http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/education This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Education en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America http://mediamatters.org/items/200810140019 In a syndicated column criticizing Sen. Barack Obama's education plan, Thomas Sowell falsely claimed that under Obama's "merit pay for teachers" proposal, merit would be "measured by teachers themselves," rendering Obama's reference to merit pay, Sowell wrote, "meaningless." In fact, Obama has said that he will work <em><em>with</em></em> teachers unions to develop a system to determine merit pay, not that he would allow teachers to evaluate their own performance or independently choose the measures by which merit is evaluated. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810140019 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:59:56 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810020029 On <em>Hardball</em>, Chuck Todd falsely claimed that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit "wants to get rid of the Pledge" of Allegiance. In fact, in <em>Newdow v. U.S. Congress</em>, a 9th Circuit panel did not decide that the <em>entire</em> Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional, but rather "h[e]ld that ... the 1954 Act adding the words 'under God' to the Pledge ... violate[s] the Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810020029 Thu, 2 Oct 2008 22:39:52 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200808130006 On his Milwaukee radio talk show, Mark Belling referred to schoolteachers who talk to their students about global warming as "idiot union teacher[s]," "liberal unionized hack[s]," "greedy, overpaid unionized schoolteacher[s]," and "fruitcake[s]." http://mediamatters.org/items/200808130006 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:59:09 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200804170009 Neal Boortz asserted that "the single most dangerous entity, group of people in this country right now are the teachers unions," adding that "[t]hey do more damage to this country than all the drug pushers together. ... If I had a button right now, two buttons -- push this button and it gets rid of all the drug dealers; push this button, it gets rid of the teachers unions -- I'm getting rid of the teachers unions." <br /> http://mediamatters.org/items/200804170009 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:45:05 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200707020007 A <em>Washington Post</em> editorial suggested that No Child Left Behind had led to improvements in reading and math test scores documented in a recent study. But as an earlier <em>Post</em> news article noted, the authors of that study "warned that it is difficult to say whether or how much the No Child Left Behind law is driving the achievement gains." http://mediamatters.org/items/200707020007 Mon, 2 Jul 2007 18:06:39 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200701190005 http://mediamatters.org/items/200701190005 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:01:41 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200610030004 http://mediamatters.org/items/200610030004 Tue, 3 Oct 2006 12:29:11 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200607260009 John Stossel attacked the methodology of a Department of Education study demonstrating nearly identical levels of academic achievement among public and private elementary school students, claiming that "[t]he researchers tortured the data" by using regression analysis -- a universally used statistical tool that even Stossel admitted is "valid." http://mediamatters.org/items/200607260009 Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:53:31 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200605100011 Nationally syndicated radio host Neal Boortz said schools should never provide psychological counseling for students, even after a traumatic incident such as the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, because providing counseling "is just all part of an effort to ... engrain in the American people this idea that the government is responsible for everything." http://mediamatters.org/items/200605100011 Wed, 10 May 2006 17:20:38 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200605090008 Bill O'Reilly claimed that, under a California bill that would require textbooks to recognize the accomplishments of historical lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] figures, "if you are a teacher ... you're not going to be able to say bad things about [convicted murderer] Jeffrey Dahmer," because Dahmer was "a gay cannibal." In fact, the proposal "would add the role and contributions of LGBT people" to the list of "traditionally underrepresented groups," whose historical contributions, under current state law, are required to be included in "textbooks and other school instructional materials." http://mediamatters.org/items/200605090008 Tue, 9 May 2006 16:26:10 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200605050009 Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that public-school teachers in New York City "are instructed not to say a word" about students "going, 'F-you, you mother-F'er,' in school." In fact, according to the New York City schools' discipline code, "[u]sing profane, obscene, vulgar, lewd or abusive language or gestures" is a "Level 2 infraction" that is considered "disorderly disruptive behavior" and is punishable by a range of disciplinary actions. http://mediamatters.org/items/200605050009 Fri, 5 May 2006 14:41:00 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200604280004 Fox News' Neil Cavuto interviewed right-wing activist David Horowitz about "radicals" at American universities. Cavuto asked Horowitz whether "we have to be on guard against nuts in the classroom," and "how will you know that the professor you have is insane?" Horowitz advised staying away from "women's studies, black studies, cultural studies, whiteness studies, post-colonial studies, all those studies," and appeared to add anthropology. http://mediamatters.org/items/200604280004 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 14:10:25 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200604130004 On Fox News' <em>Hannity &amp; Colmes</em>, confronted by co-host Alan Colmes regarding a recent <em>Media Matters</em> item that documented false statements he made during his previous appearance on the show, right-wing activist David Horowitz attacked <em>Media Matters</em> as "a smear site." Horowitz later added, "[M]y agendas have been so distorted by smear sites like <em>Media Matters</em> and by the left." http://mediamatters.org/items/200604130004 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:50:53 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200603070006 <em>New York Times</em> columnist John Tierney misrepresented the findings of a study of school vouchers in Milwaukee, claiming that it showed "that as the voucher program expanded in Milwaukee, there was a marked improvement in test scores at the public schools most threatened by the program." In fact, the study questioned whether the Milwaukee voucher program actually had an effect on public schools. http://mediamatters.org/items/200603070006 Tue, 7 Mar 2006 13:00:19 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200601200003 ABC's John Stossel presented a "special report" on the failure of American public schools that included a series of misleading claims, a lack of balance in reporting and interviews, and video clips apparently created primarily for entertainment to argue for expanding "school choice" initiatives such as vouchers and charter schools. http://mediamatters.org/items/200601200003 Thu, 19 Jan 2006 20:53:07 EST