dailyheraldchicago--2019-12-26--District 158 solar panels will be operational by spring

Workers have begun installing solar panels on Huntley Community School District 158's campuses -- expected to be three of the largest installations at Illinois public schools.  The arrays are expected to be operational by spring, district spokesman Dan Armstrong said Thursday.  The district is partnering with California-based Forefront Power to install solar panels with 5.6 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity on roughly 20 acres across its campuses in Algonquin, Huntley and Lake in the Hills. The ground-mounted installations are expected to save the district $4.2 million over 20 years while offsetting 12.3 million pounds of carbon emissions, officials said.  District 158 currently pays roughly 11 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity, and its yearly energy cost is more than $1 million.  Forefront will design, permit, finance, install and maintain the solar installations for the 20-year term. The project is estimated to cost about $8 million. District 158 would then pay for the electricity generated by the system at a lower price than its existing utility rate.  Officials anticipate between 10% and 30% in savings on energy costs drawing power from the solar installations.  Nationally, K-12 schools spend more than $6 billion yearly on energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. And at least a quarter of that could be saved through smarter energy management, improvements to existing buildings and building smarter new schools, the agency reports.  Installations are underway at District 158's Square Barn Road and Reed Road campuses. Work hasn't yet begun at the Harmony Road campus housing Huntley High School.  Armstrong said ground-mounted arrays are preferable to rooftop installations, which are more complicated and require a lot of preparation work and more maintenance. The installations will be visible at all three campuses, but will not be obtrusive, he added.  "We worked with the villages and other entities on siting these in terms of maximum efficiency and also being good neighbors," Armstrong said. "We have land at each of our campuses that is suitable for this use, so we are putting it to good use. It was not really a concern of ours to try to hide these away from passersby or visitors to our campuses. We want people to know we are leading this effort in environmental sustainability as well as fiscal responsibility."  Forefront offers free solar energy curriculum to partner school districts. Students can observe and analyze system production using a monitoring platform and lesson plans are based on Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. The company provides guest speakers for classroom visits, assemblies, guided walk-throughs of installations and technical presentations.  District 158 also will be working with two other providers -- Schools Power and Legends of Learning -- to develop its solar energy curriculum.  Schools Power provides school districts and community colleges with a renewable energy curriculum package, while Legends of Learning offers a game-based learning platform, Armstrong said.


latimes--2019-07-31--California farmers are planting solar panels as water supplies dry up

Jon Reiter banked the four-seat Cessna aircraft hard to the right, angling to get a better look at the solar panels glinting in the afternoon sun far below.  The silvery panels looked like an interloper amid a patchwork landscape of lush almond groves, barren brown dirt and saltbush scrub, framed by the blue-green strip of the California Aqueduct bringing water from the north. Reiter, a renewable energy developer and farmer, built these solar panels and is working to add a lot more to the San Joaquin Valley landscape.  “The next project is going to be 100 megawatts. It’s going to be five times this size,” Reiter said.  Solar energy projects could replace some of the jobs and tax revenues that may be lost as constrained water supplies force California’s agriculture industry to scale back. In the San Joaquin Valley alone, farmers may need to take more than half a million acres out of production to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which will ultimately put restrictions on pumping.  Converting farmland to solar farms also could be key to meeting California’s climate change targets. That’s according to a new report from the Nature Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit.  Working with the consulting firm Energy and Environmental Economics, the conservancy tried to figure out how California could satisfy its appetite for clean energy without destroying ecologically sensitive lands across the American West. The report lays out possible answers to one of the big questions facing renewable energy: Which areas should be dedicated to solar panels and wind turbines, and which areas should be protected for the sake of wildlife, outdoor recreation, farming and grazing?  One takeaway from the report, released this week: California will need hundreds or maybe thousands of square miles of solar power production in the coming decades — and it would make sense to build one-third to one-half of that solar capacity on agricultural lands, mostly within the state.  In part, that’s because the Central Valley is more ecologically degraded than California’s inland deserts, where bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and golden eagles still roam across vast stretches of largely intact wilderness. The San Joaquin Valley is home to two dozen threatened and endangered species, but the landscape was almost totally reshaped by agriculture long ago.  California has plenty of farmland that could be converted to solar panels without harming the state’s $50-billion agriculture industry, clean energy advocates say. A previous report identified 470,000 acres of “least-conflict” lands in the San Joaquin Valley, where salty soil, poor drainage or otherwise less-than-ideal farming conditions could make solar an attractive alternative for landowners.  At least 13,000 acres of solar farms have already been built in the valley, said Erica Brand, director of the Nature Conservancy’s California energy program and a coauthor of the newly released “Power of Place” report.  “It’s a region with tremendous opportunity to advance multi-benefit solar projects,” Brand said.  For an increasing number of farmers, solar makes economic sense.  At Maricopa Orchards — a major Fresno-based grower of almonds, oranges and other crops — Reiter hatched a plan to build solar panels on thousands of acres of agricultural land in Kern County.  He worked with local officials to create a 6,000-acre habitat conservation plan, which allows solar panels on 4,000 acres of the company’s land and sets aside 2,000 additional acres for environmental mitigation. The mitigation lands are now reverting back to habitat for San Joaquin kit foxes, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, burrowing owls and other at-risk species.  Reiter’s vision is a work in progress: So far, only 160 acres have been developed with solar. The 20-megawatt Maricopa West solar project was built by the German company E.ON and sold to Dominion Energy of Virginia, on land adjacent to almond orchards.  But Reiter, who served as Maricopa Orchards’ chief executive until earlier this year and is now a senior adviser to the company, said he’s negotiating with three developers looking to build seven more solar projects. Part of the benefit of the habitation conservation plan, Reiter said, is that Maricopa can offer solar companies “shovel-ready” construction sites with permits and mitigation lands ready to go, saving them time and money.  Endangered species also stand to benefit from the habitat plan.  “There’s going to be artificial dens, movement corridors and things of that nature. The idea is that it’s going to help them survive,” Reiter said.  Other Central Valley agricultural powerhouses have their own plans for solar.  Wonderful Co. — which grows tree nuts and owns Pom Wonderful, Fiji Water and Justin Wines — is aiming to power its operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025. Wonderful opened its first solar project in 2007 and this year signed a contract with Florida-based developer NextEra Energy for a 23-megawatt solar installation, to be built on 157 acres of fallow farmland.  Wonderful sees “tremendous potential for siting solar on agricultural land,” said Steven Swartz, the company’s vice president of strategy. Wonderful, owned by Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick, can make about as much money producing solar power over a 30-year period, Swartz said, as it can growing almonds and pistachios, two of the most lucrative crops grown in California and also two of the most water-intensive.  “In one case we’re growing an agricultural product that has value, and in another case we’re producing electrons that have value,” Swartz said.  Swartz added that he expects “relatively limited competition” between solar and agriculture because there’s already so much farmland that isn’t in production in the Central Valley. Wonderful has 10,000 acres it’s keeping fallow, he said, due either to poor soil conditions or insufficient water. In 2015, at the height of California’s most recent drought, Central Valley farmers kept about 1 million acres idle all year, NASA scientists estimated.  The biggest solar project being planned in the Central Valley is Westlands Solar Park, where construction of the first 670 megawatts is scheduled to begin in the next few months, said Daniel Kim, vice president of regulatory and government affairs for the developer, Golden State Clean Energy. The project could eventually grow to 2,700 megawatts of power across 20,000 acres, which is larger than any solar power facility in the world today.  The massive solar project will be built on “drainage-impaired” farmlands served by Westlands Water District, where the soil has become loaded with crop-killing salts — and toxic selenium — because clay layers beneath the dirt prevent irrigation water from percolating down into the underground aquifer.  “If you continue to farm these types of lands, you continue to make the drainage problems worse and worse,” Kim said.  Poor drainage and groundwater restrictions aren’t the only reasons farmers are looking to solar power. Surface water supplies also have become increasingly unreliable, in part because of environmental regulations that limit how much water can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  The Nature Conservancy’s “Power of Place” report doesn’t look only at farmland.  The report examines 61 scenarios for achieving California’s climate targets. They’re based on different assumptions about how much land is protected from development across 11 Western states, how many homes add rooftop solar panels, how much lithium-ion battery prices fall, and whether California continues to require that most of its solar and wind power be produced within the state.  One of the report’s conclusions is that switching from fossil fuels to clean energy gets more expensive as more land is shielded from development.  For instance, annual electricity costs could be around $110 billion if most of California’s renewable energy is produced in-state and only legally protected areas such as national parks and wildlife refuges are off-limits to developers. Statewide electricity costs could rise to $125 billion if development were prohibited on other lands, such as critical habitat for endangered species and important bird areas.  But if California utilities were allowed to buy more renewable energy from other Western states, annual costs would drop to $113 billion even under the most restrictive land-use rules, the report estimates. Easing land-use rules slightly would bring electricity costs down to $106 billion — cheaper than trying to build everything in-state, even if hardly any lands are off-limits.  “That West-wide scenario is the best-case scenario,” said Arne Olson, a senior partner at the consulting firm Energy and Environmental Economics and a co-author of the Nature Conservancy’s report.  The “Power of Place” report doesn’t capture every force that could shape California’s energy future. It assumes no development of offshore wind power, despite enormous potential for turbines off the Pacific coast. It also doesn’t account for other states’ renewable energy needs, which could be substantial.  Still, clean energy advocates say the document could help California officials balance development with ecosystem protection as they plan for 100% climate-friendly electricity by 2045, the target adopted by lawmakers last year. In 2018, California received 31% of its electricity from renewables including solar and wind, and 20% from zero-carbon nuclear and large hydropower facilities.  The Nature Conservancy’s report “appears to outline thoughtful options for how to site the projects we need to meet the climate crisis,” said Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large-Scale Solar Assn., a Sacramento trade group.  It’s gotten more difficult to build solar in recent years, Eddy said, as conservationists have fought projects in wilderness areas and rural residents have fought projects near their communities. In February, San Bernardino County, California’s largest by area, banned the construction of large solar and wind farms on more than 1 million acres of private land.  The price of continuing with business as usual, Eddy said, “is basically losing the battle on climate change.”  “We can no longer afford to fight about this. We need all the power we can get as fast as we can get it,” she said.  Kim Delfino, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife, is hopeful the Nature Conservancy’s findings will help forestall the kinds of ecological conflicts that have slowed clean energy development in the California desert. During the renewable energy “gold rush” of the late 2000s, developers proposed dozens of solar and wind farms in unprotected desert areas, fueling hard-fought battles with conservationists that continue today.  “We’re going to have another renewable energy boom. It’s inevitable,” Delfino said. “This will give us an opportunity, perhaps, to make better choices.”  Wind Wolves Preserve, which is owned by the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy, offers a unique perspective on those choices.  Spanning 93,000 acres at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, in the heart of the San Emigdio Mountains, the preserve is a refuge for wildlife that once roamed throughout California’s heartland, before the region became an agricultural mecca.  Two decades ago, 19 tule elk were reintroduced at the site, part of an effort to restore a population that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Today, more than 300 elk call the preserve home.  Wind Wolves has also been planting Bakersfield cactuses, building up what staff say is now the third-largest population of the endangered plant species.  On a recent summer evening, preserve manager Melissa Dabulamanzi drove up a narrow, winding dirt road toward Tule Elk Overlook, which provides a sweeping view of the San Joaquin Valley floor. Sitting in the back seat was Abby Hart, who leads the Nature Conservancy’s California agriculture project.  “This kind of shrub-land habitat is largely what the valley should be looking like,” Dabulamanzi said  At Tule Elk Overlook, they got out of the car and looked out over the valley, admiring the landscape as the sun disappeared behind distant mountains.  Hart said solar companies, farmers and conservationists will need to work together to build a sustainable future for this region of California.  “There’s so little remaining excellent habitat like this,” Hart said, referring to the preserve. “If we can get that solar development to happen on already disturbed lands ... that’s so much better than having it touch down in areas that are either already protected or are already serving as excellent habitat.”


thetelegraph--2019-01-14--Wind turbines could be painted green to blend in with landscape

Wind turbines could be painted green to 'blend in with landscape'

New wind turbines earmarked to be built off the Kent coast should be painted green to "blend in" with the landscape, councillors have said.  Kent County Council members warned plans by Swedish energy firm Vattenfall to expand Thanet Wind Farm with an additional 34 turbines by 2021 threatened to harm tourism in the area.  The current structures, thought to be around 100 white turbines standing at 115m tall, have been branded a "monstrosity".  Councillors claimed the coastal district is being "degraded" by the structures as they urged Vattenfall to paint any new turbines dark brown or dark green, suggesting it could be added as a condition in future planning applications.  Cllr Sean Holden said: "It would be nice if the wind towers could be painted any colour but white to help the environment and, quite frankly, tourism.  "I would like to see them a different colour. Painting them would mean they would not stick out so unnaturally. The quality of the landscape is really important for tourism.  "If it's degraded then it puts the local tourism economy at risk and they have degraded it.  "Changing the colour should be considered. I also think having a colour which blends in with the landscape should be included as a condition in future planning applications for wind turbines."


dailyheraldchicago--2019-09-11--Arlington Heights church sees religious meaning in adding solar panels

With its installation of 272 solar panels set to be complete in a week, Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights is making significant strides in its efforts to be more green.  For church leaders like Operations Officer Jim Valentine, the work has not only financial benefits, but also religious significance.  "We've done this because of our overall emphasis on caring for God's earth, of being an example for all of the Arlington Heights community," Valentine said.  The project follows Our Savior's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and move to renewable energy. The church has transitioned to LED fixtures exclusively and replaced all its appliances with Energy Star products.  Its members recycle not only typical paper waste but also items like toothpaste dispensers, cosmetic containers and cereal bags.  The solar panels going up on the church's roof are the "icing on the cake," Valentine said.  The solar panel project will cost about $200,000, some of which was obtained through a fundraiser allowing donors to purchase panels. Half the cost will be paid through solar renewable energy credits over five years.  Valentine said energy savings -- about 50 percent current costs -- will make the panels worth it.  They also will help reduce the church's carbon footprint by 80 tons a year, he said.


bbc--2019-09-10--Can solar power shake up the energy market

Can solar power shake up the energy market?

The classical Greek philosopher Socrates believed the ideal house should be warm in winter and cool in summer. With clarity of thought like that, it's easy to see how the great man got his reputation.  At the time, such a desire was easier to state than to achieve, yet many pre-modern civilisations designed buildings to capture sunlight from the low-hanging winter sun, while maximising shade in the summer.  All very elegant but that's not the sort of solar power that will run a modern industrial economy. And millennia went by without much progress.  A Golden Thread, a history of our relationship with the sun published in 1980, celebrates clever uses of solar architecture and technology across the centuries, and urged modern economies wracked by the oil shocks of the 1970s to learn from the wisdom of the ancients.  For example, parabolic mirrors - used in China 3,000 years ago - could focus the Sun's rays to grill meat.  Solar thermal systems used winter sun to warm air or water that could reduce heating bills.  Such systems now meet about 1% of global energy demand for heating. It's better than nothing, but hardly a solar revolution.  A Golden Thread only briefly mentions what was, in 1980, a niche technology: the solar photovoltaic (PV) cell, which uses sunlight to generate electricity.  The photovoltaic effect isn't new. It was discovered in 1839 by French scientist Edmond Becquerel, when he was just 19.  In 1883, American engineer Charles Fritts built the first solid-state photovoltaic cells, and then the first rooftop solar array which combined different cells, in New York city.  These early cells - made from a costly element named selenium - were expensive and inefficient.  The physicists of the day had no real idea how they worked - that required the insight of a fellow named Albert Einstein in 1905.  50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that helped create the economic world.  It is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen to all the episodes online or subscribe to the programme podcast.  But it wasn't until 1954 that scientists at Bell Labs in the US made a serendipitous breakthrough.  By pure luck, they noticed that when silicon components were exposed to sunlight, they started generating an electric current. Unlike selenium, silicon is cheap - and Bell Labs' researchers reckoned it was also 15 times more efficient.  These new silicon PV cells were great for satellites - the American satellite Vanguard 1 was the first to use them, carrying six solar panels into orbit in 1958.  The Sun always shines in space, and what else are you going to use to power a multimillion-dollar satellite, anyway? Yet solar PV had few heavy-duty applications on Earth itself: it was still far too costly.  Vanguard 1's solar panels produced half a watt at a cost of countless thousands of dollars.  By the mid-1970s solar panels were down to $100 (£81) a watt - but that still meant $10,000 for enough panels to power a light bulb. Yet the cost kept dropping.  By 2016 it was 50 cents a watt and still falling fast. After millennia of slow progress, things have accelerated very suddenly.  Perhaps we should have seen this acceleration coming.  In the 1930s, an American aeronautical engineer named TP Wright carefully observed aeroplane factories at work.  He published research demonstrating that the more often a particular type of aeroplane was assembled, the quicker and cheaper the next unit became.  Workers would gain experience, specialised tools would be developed, and ways to save time and material would be discovered.  Wright reckoned that every time accumulated production doubled, unit costs would fall by 15%. He called this phenomenon "the learning curve".  Recently, a group of economists and mathematicians at Oxford University found convincing evidence of learning-curve effects across more than 50 different products from transistors to beer - including photovoltaic cells.  Sometimes the learning curve is shallow and sometimes it is steep, but it always seems to be there.  In the case of PV cells, it's quite steep: for every doubling of output, cost falls by over 20%.  And this matters because output is increasing so fast: between 2010 and 2016 the world produced 100 times more solar cells than it had before 2010.  Batteries - an important parallel technology for solar PV - are also marching along a steep learning curve.  The learning curve creates a feedback loop that makes it harder to predict technological change. Popular products become cheap and cheaper products become popular.  And any new product needs somehow to get through the expensive early stages. Solar PV cells needed to be heavily subsidised at first - as they were in Germany for environmental reasons.  More recently China seems to have been willing to manufacture large quantities in order to master the technology.  This led the administration of previous US President Obama to complain that, rather than being too expensive, imported solar panels had become unfairly cheap.  Solar panels are particularly promising in poorer countries with underdeveloped and unreliable energy grids and plenty of sunshine during the day.  When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, for example, he announced ambitious plans to build large utility-scale solar farms - but also to establish tiny grids in rural villages with little or no access to the main grid.  But now that solar PV has marched along the learning curve, it is competitive even in rich, well-connected areas.  As early as 2012, PV projects in the sunny US states were signing deals to sell power at less than the price of electricity generated by fossil fuels.  That was the sign that solar power had become a serious threat to existing fossil fuel infrastructure, not because it's green but because it's cheap.  In late 2016 in Nevada, for example, several large casino chains switched from the state utility to purchase their power from largely renewable sources.  This wasn't a corporate branding exercise: it was designed to save them money, even after paying $150m (£122m) as a severance fee.  The Sun does not shine at night, and winter storage remains a big challenge. As Socrates warned us: the wisest people understand that they know nothing.  But the learning curve tells us that the ultimate triumph of solar PV seems likely: it is getting cheaper as it gets more popular, and more popular as it gets cheaper.  Socrates notwithstanding, that sounds like a recipe for success.  The author writes the Financial Times's Undercover Economist column. 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen to all the episodes online or subscribe to the programme podcast.


tass--2019-12-26--JA Solar will Supply modules for Huanghe Hydropower Development's UHV Transmission Project

BEIJING, Dec. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar, a leading manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic products, announced that it won the bid for supplying 490MW of high-efficiency modules for Huanghe Hydropower's ultra-high voltage (UHV) Transmission Project in Qinghai Province. The project, with a scale of 3.1GW, is the world's leading UHV demonstration project. This is also of great significance for the application of new technologies and exploration of deploying renewable energy projects with UHV.  JA Solar will supply its mono PERC 9BB half-cell bifacial double-glass modules for the project, facilitating the integration of advanced solar products and the UHV power grid. With a mass production output power of 410W and conversion efficiency of 20.4%, this advanced product incorporates some of the leading technologies, including bifacial cell, 9BB, half-cell and double-glass structure. Specifically, 9BB technology decreases resistance loss; half-cell technology enables better performance in shaded conditions; and the double glass structure allows better adaptability to different environments. Additionally, gallium doping technology is applied to the silicon wafers for effectively mitigating light induced degradation (LID). All of these technologies ensure that the module optimizes power-generating performance. With its strong reliability and environmental adaptability, JA Solar's advanced module has passed the testing of TUV Nord and Intertek, and is ideal for reducing balance of system (BOS) cost and LCOE.  Mr. Jin Baofang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JA Solar, stated, "Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd is a large comprehensive energy company under the State Power Investment Corporation. It has 20-year experience in the construction and development of photovoltaic power stations and has maintained a long-term cooperative relationship with JA Solar. We are honored to cooperate with Huanghe Hydropower on the pioneering project, and will continue to work with our cooperative partners to promote the large-scale application of high-efficiency products to enable the industry to reach grid parity globally."


themanchestereveningnews--2019-03-18--The hydropower scheme on Irlam Locks that will generate electricity for nearly 400 homes

A hydropower scheme that could generate renewable electricity for up to 380 homes will be built on Irlam Locks.  Energy company Renewables First will construct a hydropower turbine and accompanying turbine house on the eastern bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, after winning planning approval from Salford and Trafford councils.  The site falls on the border of the two authorities, which is why approval was needed approval from both town halls.  Planning documents show that the scheme is expected to generate approximately 1.4 gigawatt hours per year - enough to power around 380 homes - and provide an equivalent carbon saving of more than 700 tonnes of CO2 per year.  Developers argue there would be no ‘significant impact’ on resident amenity, ecology, fisheries, heritage, landscape - including green belt - or flood risk.  “No protected species or habitat will be affected by the development or operation of the scheme,” they add.  They say that while the power house will be visible from nearby green belt land, any ‘harm’ it would cause would be outweighed by the ‘significant’ benefits of the scheme.  No objections were made against the plans, according to a Salford town hall report.  The scheme was approved by Trafford’s town hall in January before getting the green light from a Salford council officer earlier this month.  The project is expected to run for at least 40 years, although planning documents say that some hydroelectric schemes work for up to 100 years.  The locks themselves are made up of two ship locks and five 'sluice' gates which control the water levels for the Ship Canal.


rferl--2019-04-21--Clashes Erupt In Georgias Pankisi Gorge Over Construction Of Hydropower Plant

Clashes Erupt In Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge Over Construction Of Hydropower Plant

Clashes broke out on April 21 in Georgia’s northeastern Pankisi Gorge region between police and residents protesting the construction of a hydropower plant.      The protesters threw stones at police, who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.      A local TV station showed several residents with minor injuries from rubber bullets and said some police officers were also hurt.      The situation is reported to remain tense.      Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who arrived in Pankisi following the clashes, said 15 officers had been injured in the clashes.  The residents of Pankisi oppose the construction of the Khadori-3 hydropower plant, saying it could harm the environment in the mountainous region and force them to leave their homes.      Construction work -- originally launched in March 2018 -- was restarted recently amid a promise by the government to address people’s concerns.      Local activists say construction of the plant must be halted.      Several protests have previously been held in the region against the hydropower project.


bbc--2019-09-05--Smiles as Princess Charlotte starts school

Princess Charlotte is "very excited" about starting school, the Duke of Cambridge said as he dropped her off for her first day.  Walking across the playground with both parents and her brother, Princess Charlotte smiled as she met the head of the lower school at Thomas's Battersea.  Prince George has attended the private school in south west London since 2017.  He began his first day of year two - his final year in the lower school before he moves to the middle school.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a photograph of Princess Charlotte and Prince George taken outside Kensington Palace before they left for St Thomas's.  And as she arrived at the school, Princess Charlotte, four, was photographed by the press meeting head teacher Helen Haslem.  Her uniform includes a navy pleated skirt and cardigan, white socks and black shoes.  The duchess carried her daughter's backpack, which was decorated with a pink key-ring in the shape of a pony's head. She smiled as she greeted Ms Haslem and asked about her summer holidays.  Ms Haslem bent down to shake hands with both George and Charlotte, who is fourth in line to throne.  The duke and duchess accompanied Charlotte to her classroom before saying their goodbyes.  Prince William, who drove the family to the school, said: "First day - she's very excited."  Prince George was also photographed on his first day at Thomas's Battersea, a preparatory school located a few miles from the family residence in Kensington Palace, in September 2017.  He, too, was greeted by Ms Haslem, after Prince William drove him through the school gates. The Duchess of Cambridge missed the occasion as she was not well enough to take him.  The school has around 560 pupils between the ages of four and 13.  It charges £6,429 per term for a family's eldest child and £6,305 for their second eldest child throughout reception, year one and year two, according to its website.


abcnews--2019-01-18--Pence defends wifes teaching job at school that bars gays

Pence defends wife's teaching job at school that bars gays

Vice President Mike Pence says the criticism of Christian education in America should stop.  Pence is responding to media reports of his wife returning to teach at a school that says it can refuse to employ gay and lesbian teachers or enroll children with gay or lesbian parents.  Karen Pence is teaching at Immanuel Christian School in northern Virginia.  The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights advocacy group, criticized the move as an example of the Pences showing their public service "only extends to some."  But Pence says on the Catholic news network EWTN in an interview that aired Thursday that America has a rich tradition of religious education and that "to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us."


abcnews--2019-03-11--Trump administration proposes 71 billion funding decrease to Education Department

Trump administration proposes $7.1 billion funding decrease to Education Department

The Trump administration is looking to decrease the Education Department’s funding by $7.1 billion compared to what it was given last year, as part of next year’s proposed budget.  The budget proposal suggests eliminating 29 programs, including after-school and summer programs for students in high-poverty areas, among other things.  The budget proposal is unlikely to pass through Congress – especially with Democrats in control of the House, however, it is a glimpse into the Trump administration’s priorities going into the next fiscal year.  In a statement on Monday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the proposed cuts show “commitment to spending taxpayer dollars wisely and efficiently by consolidating or eliminating duplicative and ineffective federal programs.”  She also said the “budget at its core is about education freedom,” an apparent nod to the issue of school choice – something DeVos has attempted to champion during her time as head of the department.  The proposed budget includes DeVos’ school choice platform by asking for an increase in $60 million for the Charters Schools Program.  The budget also requests $700 million for school safety measures from multiple agencies, including the Education Department, the Justice Department and Health and Human Services.  “After the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, the President established the Federal Commission on School Safety to assess and develop Federal, State, and local policy recommendations to help prevent violence in schools,” the 2020 budget proposal reads.  “The Budget provides approximately $700 million, an increase of $354 million compared to the 2019 Budget, in Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services grants to give States and school districts resources to implement the Commission’s recommendations, such as expanding access to mental healthcare, developing threat assessments, and improving school climate.”  American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued a statement responding to the proposed cuts, criticizing the DeVos’ leadership at the department.  “Rather than increase funding for kids with special needs or for those who live below the poverty line in both rural and urban America, or addressing the issues raised in their own safety report, DeVos once again seeks to divert funding for private purposes in the name of ‘choice,’” Weingarten said.  The statement continued: “However, if they listened to parents, they would hear that, overwhelmingly, parents want well-funded public schools as their choice.”  Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, also criticized the budget’s Education Department proposals, saying it showed “how wildly out of sync” DeVos is.  “Secretary DeVos is proposing gutting investments in students, teachers, public schools, and even school safety—all to make ro for her extreme privatization proposal that no one asked for. This is not a serious budget proposal, and I am going to once again work with Republicans in Congress to ensure every student has access to a quality public education in their neighborhood,” Murray’s statement said.


abcnews--2019-10-16--Chicago teachers to strike in nation's 3rd largest district

Chicago parents and community groups are scrambling to prepare for a massive teachers' strike set to begin Thursday, prompting the city to preemptively cancel classes in the nation's third-largest school district.  The Chicago Teachers Union confirmed Wednesday night that its 25,000 members would not return to their classrooms Thursday after months of negotiation between the union and Chicago Public Schools failed to resolve disputes over pay and benefits, class size and teacher preparation time.  The strike is Chicago's first major walkout by teachers since 2012 and city officials announced early Wednesday that all classes had been canceled for Thursday in hopes of giving more planning time to the parents of more than 300,000 students.  "We want this to be a short strike with an agreement that will benefit our schools and our teachers. We have a ways to go," Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said during a union news conference. "We actually want to see improvement on all the issues we are talking about here."  Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was disappointed by the union's decision to strike.  "We are offering a historic package on the core issues — salary, staffing and class size," she said Wednesday night at her own news conference, adding that school district negotiators will remain at the bargaining table and that she hopes the union does, too.  During the 2012 strike, the district kept some schools open for half days during a seven-day walkout. District officials said this time they will keep all buildings open during school hours, staffed by principals and employees who usually work in administrative roles.  Breakfast and lunch will be served, but all after-school activities and school buses are suspended in the district serving more than 300,000 students.  Janice Jackson, the district's CEO, encouraged parents to send their children to the school that they normally attend, however they will be welcome in any district schools.  "We've put together a really comprehensive plan for the students," Jackson said. "We will make sure they are safe and they have a productive day."  Also striking will be 7,000 support staffers, whose union also failed to reach a contract agreement.  Before the strike announcement, June Davis said if teachers walked out, she would likely send her 7-year-old son, Joshua, to his usual elementary school — Smyth Elementary on the city's South Side where almost all students are low-income and minority.  Davis, 38, said she would otherwise have to take her son to his grandmother's in a southern suburb, requiring an hourlong trip on a regional bus line.  "Everybody's hoping they will come to some kind of agreement, find some compromise," Davis said.  Lightfoot preemptively announced that classes on Thursday would be canceled, saying she wanted to give parents more time to plan. A clearly frustrated Lightfoot said the city had not only offered a 16% pay raise over the five-year contract, but the city also had agreed to put language in the contract addressing "enforceable targets" on class size and increasing staffing levels for positions such as nurses, librarians and social workers — items the union said were critical.  She said the union's demands would cost an unaffordable $2.5 billion per year.  Union leaders disputed Lightfoot's characterization of the city's willingness to concede to their demands on several issues, including class sizes.  "CPS' current class size offer falls far short of what's needed to address the sweeping scale of the problem," they said in a statement.  Lightfoot said the city agreed to make substantial changes on some of the union's top priorities, but its negotiators responded by issuing additional demands, including some she deemed unacceptable.  "The union is still demanding to shorten instructional time by 30 minutes in the morning," she said. "We won't do that. We will not cheat our children out of instructional time."  Before heading into a downtown law firm for bargaining talks Wednesday morning, union vice president Stacy Davis Gates said there is a "gross disconnect" between Lightfoot's comments and what negotiators have put in writing.  "To say that you have offered a proposal that respects what we are asking for, to say you've bent over backward ... it's absolutely ridiculous," Davis Gates said.  Community organizations have been preparing for days to welcome students, ranging from a $100 per day camp for elementary school kids at the Shedd Aquarium to all-day programs run by the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago and accessible for a $20 annual membership fee.  Mimi LeClair, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago, said a strike is particularly difficult for single parents and those whose jobs have inflexible schedules.  "It's a horrendous dilemma, deciding between likely losing their job or having their paycheck docked when they rely on every penny or leaving their children home alone," LeClair said.  The city's public libraries also are planning programs for students, along with a network of churches and community centers that are part of the city's Safe Haven program intended to give kids a safe place during the summer months particularly on the city's South and West sides.  The YMCA of Metro Chicago expects highest demand for its all-day programs for children between the ages of 5 and 12, who are too young to stay home alone but whose parents may oppose sending them to schools unstaffed by teachers.  "Real life still happens," said Man-Yee Lee, a spokeswoman for the organization. "Parents still need to go to work and their kids still need somewhere to go."


abcnews--2019-10-16--Chicago teachers' contract talks about more than money

Chicago's public schools will be closed Thursday as the city's 25,000 teachers are set to go on strike . A strike in the nation's third-largest school district would mean no classes for more than 300,000 students. Like most workers threatening to walk off the job, the teachers want a raise. But money is only part of the story.  Here are some of the issues behind the school district's second strike in seven years:  WHAT KIND OF MONEY ARE THE TEACHERS LOOKING FOR AND WHAT KIND OF RAISE IS THE CITY OFFERING?  The city has offered 16% raises for the teachers over a five-year contract and calls for the teachers' health care costs not to increase for three years. The city says that's a pretty good deal for teachers, whose starting annual salary of just under $53,000 is higher than the salary for teachers in any other school district in the state. But the union, which is asking for a 15% raise over three years, says its analysis shows teachers at the end of the contract will make about $15,000 less than the city says they will. The union also said the contract leaves unclear just how much health care costs will increase during the final two years.  WHY DON'T TEACHERS JUST TAKE THE MONEY?  At first blush, it seems like a pretty good deal: a 16% raise over five years. But the teachers' union sees a potential trap. Teachers say if they take the raise, they lose negotiating leverage as they demand more school nurses, social workers, librarians and smaller classrooms because those are not the kinds of things they can legally strike over. The union knows about the city's vow to add at least 200 social worker positions and at least 250 full-time nurse positions but has made it clear that the only way to make sure the city follows through on its promises is to put it in writing in the next contract.  WHY NOT JUST INCLUDE STAFFING REQUIREMENTS IN THE CONTRACT?  Until this week, the city wanted nothing to do with adding staffing requirements to the collective bargaining agreement, saying it would make it tougher for principals to run their individual schools because it would require them to use a chunk of their budgets to fill those positions at the expense of the "needs and desires of the local community or school." But this week the CPS and city announced a willingness to write into the contract language that would address class sizes and staffing issues. That's potentially good news to the union, which has made it clear that any deal must address staffing shortages and overcrowded classrooms.  JUST HOW CROWDED ARE THE CLASSES?  It depends on who you ask. The school district contends that 80% of the kindergarten to third-grade classes made the 28-student maximum and 90% of the fourth- to eighth-grade classes met the 31-student maximum. The union estimates that a quarter of the city's elementary school students are in overcrowded classrooms. That disagreement is partly why the union wants a contract provision that calls for teachers to receive an extra $5 a day per student whenever their classes exceed the mandated size limit. The union also is pushing for smaller class sizes. The district says that would require the hiring of another 1,150 teachers and 1,000 teacher assistants at a cost of at least $225 million annually.  WHY ARE NURSES, LIBRARIANS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND COUNSELORS SUCH A STICKING POINT?  There is no disputing the fact that the school district needs more people on those jobs. According to the union, about one-fifth of the district-run schools have librarians. And as scarce as they are citywide, the union says they are even harder to find in schools where most students are black. As for nurses, both the union and the school district agree many more are needed, though they can't agree on how many are currently working in the district. The union wants contract language that spells out that people will only be asked to do the jobs for which they are hired. It also has expressed concern about the number of students currently assigned to counselors and about various roles counselors are expected to fill, including as substitute teachers and lunchroom help.  WHAT IS THE DEBATE OVER AFFORDABLE HOUSING ABOUT?  Chicago is an expensive place to live and the way the union sees it, too expensive for some teachers and way too expensive for teaching assistants, clerks and other support staff. Like other city employees, teachers are required to live in Chicago and the union said that if police officers and firefighters receive housing subsidies, they should also get them. They want language in the contract that would call for the school district to provide housing assistance for new teachers and others, and to help students' families who are at risk of losing their housing. Mayor Lori Lightfoot agrees affordable housing is an important issue but a collective bargaining agreement between the teachers and the city isn't the place to solve it.


abcnews--2019-11-03--Former President Jimmy Carter is back teaching Sunday school

Former President Jimmy Carter taught a Bible lesson on life after death Sunday less than two weeks after breaking his pelvis in a fall.  Using a walker, the 95-year-old Democrat slowly entered the crowded sanctuary at Maranatha Baptist Church in the southwest Georgia town of Plains.  "Morning, everybody," he said cheerfully.  With help, Carter sat on a motorized lift chair at the front of the room to teach a 45-minute lesson based on the Old Testament book of Job.  Referring to a cancer diagnosis that resulted in the removal of part of his liver in 2015, Carter said he was is "at ease" with the idea of dying and believes in life after death.  More than 400 people were on hand in the main hall and smaller, overflow rooms where the lesson was shown on television.  Carter was briefly hospitalized and has since been recovering at home since fracturing his pelvis on Oct. 21. He also fell shortly before that and needed stitches above his left eye.  Carter is the oldest U.S. ex-President ever and has been teaching Bible lessons since he was in his teens. He missed one Sunday school class after the pelvis fracture.  Rev. Tony Lowden said Secret Service agents, relatives and fellow church members all discouraged Carter from teaching because of the injury, but he insisted.  "He is pouring out that you might see Christ while he is suffering," Lowden told the crowd.  Carter remained for the worship service after teaching, sitting in a pew beside his wife, Rosalynn, and singing hymns with the congregation.  Referring to the former president and Jesus Christ by their initials, Lowden gave thanks for Carter in prayer.  "The greatest thing I've learned as a pastor here is watching J.C. follow J.C.," Lowden said.


abcnews--2019-11-06--Report: Teacher broke rule, caused student injury

A Georgia high school teacher presenting a flashy demonstration to get her students excited about chemistry made a mistake that caused a fire to burn "out of control" and seriously injure a teenager in the front row, a school district report released Wednesday by the student's lawyers says.  Malachi McFadden, 16, suffered third-degree burns on his face, neck and torso and was hospitalized after his chemistry teacher bungled the "burning money demonstration" at Redan High School, just outside Atlanta, on the second day of his junior year, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, they released a report prepared by an investigator for the DeKalb County school system that uses witness statements from students and teachers to piece together what happened Aug. 6.  Teacher Bridgette Blowe wrote in a statement included in the report that she's successfully done the demonstration — lighting an accelerant-soaked bill on fire — in previous years and for two other classes this year. In this particular class, the flame didn't burn out completely, Blowe wrote, "so I attempted to extinguish the flame with water, but I reached for the alcohol instead, by mistake."  The report dated Oct. 21 says Blowe violated district standards and that Regional Superintendent Sean Tartt recommended Blowe be fired, but Principal Janice Boger recommended she be suspended and receive training on classroom safety. The school district didn't immediately answer a question Wednesday about Blowe's employment status.  In a letter included in the report, Boger called Blowe a good teacher who, in this case, "made an awful mistake."  L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer for McFadden, said they will likely end up suing for damages to cover his pain and suffering, as well as past and future medical costs, including plastic surgery.  "The only thing for them to do is to accept responsibility for it," Stewart said of the school district.  The demonstration Blowe was attempting is popular on the internet and the premise is simple: Soak paper money in a mixture of water and alcohol, light it and amaze your friends when the bill comes through unharmed. But numerous videos also show the experiment going horribly wrong.  Blowe had tried to do the experiment the first day of classes using a mixture of water and alcohol, but it didn't work, according to witness statements.  She tried the demonstration again the next day using a mixture of water and ethanol. After soaking a $5 bill and lighting it, she put it in a bowl and "added more ethanol to make the flame bigger," the investigator concluded. That "caused the flame to become out of control," spread across the lab table and burn McFadden, who had his head down.  Blowe said the glassware was mislabeled, but the report says it was unclear whether she was trying to put the fire out or "trying to make the flames larger so that students could see the flame." The investigator wrote that it was "inconclusive as to whether or not Ms. Blowe's use of water or alcohol was accidental."  McFadden told The Associated Press in a September interview that his hands still hurt constantly and he misses playing baritone saxophone in the band along with playing football and basketball. He hopes to return next semester.  He likes math and wants to be an engineer but has never really liked science. He'll have to take chemistry next year to graduate but said he feels nervous about that.  News outlets across the country have reported about students injured in chemistry class demonstrations in recent years, including one at a Manhattan high school that caused burns over about 31% of a student's body in 2014. In July, a jury awarded that student nearly $60 million in damages for past and future pain and suffering.  The problem isn't new, said Ken Roy, chief safety compliance adviser for the National Science Teaching Association. There's no national database that tracks such accidents, but Roy said he has anecdotal knowledge of at least 30 since the late 1990s that have ended up in court after students were seriously injured.  It may seem like there are more now because word spreads quickly on social media. That has prompted professional associations to step up their efforts to disseminate warnings and provide safety information for educators, Roy said.  "A science laboratory is a dangerous place," Roy said. "There's always going to be accidents, but of course you can make it safer to dramatically reduce that."  Blowe, 36, had worked at Redan since August 2016 and had previously worked as a science teacher at two other DeKalb County high schools from August 2007 through June 2013, according to school system employment records obtained by the AP through an open records request. The system declined to release performance reviews because they are confidential under state law.  While a student at Georgia Southern University, she worked as a teaching assistant in the chemistry department, according to an employment application. Among the responsibilities she listed: "Made sure all laboratory procedures were run safely and properly."


abcnews--2019-11-06--Strike plans unclear, Little Rock teachers hold 'walk-ins'

Little Rock teachers have given few clues on whether they'll strike because of Arkansas' decision to no longer recognize their union, but they're staging other demonstrations aimed at drawing attention to the end of their collective bargaining rights and the state's ongoing control of the local school district.  Teachers, parents, students and other community members held "walk-ins" around the 23,000-student district on Wednesday, entering school buildings together before classes started to show their support for the union. The move follows other demonstrations that have included a sick-out organized by students last week and some teachers participating in a "work to rule" action where they don't work extra hours. The Little Rock Education Association's contract with the district expired on Thursday following the state Board of Education's decision to no longer recognize the union as the district's sole bargaining agent.  "We feel that this is a symbolic statement that if we can all walk in together, we can all walk out together," Teresa Knapp Gordon, president of the 1,800-member association, said. Gordon said the union hasn't ruled out a strike and has other actions planned.  Tensions have been high since the state Board of Education's vote against the union last month. Arkansas has run the district since January 2015, when it was taken over because of low test schools at several schools. The state board voted to return the district to a local school board that will be elected in November 2020, but with the state maintaining some control. Aside from a return of collective bargaining rights, the union is also calling for an immediate return to full local control.  "I'm ready for us to have our school district back," Fran Carter, who was among dozens of parents who gathered in the rain for a walk-in at Little Rock Central High School. "Our whole community has been frustrated for five years. Nobody feels like they have a say."  Little Rock school officials have been lining up hundreds of substitute teachers and telling parents that schools will remain open even if there's a strike. Superintendent Michael Poore said he viewed the walk-ins as a positive thing and a way to encourage even more involvement in the schools. Poore praised the teachers and staff, who he said have kept a positive learning environment despite the uncertainty.  "To the best of my knowledge, we have gone on and done the job we're supposed to do over the last several weeks, and we've had good learning environments," he said.  Before the contract expired, Little Rock was the only district in the state that had a teachers' union with collective bargaining power. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who appointed eight of the board's nine members, has said he didn't think Little Rock should be an exception. Supporters of the board's decision have said more teachers will be represented by a "personnel policy committee" that will be set up in the district.  Earlier demonstrations prompted the state board to back off an initial plan that would have divided up control of the district — an effort that critics said would split Little Rock schools along racial lines 62 years after Central High's desegregation. Businesses and homes have been displaying "One LRSD" signs in support of the district regaining local control.  The Little Rock demonstrations follow actions by teachers elsewhere, including in other conservative states such as Oklahoma and West Virginia, that have gained widespread support. One expert said the key to any action in Little Rock is presenting the issue as broader than just union recognition or benefits.  "Only when teacher unions are able to frame their efforts as efforts to promote the common good are they really able to break out of that straight jacket," said Joseph McCartin, a history professor at Georgetown University who specializes in labor history. "You already see in Little Rock ways of doing that."


abcnews--2019-11-06--Student offers teacher his birthday cash, cites her pay rate

A Florida third-grader gave his teacher an unexpected surprise: $15 and a note saying he didn't think teachers are being paid enough.  Shortly before Halloween, Mary Hall Chambers opened a folder in her classroom at Gorrie Elementary School in Tampa. Inside was a note from 9-year-old Parker Williams, along with cash in a zip-top baggie.  "I don't think that teachers get paid enough for what they do so will you except this gift?" he wrote in black ink. He added, "My own money" and drew an arrow to the baggie below.  Chambers was charmed by his kind gesture. She later found out that the $15 came from his birthday money.  "I've had sweet gestures from students in the past but never money," said Chambers, who has been an elementary school teacher for 16 years.  "I can't accept this, but appreciate the gesture, Parker," she wrote back. "Students like you are the reason I teach."  She said his parents saw her note and told her that they didn't know Parker had sent her money.  The average starting teacher in Hillsborough County makes around $19 an hour. More experienced teachers make close to $25 an hour.


abcnews--2019-11-11--Little Rock teachers to go on strike over district's control

Little Rock teachers will go on strike for one day this week over an Arkansas panel's decision to strip their collective bargaining power and complaints about state control of the 23,000-student district, union officials said Monday.  The strike that will take place Thursday will be only the second time teachers have walked out of the job in Little Rock history. The Little Rock Education Association's announcement comes after the state Board of Education in October voted to no longer recognize the union when the contract expired Oct. 31.  The union has been calling for the state to give them back their bargaining power. Before the contract ended on Oct. 31, the Little Rock School District had been the only one in Arkansas where a teachers union had collective bargaining power. But union leaders said Thursday's strike was focused more broadly on returning full local control to the district.  Arkansas has run Little Rock's schools since the state board took over the district in January 2015 because of low test scores at several schools. The state board has voted to put the district under a local board that will be elected in November 2020, but with limits on its authority. The strike will occur the day the state panel is expected to vote on establishing the zones for the new local board.  "As educators, we would rather be in the classroom with our students, not on the picket line," Teresa Knapp Gordon, the union's president, said at a news conference outside Little Rock Central High School. "However, this community and the passionate, dedicated educators of this district will do what is necessary to protect the futures of our students."  While the union billed it as a one-day strike, Gordon left open the possibility of it stretching beyond Thursday if the panel doesn't return full local control.  "No options are off the table at this point," she said.  The only other teachers strike in the district was in 1987, when Little Rock students missed six days of school before a new two-year contract was approved.  Little Rock Superintendent Michael Poore said the district's schools will remain open and buses will continue to run, though some classes may have to be combined. In anticipation of the strike, school officials have been lining up hundreds of substitute teachers and said between 250 and 300 district and state employees can also work as educators.  "We are going to try to have as normal of a day as we possibly can," Poore told reporters. Poore said officials don't know how many teachers will join the strike.  The state Board of Education last month backed off a plan to divide control of the school district after critics said it would return Little Rock to a racially segregated system 62 years after nine black students integrated all-white Central High School.  The union, however, criticizes the latest plan because the state would still maintain some authority.  State Education Secretary Johnny Key and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who appointed eight of the nine state board members, said they were disappointed with the strike decision.  "I am disappointed that the union has chosen to lead a strike that encourages teachers to walk out on their students," Hutchinson said in a statement. "Superintendent Mike Poore has made it clear we are going to continue classes and continue education and that we will not let a strike stop the education of our students. We all desire local control and next year's school board election is a major step approved by the state Board of Education."  A teachers strike in Little Rock would follow similar actions elsewhere. A strike in Chicago, the nation's third-largest school district, canceled 11 days of classes for more than 300,000 students before a contract deal was reached on Oct. 31. And teachers in several states, including Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kentucky, protested last year at state capitols over wages and other issues.  Those in support of ending the Little Rock union's recognition have said more teachers will be represented by the district setting up a personnel policies committee made up of teachers that would offer advice on salaries and other issues. The state board also voted to reinstate employee protections for teachers in the district that it had waived in December.  Wendy Sheridan, a Little Rock parent, said she and her two children will join teachers at the picket line on Thursday before going to the state board meeting.  "While as parents we want what's best for our children, and that's to be in school, at this point what's best for our children is to support our educators and support others who are trying to do what's right for them in the long run," she said.  This story has been corrected to reflect that that 1987 was the last time a strike was held in the district, not the state, and that the announcement was made Monday.


birminghammail--2019-01-13--The worst primary schools in Birmingham according to Ofsted

The worst primary schools in Birmingham, according to Ofsted

These are the worst primary schools in Birmingham, according to Ofsted.  Four primary schools in the city are rated 'inadequate' or requiring 'special measures'.  School inspectors have said that urgent improvements need to be made at these schools.  One is an academy, another is an independent and the other two are regular primary schools.  This is what their latest Ofsted reports say - and the schools' responses to them ...  What the Ofsted inspector said: “Provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is inadequate.  “Teachers do not accurately check pupils’ attainment and progress. Because of this they do not plan work which is matched well enough to their abilities. Consequently, pupils make poor progress, especially in reading and mathematics.  “Teachers do not provide challenge for the most able pupils. They have low expectations of what these pupils can achieve, which prevents them from reaching the standards they should. Where teaching is ineffective, some learning is disrupted by poor behaviour.  However the Ofsted report did say the new head teacher has an accurate understanding of the school’s weaknesses and her decisive and swift actions are already leading to improvements across the school. Also, pupils’ progress and behaviour has improved over the last year.  What the school says  A spokesman for Nechells E-ACT Academy said: " We are deeply disappointed by the outcome of the Ofsted inspection. However, a comprehensive plan of action is already in place and we are already seeing significant improvements across the academy.  "We have every confidence in our recently appointed head teacher, who has devised clear and robust plans to improve teaching and learning, assessment and behaviour, whilst at the same time setting the very highest standards for all staff.  "We are already seeing significant improvements in pupil attendance, which currently stands at 96.4 per cent - a 3 per cent increase on this time last year.  "Pupil behaviour has also improved, with a significant reduction in the number of recorded behaviour incidents at the academy.  "In their report, Ofsted acknowledge that the academy's curriculum has been entirely redeveloped, describing it as 'purposeful, broad and balanced’.  "E-ACT’s support, leadership and guidance is also highlighted by inspectors, who describe Nechells’ close partnership with Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rated Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy as having accelerated improvements in teaching.  " We remain absolutely committed to turning Nechells E-ACT Academy around, and with the support of the entire academy community, we want to provide every one of our pupils with the quality of education they deserve."  What the Ofsted inspector said: “Unstable senior leadership since the school opened has hampered improvement. Leaders and governors have not done enough to improve teachers’ performance and pupils’ achievement in key stage 3.  “Leaders and governors do not make accurate assessments of the school’s effectiveness and the quality of teaching.  “The differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others are too great in some classes and are not decreasing quickly enough.  “There are too many inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve in key stage 3. Teachers are not using assessment information well enough to offer pupils the right level of challenge in lessons.  “Although most pupils behave well, the behaviour of some pupils in key stage 3 lessons is not acceptable.”  However, a Section 48 Oftsted Inspection took place in November 2018, where the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a Christian school was rated as good.  The inspector said: "The emphasis on appropriate educational attainment as an expression of the school’s Christian foundation is now much more evident and signs of improvement, especially since the Ofsted report of May 2018, are in place.  "The board of directors has been reconstituted with a very clear and effective focus on attainment and progress, senior leaders are now ensuring consistent approaches to teaching and learning and are supporting staff well in delivering improvements.  "In keeping with the school’s Christian and inclusive vision there is a broad curriculum offer, high aspirations, and increasingly focused teaching and learning in evidence."  What the school says  A spokesman said: "King Solomon International Business School is one of the few all-through schools in the country (providing primary and secondary education).  "Unfortunately, despite the fact Ofsted rated one of the two phases of the school as ‘Good’ the one phase which was 'Inadequate' affected the overall judgement.  "Since the Ofsted Inspection in May 2018, the school has made rapid improvement in the phase of the school that needed improvement. This is reflected in our most resent Section 48 Inspection (November 2018) where we were rated overall 'Good'; including in leadership and management.  "For the first time in three years, the school is now in a building which is fit for purpose allowing students and staff to access state of the art facilities and focus on our core educational offer.  "The schools Post Ofsted Action Plan has been approved by Ofsted and the school are on track for meeting our improvement targets.  "It is unfortunate that the Ofsted inspection did not reflect the fact that for the past three years our students and staff were working in a less than ideal environment with limited space and educational facilities.  "There were significant delays in the completion of our school building, which was signed over to us ‘only’ two weeks before the Ofsted Inspection.  "These mitigating circumstances which adversely affected the overall performance of students and staff should have been taken into consideration in the Ofsted inspection.  "Two weeks before the Ofsted inspection new Senior Leadership was appointed; since that time the school has made significant changes which have led to improved academic attainment.  "We are confident that with the improvements being made, the school is well on the way to moving out of Special Measures."  What the Ofsted inspector said: “Leaders and governors have not taken sufficient action to address the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. Governors have not robustly challenged how the school has spent the additional pupil premium funding. The reports given by leaders to governors on the impact of pupil premium spending are inaccurate.  “Disadvantaged pupils across the school do not make enough progress from their starting points.  “Teachers in most classes do not plan lessons that build on pupils’ previous knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Attendance is too low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.”  However the Ofsted report does add that pupils’ personal development and well-being is good, teaching in Year 6 is a strength of the school and support staff work well to help SEND pupils make progress in lessons.  BirminghamLive contacted the school but the staff declined to comment.  What the Ofsted inspector said: “Leaders and directors have not ensured that all of the independent school standards are met. The quality of teaching is too inconsistent, and a minority of pupils in Years 5 and 6 do not make the progress of which they are capable, especially in mathematics.  “The curriculum has not been fully adapted to meet the needs of all pupils, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, the most able and lowerability pupils.  “Some teachers do not use the information on pupils’ needs and aptitudes to plan lessons effectively. As a result, some pupils’ work is either too easy or too hard.”  However, according to the Ofsted report, the teaching of phonics and reading is effective, staff have high expectations of how pupils should behave and pupils enjoy school, attend regularly and take their learning seriously. It also said that leaders are developing an exciting new curriculum that provides rich opportunities for pupils to engage in new experiences.  BirminghamLive contacted the school but the staff declined to comment.  Make sure you don't miss the deadline to apply for your child's primary school.  * To keep updated on school news and family things to do in Birmingham, like our Brummie Mummies and What’s On Facebook pages.  You can also sign up to our weekly Brummie Mummies email newsletter


abcnews--2019-01-17--Second lady to teach art at Christian school that bans LGBT teachers families

Second lady to teach art at Christian school that bans LGBT teachers, families

The White House has announced that Second Lady Karen Pence will teach art classes twice a week at a Northern Virginia’s Immanuel Christian Elementary School through the end of May.  But the announcement has been drawn into focus the school’s policies seen as hostile to the LGBT community, including a ban on any students and teachers, and a policy that reserves the right to remove students who are children of LGBT parents.  According to a copy of the school’s employment application, aspiring faculty must pledge they will “strive to live a personal life of moral purity,” and notes that should include an understanding that “the term “marriage” has only one meaning; the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive covenant union."  The school also asks applicants to commit to not engage in "moral misconduct," which it says includes “homosexual or lesbian activity… transgender identity, [and] any other violation of the unique roles of male and female.”  A separate agreement required for parents to sign notes that the school reserves its right to “refuse admission to an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student” if conduct in the home is “in opposition to… a biblical lifestyle" – which it says includes “participating in, supporting, or condoning sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bi-sexual activity.  Vice President Mike Pence faced similar scrutiny during the 2016 campaign for his past promotion of policies that were seen as hostile to the LGBT community.  In the 1990s, Pence’s congressional campaign website included a statement that raised questions whether he advocated for “conversion therapies” for gay youths.  “Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” the website said.  But a spokesperson for Pence after the website comments surfaced said he was merely calling for federal funds to “be directed to groups that promoted safe sexual practices” and that he was not a proponent of conversion therapy.  The Vice President's office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the school's policies.  The Second Lady's office in its announcement said that Karen Pence had previously taught art for 12 years at Immanuel Christian School, as well as 13 years at public and private schools in Indianapolis, Indiana.


abcnews--2019-12-03--US scores above average in math, science, still lags in math

American students may not be reading any better, but they’re moving up in rankings of educational achievement worldwide because many of their peers in other countries are performing worse.  And while their math performance may not be declining, 15-year-olds in the United States still lag the scores of their peers in dozens of other countries.  Overall, the latest global snapshot of achievement shows American students scoring above average in reading and science, but below average in math.  The 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, shows several Asian school systems at the top. The best-performing across all three measures was a group of four Chinese provinces — Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. PISA seeks to test not only what students know, but whether they can apply that knowledge to solve problems.  About 600,000 15-year-old students in nearly 80 nations and educational systems took part in the two-hour computer-based test last year. The test is based on a 1,000-point scale.  — In reading, the U.S. average score was 505, above the international average of 487.  — In math, the U.S. average score was 478, below the international average of 489.  — In science, the U.S. average score was 502, above the international average of 489.  Average U.S. scores didn’t change significantly in any of those subjects since 2015. Average U.S. scores are also basically unchanged since when the test was first given in 2000 for reading and in 2003 for math. American science scores are up since 2006, thanks to improvements in earlier years.  Across the globe, American students were significantly outperformed by their counterparts in eight jurisdictions in reading, by 30 jurisdictions in math and by 11 jurisdictions in math.  U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement that students need “the freedom to pursue different options and a more personalized educational experience.” She has been promoting proposals for federal tax credits for donations made to groups offering scholarships for private schools, apprenticeships, school vouchers and greater reliance on privately run charter schools.  “The bottom line is there has not been a single study that shows American education is improving enough,” DeVos said. “Scores have flatlined for a decade. Worse yet, scores for our most vulnerable students continue to decline.”  Peggy Carr, the associate commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, told reporters Monday that the U.S., by holding steady in reading scores, rose in comparison with other countries.  “It’s not exactly the way you want to improve your ranking, but nevertheless our ranking is improved,” Carr said. However, she noted the U.S. is “clearly struggling” in math.  Like recent results on another major nationwide test — the National Assessment of Educational Progress — U.S. results showed the highest performing students were doing better in reading and math, while lower-performing students didn’t improve.  “It’s another red flag that this is something to think about,” Carr said.  Tom Loveless, an educational researcher near Sacramento, California, said the Chinese provinces that were tested saw a substantial increase in their scores. It’s not clear that that group of students is representative of China at large, with Carr repeatedly telling reporters Monday that the four large cities are more affluent than China as a whole. The Chinese region displaced the 2015 frontrunner, the Asian city-state of Singapore.  “It’s the only country where they allow the national government to select the provinces that are tested,” Loveless said. “It still makes it very difficult to interpret the Chinese scores.”  Loveless describes the United States’ overall performance as mediocre.  “The U.S. is basically doing what it’s done since PISA started, which is hanging around the middle of the pack,” Loveless said.  Others, though, are deeply concerned about U.S. scores, especially in math. Marc Tucker, the founder of the National Center on Education and the Economy, said the United States must improve if it is to remain economically competitive with China.  “China is now poised to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. It is hard to see how the United States can compete with a far larger country that has a much better educated workforce that charges much less than we do for labor,” Tucker said.  A mixture of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, the test is coordinated every three years by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Schools in each country are randomly selected, and OECD says the selection of schools is kept as inclusive as possible so that student samples are drawn from a broad range of backgrounds and abilities.


activistpost--2019-02-06--5 Ways to Teach Liberty to Young Children

If you believe that liberty is important for the future, you probably wonder how today’s kids are learning about it. You might quiz young children in your life to determine what they know. You could scan their social studies texts to see how liberty is described. Ultimately, you will probably decide you should instruct them about liberty yourself. But how?  Elementary and middle school-aged children are not developmentally ready to debate the border wall, the minimum wage, or the war on drugs. Much of the discussion about liberty that engages adults would confuse or even distress young children. When it concerns liberty, what is appropriate to teach young children? How can it be explained? Can learning about liberty be engaging for five- to twelve-year-olds? As a parent and teacher, these are the questions I pondered. I created the website Kids Learn Liberty to answer them.  If you have ever tried to teach a young child, you know that you must build on the child’s current knowledge one small step at a time. Care must be taken to avoid using words the learner does not comprehend. Since liberty is an abstract concept, children’s grasp of it is strengthened with narratives and hands-on projects. Keeping all that in mind, here is a sample of topics from Kids Learn Liberty.  Explaining that government generally uses violence to pursue its goals would be unsuitable for young children. It would encourage fear and mistrust. However, children can learn to distinguish between cooperation and coercion. Both involve people interacting. Cooperation is voluntary. Coercion involves threats or actual harm.  After learning about, and hearing examples of, cooperation and coercion, children can listen to the story The Queen of the Frogs by Davide Cali, which explores the issue of rulers vs. ruled, and The Arabolies of Liberty Street, by Sam Swope, which pits the forces of sameness against the joys of individuality. Both will set the stage for thought and discussion about cooperation and coercion.  To make cooperation and coercion more personal, children can write examples of human interactions on index cards and sort them into their proper categories. As world events and family and personal experiences present more examples, these can be added to the deck. When they are ready, children can learn—or better still, figure out for themselves—that most government activities are coercive.  The dangers and difficulties of their journeys show the importance of freedom to them.  Immigration is an appropriate and interesting topic for five- to twelve-year-olds. Most immigrants move from less free to more free locations, which demonstrates liberty’s widespread appeal. Kids first need to know what immigration means and that troubles like war, oppression, and poverty are the reasons people relocate. The dangers and difficulties of their journeys show the importance of freedom to them.  Many outstanding children’s books describe immigrant experiences. Some are factual, such as L is for Liberty by Wendy Cheyette Lewison. A chapter book suitable for middle schoolers, Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse, weaves a compelling narrative about a Russian immigrant girl.  The immigrant experience can be made personal for young children by sharing with them the stories, photos, and heirlooms of their own immigrant ancestors. Children can also visit Meet Young Immigrants on the Scholastic website to hear the words of present-day immigrant children.  Kids love heroes. Introduce young children to real people who championed liberty. Founders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson come to mind. Others can be even more powerful.  The beautifully illustrated book Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass by Lesa Cline-Ransome will astonish kids as they follow the twisting path Douglass trod to learn how to read. The Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David Adler conveys the horrors of slavery and the risks people took to escape it. Tubman’s words describing how she felt to be free are breathtaking. Consider also Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, a living young person who stood up for her freedom to learn.  Something as commonplace as a grocery store produce department abounds with interesting examples of exchange.  Though the mathematics of economic freedom would lull young children to sleep (not a bad thing if you are an exhausted parent), adults can help generate kids’ interest in the economic activity happening around them. Farmers are plowing in their fields. Construction workers are putting up new buildings. Consider taking the children in your life on a tour of a local factory. The tag inside a new pair of sneakers will tell where they were produced. Why not help their new owner find that place on a world map? Trains and delivery vehicles are loaded with products heading to customers. What are they carrying? Where might they be going? Something as commonplace as a grocery store produce department abounds with interesting examples of exchange. Tomatoes from local farms, apples from Washington state, and grapes from Chile are all products of trade.  A surprising number of children’s books have economic freedom as a theme. Some are explicit, such as the classic story “I, Pencil” by Leonard Read. It cleverly describes how, without central direction, many specialists from all over the world work together to produce an everyday object. One Hen by Kate Smith Milway explains how entrepreneurship helped an African community become more prosperous.  A powerful way to demonstrate the importance of liberty is to contrast free and unfree countries. Unfortunately, most nonfiction books for young children about nations such as North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela fail to explain the oppression and privation suffered by their citizens. Stories about developing nations focus on the ways that children all over the world are alike. Though this is good for nurturing understanding, getting children from wealthy countries to make the connection between liberty and lifestyle will probably require explanation. The story The Water Princess by Susan Verde describes a young African girl’s daily walks to obtain water for drinking and washing. Children with indoor plumbing will benefit from hearing that dependable tap water is a benefit of living in a free and prosperous community. Narratives are what make the realities of lack of freedom come to life. For example, truthful stories about life in North Korea (N is for North Korea by Trevor Eissler) and Afghanistan (Nasreen’s Secret School by Jeanette Winter) describe the lives of oppressed children. Hearing explanations, reading powerful narratives, and making personal connections will help young children comprehend and appreciate liberty. Then they will be better prepared for the onslaught of historic and political perspectives they will encounter in high school and beyond. The best way to preserve liberty for posterity is to make sure that those going into the future understand its importance. For more concepts, dozens of literature suggestions, plus links and family activities for teaching liberty to children, go to the website kidslearnliberty.com. This article was sourced from FEE.org


activistpost--2019-03-28--Scientists Begin Teaching AI Robots To Evolve Reproduce

Scientists Begin Teaching AI Robots To Evolve & Reproduce

Evolutionary roboticists have decided to begin teaching artificial intelligence powered robots to evolve and reproduce.  Why should humans go to the trouble of building more robots when a robot could do it instead?  According to Futurism, this is known as high-tech Darwinism. The researchers’ ultimate goal is to design artificial intelligence and robots that can analyze their own source code and mate with others by combining bits and pieces of their code with that of other robots. This would to create “offspring,” much like organic life, Futurism reported.  But it isn’t actually anything like organic life, actually. But evolutionary roboticists who have this new goal have high-tech Darwinism to the extreme. Apparently, just like biological life evolves to fill ecological niches, these robots’ offspring might be better adapted to their environments that their architects specifically built them for.  An interesting future awaits once high-tech Darwinism becomes successful. And Wired reported that some scientists are well on their way to making this technology a reality.  David Howard, one of the scientists on the project, told Wired that there’s a positive spin to all of this. “It gives you a lot of diversity, and it gives you the power to explore areas of a design space that you wouldn’t normally go into.” But others see this as a way to permanently force human beings into extinction. “One of the things that makes natural evolution powerful is the idea that it can really specialize a creature to an environment,” Howard told Wired.  But natural evolution doesn’t sound anything like robot evolution.  Humans are making themselves obsolete and our two cents is that this will not end well for humanity.  Click here to subscribe: Join over one million monthly readers and receive breaking news, strategies, ideas and commentary. You can read more from Mac Slavo at his site SHTFplan.com


aljazeera--2019-01-05--Ukraine churchs historic split from Russia granted by patriarch

Ukraine church's historic split from Russia granted by patriarch

The recently established Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been granted independence, formalising an historic split from the Russian Church after more than 300 years of alignment.  Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Head of the global Orthodox Church Bartholomew I signed the "Tomos" independence decree in a ceremony in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday.  Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, were present at the event.  Bartholomew I said the move would grant Ukrainians "the sacred gift of emancipation, independence and self-governance", adding they would be "free from every external reliance and intervention".  Poroshenko, for his part, thanked Bartholomew I "for the courage to make this historic decision" and said that "among the 15 stars of the Orthodox churches of the world a Ukrainian star has appeared," referring to the updated number of churches that don't answer to an external authority.  "I want to thank the millions of Ukrainians around the world who responded to my appeal to pray for the church to be established," Poroshenko added in a speech at the ceremony.  Bartholomew I will officially hand the decree to the new Ukrainian church at a mass in Istanbul on Sunday, Russia's state-owned TASS news agency reported.  Vladimir Legoida, a spokesman for the Moscow church, denounced the decree as "a document that is the result of irrepressible political and personal ambitions", the AFP news agency reported.  It had been "signed in violation of the canons and therefore not possessing any canonical force", Legoida said in a statement.  The independence decree will force Ukrainian clerics to pick sides between the Moscow-backed Ukrainian churches and the new church as fighting persists in eastern Ukraine between government forces and rebels backed by Russia.  It came after Bartholomew I revoked a 1686 ruling that placed Ukraine under the patriarchate in Moscow in October.  The move was largely boycotted by Ukraine's biggest church, which is loyal to Russia.  Moscow and the Russian church, meanwhile, severed ties with Istanbul, the centre of the Orthodox world.  Ukrainian Orthodox leaders approved the creation of a new, unified church split from the Moscow Patriarchate last month, however.  Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since 2014 when Kiev street protests urging Ukrainian integration with Europe led to the ousting of pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych.  Russia subsequently annexed Crimea and has supported Russian-speaking separatists in Ukraine's east in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people.  Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait, a narrow sea passage close to the Crimean peninsula that separates the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.  Poroshenko announced the end of the measure last month, saying military rule had to be lifted on account of an upcoming presidential vote scheduled to be held on March 31.


cnsnews--2019-01-18--Pence To See Major News Organizations Attacking Christian Education Is Deeply Offensive To Us

Pence: 'To See Major News Organizations Attacking Christian Education Is Deeply Offensive To Us'

(CNSNews.com) - Vice President Mike Pence, defending both his wife and his Christian faith, spoke Thursday about the liberal backlash resulting from Karen Pence's decision to return to a Christian school as a volunteer art teacher.      "To see the mainstream media...criticize my wife because she's choosing to return to the classroom of an elementary Christian school is wrong," Pence told "Washington Watch."      CatholicVote.org gathered some of the offensive comments and headlines from "anti-Christian bigots" in the "left-wing media," as follows:      -- “Karen Pence’s Bigoted New School" (Huffington Post)      -- CNN reporter Kate Bennett tweeted: "So let me get this straight, the second lady of the United States has chosen to work at a school that openly discriminates against LGBT adults and children.”      -- Lois Romano, The Washington Post: “How can this happen in America in 2019?”  My wife and I have been in the public eye for quite a while. We're used to the criticism. But I have to tell you, to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us.      We have a rich tradition in America of Christian education, and frankly, religious education broadly defined. We celebrate it. The freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution prohibits a religious test for holding public office. We'll let the other critics roll off our back, but this criticism of religious education in America should stop.  Immanuel Christian school, located in Northern Virginia, says on its website: "We are, first of all, a Christian school and as such establish the biblical basis from which we will teach a Christian world and life view. While we recognize that not all parents will agree with every item in this statement, it is necessary that the parents agree to support the premise that their child will be taught from the perspective provided in our statement of belief."      What outraged some on the left is the school's policy against "moral misconduct," which includes "heterosexual activity outside of marriage (e.g., premarital sex, cohabitation, extramarital sex), homosexual or lesbian sexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity, any other violation of the unique roles of male and female, sexual harassment, use or viewing of pornographic material or websites.”      The Huffington Post reported on Thursday that an LGBTQ advocacy group "has sent Immanuel Christian 100 copies of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a children’s book about a boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny. Included with the books is 'a heartfelt note that encourages the school’s leaders to accept LGBTQ young people,' the group said."      In an essay on Thursday, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins said the fury directed at Karen Pence for simply volunteering at a Christian school should serve as a warning for all Christians:      Three years after the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal, Perkins wrote, "all of the lies about 'love' and 'tolerance' have been eclipsed by the court cases, articles, and editorials demonizing people of faith. What Americans see now is the truth: the Left is coming for our freedom. And they have no intention of letting up," he continued:  Like Joe Biden's wife, Karen Pence spent years in the classroom. When Mike was in Congress, she taught art at Immanuel Christian School in Virginia -- and no one batted an eye. Of course, that was back in the early 2000s, when the Left's charm offensive on same-sex marriage was still in full swing. We'll be accommodating, they said. We just want to co-exist, they said. Our relationships won't affect you, they said. A handful of years later, "affected" doesn't begin to describe to what happens to conservatives who think differently than the totalitarian Left.      Of course, the Pences are not strangers to the other side's viciousness. Every time the media is reminded about the family's faith, they become hysterical all over again -- a scene that played out this week when Karen announced she'd be volunteering at Immanuel Christian this spring. "I am excited to be back in the classroom and doing what I love to do," she said in a statement. "I have missed teaching art, and it's great to return to the school where I taught art for 12 years."      She can't go back there, LGBT activists raged! They reject homosexuality! Yes, well, that's what orthodox Christian schools do. (Not to mention Jewish and Muslim ones too.) Would it have been headline news if Jill Biden taught at a Roman Catholic school? Probably not. Yet, the Left and their media chums are hurling profanity at the Pences for something that, even five years ago, wouldn't have been controversial. Frankly, the only thing that would have been shocking is if Karen worked at a Christian school that didn't act like a Christian school.  Perkins said the left's "real problem" isn't that Karen Pence is working at a Christian school; the real problem is that evangelical schools exist at all.      "There used to be a consensus in this country that religious liberty was for everyone. When the Religious Freedom Restoration Act came before Congress, only three members voted against it. Over time, some liberals tried to isolate faith -- to churches, Christian schools, or family rooms. You've heard me say before that the Left's hope is to quarantine religion within the four walls of the church. Now, it's becoming clear -- even that won't satisfy them."