At work I spend a lot of time looking at achievement data from states, school districts, and individual schools. I decided to turn the lens on my alma mater, Palm Desert High School, to see how well they do in educating kids of color.

As you can see, it's an overwhelmingly white school, but there is a sizable Latino population. Take a look at achievement data for 10th grade English Language Arts.

As a whole, 10th graders are far from proficient, but they are making gains each year. However, look at what happens when you compare the two biggest racial and ethnic subgroups.

The difference is between the two groups is staggering. Barely one fourth of Latino kids are proficient in English Language Arts, while two thirds of white kids are. You might be wondering about English language learners and how not speaking English might affect these results. Actually, only one fourth of the Latino population at PDHS are ELL students. That still leaves 50% of English-speaking Latino students below proficiency.

Notice, too, that the achievement gap between the groups actually grows over time.

Next, let's look at math.

Selecting a math class to examine for achievement is difficult because students take such diverging paths in math. For example, Algebra II data does not include those students who take financial math or some other watered down excuse of a math class. The opposite is true for Algebra I. The students who took Algebra I in 8th grade don't test for Algebra I in high school, which removes many of the highest achievers in math from the Algebra I data. That's part of why these data points are so low.

But -- that doesn't make this slide irrelevant in any way. Those students who struggle with algebraic skills are the students a school should be focusing on the most, and PDHS could be doing much better in this area. The California business community pushed the high school exit exam because California needs a smarter work force, and part of the need for a smarter workforce is a demand for math an science skills. We can't fill that demand if Algebra I achievement is so low.

Here is how the school breaks down racially and enthically in Algebra I.

Achievement is low for both groups. This is clearly a huge area where PDHS needs to improve achievement.

Lastly, take a look at U.S. History, which everybody must pass in order to graduate.

Granted, the state test is likely much more rigorous than the in-class finals. You can see that achievement is improving slowly here, just like English Language Arts.

Again, look at the racial and ethnic breakdown.

Between 2003 and 2006 the achievement gap between groups widens, as it also did with English Language Arts.

In both English Language Arts and U.S. History at PDHS, achievement for white kids is improving steadily while Latino kids only do marginally better each year. The difference widens the achievement gap each year. PDHS is also apparently not doing all it can for students in Algebra I who need the most help.

Find more info on CA schools here.

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This weekend I got the chance to see my friend Matt Starr perform with his band, The Known Unknowns. If the name of the band strikes you as odd, it's because a lot of the things that came out of Donald Rumsfeld's mouth were odd.

Anyhow, the show was their first real performance. They have eight songs that they are going public with, six of them originals. They have a public show coming up on December 9th at Grog & Tankard. See them that night and you'll be able to say you saw them live long before they sold out!

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...as my least favorite senator. George Allen had least favorite senator status for a few months, but since Virginians had the sense to boot him from office, the title defaults back to good ol' Trent Lott.

He's not everybody's least favorite senator. Republicans elected Lott minority whip today by a vote of 25-24. Maybe Republicans were attracted to his racist tendencies that got him ousted from a leadership post four years ago. Or maybe they were going for a genuine segregationist.

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I generally don't agree with things that come out of Tom DeLay's mouth, but his above quote struck a chord. Despite all the hoopla about Democrats returning to power and taking control of both chambers of Congress, we only won because people were fed up with Republicans and their stubborn, partisan way of governing. It's not that the Democratic agenda resonated with voters; it's that we are the only alternative to the Republicans, so we won by default. It's not quite a mandate -- and the Democratic Party leadership knows it.

That's why the party leaders are rolling out centrist, moderate reforms. They aren't itching to impeach Bush, pass abortion legislation, or legalize same-sex marriage. Their targets are raising the minimum wage, tax breaks for college loans, investment in alternative energy, etc. In targeting these moderate reforms, Democrats are essentially re-introducing the party to the electorate. People didn't care what we had to say before the election, except that we weren't Republican. Now we've got a microphone and we need to woo them on being more than not Republican, and centrist reforms are the best place to start.

But Democratic Party activists and base supporters think otherwise. As the base of the party, they expect action on reforms that have not had a chance of passing for the past 12 years.

This sweeping reform approach is the exact wrong approach to take right now, and doing so could easily backfire on Democrats. Believe me, I think that the Patriot Act should be repealed, that poor and minority women should have better access to family planning, and that handguns are a detriment to society. But right now is not the time to fight those fights. Right now we need to work on expanding our razor-thin majorities and then take those issues on.

Adopting a decidedly liberal agenda now would cause immediate divisions in the party between the liberal and moderate wings -- and many of those new Democrats we elected last week are from the moderate wing. Such a divide in the party make Democrats look ineffective and lacking in competence. We need to keep the party together.

Doing so gives us all kinds of chances to expand our majority in 2008, especially in the Senate. Look at these seats up for re-election in 2008.

If you count the states up, Republicans are defending 21 seats while Democrats have only 12 to hold. There are several seats that present huge opportunities for new pickups. Plus, 2008 could be a huge exodus of current Republican senators. Of the ten 2008 senators with the lowest amount of cash on hand, nine are Republicans. Couple low cash flow with two dragging, ineffective years of governing in the minority party, and you've got lots of likely retirements. Each one of those retirements is an opportunity for Democrats to pick up another seat.

Once we show the electorate what they've been missing in government and get a stronger majority, then we can adopt a more liberal agenda. It needs to be done one step at a time. To blow our political capital on divisive issues now would hurt us in the long term dramatically by limiting our ability to create a lasting majority. Once we build a strong majority, we can then spend our capital accordingly and not have inner-party disagreements dismantle our caucus.

So please, hold off on ambitious agendas until we really have the ability to take them on.

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Here's your well-reasoned, non-fanatical discussion for Episode 3.06: I Do

This week's contributors: Ally, Starr, and Laila

Hippocratic What?

So Jack is holding Ben's life hostage until Kate is well on her way to freedom. Three big questions emerge from Jack's dicey move.

First, why the hell didn't Kate explain that they were on a separate island and could therefore not escape? I'm sure that would have had a decent impact on Jack's calculus before he started running the table in the operating room. I kind of think it's one of those things meant to annoy you, the viewer, because you know and they won't say it on the show. It's not unlike a soap opera. It's annoying but it keeps viewers watching.

Next, I'm still kind of confused as to why Jack decided to do the operation after he saw Kate and Sawyer getting it on (see below). Jack had been on the outs with Kate before they were captured, and I just don't see why he'd put it all on the line for her. It made much more sense for him to act in his own interests and get off the Island. Maybe him seeing it was premeditated by the Others as part of a con job and Jack is going over the top on them.

And the obvious question: what will happen? Some people think Jack's up a creek without a paddle because they are on Hydra Island. It's not inconceivable that they give Kate a boat to get back if Jack demands it. He seems to have some pretty potent despotic power right now. Starr doesn't think that they care enough about Ben to let Kate go. However, it seems that Tom's reaction (the Other who had the radio) was concerned enough that Ben is important enough to them. It's also not unfathomable that Jack demand some serious weapons be brought his way to blast his way home after the surgery. There's one problem, though. What about Sawyer? What is the plan for him? Does Jack care? Is him staying part of Jack's calculus, or is it assumed that Sawyer goes with Kate?

Kate and Sawyer Make a Sexytime

Niiice.

It's sweeps, so it's not a surprise that Kate and Sawyer got it on now. Should we call this affair Katyer? Kawyer? Those are both pretty terrible.

Anyhow, a couple of things about this. Did it strike anybody else as odd that the alarm didn't go off when Kate broke into Sawyer's cage? It definitely went off when Karl escaped, if that was in fact a real escape by him (see below). That being said, did the Others allow or want it to happen? It could have been for any number of reasons. Did they want Kate to get pregnant so they get another baby? Was it part of a con job to get Jack to operate?

The whole thing brings up some interesting theories. So far, every girl that has had sex on the island (that we know of) has died. That includes Anna Lucia and Shannon. I don't personally buy the "sex, therefore death" theory, but some people do. One of the more ridiculous sex theories ones I heard said that Sawyer keeps cockblocking Jack (as with Anna Lucia and Kate). Watch out, Juliet.

"LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK NORTH"

Locke got what he thinks is a divine message from Eko's Jesus beating stick. It says, more or less, to go north. I think that everybody is assuming that Hydra Island is north and that is where Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are. I don't think this is the case.

If you look at the picture below, you can see Sawyer looking at the Island from Hydra Island. Notice Sawyer's shadow. The sun is setting behind him, casting his shadow in front of him, meaning that Hydra Island would have to be due west of the Island. I imagine some will think I'm being too analytic about that, but I have yet to see the writers let a detail like that slip. I think that whatever is north has nothing to do with Hydra Island. Maybe it will be another hatch or the Others' village.

Benjamin the Baby Daddy?

Alex is back again and leaves us with all kinds of hints. She is apparently some kind of nuisance to the Others. They clearly can't kill her and be done with her, so she has to have some sort of stature with the Others. She asks about Benjamin, but is forcibly removed shortly thereafter. But, right before Ben went under the knife, he asked Juliet if Alex asked about him. Juliet told him she didn't.

This makes me kind of think that Ben is somehow connected to Alex. We don't know for sure that Alex was conceived by Rousseau's husband (who she shot). It was just assumed. It could be that Ben and Rousseau are Alex's parents, or that Ben raised her when the Others kidnapped her. She has to have some kind of in with someone high up in the Others' camp, or else she'd get killed. Her stunts are probably tolerated only because Ben doesn't want her killed. This also makes it seem even more likely that there are factions in the Others' and Alex is on a side opposing Ben's group.

Jacob's List

This was a very subtle, but important hint dropped. It's mentioned that Jack was not on "Jacob's list". We know that there was a list of people to be kidnapped by the Others, and this Jacob characters is apparently the author of that list. But who is Jacob?

I did some searching on Wikipedia and found that Jacob from the Jewish Bible has a 12th and last son named Benjamin. Could it be that there is someone above even Benjamin in the Others' hierarchy? Seems like it.

Other Updates

Remember Karl, who was in Kate's cage before she got there? Alex came back this week wanting answers about him, but implied that she thinks he is dead.

Last week we talked about the eye patch guy. It donned on me that the glass eye that was in the storage facility where the survivors of the plane's tail section stayed is his. Why is it there? Is this one eyed guy Jacob?

Last week we also wondered why Ben had a tumor while others were miraculously healed. Apparently it really is a tumor. So... why are the survivors getting healed by the island's power while the Others aren't?

Lastly, Laila says: Nikki and Paolo really need to be eaten by the polar bear.

Word. I think that would qualify as dying in "spectacular fashion", as Matt O suggested last week.

Post your thoughts.

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Here's your well-reasoned, non-fanatical discussion for Episode 3.05: The Cost of Living

This week's contributors: Starr, Ally, Claire C, and Laila

Mr. Eko and Repentance

Before we start unraveling questions about Eko's death, let's first think about the smoke monster itself. It seems from this episode that the Island and/or smoke monster are creating the images of people that appear on the Island.

We thought that it was Yemi appearing for Eko, but right before the smoke monster attacked Eko, 'Yemi' said, "You talk to me like I am your brother," indicating that it was not Yemi, nor had anything to do with Yemi except for its form. So, it seems that the Island has been creating the images, possibly for the entirety of the show.

Why, then, is the island creating images familiar to the characters on the Island? Is it because they will almost certainly do as the characters say? Last week Matt O was saying that the Island is clearly favoring the survivors, and this would kind of indicate that, since the visions are what give the survivors their hints. Then again, maybe it's not the Island, but rather some entity that controls the smoke monster. Who's pulling the strings behind the curtain?

Two main theories emerge from this episode about what the Island, or the person(s) controlling the Island, want. The first theory is that the Island wants repentance. Since Eko didn't repent for his past sins, he got the ax. The same kind of confrontation came to Kate when she was talking to the horse. She repented and is obviously still around. So, it's plausible.

What seems to have more evidence at the moment is that the characters make peace and are then offed. Eko came to terms with his past and was then killed. Anna Lucia came to terms with her mother before getting on the plane and gets killed while she reflected on it. Shannon made peace with her self-destructive side and fell in love. She was then killed. Same story for Boone; he resolved his issues with Shannon and then died. I'm not totally sold on this, but it's got the most credibility at the moment. If that's the big secret, it's going to be disappointing.

Jack, Ben, and Juliet

This whole situation has so many possibilities that it kind of makes my head hurt. Is Ben telling the truth, or is Juliet? Will Jack operate and save him? Will Jack kill him? Will Jack do nothing? How will Jack try to use surgery as leverage?

The whole thing strikes me as a setup, and here's why. Recall that the Island has miraculously allowed Locke to walk again and Rose to overcome her cancer. So... why is Ben dying from his tumor?

I'm inclined to think that there is no tumor and that it's a con job against Jack. Remember -- Ben told Sawyer how good they are at it. I don't have any feel for the endgame, but I don't believe either Ben or Juliet.

However, we did see a little bit of a hint that Juliet is in fact lying. She said she was putting on To Kill a Mockingbird, in which two noble people are innocently killed. Could Juliet be trying to make Jack kill a noble person and usurp his power? Perhaps.

Other Things...

One creepy and confusing moment in this episode was when the survivors were in the Pearl hatch, turned on the video monitors, and saw the man with the eye patch. Who is the guy? We really have no way of knowing. Some think he's an Other, others say he's with DHARMA. One thing I did notice is that the computer equipment in the background was the same as the equipment in The Swan (aka the hatch). Not that Sayid would have been able to tell in reality, but he said that it's a closed circuit connection, meaning that it can't be a satellite or something similar. That points in the direction of another hatch. Somebody told me s/he thinks that he controls the smoke monster.

Laila also brings up a point about the bodies. The body of Jack's dad was gone and now the body of Yemi is also gone. That's kind of disconcerting.

And... Laila says: STOP TRYING TO MAKE KATE LOOK HOT! SHE HAS MAN ARMS!

Post your thoughts.

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