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  1. Education savings accounts (ESA)

    September 23, 2014 by Tunya

     

    BC’s $40 A Day Payout To Parents During The Teacher Strike Is The Start Of The Education Savings Account (ESA) Idea In Canada

    Practically all Western Democracies follow the principle that it is the parents who are ultimately responsible for their child’s education. Government schools are there as back-up for parents — part of the safety net of a welfare state. Check the School Acts. It is parents who are to register their child into a public school unless they have made other plans, for example, independent school or home education.

    Citizens generally support public education through their taxes and expect the government to distribute that dedicated money for the education of a targeted population of young children and youth.  For the government to actually produce that education lays it open to debate as to whether this amounts to indoctrination.  To operate a near monopoly service using government workers (public school teachers) is what has evolved over the years and is rarely challenged. It should be!

    Thus it was with great surprise that the Minister of Finance in BC, Mike de Jong, announced the notion of a $40 day payout to parents whose children in the primary years would be deprived of their government school of choice during a teacher strike.  The strike is now over and thousands of parents will receive $560 per qualified child.  The Finance Minister at that time enjoined parents to acquire “tutoring . . . other educational opportunities . . . [or] basic daycare.”

    It was an article of faith and trust in parents that they would do the right thing in the event the strike would last a long time.

    This, in effect, amounts to the first Education Savings Account idea in Canada.

    1. Parents will receive the money.  No one in any official capacity opposed this idea despite a great deal of grumbling from some quarters who felt this was “education money” and should go either to teachers or to “the system”.
    2. It is the Finance Minister who is to supervise the distribution of this education money to the qualifying parents, not the Minister of Education. This is significant.
    3. This is “devolution” in practice.  Central government is not determining how the money is to be spent and we have yet to see how many educational efforts were mounted in the 14-day period.
    4. Innovation, flexibility and discovery of resources never before tapped came to the fore.  Who is to say that horseback riding is not an educational accomplishment? Tutoring outfits were overwhelmed with demand for basics in math and reading.

    Now, we just need to build on this idea and expand the principle and practice.

    Watch this video about Arizona’s ESAs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPEkK5nfu3Y

     

    Category GOOD NEWS, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Governance Failure in Public Education — Admitted

    August 22, 2014 by Tunya

    [posted to The Province comments, 20140821 on “The disgraceful truth about school dispute, Mike Smyth]

     

    Parents As A THIRD FORCE In BC Education

     

    Because this latest teacher strike befell at some of the most inconvenient times for students and their first responder advocates — their parents — a lot of penetrating questions have been raised. Firstly the graduates were tripped up in June.  Now, it is parents who are without any certainty as School Start looms with little hope of September days.  On top of that, taxpayers are grousing for rebates of school taxes.

     

    The biggest question, of course, is: Why has this turmoil been allowed to happen so frequently for 40 years?  Is it truly governance failure — by governments of various stripes be they socialist, conservative or liberal — buckling to demands of a public sector union for the sake of “labor peace”?

     

    The Minister of Education says that the dysfunctional paradigm of legislated “return to work” orders has to be broken — that he wants a negotiated settlement — that parents have told him they too want a negotiated settlement. 

     

    That parents are being brought into the picture in concrete ways is a real breakthrough — finally, the true “owners” of the educational responsibility are getting some recognition.  The $40 day payout to parents if the strike continues is verification of their obligation to see that education of their children happens.  Even if they have to do it themselves through home education, tutoring or finding other learning opportunities.  The parent info website is also another outreach to help parents find alternatives and keep them abreast of developments.

     

    This would not have happened if the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils had not been active.  They wanted a collective voice in matters educational in BC and wanted to support the rights of individual parents who want to play instrumental roles in their children’s education.

     

    It is this promised or inferred sharing in decision-making that is, however, making the education establishment nervous — teacher unions in particular, then some academics, then administrations and bureaucracies who like the status quo.  Assertive consumers are not welcome.  Thus we see that interminable school wars between the union and the government are NOT unwelcome.  In fact, the teacher union may even be seen as a convenient scapegoat by which the monopoly public service is kept relatively stable.

     

    Whatever happens in the end regarding this strike, this is an opportune time for parents to make sure that overtures for involvement go beyond lip-service.  Parent rights need to be enunciated and written down.  The concerns about special needs need to be wrestled down — audits re current spending, are there sufficient teachers equipped to teach appropriately?; are parents able to access resources in a timely manner?; etc.  

     

    And let’s face it, teachers and education system. Parents do want their children to read proficiently.  When will there be a sincere commitment to this goal for all students?  The basics are foremost in parent minds if the system would only listen.  Accountability is something parents and taxpayers want assurances about.

     

    In a democracy those most affected are supposed to be involved.  Time to cut parents into the front lines of decision-making.

     

    This Third Force in the education picture in BC is a most welcome event.  Let’s build on it! 

     

     

    Category GOOD NEWS, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  3. COMMITMENT BEFORE $$$ OR ###S

    August 21, 2014 by Tunya

    [Posted to Society for Quality Education blog of 2014 08 21]   

    Commitment & Training Come FIRST Before $$$ & ###s

    You know what’s happening in BC?  Teacher strike threatens to last all Fall.  Teacher union wants more funding ($$$) and more teachers (###). 

    Government has a website for parents What To Do — www.bcparentinfo.ca  Have the kids take Food Safe, First Aid courses, get some credentials.  Download free textbooks.  Etc.  In my essay to the parent group, which had an emergency meeting this weekend, I suggested a few points:

    *** With the government making 3 important concrete overtures to parents — $40 day for under 13yr olds, the parent website, and the Minister of Ed on public TV saying he wants to get parents involved — I warned that this could be lip service UNLESS parents presented some conditions — parent rights, real special needs requirements met, and a COMMITMENT TO READING.  

    *** Re:  special needs  —1) audit where current SN $ is going; 2) specifically trained SN teachers (Is there training available?); 3) regular teachers need to have skills/tools to help identify SN and work with parents to get proper services.

    *** Re:  Reading.  I said the education establishment has to stop seeing phonics as an ABOMINATION and use it as part of the tool kit to teach reading to early learners.

    *** Re:  Poor reading and “pipeline to prison” connection, I said that the usual refrain of “correlation does not mean causation” is FALSE in this instance and that this connection does hold — a large percent of prisoners can’t read and were NOT taught to read.

    *** Please see this Letter to Editor relating to the strike, then read comments.  It’s amazing that educators still see Self Esteem must precede Reading.  Amazing, that someone suggests a whole host of gimmicks, including a “reading ring” !  Will all these homeless people and prisoners be given a “reading ring” instead of being taught in the first instance with direct instruction?  Why seek technology instead of avoiding human teaching as evidence proves it works?   How can we still, in 2014, accept the WILLFUL STUBBORNNESS of the trade to refuse to teach reading?

    http://www.langleytimes.com/opinion/letters/271862291.html

    People and politicians need to really weigh the preventative costs against the resulting negligence burdens — economic and human that result from crippling the young by our unaccountable education systems.  There is probably 1 to 10 ratio of prevention vs negligence costs.  Any economists help figure? And remember, psychic costs and human suffering cannot be measured in $s.

    That’s why I’m really hoping this BC teacher strike really starts asking these important questions.  These questions are popping up, and there is real NERVOUSNESS that parents, as a THIRD FORCE, may FINALLY bring some common sense to the field of education.   

     

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

  4. Parent Role In Education “urgent”

    August 16, 2014 by Tunya

     

    [published in Society for Quality Education blog,  16 August 2014  http://www.societyforqualityeducation.org/index.php/blog/read/striking-out ]
     

    PARENT ROLE IN EDUCATION "URGENT"  —  In Child’s Lifetime !

    Parents’ first interest is the well-being of their child — not the outer world.  This is a biological imperative of all parents, be they mammal or human.  In the ideal progression of Nature’s Rules the young will become self-sufficient and independent with the guidance of their parents.

    The initiative by the government of BC to payout $40 a day to parents when their chosen public school is unavailable due to a teacher strike is a FIRST in Canada.  The public policy principle supported here is that it is the parents — ultimately — who are responsible for the child’s education. 

    I have found 7 good reasons why this is sound public policy — Diversity, Devolution, Self-determination, etc.  During controversy on this issue in BC I have posted widely on these points , which are expanded on my blog http://www.parentsteachingparents.net/2014/08/education-debit-account-idea-explained/

    What I want to emphasize is the “here-and-now” aspect of this issue.

    Of course, media is being swarmed by those in opposition, with negative comments as “It’s a bribe”,  “The money belongs in the system”, etc.

    But, it is the parents who must act to keep their child advancing developmentally and educationally. They cannot wait for the system to get its act in order.

     The post above references an AIMS commentary, which in turn references a very troubling article from SLATE http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/08/private_school_vs_public_school_only_bad_people_send_their_kids_to_private.html

     It is the following viewpoint that further supports my views that parents must act in the lifetimes of their child, not for some future utopian dream:

     “ . . . if every single parent sent every single child to public school, public schools would improve. This would not happen immediately. It could take generations. Your children and grandchildren might get mediocre educations in the meantime, but it will be worth it, for the eventual common good.”

    I disapprove of the above mindset.  That is another reason I support the $40 day idea.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Category GOOD NEWS, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Education Debit Account Idea — Explained

    August 8, 2014 by Tunya

    [2014 08 08 — Hunkered down today in BC are the two opposing sides in collective bargaining — the government and the teacher union.  It’s been a nasty strike.  The promise of $40 day to parents of pre-teens to shop for education or daycare if the strike is not settled by school start in Sept has ignited much controversy, opposition and bitterness. My contribution and analysis is below to try to provide my views and bring into perspective some policy and governance principles into the matter.

    Mainly I want to counter the negative labels — a bribe for parents, paying parents from teacher money, removing money from public schools, a move to privatize, etc.  I am trying to show that it is actually parents who are rightfully responsible for their children's education. Since tax money is collected for public education I maintain that it is a valid move for the tax collector to draw from the education fund and provide it to parents when government schools are not available if they are already clients of the public system. T Audain]

     

    7 REASONS TO SUPPORT THE $40 DAY PAYOUT TO PARENTS

    Practically all Western Democracies follow the principle that it is the parents who are responsible for their child’s education.  Check the School Acts.  It is parents who are to register their child into a public school unless they have made other plans, for example, independent school or home education. Government schools are there as back-up for parents — part of the safety net of a welfare state.

    Let’s not confuse the term “public school “with “public education”.  A public school is one run by government workers or under contract, as are charter schools.  Public education is the cumulative result of all that happens under the generic term of education — private or public schools, online learning, home education, correspondence courses, etc. 

    It is this construct that the Conference Board of Canada uses when it says that BC spends $500 more on a per-student basis above the national average.  That is why — with this assertion — that BC Finance Minister Mike de Jong’s initiative to pay parents of pre-teen public school students $40 a day when public schools are not in session is a fitting and valid response to our current teacher strike.  They are to use those funds to acquire tutoring for their children . . . to explore other educational opportunities as they see fit . . . and for some parents, it’ll be basic daycare.”

    Here are the good governance principles applying:

    1  Financial – This is a Finance Matter, not an Education Matter.  Taxpayers provide dollars for education to happen.  Who better than Finance to distribute the money to qualified clients and provide accountability for the money?

    2  Money Follows The Child – It is actually parental responsibility to see that their child is educated and the parent will be held responsible for proper use of that money.

    3  Devolution In Practice – Why should a central government operate a near-monopoly service when those closest to the action can best administer and manage?

    4  Citizens As Self-Determining –The aggregate effect of assorted independent efforts are just as likely, economically, to produce as good results as something organized from afar — leading to self-reliance rather than dependency on the state.

    5  Diversity, Not One-Size-Fits-All – Parents can choose from choices already available  or help in developing new schools, free schools, or other learning networks — customizing as necessary or shopping for specific services for special needs and talents of the student.

    6  Innovation – There is a great stimulus for innovation and entrepreneurship once money is freed up from bureaucratic and predetermined constraints. Flexibility, modernization and experimentation are thus encouraged at the grassroots level.

    7  Political Principle: People Should Have A Voice In Decisions That Affect Them – Parents genuinely included in decision-making about their child makes them ideal candidates for broader policy decisions, locally and provincially. The book by Seymour Sarason — Parental Involvement and the Political Principle — goes so far as to propose abolishing the existing governance system that deters and deskills  parents. Pasi Salhberg, a leading international speaker on behalf of the Finnish Model of Education says that in a group of 10 discussing education policies only one should be a teacher, and that parents should be involved. 

    http://eltorofulbright.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-interview-with-pasi-sahlberg.html

    Category Book Reviews, GOOD NEWS, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

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