Start asking questions; have the latest math and reading programs any peer-reviewed results? Ask to see them.
Ask your trustees to sign voluntary ethics pledges, the easiest and only proven way to start putting a stop to corruption and waste; you bypass
both lengthy judicial and problem-involved legislative processes and go straight to the most effective court of all, the court of public opinion. After
all, except for our largest cities the size of New York and Chicago, and many in Alabama, the vast majority of America's 15,000 school districts
are run by elected school board members who, whether or not they like to think of themselves as elected officials, are: They are politicians and
almost all want to be re-elected.
This is all do-able friends. It's never too late. Our schools are as they are because we let them become that way. It's up to us to come to their
rescue. If you don't think this is important, remember that the folks who voted for president in 2008 are the ones who grew up with fuzzy math
which results in fuzzy thinking.
Ask your trustees to sign voluntary ethics pledges, the easiest and only proven way to start putting a stop to corruption and waste; you bypass
both lengthy judicial and problem-involved legislative processes and go straight to the most effective court of all, the court of public opinion. After
all, except for our largest cities the size of New York and Chicago, and many in Alabama, the vast majority of America's 15,000 school districts
are run by elected school board members who, whether or not they like to think of themselves as elected officials, are: They are politicians and
almost all want to be re-elected.
This is all do-able friends. It's never too late. Our schools are as they are because we let them become that way. It's up to us to come to their
rescue. If you don't think this is important, remember that the folks who voted for president in 2008 are the ones who grew up with fuzzy math
which results in fuzzy thinking.
What about other states?
There are as many examples possible
as there are school districts, colleges
and universities. Here's a coast-to-
coast sampling: This New York
Times article focuses on West
Virginia, Associated Press mentions
Oklahoma and California, Florida's
legislature reports their 55% rate,
and the US DOE has this report on
Illinois.
Solutions?
There are many. Best way to begin
a meaningful dialogue with your
school district about both its curricula
and its spending is to persuade your
superintendent and board to
voluntarily post the district's check
register online.
There are as many examples possible
as there are school districts, colleges
and universities. Here's a coast-to-
coast sampling: This New York
Times article focuses on West
Virginia, Associated Press mentions
Oklahoma and California, Florida's
legislature reports their 55% rate,
and the US DOE has this report on
Illinois.
Solutions?
There are many. Best way to begin
a meaningful dialogue with your
school district about both its curricula
and its spending is to persuade your
superintendent and board to
voluntarily post the district's check
register online.
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
| FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of education issues vital to a republic. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 107 which states: the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright," the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use" you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
| ATTENTION EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: Every attempt possible has been made to verify all sources and information. In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately. Thank you. NOTICE: All individuals mentioned on this site are presumed innocent unless they have been found guilty in a court of law. |
| Copyright 1999-2010 Peyton Wolcott |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n : o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e . |
| 6 SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS 1. End discretionary spending. Set an example for your staff; let them know you mean business about running a tighter ship: No trips, no conferences, no meals, no credit cards. If you want to learn more about something, use Google. Do a webinar. Read a newsletter. No golf games with vendors, ever. No chauffeurs, no rental cars. Stay home, do your work and keep your nose clean. 2. Reduce administrative costs. Go through your administrative staff roster and cut every other job, starting with getting rid of all PR and marketing. No advisors, no consultants. Learn how to really read a budget. Put your check register and all wire transfers online. 3. Ethics. No nepotism. Let your wife and kids earn a living in a field other than education. No board members' spouses working in the district. Conduct all discussions with vendors and potential vendors in the open; invite your public to watch and ask questions. Throw away your contract and work year by year. Move your chair off the dais at board meetings. You're not a team member with your elected trustees. You're not equal to them. They're your boss. 4. No construction. If you're the rare district truly experiencing sufficient growth to justify building new schools, splinter off that population and let them start their own new school district or charter school. They might be able to take over an abandoned church or office building for much less than the Taj Mahal you had in mind. 5. Back-to-basics curriculum. Math table (1st grade: add, 2nd grade: subtract, 3rd grade multiply, 4th grade divide) daily drill. You made sure your own kids learned the basics at home or with tutors; why shouldn't all children have that same opportunity? Ditto for phonics. Classical literature. History, not social studies. No more block scheduling. Daily P.E. for all. Emphasize individual effort and accomplishment. 6. Attitude. You're a public servant, not a Third World dictator. Practice humility and gratitude. Remember when your employees laugh at your jokes or tell you you're cool or vendors marvel at your every utterance that they're all sucking up to you. Remember why you got into education to begin with. Sell your house in the gated community and buy one in the middle of a real subdivision like your average parents and taxpayers can afford. Let yourself be driven not by the latest platitude you picked up at the latest education conference but by the same wonderful noble desire to educate kids that got you into this field. |
| Texas Hill Country - Mesquite and Wildflowers Boerne |
US DOE's Race to the Top: edu-doublespeak for "Race to the Bottom"
By Peyton Wolcott
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 / 3:20 a.m. -
Updated Monday, January 25, 2010 / 7:03 a.m.
By Peyton Wolcott
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 / 3:20 a.m. -
Updated Monday, January 25, 2010 / 7:03 a.m.
| Well meaning as the Tea Party rallies were, what have they accomplished? Health care has boiled down to politics as usual; speaking of port, our own local Republican Congressman's pork has swelled this year from $12 million to $100 million. |
Public Ed Commentary - Iowa Chart
It's hard to find a chart like this,
one which includes all public
one which includes all public
Remember that famous
definition of insanity, the one
attributed to Einstein: It's crazy
to keep doing the same thing
and expect different results each
time?
No matter how vendors and
foundations try to rename and
repackage their shiniest new
toys, they still don't work.
Look at this chart at the right
which traces 65 years of failed
experiments.
After decades of throwing
pricey failed unproven
experimental curriculum
programs at our students for,
what are the results? At least
half of our kids entering college
-- the 1/2 to 3/4 lucky enough to
not drop out before graduation
-- need remedial instruction in
core subjects such as reading
and math. Are we as a nation
finally ready to say, 'Enough'?
definition of insanity, the one
attributed to Einstein: It's crazy
to keep doing the same thing
and expect different results each
time?
No matter how vendors and
foundations try to rename and
repackage their shiniest new
toys, they still don't work.
Look at this chart at the right
which traces 65 years of failed
experiments.
After decades of throwing
pricey failed unproven
experimental curriculum
programs at our students for,
what are the results? At least
half of our kids entering college
-- the 1/2 to 3/4 lucky enough to
not drop out before graduation
-- need remedial instruction in
core subjects such as reading
and math. Are we as a nation
finally ready to say, 'Enough'?
school costs including construction, coupled with test scores -- with the historical notes such as the start of New/Fuzzy math. Hats off to the
volunteers at Iowalive for preparing it.
Is Iowa alone? An anomaly?
Hardly. Look at this report at right
from University of Washington
instructor Cliff Mass.
volunteers at Iowalive for preparing it.
Is Iowa alone? An anomaly?
Hardly. Look at this report at right
from University of Washington
instructor Cliff Mass.
| REPORT: MATHEMATICAL ILLITERACY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STUDENTS By Cliff Mass, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Principal Investigator, UW Mesoscale Analysis & Forecasting Group (University of Washington) Motivated by the declining math skills of entering UW freshmen and the poor math educations given to my own children, last quarter I taught Atmospheric Sciences 101, a large lecture class with a mix of students, and gave them a math diagnostic test as I have done in the past. The results were stunning, in a very depressing way. This was an easy test, including elementary and middle school math problems. And these are students attending a science class at the State's flagship university--these should be the creme of the crop of our high school graduates with high GPAs. And yet most of them can't do essential basic math--operations needed for even the most essential problem solving . . . . Consider these embarrassing statistics from the exam: The overall grade was 58%
I could go on, but you get the message. If many of our state's best students are mathematically illiterate, as shown by this exam, can you imagine what is happening to the others--those going to community college or no college at all? Quite simply, we are failing our children and crippling their ability to participate in an increasingly mathematical world. I have even heard from carpenters complaining they are finding it difficult to hire new apprentices that can do the calculations needed to build a house. When I buy something, cashiers have difficulty making change. |
| Cliff Mass |