The Daily Top Five

Here are today's picks for good stories and topics for discussion.

1. Edspresso is hoting another in their series of debates on education topic. This week the topic is weighted student funding, a different formula for providing education funding for public schools. When you hear about education expenditures, the information is often presented in either lump sum, i.e. a state spends $4 billion on education or in per pupil expenditures, i.e. $10,000 per student. The problem with such statistics is that they are misleading, particularly the per pupil expenditure, because schools are not funded on a per pupil basis. The debate participants will be going at it all week long.

2. Ever since Bush v. Gore following the 2000 election, there has been a significant spike in election law litigation. Some has to do with significant laws being passed, such as voter ID laws that are challenged as well as spikes related to gerrymandering and campaign fiance laws. But in Alabama, they take it to a new level, if you lose an election, sue because your opponent failed to comply with campaign finance laws. Paul Sherman at the Center for Competitive Politics has the story.

3. From the Carnival of Education comes this post by the Ed Wonks, who describe the expulsion of a student in Oregon who, as he tells it, politely inquired about a fellow student's belief in leprechauns. We have become far too sensitive.

4. In one of my new favorite blogs, Clear Commentary, Phllip Mella gives his take on Victor Davis Hanson's editorial in the Wall Street Journal editorial where Hanson notes that the cause of much of the world problems lies in our lost path of democratic enlightenment. Here is a bit of Mella's work:

As Mr. Hanson further demonstrates, Europe is the source of nearly every civic and cultural ill in modern times. It was, after all, the catalyst of two world wars, both of which were preventable, albeit for different reasons, and it is now the front line in the war of ideas and its attrition rate is alarming, to say the least. There is, in Europe's deprecation of our hallowed traditions, an intellectual apostasy that seems intent upon elevating stupidity to a virtue.

If you are looking for some good writing, Mella provides it.

5. Since next year is my 20th High School reunion, I will probably take to heart Dan Drezners Iron Laws of High School Reunions.