Author Topic: California judge says no to homeschooling  (Read 122269 times)

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kimba1

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #240 on: March 21, 2008, 06:48:08 PM »
I can only answer why asian kids have good grades maybe
they don`t have much downtime.
the ones who have good grades have no social life .
most kids with good grades have afterschool activities to tie up their free time
hang out with up to no good friends is not an option .
I had tons of freetime in my youth and it`s a miracle I never got arrested
I came close too many times.

Xavier_Onassis

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #241 on: March 21, 2008, 07:58:20 PM »
Once again, this isn't about you.

It is about the kids and the future of this country that they will inherit.

Try to focus.

===================================
Well Jeez, I AM focusing.
But I can't make TV inaccessible to kids until they have read books ands studied.

If I had absolute power, I could Guar-un-tee better results, but I am sure I would piss a lot of people off, and of course, no one is going to grant be any power, let alone absolute power.

Education in this country, which has always been anti-intellectual, is going down the tubes.
The 1.2 billion people of China will eventually dominate this planet because (a) they will master their problems before we master ours, and (b) there are four times as many of them, so only 1/4th of them need to beat all 300 million of is. This will take a long time, and it isn't all bad. We will end up like Germany is now, large, but not dominant.

Being dominant is probably not good for anyone, not us or even the Chinese/
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

sirs

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #242 on: March 21, 2008, 08:03:16 PM »
On a completely unrelated tangent, I have to wonder if this thread is coming close to the all time leader in postings and/or viewings     8)
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

BT

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #243 on: March 21, 2008, 08:06:16 PM »
Quote
Well Jeez, I AM focusing.
But I can't make TV inaccessible to kids until they have read books ands studied.

Actually you have offered suggestions and pointed out what was different when you were coming up.

Then again you haven't posted essays from the NEA that are high on criticism but short on alternatives.


Xavier_Onassis

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #244 on: March 21, 2008, 08:21:44 PM »
I am not a member of the NEA. I teach in a private college and they don't allow us to be represented by any union. I work for peanuts, because as an Anglophone Spanish professor in a field dominated by "minority" Hispanics, that is my lot. So I save all the money I can, invest it, and shall soon retire with enough to live as comfortably as I choose.

I favor unions, and tried to start one for 13 years, but it si not f*cking allowed in this country for me to be represented by any union. My colleagues are gutless and refuse to strike, and so we are screwed. Professors ands teachers need to be organized and need to talk to one another about what the future of this country is going to be. But many are as wrapped up in mortgages, debts greedyass wives and consumerist kids as everyone else, and this rarely happens. No ees mi fault.

I have elaborated what the problems are. The consumer society, 24/7 entertainment, kids that have no desire to read, parents that also have never read a single book, ad a culture that is decidedly anti-intellectual, and think of intellectuals as someone like Dr. Emmett Brown, the weirdo character of Back to the Future, with wild hair and raving dialog no one can understand.

If you really want to know what the NEA wants, ask them, not me. I have not been a member since we lost the union without one damned contract in 1988.

Perhaps I have better solutions than them, but I am just one guy and I am going to retire. There are many of them, though I doubt there are enough. About a third of the country has bee co0nvinced by assholes like Rush that the NEA is the devil incarnate.

 
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

BT

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #245 on: March 21, 2008, 09:40:28 PM »
Quote
If you really want to know what the NEA wants, ask them, not me. I have not been a member since we lost the union without one damned contract in 1988.

perhaps you missed the post. Cynthia has been posting the essays.And you apparently didn't read my entire post to which you replied, because then you would have noticed that i responded to Cynthia as well.

The observation that it isn't about you seems to apply to you as well.

BTW I haven't listened to Rush in quite a few years maybe pre-oxycontin.

I'm sure some people listen to him because he is still on the air. It ain't me babe. I have no drive time. I telecommute.


Cynthia

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #246 on: March 21, 2008, 09:44:04 PM »
On a completely unrelated tangent, I have to wonder if this thread is coming close to the all time leader in postings and/or viewings     8)

I was wondering the same thing, Sirs. ;) :D ;D 8)

Cynthia

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #247 on: March 22, 2008, 12:23:41 PM »
These are just a few examples of why the NCLB needs "work".
And why it works.

Secretary of Education Dr. Veronica Garc?a?s Remarks
2007 AYP Announcement
August 3, 2007
Painted Sky Elementary School Cafeteria
3:00 pm
 Thank you Principal Woodard and CONGRATULATIONS to Painted Sky Elementary for your tremendous
achievement.
I would, again, like to recognize your incredible staff, the parents, and students. In addition to Painted Sky
Elementary, Alamosa and MaryAnn Binford Elementaries also came off of designation making three for the
West Mesa Cluster!
? New Mexico had a total of 14 schools that came off of designation by making AYP two years in a
row. Please help me in congratulating the following schools:
? Painted Sky Elementary
? Alamosa Elementary
? MaryAnn Binford Elementary
? Freedom High School
? B.T. Washington Elementary, Hobbs
? La Promesa Elementary, Belen
? Tularosa Elementary, Tularosa
? Apache Elementary, Farmington
? Alcalde Elementary, Espanola
? Desert View Elementary, Gadsden
? Arrey Elementary, T or C
? A:Shiwi Elementary, Zuni
? Newcomb Elementary, Central Consolidated
? Sunset Elementary, Roswell
? I also want to congratulate every student, teacher, parent, principal, superintendent, and Board of Education
member of schools that made AYP in 2007.
? Schools achieving AYP met requirements in up to 37 areas including higher student proficiency.
? As you know, proficiency requirements increase each year as we move toward 100% student proficiency in
2014.
? New Mexico?s education reform efforts support student achievement. In 2007, the Fordham Foundation
ranked New Mexico 2nd in the nation for education reform.
? We now have 94% of all core courses taught by Highly Qualified Teachers.
? We will continue efforts to improve teacher support. This year we received over $6 million from the 2007
legislature for teacher support and professional development programs.
? New Mexico has also been nationally recognized for our high academic standards by the Fordham
Foundation, the American Federation of Teachers, Education Week, and Newsweek.
? Most recently, the U.S. Department of Education conducted a comparative study of the National
Assessment for Educational Progress and state assessments. New Mexico standards and cut scores
ranked in the top ten overall.
? Unlike some states, New Mexico did not play the game of setting low proficiency levels in order to increase
numbers of schools making AYP.
? When New Mexico students achieve proficiency in Math, Reading, and now Science on our Standards
Based Assessment, they are nationally competitive and can succeed not only in New Mexico but
nationwide.
? In 2007, approximately 42% of our schools made AYP. We commend these schools and communities
and will be looking to them to identify successful strategies.
? It is also important to note that 84 schools missed meeting AYP by only one of up to 37 indicators. That
means that these 84 schools could have missed just the participation requirements in only one subgroup.
? It is important to hold schools accountable but I do not believe that AYP measures are the best way to do it.
? The Spirit of No Child Left Behind is admirable.
? Unfortunately, its implementation lacks fairness.
? Some schools missed AYP due to student proficiency numbers. Others may have had just one student that
did not complete the test causing the school to miss participation requirements.
? A school with low enrollment may have met proficiency but did not make AYP because one senior
graduated over the summer.
? For example, the following 13 schools met or exceeded proficiency targets for all students and still
did not make AYP including :
? Montessori of the Rio Grande, Albuquerque
? Twenty-First Century, Albuquerque
? Animas High School, Animas
? Vista Nueva High School, Aztec
? Dixon Elementary, Espanola
? Walatowa Charter High School, Jemez Valley
? Lake Arthur High School, Lake Arthur
? Mosquero High School, Mosquero
? Mountainair High School, Mountainair
? Quemado High School, Quemado
? Taos Cyber Magnet, Taos
? Tatum High School, Tatum
? Wagon Mound High School, Wagon Mound
? It is critical for schools, parents, students, and communities to understand that AYP status does not give a
complete picture of school success or improvement.
? Community members, I ask that you focus on student proficiency rates at your schools. Parents, I ask that
you focus on your individual children rather than the potentially misleading AYP designation.
? No Child Left Behind falls short.
? A Pass/Fail AYP designation does not adequately describe a school?s success especially when a school is
making forward progress with student proficiency.
? No Child Left Behind measures schools on a single assessment that only targets math and reading. New
Mexico has added a science assessment. But this still risks narrowing curriculum.
? No Child Left Behind does not recognize growth. For example, we compare one third grade class to the third
grade class the following year. Comparing classes of different students does not allow us to track individual
student or cohort progress from one year to the next.
? Finally, No Child Left Behind does not appropriately recognize factors impacting English Language
Learners, Special Education students, or our bilingual students.
? For example, New Mexico?s English Language Learners must take the math test their first year. New
Mexico?s high math standards require the reading of word problems, analysis, and proof of work.
? We can also not deny the incredible impact of poverty on student learning and the severe lack of funding for
the implementation of No Child Left Behind.
 The Governor, I, and New Mexico?s education leaders are hopeful that the reauthorization of No Child Left
Behind will address these issues.
 Again, student proficiency in math, reading, and science are the most important part of the AYP
announcement. Please be in contact with your schools on the progress each school is making in student
proficiency.
 Parents and community members, your involvement is key to improving student achievement in New
Mexico. I encourage you to discuss your school?s AYP status with your teachers and principals.
 Focus on student proficiency and work closely with teachers, principals, and school boards toward
educational excellence in your communities.
Regardless of the issues with No Child Left Behind, New Mexico will continue to hold schools accountable,
to set the bar high for our students, to work toward an aligned system, and to ultimately ensure that all New
Mexico students are prepared for success in college or career when they graduate from a public school.
 I want to assure you that despite the technical difficulties we experienced with the report formats and data
displays; neither the data quality nor the student work was compromised.
 I want to thank the districts, schools, communities and the media of New Mexico for their patience.
 Thank you for your support.

« Last Edit: March 22, 2008, 12:26:03 PM by Cynthia »

BT

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #248 on: March 22, 2008, 12:44:20 PM »
Community organizing creates a new form of accountability
Test scores are just one tool to hold schools accountable

by Eva Gold and Elaine Simon

"Accountability" is the rallying cry these days for many concerned about improving public schools. But what are people talking about when they use that term?

Behind the idea of accountability are a few key questions. Who is supposed to make sure that student achievement improves? To whom are those people responsible? What are the consequences if students or schools succeed or fail?

As researchers who have studied community organizing groups addressing urban school reform, we have identified an approach to accountability that we call public accountability. Community organizing has developed strategies for bringing school stakeholders -- parents, teachers, students, principals, community members, district and elected officials -- together in a public dialogue where they commit to take action to improve urban schools. Because commitments are publicly made, participants can hold each other accountable.
Other accountability models

However, public accountability is not the form that most people refer to when they talk about accountability. Almost all current accountability systems are based on what is called a bureaucratic model. This is a top-down approach in which the personnel of a school (teachers and principal) are accountable to the school district, state, or, with the enactment of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the federal government.

The bureaucratic model typically relies on high-stakes testing. Improvement or success are defined in terms of student outcomes on standardized tests, and accountability is enforced by rewarding or sanctioning schools (and sometimes teachers and students) depending on both absolute levels of test scores and changes over a period of time.

Another model, which is incorporated to varying degrees in current accountability systems, has been called professional accountability. The accountability of professionals can be seen when a principal takes a strong role as an instructional leader, when teachers meet to agree on standards for student work, when teachers receive in-class coaching. These kinds of activities enable a school staff to develop a collective sense of responsibility for children's learning and a shared commitment to high standards.

The professional approach relies on internal motivation. The consequences for educators are in answering to one's peers about students' success and the reputation of the school.

Although each of the predominant ways of viewing accountability can make important contributions to an accountability system, the bureaucratic and professional models, even when combined, are not sufficient for solving the problems of urban schools. These models are limited because they view schools in isolation, failing to take into account the complex social and political contexts in which schools function.

Public accountability, in dealing with the complex realities that influence student learning, broadens the range of stakeholders that contribute to school improvement.
Public accountability in action

Since 1999, Research for Action (RFA), in collaboration with the Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform, has been studying community organizing groups across the country that are working for school improvement in low-income communities.

As an example of public accountability in action, take the organizing process that brought about a dramatic turnaround at Zavala Elementary School, which serves a very low-income Hispanic community in East Austin, Texas. Until 1990, Zavala was consistently at the bottom of district rankings on standardized test scores.

When a parent expressed anger about the discrepancy between students' low scores on state tests and the A's and B's they received from their teachers, the principal invited the parent to read the test scores aloud at a PTA meeting to raise the issue publicly. He also invited to the meeting Austin Interfaith, a community organizing group that was beginning to develop a track record for its work in schools. The confrontation provoked angry feelings among both parents and teachers, but Austin Interfaith succeeded in using the situation as an opening to start building parent and teacher involvement in Zavala.


Gradually, Austin Interfaith helped to build parent/teacher connections and brought attention to parents' concerns and ideas for school improvement. The turning point in building a collective community of action came when large numbers of parents mobilized around the urgent need for a preventive health clinic at the school. After parents developed a proposal, teachers and parents together attended countless meetings and rallies with public officials, won financing from city council, defeated opposition from the school board, and made the clinic a reality.

As Austin Interfaith continued its organizing work, other successes followed. Over the next few years, Spanish-speaking parents became more involved as the school adopted a bilingual communication policy; teachers implemented more challenging curricula such as the "Young Scientists" enrichment program; and a tutoring program and city-funded afterschool activities were put in place.

Student scores on standardized tests also rose and in 2000, Zavala was placed on the state's list of "recognized" schools, one level below the top ranking of "exemplary." In order to sustain these gains, the Zavala community continues to organize, monitor programs, and look for further ways to improve.
Communities add resources and power

The work of Austin Interfaith helped the Zavala community to build "public accountability," in which goals and priorities came from the most immediate stakeholders -- parents and teachers, in this case -- and these stakeholders developed the power to win commitments from public officials.

In this model, parents and guardians, community members, students, educators, school and district administrators, city and state elected officials, and civic leaders can all be involved in determining how "success" is measured and working to ensure that schools are moving toward greater success. Because public accountability involves the participation of large numbers of people, it also has the potential to build political will for necessary changes in policies and funding.

Locally, parent, student, and community organizing groups are building public accountability to bring improvements to schools and also joining with advocacy and other groups in citywide coalitions, such as the recent campaign by Philadelphians United to Support Public Schools.

Although "public accountability" is not a widely understood concept, we feel that it is essential for improving urban public schools. Broad-scale, collective responsibility increases and diversifies the resources available for improving schools and also permits new voices to participate in defining when a school is "successful."

http://www.thenotebook.org/editions/2003/spring/organizing.htm


Cynthia

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #249 on: March 22, 2008, 12:51:02 PM »





Richardson: A teacher will be Education Secretary
There's a lot wrong with current education policy, and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) unveiled one tremendous solution in his address to yesterday's RA.

Watch a video clip of Richardson's speech.

"I commit right here, I will name a teacher to be Secretary of Education," Richardson declared. After the assembly erupted into applause, Richardson asked: "Anybody interested?"

  
 
Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) said elected leaders cannot ignore the voice of NEA when setting education policy.
RA Today photo by: Calvin Knight  
Richardson made clear that he wanted substantive involvement from educators to address his concerns around ESEA/No Child Left Behind in its current form. High on the list is the unfair penalization of schools and the focus on testing as a means of educating children. In New Mexico, one high school failed to make adequate yearly progress because two of its students could not take the required standardized tests on the appointed day, Richardson said. "This is unfair and this is crazy," he said. "It's got to stop." NCLB "can be improved, it must be improved and when I'm elected it will be improved or it will be abolished," Richardson said.

He specified that elected leaders cannot ignore the voice of NEA when setting education policy. That means heeding NEA calls to get rid of the pass-fail model of adequate yearly progress. Also, schools must receive the financial resources they need?including professional pay for teachers and support professionals.

"If a school isn't doing well, we should help that school, not hurt it," Richardson said. Such sound decisions will only come if educators are respected, he said. There must not only be "teachers at the table, but teachers in the cabinet. We need to create educational policy from the bottom up, and not the top down."

Eradication of programs like the arts and physical education to accommodate NCLB demands must end, too, Richardson said. "Our nation's school reform has made our schools look more like reform schools with all the mindless testing and bureaucratic regulations," he said. Included in his education platform: money to improve children's health, fighting vouchers, and funding for parental involvement programs.

http://www.nea.org/annualmeeting/raaction/07richardsonspeech.html

Cynthia

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #250 on: March 22, 2008, 12:51:41 PM »
http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/585709opinion08-12-07.htm

Ok..that's all.

I've said my piece for now.

Peace to all.

Happy Easter.

sirs

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #251 on: March 22, 2008, 12:56:40 PM »
Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) said elected leaders cannot ignore the voice of NEA when setting education policy.

Sure we could......but the millions in $$$ they take from their Union members to help get certain (D-XX) Democrats elected, tends to remove that option....unfortunately for the kids.  What was all that grief we always hear about the Energy companies meeting with elected leaders in helping to shape energy policy again??


"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

Cynthia

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #252 on: March 22, 2008, 01:05:02 PM »
Sirs,

I rest my case....the NCLB act simply needs to be fixed. I hope you read every word. There are facts in those articles that point to the broken pieces. PEriod.

I think that Obama just might be the next best president to fix what is broken.  Ironically, Richardson might be a bit of a jerkto others in his administration here in NM, but he does support major changes in the NCLB act. He's not so bad afterall, in my book.

I hope to see a democrat in the white house, frankly. Perhaps there will finally be some positive changes in education. It's time for the dems to shine in this nation.



sirs

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #253 on: March 22, 2008, 01:10:45 PM »
Sirs, I rest my case....the NCLB act simply needs to be fixed.

I don't have a problem with it being modified to be more effective, either.  I do have a problem with the accountability requirements being trashed, especially as it relates to the teachers.


I think that Obama just might be the next best president to fix what is broken.  

Hint, it's not "more money" that'll fix it.  Been tried already, year after year after year after year after year.



« Last Edit: March 22, 2008, 01:32:20 PM by sirs »
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

Cynthia

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Re: California judge says no to homeschooling
« Reply #254 on: March 22, 2008, 01:29:51 PM »
Well, I hope we can see improvements all the way around.

The children deserve it.

This has always been about the children, year after year.

So, we shall see. Something has to give.

Something has to change for the sake of the kids who are being left behind as we speak, Sirs.

You don't see that. You refuse to see that. That's ok. You have every right to turn a blind eye.

But, I have tried to show the weakness that is in this act. That's all. The idea is a good one...please don't get me wrong.

It's just unjust, unfair and really don't more harm than good.

Cynthia