Have Your Voice Heard! Are Schools Making Us Stupid in America?

Want to share your thoughts about education with the nation?  Now's your chance! John Stossel recently followed up his 2006 program, Stupid in America with a show featuring new insights and observations and he wants to hear from you!  He will be taping a show live in response to the new segment where he'll be sharing reactions to the show. Below is the show broken down into six segments each with some questions to consider.  Watch, think, and respond (using labels A, B, C...) to any questions that elicit a reaction. If you do, you can get your comments on air by responding to this post.

Stossel is especially interested in any comments you have that are provocative, insightful, or hostile.  John will take a look at your comments and consider including quotes from readers of The Innovative Educator during his taping tomorrow.  You will be able to watch the show on Thursday at 10 pm Eastern time and Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm and midnight.

Additionally, if you want to attend the taping which takes place on Tuesday, October 18th at 7 pm at Fox Studios, I will be able to offer tickets to a select number of readers who respond to this post with their name, email, and why it is they want to attend.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Watch! Think! Comment! Be heard!

A - Public schools are making us “Stupid in America.” What some are doing to change that.

• School spending has tripled. School improvement - Ziltch 
• Since there is no improvement correlated to spending, should we reduce taxpayer burden? Why or why not?
• Are test scores the best way to measure improvement? 
• Are our industrial-age model schools really failing or are they doing just what they are designed to do? i.e. babysit, reward compliance, punish those who question authority
• Charter schools are doing the same job as public schools with less money. 
• Why is that? 
•  How can public school learn from this? 
• Charter school operator Ben Chavis says he can take the worst school and turn it around at his American Indian Public Schools. Keys to his success: 1) Hire students to teach students 2) Use embarrassment to keep people in line 3) Teachers know they can be fired in a moment’s notice 
• Do you believe he can turn around any school? 
• Do you believe this model is best for children?

B - Competition makes everything better, doesn’t it? 

• Stossel was challenged to teach for a week. He said okay...They rescinded their challenge.
• Why not let him take the challenge? 
• Doesn’t that make the union look bad? 
• Public schools test scores are the lowest of all. Public school union leader explains: I know my kids are learning when I look in their eyes. 
• Aren’t the test scores really a result of having 1) Less parental involvement 2) Low - no students with special needs and/or English language learners 3) Ability to not ask students back 
• If kids are free to take their money (i.e. student comes with dollars) to any school, things will get better. 
• Do you agree? Why or why not?

C - Public school policy makers choose private for themselves 

• A large percentage of politicians and union leaders who set policy for other people’s children, send their children to private schools. 
• Why shouldn’t everyone have that choice? 
• It takes dozens of steps and hundreds of thousands of dollars to fire teachers at a loss to the system to get a bad teacher removed.
• Why have tenure when other professions don’t have this?
• Observation
  These teachers are labeled as bad not because of test scores, but instead because they are doing things like abuse, sleeping in class, lying about credentials.

 D - Getting Rid of Bad Teachers

• Rhee wants to get rid of bad teachers, but even by her description, it’s not test scores that makes a teacher good. It is that students want to show up to the class. 
• Why not have students involved in teacher evaluation? After all, aren’t they the true clients of the education system? 
• What are other / better ways to assess student learning? 
• What are other / better ways to assess teacher effectiveness?

 

E - New Orleans Charter School Success 

• New Orleans is having success with charter schools that provide many options for students to choose from. If a school is not good, they just choose another. 
• Why not have more charter schools in more places?

F - Khan Academy - Bringing every kid the best teacher 

• Teacher lecture can be replaced with videos to free up teacher time for hands-on support. 
•  How will this change teaching and learning?

 

You have read this article charter school / education reform with the title charter school. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2011/10/have-your-voice-heard-are-schools.html. Thanks!

Say Goodbye to the Mistress of Science

Editor's Note- This fictional story is a part of a continuing series that aims to explore various educational issues. However, the Random Science thought of the day is real and the MacGyver story is real. Cindy Cohen a HS Science teacher does this with her students. As for the MacGyver anecdote that dates back to my High School days.

By Jacob Gutnicki

Every day she logs on to her computer and posts a random science thought of the day. From Hurricane Earl to Katrina it is all here connected with the tools that engage students. Recently she wrote, “Hurricanes that are hundreds of miles away can still cause high ocean waves.” On another day she posted, “Force equal mass times acceleration. A truck has far more mass than a car. That is why getting hit by a truck going at 30 miles an hour would be far more painful than getting hit by a car at 30 miles an hour.” The students always appreciated her posts and many productive comments and discussions would follow the post.

After posting she typically wrapped a bandana around her head, slipped into her stockings, stepped into her boots, and headed for the car in the driveway anticipating another day at Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School. However, today would be very different for Cecelia Kool. It was her last day at the school as tomorrow she began her new venture; the start of the Thomas Elkins School of Invention.

This school would begin by servicing grades 9 and 10 and over a period of 5 years it would also service the K-8 grades as well as grades 11 and 12. Additionally, her school would encourage Special Needs students to join the school and offer various hands-on internships and job based programs. For a long time it was her dream to design a school and a accompanying curriculum that taught through the exploration of famous inventions, build similar contraptions, and produce futuristic inventions. The timing was right. Her children were all grown up. Her husband Joe Kool was very supportive and helped her obtain the community support needed for this project. Never the less, she dreaded this day. It was hard to say farewell to her students and colleagues.

As she walked the hall everyone wished her good luck and told her that she would be sorely missed. Even Michael Lotta the new Assistant Principal would only speak kind words. In fact, if you looked closely, for a brief moment it looked like Michael had a tear in his eye. For those who really knew Michael it was not so surprising. Beneath that gruff exterior laid a decent man who still cared about the kids. He just believed that being tough was important as it prepared students for the real world. Yet even Michael would never speak ill of his colleague Cecilia. He understood her way was reaching children. Quite often he had said, if more teachers had Cecilia’s magic, I would not have to do what I do.

Later that day, a luncheon was held in her honor. Teachers and student alumni shared stories of what this great woman did for the past 25 years. One student alumnus shared how every week she dissected the MacGyver television show and would recreate the contraptions showcased. The student further related how this inspired him to go to med school. As the afternoon ensued other stories were related and by the end of the luncheon there was not a dry eye in the room.

Soon enough the day would end. Cecilia dipped into the pocket of her raincoat, pulled out her SmartPhone, and wrote the following status update;

“To my students and colleagues. Thank you for a wonderful 25 years. As I embark on this new journey, I leap forth with excitement to what the future brings but will miss you terribly so for your companionship has meant so much to me. Keep strong and continue to inspire all those that surround you.”

And so it was. Cecilia left the building, entered her car, and could be heard humming;

“So many faces in and out of my life,

Some will last, some will just be now and then.

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes-

I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.”

Additional Editor's Note- This story is dedicated to all the great teachers who keep on working tirelessly for our children.

For more fictional stories from Jacob read: "IWB, I Loathe You" and "IWB, I Will Hunt You Down and Destroy You!!"

You have read this article Cecilia Kool / charter school / fiction / Michael Lotta with the title charter school. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2010/09/say-goodbye-to-mistress-of-science.html. Thanks!