John F. Kennedy once said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” The progress made since President Kennedy’s remarks more than 40 years ago is astounding, especially regarding the way technology has irrevocably ...
Read More »Online classes expand horizons of rural students
Teacher ID bill will help improve Arizona student performance 
Each year, the state of Arizona spends hundreds of millions of dollars on K-12 education and on improving student achievement. But how do we know what is working and what’s not? A bill before the Arizona legislature will help answer ...
Read More »Senate to address material for students with disabilities 
On March 26, the Arizona Senate Education K-12 Committee unanimously recommended sending H2441 to the full Senate for a vote. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, requires the State Department of Education to create a list of authorized ...
Read More »Clean Elections for judges a good idea 
There is a bill in the Legislature that could significantly change the way many of Arizona’s judges are chosen. It proposes the audacious idea that the people should choose judges instead of a select committee of politically appointed lawyers and ...
Read More »New sanctions bill stops short of addressing concerns 
The Arizona Legislature is currently debating employer sanctions legislation. House Bill 2745, sponsored by Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa, comes on the heels of a law approved last year that provides sanctions against employers who hire undocumented workers. The business ...
Read More »High-tech visas going, going, gone 
April 1 marked the opening day to apply for high-skilled work visas for use in specialized fields (H-1B visas). Last year the 65,000 H-1B visas were gone in a day with 150,000 total applicants. Last week they were again snatched ...
Read More »A better way to observe Victims’ Rights Week in Arizona 
It’s a safe bet that most Arizonans are happy to acknowledge National Crime Victim Rights Week, which begins April 13. And that virtually all would endorse its official intent “to promote victims’ rights, and to honor crime victims and those ...
Read More »MCWA, Rep. McLain team up for economic development 
I was pleased to be able to represent the Mohave County Water Authority before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Rural Affairs on March 19 in regards to Rep. Nancy McLain’s House Bill 2132. That committee is chaired by ...
Read More »Shortage of visas for professional foreign nationals expected 
Arizona employers who failed to file H-1B visa applications by April 1 may be out of luck if they are seeking to hire foreign nationals in a professional or specialty occupation for fiscal year 2009. Last year at this time, ...
Read More »ELL costs are a matter of perspective 
On March 14, the Capitol Times ran a guest column by the president of the Arizona School Boards Association stating that Arizonans should be “outraged” at me. The column was 100 percent emotion, zero percent analysis.The attack relates to the ...
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