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‘Education Reform’ Category

  1. New Teaching Programs Fill a NICHE, A Need

    January 19, 2014 by Tunya

     

    While Teach For Canada (TFC) is still in it’s infancy it is definitely well-meaning. The idea of Teach For All projects is now active in 32 countries around the world. Three main principles inform this movement — 1) overcoming education inequities, 2) improving disadvantaged schools, and 3) advancing teaching excellence.

    What’s to dislike about that? It should appeal to all well-meaning folks, regardless of political stripe. The TFAustralia project was officially launched in late 2008 by the then Federal Education Minister, Julia Gillard MP (Labor).

    Parents, in particular, are EXTREMELY anxious to get their children educated in their lifetimes. They are not easily put-off by promises of improvements over the long-haul. Increasingly, parents and public see choice as the only strategy to bring about satisfactory education in a young person’s lifetime.

    In the UK a Report by the Sutton Group unleashed scathing headlines that parents were “cheating” when they found ways to enrol their kids in their preferred schools or who used tutoring services to supplement or remediate schooling. The title of the report — “Parent Power? Using money and information to boost children’s chances of educational success”. Why shouldn’t parents do all they can to help in social mobility? Keep them off the dole (welfare)?

    Again, I’m going to applaud the Australian Coalition politicians who have launched a Review of the education system to determine public opinion. They, at least, seem to care about parents.

    I find the comments of the new Minister of Education, Christopher Pyne, so refreshing.

    *** “Those who are critical of the review and question the sincerity of the government’s motives might be forgetting that incoming governments not only have a right to review their predecessor’s policies, they have a duty to do so, to ensure policies are still relevant, needed, cost-effective and meet voters’ expectations, as variously expressed in the most recent and decisive election.

    *** “we need a national curriculum, we must ensure it genuinely meets students’ needs, matches parents’ expectations and drives education quality.

    *** “This nation’s curriculum policy must not be captured by any fad, by any vested interest group, or by those pursuing political or narrow agendas.”

    This is tomorrow’s news from the Minister — they are ahead of us in more ways than one!http://www.smh.com.au/comment/politics-have-no-place-in-curriculum-review-christopher-pyne-20140119-312p8.html?rand=1390161192866

    Our politicians in Canada would be petrified to have to listen to “parents’ expectations”. Besides, the BLOB won’t let our provinces have education Reviews. They’ve got the politicians wrapped up as pretzels.

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Why Is Education So Vulnerable To Gurus ?

    January 18, 2014 by Tunya

    Michael Fullan, a leading guru in the education field — books, consultations, system turn-arounds, etc. — said it best,  "People only call me a guru because they can't spell charlatan".

    It’s amazing how gullible people in education are.  As long as there is a sweet-talker, with lots of edu-babble and gobbledygook, with solutions that will take 10-20 years, they buy it.  WHY?  Because, anything to delay the inevitable disestablishment of the bureaucratic dysfunctional system is worth buying into.

    So, actually it’s not gullibility.  It’s practical, self-serving,  “mutual need” to support these gurus (charlatans – I’m sure people on this site can rhyme off a dozen names).  Gurus keep on working and chalking up the Air Miles, and “the systems” buy more breathing space to pad their bloated bureaucracies.   And the politicians, who DO HAVE SOME POWER, are just slavish patsies in the hands of sophisticated apparatchiks.

    Except in Australia where the new Prime Minister and new Minister of Education have just launched a Review of the National Curriculum developed by the ousted Labor regimen.  These politicians want to determine what the public expects in education as they became convinced there was a “left-biased” worldview being fostered at present.  A Report is due in 6 months time.

    Regarding Diane Ravitch — of course she “protests too much”.  Sol Stern of City Journal has probably produced the best treatment of how one person stood out in earlier education reforms as the voice of wisdom and knowledge and is now the opponent of practically all she stood for.  http://www.city-journal.org/comments/index.php?story=9665#comments

    Again, it says a lot for the susceptible nature of the education system that they accepted Ravitch for so long.  This new wave of common core transformations, however, is not jumping on her protest bandwagon and anti-TFA barrage. 

    She claims she is right to repudiate her previous certainties as she has seen “the light”.  But, Dianne, can’t you see the 800# gorilla, the elephant in the room?  Are you blind?  The teacher unions you champion must surely be acknowledged as part of the problem in public education.  Credibility is shot when a blind-eye is turned on their role in dysfunction. 

    She has been asked to “atone” many times.   

    [posted to Educhatter on topic of Teach for America, TF Canada, TF Australia  http://educhatter.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/teach-for-canada-whats-causing-all-the-commotion/#comment-12482 ]

     

     

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory, Teacher Unions, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  3. The Big Shift From Reporting “TO” Parents to “Communicating “

    January 17, 2014 by Tunya

    I’m trying to trace a trajectory HOW and WHY reporting TO parents now becomes communicating.

    In preparation for teacher union “job action” or “strike” 2011-2012 — negotiations preceded as to which services could be withdrawn as education is deemed an “essential service” in British Columbia.

    2011, July 27— BCPSEA newsletter lists 30 out of 31 administrative duties BCTF asked to withdraw.  “Prepare or distribute report cards” was one of the 30 approved.  The 31st, taking and transmitting student attendance to the office, was still in dispute and to have a separate LRB hearing (p3 http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/teacher%20bargaining/00-WP-Essential%20Services%20Update%20No.%202011-02.pdf)     “Attendance taking” was later deemed essential.

    2011, Aug 08, “Withholding Student Reports is Illegal”, blog post by T Audain http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2011/08/08/withholding-student-reports-is-illegal/  with excerpt from the School Act.  Comments dealt with the damage to the family and civil society when reports are withheld.

    2012, Jan 19 A parent starts the Facebook page — Where Is My Kids Report Card? Interviews on CKNW radio and newspapers.  From Day 1 & throughout the strike teachers swarmed the site with their comments and spoke to parents’ dissatisfactions.  The message was that teachers were doing even more than usual to communicate with parents through emails and other means. Several pointed remarks, however, specifically said that parents should be nice.  Some parents said that there was a “spotty” record of these communications and that the 60 districts differed greatly.

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Where-Is-My-Kids-Report-Card/231059386974506

    August 2012 — “Enabling Innovation — Transforming Curriculum and Assessment”  BC Ministry of Education document,  11 pages, http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/docs/ca_transformation.pdf

    on the topic of reporting

    – “The advisory group recommended a shift in language use—from "reporting" to "communicating student learning"—to highlight the importance of ongoing communication between learners, teachers, and parents.”  p7

     – The concept of 5 core competencies was mentioned many times, which are different from the traditional skills (3Rs) and they are 1) communication, 2) critical thinking, 3) creative thinking and innovation, 4) personal responsibility and well-being, and 5) social responsibility.  These were to be cross-curricular, that is, to be expected from all subjects and class work.

    2013 April 06 — a Ministry official, spoke to parents regarding special needs.  She mentioned that the personalized learning and BC Ed Plan were well on their way as policy and practice and that regardless of who wins the provincial election (May 14) the plan was a go ahead as it was part of a global transformation in education, “It’s international.” She mentioned a number of times that “communicating with parents” about competencies and achievements would be a priority.

    MY OPINION:  I still think NOT producing report cards with standard grades is illegal.  The School Act is specific and I take this in two ways: 1) That it’s a duty and part of the contract that government schools undertake, and 2) That it’s the undertaking and expectation of the parent to receive these reports to monitor the child’s standing and to be thereby equipped, if indicated, to ask the school for remedial service, to find outside tutoring, or to remove the child to another educational setting, be it the home or another school.

    Ever since I became involved with the pioneer efforts of the home education movement I became aware of “Grade Levels”.  Home educating parents usually relied on a simple chart provided by World Book, which outlined the subject matter and skills expected at the grade/age levels.  As long as that minimum was achieved, it was clear sailing. 

    And, as long as parents willingly entrust their children to government schools they should expect that bare minimum assurance, outside of serious learning disability, of receiving a report as to their child’s standing according to expectations for their age.  To withhold and deny a report with standard benchmarks is to seriously undermine the role of the family in education of their children.  Families should not give up their right to receive standard reports from their child’s school.  TA

     

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

  4. Culture Wars In Education

    January 16, 2014 by Tunya

    The parallels are unnerving — the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 60’s with its beatings and wholesale intimidations  — and the browbeating and intimidations in imposing the common core/21st Century Learning — both were/are meant to permanently change minds and behaviors to what the elite demands.

    CC/21CL methods are demonstrating these CCR similarities:

    – Dumbing down, moving populations to mediocrity through equality measures, assuring compliant populations

    – Brain changes through withholding of basic skills in key early years — Left/Right sides of the brain are engaged differently through phonics and math drills than with inquiry and discovery.  Brain pathways can be irreversibly crippled for later corrections and precision learning.

    – Language is used to deceive — parents are told they are empowered with new engagement and communications strategies, but the effect is to befuddle and enfeeble parents from true monitoring of their kids in schools.

    –  In the Chinese Cultural Revolution the “olds” were to be forgotten, demolished, (old street names, photos of ancestors, solid old furniture) to be replaced by the “news” — new customs, new culture, new habits, new ideas. In the Final Report by Deloitte (p26) — Preparing Youth for 21st Century Responsible Citizenship, this is what is revealed as a  “threat” to our young  — “old thinking by old people in old problems and old constructs.” A good number of similar change-agent documents are painting “traditional”, “conservative”, and “Right” thinking as “old”, outdated.

    These are just a few disturbing conclusions I’ve been tormented with this week.  I’m only a granny with grandkids in school.  I really worry for the parents who have charge of their children full time.  How can they possibly handle such disturbing news that their children are being used as guinea pigs in untested experiments?  A story came out today where teachers themselves were crying because of new reporting methods being imposed on them.  http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/911015/calgary-elementary-teachers-being-driven-to-absolute-tears-over-report-card-changes/

    Australia has just announced a Review of its NEW NATIONAL CURRICULUM, developed during 6 years of a Labor government regime and which was seen as producing a curriculum with a decidedly leftish worldview.  The new conservative government anticipates a volatile 6-month Review period.

    [I posted the above on an American blog — "Invisible Serfs Collar" with the following note to the author:

    BTW Robin:  This last post of yours was the most disturbing of all your other 200 posts.  That Deloitte article which I looked up really tore the cataracts off my eyes. And your conclusion:  “Deliberately creating the discontent and then mining it for ever increasing political power and diminishing mass prosperity” is way too depressing.  But, it’s the recurring theme in your book and posts and reality as it’s being revealed to us.  The CCR lasted 10 long years!]

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Parents & Public To Review Education — Australia

    January 15, 2014 by Tunya

    Australia is to undergo an Education Review — nationally.  I will try and find the Terms of Reference as this will be highly interesting given that the report is to be delivered in six months.  Interesting also will be the "Elephant in the Room" — the recent, new and shining NATIONAL CURRICULUM.  I just posted my views in a blog in Nova Scotia.

    TFA In Australia — Success Amidst Another Review

    After six weeks of training at the University of Melbourne, TFA (Teach for Australia) progam graduates teach for two years in disadvantaged schools that serve students from low socio-economic backgrounds. About half teach in the high demand STEM subjects, as many are recent graduates themselves with specialist degrees.

    Here is today’s news, Jan 15, 2014: On a fast-track to a career in education

     http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/on-a-fasttrack-to-a-career-in-education-20140115-30txf.html

    The TFA program will no doubt be an item in the Review just started by the new government of Tony Abbott.  Part of the reason his Liberal/National Coalition won the last Australian election over the governing Labor regime was public disaffection with a new National Curriculum — six years in the making — with a worldview that was considered “leftist”, “New Age” and full of “gobbledygook”.  [I guess that’s Australian for our “edu-babble”.]

    Australia, like Canada, has also been sliding in international education scores, so the Review will look at curriculum as well as teaching capacities.  Parents will have a say in the Review process.  Nick Cater, a respected culture critic, says the curriculum is “beyond saving”.  He disapproves of the “sustainability” agenda being “integrated” into all subjects — English, geography, history, mathematics, science. 

    Cater says: “If the Education Minister is to be criticised, it is for imagining this irredeemable document can be tidied up and put back on the shelf when the only realistic course of action is to tear the damn thing up.”

    Australia is a rather bi-polarized nation, thus it will be a lively time as the Review Duo is to report back in six months time.

    I will be watching for these issues to be deliberated — Why a “national” curriculum at all when states are responsible for education? —  Should public funding be freed-up for a wider diversity of alternatives? — Will teacher training be critiqued for its role in mindsets and standards? — Should one worldview predominate or would a pluralist nation benefit from a live-and-let-live broadmindedness?

     

     

    Category Education Reform, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

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