Smarter and Harder

Eli and Tim talk about their experience with school start-up from a teacher's perscpective.  Remember that your child's teachers and your child have no air conditioning and the school is 90 degrees.  Cut them all some slack and give them a verbal hug.  

Eli is well-read on this one as he went through the 91-page presentation for the school board regarding school choice.  Tim tries to keep up.   Is school choice the right course of action for declining enrollment?  Would 1 high school do the trick?

Somebody needs to hire a data analyst for PPS.  The numbers tell a different story from the equity agenda.   Eli and Tim break down the posted data to show holes.  

Eli and Tim get the pleasure of speaking with friend of the podcast, Tae Chong.  His reasons for leaving the Portland City Council and some of his takeaways from his term of service to the City of Portland.  Tae gives us a quick look at the Charter Commission procdure and why voters NEED to pay attention to what they will be voting on in November.  

Eli and Tim get long-winded as they spend the first half talking gun violence and and a lack of protection in PPS schools.   At the 19:16 mark, they switch over to Xavier's lack of buy-in from those who work under him.  How is it that rumors of a Vote of No Confidence are starting to swirl around the winner of a leadership award.  Most great educational leaders do not have a mass-exodus of those who they are leading.  

Eli helps Tim make sense of the feeling that we are going backwards in time.    Roe v. Wade, Civil Unrest, Gun Control.  Where's the magic wand?!

Eli teaches Tim about the big money election W.   Why are progressives taking over Portland Maine politics?  What's next?  

Eli and Tim want to know where the data is that supports Portland superintendent's claim.   They may have another prospective on why black students are getting in trouble more than white kids.  

Rule #1 as a leader....SUPPORT YOUR EMPLOYEES!!!  Epic fail on Xavier's part.  Tim is hot under the collar.  Eli, once again, brings logic and sense to the conversation.  Vague and unsubstantiated stats from the leader of our school district.  Fitting some data to a narrative??  

Tim hears the term "dark money" and thinks it's a subplot in a Batman movie.  Eli, once again, takes Tim to school on the what, who,  and why dark money exists in politics.  But the big question is "Why a small town like Portland, Maine?"