Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 110, No. 276, Ed. 1 Monday, May 5, 2014 Page: 4 of 14
fourteen pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
OPINION
4A
Monday, May 5, 2014
Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton Record-Chronicle
U.S. lacks
a Plan B
in foreign
policy
Published by Denton Publishing Co.,
a subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corporation
&| Founded from weekly newspapers,
H the Denton Chronicle, established in 1882,
and the Denton Record, established in 1897.
Published daily as the Denton
Record-Chronicle since Aug. 3,1903.
vucRuis tncvssr
MWXAS. CU
A
\
V
1
L-
4VI
V
MKItl.h rOMCAM',
EDITORIAL BOARD
Bill Patterson
Publisher and CEO
Dawn Cobb
Managing Editor
Dianna Hunt
City Editor
Les Cockrell
Region Editor
Mark Finley
News Editor
PAST PUBLISHERS
William C. “Will” Edwards
1903-1927
Robert J. “Bob” Edwards
1927-1945
Riley Cross
1945-1970
Vivian Cross
1970-1986
Fred Patterson
1986-1999
"'"A
0mm
1
\
0
u
OH, cwada!
think we all know what Barack Obama’s
foreign policy strategy coming into office
was.
Step 1: Be Barack Obama (and not
George W. Bush).
Step 2: ????
Step 3: World peace!
(With apologies to South Park.)
As a candidate, Obama held a huge cam-
paign rally in, of all
places, Berlin, touting
his bona tides as a citi-
zen of the world.
The crowds went
wild, as he talked at
length about a world
without walls (you had
to be there).
As president, in his
first major speech
abroad, Obama sug-
gested to a Cairo audi-
ence that the fact
America elected him was all the proof any-
one should need that America had turned
the page.
It all seems very strange now in retro-
spect, but in his defense, you can understand
how seductive this notion must have been.
The whole world — at least the parts of it
that Obama listens to — was telling him that
replacing George W. Bush with Barack Oba-
ma was just the ticket for what ailed the plan-
Alii
I
—%—-
\
\
i
8*
\
Hi
JL—
a
Editorials published in the Denton Record-Chronicle
are determined by the editorial board.
Questions and suggestions should be directed to the:
Denton Record-Chronicle
314 E. Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201
Phone: 940-387-3811
Fax: 940-566-6888
E-mail: drc@dentonrc.com
■M
\—\
\
DISD teachers want
more for students
ahbelo.com NYSE symbol: AHC
Other voices
crease student achievement by focusing aca-
demic reporting on learning. Traditionally,
this has been accomplished by focusing on
the grade, not necessarily mastery of con-
tent.
ur Denton community has a long-
standing commitment to innova-
tion, creativity and student learning
and has always placed a high level of trust
with our district and teachers.
Recently, community members have ac-
tively engaged in providing feedback regard-
ing the districfs proposed grading changes.
A healthy discourse is essential for any orga-
nization to improve,
and we value the feed-
back of our stakehold-
ers. The background
and research materials
are available on the
Denton school district
website (www.dento-
nisd.org).
The result of this
new grading concept is
that our teachers want
more — not less. They
want more accountability for learning, more
self-discipline for our students and ultimate-
ly abetter prepared graduate. Time manage-
ment skills and importance of deadlines will
receive more attention, not less.
The DISD board of trustees participated
in a two-hour review of the background that
results in a shift in grading practices and
procedures.
This presentation was the result of more
than two years of research by the districfs
Academic Leadership Team, which consists
of almost 40 secondary departmental chair-
persons and curriculum specialists.
Few would argue that some students
learn faster than others, and almost all
would agree that students need to be ac-
countable for their learning.
Most professions have an exam or certifi-
cation requirement. Prospective employees
are permitted to take these exams until a sat-
isfactory score is achieved. This holds true
for the bar exam, teacher certifications, air
conditioner technicians, CPAs and many
others.
Once successfully completed, the certifi-
cation is the same regardless of the time re-
quired to master the standards. Most believe
students are motivated by grades, but they
should be accountable for more. They
should be accountable for their learning.
After much investigation, study and dis-
course, our teacher leaders want more for
our students.
Undoubtedly, a shift in grading is difficult
for teachers and students and their families.
Our teachers recognize the challenge that
lies ahead. Expectations for student work
have been raised — not lowered. It is no lon-
ger acceptable for a student to not learn
what is expected.
If they fail to meet deadlines or turn in
work, our teachers will no longer simply ac-
cept laziness or irresponsibility. Students
will be required to do the work. There will be
consequences for such behavior; they will be
working before school, after school and oth-
er times when they have failed to meet the
learning requirements.
Under a traditional reporting system, a
student could take a zero and never learn the
material. No longer will that be acceptable.
Accountability for learning has been raised
— not lowered.
Teacher leaders have proposed to in-
Jonah
Goldberg
O
Toyota move a
win for N. Texas
Parents have not really known what a
grade means. What is an A? How can my
child improve?
These questions have often been an-
swered with responses such as, “Pay atten-
tion, submit your work on time and study
harder.” This group recommends a better
way to report what students actually know.
These leaders want to spend time address-
ing the deficiencies of our struggling learn-
ers while enriching the strengths of all stu-
dents.
ny way you slice it, Toyota’s decision to consolidate
operations in North Texas is a huge coup.
A $300 million investment by the automaker.
Four thousand new jobs. Another $70 million in property
tax revenue. A similar total in sales tax. Economic wind-
falls like these don’t fall out of trees every day. And when
such an opportunity becomes available, not every region
is prepared to reap the fruit. Texas was.
Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere attributes the behind-
the-scenes legwork securing the deal to Gov. Rick Perry,
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Texas House Speaker Joe
Straus and the Dallas Regional Chamber, all of whom
promoted North Texas’ economic strength, available land
and lower cost of living.
No doubt also playing significant roles were the closing
power of $40 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund,
other yet-to-be-specified incentives from Plano and the
northern suburb’s strong school system.
Some might not be comfortable with the idea of states
wooing companies with wayward eyes from other states.
But that is the way the game is played these days. States
compete to attract and retain companies; those slow off
the mark stand to lose major development opportunities.
Toyota wanted out of California for many reasons:
high taxes, steep operations costs and unpredictable state
politics. The automaker reportedly had kicked the tires on
several locations in Texas as well as in Denver, Atlanta
and Charlotte, N.C. And Toyota’s not the only one racing
for the exits. In recent years, more than 250 companies
have bolted from California, and relocation experts in that
state say Texas was their No. 1 destination.
“When you look at the whole package, it’s difficult to be
a business here,” said Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto,
whose city is the big job loser in Toyota’s move to North
Texas.
Toyota has deep pockets and could expand anywhere
on its own coin, but Texas made a strong case sealed with
a handsome dowry. The benefit to North Texas comes
from high-paying corporate jobs and the multiplier effect
of new home purchases and countless other spending
A
c
et.
The fervor was all so detached from facts
on the ground that the Nobel Committee
even gave Obama a Peace Prize for the stuff
they were sure he was goingto do, eventually.
(One clue that Obama’s cult of personality
didn’t actually translate into tangible results
on the world stage should have been his fail-
ure to win the 2016 Olympics for his home-
town of Chicago, despite being the first presi-
dent to personally lobby for it.)
The problem, of course, is that Obama
never had a Plan B.
He never really thought he’d need one,
and besides, he never much cared about for-
eign policy.
Particularly in his first term, his top prior-
ity was to keep international problems from
distracting his domestic agenda.
He ordered the surge in Afghanistan but
then went silent about that war for years.
He passive-aggressively let a status of
forces agreement with Iraq evaporate.
Even his controversial policies — targeted
killing, drones, etc. — were intended to turn
the war on terrorism into a no-drama tech-
nocratic affair out of the headlines.
And the killing of Osama Bin Laden, his
greatest foreign policy accomplishment (I’m
using “his” advisedly), was almost immedi-
ately translated into an argument about do-
mestic priorities.
“We obviously think that if there is a ta-
keaway from it,” White House Press Secre-
tary Jay Carney explained in the immediate
aftermath of bin Laden’s assassination, “it is
the resolve Obama has, the focus he brings to
bear on long-term objectives, that he keeps
pushing to get it done. On immigration re-
form he keeps pushing....”
Blah, blah, blah. For a verbal pirouette,
Carney’s segue had all the subtlety of Chris
Farley in a tutu.
The real takeaway from such statements,
and from Obama’s whole approach to for-
eign policy, is that he doesn’t care about it, or
he’s afraid of it.
He issued a red line in Syria until his bluff
was called.
He’s let our ally, the Philippines, fend for
itself as China tries to annex Scarborough
Shoal.
±
In essence, our teachers want more, not
less. They want more accountability for
learning, more self-discipline and ultimately
a better prepared graduate for our commu-
nity. Time management skills and the im-
portance of deadlines will receive more at-
tention, not less.
All projects in the “real world” have dead-
lines, and we would be remiss if we did not
teach our students the importance of such
deadlines. However, when the deadlines
cannot be met with the quality expected,
what happens?
Initially supervisors provide support for
completion, add resources for quality, and
sometimes there is a negotiation for an ex-
tension of the deadline and, as a last resort,
someone might lose their job.
But it does not end there. Successful busi-
nesses reflect on the project to evaluate the
scope, sequence and quality of work. Unsuc-
cessful businesses blame others, are not ac-
countable, take what they can get and move
on — with little regard for the employee or
the customer.
Our students will confirm that the latter
is unacceptable. It is not acceptable to take a
zero. It is not acceptable to give less than
your best.
Regarding deadlines, there is a difference
between work, effort and apathy. Our stu-
dents will see an emphasis on the work and
effort and will become self-disciplined for
their learning and behavior — rather than
being disciplined by a grade.
Life lessons will be learned, and true ac-
countability will follow.
The Academic Leadership Team con-
ducted this discourse for two years before
submitting a final proposal. Our teaching
staff should be applauded for their coura-
geous steps.
The rationale is supported by much re-
search. There is a great deal of work to do
and it will not be easy.
Our team will work at providing clarity
on a sensitive topic.
We will need the continued engagement
of our community to design a reporting sys-
tem mirroring our core beliefs and values,
while allowing for teacher discernment in
the assignment of grades.
Our district does not take the trust of our
community for granted and we stand be-
hind our mission of “empowering lifelong
learners to be engaged citizens.” We have to
hold them accountable with more than just
a grade.
DR. JAMIE WILSON is superintendent
of the Denton school district.
Jamie
Wilson
gams.
For Toyota, the pieces fit together nicely. It already has
2,900 employees at a San Antonio factory that builds
Tundra and Tacoma trucks. Now it will centralize key
operations in a low-cost state and have its headquarters a
short drive from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
and Love Field, allowing executives to cut a travel day off
a trip to either coast.
The Toyota move is worthy of much celebration and
also is a reminder of the importance of the multifaceted
economic and quality-of-life factors that encourage major
companies to relocate and smaller businesses to expand.
Plano’s gain is a win for all of North Texas.
He’s made it clear to the Iranians that he
considers talking its own reward, since that
will likely kick the hard decision about their
nuclear program onto the next president’s
desk.
— The Dallas Morning News
This day in history: May 5
When Vladimir Putin began his invasion
and annexation of Crimea, Obama mum-
bled a soft denunciation and then hustled
Today is Monday, May 5,
the 125th day of 2014. There
are 240 days left in the year.
On May 5, 1862, Mexican
troops defeated French occupy-
ing forces in the Battle of Puebla.
(The Cinco de Mayo holiday
commemorates Mexico’s victo-
leased.
In 1942, wartime sugar ra-
tioning began in the United
States.
In 1955, West Germany be-
came a fully sovereign state. The
baseball musical Damn Yan-
kees opened on Broadway.
In 1961, astronaut Alan B.
Shepard Jr. became America’s
first space traveler as he made a
15-minute suborbital flight
aboard Mercury capsule Free-
dom 7.
In 1964, the Granada TV
documentary Seven lip!, which
profiled a group of 7-year-old
British children, first aired on
Britain’s ITV network.
In 1973, Secretariat won the
Kentucky Derby, the first of its
Triple Crown victories.
In 1981, Irish Republican
Army hunger-striker Bobby
Sands died at the Maze Prison in
Northern Ireland in his 66th
downtown to a DNC rally, telling the crowd,
‘Well, it’s Friday, it’s after 5 o’clock. So this is
officially happy hour with the Democratic
Party
Such things are noticed. This is the for-
eign policy equivalent ofbeing an ugly Amer-
SUBMISSIONS
ican.
Letters for publication must include the writer’s signature, address and telephone number. Authorship
must be verified before publication.
The Record-Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters for length. Letters should be typed or legibly
handwritten and be 250 or fewer words. We prefer e-mail submissions. Send to: drc@dentonrc.com.
Otherwise, fax to 940-566-6888, or mail to: Letters to the editor, P.0. Box 369, Denton, TX 76202
ry.)
President Obama visited Japan to assure
the increasingly nervous Japanese that we
will honor our commitments to them, even
as the Chinese become ever more brazen
about filling the vacuum America is leaving
behind.
This is worthwhile. So is his tardy deci-
sion to reassure our increasingly nervous
NATO allies in Poland and three Baltic states
by sending some token troops for an exer-
cise.
In 1821, Napoleon Bona-
parte, 51, died in exile on the is-
land of St. Helena.
In 1891, New York’s Carne-
gie Hall (then named “Music
Hall”) had its official opening
night.
Denton Record-Chronicle mission statement
Inl9M, actor Tyrone Power
was bom in Cincinnati.
We believe a free society, with all its privileges and opportunities, is partially successful because of
a free press that is supported by the community at large.
Our mission every day is to give you unbiased, wide-ranging news of Denton and the larger Denton
County community. We appreciate your subscription or your purchase of this newspaper. By doing
so, you are supporting an independent look at your community, its leaders, its business people, and
its residents.
Without that, we believe that our communities would suffer from a lack of analysis, a lack of in-
formation, and a lack of oversight of taxpayer money. We want to give you something to think
about every day. We hope those ideas lead you to become involved in your community, both with
your commentary and your actions.
In 1925, schoolteacher John
T. Scopes was charged in Ten-
nessee with violating a state law
that prohibited teaching the the-
ory of evolution. (Scopes was
found guilty, but his conviction
was later set aside.)
In 1934, the first Three
Stooges short for Columbia Pic-
tures, Woman Haters, was re-
But while these are good and necessary
gestures, they are necessary in no small part
because it is only now dawning on the presi-
dent he should have had a Plan B all along.
JONAH GOLDBERG is editor-at-large
of National Review Online. His column
is distributed by Tribune Content Agen-
day without food.
— The Associated Press
cy.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Cobb, Dawn. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 110, No. 276, Ed. 1 Monday, May 5, 2014, newspaper, May 5, 2014; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1132386/m1/4/: accessed June 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .