[novanative75]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

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?

No way, and they never would. Most teachers are in it for the kids and despite the crappiness of the system in which they work, they keep doing their best day in and day out. Kids are going to continue to come to school and continue to need to be taught and cared for and supported.
It is hard to do much as a teacher, we are limited with what we have the power to change. I think part of it is making sure that the right people are in the government but the best we can do is continue to do our best everyday and give all we have got to the kids.
Good caring teachers helps make a school better, sadly it is not enough.

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by macguy

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

True, although despite recent rankings, which we all really need to take with a grain of salt (or a whole shaker of salt!) Florida has not succeeded in even creating an illusion of success, at least not in my eyes and in the eyes of the people that work in education here.
You make a great point, perhaps the standards have been lowered which has led them to be able to claim that they have gotten better. Hmmmm, trickery at its finest!

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by novanative75

No way, and they never would. Most teachers are in it for the kids and despite the crappiness of the system in which they work, they keep doing their best day in and day out. Kids are going to continue to come to school and continue to need to be taught and cared for and supported.
It is hard to do much as a teacher, we are limited with what we have the power to change. I think part of it is making sure that the right people are in the government but the best we can do is continue to do our best everyday and give all we have got to the kids.
Good caring teachers helps make a school better, sadly it is not enough.

Is this going to help:Gov. Crist called a $1 billion increase in school spending next year.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by novanative75

No one said that Florida schools are the worst in the country, of course there are states that are worse but that does not make Florida good simply because another is worse? That is like saying to a child that got a D on a paper that he did not do that bad because 15 other people got F's?
I personally hate rankings and prefer to use my expereince day to day in the schools here. You mention that Florida got a C+, well that proves a point, that is not good enough, in my opinion. If my child came home with all C+ grades, then we would need to figure out what was wrong.
You are sorely mistaken if you do not think that the ESOL population and the lower socio-economic population does not have anything to do with how 'good' a school is. Those schools with high populations in those areas score lower, it is a fact. In Florida especailly, when you see low test scores at a school, it is a safe assumption that there is a large ESOL population, it is the way it is. No one is saying it is good or bad or right or wrong, it is fact. The county I work in specifically, the lower performing schools have the largest ESOL and free./reduced lunch population, fact.
I am not singling out anyone but in Florida, the state that we are talking about here, the ESOl population is a huge factor in the states' test scores.
It is not bashing to state facts.

My kids attend a charter school where over half the kids are Hispanic, and a large number of them were born in other countries. Yet the school is excellent and the kids all do very well. I do not think that the Spanish thing is really the driving force behind how well kids do in school.

The school is located in an affluent area where only 3% qualify for free lunch. The parents are all high acheivers and expect their kids to be high acheivers as well. If learning English is what it takes, then that is what the kids do.

I think that if you blame all of FL's problems on Spanish speaking kids you are overlooking other, more significant issues.

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

My kids attend a charter school where over half the kids are Hispanic, and a large number of them were born in other countries. Yet the school is excellent and the kids all do very well. I do not think that the Spanish thing is really the driving force behind how well kids do in school.

The school is located in an affluent area where only 3% qualify for free lunch. The parents are all high acheivers and expect their kids to be high acheivers as well. If learning English is what it takes, then that is what the kids do.

I think that if you blame all of FL's problems on Spanish speaking kids you are overlooking other, more significant issues.

it is that combined with the other socio-economic factors. As you stated, that charter school is in an affluent area where the parents themselves are high achievers. Take a kid from a home where Daddy or Mommy is either gone, in jail, on drugs, working minimum wage or 3 jobs, uneducated, etc., along with only Spanish speaking, and that is a LOT to overcome. Not to say it cannot be done, but very, very difficult.

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

My kids attend a charter school where over half the kids are Hispanic, and a large number of them were born in other countries. Yet the school is excellent and the kids all do very well. I do not think that the Spanish thing is really the driving force behind how well kids do in school.

The school is located in an affluent area where only 3% qualify for free lunch. The parents are all high acheivers and expect their kids to be high acheivers as well. If learning English is what it takes, then that is what the kids do.

I think that if you blame all of FL's problems on Spanish speaking kids you are overlooking other, more significant issues.

There are good schools with Spanish speaking students, sure. However, look, for example, at the county in which I work, Collier. The lowest performing schools have the highest percentage of ESOL students, both Spanish and Creole speaking, it is simply a fact here.
Schools are rated based on their test scores, one factor. These kids do not pass the tests because they do not speak the language well. Nothing against them, they work hard in school the same as any one else but they are learning the language. The same as you and I would probably not pass a test in Japanese if we had only lived in Japan for one year.
I NEVER said that I blamed all of FL's problems on Spanish speaking kid, please do your best NOT to put words in my mouth. However, the large population of ESOL (which in Florida is mostly Spanish and Creole) has a lot to do with low test scores, IT IS A FACT!!

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Is this going to help:Gov. Crist called a $1 billion increase in school spending next year.

Money would help, and I will say, I am not as good as I can be at following politics. However, I am trying to follow education in the presidential race. That is interesting about his $1 billion since, as you will see in articles written everyday in Naples News, Collier County is going to have MAJOR budget cuts next year.

[pwoodman]

I am currently a teacher in Pennslvania and a Cooperative Education Coordinator in a Technicasl High scool. I am planning to relocate to Florida sarasota area.
I am interested in teaching in a Vocational Technical High School.
Does anybody have any suggestions?
Thank you.

[crystalblue]

State: State universities fear brain drain is setting in

this is sad. Florida schools are in serious trouble, yet all people want to do is keep cutting their taxes.

you want lower taxes, fine, but you will get a less educated population...

[crystalblue]

Universities To Consider Reducing Enrollment

more. the education situation in this state is getting worse by the day.