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October, 2015

  1. Call-out of Gates

    October 15, 2015 by Tunya

    Call-out Of Gates Urgently Needed 

    Look at the title of this story — Imposing Common Core On America Is Way Harder Than CURING MALARIA – Bill Gates : http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/08/bill-gates-imposing-common-core-on-america-harder-than-curing-malaria/


    It is timely to ask: Who is advising Gates ? The story says Gates complained that “obstinate, noncompliant parents” were the problem behind resistance to Common Core. Yet his own children are in an expensive non-CC school. What advice caused him to avoid CC? Probably good advice. After 7 years of quietly funding experimental education programs he is now being more public about his well-funded agendas for others. Yes, for others, not his own family !


    He is doing the biological right thing by his children — protecting them from harm and hoping to launch them well-equipped into the future. Why would he then want to impose an amateur, not field-tested, poorly researched, one-size-fits-all federal program on other people’s children ?


    From someone outside the system — I am a parent and grandparent — I am ashamed at how “the system” lacks in judgment on this issue. Some sort of mass hysterical delusional intimidation must be going on. Is there really some organized conspiracy to produce a two class system — a small educated ruling elite and an obedient, compliant mass public ?


    There are few who are calling-out BOTH Gates and Common Core pushers on this questionable path.
    Only Jay P Greene, professor at University of Arkansas who supports education choice, seems to have the guts to call-out this hocus-pocus. Please see http://jaypgreene.com/2015/10/14/emperor-gates-has-no-clothes/

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Using the English Language — Refugee Issue

    October 13, 2015 by Tunya

    Will It Be English For “The Conversation” About Refugees ?

    15 hours after the posting of this article by Wente — http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-refugee-tide-turns-in-germany/article26761039/comments/?ord=1 — the most popular comment by “Think_First” has garnered 201 approvals from readers 201 +, 17- for a score of 184, out of 373 comments so far: 1:45 PST).

    This is the key point “Think_First” makes — “ . . . mass, uncontrolled immigration can lead to widespread social problems and crime, even in countries like Germany and Canada. No, it is not xenophobic to have a conversation about it.”

    I agree. We need that conversation everywhere. Wente describes the demographics — "Only a small number of the newcomers are well-educated professionals. Many more are illiterate, traumatized, children, or old. The majority are young men, with few skills and nothing to do."

    Now the question arises — which language will “the conversation” engage? Since it’s reported that 2/3 of the European Union speaks English, will it be English in the ABE (Adult Basic Education) classes and SLL (Second Language Learning) for immigrant school children? English does appear to be the “lingua franca” of international business, science, technology and aviation and likely most Germans speak English.

    One can only hope that practical Germans will continue to use a phonetic approach to the teaching of English and consistently avoid other teaching styles. Since 2002 they have outlawed the Whole-Language method. W-L was tried in 80's but after disastrous results was declared bad practice.” (Unfortunately, North America has not similarly banned this method, accounting for considerable, persistent illiteracy.)

    I’ll be looking for reports about the language training issue in Germany and its refugee challenge. I’m sure the classes will be quick, effective and efficient. We can learn from them — not only in language teaching but how problem-solving proceeds from shared language.

    Category Education Reform, Opinions in media, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  3. School Choice & budget realities

    October 10, 2015 by Tunya

    Budget Crunch Can Lead To School Choice Decisions

    There is not much of a pent-up demand for school choice from parents, not yet anyway.

    And the philosophical incongruity between a democratic state’s insistence on an educated citizenry and its practice of at the same time providing that education doesn’t bother many.  Might seem like state indoctrination, but distaste for that is not there, yet. 

    No, it’s neither demand nor philosophy that’s informing top-level discussions about education choice.  It’s the utilitarian argument, cost-savings, that’s coming to the fore.

    Take the most radical retreat yet — from compulsory state provision to simple funding the consumer with oversight — Nevada.

    The universal Nevada Education Savings Account plan is slated for a full start in 2016. The registrations for the program are already in full gear.

    What was the trajectory?

    See Wall Street Journal — Nevada Places a Bet on School Choice — http://www.wsj.com/articles/nevada-places-a-bet-on-school-choice-1434319588

    The budget crunch was huge in Nevada.  Immigration was putting a squeeze on the enormous need for portables, trailers and modular construction for new school spaces. Lurking in the background was the example of the already successful education funding structure called Education Savings Accounts — operating in Arizona, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi. 

    The beauty of the Nevada plan is that it invites innovation.  The unbundling of services is a breakthrough — parents can shop for tutors and services from the community.  Roll-over of funds unused can be applied to subsequent years or even college.  Etc. 

    Budget crunches serve as a wake-up call, don’t they?  BC’s per pupil allotment is $7,390 (with partial funding of independent schools) while Ontario’s is $12,299 (no public funding of independents). 

    Category Education Reform | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Smart Spending Called For — EDUCATION & HEALTH

    October 10, 2015 by Tunya

    Smart Spending Called For — EDUCATION & HEALTH

    Here is the latest information on Education Savings Accounts as they apply in the US. — ESAs: The Next Generation of School Choice, Oct 2015
    http://static.excelined.org/wp-content/uploads/ESAs-the-NextGen-of-School-Choice-FINAL.pdf 30 pg

    “Vouchers and tax-credit scholarships are like the rotary phone: great at making phone calls, but that is all they can do. ESAs are like smartphones: they can make phone calls, but you can use them to do your banking, shopping, search for businesses, and much more.

    ESAs “The key here is customization. Parents are no longer relegated to School A or School B. A child can attend a private school and receive speech therapy, or learn math and science online, English and history at home, be tutored twice a week, and deposit remaining funds into a college savings account. Through an ESA, education is no longer “use it or lose it.” Parents decide where the best values are; they have the ability to direct their child’s funds in the most efficient way.” (P17)

    HEALTH — With changing demographics the two big pulls on public funds are still education and health. But, the growing proportion of seniors and concomitant demands on services are overtaking the funding demands for education of the young. This US report demonstrates in another way why education spending has to be more efficient and accountable — http://excelined.org/FacetheStrain/ 2pg brief, 100 pg Report

    “Turn and Face the Strain: Age Demographic Change and the Near Future of American Education outlines a fierce battle looming between the needs of public health care and education. A crisis is fast approaching that makes comprehensive improvement of America’s public schools more important than ever.”

    The same realities are evident in Canada. We must have more public conversations about effectiveness and efficiency in our public services.

    Category Education Reform, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  5. e d hirsch “wave” of ed reform – I

    October 9, 2015 by Tunya

    Catching The WAVE Of Knowledge-based Education Reform — The GOOD NEWS (Part I)

    If there ever was a flipped classroom for adults to QUICK-LEARN about education reform it is here.

    But, first let me explain. Flipped classroom is the style of teaching where the students do their homework as assigned reading at home, then come to the classroom to discuss with the teacher what was learned and prepped ahead.

    Ed reform has had so many varieties over the ages so it’s hard to know where to start. VERY DISAPPOINTING are the books and articles which end up saying: And what you can do about it. (I’ve found over a dozen!) So, how many of us got NOWHERE?

    Anyway, after 4 decades of experience, I think this Hirsch Wave is one of the best things ever — for TWO REASONS:

    1 Knowledge-based curriculum is back in vogue, having been dismissed and deleted because knowledge was to be “constructed” meaningfully from the context of students’ experiences, and besides, content is obtainable “on the Internet”!

    2 Knowledge-backed approach is gaining headway — away from the philosophical belief mindsets of past education leaders. Proof, evidence, research, best practice and other similar objective criteria are coming to the fore — challenging feel-good, subjective theories.

    The best “flipped classroom” on the topic of Ed Reform is right here — Educhatter — on the Core Knowledge Curriculum. [Thanks P Bennett.] https://educhatter.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/knowledge-matters-why-is-the-content-lite-curriculum-in-retreat/#comment-18595

    After reading the whole article you’ll want to follow-up the 11 links provided before engaging in the brouhaha. There is much food for thought, enlightenment and material for advancing the much needed reforms.

    My suggestion is to start with #10— an articulate father (Sol Stern) having travelled the trusting-parent-to-dubious-parent-to activist-parent route.

    Category Book Reviews, Education Reform, GOOD NEWS, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

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