It's Just Criminal to Hire Criminals

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/22/criminal-record-employment_n_5372837.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

States, cities, and counties around the country are adopting, or at least considering, "banning the box". This means that employers would be prohibited from asking about an applicant's criminal record. While some applicants would have a higher chance of being hired if a ten-year-old disruption charge was hidden, these laws cause some employers unease. They are frightened that they could end up hiring a person with strong criminal tendencies. Roughly seventy million United States adults have criminal records that can disqualify them for jobs, even if the offense happened many years ago and has no bearing on the work.

This relates to hiring practices and lawmaking.

I believe that banning the box, or at least postponing background checks, could be quite beneficial for the job system in our country.

Change in the Academic Climate of Oklahoma

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/oklahoma-rejects-science-standards_n_5333578.html?utm_hp_ref=politicsA new set of educational science standards was voted on in an Oklahoma House of Representatives committee that could induce children to believe in global warming. Those against the standards wish to allow the children to form their own opinions on climate change. They address the controversiality of global warming, and do not want to force students into any one belief. The director of science education for the Oklahoma State Department Of Education says that the standards simply educate students about climate change, still allowing various stances on the matter.

This relates to public policy as well as the way that a bill moves through a legislature.

I believe that the new set of standards should be implemented if it is up to par. Climate change, however realistic, is still just a theory, and should be taught as such.

To Test or Not To Test, or Maybe To Opt Out, Is the Question

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/nyregion/standing-up-to-testing.html?

After the introduction of Common Core, many parents have chosen to opt their children out of state testing, saying that their children should be educated and not simply taught how to test. While a few say that it could leave children disadvantaged for school admissions, many agree. Some parents have noticed that in courses designed around a test, their child's attention lags, and they become less interested in the subject matter. Quite often, a lecture leaves students confused and disinterested, or the subject is done with as soon as a child grasps it.

Legislation has been under way since President Johnson to amend this system, but even with the No Child Left Behind Act, but still nothing has changed and the system remains just as flawed. This is a demonstration of the incapacity of our government to amend the great flaws that it has, such as tests being the measure of both a child's and a teacher's worth. This degrades both of them, and is unbeneficial for the child's development and the teacher's prowess and motivation.

This is ridiculous. Teachers have no room for growth and creativity in the classroom. Children should be taught to learn and to love learning, and this system of education does not show them how to pursue their passions, just to pursue their percentages.