DHS teacher Chris Billingsley points to a recent op-ed in the WSJ by AJC Columnist Kyle Wingfield, where he recaps the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, scolds those who say that less emphasis should be put on standardized tests as a result (In his words “…that makes as much sense as saying the Tour de France should de-emphasize racing times this summer, or not keep them at all, because some cyclists have been caught doping.”), and points to the City Schools of Decatur for a potential solution…

Still, there may well be better ways to use tests to measure teachers’ effectiveness while reducing the temptation to cheat. One possibility that’s already being tried by a number of school systems, including the one in nearby Decatur, Ga.: so-called value-added tests, which gauge a student’s progress over the course of a school year rather than merely determining whether the student is performing at grade level. A teacher who brings a fifth grader from a second-grade reading level to a fourth-grade level, for instance, has helped him make up a lot of ground in one year. She shouldn’t be punished because he’s still behind.

Mr. Billingsley says “He must be referring to…the testing program we use (called MAPP).”

Judd sent me a link yesterday to this Wall Street Journal op-ed by Journal Lenore Skenazy – the “Free Range Kids” lady who we’ve discussed before – about how many parents fear their kids’ few hours of freedom on Halloween despite all evidence to the contrary.

It’s a good, sarcastic and irritated rant.  Full of fun facts and assertions.  I’m a fan of this line in particular, “Sure, the folks down the street might smile and wave the rest of the year, but apparently they were just biding their time before stuffing us silly with strychnine-laced Smarties.” (However, I’m a sucker for a sentence that starts with “Sure,” truth be told.)

Anyway.  Parents, free-range advocates, those annoyed by “nanny-“anything will all find something to cherish in its peevish paragraphs.  I strongly recommend it.

But Judd’s right on the money when he remarks that the conclusion reminds him of assertions often made here on DM…

In fact, she says, “We almost called this paper, ‘Halloween: The Safest Day of the Year,’ because it was just so incredibly rare to see anything happen on that day.”

Why is it so safe? Because despite our mounting fears and apoplectic media, it is still the day that many of us, of all ages, go outside. We knock on doors. We meet each other. And all that giving and taking and trick-or-treating is building the very thing that keeps us safe: community.

We can kill off Halloween, or we can accept that it isn’t dangerous and give it back to the kids. Then maybe we can start giving them back the rest of their childhoods, too.

Hell yeah.  Take back the night from the apoplectic media.

Richard Florida, known for his fairly recent theories on “the creative class” and their clustering in post-industrial cities, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal a couple weeks back about the qualities of America’s most resilient suburbs during an era where many suburbs are in decline.

In addition to the ongoing conversation about retro-fitting the suburbs to act more like traditional towns, Florida cites existing metropolitan suburbs that have held up well in the malaise of a stagnant economy.  According to Florida, these ‘burbs share many basic characteristics, such as dense commercial downtowns, a variety of housing options and are located along old streetcar lines.

Do you know any cities like that?

A 2007 study by Christopher Leinberger found more than 150 walkable towns in America’s 30 largest metro regions—places like Hoboken, Montclair and Princeton, N.J.; Stamford and Greenwich, Conn.; Brookline, Mass.; Bryn Mawr, Pa.; and Royal Oak and Birmingham, Mich. Newer versions of walkable suburbs can be found in regions that developed later, like Palo Alto, Calif.; Boulder, Colo.; Coral Gables, Fla.; Decatur, Ga.; and Clayton, Mo.

These are the places where Americans are clamoring to live and where housing prices have held up even in the face of one of the greatest real-estate collapses in modern memory.

So here’s a question…why is it that old streetcar suburbs are now the hottest thing going?  What is it about them that so appeals to the 21st century urbanista?

Thanks to Eva and Louis for forwarding!

Source: Wall Street Journal

Now you can do it legally!  (CLICK HERE to go right to the pics)

The Wall Street Journal ran a story on Friday about the Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers Decatur home, reflecting on her large, enviable kitchen, recording studio and 2,000 bottle wine cellar.  As for Decatur itself, here’s what Saliers has to say…

Previously living in the Druid Hills section of Atlanta, Ms. Saliers said she decided to move to Decatur about a decade ago. “I love Decatur. It is diverse, politically progressive, family oriented and I can walk everywhere,” she said. She said it was the kitchen that convinced her to buy her current 2,888-square-foot home for $640,000 in 2001. A five-bedroom, four-bathroom home nearby built this year is currently on the market for $679,000.

Ah, to have bought a Decatur home in 2001.  Some people get all the breaks!