[TouchOfWhimsy]

Our district is concerned about over utilizing the PSSA (Pa's version to the FCAT) because it may force us to lower our standards.

Yes! When you decide what is a "good" school based solely on how the children perform on standardized tests, all you're grading is how much time the teachers ignored teaching useful things and focused on teaching the kids how to think inside the box of whomever wrote the tests (and fill in the bubbles, of course).

The school in PA that was described a few posts up sounds like a true "good" school, if you lean towards sending your children to school.

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by CJFlorida

I try to ignore these things, but Florida bashers are simply not being accurate at all!

Honestly, for an educator, you should have the facts. Florida has made huge improvements and was 14th BEST in the country in a just released report!!

""Florida compared well with other states in public-education effectiveness, according to an annual report card issued by Education Week on Wednesday, but the study says the state still struggles in many key areas.
The state this year came in 14th overall on Education Week's Quality Counts report, earning a C-plus grade. Florida ranked 31st last year""

Also, Spanish speaking or English speaking is not relevant.

Detroit and surrounding areas, Philadelphia, Appalachia, the rural south, St. Louis, and many other vast parts of America have horrible problems with the schools. They have forever. And Spanish is not even a factor in any of those places.

Poorer areas have always had worse schools than wealthier areas...although there are a few exceptions.

Lets try to think things out here. Go find the states with the worst performing schools...it is not Florida. Go find the states that rank worse than Florida. And the tell us if Spanish speaking is even an issue in any of those states.

For example, Indiana has the highest rate of high school drop outs...not a lot of Spanish spoken there huh?

Oregon, at the bottom.... Monday, January 14. 2008 The results are in and Oregon is one of only 5 states in the nation to receive a D overall grade across all areas measured in the Education Week’s Quality Counts report just released.

Not a lot of Spanish speakers in Oregon!

In fact, every single one of the worst states has very few Spanish speaking folks!!!

Singling out Spanish speakers is wrong and closed minded.

Yes, I saw that headline too. However, at the end of the piece they said that the overall performance across the COUNTRY had gone down, so that was why Florida ratings went up.

As with anything, read the fine print.

[carolac]

Yes, my goal, as a parent who has had children in the Florida school system for nearly 25 years, for as long as I live here, is to improve education in Florida and do anything to impact--even if it is to encourage the teachers who teach my children. My oldest is about finished with her masters at UCF, my blind autistic daughter is in high school and my son is in middle school and also has some educational challenges.

Obviously there are exceptions, but the teachers are top quality. They filet themselves and their time for their students. My daughter's vision teacher has put off retiring one year just because of my daughter. I am, however, greatly concerned about the attitude of the parents. Education starts and ends at home period end of story. If I need to spend 2-3 hours every night with my children to help them succeed in school, I do it.

Our teachers are sometimes forced to teach with stone knives and bear skins, putting in their own money--no laptops here in many cases--and yet they manage to crank out many top level students. Even "F" rated schools have their share of shining stars. How is that? It is an effort of the student, the parents and the teachers. I can freely communicate with my children's teachers, and have always been able to. I have the ability to get onto my son's school website, see what assignments he needs to make up or are missing.

Florida has its share of problems in all areas, from economy to education to our politics--we are clearly evolving into something different, and many times I am left just shaking my head at the lunacy and the bureaucracy. Many are moving out or want to move out, and that is their choice. Our family, as a result of the construction downturn in Florida, sought to move to another state and have made some trips to look at different areas. Fortunately, we have been blessed and my hubby's business has tripled. This has been good because my 81 yo dad is struggling to help my step mom whose Alzheimer's has rapidly advanced over the last eight months, my oldest daughter and son-in-law are planning on children in the next few years, and the roller coaster housing market ride. Even though we thought our house would be on the market by now, we are here for a little while at least.

Despite all its obstacles and downturns, Florida has increased in rank in education, and to insinuate it has increased ONLY because other states have decreased is just not credible.

What Florida is doing well with its education is that it is seeking to make it better. It definitely needed to improve, and it has a ways to go. I would love to see Florida increase teacher's pay to keep its good teachers and attract good teachers, and provide better tools for the teachers. I have read that Florida is brain picking other states as to how their standardized testing is done. That would be great. I would love to see teachers not to have to teach to the test created by people who aren't in the class room. I personally would love to see a big smack down on negligent parents, but that delves into another arena, and educators always have and always will have to deal with illogical uncaring parents. For these reasons, I seek to consistently encourage and help in any I can educators and administrators. Lord knows they need our prayers and encouragement.

If you seek to find the negative, you will. If you seek to find the positive, you will. For me and my family, we choose to find the positive, while fully being apprised of the negative.

Clearly people have obstacles and unhappy events in their lives--we have our share and will continue to have our share. I also know that some people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Finally, I am teaching and have taught my children to keep running for the prize--despite the negativity thrown at them and the obstacles.

Originally Posted by novanative75

I thought I would start a general thread about education in Florida where we all can share our opinions and thoughts and not be worried about going OT, the thread being closed, etc.
Hopefully all our goals are to make education in Florida the best it can be!!
I am an educator and am currently working in Florida schools and am very unimpressed with what I see. My experiences are relative, as all ours are, because I have worked in other states and think they are doing a better job in the edcuation field, but I don't know everything, that is for sure!
I would love to hear other's opinions about the positive things they have seen in Florida schools and also the negative.
What can we all do to make things better? What have you seen that needs improvement? What is Florida doing well with regard to education? What do you think matters in education? What does not?
Nothing is OT if it relates to education. Let's hear it, the good the bad and the ugly.

[ssgt]

Im sorry folks but if you take the best school in the world , dump a load of kids in there that cannot function in the local language,are from areas that had little or no educational system you will instantly turn that school into a poorly "rated" one.
Same school, same teachers as before, the only difference is the large number of kids unable to function in a new culture. BUT! the schools will not admit this because more heads mean more bucks!
AH HA! The money angle....it always comes back to that doesnt it!

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by ssgt

Im sorry folks but if you take the best school in the world , dump a load of kids in there that cannot function in the local language,are from areas that had little or no educational system you will instantly turn that school into a poorly "rated" one.
Same school, same teachers as before, the only difference is the large number of kids unable to function in a new culture. BUT! the schools will not admit this because more heads mean more bucks!
AH HA! The money angle....it always comes back to that doesnt it!

True that! That is the school I work at now!

[VBmom]

I just moved to North Carolina from South Florida. My children are in first grade and tenth grade. Both were in good schools (I thought). My youngest was in the best elementary school in our county. Both were good students. Both are having a real tough time now.
I never imagined they were not getting a good education. My first grader is so far behind that I think he will have to repeat the grade.

I don't know what the answers are but I do know that the kids in this part of North Carolina are expected to do so much more than their counterparts in Florida.

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by VBmom

I just moved to North Carolina from South Florida. My children are in first grade and tenth grade. Both were in good schools (I thought). My youngest was in the best elementary school in our county. Both were good students. Both are having a real tough time now.
I never imagined they were not getting a good education. My first grader is so far behind that I think he will have to repeat the grade.

I don't know what the answers are but I do know that the kids in this part of North Carolina are expected to do so much more than their counterparts in Florida.

THANK YOU!! I think you tell the story that needs to be told. If you live in Florida and do not know anything else, you think your kids are fine and getting a good education and then, you move and have something to compare it to and AH HA, you realize what most of us are trying to say.
Now I know it is not EVERY school in Florida, before anyone attacks me on this, but it is happening, it is a sad fact here and something needs to be done.
The kids here deserve a whole lot better!

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by novanative75

THANK YOU!! I think you tell the story that needs to be told. If you live in Florida and do not know anything else, you think your kids are fine and getting a good education and then, you move and have something to compare it to and AH HA, you realize what most of us are trying to say.
Now I know it is not EVERY school in Florida, before anyone attacks me on this, but it is happening, it is a sad fact here and something needs to be done.
The kids here deserve a whole lot better!

What are the teachers doing to better the system? if the state or county does not increase the budgets and improve facilities. Should the teacher stop and walk out?

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by VBmom

I just moved to North Carolina from South Florida. My children are in first grade and tenth grade. Both were in good schools (I thought). My youngest was in the best elementary school in our county. Both were good students. Both are having a real tough time now.
I never imagined they were not getting a good education. My first grader is so far behind that I think he will have to repeat the grade.

I don't know what the answers are but I do know that the kids in this part of North Carolina are expected to do so much more than their counterparts in Florida.

All states are not on the same page. The state sets what should be achieved for each grade level. One state may require that 1st grade students learn addition and subtraction, whereas another state may expect the same 1st grade students to learn multiplication and division. Those same kids were required to master addition and subtraction in Kindergarten.

Maybe there is a correlation between a state having a large percentage of poor, migrant, non-english speaking students and lower standards? The state dumbs down the cirriculum so the state won't look bad if so many would fail with higher standards? Maybe. Maybe NCLB has a lot to do with this..

[macguy]

Originally Posted by HockeyMom72

All states are not on the same page. The state sets what should be achieved for each grade level. One state may require that 1st grade students learn addition and subtraction, whereas another state may expect the same 1st grade students to learn multiplication and division. Those same kids were required to master addition and subtraction in Kindergarten.

Maybe there is a correlation between a state having a large percentage of poor, migrant, non-english speaking students and lower standards? The state dumbs down the cirriculum so the state won't look bad if so many would fail with higher standards? Maybe. Maybe NCLB has a lot to do with this..

The easiest way to create the illusion of success is to lower the bar.