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‘Obstacles’ Category

  1. Major Structural changes required to BC ed system

    September 1, 2014 by Tunya

     

    [Sent as comment to Globe & Mail to their story — B.C.’s closed schools leave parents stranded — http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bcs-closed-schools-leave-parents-stranded/article20295700/#dashboard/follows/ ]

    APPETITE FOR MAJOR STRUCTURAL CHANGE IS GROWING EXPONENTIALLY 

    While the mediator in BC’s troubled teacher negotiations, Vince Ready, says there is little appetite by the two parties to settle, there is however a remarkable “appetite” for fundamental reforms as to how education is to be obtained.

    From an earlier G&M story we learn that “Since teachers won the right to collective bargaining in 1987 there have been 52 strikes, a series of controversial legislation, bitter court battles and only a single new contract signed without the aid of strikes or legislation.”  (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/history-of-bitterness-between-bcs-teachers-and-governments/article20285359/#dashboard/follows/)

    Some are projecting the teacher strike will last a whole semester. The BCTF is being counseled by at least one lawyer to “wait-out” the government.  Looks like neither side will be the first to blink for a l-o-n-g time!

    Meanwhile with the $40 day voucher plan parents are finding, or will find, ways to spend that money on educational opportunities.  Also, the parents, individually, and through their provincial group, BCCPAC, are providing more noise in vying for voice in bargaining and in apportioning of special needs funds.  Parent pushback is a reality.

    Also, the intellectual food is there for people to really examine how the current industrial structure of bargaining and the monopoly delivery of schooling are dysfunctional.  A paper by a labor relations scholar opens up the matter,  that in future, governments will be inclined to “steering, not rowing the boat” and that the BCTF, which has “structured reality” in their favor is likely to be posing formidable challenges to provincial governments, whatever their political orientation”  for a very long time to come. 

    http://lltjournal.ca/index.php/llt/article/view/5645/6508

    Time to convene some serious discussions about fundamental change, eh?

     

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

  2. What is legal may still be “wrong”

    August 28, 2014 by Tunya

    [comment to various news stories re Teacher Strike negotiations — Vancouver Sun, The Province, Huffington Post (BC).  What I'm  trying to establish is that it is wrongheaded to retain a structure that does harm to its mission (EDUCATION) and to society (DEMOCRACY) as a whole.  What ever differences the two contending sides have, they will not give up their "playpen" the monopoly public education system.  It may be time for serious work on exits via vouchers, charter schools, etc., which give the consumer — the parents — more flixibility to acquire the education that best fits their child.  This conflict in BC raises serious questions of validity, credibility and accountability of the present rigid system.

    Also questions about proper governance:  Should government ROW  or  STEER the boat?  Lots of literature, pro and con, on this topic. How about DIVERSITY of boats?]

     

    TEACHER  STRIKE  NEGOTIATIONS  LEGAL,  BUT  NOT  LEGITIMATE!

    What have you when two competing usurpers clash over stolen booty? It’s a squatters’ dilemma of sorts, isn’t it? Both squatting on someone else’s property, yet because they’ve been there for so long — each in his own way thinks he is the rightful owner by virtue of long occupancy and entrenched footholds. 





    This is the way I characterize this current clash between the BC government and the teacher union. This squatters’ war has been going on for over 40 years. The government-of-the-day, REGARDLESS of its political stripe — socialist, liberal or conservative believes it must govern a monopoly education system — believing they know what’s best for the individual students and parents in the system. The teachers’ union, BECAUSE of its political compass set in the 70s, believes in worker control of the workplace and has through its actions and structuring of reality in effect become a parallel government. 





    The history of the BC public education system has been well documented in the book, Worlds Apart: BC schools, politics & labour relations before and after 1972, (Fleming, 2011, Bendall Bks). Jim MacFarlan, BCTF president in the 70s was described as a “radical Marxist” who “believed schools should be used as instruments of social change”.





    The closing paragraph of Fleming’s book (3 yrs ago!) said prophetically: “ . . .will government and the teachers’ federation finally find ways to behave in a civilized manner, or will the discord of recent decades finally weaken support for old organizational relationships to the point that a new ‘post-public’ universe of schooling will emerge? Sooner or later, these are questions that British Columbians and their government will be obliged to answer.”





    While the book informs the bargainers in these critical talks, we can easily get the gist of the history from this article (go straight to “teacher power”)http://historicalstudiesineducation.ca/index.php/edu_hse-rhe/article/view/454/611





    What I mean to say is this: Parents are the legitimate “owners” of education of their children. They are ultimately responsible to society and their children to obtain the best they can for them. The industry of “public education” that has arisen is an aberration even if most states of the world also run this way. A self-serving rapacious, predatory and parasitic industry thrives on monopoly and threatens to suffocate democracy and education. But, everywhere in the world, this centralization of education is being challenged. The domination by public sector teacher unions and their obstacling of choices and reforms are being confronted and corrected. 





    No doubt the bargainers and the mediator see the writing on the wall. There is a “post public” configuration awaiting. The monopoly is an invisible bargaining chip on the table. It is actually the government side that is reading the cards perfectly — parents ARE a third force in the picture, and will eventually reclaim their prime responsibility which has been so selfishly usurped. That is why the $40 per diem idea is so refreshing — an acknowledgement that parents have the first claim on the education dollar to help educate their children. See more of my argument here “When will the dam burst for parents?”http://www.parentsteachingparents.net/2014/08/when-will-the-dam-burst-for-parents/





    You can bet both sides will try to keep the monopoly intact, but the world picture portends otherwise! See also the literature in public administration, which describes governments as “steering, not rowing the boat”. See also John Fryer’s research on this.

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

  3. Don’t Polarize Parents During Labor Strife

    August 15, 2014 by Tunya

    [ TWO sides bargain in secret during contract negotiations — teacher union and employer (the government). Public opinion seems to be a big part of the "bargaining", thus both sides COURT parents, especially, to take sides.  Increasingly in this turmoil of Teacher Strike/Gov Lockout 2014 parents usually come out 50/50 split, whether for or against the $40 per diem payout to parents if the strike continues into Sept, or for or against either party in the dispute. But Surprise FOLKS ! — We are see more and more parents now saying they are taking sides FOR THEIR KIDS and want a solution, often tossing out an exclamation — "POX ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES!"   Below are two comments I posted on the Parent Group site.]

     

    To BCCPAC before their Summit (16 Aug) to discuss teacher strike (https://www.facebook.com/YOURBCCPAC in Posts to Page)

    WITHHOLDING REPORT CARDS IS ILLEGAL     Aug 13'14

    If a doctor withheld medical information from a patient and the patient died the doctor could be sued for wrongful death. 

    What happens when the school system, because of teacher job action, causes Progress Report Cards to be withheld? This happened twice in the last two disputes. The first time the teacher union asked the LRB (Labor Relations Board) — not a court, but a legal entity nonetheless — to be excused from Report Card writing. Most were withheld. But in some dubious wisdom, some were sent home BLANK.

    The School Act says the parents are to receive these Report Cards 3 times in a school year. What purpose do they serve?

    One — By legally sending the RCs to parents, this very act validates the fact that it is the parents who are ultimately responsible, and they are to be kept informed of progress or not.

    Two — Parents are to use that information in their ongoing planning for that child — keep him in that school, find another school, advocate for more services, home educate, get tutoring, etc. — precisely to be on top of the child’s educational development and to step in when intervention is called for.

    The above essay talks about the “disabling” of parent rights through the courts. I’m adding that withholding Progress Report Cards from parents via LRB decisions further disables parent rights and actually serves to “deskill” parents from their duty to their children.

    Here is another issue BCCPAC should examine — the illegal withholding of Progress Report Cards

     

     DON'T POLARIZE INTO CAMPS                          Aug 15

    I have seen where both the BCCPAC President (Nicole) and VP (John) are trying to establish a strong position for the group, quite outside of the camps of the two bargaining parties. Nicole has said on CKNW that a survey was taken. She said, “People complain that BCCPAC sits on the fence, but our members are so divided, that’s where we are right now . . . but we are trying to get off that fence to create a position of our own, and to be out there loud and proud.” John said on Facebook that he’s not interested in fences, but a separate pasture for parents. 

    The calling of an emergency Summit meeting of provincial representative parents bodes well for the future of a Parent Voice in education in BC. Finally! For too long parents have been taken for granted by the system. And, with the parents speaking out, this means parents are themselves now more assertive.

    The Finance Ministry $40 payout to parents also bodes well for the acknowledgement that it is parents — ultimately — who are responsible for their children’s education — that money from the taxpayer-dedicated Education Account should follow the child. This payout will happen if the teacher strike continues.

    The Summit is a great opportunity for parents to focus on what would help them, as individuals, and as a collective, to promote parent rights and student rights in education. For example, I would hope a strong statement could be made about the withholding of Report Cards during the last two job actions. This is illegal, in my opinion, and should never, ever, be a bargaining chip in negotiations.

    Also, shouldn't BCCPAC want to see some accountability for present special needs money — does it really reach the child with specially trained teachers? Is a forensic audit of that money called for? 

    Furthermore, the discussion of alternatives and choices is long overdue in this province. In this 21st Century so much is known and available that a veritable paradise of diverse and effective approaches can be obtained for each and every student in BC. Go, parents, go!

     

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

  4. Discourse Alone will not solve parents’ problems

    August 9, 2014 by Tunya

    [submitted to SQE on A Civil Discourse, Aug 08, http://www.societyforqualityeducation.org/index.php/blog/read/a-civil-discourse ]

    WALKING ON EGGSHELLS — NO MORE — PUBLIC EDUCATION DISCOURSE TODAY

    The public generally, and parents in particular, have been deliberately excluded from decision-making in education for a long time.  Books have been written about the damage done to the education mission.

     While tons of books try to “engage” parents — to “empower” parents — these have been rather futile as the established order remains immune and dismissive.

    Two books however do inform us more closely about the “whys” — why a threatened and defensive system builds up the barricades.  One just has to be reminded of the Jeffry Moore case, 15 years in the courts, which was heralded as a great and profound breakthrough for parent and student rights — but two years later — continuing disappointment for most families with special needs children. 

    * Parental Involvement and the Political Principle: why the existing governance structure of schools should be abolished (1995). Abolished why?  Because without genuine parent involvement, without customer input, the system languishes and parents are deskilled from their normal biological impulses.  Seymour Sarason was a renowned psychologist and he was frustrated with the absurdity of school organizations.

    * Parents and Schools: the 150-year struggle for control in American education (2000), William Cutler describes play-by-play the factors leading to parental marginalization  — rise of teacher unions, political agendas, weak “lay” control, growth of bureaucracy, etc. In his closing chapter he sees the recurring themes of dissension and failed reforms continuing.

    What Has Happened Since 2000?

    Thanks to technology there has been an explosion of communications between parents, parent groups and their supporters because of the INTERNET.  The mindset of the establishment is still largely insular — still believing in one-size-fits-all, that elitist central command knows what’s best, etc., etc.

    At least some parents are feeling a lot better that they are not alone.  Notable blogs and groups have arisen to disseminate information and encouragement.  Parents and supporters now know much more about the self-serving strategies that displace their voices.  We now know why parental choice is such a threat to entrenched interests.  We now know that manipulation through sophisticated Public Relations is also being used to thwart pushback.

    This is important.  We also are now able to warn parents —as systems are being streamlined — that defensive and threatened people can attack their critics with questionable tactics — to beware.  

    Society for Quality Education has been a godsend in these troubled times.  The debates have been enlightening.  What continues to frustrate is not being able to see development in the cause.  Topics are introduced that help people ventilate, but not really contribute to solutions. However, sites like SQE have helped the Math Pushback in Canada.

    I think the mechanics of this blog might be adjusted so that people can be notified when new comments come in, as done on other blogs.

    Meanwhile, we in BC are having “challenging” times.  But, again thanks for the blessings of the INTERTNET, I think the dysfunction of the current rigid and outdated system is being hugely challenged.

    Here is my latest contribution to the raging debates we are having here:  Education Debit Account Idea Explained   http://www.parentsteachingparents.net/2014/08/education-debit-account-idea-explained/

     

     

    Category Book Reviews, Obstacles, 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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