tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post6788857429977091476..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: Charter schools as reform labs?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-81456289832977438542013-02-04T08:49:34.844-05:002013-02-04T08:49:34.844-05:00Anon 10pm.
Well, I think you HAVE to mention Finl...Anon 10pm.<br /><br />Well, I think you HAVE to mention Finland since they get some of the best results out there in the international testing and they do it in a somewhat unique way, cutting against the grain of so much of what we are trying to do.<br /><br />And while we are not Finns, some of what they are doing could apply to SOME of our schools and students, if only the well-to-do white kids.<br /><br />So why ignore them?<br /><br />Also, Finns aren't Asian like so many OTHER of the top performers (such as Singapore, Korea, etc.), so they may be more like us than other examples.<br /><br />And Finland performs better than Norway which is very similar demographically and yet gets performance more like the US.<br /><br />How does Finland beat Norway and other Scandinavian countries with similar socialist systems and homogeneous populations?<br /><br />I still think there's a story to be told there...<br /><br />I don't think it hurts to look at ALL the top performers to see what we can learn from them even if we can't be exactly like them.<br /><br />One thing they did, though, that is NOT unique to Finland is increase the status of teaching and draw more teachers from the top of their college student pool.<br /><br />I don't think teachers in the US come from the top 20% of the pool of college students by a long shot.<br /><br />More like the middle of the pack.<br /><br />I think you will find that teachers in Asia (Japan, China, etc.) are treated with more respect and have a higher status than most teachers in the US.<br /><br />Our white and Asian kids do fairly well compared to the rest of the world. Perhaps a little below where they should be, but not dramatically so.<br /><br />I don't like to see us ignore out top performers, though, just because they are "good enough" because the competition is getting better all the time.<br /><br />It's still our best against the best of the rest of the world that matters most.<br /><br />And yet, we keep acting as if it's our bottom of the barrel which will lead us into the future.<br /><br />The biggest problem I see is probably in our culture, though.<br /><br />And I don't really see that as anything we can "fix" or really should have schools trying to "fix". <br /><br />Ultimately, I think we'll need another "Sputnik" moment to wake us up.<br /><br />I haven't seen the "Waiting for a Miracle" book anywhere but would gladly read what it has to say.<br /><br />If only because I rarely believe the media stories, either...<br /> <br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-71253212943365925782013-02-04T08:36:20.390-05:002013-02-04T08:36:20.390-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-50713224680637806812013-02-03T22:00:53.575-05:002013-02-03T22:00:53.575-05:00Shamash, as many keep saying to those who bring up...Shamash, as many keep saying to those who bring up Finland, Finland has one of the most homogenized population in the world, snow/ice people to some. Second, the heavy hand of a central government coupled with a heavy taxed GDP, makes for any reality they wish to pay for. <br /><br />I for one do not accept the Finland model can work in America. I would advise those that long for a Finland model to move there. While Obama strives for the US to become another European country, there are enough real Americans who still believe in the promise, only the promise though (not the guarantee of success), of American opportunity.<br /><br />For more information on the real story of Finland's public education system, you do not get that from the American mass media, read "Waiting for a Miracle". Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-5171164554219019922013-02-03T19:17:50.338-05:002013-02-03T19:17:50.338-05:00"Bumping teacher salaries to where they would..."Bumping teacher salaries to where they would have been before the freeze is prohibitively expensive"<br /><br />This statement from the CMS salary article says it all. How much has been spent on surveys and consultants to try and find money for another rug to be pulled out from the employees?<br /><br />CUAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-26720807899993940012013-02-03T18:32:18.917-05:002013-02-03T18:32:18.917-05:00Anon 4:22.
At one time Washington DC had one of t...Anon 4:22.<br /><br />At one time Washington DC had one of the best High Schools in the country, Dunbar High, for blacks.<br /><br />Many of its teachers were Ph.D's.<br /><br />Of course, some of this was because the best job a black with a Ph.D. could get was HS teacher, but it does illustrate a point.<br /><br />A lot changed in the 1960's with both "black" and "women's" liberation.<br /><br />For one thing, it opened opportunities outside teaching for educated women and blacks.<br /><br />On the other hand, it meant that a lot of smart people left teaching for other professions.<br /><br />And schools like the one in DC were slowly turned into regular, failing urban ghetto schools.<br /><br />One of those unintended consequences I don't think we've quite recovered from.<br /><br />In some ways, I feel like the real problem is an economics problem. <br /><br />We haven't done much to encourage our brightest people to go into teaching.<br /><br />And teaching seems to be more bureaucratic, almost like factory work with more regimentation and rules and regulations from on high.<br /><br />I'd like to see us wake up as Finland has and help make teaching a more desirable profession for the best college students.<br /><br />I think I have some quotes about how some of the earlier civil rights leaders had their doubts about the benefits of integration in education.<br /><br />Maybe they were right.<br /><br />But once the war against segregation was won, a lot of people thought everything would turn out just fine.<br /><br />Apparently it hasn't.<br /><br />I'll see what I can dig up on those quotes...Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-43291436499645524892013-02-03T17:46:29.778-05:002013-02-03T17:46:29.778-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-41460423283865124392013-02-03T16:22:08.230-05:002013-02-03T16:22:08.230-05:00Shamash, years ago, PBS did a special on public ed...Shamash, years ago, PBS did a special on public education and of course did a lot on Horace Mann. Also as part of the telecast, they brought up how forced integration could be argued as the worse thing to have happened to the education of black children. The black colleges specialized in training lawyers, doctors and teachers. So in the black community, teachers held a highly respectable position. With integration, most back only schools were closed and most of those teachers lost their jobs. The telecast made the point that white teachers were mostly housewives who were college graduates but not necessarily with education degrees. You hear some theme to that these days when people think teachers are just a part time gig.<br /><br />Just some interesting background I have come across. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-71784352351364915492013-02-03T15:14:49.532-05:002013-02-03T15:14:49.532-05:0011:30, I agree with your that public education nee...11:30, I agree with your that public education needs to an extreme reformation to refocus its efforts. I know that 100 years under the Democrats was not going to get us there. I am willing to give the Republicans a shot for at least 25 years. There is a lot of "old guard" that has got to go. <br /><br />I do though see a chance for good teachers to get better pay. However, a lot of the "old guard" could still derail it because they do not believe in it. The trick is going to be how can the sytem be set up to minimize the "sorority sista" effect in CMS or the gothca among jealous techer team members.<br /><br />Ideally, I'd love to get the feds out of public schools. Sufficient laws are in place to take care of most issues. The public schools have to spend an extra $2 for every $1 they get from the feds. The percentage of public school dollars going to the schoolhouse is too low. Many states have passed laws to ensure at least 80-85% of funds must reach the schoolhouse. I'd love to see NC legislature do this because one of the travesties in CMS is the parade of consultants brought in every year to drain dollars and have yet to see where anyone has done anything to help the achievement rates. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-45785770206494948782013-02-03T11:30:26.871-05:002013-02-03T11:30:26.871-05:00CMS’s “greatest asset is it’s teachers“. As North...CMS’s “greatest asset is it’s teachers“. As North Carolina prepares to grade it’s teachers, and later their pay based on their student’s test scores, our community will see a further decline in what teachers are willing to offer to our educational system. ( You can kick a dog only so much). This is not solely about our student’s skin color, where they live, or who their parents are. Many students have become successful or fallen short in spite of these attributes. The decisions being made for our students are all about politics and power…you know the inauthentic kind of power. However, reading some of the comments on this page, one can’t help but feel you all get what you deserve.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-32110657269882096292013-02-03T09:56:37.221-05:002013-02-03T09:56:37.221-05:00CMS will never understad that their greatest asset...CMS will never understad that their greatest asset is the teacher.Way to much time and effort is spent on the quest for the Federal Money that is somehow the holly grail in education.The face of your organization and the quality of the product produced will never change until the morale and motivation of the teacher changes.<br /><br />CUAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-37474906562015061832013-02-03T08:58:20.969-05:002013-02-03T08:58:20.969-05:00Anon 8:25
I tend to agree. What bothers me, thoug...Anon 8:25<br /><br />I tend to agree. What bothers me, though, is that they don't seem to have any solid success stories out there, either.<br /><br />A lot of their partner schools ARE NOT heavily black, many are mostly white. And even after a decade at some, they don't seem to really close that achievement gap, either.<br /><br />Anti-racism doesn't seem to work anywhere else I've checked, either.<br /><br />It seems to lead to segregated schools. <br /><br />Just look where Toronto, Canada is headed with their first segregated "black" (or, rather, Afrocentric) school. <br /><br />They've been on a similar "anti-racism" kick for a while. <br /><br />(And this seems to be a logical extension of those efforts...) <br /><br />Not sure who their consultants were, though, probably NOT PEG.<br /><br />Which may not be such a bad idea.<br /><br />Back to the 1950's, I guess.<br /><br />However, I WOULD NOT be opposed to giving Singleton/PEG ONE CHARTER SCHOOL for their experiment.<br /><br />Get a bunch of like-minded folks together and see if they can make ONE SCHOOL work.<br /><br />Before infecting a whole school system.<br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-44096439198581968722013-02-03T08:54:02.071-05:002013-02-03T08:54:02.071-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-11344546024549275282013-02-02T20:25:00.531-05:002013-02-02T20:25:00.531-05:00Shamash, as I read what you write and read some of...Shamash, as I read what you write and read some of the same on my own, I am more and more convinced this is just a more sophisticated method using the old race card game to help more and more up to the tax payers feeding trough via extortion of communities, politicians and educrats. They simply are unwilling to be a productive member of society and choose to be leeches instead. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-17116145898325652242013-02-02T17:21:14.306-05:002013-02-02T17:21:14.306-05:00I swear, I couldn't make this stuff up...
htt...I swear, I couldn't make this stuff up...<br /><br />http://www.joannejacobs.com/tag/courageous-conversations/<br /><br />Portland Oregon is a real hornets nest it seems.<br /><br />Note the reference to the apparently new "Office of Equity" which has grown from 1 to 7 employees in a year.<br /><br />And their 93 EMPLOYEE week long "field trip" to San Antonio for a Courageous Conversation meeting?<br /><br />Bet that took some bucks.<br /><br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-44718003577210639702013-02-02T16:55:13.814-05:002013-02-02T16:55:13.814-05:00Anon 12:14...
Just to give an idea how these arti...Anon 12:14...<br /><br />Just to give an idea how these articles and other info I find flow:<br /><br />From my original Google for information on "PEG Glenn Singleton success", I found the PB&J story.<br /><br />From there, following up on the principal Gutierrez who pronounced the sandwich as "racist", I found a blog talking about people leaving the Portland schools in droves:<br /><br />http://victoriataftkpam . blogspot.com/2012/11/racist-peanut-butter-sandwich-principal.html<br /><br />and from there, I found an article in the Portland Tribune:<br /><br />http://portlandtribune . com/pt/9-news/122281-whiteness-is-constantly-thrown-in-our-face<br /><br />And all this came from me TRYING to find examples of PEG/Singleton SUCCESS!<br /><br />And I'm still looking...<br /><br />I guess "success" depends on how you define it.<br /><br />And while these searches sometimes lead to interesting opinionated sources, they usually point back to something in the mainstream (Portland Tribune being a good example).<br /><br />There are a few exceptions, though, so I keep an open eye for more.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-6199114064954848012013-02-02T14:16:01.257-05:002013-02-02T14:16:01.257-05:00Anon 12:14 pm
I try to post my sources as often a...Anon 12:14 pm<br /><br />I try to post my sources as often as I can (esp. when I quote), but I don't want to get caught up in the CO website referencing restrictions.<br /><br />A lot of what I get is from original sources (NAEP on Achievement gaps, Singleton's books - a huge portion of which is on Google books, BTW, other books on Critical Race Theory, Anti-Racism, etc., etc. and from schools which are implementing PEG projects). <br /><br />A lot of this can be Googled, of course, and some of it is just a matter of just reading what's out there.<br /><br />I generally weed out some of the nuttier stuff, but some of that turns out to have a grain of truth as well.<br /><br />The connection between Singleton, PEG, and Marxist Critical Theory is pretty widely available, for example, if you know that the missing link between them is called Critical Legal Theory.<br /><br />For the most part, I just follow where PEG has gone and look for the local news and commentary that follows.<br /><br />I also look at information in other places (such as Toronto, Canada) where they have had similar movements to see where they've ended up. And some of that is interesting, too.<br /><br />I'll try to post more references in the future, though, as long as they don't get my posts deleted.<br /><br /><br /><br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-17108737015349459952013-02-02T12:25:11.506-05:002013-02-02T12:25:11.506-05:005:38 I really admire your willingness to do what i...5:38 I really admire your willingness to do what is best for your family and get the heck out of CMS/LIFT. The fact that you are willing to make the effort and do what you can to get what is best for your child proves my earlier point: charter schools have the built-in advantage because they attract parents like you: involved and willing to do whatever it takes. <br /><br />If you are a renter rather than a homeowner, you have the options of moving somewhere else either in Mecklenburg or a surrounding community. This is in case your child is on a long waiting list for a charter.<br /><br />If you are a homeowner, it might be harder to pack up and leave so quickly. Since you mentioned private school as well, there are a lot of smaller ones, usually Christian, which are pretty reasonable as far as tuition is concerned. They have high academic and behavior standards and your child will be allowed to learn in peace. Many of them even take a traditional approach to learning (stuff that has been PROVEN to work over time) rather than fads of the week.<br /><br />Believe me, I am a CMS teacher who would GLADLY teach in one of those small Christian schools if the pay was enough to support my family on. But alas, it isn't and so I remain in CMS. What that means is that the teachers in those schools aren't there for the money but for the love of children and teaching. I encourage you to explore this is you can afford it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-35669736648209757672013-02-02T12:14:51.465-05:002013-02-02T12:14:51.465-05:00Shamash, I would love to read more. If you don...Shamash, I would love to read more. If you don't mind and have the time, could you please share with us a list of your information sources? I already noted Breitbart but I would love to be exposed to more if you could do so. I would really appreciate that!3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-3816762746646438032013-02-02T12:01:03.953-05:002013-02-02T12:01:03.953-05:00This incident sums up they way many Blacks think i...This incident sums up they way many Blacks think in America and why there is such a divide when it comes to racism:<br /><br /><i>...The comment that got Rob Parker fired came on December 13th, during an episode of ESPN's show "First Take." Parker called the popular RGIII a "cornball brother" and questioned Griffin's commitment to the African-American community based on the fact that Griffin is a Republican and has a white fiance.<br /><br />ESPN suspended Parker after public outcry, but the real action that got Rob Parker fired came this weekend.<br /><br />Parker went on television in Detroit and said he was "shocked" by the backlash, and that he still had "concerns" for Griffin.</i>...<br /><br />Supposedly, Whites don't understand why they are racist, yet Blacks seem to have a problem with being a bigot and racist themselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-82758802950595361882013-02-02T11:51:35.424-05:002013-02-02T11:51:35.424-05:00Anon 11:42.
You should read what the race-baiters...Anon 11:42.<br /><br />You should read what the race-baiters have to say about Asian success.<br /><br />They do it just to please their white masters and meet our expectations of them as "model" minorities.<br /><br />That's why the trains in Japan always run on time.<br /><br />Just in case a white person needs to get somewhere in a hurry.<br /><br />See, it all makes sense as long as you're "culturally sensitive"...<br /><br />Such foolishness and more will be coming soon to a school near you.<br /><br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-55841636219313326572013-02-02T11:48:36.015-05:002013-02-02T11:48:36.015-05:00Anon 10:56.
Oh, PEG and Singleton even miss the m...Anon 10:56.<br /><br />Oh, PEG and Singleton even miss the mark much closer to home.<br /><br />He misses more than just the other "brown" people's successes.<br /><br />Even blacks from OUTSIDE the US don't seem to have the same problems with "racism" and academic performance that US born blacks have.<br /><br />http://www. washingtonpost. com/blogs/therootdc/post/rethinking-the-achievement-gap-lessons-from-the-african-diaspora/2012/09/04/eebc5214-f362-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_blog.html<br /><br />"John Ogbu, then a professor of anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley, contended that immigrant black Americans live in more racially diverse communities and aren’t burdened by perceived black underachievement on standardized tests.<br /> <br />This is largely because they lack a connection to predominantly U.S.-born black communities and they trust white institutions more than non-immigrant blacks. This leads them them to make housing choices based on the potential for greatest opportunity in education and employment, which tend to be in more diverse communities."<br /><br />--------<br /><br />Singleton and PEG, of course, are pushing in the WRONG DIRECTION.<br /><br />Note that black success in the "diaspora" basically comes from "acting white".<br /><br />Or at least NOT by "acting black", but by assimilating and trusting "white institutions" and looking for more opportunities.<br /><br />Funny how it always seems to take foreigners to see all those "opportunities", eh?<br /><br />This makes it sound more like an attitude rather than aptitude problem in the "black" community, doesn't it?<br /><br />But that's exactly what Singleton and his race-baiting consultants fear the most...<br /><br />BECAUSE THERE IS LITTLE TO NO MONEY TO BE MADE FROM THIS MESSAGE.<br /><br />No one wants to pay to hear it because it is old news and doesn't soothe white liberal guilt.<br /><br />He's making a fortune catering to the same old left guard in race relations in the US. <br /><br />The same ones who benefit the most from repeated failures of "their" people.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-49552961956765736982013-02-02T11:43:48.832-05:002013-02-02T11:43:48.832-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-9830346490633703722013-02-02T11:42:18.110-05:002013-02-02T11:42:18.110-05:00So adhering to a rigid time schedule is a trait of...So adhering to a rigid time schedule is a trait of the dominant white culture? Well, go to places in Asia and that time-conscious mindset is prevalent. <br /><br />So does that mean that companies that expect their employees to adhere to a schedule are inherently racist? If someone shows up at a doctor's office 30 minutes late for an appointment, should the doctor neglet the other patients and wait for this person to show up? Or, is the doctor somehow a racist if other patients are then called?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-65487873142347569292013-02-02T11:35:38.569-05:002013-02-02T11:35:38.569-05:00I just read it! I especially like the part about ...I just read it! I especially like the part about "In addition to teaching that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist, PEG trains educators to view “rugged individualism,” “adherence to rigid time schedules,” and the belief that “hard work is the key to success” as traits of the dominant white culture."<br /><br />Really??? What about Hispanic and Asian students? They are far more likely to be prompt and believe that hard work is the key to success. Oh, in fact black students from Africa and the Caribbean feel the same way.<br /><br />"PEG teaches that minority cultures value “color group collectivism,” “interdependence,” group success, shared property, learning through social relationships, and making life choices based on “what will be best for the family or group.”<br /><br />Ok, the above is very interesting. I mean, do high school and college graduates get a collective/group diploma or an individual one? Do companies interview individual candidates for a job or collective groups? If one person in this color-conscious group deems that paying his creditors isn't a priority, will the rest of his collective group take up a collection or let the deadbeat get collection calls? Yeah, I thought so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-30156504422228635042013-02-02T11:31:17.130-05:002013-02-02T11:31:17.130-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.com