Tuesday Open Thread
Kind of an interesting story from Indie Reader to tell your art-inspired kids - the story of the first cover of The Great Gatsby and the ones that came after.
Remember kindergarten? I do and it wasn't like this (from Boston.com).
Yet there is a growing disconnect between what the research says is best for children -- a classroom free of pressure -- and what’s actually going on in schools.
Take
the example of a girl who was barely 5 when she entered Gerzon’s
classroom. She didn’t know her ABCs, but one day in class she made up a
song and taught it to the other children. But because of new
requirements, “I had to send a letter to her parents saying that [she]
is not proficient,” says Gerzon. “You tell me that [she] is not
proficient in language skills!” The Concord resident, who usually exudes
a gentle presence, bristles. “It’s destructive, even abusive. That’s a
pretty strong word, but what do you call it when you take a group of
children and you force them to do something that they are not
developmentally ready to do? What do you call that? It’s abusive.”
Important reading from The Washington Post's The Answer Sheet by Brian Langley - A Primer on Five Basic Education Facts you should know.
THE SHORT VERSION
Lesson #1: Americans think the nation’s public schools are troubled, just not the public schools their kids attend. Lesson #2: The U.S. has never led the world on international exams. Lesson #3: We are not a country of average students. Lesson #4: Teachers are the most important school-related factor, though out-of-school factors matter more. Lesson #5: Nothing in education is simple.
But do read the long version because it's worth it.
For Lesson #1, a survey of Americans about public schools.
For respondents with children in public schools, 77% gave an A or B grade to their child’s public school. 77%!
Gallup has been asking this same series of questions for years and has consistently demonstrated a perception gap. What this perception gap represents is anyone’s guess. Perhaps people are biased in favor of their local schools. Perhaps parents simply have low expectations. Perhaps parents value other aspects of their local school over standardized test scores and similar data often reported. Perhaps parents see low standardized test scores as more reflective of the child than the school. Perhaps while Americans have seen the test scores and understand problems exist, three out of four parents are pleased, even impressed with the experience provided by their public schools. Most likely the data reflects a mixture of these options plus more.
We know that the perception of the nation’s public schools as a whole undoubtedly involves information gathered from outside sources: news reports, documentaries, political discourse, etc. The parental perception of local schools, on the other hand, relies heavily on personal experience. This data therefore delivers an encouraging correlation: The stronger one’s relationship with the public school, the more favorable one’s opinion.
What's on your mind?
Important reading from The Washington Post's The Answer Sheet by Brian Langley - A Primer on Five Basic Education Facts you should know.
THE SHORT VERSION
Lesson #1: Americans think the nation’s public schools are troubled, just not the public schools their kids attend. Lesson #2: The U.S. has never led the world on international exams. Lesson #3: We are not a country of average students. Lesson #4: Teachers are the most important school-related factor, though out-of-school factors matter more. Lesson #5: Nothing in education is simple.
But do read the long version because it's worth it.
For Lesson #1, a survey of Americans about public schools.
For respondents with children in public schools, 77% gave an A or B grade to their child’s public school. 77%!
Gallup has been asking this same series of questions for years and has consistently demonstrated a perception gap. What this perception gap represents is anyone’s guess. Perhaps people are biased in favor of their local schools. Perhaps parents simply have low expectations. Perhaps parents value other aspects of their local school over standardized test scores and similar data often reported. Perhaps parents see low standardized test scores as more reflective of the child than the school. Perhaps while Americans have seen the test scores and understand problems exist, three out of four parents are pleased, even impressed with the experience provided by their public schools. Most likely the data reflects a mixture of these options plus more.
We know that the perception of the nation’s public schools as a whole undoubtedly involves information gathered from outside sources: news reports, documentaries, political discourse, etc. The parental perception of local schools, on the other hand, relies heavily on personal experience. This data therefore delivers an encouraging correlation: The stronger one’s relationship with the public school, the more favorable one’s opinion.
What's on your mind?
Comments
I also remember my youngest going into K knowing how to read and being given ability-level books, even though we were in a "bad" south Seattle school. I remember the teacher helping one child learn her ABC's while pushing my own kid to do more than she already knew. I remember her talking gently to the boy with the rough home life who came to school every few weeks with a new bruise. I remember her talking to parents of many backgrounds and native languages with respect, offering them ways to help their children.
I think I'll take today's K over what I suffered through.
Regular Reader
With those expectations, time becomes shorter for teachers to have those interactions you mention.
How is it:
- they don't know how to pronounce Director Smith-Blum's last name? It's Blum (like plum) not Bloom (and the reporter who did this should know better).
- they don't know how to pronounce Superintendent Banda's last name. It's not "Band-a" (like hat band), it's "Ban-da".
- the reporter got the length of time one of the SB candidates had lived in Seattle wrong.
the United States is one of only a handful of OECD nations that spends more educational dollars on its privileged population than on its underprivileged population. []
“Unless you are comfortably middle class or richer,” he explained, “you get an education that is truly second-rate by any standards.” []
We know teachers are the most important school-related factor in a student’s success. That is clear. Less clear is why our school-related reforms are not focused squarely on attracting the highest quality teacher candidates.
-reader
Project Goals/Desired Outcomes: The purpose of this project is to transfer student data easily between districts and in a common format, to provide educators with information to support personalization of instruction, and to make information available to parents, students and community-based organizations supporting students academically.
Narrative: This project invests in the creation of a data system for all seven districts to coordinate the collection of student data (demographics, academic, health, social and family history), facilitate the flow of that data from district to district as students move, and present that data in a meaningful form to students, parents, educators and other stakeholders. This portal will assist with more personalized learning because student data will be available in a clear and common way. Families and community based organizations will have specific portals that allow access to specific student data to assist in supporting students toward graduation as well as college and career goals.
Project 1
According to the RMP Scope of Work for Project 1, district's will be expected to use $7 in existing funding for every $1 in RTTT money ($28.4M to $4M RTT funds). Plus we have to pay administrators to jump through hoops to compete for the opportunity to "redeploy" our already tight funds.
Seattle Public Schools Takes a Cut of Proceeds
Starting in the Fall 2013, Seattle Public Schools will take a 10% cut, up to $1000, for the use of school grounds if the fundraising activity takes place during school hours (read: Walk-A-Thons, etc). (We're trying to think of it as a "use fee" for the space).
Please contactpresident@seattlecouncilptsa.org if you have further questions.
Questions this raises for me:
1) Will PTAs get a complete list of fundraisers that will fall under this policy?
2) 10% cut, up to $1000 per fundraiser or annually?
3) Who will be collecting these funds?
4) Will the funds go to the school or to the SPS general budget?
5) When will SPS release a policy paper on this so PTAs can review the guidelines?
I feel like this is just another SPS money grab ... similar to Pay 4 K. SPS is now taking a cut of money that PTAs raise for the schools ... unbelievable!
N by NW
OSPI rejected the district's proposed corrective actions, submitted June 30th.
The issues are not just about paperwork as one of the central office admins is putting out. One of the advocacy organizations has pulled together a good analysis of the OSPI findings. Is that available online. It shows how the OSPI findings are far from mere paperwork minutia.
Reader