Free Press –
Topics: Pole Dancing, Quakertown Education, GOP endorsements Bond Issue
Dear Friends,
Good morning. Pole dancing has hit mainstream America according to the New York Times. It’s a twist on the old Tupperware party! More on that later. But first, here are several local stories that caught my attention recently.
The Quakertown school district won an academic honor last month. That’s good news. Students surpassed federal testing targets for two straight years. Unfortunately America’s students are still not close to measuring up according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. I wonder how Quakertown compares to the N.A.E.P.?
The Bucks County Republican Committee endorsed all incumbents for row offices this year...although the Democratic Committee chose to start a big fight in the Primary. Finally, the Bucks Commissioners will set the ball rolling on a $98 million bond issue for open space.
Item.
The Quakertown school district is one of 132 districts (501 in the state) to receive the Keystone Achievement Award for two years in a row. Acting school Superintendent David Landis told his school board that students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 scored 81, 70, 84, and 74 percent, respectively in reading. But, the state minimum in reading is only 54 percent.
In my day, 74 and 70 percent was a flunking grade and a 54 percent rating spelled disaster. In math, the Quakertown scores were 90, 79, 82, and 64 percent, respectively for grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. The minimum state requirement is just 45 percent. Note, Quakertown’s best results were in grades 3 and 8. Success seems to wane by the 11th grade.
My friend Nancy Barclay thinks that public schools are teaching students how to take the No Child Left Behind tests. She’s a retired teacher in the Pennridge schools. Barclay believes that students are less prepared for college than they were a generation ago. I wonder if she’s right?
I thought about her as I read the New York Times editorial (Feb. 27). “The news from American high schools is not good,” it began. “The National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as the national report card, finds that American 12th graders are actually performing worse in reading than 12th graders did in 1992.
“Only 35 percent of the 12th
graders are proficient in reading,” the
“The National Assessment of Educational Progress testing needs to create rigorous national standards for crucial subjects,” the editorial concluded. “It should also require the states to raise the bar for teacher qualifications and end the odious practice of supplying the neediest students with the least qualified teachers.”
Unfortunately the 50 states are very reluctant to submit to national testing. Local control is such a priority. America’s students compete with Asian and European peers whose countries have employed national standards for years. We sure are slow to learn.
Item.
The Bucks GOP endorsed its incumbent row office holders. In doing so, there will be no primary fight at the county level for the Republicans. The Democrats are far more combative. They failed to endorse incumbent minority Commissioner Sandy Miller which sets the stage for a bruising Primary battle. That struggle is certain to waste the Democrats’ strength as it attempts to dislodge Republican control in the county government. Whether the Dems like it or not, I predict that Miller’s name will be on the November ballot.
Item.
The Bucks County Commissioners will place a $98 million open space referendum before the voters in the fall. Taxpayers approved a $59 million open space program by a 2 to 1 margin in 1997. I believe that voters will do so again. The Open Space Task Force is recommending that the $98 million be divided this way: $50 million for farmland; $18 million for parkland; and, municipal grants, natural areas, and Delaware riverfront- $50 million.
An
excellent program, it’s popular with the residents. No surprise, Bucks has led
Final item.
The New York Times headline shouted, “No Longer Taboo, Pole Dancing Catches On in Book Club Country!” I couldn’t believe what I was reading (Feb 24). The article predicts that erotic pole dancing will reduce the divorce rate and have a dramatic effect on improving relationships.
Really!
“Pole
dancing, once exclusively the province of exotic dancers, has flared up as a
much-hyped Hollywood exercise craze, and has seeped into the collective
unconscious through shows like “The Sopranos” and “Desperate Housewives,” the
“Now the pole is the new star at racier versions of Tupperware parties in well-heeled [suburban] areas,” the report continued. “Billed as “femme empowerment,” such at-home pole dancing lessons are taking place in the realm of book clubs, with mothers- and grandmothers- learning slinky moves for girls’ night in, bachelorette send-offs, even the occasional 60th birthday celebration.”
The article noted that there are more than 350 pole-dance instructors in 34 states.
And for a mere $450, a neophyte can purchase an adjustable 8 to 10 foot spring-loaded pole. I couldn’t resist a Google search on the Internet. For those of you, who thirst for knowledge, try… www.empowernetusa.com. Learn how to start your own franchised business!
Mighty Betsy belongs to a book club. We “lesser haves” refer to it as the Society of Books, or SOB for short. I wonder whether it might liven up their discussions. And the Red Hat Society might give pole dancing a whirl…or the Quakertown Women’s Club. What do you think?
“Pole dancing can provide a welcome
release for suburban stay-at-home mothers,” the
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith