Students are just Corporate Workers in Development.

On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 Rog Lucido wrote:

In 2004,after 38 years of teaching physics and mathematics, I retired from active teaching to do research and write a book about the deleterious effects of high-stakes testing on students, teachers and schools, Educational Genocide-A Plague on our Children.

I distributed free copies of my book to union leaders, state and national legislators, governors, business leaders and other educational influentials. I along with other teachers, parents, and college professors here in Fresno began a group we called Educators and Parents Against Testing Abuse-EPATA.

We gave talks, presentations, workshops and cosponsored the Chavez Education conference for seven years. I took on the responsibility to coordinate the Assessment Reform Network in the San Joaquin Valley. I was part of the ARN-I and EPATA list serves.

I did all of this to help educators, parents and decision makers see more clearly the effects the current high-stakes testing policies and practices were having on education.

I thought that if all stakeholders had the evidence of what was happening to students, their teachers and schools that they might have an ‘aha’ experience and leave the dark side of using fear, threats and punishments to promote their educational agenda of mean accountability. Their plan was to disregard the professionalism of teachers and create a system of incessant monitoring, pacing charts, and scripted lessons with a prescribed inflexible curriculum. It attempted to sanitize learning to a set of discrete inputs followed by tested outputs in the same mold of manufacturing a toaster.

Little by little I began to see that this was just the tip of the iceberg. These manifestations revealed the core drive. It was that those with power and money want to usurp the freedom of education in the public domain and confine it to the corporate mindset of profit and control.

"Like the many advertisements for private goods and services, those who want to commandeer American education seek to convince an unsuspecting public that business practices employed in education are in the best interest of all students-who after all are just corporate workers in development. This is their central belief."

Contrast this to those of us who hold that students have unique hopes, desires and dreams that do not want to be bound by the artificial structures and limitations of becoming a worker bee. Education should be at the service of students not at the service of the corporate power brokers and those who support that mentality. Students’ teachers along with their parents are among those who give meaning to their world. They mediate all possibilities to enrich students’ lives. Teacher professionalism flows from our care and concern for individual students. We thrive on their successes. Life long learning for them is our greatest hope. This is our central belief.

I no longer believe that discourse with logical arguments, research studies and ‘proof’ about maximizing student learning and best practices for teachers have any significant effect on those who support the corporate mindset for education. There comes a point where reasoning and evidence have little sway in changing the course of events that are progressively worsening. While ongoing dialogue should not be abandoned, I no longer have confidence that it will effect the change with the immediacy that is necessary for the educational health and well being of our students.

It is much like standing in line at the check out counter only to see a child being physically abused by an attending adult. When supplications to stop the beating do not abate the behavior, then a coordinated force is required if not demanded by the situation to protect the child.

The civil rights struggles of the 60’s and our own war of independence are examples of the need to confront the injustices of those with beliefs that restrict freedoms and can enslave generations. We are in a battle of beliefs.

The planned July 28-31- Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action is a first step. I suggest that this should be followed by a well-coordinated national parent and teacher work stoppage.

Parents keeping their children home and teachers not working until our concerns are heard and a plan for action is established.

*Equitable funding for all public school communities
*An end to high stakes testing for student, teacher, and school evaluation
*Teacher and community leadership in forming public education policies
*Curricula developed by and for local school communities

It will not be easy. Those in power and control will not give it up without a fight. There is blood in the water and those corporate sharks who already have plans on our schools are seeing dollar signs. We have many on this list and beyond who can form nuclei of action. Count me in.

Rog


Rog ( Horace ) Lucido, Physics Instructor, Ret.
Program Evaluator
Heald College Mathematics Adjunct
Educational Consultant
Educators and Parents Against Testing Abuse ( EPATA )
Assessment Reform Network Central Valley Coordinator
email: lucid4@cvip.net

Arne Duncan's Call With Business Leaders

It is truly appalling to read the transcript and see the close knit entanglement of business in education. Many education activists knew this a long time ago, but have a hard time convincing the public. Susan Ohanian has a book on the subject: Why Is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools?

Here some insightful parts of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's telephone conference call on January 24th, with representatives from major players (IBM, Ford Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline, Panasonic etc.)

"Listen" in!

Suzanne Immerman (Director of Philanthropic Engagement at the US Department of Education):

"..We recognize that the philanthropic sector is a core constituency in education reform in our country and as a result want to make sure that all of you have a chance to hear directly from the Secretary about issues that are most relevant to all of us in our work."

Arne Duncan:

"..my goal is to make every single governor in this country the best education governor their states have ever seen..we’re going to do hopefully a really innovative thing in the middle of February in Denver. We invited about 150 districts to come, do a conference around labor management issues.

..We would only bring in districts where the superintendent, the school board chair and the union leader would all come together. We were worried we’d have very few takers. We have slots for about 150 districts and we had almost 250 districts want to come in.

..What we think is - there’s a relatively small handful - 10 to 12 districts around the country that have come up with much more thoughtful contracts that really support student achievement. We don’t see why that can’t go to scale just like common standards went to scale.

..We obviously want to reauthorize NCLB this year, do it in a bipartisan way. I think we have a real opportunity to do it. I spent Friday in ..Minnesota with [House Education and Labor Committee] Chairman Klein.

..I think he can be a real partner in this. .. we’re not necessarily going to grant every single issue but I think there’s a lot of common [ground] there.

...  I think there’s actually a very good chance it can happen. And having you guys continue to push off and be a partner in this work I think we can do it.

Last week.., we had this great forum.. with the folks who came as part of the I3 competition who didn’t quite get funding from us.

We had about 700 leaders attend the forum from around the country.

[Participants included executives from Goldman Sachs, AT&T, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]

We want to continue to partner great ideas whether it’s through I3 or Promised Neighborhoods, with potential funders and lots of information obviously on our Web site for you to look at there.

..the forum..was a real chance to continue to build a community of learners together to have folks collaborate and to provide exposure to potential funders for the good work that’s going on out there.

.. to continue to drive change at the state level is hugely important...getting folks to continue to change policies, getting folks to redesign what the state departments do to support the good work in classrooms, getting states to think through legislation that’s either helpful or not helping, having you guys play at that state level, I can’t emphasize how critically important that is going forward.

..with 40 states..having raised standards, 44 states working the common assessments together, lots of movement there. And my goal is to make every single governor in this country the best education governor their states have ever seen.

..And I’ve met with virtually every single one of the new governors. I’ll be going to speak with the NGA [National Association for Governors] in February and want to continue to keep all of them moving. So your support at those local levels is critical.

I think, you know, part of the challenge always is with us, and are we doing a good enough job to reach out to the business community and to reach out to CEOs and ask their thoughts about ways we can do that better and to be a better partner. We more than welcome those ideas as well."

Bill Shore of  GlaxoSmithKline shared:

"..we have our own business advisory council. And the superintendent set it up. And there are about 50 companies here - we meet every three months, it’s a religion almost, we meet every three months with the superintendent and the senior staff, and go over all the goals and objectives that the school system has and what it’s going to take to make him and the students successful.

And helps identify the role that each of us in the business community can play. IBM’s at the table, GlaxoSmithKline, Cisco. He’s got access to every business here. And it has been so refreshing for us because it’s always been us going to the school system trying to help.

..no superintendent ever invited us to the table. So now there’s this incredible dialogue that has not existed before. And we’re literally working in the trenches with him to help make him successful."

Arne Ducan:

"Yes, and I love that and those kinds of models. Unfortunately they are more the exception than norm. And if we had those set up for every single school district that would be fantastic."

Read it all. Click here.

Billionaires Rule Our Schools

"Hundreds of private philanthropies together spend almost $4 billion annually to support or transform K–12 education, most of it directed to schools that serve low-income children... three funders—the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad (rhymes with road) Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation—working in sync, command the field.

In her long and insightful expose (emphases mine),
Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools, Joanne Barkan, writes that:

"..In its “advocacy and public policy” work, the [Bill and Melinda] Gates Foundation also funnels money to elected officials through their national associations. The foundation has given grants to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, National Conference of State Legislatures, United States Conference of Mayors, National Association of Latino Elected Officials Education Fund, and National Association of State Boards of Education. They’ve also funded associations of high nonelected officials, such as the Council of Chief State School Officers."


..they fund the same vehicles to achieve their goals: charter schools, high-stakes test standardized testing for students, merit pay for teachers whose students improve their scores, firing teachers and closing schools when scores don’t rise adequately, and longitudinal data collection on the performance of every student and teacher. ..Every day, dozens of reporters and bloggers cover the Big Three’s reform campaign, but critical in-depth investigations have been scarce.

. ..To justify their campaign, ed reformers repeat, mantra-like, that U.S. students are trailing far behind their peers in other nations, that U.S. public schools are failing..[but]..evidence is mounting that the reforms are not working.

* Stanford University’s 2009 study of charter schools...concluded that 83 percent of them perform either worse or no better than traditional public schools;
* a 2010 Vanderbilt University study showed definitively that merit pay for teachers does not produce higher test scores for students;
* a National Research Council report confirmed multiple studies that show standardized test scores do not measure student learning adequately.
* Gates and Broad helped to shape and fund two of the nation’s most extensive and aggressive school reform programs—in Chicago and New York City—but neither has produced credible improvement in student performance after years of experimentation.

Two of the three major international tests—the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study and the Trends in International Math and Science Study—break down student scores according to the poverty rate in each school. The tests are given every five years. The most recent results (2006) showed the following:

* students in U.S. schools where the poverty rate was less than 10 percent ranked first in reading, first in science, and third in math.

* When the poverty rate was 10 percent to 25 percent, U.S. students still ranked first in reading and science.

But as the poverty rate rose still higher, students ranked lower and lower.

* Twenty percent of all U.S. schools have poverty rates over 75 percent.

The average ranking of American students reflects this. The problem is not public schools; it is poverty. And as dozens of studies have shown, the gap in cognitive, physical, and social development between children in poverty and middle-class children is set by age three.

..To support the new initiatives, the Gates Foundation had already invested almost $2.2 million to create The Turnaround Challenge, the authoritative how-to guide on turnaround. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called it “the bible” for school restructuring. He’s incorporated it into federal policy, and reformers around the country use it.

.. Gates also invested $90 million in one of the largest implementations of the turnaround strategy—Chicago’s Renaissance 2010. [It] gave Chicago public schools CEO Arne Duncan a national name and ticket to Washington; he took along the reform strategy.

The day before the first Democratic presidential candidates’ debate in 2007, Gates and Broad announced they were jointly funding a $60 million campaign to get both political parties to address the foundations’ version of education reform. It was one of the most expensive single issue efforts ever..[and]..The Gates-Broad money paid off:

"the major candidates took stands on specific reforms, including merit pay for teachers. But nothing the foundations did in that election cycle (or could have done) advanced their agenda as much as Barack Obama’s choice of Arne Duncan to head the Department of Education (DOE). Eli and Edythe Broad described the import in The Broad Foundations 2009/10 Report:

"The election of President Barack Obama and his appointment of Arne Duncan, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, as the U.S. Secretary of Education, marked the pinnacle of hope for our work in education reform. In many ways, we feel the stars have finally aligned.

* With an agenda that echoes our decade of investments—charter schools, performance pay for teachers, accountability, expanded learning time, and national standards—the Obama administration is poised to cultivate and bring to fruition the seeds we and other reformers have planted".

Arne Duncan did not disappoint. He quickly made the partnership with private foundations the defining feature of his DOE stewardship. His staff touted the commitment in an article for the department’s newsletter, The Education Innovator(October 29, 2009):

"…The Department has truly embraced the foundation community by creating a position within the Office of the Secretary for the Director of Philanthropic Engagement. This dedicated role within the Secretary’s Office signals to the philanthropic world that the Department is “open for business.”

Within weeks, Duncan had integrated the DOE into the network of revolving-door job placement that includes the staffs of Gates, Broad, and all the thinks tanks, advocacy groups, school management organizations, training programs, and school districts that they fund. Here’s a quick look at top executives in the DOE:

Duncan’s first chief of staff, Margot Rogers, came from Gates; her replacement, Joanne Weiss, came from a major Gates grantee, the New Schools Venture Fund; Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali has worked at Broad, LA Unified School District and the Gates-funded Education Trust; general counsel Charles P. Rose was a founding board member of another major Gates grantee, Advance Illinois; and Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement James Shelton has worked at both Gates and the New Schools Venture Fund. Duncan himself served on the board of directors of Broad’s education division until February 2009 (as did former treasury secretary Larry Summers).


Nothing illustrates the operation of Duncan’s “open for business” policy better than the administration’s signature education initiative, Race to the Top (RTTT). The “stimulus package” included $4.3 billion for education, but for the first time, states didn’t simply receive grants; they had to compete for RTTT money with a comprehensive, statewide proposal for education reform.

It is no exaggeration to say that the criteria for selecting the winners came straight from the foundations’ playbook (which is, after all, Duncan’s playbook). To start, any state that didn’t allow student test scores to determine (at least in part) teacher and principal evaluations was not eligible to compete. ..(“The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that…”). Key criteria included

(C)(1) Fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system

(D)(2) Improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance [this is followed by criteria for evaluating performance based on student test scores]

(E) Turning around the lowest-achieving schools

(F)(2) Ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charter schools and other innovative schools


States were desperate for funds (in the end, thirty-four applied in the two rounds of the contest). When necessary, some rewrote their laws to qualify: they loosened or repealed limits on the number of charter schools allowed; they permitted teacher and principal evaluations based on test scores. But they still faced the immense tasks of designing a proposal that touched on all aspects of K–12 education and then writing an application, which the DOE requested (but did not require) be limited to 350 pages.

What state has resources to gamble on such a venture? Enter the Gates Foundation. It reviewed the prospects for reform in every state, picked fifteen favorites, and, in July 2009, offered each up to $250,000 to hire consultants to write the application. Gates even prepared a list of recommended consulting firms. Understandably, the other states cried foul; so did the National Conference of State Legislatures: Gates was giving some states an unfair advantage; it was, in effect, picking winners and losers for a government program.

Who says the foundations (and Gates, in particular) don’t set government policy?

Who is in control of public education?

In his State of the Union address, president president Obama implied it was the National Governors' Association that had come up with the school reforms such as the national common core standards .

Was that an attempt to have us believe the states still have sovereignty regarding education decisions? What about the fact that states have to compete for federal Race to the Top monies and fulfill many criteria set by the federal government?

The real concern is that the government is not taking action against the influence on education from wealthy billionaires such as Bill Gates, the Walton family and Eli and Edythe Broad. Below is an example. Note the part in bold and then think again of what Obama said about the governors making education decisions. Ask yourself if education reforms should even be determined by a group of governors without input from their states' legislators, and even more importantly, from "Us, the People"?

"..In its “advocacy and public policy” work, the [Bill and Melinda] Gates Foundation also funnels money to elected officials through their national associations. They have given grants to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, National Conference of State Legislatures, United States Conference of Mayors, National Association of Latino Elected Officials Education Fund, and National Association of State Boards of Education. They’ve also funded associations of high nonelected officials, such as the Council of Chief State School Officers."

Read about the billionaires' influence in this long, but enlightening excerpt of the article "Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools". Click here - It clearly shows that public education has been hi-jacked by the wealthy and we should wonder to what end? What is in it for them?

Also read this insightful response to the president's address by Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post: "Obama's faulty logic: What he said and failed to say" .

Parent mis-information night

So tonight I went to a CSAP parent information night at an elementary school in D6.  This school receives Title 1 funding and so a state sponsored "parent facilitator" was on hand to give basic information on CSAP, collect parent signatures(why??), and then turned the presentation over to a teacher at the school.   I have to say, I was concerned by what this teacher was telling parents.  Some highlights:

• the tests are timed, so parents may want to time their children at home doing homework or chores to get used to CSAP


• techniques to help your child "de-stress" at school and home as a result of the testing


• CSAP scores stay with your child through high school and may determine their placement in classes


• the importance of a high protein breakfast to sustain your child through the grueling testing process.  No breaks, they're going to need it!


• If a child completes the test and has even as much as 30 minutes to spare, she must put her head on the desk.  No using the bathroom, even in an emergency.


• CSAP scores hold principals, teachers, and students(!) accountable.

First of all, if "de-stressing" techniques must be employed, that might be a red flag that something is not quite right.  These are elementary students!

If students really are being placed in ability groups based on CSAP scores, that is plain wrong.  I hope that this is not accurate, but who knows?

On the accountability...maybe, possibly, if I thought CSAP was a good thing, I could see holding teachers and principals accountable for scores.  I absolutely do not, by the way.  But the kids?  Come on!  How is this one, apparently very stressful test(see de-stressing above), going to give an accurate picture of what a student knows?  Please.

What's even more distressing is this:   It was held at a Title 1 school.  Half of the parents attending did not speak English.  A Title 1 school has a higher population of students living in poverty.  The parents attending, English speakers or not, are not the parents who know how the school system works.  They do not have the experience, time, or ability to delve into the inner workings of education.  They don't know how to work the system, so to speak.  They trust that schools are doing the best thing for their kids.  And I feel like they were intentionally mislead.  I wonder how many walked away thinking CSAP is more important than it actually is.  That it will mean something to their kids or help them later in life.  It won't.  The state and our district has taken advantage of these parents.  If there was a presentation like this at one of the higher income schools, you can bet that parents attending would have some serious questions about CSAP.   As far as I know, the higher income schools don't have CSAP information nights, not like this anyway.  I wonder why?

Also noteworthy:  the teacher did not let parents know that CSAP scores dictate how much recess their kids get or the way it shapes the curriculum.

But all hope is not lost!  I, and devoted children's advocate, Conny Jensen, were there to hand out flyers about an upcoming CSAP presentation by Angela Engel.  Hopefully, they will come.  You should, too!   From the flyer:

What’s the big deal about CSAP?  It’s just a test, right?  Well, there may be more to the story…

Where do the tests go to be graded and by whom?   Where does the CSAP come from and how much does it cost to administer these tests?    What information do the tests actually reveal?   How do CSAP scores shape education and instruction in schools?  Does the emphasis on standardized testing really help our schools improve?

Please join us to find out more about CSAP and why it may not be the best way to evaluate our schools.  Denver author Angela Engel, Seeds of Tomorrow, Solutions for Improving Our Children’s Education, will give a presentation on these questions and more.  Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 13^th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Centennial Park library.  There is no cost to attend and all are welcome.

Angela Engel is a parent and advocate for children, families, and public education.  She was a teacher and administrator for Douglas County Schools.  Her work with state legislators has led to policies that improve learning and opportunities for Colorado children.  She recently co-founded Uniting 4 Kids, a national organization whose mission it is to unite the capabilities of teachers, parents, and students.

Placing a Value On Education

How does per pupil spending translate to success?  How do we make sure our schools have what they need, especially in these tough economic times?  What is truly needed to support a great school system for D6?

Our local school District 6 is facing another year of funding reductions and is looking for ways to cut around $6 million from the budget.  The district asked for a 16 mill property tax increase in 2009 and was rejected by 66% of the voters.  There is little doubt they will ask again as they continue to face decreasing funding.

[TABLE=2]

*Data from Colorado Department of Education School Finance Page and does not include grants awarded to the district

Being more involved in our District 6 has opened my eyes to the budgeting process and funding challenges and the difficulty in trying to meet the needs of the district.  From a business perspective I cannot begin to image the difficulty in long-term planning and execution with the way districts are funded.  From a parent perspective I am frustrated by the reduction in programs such as Gifted/Talented and large class sizes.  From a taxpayer perspective I am skeptical of paying more in taxes and feel it will never be enough.

In short: a difficult and messy funding scenario + a bad economy + rising employee expenses such as PERA - no mill tax increase = frustrated Parents and Community Members, Board members, School Administrators and Teachers.

When 87% of our district expenses go towards Teachers we are talking about financial management in 3 areas 1) Salaries, 2) Benefits and 3) A mill tax increase.

Why only these three things?  Simple - other programs do not make a big enough dent to sway the financial issues.  Go after sports.  Go after art and PE.  Get rid of Assistant Principals.  It won’t make any difference.  Look it up or ask for the info.  “Low hanging fruit” are low single percentage points at best in terms of the overall general fund.  You think D6 has a bad rap now?  Try eliminating these ancillary programs and see how we’re viewed.  Please don’t, I’m not daring you.  Really.

To adequately fund this district without a tax increase you are talking about reducing the number of teachers and/or reducing the benefits provided to teachers.  Our teacher to student ratio will climb.  Good teachers will be less likely to come to Greeley because of non-competitive pay or benefits (aka we’ll be the employer of last resort).  Could we do a few things to improve the benefits expenses?  Sure.  And it is on the table for review.

So what is the solution?  We are Greeley.  We are not Fort Collins or Windsor.  We are a more diverse and needy district in comparison to the competing districts.  We don't have the stores, art scene, etc. but we are a community.  A community of hard working people who care and in general, like our little town.  As much as we want to compete with other districts we do have to remember who we are and what makes us different.  So let’s think differently:

1. Create a sustainable district funding structure not just for the long term.  Focus the money on teaching our children in core and fun, creative ways.  Do not ask for a mill tax increase to fund transportation and security.


2. Set a few high reaching goals that everyone can buy into and focus squarely on them.  Improve the leadership in all areas of the district (including you, Community!).  Find the balance in everything we attempt to do.


3. Bring in outside help to ensure our huge district of 2,300 employees is functioning efficiently and report the findings.  I would hope there would be well-versed local business leaders ready and willing to provide their insights to the district.


4. Strive to develop a fun and interesting curriculum.  Be different and try different things.  Don’t be so beholden to CSAP and other test measurements.


5. Put firm disciplinary policies in place (or enforce ones currently in place).  Reduce or eliminate the noise from the bad kids (not trouble makers mind you, the bad kids).  No cell phones and iDistractions.  Make them pass notes!

I love it here.  I hope you do too.  So let's improve it.  Not necessarily with dollars, but with commitment, involvement and understanding.

Mr. President, We Want Your Children's Education, Too

From an insightful column by Rachel Levy

(Photo: Not a Sidwell classroom!)

"Mr. President, if... the new school reformers' policies, which you and your administration support, are the right ones, why don't you send your own children to the very schools where such policies are being implemented? If that is not possible, why send them to a school that is in many ways the mirror opposite of your revolutionary reforms?

Is it possible that the very things that make Sidwell [school] so enticing to you (..their website [states]: "We offer these students a rich and rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum designed to stimulate creative inquiry, intellectual achievement and independent thinking in a world increasingly without borders") do not apply to children in public schools, and, specifically, inner-city schoolchildren?

Your educational reforms leave interdisciplinary curriculum, creative inquiry and independent thinking by the wayside in the pursuit of higher math and reading scores. Elite kids get to read, find learning fun and relax in moments of quiet reflection, but public school systems, apparently in a crisis, have to drop recess, the arts, science and social studies, not to mention many of their neighborhood schools, in the quixotic quest for higher test scores and school "choice." Are such policies fine for the education of other children, but not your own?

Mr. President, if we should all have your healthcare, as you have said we should, then shouldn't we all have your children's quality education, too? No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, Arne Duncan and Bill Gates are not going to get us there, and your choice in where you send your children to school demonstrates that.

Do you think that children in public schools aren't ready for these luxuries? Or are their brains somehow different? Less curious? Less creative? I don't think you believe this. But it seems to me you should at least say that they deserve exactly what your own children have. When you fail that basic test, it makes me think you're just the elitist that your populist critics say you are. "

It's harder now that it's over

The fight for Friday Fun at Meeker has officially been lost.   Students, teachers and parents have been overruled in their efforts to retain a 30 minute a week non-academic enrichment program.  After months of meetings, collecting signatures in support of the program(343!), talking with other parents, and finally, formally appealing to the school board, the answer is no.    Dr. Ranelle Lang, superintendent, and Dr. Dana Selzer, chief academic officer for D6, met with another parent and I to inform us of their decision.

Honestly, this meeting was good.  Dr. Lang and Dr. Selzer were friendly, respectful and very straightforward in explaining to us the reasons for the denial.  Some of the reasons were expected; CSAP scores, no time for it in the schedule, etc.  Others included factors I had not considered; can't add the time on Mondays because of the contract with the Greeley Education Association and the actual number of instructional hours in each day after lunch, recess, specials, transition periods, etc., is only 5 1/2 to devote to the core subjects.

Dr. Lang made clear that her job is the academic success of the students in the district.  This is her focus.  It's obvious to me that we have a superintendent who cares deeply about making that happen.  The path she has chosen to take the district in is one that she believes will bring that success; success as defined by our state and federal government and even within the perceptions of the general population.  She told us that almost every minute of the school day needs to be used for academic instruction.  Dr. Lang did not mince words when she acknowledged she is responsible to the community, the school board, and the state for our CSAP scores.  Indeed, that is a heavy weight.

I was able to put myself in her shoes as a result of the conversation.  Even the most powerful administrator in the district is held captive by CSAP, for better or worse.  Obviously, in my opinion, it's  for the worse.   Although I understand the reasons given for denying Friday Fun, the fact remains that we're talking about 30 minutes a week.  I still don't believe it's too much to ask.  I absolutely believe there is a place for non academic, free form enrichment in a school setting and that it's really essential to academic success.

Imagine how valuable that time might be for a struggling student who has had all the literacy and math he can stomach for the week.  It's a chance to try something new, think in a different way, find something else he's good at, latch on to something that he can find value in right now!  How might that affect his future schooling?  If he has been given the opportunity to explore content areas that aren't measurable on any test and he excels at those things, it might really give him a sense of belonging in school and boost his confidence.

I'm beginning to understand, in a way I didn't before, that Friday Fun was never going to happen.  The stakes are too high, the path too narrow, the consequenses too dire(especially with the inevitable advent of teachers being evaluated on their students' CSAP scores).   While it is within Dr. Lang's power to give us Friday Fun, I can see from her point of view why she wouldn't.  I disagree, but I feel like I understand her better.

This is public education.  This is the machine.  And I'm worried that it won't get any better in terms of educating children in ways that honor them as creative, inquisitive people, no matter what the test scores are.  When I say it's harder now that the fight for Friday Fun is over, it's because I realize that it will take so many people to change the system.   We are all responsible for what's happening.  We've elected the politicians that have started this ball rolling.  We parents and community members rely far too much on standardized tests to tell us if schools are good or not.  We've all demanded accountability.    This, right here, is the result.  30 minutes a week of engaging, exciting learning for kids, gone.   It's the definition of unintended consequences.

Do We Have the Time to Reform?

With so much discussion around improving our schools it is hard to figure out how and when to help out.  Stakeholders have little time as it is and we all go a little cross-eyed at the end of the day.  Heck, getting a good night’s sleep is what most of us shoot for in the daily accomplishments category (and fail at)!  Point is, everything is moving so fast.  So how can we get more involved in improving our schools? A recent D6 outreach event was attended by about 40 community members.  We have almost 20,000 children who attend our D6 schools.  Board meetings typically have just a handful of people there.  We see about that 40 attendee number again when the Board is discussing hot topics such as the charter schools.  40 out of 20,000.

Time is valuable and your time is best spent with your family and friends.  So how can we advocate improving our schools?  By forming connections and becoming an informed group.  Thanks to technology it is extremely simple to accomplish this.  Take the easy steps to get involved by following BuildBetterSchools.com.  You can follow via Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds or subscribe the simple way with basic email updates.

Want to write a column or just vent?  Let us know via the Contact Us page!  And you DO NOT have to agree with us or be in line with our thinking.  I believe the best things happen when two opposing sides can find common ground to move forward on.

These are our kids.  These are our schools.  This is our community and our future.  This is your website.  Let's  find each other and work together to make our schools what we all know they can be!

What if??

I came across this article about what might happen if whole communities refused to let their kids take the state standardized tests.  In our case, CSAP.

It's interesting to think about.  As a parent, I'm coming to realize that most of the things I dislike about our public schools are a direct result of the emphasis of this test.  And that's not a knock against our school board, not really.  I understand they are under extreme pressure from the federal and state government to tailor our school system to get "results".   That is, increasing test scores.

A narrow curriculum, limited recess and hands on learning time, no time for teachers to grab hold of teachable moments and elaborate on what may perk students' interest, one size fits all lesson plans that teachers have no control over, kids learning to read but not learning to love reading...these are all consequences of teaching to the test.  So what do we do?  Children could be getting a better education if the government just backed off.    Private schools are not held hostage to government mandates and can teach their students in meaningful ways.  Why should that type of education be a privilege?

D6 forum January 8th

The League of Women Voters is hosting a forum on the future of District 6.  Linda Trimberger and Bob Stack will give a presentation on plans for our school district.    The audience will be allowed to ask questions and, presumably, get answers!  http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20110104/NEWS/701049999/1051&ParentProfile=1001

Noticeably absent from the lineup is, well, all the other board members.  Not to mention the superintendent.  No matter, I'm sure Linda and Bob will do a fine job all on their own.   I am looking forward to hearing the plans they've made for our children.  Plans made after carefully listening to the needs of teachers, students and parents, no doubt.   What's that?  You don't think so?   I know I haven't been asked, but I assumed I just missed that questionnaire.    Guess I'd better go to see what they're cooking up.  You should too!

I have a prediction on what we might hear.   At a recent D6 Citizen's Academy meeting, superintendent Ranelle Lang mentioned that so far the district has focused mainly on revamping elementary schools.  Now she has that to her liking, the next stop will be the middle schools.   We also might hear about pressing issues like discontinuing the sale of chocolate milk in the school cafeterias.  If my sources are correct, Trimberger has been working on that.

Here is what I hope to hear: kids will get more recess, get tested less, teachers will be given more control over what, how, and when they teach, the introduction of unique school models like teacher run schools, magnets, a bilingual school for kids to learn in two languages(yes, English speakers taught in Spanish!  How cool!),  a reduction in the absurd amount of time spent on phonics for elementary(more than an hour a day?!),  the creation of a district parent council that meets regularly with the board/super... Whew!  What else?  What would you like to see the Greeley-Evans school board plan for the future?  Post your ideas in the comments.