Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think I would spend money on finding out which programs work and requiring a coordinated program through all levels of school. If it means going back to teaching programs from 30 or 50 years ago, so be it.
I've seen many kids ruined because some teacher utilized the latest fad program. What happened was the kids studied that track one year and were totally lost the next year when a different program was used.
My example of this is the two math programs used at middle school here, one called something like Everyday Math, and the other regular math. The Everyday Math group were never taught math concepts by name so when they entered high school, they were totally lost, needing a remedial math class.
I think I would spend money on finding out which programs work and requiring a coordinated program through all levels of school. If it means going back to teaching programs from 30 or 50 years ago, so be it.
I've seen many kids ruined because some teacher utilized the latest fad program. What happened was the kids studied that track one year and were totally lost the next year when a different program was used.
My example of this is the two math programs used at middle school here, one called something like Everyday Math, and the other regular math. The Everyday Math group were never taught math concepts by name so when they entered high school, they were totally lost, needing a remedial math class.
I have wondered this too . Why are teachers all taught and certified in the same way , but allowed to teach anyway they want. Maybe we got it backwards ?
Ok, with all this talk of spending money to fix our schools, I thought I'd throw out a "what would you do if you were in charge" thread.
Where would you start fixing our schools? What would you spend money on?
I'll post mine later, I need to get ready for school.
1. Get rid of Zero Tolerance. Get rid of the cops in schools. This means for many districts this puts the discretion back into the hands of the Principle.
2. Get rid of total inclusion.
3. If your going to get a new text book.....then get the multiples.
4. Allow for gender specific schools. Teach accordingly.
5. Rethink the truancy charges.
6. The schools hold entirely too much power and need to allow parents to parent. The truth is they don't want parents to be involved, they want parents to fork out cash on a regular basis.
7. Get rid of NCLB and standardized testing. Unless this is a huge trick and they want to see people look like gerbils.
I almost forgot:
8. English as second language speakers. Go beyond Lau v Nichols. That means taking note of what we know and applying it. If we *know* that it takes 7 years to fully comprehend the English language then get to it.
If we *know* that we can't accomodate children and parents that are illiterate in their own language-then it would seem that they need to be educated in their own language first-get to it.
9. We could save an awful lot of money if we stopped spending it on programs like DARE. Which do not work. That money could be rerouted into schools.
Last edited by Pandamonium; 05-13-2009 at 11:38 AM..
1. Get rid of Zero Tolerance. Get rid of the cops in schools. This means for many districts this puts the discretion back into the hands of the Principle.
2. Get rid of total inclusion.
3. If your going to get a new text book.....then get the multiples.
4. Allow for gender specific schools. Teach accordingly.
5. Rethink the truancy charges.
6. The schools hold entirely too much power and need to allow parents to parent. The truth is they don't want parents to be involved, they want parents to fork out cash on a regular basis.
7. Get rid of NCLB and standardized testing. Unless this is a huge trick and they want to see people look like gerbils.
I almost forgot:
8. English as second language speakers. Go beyond Lau v Nichols. That means taking note of what we know and applying it. If we *know* that it takes 7 years to fully comprehend the English language then get to it.
If we *know* that we can't accomodate children and parents that are illiterate in their own language-then it would seem that they need to be educated in their own language first-get to it.
9. We could save an awful lot of money if we stopped spending it on programs like DARE. Which do not work. That money could be rerouted into schools.
DARE probably doesn't work because the parents are to busy lighting up a reefer...
I have wondered this too . Why are teachers all taught and certified in the same way , but allowed to teach anyway they want. Maybe we got it backwards ?
I have to agree. In other professions, people don't do things different ways. They follow tried and true methods. I'm a first year teacher and shocked at how little feedback I've had on my teaching. I should have been, closely, supervised. Isn't this a training year?
Have a free market economy for teachers--parents have to apply for a child’s seat in a classroom. Let the teacher set the price—then they rent the classroom space from their local school district and choose and pay for their instructional supplies and curriculum. They set the price and get to keep the profit. If they only can handle six kids, then that's all they have. If they are miracle workers and can get sixty kids to make progress, they get sixty. They handle discipline and if a student is noncompliant, they lose their seat. No refunds. For some reason people are happier when they pay.
An added benefit: Those of us without kids have lower taxes.
Allow teachers to dismiss any child from their classroom who is disruptive, doesn't care, and refuses to try their best. Place these kids in military style alternative schools. Discipline is what these kids need and the public schools have failed miserably at discipline.
Fire any principal who uses favoritism. Some teachers can "get away" with more in the classroom than other teachers. Ex.) I knew a teacher who was really rough with a student. The principal let it slide because he was well-liked.
Allow gifted students to be placed in a gifted classroom. Make sure that all students are given equal opportunity to qualify.
Get rid of inclusion. Some of these students aren't successful in a regular classroom and only leave discouraged. They should be in a classroom where they are most successful and have the support they need. This would also help take care of some of the behavior problems.
Speed up the special ed process. Last year, I had a student with a learning disability in my room. It took an entire year to get him into special education to get the help he needed. This should never happen to any child. He wasted an entire year of his education.
More afterschool programs for kids who need help or don't get help with their homework. This will help kids make more academic progress.
Start adult education programs such as GED, literacy, and ESL. Students will be more motivated if their parents are learning too. It might increase parental involvement.
Allow parents more opportunities for school choice. Some kids may benefit from a different type of structure if they aren't doing well. Build more charter schools that approach learning diffferently than a public school. Communities should start more homeschool support groups. This way, if a parent decided homeschooling is the best option for their child, then they would have the support and resources they needed to see to it that their child could get a good education.
Start more scholarship opportunities for private schools. Some kids may perform best in private schools. I am not saying that we should have vouchers because those come from the government. We should have scholarships from private organizations.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
