Journalism By Anecdote & Exception: Paras In St. Paul

I feel bad for Lee Yang, the St. Paul para who might lose her job if she can't get a degree or pass a test, but I feel even worse for kids who have to be taught by aides who can't meet even the law's minimal qualifications. But kids aren't even mentioned in this misguided, knee-jerk piece in the Pioneer Press(Test puts school aides out of work). Nor is the long history of districts spending big chunks of federal education funds on aides and subs instead of certified teachers. Nor -- until the last paragraph -- is the fact that 95 percent of the aides in the district have already passed the test.