difficulty attracting and retaining teachers? States should make it easier for schools to hire teachers by eliminating useless teacher certification requirements—which has the added bonus of weakening the grip of colleges of education on the teacher pipeline—and instead insisting on subject-matter expertise.  There is no correlation between teacher certification and teacher quality. It is far better for school districts to hire based on subject-matter competency than on empirically useless paper credentials. Making it easier for prospective teachers to enter the classroom and then more rigorously evaluating them once hired also paves the way for differentiating pay. Rather than paying teachers based on time in the classroom‚ schools should reward those excellent teachers who are successful at increasing student learning. Finally‚ schools must end the habit of continuously increasing the number of nonteaching staff. Public education isn’t a jobs program‚ and teachers unions shouldn’t view classrooms as an extension of their political activities. Reorient the focus to hiring and rewarding excellent teachers who can be assured they—and their students—spend their days in safe and orderly schools. And public education can begin a long-overdue process of academic improvement and renewal. This commentary originally was published by the Duluth News Tribune Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Teacher Shortage? For Decades‚ Public Schools Have Enjoyed Hiring Sprees appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Trouble is brewing in the deep-blue state of Maryland‚ where Democratic state senators are discovering that—gasp!—an “immigrant advocacy” group they have coddled for decades is really full of Hamas supporters who compare Palestinian terrorists to the experience of Hispanics in the Old Line State. The group is CASA de Maryland. State lawmakers have been forcing weary taxpayers to underwrite this far-left group since it was first incorporated in Maryland’s radical chic neighborhood of Takoma Park in 1985. The Washington Post reported as far back as 2011 that “nearly half of CASA’s $6 million budget comes from local‚ state‚ and federal appropriations.” A reason for that is‚ as The Post put it‚ it successfully sells itself as an “immigrants’ rights” lobbying group. That the people CASA de Maryland represents are mostly not immigrants at all‚ but illegal aliens who have willfully broken the law didn’t bother reliably lefty voters in tony Montgomery County‚ where many of the denizens of the federal permanent bureaucracy and the nation’s media and academic elite sleep‚ play‚ and more importantly‚ vote. But just as CASA has moved out of its original modest Takoma Park church basement and is now headquartered in multimillion-dollar Langley Mansion‚ a former plantation restored to the tune of $13.8 million in nearby Langley Park (a rehab that The Post reported was partly footed by taxpayers)‚ the organization’s political reach has expanded. It is now‚ according to its website‚ a nationwide community organizing giant. “With over 155‚000 lifetime members across 46 U.S. states‚ CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in working-class: Black‚ Latino/a/e‚ Afro-descendent‚ Indigenous‚ and Immigrant communities.” Things were going swimmingly well until this comfy status quo was shattered‚ as many things have been in America‚ by Hamas’ massacre of Israeli civilians and the gang-rape of Jewish women on Oct. 7. The fascination that the “woke” Left has shown for the terrorists (a Cornell professor said he was “exhilarated” by the killing spree) has shocked old-fashioned liberals. They are now suddenly finding it hard to overlook some tough realities. Enter CASA‚ which chose to make clear on which side it belongs when its longtime executive director‚ Gustavo Torres‚ stated in a since-deleted post on X that “CASA stands in resolute and steadfast solidarity with the people of Palestine in their relentless fight for freedom. We stand shoulder to shoulder with countless Black and brown freedom activists from around the world. We specifically condemn the utilization of U.S. tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence.” “We deeply acknowledge the interconnectedness of the struggle for the liberation of the Palestinian people and Black and brown communities in the United States‚” Torres added. That set off all nine state senators from Montgomery County‚ who issued a letter that did not mince words. The statements by CASA and Torres‚ the senators’ letter said‚ “are hurtful‚ divisive‚ and antisemitic. It reflects a complete lack of understanding of the complex geopolitics of the Middle East‚ the indigenous roots of the Jewish people‚ and the long and painful history of antisemitism in its myriad forms.” More to the point‚ the senators reminded Torres‚ “We have provided CASA with millions of taxpayer dollars intended to support our new Americans and help provide them with necessities and shelter.” Then came the kicker: “We cannot and will not allow taxpayer money to subsidize hate speech. In light of CASA’s recent postings and statements‚ this might be an appropriate time to reevaluate the state’s mechanism for providing financial aid and support to our immigrant community.” Clearly terrified that Maryland may withdraw its taxpayer teat‚ Torres has tried to backpedal as fast as he can‚ dignity be damned. “I want to profoundly apologize to the Jewish community in Montgomery County and beyond‚” Torres told MoCo360. “We were not experts on this [crisis]‚ and members of the Jewish community have been educating me.” On X‚ CASA said‚ “We write to acknowledge that our words have caused hurt.” CASA‚ it said‚ is working to “refine our message and clarify our values.” Torres pleaded further‚ “We will do whatever is necessary to repair these relationships. We want to apologize not only with words‚ but actions.” On our latest statement:We write to acknowledge that our words have caused hurt. We have received feedback from our dear and trusted partners‚ who have expressed their concerns about the impact of our language.— CASA (@CASAforall) November 7‚ 2023 Boy‚ what the threatened withdrawal of millions will do. But apparently‚ the unseemly retreat is to no avail. Democratic state Sen. Cheryl Kagan said‚ “It’s unforgivable‚ and I choose my words carefully. It doesn’t matter if [Torres] says ‘I’m sorry’ 10 times. I cannot forgive statements that essentially say he wants to murder my people. It’s not OK.” Torres’ words of regret do indeed beggar belief. He and CASA are hardly new to revolutionary struggle. “Casa” is Spanish for home‚ but CASA is an acronym for the Central America Solidarity Association. The group has since registered under “CASA” to‚ as former Reagan official James Simpson put it in 2012‚ obscure any links with other “solidarity committees” set up in the 1980s to lobby for the Marxist guerrillas in El Salvador‚ which were funded and guided by the Soviets and the Cubans. The Colombian-born Torres earned his chops in Marxist Nicaragua‚ where he worked for a newspaper that was a mouthpiece for the Sandinista regime‚ according to the always reliable Influence Watch. Later‚ Torres popped up in Venezuela‚ where‚ according to the Militant‚ he spoke at a 2007 panel titled “United States: A Possible Revolution.” His co-panelist‚ Antonio Gonzalez‚ said‚ “What does a revolutionary do in the U.S. today? Take power wherever you can by electing Latinos to city‚ state‚ and federal offices.” Later‚ Citgo Petroleum‚ which Venezuela’s Marxist government uses as its piggy bank‚ gave CASA $1.5 million. Many in the audience said that wouldn’t work‚ chiding Hispanics for buying into the “American dream” and not pursuing social and political change. But one of CASA’s beliefs under Torres is that Central Americans immigrate because the U.S. destabilizes its region and that their mass immigration‚ in return‚ will change the U.S. All this was known prior to Oct. 7. Originally published by The WashingtonExaminer.com Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Democrats Shouldn’t Be Surprised by Their Left Flank’s Radicalism appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The House last week moved to repeal an executive order by President Joe Biden that critics say could cause federal employees to violate a law prohibiting partisan politicking on the taxpayers’ dime. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre alluded Monday to the law‚ the Hatch Act‚ in avoiding an answer to a reporter’s direct question. Yet Jean-Pierre also touted an executive action by Biden that directed federal government agencies to drive up voting.  A reporter had asked Jean-Pierre‚ in an apparent reference to the 2024 election: “Does the White House believe that additional election monitors are necessary in swing states across the country?” Biden’s Justice Department ordered election monitors to 64 locations ahead of the 2022 midterm elections‚ mostly in “battleground” areas crucial to Democrats.  Jean-Pierre punted on a direct answer to avoid speaking directly on an election‚ which she said could violate the Hatch Act—the law prohibiting federal employees from using goverrnment time or resources to advance partisan politics or candidates. “I want to be careful since we’re talking about upcoming elections. I’m assuming you’re talking about 2024 and what we’re going to potentially be doing‚” Jean-Pierre told the reporter. “So I’m going to have to refer you to the [Biden reelection] campaign.” The independent Office of Special Counsel accused Jean-Pierre and deputy press secretary Andrew Bates of acting “contrary” to official guidance on the Hatch Act‚ NBC News first reported last week. This came after the OSC previously determined Jean-Pierre had been violating violating the Hatch Act in the run-up to the 2022 elections by repeatedly using the term “MAGA” as a derogatory adjective for Republicans‚ The term is an acronym for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan‚ “Make America Great Again.” However‚ the White House press secretary went on Monday to refer to Biden’s Executive Order 14019‚ which he signed in March 2021.  “Obviously for us‚ we’ve taken actions on the federal level in making sure voting is accessible‚” Jean-Pierre said. “The president signed an executive action early on [about] what we can do on the federal level to make sure that voting is a lot easier for folks and they are educated on what is available to them.” She again added: “But I want to be really careful‚ certainly‚ talking about anything that is related to 2024.” Last week‚ the House Administration Committee advanced a measure for consideration by the full House that would overturn Biden’s executive order on getting out the vote‚ which called for federal agencies to partner with private “voter advocacy groups” and develop “strategic plans.” The House bill also would require that every plan made under the executive order be submitted to Congress for review. Since Biden’s executive order in March 2021‚ the House Administration Committee‚ in conjunction with several other committees‚ has sent letters to 12 federal agencies asking for information about their implementation of the order. No Biden administration agency has responded to congressional inquiries‚ however. Several Republican lawmakers have said that requiring federal agencies to work with political operatives who are involved in get-out-the-vote campaigns could violate the Hatch Act. Under Biden’s executive order‚ the Internal Revenue Service‚ the Obamacare exchanges‚ and the Bureau of Prisons are among agencies active in promoting voting‚ according to a report last spring by a coalition of liberal groups led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights‚ when the order was 2 years old.  Biden administration agencies have refused to be transparent about their strategic plans on the voter registration initiative‚ or what private organizations they’re working with. The Daily Signal first reported that those private organizations included the American Civil Liberties Union‚ a liberal legal group‚ and Demos‚ a liberal think tank. Biden’s executive order calls for “soliciting and facilitating approved‚ nonpartisan third-party organizations and state officials to provide voter-registration services on agency premises.” Biden’s Justice Department also has refused to release its strategic plan to fulfill Biden’s order‚ citing “presidential privilege‚” in a lawsuit brought by the Foundation for Government Accountability‚ a watchdog group. A total of 15 secretaries of state‚ who are the top election officials in states‚ publicly asked for more transparency from the Biden administration in how agencies carry out the order. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post KJP Uses Law She’s Accused of Violating as Excuse to Dodge Question on 2024 Election appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Former President Donald Trump is seeking to appeal a decision reinstating a gag order that was put in place to prevent him from discussing members of the judge’s staff during his civil fraud trial‚ according to court documents. The order‚ which prohibits Trump from publicly commenting about members of Judge Arthur Engoron’s staff‚ was temporarily lifted on Nov. 16 after the court raised concerns about free speech‚ but a New York appeals court reinstated the gag order on Thursday. The motion was filed with the New York Appellate Division‚ First Judicial Department‚ the state’s highest court‚ according to court documents. The gag order was initially put in place on Oct. 3 after Trump posted a photo of principal law clerk Allison Greenfield next to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling Greenfield the “girlfriend” of Schumer on Trump’s social media platform‚ Truth Social. Trump’s attorneys claimed that Engoron was using the gag order as an “unfettered license” to publicly punish Trump for comments he made outside of the court‚ which they claimed was a violation of free speech. The appeals court‚ however‚ noted that “upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion‚ and due deliberation having been had thereon‚” the gag order would be reinstated. Trump has been fined twice for violating the terms of the order; the first being $5‚000 for not removing the social media post nearly three weeks after the order was given. The former president was also fined an additional $10‚000 in October for calling Engoron “very partisan” to reporters. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller National Foundation Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Trump Files Intent to Appeal Reinstated Gag Order appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The US digital rights group EFF is describing the latest UN Cybercrime Treaty draft as “a significant step backward” and a case of “perilously broadening its scope beyond the cybercrimes specifically defined in the convention‚ encompassing a long list of non-cybercrimes.” This “dance” – with some reported progress‚ for things to then again get worse – is not exactly new in the now lengthy process of negotiating the document‚ amid criticism not only from observers among the involved rights non-profits‚ but also UN member-countries. EFF is also convinced that these latest developments are not accidental‚ i.e.‚ a case of oversight‚ but rather an essentially purposeful wrong step that diminishes chances of the treaty‚ once/if adopted being the result of proper consensus. When it all started‚ the Treaty was presented as a “standardized” manner for the world to combat cybercrime. What has been happening in the meanwhile‚ though‚ is a seemingly never-ending stream of additions and expansions of the document’s original powers‚ to the point where it has now‚ in the words of EFF‚ “morphed into an expansive surveillance treaty.” A major concern is what EFF calls possible overreach as national and international investigations are carried out. And instead of improving on these concerns‚ the new draft is said to have held on to past controversial rules‚ only to add even more. This time‚ it’s in the form of “allowing states to compel engineers or employees to undermine security measures‚ posing a threat to encryption.” Specifically‚ the UN’s newest version of the proposal‚ if adopted‚ would mean that data that is located abroad could be accessed even if that violated the host nation’s privacy protections. In these portions that are of grave concern to rights groups‚ the draft builds on previous contentious provisions‚ namely‚ broadening the scope of cross-border investigations (collection and sharing of evidence) so that it includes any crime deemed serous – and that scope includes instances of crimes (whose definition) “blatantly violates human rights law.” Now‚ these powers are extended‚ such that even crimes not covered by the previous versions of the treaty can be investigated and prosecuted; hence the allegation of overreach. The reason EFF takes all this as a major step back in the tortuous process is the very nature of the disagreements: the key one on which member-countries can’t see eye to eye has to do with the future treaty’s scope; and then there’s the question of whether human rights matter at all in the big picture here. “(The latest draft) is primed to facilitate abuses on a global scale‚ through extensive cross border powers to investigate virtually any imaginable ‘crime’ – like peaceful dissent or expression of sexual orientation – while undermining the treaty’s purpose of addressing genuine cybercrime‚” commented Human Rights Watch Associate Director Deborah Brown‚ adding: “Governments should not rush to conclude this treaty without ensuring that it elevates‚ rather than sacrifices‚ our fundamental rights.” The post The UN Is Threatening Privacy Under Pretense of New Cybercrime Treaty appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

As Nazis infamously looted art‚ jewelry and other valuables from the many cities and towns of Europe during the Second World War‚ Adolf Hitler’s protégé Julius Streicher had other‚ more debased collectibles on his mind: pornography. Born on Feb. 12‚ 1885‚ in the Bavarian town of Fleinhausen‚ Streicher was once considered a rising star on the radical right. The school teacher-turned-soldier fought in the First World War and in 1919 helped launch the Nuremberg wing of the Deutschsozialistische Partei — or‚ German Socialist Party — which “espoused right-wing ultra-nationalist‚ anti-Catholic and antisemitic principles‚” according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  Three years later‚ Streicher persuaded his followers to merge with the National Socialist German Workers’ Party — the Nazi party under Hitler’s command. Considered among the “old guard” in the party‚ it was Streicher’s oratory skills‚ much like the Nazi leader‚ that drew the attention of his comrades. In 1923‚ Streicher’s passion for propaganda coalesced with his lecherous mind when he launched Der Stürmer‚ a virulent anti-Semitic newspaper that featured crude‚ graphic anti-Jewish cartoons‚ photographs and articles.  Week after week‚ month after month‚ for nearly 22 years‚ Streicher tied together accusations of blood libel with pornography‚ which has come to be considered the very nadir of Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda. “These grotesque‚ often pornographic cartoons of Jewish stereotypes‚” which were drawn by Philipp Rupprecht‚ “accompanied the propaganda Streicher disseminated‚ saturating the consciousness of Germans during the Third Reich and contribut[ed] to the capacity of many Germans to accept the Nazi program‚” according to Michael D. Bulmash‚ whose family collection of Holocaust-related propaganda is accessible via Kenyon College. In a July 1946 article titled “Portrait of a Pervert‚” author Herbert Eisen detailed the lascivious mind of Streicher. “Its pages abounded with tales of rape by non-Aryans — often negroes — of fair German virgins‚ described with all the details of smut and bawdry which a lecherous mind can invent‚” Eisen wrote in the Australian magazine The Pertinent. “The [Nazi] excesses which have now — too late — become notorious‚ even among the most indifferent‚ and which have their origination in sexual aberrations skillfully enhanced and implanted over two decades‚ must be regarded as Streicher’s main contribution to the cause of Nazism‚” Eisen continued. These lurid sexual assault stories Streicher propagated were largely consumed by the young men of Germany‚ and‚ with Streicher’s prominent place within the Nazi party‚ Der Stürmer’s graphic cartoons and pictures became the most accessible pornography of its time. But Streicher didn’t just produce fanciful‚ smutty and violent content. He also consumed it. Vast amounts‚ in fact.   Streicher even went as far during the war as ordering the local Nuremberg police and troops to seize all the pornography they discovered for “research” purposes‚ according to the popular podcast Behind the Bastards.   Upon the Allied victory in May 1945‚ Streicher was arrested as “Jew-Baiter Number One” near his home in Nuremberg by Maj. Henry Plitt of the 101st Airborne Division. As American paratroopers tore through the Nazi’s home‚ they stumbled upon what might have been the largest stockpile of pornography in the world at the time.  Streicher was later convicted during a trial at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal on the charge of crimes against humanity‚ with the court deeming the Nazi culpable for murder and extermination within the pages of Der Stürmer. Yet his putrid newspaper wasn’t the only topic of conversation during the trial.  According to Joseph Maier and Sender Jaari‚ who worked as researchers for the prosecution during the Nuremberg Trials‚ “Streicher was without a doubt the dirtiest man in Nuremberg. His collection of pornographic literature was the largest we have ever seen.”  Julius Streicher was executed by hanging in October 1946. What became of his erotic collection‚ however‚ remains somewhat of a mystery. Archivists‚ do your thing.

Academics Thrill to Rape and Murder

Snopes Fact-Checked the Biden Campaign and Progressives Are Angry

Biden Needed Help Leaving the Stage During WH Reception with Kennedy Center Honorees

Out: Tripledemic. In: Syndemic