School Consolidation

[MaineMathTCHER]

Originally Posted by ADSLubec

Everyday Math is a joke! It is often referred to as "fuzzy math". If you look at the critical reviews of this curriculum you will see some pretty damning evidence that it is a poor fad.

If you want your child to learn math correctly push your school system to utilize Saxon math.

I agree too much of this "modern math" is not about getting a correct answer. We need to focus on math literacy and an understanding of the basic math facts. The 4 main operations, fractions, decimals, percents, integers, proportions-hit it all hard till 7th grade! Then pre-alg and alg 1 for the GT kids. I like Saxon, as kids are expected to actually remember what they learn and use it again. Math is a language that builds upon itself, some of the fuzzy math books just DON'T get it. (by the way 18 years here of teaching math at both K-12 and college levels-so I am in the trenches on this one).

[fortunata]

There's a 12 year gap between my two youngest kids. I couldn't believe the way the schools were teaching math to my younger boy. Every time he was getting close to understanding what he was supposed to do, they'd switch to something else and he was floundering again. Then, by the time they backtracked to the stuff he had barely begun to understand, he had forgotten it all.
I wound up searching math websites and putting together my own way of teaching him the things in his math books. He got to the point where he was getting ok grades. I'm glad I don't have any more kids in school. I don't think I could take it.

We've been informed that because of consolidation, it doesn't matter what the town does, it's going to cost us a bundle, and our taxes are going up. I'm sick of the whole thing. No one ever seems to be able to leave well enough alone, they just won't be happy till they muck it up worse.

[forest beekeeper]

We received an eight page newspaper about the local school consolidation. The towns of: Alton, Bradley, Greenbush, Milford, and old Town; are being asked to vote on consolidating into one school district.

I found it all very interesting.

I am certain that it is the culmination of a lot of bickering and politics.

Their combined budget is $16.7 Million. If each town does not agree then they will lose $334k of state funding.

They insist that under this new school district the annual budget will increase, and these increases will obviously be paid for by the individual towns.

I am confused about their reasoning for how they have decided to break down future funding.

50% of the budgetary increases are to be paid from the usual source [each town's property taxes].

And 50% is to be divided out to each town according to each town's pupil count. [So that portion of school funding would not come from property taxes, but other fund raisers.]

This newspaper says that the small towns can do this better, because historically smaller towns have always been better able to raise funds from non-tax sources, than larger towns like Old Town can.

I understand that some portion of Federal money goes to each state to fund public-ed. Then state politicos complain about unfunded Federal mandates and rename the money as 'State funding' and that money filters down through the politicos machinery to school districts. Where it is combined with property taxes to support the schools. But these other sources of fund raising which only smaller towns have, is the part that I remain fuzzy about.

If a town has Bob the local 'guy'. A combination: Mayor / Chief of Police / Fire Marshal / Dog catcher / Building Inspector / Tax assessor / and Mail man, and his primary method of bringing in money is property tax assessment. Then what is this other method?

And why is it that smaller towns [smaller than Old Town] are so much better at it?

Thanks

[Maine Writer]

I am certain that it is the culmination of a lot of bickering and politics.

And hard work. People have put in their uncompensated time, at their own expense ie gas, babysitter), to do this work. I'm sure the governor is never going to account for these expenses and include them in the true cost of consolidation.

[chaosX5]

Originally Posted by ADSLubec

Everyday Math is a joke! It is often referred to as "fuzzy math". If you look at the critical reviews of this curriculum you will see some pretty damning evidence that it is a poor fad.

If you want your child to learn math correctly push your school system to utilize Saxon math. We purchased our own set of Saxon math texts to use with our daughter. She is leaps and bounds ahead of the other kids in her school in math performance. Her teachers don't want to use Everyday Math but the system math coordinator requires it.

My wife is a first grade teacher and swears by Saxon math. Look at the most successful charter schools (you don't have them in Maine) and you will see that they use Saxon math. Another good math curriculum is Singapore math which is similar to Saxon. Singapore is the highest performing nation for elementary school students when it comes to math. Coincidence? No!

Get rid of fuzzy Everyday Math if you can. If your system is thinking of using it stop them.

For further information on Everyday Math go here - Michelle Malkin » Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic

If your child is stuck with Everyday Math here is a site to help you understand each of its algorithms - Everyday Mathematics (Chicago Math) Basic Algorithms

Alan

Saxon Math is awesome! It's used by a lot of homeschoolers too...they have a website. It's a great way to teach math and very easy to use. (nope, don't sell the stuff, just use it and love it)

[reloop]

Originally Posted by ADSLubec

Everyday Math is a joke! It is often referred to as "fuzzy math". If you look at the critical reviews of this curriculum you will see some pretty damning evidence that it is a poor fad.

If you want your child to learn math correctly push your school system to utilize Saxon math. We purchased our own set of Saxon math texts to use with our daughter. She is leaps and bounds ahead of the other kids in her school in math performance. Her teachers don't want to use Everyday Math but the system math coordinator requires it.

My wife is a first grade teacher and swears by Saxon math. Look at the most successful charter schools (you don't have them in Maine) and you will see that they use Saxon math. Another good math curriculum is Singapore math which is similar to Saxon. Singapore is the highest performing nation for elementary school students when it comes to math. Coincidence? No!

Get rid of fuzzy Everyday Math if you can. If your system is thinking of using it stop them.

Alan

Thank you Alan, for I have been saying this for literally 6 years I'm not alone, but we parents who question it seem to be dismissed on a regular basis (shoo, shoo, you non "expert in pedagogy". I'd like to see more mathematics teachers weigh in on this. Oh, and by the way, Sylvan Learning Centers and private tutors are doing a brisk business up here."

[reloop]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

I visit this thread from time to time. NCLB is the Ted Kennedy education law. GWB caved in and signed it in a futile gesture of bipartisanship. It sure didn't get him any bipartisanship from the other side.

NCLB is referred to by the education establishment as;
No Child Learning Better or
No Control for Local Boards.

Yep - but he wasn't alone.

NCLB authored by:

John Boehner (R-OH) and George Miller (D-CA) and Senators Judd Greggs(R-NH) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and signed by President Bush

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Innumeracy is even worse than illiteracy. Our problems in government and education both are caused by congresscritters; some of whom think a billion is ten million. The inmates are running the asylum.

[reloop]

Originally Posted by fortunata

There's a 12 year gap between my two youngest kids. I couldn't believe the way the schools were teaching math to my younger boy. Every time he was getting close to understanding what he was supposed to do, they'd switch to something else and he was floundering again. Then, by the time they backtracked to the stuff he had barely begun to understand, he had forgotten it all.

How do I relate to this? Let me count the ways!

I wound up searching math websites and putting together my own way of teaching him the things in his math books. He got to the point where he was getting ok grades. I'm glad I don't have any more kids in school. I don't think I could take it.

I feel your pain Been there, done that, and I'm still doing that now.
Thanks for sharing your opinion!

[reloop]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Innumeracy is even worse than illiteracy. Our problems in government and education both are caused by congresscritters; some of whom think a billion is ten million. The inmates are running the asylum.

You hit the nail on the head with that one.
Perhaps the politicians learned "ballpark estimates" instead of "don't spend more of our money than you've got" in their early math education.