Support of the Adequacy Trial is throwing good money after bad. Reformation of our public education system, though not an EASY solution, is truly the only REAL solution.
According to the Childrens Educational Alliance of Missouri, "The Missouri school funding adequacy trial has already cost taxpayers millions of dollars that should have been used for their children’s education. Judge Callahan of the Cole County circuit court recently upheld the State’s funding formula, but the plaintiff school districts have said they will continue to sue the state for an additional billion dollars, despite the judge’s opinion that the constitution doesn’t allow the courts to usurp lawmakers on this issue."
In the unlike event that the appeal is successful, Missourians will be handed a billion dollar tax hike. When we've already doubled our spending on education over the last 30 years, it is highly unlikely that MORE taxpayers' hard earned money will fix a broken system.
Congratulations to the following school districts for finally withdrawing from the Adequacy Trial Appeal~It's unfortunate that they wasted our education dollars prior to doing so, but at least they've finally come to their senses. The districts and the lost monies are as follows:
Greene County, Ash Grove R-IV: $ 878.00
Polk County, Bolivar R-I: $2,502.00
Carroll County, Carrollton R-VII $1,039.00
Boone County, Columbia 93 $16,402.69
Audrain County, Community R-VI $325.00
Jefferson County, Fox C-6 $11,459.00
Stone County, Hurley R-I $264.00
Clay County, Liberty 53 $9,018.00
McDonald County, McDonald County R-I $3,728.00
Montgomery County, Montgomery Co. R-II $1,316.00
Ripley County, Naylor R-II $390.00
Howell County, Richards R-V $385.00
Buchanan County, St. Joseph $11,447.52
Bollinger County, Zalma R-V $241.00
When all the above schools chose to drop out, I have to ask why the following schools elected to join?!
LaFayette County, Odessa R-VII $2,200.00
Reynolds County, So. Reynolds Co. R-II $555.00
The Childrens Educational Alliance of Missouri says:
"We believe that it is our moral imperative to allow parents to remove their children from failing schools and place them in schools that provide better educational opportunities. "
In out state Missouri, where the choices are limited, edcuational alternatives should be offered. One little school can help many, but not all. For those that cannot be helped through traditional methods, successful alternatives should be supported. Instead of boxing children into an inept environment, virtual schooling, homeschooling, tutoring, mentoring programs or even allowing a child to access another neighboring public school district can bring tremendous opportunities to children and alleviate burdens that a small school cannot address because of their limited tax dollars. Everyone benefits~even the schools~when we think outside the box.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Status Quo--a recipe for disaster
Clearly our public education system is not delivering what has been promised and what every Missouri child has a right to~a quality education. That is not to say that ALL parts of our system are broken...just some of it. Or maybe we are missing something. As a concerned citizen and taxpayer, I believe in investing in our children. Though I don't live in the city (I live in a suburb), I believe that children are entitled to, and deserving of, educational alternatives.
If you cannot care on an emotional level, you certainly could begin to care on a financial level. In an article, entitled Bridging the Gap in the Columbia Daily Tribune, it's obvious that we're not reaching all of the kids, early enough, and that our system is not set up to do it.
If we know this, then why can't we move towards solving this problem? I think that the words 'education reform' scare people.. But they shouldn't~'Education status quo' are the words that should scare people.
If you cannot care on an emotional level, you certainly could begin to care on a financial level. In an article, entitled Bridging the Gap in the Columbia Daily Tribune, it's obvious that we're not reaching all of the kids, early enough, and that our system is not set up to do it.
If we know this, then why can't we move towards solving this problem? I think that the words 'education reform' scare people.. But they shouldn't~'Education status quo' are the words that should scare people.
Making the best school board
An Education reform group is quizzing potential school board members on their views of school choice. They feel many people are only elected based on name recognition, but they want them to be elected based on the issues only. They strongly support school choice and feel the school board should also support such an idea. The reform group then made recommendations as to which candidate best fits into a school choice supporter. This type of group would be a great asset to any school district.
A clip of the article, or to read the entire article:
One issue means the world to a group of Frederick County parents this election season.
Members of Frederick Education Reform, a collective of parents who organized last winter, want new Frederick County Board of Education members to believe in school choice.
The crux of the group's philosophy is that many educational challenges, including curriculum content and teaching technique, can be addressed with more choices in public education, such as charter schools.
Frederick County is home to Maryland's first charter school -- Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School.
In Maryland, charter schools are created as part of public school systems and provided funding through their annual budgets.
Tom Neumark, the group's spokesman, said members are looking for Board of Education candidates who support school choice in Frederick County -- namely charter schools.
"I'm really hoping that this year's Board of Education campaign will really be about issues, important issues" Neumark said. "Too often these elections are decided by name recognition."
Twelve school board candidates are competing in today's primary election, which will reduce the field to six who will compete for three open seats in the Nov. 4 general election.
In preparation for the primary, Neumark and other parents sent a questionnaire to the candidates in the school board race.
They subsequently interviewed 10 of the candidates who responded to the questionnaire. The group made election recommendations based on those interviews.
Candidates were identified as supporting public school reform, against reform or not clearly in support of or against reform.
A clip of the article, or to read the entire article:
One issue means the world to a group of Frederick County parents this election season.
Members of Frederick Education Reform, a collective of parents who organized last winter, want new Frederick County Board of Education members to believe in school choice.
The crux of the group's philosophy is that many educational challenges, including curriculum content and teaching technique, can be addressed with more choices in public education, such as charter schools.
Frederick County is home to Maryland's first charter school -- Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School.
In Maryland, charter schools are created as part of public school systems and provided funding through their annual budgets.
Tom Neumark, the group's spokesman, said members are looking for Board of Education candidates who support school choice in Frederick County -- namely charter schools.
"I'm really hoping that this year's Board of Education campaign will really be about issues, important issues" Neumark said. "Too often these elections are decided by name recognition."
Twelve school board candidates are competing in today's primary election, which will reduce the field to six who will compete for three open seats in the Nov. 4 general election.
In preparation for the primary, Neumark and other parents sent a questionnaire to the candidates in the school board race.
They subsequently interviewed 10 of the candidates who responded to the questionnaire. The group made election recommendations based on those interviews.
Candidates were identified as supporting public school reform, against reform or not clearly in support of or against reform.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Legal and Logical
I came across this site who was commenting on the wonderfully written story in the NY Sun, Vouchers, Legal and Logical. The author clearly portrays vouchers as something that is not only beneficial to the students and the parents and why it is needed, but also shows that it is in fact legal. In our country, we pride ourselves on the fact that we have freedoms, choices, and rights. "We readily recognize that parents in a pluralistic society like ours have a right to raise their children as they see fit, within the bounds of law, instilling in them the values they hold dear. In Judaism ― and surely other belief systems and philosophies ― that is not only a right but a responsibility. Choosing the right school for a child should be seen as an essential expression of that right and responsibility." We are the ones responsible for our children, why can't we use that responsibility to decide such an important thing for our children. Is it fair one child gets to attend a great school and another attend a failing school? Then the parents get blamed, not to mention that it decreases the chances of future success for that child. "Education, after all, is much more than the transfer of information, much more, even, than training minds to think. It is the imparting of attitudes, ideals, and values as well..." Education is the forefront of growth, emotionally and otherwise for a child. It is one of the most important steps in a person's life.
"There is straightforward justice in empowering parents to choose how their children are educated, to exercise what is perhaps, the most important civil right of all." This final concluding sentence sums it up well. Hopefully, the ones who feel vouchers are so wrong, will someday let go of that fight, and try to see what can really help the kids.
"There is straightforward justice in empowering parents to choose how their children are educated, to exercise what is perhaps, the most important civil right of all." This final concluding sentence sums it up well. Hopefully, the ones who feel vouchers are so wrong, will someday let go of that fight, and try to see what can really help the kids.
Rick Sullivan: cutting ties to bad practices in St. Louis Public Schools
SLPS’ Sullivan seeks a fresh start was the headline of a Dec 31st story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about Rick Sullivan’s bid for chief executive of SLPS’ Special Administrative Board (the one with the power to actually make decisions for SLPS). The point of the state takeover was to break with everything administratively and policy-wise that simply wasn’t working for the district. Rick Sullivan seems to want to be the director of that change: the man who can lead this difficult time of transition and massive legislative and procedural overhauls, and then carry that change back to a locally controlled board. This is certainly what needs to happen—and Sullivan could breach the gap between the needs that St. Louisans have within the community and the changes that the state wants to implement, but only if—and this is a big if—he can truly make a fresh start. Sullivan is ostensibly still in favor of a four-year-old battle suing taxpayers for billions in education funds, and defended it during his confirmation hearing. It’s the opinion of the state that the former school board (who voted to be part of this suit) has a track record of poor decision-making that has not helped the district recover accreditation—and if Sullivan does want to make a fresh start, a re-examination of involvement in this lawsuit is in order. The Special Administrative Board should have an opportunity to decide if continuing with a costly lawsuit (over half a million so far) is the best course of action for a school district in crisis. What’s even more important, though, is letting the community have a real voice in this decision as the Special Administrative Board has promised will happen as it moves forward. If they are serious about that claim, this would be the appropriate place to start.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Choice will help...let's give it a shot!
The Heritage Foundation has been observing school choice practices and has come to the conclusion that giving choice to parents and the children dramatically helps them get a decent education. According to the Heritage Foundation:
A growing number of American students are benefiting from school choice policies. Twenty years ago, few states and communities offered parents the opportunity to choose their children's school. Today, millions of American students are benefiting from policies that enable parental choice in education.
This year, 13 states and the District of Columbia are supporting private school choice. Approximately 150,000 children are using publicly funded scholarships to attend private school.[1]Millions more are benefiting from other choice options ranging from charter schools and public school choice to homeschooling and virtual education.
Still, an estimated 74 percent of students remain in government-assigned public schools.[2]
If given the opportunity, many more children could benefit from school choice options. To improve education in America, Congress and state policymakers should reform public education laws to allow greater parental choice.
The rest of the article discusses more in depth about choice and the many areas that are allowing parents to have a choice. Reading this article, strengthens my belief that implementing some sort of choice program will help the children and help the entire education program. What I keep thinking is...nothing else seems to be working, lets give this a chance.
A growing number of American students are benefiting from school choice policies. Twenty years ago, few states and communities offered parents the opportunity to choose their children's school. Today, millions of American students are benefiting from policies that enable parental choice in education.
This year, 13 states and the District of Columbia are supporting private school choice. Approximately 150,000 children are using publicly funded scholarships to attend private school.[1]Millions more are benefiting from other choice options ranging from charter schools and public school choice to homeschooling and virtual education.
Still, an estimated 74 percent of students remain in government-assigned public schools.[2]
If given the opportunity, many more children could benefit from school choice options. To improve education in America, Congress and state policymakers should reform public education laws to allow greater parental choice.
The rest of the article discusses more in depth about choice and the many areas that are allowing parents to have a choice. Reading this article, strengthens my belief that implementing some sort of choice program will help the children and help the entire education program. What I keep thinking is...nothing else seems to be working, lets give this a chance.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Believe in human rights? Let parents choose.
I’ve been looking at school choice for a while—on statistical, philosophical and common sense levels—and inevitably someone hits me once a week with a new angle I hadn’t considered.
This week I looked up (okay. North) and, like Newton and the apple, I got schooled.
Nova Scotia’s Chronicle Herald has an op-ed chronicling the pivotal differences between Atlantic area schools and the rest of Canada that have caused their unusually poor student performance. The main difference seems to be their funding policies, and the Nova Scotian writer pokes fun of Atlanic for not getting the school choice memo:
“When compared to most provinces, Atlantic Canadian education is trapped in a unique monopoly funding model, a model closely associated with administrative inefficiency and poor student outcomes.
Many Atlantic area school board members are still unaware of how unusual monopoly funding policies are, and often less aware that publicly funded school choice is the norm in all provinces west of the Maritimes. Choice-based funding is available to over 92 per cent of Canadian students, in school systems that have secured some of the best educational outcomes in the world.
Internationally, Canadian-style choice-based funding is being increasingly cited for the remarkable success of most Canadian students, when compared to the dismal outcomes of the American melting-pot monopoly model. Unfortunately, Atlantic Canada has adopted the American-style funding model – and for our students, tragically similar outcomes.”
Well, okay, my patriotism surges for a bit and I think, okay, so what if we’re not #1 in education—we’re really good at other stuff. Except that without a strong education, in 50 years we’ll look like the twilight of the Roman Empire. Plus that’s my line when I let someone down: “But I’m a good friend in other ways…” But we are doing a lot to work on our public schools, I thought. And then another scolding:
“Funded school choice is the democratic norm not only in most of Canada, but worldwide. With the exception of the U.S., virtually all healthy democratic societies fund school choice – even the former Soviet Union does so. The result of such funding for most Canadians is both real choice for all students and, very importantly, a public school management culture that effectively responds to the competitive pressures of choice-driven school systems.
The pattern that competition brings out the best in public education is not only a Canadian observation. According to OIDEL, an international research organization in Geneva, all top performing countries in the PISA international literacy tests – Finland, Canada (93 per cent), New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and South Korea – fund school choice.”
That’s a compelling argument. IS the reason we’re so far behind on many of the basic educational imperatives because we don’t have universal school choice? I don’t think it’s that simple. We’ve tried a lot of alternatives—tax methods, desegregation, No Child Left Behind, Head Start, not to mention massive spending increases from state and federal budgets—but we’ve never changed the system in which we’re operating, and Canada seems to think that’s the crux of whether students are able to succeed or not.
But, if that wasn’t enough of a gut-punch from our neighbors to the North, this is the real kernel of reckoning:
”Funded school choice is a well-recognized human right. The International Declaration of Human Rights states in article 26.3: "Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children." Article 2 assures choice is a right for all, not just a privilege of those who can afford tuition fees. Funded choice is further reinforced in articles 7, 18, 26, 28 and 30. The human rights law on funding choice is so well-defined that individuals "inciting discrimination" against funded school choice are violating that law (see article 7, DHR) in the same manner as if they were opposed to women voting or advocating the return of slavery.
A host of international human rights laws further protect funded school choice, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and, most importantly, the Convention against Discrimination in Education.”
On a macro level, this is pretty significant. I’ve thought about being able to choose one’s education as a political right, or a civil right—but it is even more basic than that. This article notes that most developed societies fund school choice, and ignoring the human rights law is a choice to preserve bureaucratic control of funding: a choice against student success when it would mean a loss of that control.
And, for you scorekeepers out there, human rights trump all the other types of rights—as in, no one has the right to take them away from any person.
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