Hobby Lobby president promotes Biblical curriculum - Teachers jab back at Martinez Presented by Comcast

With help from Tarini Parti, Nirvi Shah and Stephanie Simon

HOBBY LOBBY PRESIDENT PROMOTES BIBLICAL CURRICULUM: Public schools in Mustang, Okla., will offer a Bible course next fall developed by Steve Green, president of the Hobby Lobby craft chain. It’s the start of an ambitious bid by Green to introduce Scripture to public school students across the U.S. Within a few years, Green hopes thousands of schools will offer his curriculum — a sequence of four full-year classes exploring the Bible’s content, history and impact on society. The classes will be electives in Mustang, but Green has said he hopes districts will one day make them mandatory.


— The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that it’s legal for schools to teach the Bible as long as it’s presented “objectively” as part of a “secular program of education.” Green himself has said that he wants students to understand that the Bible is “true” and “good,” but it’s unclear if the classes will take that approach. The scholar Green tapped to run the program, Jerry Pattengale, told Religion News Service that the courses “may or may not espouse those views.” More on the curriculum from RNS: http://wapo.st/P9ixbu

— Hobby Lobby, of course, has been in the news of late because it’s challenging the requirement under the Affordable Care Act that contraceptive coverage be included in health insurance plans. Green is also building a 430,000-square foot international Bible museum just a few blocks off the National Mall. It’s due to open in 2017, with exhibits drawn from his family’s vast collection of Bible artifacts: http://bit.ly/1hSBImO.

TEACHERS JAB BACK AT MARTINEZ: Teachers unions are making hay out of a recent Mother Jones piece that included audio clips of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico disparaging teachers. Stephanie Ly, president of the New Mexico affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, responded, “I wish the governor's words came as more of a surprise, but they don't. Gov. Martinez has been unabashed in her strategy to attack teachers and dismantle public education in New Mexico.”

— The audio clips were recorded back in 2010. Martinez’ campaign manager dismissed their sudden appearance as a “smear” perpetrated by the “national left.” Meanwhile, the governor, widely seen as an up-and-coming star of the GOP, tried to turn the furor to her advantage with a Twitter fundraising plea: “Stand with me and show the D.C. liberal media their desperate attacks have no place in NM.” She later tweeted she had raised “nearly $15,000 in past few hours!” The Mother Jones piece: http://bit.ly/1j93eaZ. And a story on the response, from the Santa Fe New Mexican: http://bit.ly/1nsTWKJ.

IT’S FINALLY FRIDAY, APRIL 18. I’m headed north for the Easter weekend and I’m looking forward to many holiday activities, the most important of which is binge eating Easter candy. Do not touch my Cadbury Mini Eggs or Starburst Jelly Beans [ http://bit.ly/1kFBi2x]. While I road trip back to Washington on Sunday, please copy Maggie Severns on your Monday Morning Education requests. Find her at [email protected] or @MaggieSeverns. Get in touch with me at [email protected] or @caitlinzemma. Events: [email protected]. And follow us on Twitter: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro.

LIBRARIES LOUDER ON E-RATE: Libraries are turning up the volume of their message as the Federal Communications Commission collects opinions on the effort to modernize a federal Internet subsidy for schools and libraries. In some communities, they are the only source of free Internet access, but its often too slow for modern demands: http://politico.pro/1tf8AJS.

— At a public hearing Thursday, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt said “We need to step up our game. We’re in the playoffs.” Hundt provides legal advice to the Urban Libraries Council. “We need to aim higher and fight more fiercely,” he said the hearing hosted by Institute for Museum and Library Services on the urgent need for high-speed broadband in libraries. The American Libraries Association also recently met with the FCC and proposed that the commission designate a portion of $2 billion in existing funds “toward ensuring library LAN and WiFi networks are sufficient for both public access computers and the increasing proliferation of patron-owned devices,” according to a filing [ http://bit.ly/QrMIvz].

— ALA would like to see a big portion of that $2 billion go toward “demonstration projects” pitched in a Wireline Competition Bureau public notice released in early March. The demonstration projects, if authorized by the FCC, would test new and innovative ways to help applicants get the most bang for their buck. ALA pitched three demonstration proposals, including “a school-library WAN partnership, a scalable technologies deployment program and a state-centric network diagnostic and technical support plan to encourage development of cost-efficient library networks.”

— In related news, California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson will release a blueprint later today for the use of education technology in the state through 2017.

** America needs a skilled workforce to fill millions of new jobs being created in high-demand fields like nursing and computer technology. DeVry Education Group will help. DeVry Group institutions provide programs for many of today’s most in-demand jobs. And our flexible, career-oriented education meets the needs of today’s nontraditional students. http://www.educationworksdevry.com **

WOOING CATHOLICS ON CAMPUS: Liberal Catholic activists are hitting college campuses from coast to coast to distribute a booklet on the church’s social justice teachings to Catholic students. With the midterm elections looming, the guide aims to steer young Catholics away from conservative and libertarian politicians by portraying the small-government philosophy as incompatible with the church’s vision of serving the common good. The booklet features quotes from Pope Francis; a related website aims squarely for the millennial demographic with clips of prominent Catholics talking about social and economic justice on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. The guide has been distributed at the University of San Diego, Michigan State, Yale, Stanford and other universities. The website: http://bit.ly/1eC7Me2.

YOUR DAILY DOSE OF BRAIN SCIENCE: A new scientific report looks at the way people learn, experience and think across disciplines and finds that often, cognitive style can prove too narrow or limiting. Those findings, published in the latest issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, could prove enlightening for those working in the fields of business or education. For example, in business and management, cognitive style is usually analytical and intuitive, which can be “overly simplistic,” the study says. Flexibility in how a decision is thought through is key. “Teaching a student to select the most appropriate style to a given situation among a variety of styles and how to switch styles if necessary is a much more beneficial approach,” said researcher and lead author of the report Maria Kozhevnikov, an associate professor of psychology at the National University of Singapore and associate in Neuroscience at Massachusetts General Hospital. The report: http://bit.ly/1kELdFI.

A PREVIEW OF PROGRAM INTEGRITY: The Education Department released for the first time draft language that defines an “adverse credit” history for borrowers seeking a Direct PLUS Loan. The agency proposes changes to the amount of time borrowers’ negative credit information on their credit report is considered from five years to two years for debts in collection or charged off. A borrower would be considered to have an adverse credit history if debt is 90 days or more delinquent, in collections, charged off or totals an outstanding balance of $2,085. The Direct PLUS Loan regulation is part of a larger package of higher education issues a negotiated rulemaking panel will take up Wednesday. Wholesale consensus on the entire package appears impossible because some of the issues, like PLUS Loan eligibility criteria, are just too contentious. I have more for Pros: http://politico.pro/1eOaPjt.

SNA AND ADERHOLT TALK SCHOOL LUNCH: The School Nutrition Association joined Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) on Wednesday in visiting schools to discuss the changes to the school meal programs with operators from Alabama, school administrators and students. The discussion centered on increased food costs for schools combined with decreased student participation in meal programs, statements from SNA and Aderholt’s office say. SNA has already begun lobbying for changes to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which is up for reauthorization next year.

— “Less kids are buying school lunches and that undermines the intention to increase healthy eating in schools,” Aderholt said. “This jeopardizes the economics of the program in many counties.” Aderholt serves as chairman of the subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies for the House Appropriations Committee. See his full statement here: http://bit.ly/1eYtlQM and SNA’s blog here: http://bit.ly/QrWqOr.

REPORT ROLL CALL

— The federal Vaccines for Children program has worked to eliminate most disparities in vaccination coverage in children of different races, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. A new review finds that since 2007, disparities between racial and ethnic minorities and white children for the measles-mumps-rubella and polio vaccines have been nonexistent, as is the case for other immunizations. The program, in which the CDC buys vaccines in bulk and at a discount and distributes them to doctors to give to children from low-income families at no charge, was created in 1994. The report: http://1.usa.gov/QjsjJo.

SYLLABUS

— Sigma Phi Epsilon has closed its University of Mississippi chapter after three members were accused of tying a noose around the neck of the statue of the first black student to enroll. Associated Press: http://huff.to/1mchaHy.

— At turnaround schools, a revolving door for most teachers. Catalyst Chicago: http://bit.ly/1hZffhV

— Title IX violations alleged against Millersville University and eight other Pennsylvania state system schools. Lancaster Online: http://bit.ly/1tf1qoT.

— Virginia Supreme Court rules for the University of Virginia in global warming FOIA case. The Washington Post: http://wapo.st/1nebKw2.

— High-performing suburban districts in Ohio are worried about new Common Core-aligned tests. The Plain Dealer: http://bit.ly/1nsKuHn.

— Tennessee state Legislature votes to delay Common Core-aligned assessments. Chalkbeat Tennessee: http://bit.ly/1tgjRtf.

— A Nebraska principal apologizes for a “don’t tattle” flier when it comes to school bullying. The Associated Press: http://huff.to/1eOkyGH.

I’m on top of the world [ http://bit.ly/JLwsls] because I follow the Pro Education team: @ CaitlinZEmma or [email protected], @ MaggieSeverns or [email protected], @ NirviShah or [email protected] and @ StephanieSimon_ or [email protected].

** 25,000 Nurses Needed. America needs a skilled workforce to fill millions of jobs being created in high-demand fields like nursing.

However, most colleges and universities are struggling to keep up. In 2013, nearly 54,000 qualified applicants to nursing schools were turned away because of insufficient capacity to expand enrollment.

But not DeVry Education Group and the Chamberlain College of Nursing.

We were able to double enrollment in our nursing programs and add six new campuses. DeVry Group provides the career-oriented and flexible education needed by today’s nontraditional students.

For over 120 years, DeVry Group has been helping students advance their careers in technology, healthcare and business. We’ve been an innovator and leader in career-oriented education with over 250,000 alumni, helping graduates get jobs at America’s most successful companies. See how it’s possible: http://www.educationworksdevry.com **

CORRECTION: An earlier version misstated the name of the Bible museum Hobby Lobby President Steve Green is building near the National Mall.

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