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August 28, 2006
Dream Deferred...
Dr Martin Luther King:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Mark Burnet, Producer of Survivor:
"We're smart enough to have gotten rid of every racist person in casting,"
So, let me get this straight - they are to be judged by the content of their character, unless this is to boost ratings?
Well, at least they didn't set out to offend anyone. I wonder how Katie Couric wll report on this next week, on the lead in CBS Evening News?
Parents, will your kids be watching segregated Survivor?
Posted by Tim Keaney at 07:49 PM
August 27, 2006
Home Alone?
Is Home Schooling working? Or better put, why is home schooling working for so many families today?
Many cite the control over the curriculum.
Many cite values education, while others site the basic and systemic failures of the public education system, from dropout rates and crime, to deteriorating facilities and lack of basic instructional supplies.
Parents today are home schooling their kids in records numbers.
I welcome your input on why, whether it works, and any studies that prove it.
Posted by Tim Keaney at 08:19 PM
August 23, 2006
rio..rio..rio..where for art thou?
I would comment on this story, had anyone bothered to vote...
13% turnout...
Posted by Tim Keaney at 06:52 PM
Worthy of a read
Jim Lane's article in this morning's Star is worthy of a read.
So is this won from Eduwonk, about a ridiculous story on CNN.
Posted by Tim Keaney at 06:39 AM
August 22, 2006
Speaking of Charter Schools
Charter school scores down, study shows
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
Published 7:37 am PDT Tuesday, August 22, 2006
WASHINGTON (AP) - Fourth-graders in traditional public schools are doing better in both reading and math than students in charter schools, the government says in a report fueling fresh debate over school choice.
Tuesday's report said fourth-graders in regular public schools scored an average of 5.2 points better in reading than students in charter schools on the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress test. Students in traditional schools scored an average of 5.8 points better in math.
Charter school opponents said the findings show that the schools are a failing experiment that drains resources from traditional public schools. Charter school supporters called the report flawed and outdated and said charters improve public education by creating competition.
The Bush administration supports charter schools.
The head of the government agency that produced the report cautioned against reading too much into it.
"This was a pilot study and not meant to be definitive," said Mark Schneider, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which did the report for the Department of Education.
"What does this report say to a parent? Not much, frankly," Schneider said. Still, he said the report provides solid data for researchers to do more studies.
"My advice to parents based on this report is: Shop around carefully," he said.
The report offered some good news about charter schools: Reading scores at charter schools in central cities serving mostly minority students were comparable to scores at traditional public schools. However, math scores at such charter schools still lagged behind those at traditional schools.
"On average, they're not doing harm," Schneider said of charter schools.
Charter schools are public schools that are sometimes run by private entities and are usually free of many of the regulations that govern traditional public schools. They have become popular in many areas where traditional public schools are struggling.
The NCES studied fourth-grade math and reading scores at 150 charter schools and 6,764 traditional public schools nationwide. At the time, there were nearly 2,700 charter schools in 36 states. There are now more than 3,600.
The test scores were from the 2003 NAEP, an assessment given to students across the country.
The American Federation of Teachers said the report confirms its research showing that charter schools are not improving education in America.
"It says that they were not able to deliver on their promises on a consistent basis," said Nancy Van Meter, deputy director of the teachers union.
Nelson Smith, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said the report was flawed because it did not measure academic progress over time. He said many students enter charter schools after struggling in traditional schools, only to improve their test scores over time.
He also noted that many charter schools in the study had been operating only a short time.
"It takes charters a year or two to get their sea legs, and then their performance goes up," Smith said.
The Center for Education Reform, which supports charter schools, issued a list of studies showing that charter school students in several states outperform students in traditional public schools.
Posted by Tim Keaney at 03:20 PM
August 21, 2006
While America slept...or watched Survivor.
This is important reading for every candidate, current school board trustee, local, state and national politician, business owner, educator and parent.
Read the statistics and cringe, then comment....
Engineering America's future
Ronald E. Barr,
Monday, August 21, 2006
Americans have always treasured education as the key to individual success and improvement. As children flock back to classrooms this month, it is timely to assess the educational choices we make. Many Americans assume the United States will always lead the world in science and technology, as we have done for the past century. Many are unaware that the rest of the world is catching up and will surpass us if we do not do something.
A telling statistic reported by the National Science Foundation shows that the United States in 1975 ranked behind only Japan in the per capita of 24-year-olds holding science and engineering degrees. A quarter century later in 2000, 13 countries ranked ahead of the United States in this same statistic. One wonders where America will rank in 2025. According to Business Week magazine, more college students study engineering in Mexico, 451,000, than in the United States, 370,000. Half of the engineering doctorates awarded in American universities go to foreign nationals, and many of them returned home to India, China and South Korea.
This past year, I have heard people express concern that America's global leadership in engineering and technology is in danger. The effects of globalization on engineering and technology, both in education and practice, cannot be ignored. Lack of world technological leadership will not only impact our standard of living, but affect our ability to develop the sophisticated homeland security and defense systems needed 30 to 50 years out. Will America's military power be lagging in 2050?
Recent reports from the National Academies, a group of our country's most accomplished engineers and scientists in industry and education, suggest our nation must aggressively reinvest in science, engineering and technology to continue our global competitiveness. One report in particular, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," has gained some traction in the inner circles of the federal government. The report calls for national reinvestment in four basic areas: improve K-12 science and math education; increase basic research in the physical sciences and engineering; revamp immigration laws to attract the world's best and brightest; and facilitate tax credits for corporate research and development in basic science and engineering.
The president's current budget proposal, that includes the American Competitiveness Initiative, is a baby step in the right direction. Industry, academia, government and nonprofit organizations must join forces to strengthen American competitiveness by improving the science, technology and engineering education.
At a grass-roots level, I encourage all parents to attend their local school board meetings and insist engineering and technology courses be implemented in their local K-12 curriculum. Then students can start to identify with this career pathway before they set foot on college campuses.
Engineering education imparts to the graduate a host of analytical, communication and problem-solving skills needed to address the many complex problems our nation faces. America needs engineers, not just in industry and the corporate world, but in financial and medical service sectors, for national security, in civic positions to help tackle social problems, and as policymakers. The reigning Miss Wisconsin has a degree in biomedical engineering, and plans to go to law school and specialize in medical patents. She personifies how an engineering degree can lead to a wide spectrum of leadership roles and professional opportunities. We must start with K-12, and convince our youth that the key to "engineering America's future" is through broad-scale science and engineering education. The century ahead belongs to nations that harness the world's technological leadership and scientific superiority. Let's hope America remains one of those nations.
Barr is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas and immediate past-president of the American Society for Engineering Education.
courtesy, Austin-American Statesman
Posted by Tim Keaney at 08:06 PM
August 20, 2006
The District 4 Smackdown
Prenta Vs. Kunicki for County Board of Education, District 4. Read more about the role of the County Board of Education by clicking here.
I think the County Board is often misunderstood and ignored. Did you know there was a county schools office and county Board of Education?
Is the county schools office a place where educational policy gets set, or is it a place that provides services that individual districts don't want to provide?
The governor actually proposed eliminating the county schools offices statewide as a cost cutting measure. The schools office provides many services, including child care planning assistance, work/life planning and free internet access services for teachers, as well as personnel, accounting and payroll services for school districts.
Who's best qualified for being a trustee of the county schools office?
What has Trustee Kunicki advocated for or accomplished?
Who is Ms. Prenta and what does she bring to the table?
Who has made endorsements?
For what's it worth, I went to Smart Voter and tried to link to the candidate profiles, except the campaign isn't listed on Smart Voter yet. When it is, we'll post it. Neither are the local school board races either. Apparently the League of Women Voters either misunderstands the school races, or plans to ignore them.
Both Kunicki & Prenta are invited to post their profiles and web site links here. Comments and questions to the candidates are welcome, and will hopefully be answered.
Posted by Tim Keaney at 11:46 AM
Is your school "teaching to the test"?
You hear it in many circles. "Our school just teaches to the test". With the focus on standards and accountability in schools, many people believe that schools have eliminated the "extras" and are just focusing on teaching reading, writing and math.
And then there are others who say "well, what's wrong with that?"
Many think that the extras provide the well rounded education that actually helps kids learn, improve cognitive abilities and improve test scores. Others believe that the only way to master the standards is to master the standards - period.
So do the fine arts, science, art and physical education help kids learn, or are they extras that kids don't need?
Is it better to just have schools focus on the "3 r's" and let kids get everything else through extracurricular activities?
Is your school just teaching to the test?
Posted by Tim Keaney at 11:39 AM
August 18, 2006
Got campaign?
If you are running for a local school board or education related public office, and would like to have your campaign publicized, promoted, scrutinized and questioned, feel free to post your name, what you are running for and a bio.
The local newspapers barely cover these races, so with my readership, this is going to be an excellent source for campaign information, debate, ideas and more.
In other words... Got a campaign? Talk about it here.
Posted by Tim Keaney at 07:17 AM
August 16, 2006
From the Daily News
Students in districts around L.A. do well
BY EUGENE TONG, Staff Writer
LA Daily News
Students in school districts surrounding Los Angeles Unified showed gains on standardized English and math tests and generally surpassed state and county averages, according to results released Tuesday.
Both the Glendale and Burbank Unified school districts boasted improvements over last year on the Standardized Testing and Reporting exams. At least 50 percent of Glendale students from nearly all grades - and the second to 10th grades in Burbank - tested proficient or better in both subjects.
Continuing its impressive performance in past years, the Las Virgenes Unified School District far surpassed state and county averages, with more than 80 percent of its fourth- and seventh-grade students scoring proficient or advanced in math and English.
The Moorpark, Ojai, Pleasant Valley and Simi Valley unified school districts also performed better than state averages.
Glendale and Burbank officials said they would address the weak performance of their 11th-graders, who had the lowest scores in their districts.
Only 47 percent of 11th-graders passed the English test in Glendale, which could reflect students' ambivalence to standardized tests in that grade.
"Eleventh-graders start to realize they have no consequences in their test," said Terry Dutton, the GUSD's director of assessment. "They realize their credits and passing the CAHSEE (state exit exam) is more important."
Posted by Tim Keaney at 03:48 PM
School year almost here
Do you have a wish list for your school this year? What would you like to see improve and what would like to see change?
What would you like to see happen at every school?
Tell us what your goals are for the coming school year.
Tim
Posted by Tim Keaney at 11:33 AM
August 14, 2006
Filing Deadline is Wednesday
From the Star...
Eleven potential candidates for the two open seats on the Simi Valley Unified School District board have pulled papers for the November election. Neither incumbent board members Carla Kurachi nor Greg Stratton are on the list.
Of the 11 who pulled candidacy papers for the school board, as of Friday afternoon five men have filed their intention to run with the Ventura County Elections Division.
The five confirmed candidates so far for the Simi district board are: Eric Lundstrom, a businessman who ran in the 2004 election; Tim Camarillo; Stephen Gould, a former school board member who lost his seat in the 2004 election; Thurlow Partridge, a retired teacher; and Steven Bloore.
There may have been more who filed late Friday, but election officials in the county's office said they wouldn't have the final tally available until Monday.
Because neither incumbent board member filed papers to defend their seats in the November election, the filing period will be extended to Wednesday.
---end---
Who's running?
Who will still file?
Where is Bob LaBelle?
et tu Kurachi?
Talk to me!!!
Tim
Posted by Tim Keaney at 12:43 PM
Filing Deadline is Wednesday
From the Star...
Eleven potential candidates for the two open seats on the Simi Valley Unified School District board have pulled papers for the November election. Neither incumbent board members Carla Kurachi nor Greg Stratton are on the list.
Of the 11 who pulled candidacy papers for the school board, as of Friday afternoon five men have filed their intention to run with the Ventura County Elections Division.
The five confirmed candidates so far for the Simi district board are: Eric Lundstrom, a businessman who ran in the 2004 election; Tim Camarillo; Stephen Gould, a former school board member who lost his seat in the 2004 election; Thurlow Partridge, a retired teacher; and Steven Bloore.
There may have been more who filed late Friday, but election officials in the county's office said they wouldn't have the final tally available until Monday.
Because neither incumbent board member filed papers to defend their seats in the November election, the filing period will be extended to Wednesday.
---end---
Who's running?
Who will still file?
Where is Bob LaBelle?
et tu Kurachi?
Talk to me!!!
Tim
Posted by Tim Keaney at 12:43 PM
