Shocking: NCLB needs changes!

A Daily Kos journal talks about Jim Cummins, the researcher whose work deals mainly with second language acquisition, something I spend a lot of my time dealing with. It's a good read on the defects of NCLB, especially in relation to English language learners (ELLs), if you're not familiar with the issue.

I post at more length on the other blog, and I promise to extend my thoughts over there soon.

AKP carries the day!

With results coming in from most constituencies, it's clear that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is going to take the Turkish election. Three parties--the AKP, the "secularist" CHP and the nationalist MHP--will win seats in the parliament, along with Kurdish independents (really members of DTP running as independents) in the southeast.

Really, who would have thought that a hard-line, uncompromising strategy from Turkey's ruling generals would fail to carry the day? Seriously, it looks like most Turks have really cast their lot with AKP not so much for solidarity with their ideological goals--whatever those are--but to show the generals that their peculiar "secularism" no longer holds any weight in Turkey and that they disagree with discrimination against Islamist candidates.

For once, BBC has a decent map of the results, here. Currently with about 60 percent of ballot boxes reporting, we have:
AKP 48%
CHP 20%
MHP 14%
independents 6% (not all of which, of course, is for independent candidates who will be elected)