Teaching as a higher calling
“To improve our schools, we need to make it harder to become a teacher,” writes Amanda Ripley for Slate. The preparation of teachers is becoming dramatically more selective, practical and rigorous, all...
View ArticleSmart School Act will show it works
The political activism, governmental changes, journalists’ articles and commentaries, and public opinion poll results regarding our educational system are encouraging. The publication of the Times...
View ArticleContain Ebola, not facts
Our opinion: In dealing with Ebola, exaggerating the threat or creating an information vacuum can be as dangerous as a poor public health response. It would be a mistake to underestimate the threat of...
View ArticleConduct military training on border
For over a decade, I’ve heard the lament that we must secure our borders first before we can deal with the illegal persons who are already within our country. Our lawmakers have done nothing concrete...
View ArticlePolice can use additional training on diversity
I am struck by the similarity of recent events and altercations between individuals with serious mental illness and police that result in death. The Albany Police Department has instituted a Crisis...
View ArticleImprove training for citizens’ sake
The death of Daniel Satre after being hit by multiple Taser shots from police in Ballston Spa last September added another name to the long list of unarmed civilians who have died at the hands of law...
View ArticleThe triggers for excessive force
Retired Troy Police Capt. John Cooney properly identified the core of the underlying issues with the control of excessive force administered by police and, I would suggest, correction officers (“Mental...
View ArticleInstitute teaches protection skills
Sister M. Kathleen Pritty in her letter “SOA graduates must be stopped,” April 14, perpetuates an uninformed and false depiction of U.S. training of partner nation personnel in the Western Hemisphere....
View ArticleTaser policies need review
Often, it’s a split-second decision for a police officer: Is force necessary? And sometimes in the next instant there’s this: What kind of force, and how much? The ability to make such a quick judgment...
View ArticlePolice conduct must be lawful
According to the article “After probe, training for cop,” May 29, a Colonie police officer was filmed stomping on the handcuffed hands of a man who apparently was guilty of excessive curiosity about an...
View ArticleGearing up for a riot
Perhaps it was in the spirit of transparency, but it looked more like bravado as the Troy police were showing off their new riot gear this week. At a news conference Monday, Chief John Tedesco set out...
View ArticleCitizen inspectors lack the expertise
The Nov. 11 article, “Study: Oil spans at risk,” sadly brushes past how data was collected. The study was grounded on anecdotal visual observations by “citizen inspectors” who are not certified rail...
View ArticleA more tolerant approach
A disruptive student can be a nightmare for a teacher and ruin the learning experience for the entire class. Some school districts, including Albany’s, have used swift suspensions to minimize the...
View ArticleA gun instructor scolds the NRA
Simon Salt, a gun owner and NRA-trained gun instructor, writes on his blog of why he won’t be renewing his membership with the organization. Some training, Salt writes, should be a requisite for gun...
View ArticleTrain doctors in opioids
Not long ago, shooting heroin was mostly a crime for the criminal justice system to deal with. As a broad problem, it appeared largely limited to the poor, racial minorities, and inner cities. But then...
View ArticleNew Skete future bright and secure
In regard to the article “New Skete celebrates 50 years,” Aug. 5, I disagree with the assessment of a bleak future for New Skete. During my six years of employment, I have seen evidence to the...
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