Low energy tonight, so the YouTubes from the Renewable Energy Summit will have to go up in the morning. In a parallel note, Coner House Comments notes that for the Cost of War, we could put up a few wind turbines and fully fund the Lewis and Clark Rural Water project.
Meanwhile, a couple of news items this evening.
The Mankato Free Press reports in Schools use test data to improve that Congressman Walz's wife is part of the team committed to applying the information gathered from testing:
The Mankato Area School District — like many around the country — approaches student achievement like a business conducted in the currency of test results.
The district has 25 standardized evaluations on its testing schedule. Teachers spend weeks reviewing state standards and poring over hundreds of student data records. Mankato employs a full-time assessment coordinator just to evaluate test procedures, results and proficiency benchmarks.
All in the name of generating data that can be reinvested in students.
“We look at all kinds of data,” said Gwen Walz, Mankato’s assessment expert. “The learning curve for all of us has been learning how to use all that data.”
Administrators and teachers used the data crunching to get Mankato East Junior High of the "Needs Improvement" list.
The Rochester Post Bulletin editorial board writes Constituents back Obama, so Walz follows their lead. Too bad the editors let cynicism get in the way of the facts.
First, the editors don't seem to understand the difference between an endorsement by Norm Coleman and Walz's super delegate status. As they say, an endorsement is rather meaningless. Walz is a delegate to the national convention--so his decision to back Obama matters.
The editors wrote:
. . .and we doubt that Walz's announcement spurred champagne corks to start popping at Obama's headquarters.
The Obama was pleased to get that delegate.
We think the PB board need to get out more. A Google search for "Obama Walz" reveals 1740 hits; because of Walz's super delegate status, it was big news. (How important are super delegates? That Meeker County heartbreaker Nancy Larson was interviewed on CNN this morning.)
However, Walz isn't comfortable with the super delegate system, and his reluctance to commit his o waited so that his backing would reflect the popular will. As he said on NPR's Day-to-Day according to Do Superdelegates Hold Super Powers?:
Although Walz holds a coveted superdelegate position, he admits that the system is not without its flaws. It troubles him that superdelegates could potentially override the decision of voters.
"I think it should be more direct election," he says. "I think what I saw last night is what it should be: loud, chaotic, passionate. It was the people."
Here's a short excerpt from a book-length poem that Walz's observation made us recall: Carl Sandburg: The People Yes. And maybe that other guy from Illinois.
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