'No Pineapple Left Behind' and the politics of American education

Seth Alter was a teacher for all of six months before quitting his job and going indie to make video games full-time. No Pineapple Left Behind, his second PC title, is more or less the story of why he left his students at a Boston charter school. As a special education math teacher, his sixth graders were expected to meet the same behavioral standards and educational expectations as their mainstreamed counterparts thanks to 2001's controversial No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which ties school funding to standardized test scores. Alter says that teacher evaluations are drawn from those scores as well. And because most charter schools are non-union, they can fire teachers for almost any reason, including low test scores from special-needs students who should have been held to modified standards in the first place. It doesn't take a genius to realize just how flawed that logic is: It's a system built to fail.
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King's Quest Revival Has a Seriously Impressive Voice Cast

There is a good chance you'll hear a voice you recognize in the upcoming King's Quest revival. Publisher Activision has announced the game's voice talent lineup, and it's quite impressive, featuring actors and celebrities like Christopher Lloyd, Tom Kenny, and Zelda Williams.

Watch the video below to see and hear directly from these actors about the process of bringing their characters to life in the new adventure game.

King's Quest's impressive cast includes:

• Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future)
• Tom Kenny (Spongebob, Adventure Time)
• Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride)
• Josh Keaton (The Amazing Spider-Man)
• Maggie Elizabeth Jones (We Bought a Zoo)
• Zelda Williams (Legend of Korra)

See a full list of actors on Activision's blog.

King's Quest launches later this year for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. The game is in development at The Odd Gentleman, the studio behind The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.

For lots more on King's Quest, check out GameSpot's recent feature, which includes insight from creative director Matt Korba.

from GameSpot News http://ift.tt/1JCAciA