Welcome!

Welcome to Laurie Goodman's blog. I use this space to share news and opinions about education and schools in Ridgewood, the state of New Jersey and the nation, in addition to other issues I'm personally interested in. I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, questions or opinions, too, by posting comments on any blog entry. Please observe basic courtesy -- keep your comments focused on issues, no personal attacks or bullying, please. Contact me directly at: lauriegood@mac.com

Saturday, January 31, 2009

What is school for?

The author and change-guru (for lack of a better term) Seth Godin today blogged his thoughts on "what school is for." He said, "...given how much time and money we spend on it [school], it has a wide range of answers, many unexplored, some contradictory. I have a thoughts about education, how we use it to market ourselves and compete, and I realized that without a common place to start, it's hard to figure out what to do." Below is his "starter list." Any thoughts? (Before you react to his use of the term "marketing," remember that's what he does, marketing consultant, and on some level that's what we all do.)

The purpose of school is to:

1. Become an informed citizen
2. Be able to read for pleasure
3. Be trained in the rudimentary skills necessary for employment
4. Do well on standardized tests
5. Homogenize society, at least a bit
6. Pasteurize out the dangerous ideas
7. Give kids something to do while parents work
8. Teach future citizens how to conform
9. Teach future consumers how to desire
10. Build a social fabric
11. Create leaders who help us compete on a world stage
12. Generate future scientists who will advance medicine and technology
13. Learn for the sake of learning
14. Help people become interesting and productive
15. Defang the proletariat
16. Establish a floor below which a typical person is unlikely to fall
17. Find and celebrate prodigies, geniuses and the gifted
18. Make sure kids learn to exercise, eat right and avoid common health problems
19. Teach future citizens to obey authority
20. Teach future employees to do the same
21. Increase appreciation for art and culture
22. Teach creativity and problem solving
23. Minimize public spelling mistakes
24. Increase emotional intelligence
25. Decrease crime by teaching civics and ethics
26. Increase understanding of a life well lived
27. Make sure the sports teams have enough players

Thursday, January 29, 2009

It's a small world...

Dr. John Mucciolo, former principal of Ridgewood High School, begins his new job as Superintendent of Schools in Glen Ridge next week. Dr. Mucciolo replaces Dan Fishbein, who left Glen Ridge to come to Ridgewood. Definitely a small world in the NJ education biz.

Click here to read a Glen Ridge news feature on Dr. Mucciolo.

Creative teacher fundraising...

Somehow I missed this story last month. A teacher near San Diego started selling "ad space" on the bottom of his tests, in order to raise money to buy more paper for his tests and handouts. Most of the ads are "inspirational messages" from parents (like "good luck on the test," I presume), but some of them are from local businesses. What I find especially interesting is how much positive feedback he seems to have gotten. I just think it's a little odd...

Click here to read the original article in USA Today.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Institutional thinking...about schools

Time for a more thoughtful post...I just read an op-ed piece in the NY Times by David Brooks, about institutions, what they ask of us and how they shape our lives. Brooks writes about "thinking institutionally," and I thought it was an interesting way to think about schools and all of us -- educators, parents, students, administrators -- who are part of the institution. He says, "In this way of living, to borrow an old phrase, we are not defined by what we ask of life. We are defined by what life asks of us. As we go through life, we travel through institutions — first family and school, then the institutions of a profession or a craft. Each of these institutions comes with certain rules and obligations that tell us how to do what we’re supposed to do. Journalism imposes habits that help reporters keep a mental distance from those they cover. Scientists have obligations to the community of researchers. In the process of absorbing the rules of the institutions we inhabit, we become who we are."

Brooks continues, "New generations don’t invent institutional practices. These practices are passed down and evolve. So the institutionalist has a deep reverence for those who came before and built up the rules that he has temporarily taken delivery of. “In taking delivery,” Heclo [an author he studied] writes, “institutionalists see themselves as debtors who owe something, not creditors to whom something is owed.”

"The rules of a profession or an institution are not like traffic regulations. They are deeply woven into the identity of the people who practice them. A teacher’s relationship to the craft of teaching, an athlete’s relationship to her sport, a farmer’s relation to her land is not an individual choice that can be easily reversed when psychic losses exceed psychic profits. Her social function defines who she is. The connection is more like a covenant. There will be many long periods when you put more into your institutions than you get out."

Brooks then included excerpts from a great speech by Ryne Sandberg when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, on the institution of baseball. [Read entire column here.] And then he wrapped up,"Institutional thinking is eroding. Faith in all institutions, including charities, has declined precipitously over the past generation, not only in the U.S. but around the world. Lack of institutional awareness has bred cynicism and undermined habits of behavior. Bankers, for example, used to have a code that made them a bit stodgy and which held them up for ridicule in movies like “Mary Poppins.” But the banker’s code has eroded, and the result was not liberation but self-destruction.

"Institutions do all the things that are supposed to be bad. They impede personal exploration. They enforce conformity.

"But they often save us from our weaknesses and give meaning to life."

Today I just thought I'd like to think a little more deeply about the institution of public schools and education. I now return you to our regularly scheduled discussions of math and budgets and phone calls and turf fields. :)

Monday, January 26, 2009

District Vision Statement for Math

The Math Team has released the district Vision Statement for Math. The Team will use this Vision Statement to create the criteria for evaluating textbooks/programs. I was going to type the Vision Statement here, but I have to get some work done first. I'll try to get it done tomorrow. In the meantime you can read the PDF by clicking here. I think it looks pretty comprehensive. Any feedback?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

A reader asks about public comments @ BOE meetings

Posted by a reader:

Is there a reason why someone--anyone--on the BoE doesn't engage any of the citizen speakers who address the members during the public comment portion of a meeting? Ms. Maskin stood and delivered a comprehensive OPINION at the most recent meeting and not a peep was heard from the Board. Why not challenge her on some of her points? My assumption is that you guys know at least as much as she does--why not challenge her perspectives with some of your own? I'm not suggesting that this be done in a disrespectful manner. Rather, have a public dialogue with these critics who just want to be heard AND acknowledged. Responding to points made at a Board meeting on a blog the following day is like swinging at a pitch after it's in the catcher's glove.

The public view is that nothing gets done at these meetings except talk, talk, talk. Decisions seem to be made while the citizens are not watching--which leads to distrust and frustration. Obviously, there's enough of that going on right now.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Ridgewood Pool Project update

The Ridgewood Pool Project was formed in 2006 under the guidance of Ridgewood Parks & Recreation. The purpose is to discover why there has been a severe membership decline at Graydon Pool, and how to create a facility that better meet the needs of residents. Following resident research and a professional feasibility study, at the end of this month the group will be recommending to the Council that it invest in a new facility that provides filtered, clear water in a natural, park-like setting. The group believes that this type of facility can not only attract a significant number of residents back to Graydon, but also produce enough revenue to cover the cost of its construction.

The group has met individually with Council members and the Village Manager, and group members say they have all expressed interest in supporting this project. Of course, there are a number of projects pending in the Village and they need to decide which are most important to pursue.

Residents who want more info are invited to attend one of several open houses at the Community Center at Village Hall for an unveiling of the artist renderings of the new, proposed facility. Group members will be on hand to make a short presentation and answer questions. The open house schedule is:

Monday, January 19 at 4:00 pm
Tuesday, January 20 at 9:30 am
Wednesday, January 21 at 8:00 pm
Thursday, January 22 at 9:30, 1:00 pm or 8:00 pm

Residents are encouraged to attend the Village Council meeting on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30pm in the Courtroom at Village Hall to express feelings for or against the project. I personally don't have a firm opinion yet, so I'll go to one of the open houses this week to find out. I hope people will try and get the facts before they speak one way or the other. See you at an open house!

Got any money-saving ideas?

District administrators are working intensely these days, trying to put together the 2009-2010 budget, which is faced with a $1.9 million shortfall. Board members have been brainstorming ideas for cutting costs, too. I'd like to ask parents and other community members for ideas. Especially parents -- you're in the schools, you see what goes on in classrooms and other school spaces. Got any ideas for saving money? Of course, the budget gap is so large that sometimes the small ideas for savings can seem like mere drops in the bucket. But...those drops can add up, right?

So if you have any ideas, large or small, please post them there as comments, or email me directly at lauriegood@mac.com. I promise to bring any ideas to the administrators for consideration.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Doing my research...myself

Just wanted to share with you my reading and study on math. Lest anybody think I get all my info from the Ed Center, the truth is I actually get very little over there. Sure, I'm receiving updates from the Math Planning Team, but those aren't too detailed. Mr. Vallerini and Mrs. Lenhard are the Board Members on the Curriculum Committee, so they are more involved with them. I'm sure I could get all kinds of materials at the Ed Center, but my style is to do my own research. Below is a list of what I've been reading the past year or so (approximately 90% of this was sourced be me directly...the advantage of self-employment is plenty of time to surf the web...some of them are on my shelf waiting to be read ASAP).

Please suggest any reading you think I should be doing!

in no particular order (list updated 1/18/09)...

Books
The Equation for Excellence: How to Make Your Child Successful at Math (Vohra)
Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Breaking a Nail (McKellar)
Math for humans: Teaching Math through 8 Intelligences (Wahl)
Math Wars: A Guide for Parents & Teachers (Latterell)
Standards-Based School Mathematics Curricula: What are they? What Do Students Learn? (Studies in Mathematical Learning), (Senk & Thompson)
What’s Math Got to Do with It? (Boaler)
What Successful Math Teachers Do. (Posamentier)

Articles & Reports
"Rigor Redefined," Wagner. Educational Leadership, 10/08
“A Formula to End the Divide,” Posamentier, Bergen Record, 6/19/07
“Abandoning traditional math approach doesn’t add up.” Posamentier, Bergen Record, 6/11/08
“How Does it Add Up?” Views on Math Education.” Posamentier. Education Update, Inc.
“Where Has All the Knowledge Gone?”, Boaler, Education Week, 10/8/08
“Reaching for Common Ground in K-12 Mathematics Education,” Ball, Milgram, et al., Notices of the AMS, 10/05
“Study Suggests Math Teachers Scrap Balls and Slices,” Chang. NY Times 4/25/08
“Report Urges Changes in Teaching Math,” Lewin. NY Times 3/14/08
“Clarifying Misconceptions about Investigations in Number, Data and Space,” Prince William County Schools Mathematics Focus Group
“Are We Failing Our Geniuses?,” Cloud. Time. 8/16/07
“10 Myths (Maybe) About Learning Math,” Mathews. Washington Post. 5/31/05
“Learning from Singapore Math,” Leinwand & Ginsburg. Educational Leadership, 11/07
"On Professional Judgment and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report: Curricular Content," Thompson. Educational Researcher, 12/08

Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel

Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2006

Websites
What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences
Mathematically Correct
Mathematically Sane
Math Panel Watch
National Assessment of Educational Progress Mathematics Study 2003
Math Forum at Drexel University

Thursday, January 15, 2009

High school kids making a difference

This morning I was fortunate to be able to attend the "You Make a Difference" Breakfast at Ridgewood High School. This event was not a big deal, but rather a small-ish, personal recognition for about 10 students who are making a difference in small-yet-significant ways. The honorees are nominated by teachers or administrators who have noticed their accomplishments, whether it be displaying extraordinary kindness, giving extra help and support to fellow students or personal efforts in the face of adversity. The students attended with their proud parents and listened to Mr. Lorenz and their staff sponsors make note of their accomplishments. I was impressed by the students and their parents, and grateful to the RHS staff, for this chance to learn about and celebrate students who don't always stand out in the traditional ways. What a great way to start the day!

Report: New Jersey Kids are Well-Prepared for Success

New Jersey schools are among the best in the nation in preparing students to succeed in life, according to Education Week magazine’s “Quality Counts 2009” report.

The study measured key indicators of student success to compile a rating of each state’s public schools in six different variables. The Garden State ranked second best nationally in the “chance for success” index, which measures more than a dozen indicators to gauge children’s odds of success as they move through school and into the workforce.

The report ranked New Jersey third best in the nation in the K-12 student achievement, with a grade of B-minus. The national average was D-plus.

New Jersey schools, among the best funded in the nation, received a B-plus for school finance (fourth in the nation). In other measures, the Garden State received a B-minus in the area of the state’s “standards, assessment and accountability” (30th in the nation); a C-plus (17th in the nation) for policies related to transitions and alignment of one stage of education to the next, such as K-12 to college; and a C for the teaching profession (25th in the nation).

Overall, New Jersey is ranked fifth highest in the nation with a grade of B-minus (no state earned an A).

(Reprinted from New Jersey School Boards Association "School Board Notes")

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Schedler Property Purchase

At tonight’s Ridgewood Council meeting, the Council will be introducing Ordinance 3163, which is a bond ordinance providing for the acquisition of the Schedler property. The Public Meeting is scheduled for February 11, 2009. After hearing from the public, the Council will vote at that meeting. If you have comments for the council, attend the Feb. 11 meeting. Being the last possible piece of open space in the village, this is a great acquisition (in my opinion).

BOE approves purchase of grooming tool

On Monday night, the Board of Ed approved the purchase of a GroomALL, which is an attachment used for grooming, cleaning-up and maintaining artificial turf. Since so many high school athletes use Maple Field, the Board felt it was appropriate to purchase the $12,000 device. It will be combined with the Village's equipment to improve and care for the field, for everyone's benefit. I know there are parents out there who will welcome this news and I wanted to make sure you are aware.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Communications Open Forum March 3

As I'm sure you heard during last night's Board of Ed meeting, I announced the Board's planned Communications Open Forum, which is scheduled for Tuesday night, March 3 at 7:30 in the Ed Center (3rd Floor). The Communications Committee, of which I'm a member, along with Joseph Vallerini, is planning this evening to be an open conversation and discussion about district communications. We would like to invite the public -- parents, non-parent taxpayers, business people, etc. -- to come and speak about how we communicate. What are we doing well, that we should continue? What could we do better? What forms of communication do people prefer? How can we improve communications to the district? Stuff like that. Then, following the meeting, we will come up with a list of "action items," based on what the discussion brings up.

I really hope you will attend. Please mark your calendar. More info will be forthcoming as the date approaches. Any questions or comments, feel free to post them here or email me at lauriegood@mac.com.

News from the BF HSA

Went to the BF HSA meeting this morning -- it's always nice to see so many (30?) parents come to these meetings and get involved. There was discussion about Super Science Saturday (3/7 at RHS), about 6th grade camp and the 7th grade trip to Washington, D.C. There was discussion about the proposal to move the RHS track to BF and what impact that could have on the school. The first (annual?) Snowball Social for parents was last week and reports are that it was a big success. Principal Tony Orsini talked about an initiative he is working on with teachers to make the grading process more consistent and more useful for parents, students and teachers. The parents in attendance discussed the challenges of grades and report cards -- the idea that some things are not as easily quantifiable as others, the fact that parents don't always understand what grades mean, the concern that different teachers grade using different philosophies, and how to separate the "learning" from the "grading." It was a pretty interesting discussion and something to think about. Glad to see them working on this at BF.

The "personal opinion" dilemma

We all have them. Personal opinions. Points of view. Individual perspectives. However you want to say it. I feel a need to express my personal opinions to at least some extent. Hence, this blog. On one level, I see this blog as me having a chat with my neighbor in my front yard -- except I get to chat with many "neighbors" at once. (Much more efficient!) On another level, it's like a journal, both for my benefit in working out my thoughts and making sense of the situations in which I find myself, and also for the benefit of the community, or at least those who care about what goes on at the Board of Ed and in our schools.

I've said (and shown) many times that I'm not a political animal...I don't think like a political strategist. I am not always able or willing to consider all the possible ramifications and ripples before I speak. Is this a problem for someone elected to the Board of Education? So far, it certainly isn't going to make things easier, but it's who I am and I would rather be honest with you and with myself. I have to.

I received lots of advice when I was elected. In particular, I was told: "Stick to what you think is right" and "Follow your heart." I think that's good advice. It might not always win me friends, but it definitely helps me sleep at night. (The other advice I got was legal: make sure everyone knows your opinions are yours alone and that you do not speak for the Board of Ed. Which is true and which I try to reiterate as much as possible.)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Dear President-Elect Obama:

"On November 4, 2008, Americans enthusiastically voiced their support for the dual promises of your presidential campaign – hope and change. On that night, people all over the world were inspired and mobilized by your simply stated belief that better days lie ahead - Yes We Can."

That's the beginning of a petition to President-Elect Obama, asking him to keep education a priority. It continues in more detail, pledging that we'll work with the administration on four principles:

1) Every child deserves a 21st Century education.
2) Every community deserves an equal chance.
3) Every child deserves a well-supported teacher.
4) Every child deserves high-quality health care.

Go to www.willwereally.com to sign the petition.

BOE Meeting Agenda 1/12

Can't wait to hear what's on the agenda for tomorrow night's meeting? Here are some highlights:

We'll hear a report on the District's energy consumption and efficiency.

Dr. Fishbein will give a report on Spring 2008 test results.

We'll get an update on the activities of the Math Planning Team.

We'll discuss development of the 2009-2010 budget and maintenance equipment for the artificial turf at Maple Field.

We'll vote to approve the Grade 8 Algebra curriculum.

Plus, among other items, the usual approvals of conferences, field trips and personnel changes.

Meeting time 7:30 p.m. at the Ed Center, 3rd floor; broadcast on channel 77 and webcast on the District website, click here to view.

Comments on Public Comments

I remember when I wasn't on the Board of Ed and I would sometimes watch the meetings...occasionally a member of the community would step up to the microphone during the public comment portion of the meeting and ask a question. The Board members would listen to the question and then the person would sit down. Nobody answered the question. Now, many times, the question posed wasn't really a question at all, but rather a comment or criticism disguised as a question. That's ok...that's one way to make a point. But in some cases, the question was really a question. And from the "audience," it looks like the question was never answered.

Now that I'm "on the inside," I can clarify what's happening with regard to public comments at Board meetings. First of all, the purpose of the public comment section is intended to be for comments. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come make a comment, and the comment process is "managed" by the presiding officer, normally the Board president. It has been the Board's practice to not answer questions during meetings, in order to keep meetings moving and avoid a situation of back-and-forth. In addition, frequently the questions answered require some level of research or reference, and the Board or Superintendent don't have the pertinent background info at hand. I can assure you, however, that whenever someone asks a question at the microphone, the Board President or Superintendent does follow-up with an answer directly to the person who asked. This could be in the form of an email, letter, phone call or face-to-face meeting.

Is this good enough? I'm not sure. I totally understand the need to keep the meetings moving and to avoid public differences that could detract from the real work that must be accomplished at these meetings. And I do understand that it could be unfair to answer some questions but not others. But the open-endedness of the unanswered questions somehow bothers me. What if the question is a good one, with broad interest among the community? Wouldn't we want that question to be answered for everyone? I'm not sure how to do it yet. Maybe any questions posed at Board meetings could be listed, along with answers, on the district website at a later date (and after the person who asked has received their answer directly.). I don't know...just thinking out loud here. I'll see if we can't come up with some ideas in an upcoming meeting of the Communications Committee. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

GW Students talk about Cyber-Bullying on CBS News

Some Ridgewood students were in the news this week, helping spread the word about cyber-bullying and how to prevent it. Click here to read the story, Schools step up efforts to stop cyber bullying. Thanks to GW technology teacher, Mary Lou Handy, for all the work she does with students and parents on this topic!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Did you hear the one about the math expert who wasn't invited to the party?

I understand a few folks are riled up about a Harvard-educated math person, Dr. Stotsky, who supposedly "offered" her services to the District in our math quest. There's an email circulating with plenty of misinformation and spin. Here's my PERSONAL take on, and clarification of, the situation. (And, just so we're clear, by "personal" I mean these are my opinions and perspectives only and I am in no way speaking for the Board.)

1) We are pretty far into the process (as the email writer says, 2 years) and the administration may feel that to bring in new participants now might bog things down, require backtracking, etc. I can understand that. We need to keep moving forward, the community has waited long enough.

2) The Math Planning Team's experts are also learned and experienced. One could argue that they may be more math-focused than Dr. Stotsky, as my quick read of her background shows an emphasis also on reading/language. But I'll agree that she's at least "as expert" as the others. (And BTW, the more I learn about the politics involved in the National Math Panel, the less I view its report as the 10 Commandments, nor its participants as the high priests of math...sorry, not sure why I veered into religious terminology!)

3) Dr. Stotsky should not be characterized as a somehow "more objective" observer. Like many mathematics experts, she is also a consultant to a textbook company (Sadler-Oxford Mathematics). I have no idea if that company's programs are being considered in Ridgewood, but the point is, everyone has a point of view; seems to me there is no such thing as a truly objective expert.

4) Dr. Stotsky did not benignly "learn of" our internal math divisions but rather was recruited by a parent.

5) There has been no direct communication between Dr. Stotsky and the District administration. She did not approach, write, call or email the District.

6) The misinformation email says there's "no end in sight" in our math effort. That's not true. The Team is working according to a publicized schedule/plan and the end is certainly within sight.

7) The email mentions Dr. Stotsky's involvement in Massachusetts' high scores in the TIMMS test, and that Mass is "one of only two U.S. states to receive top scores in the international TIMMS tests, scores that rank them near the Asian countries that lead the TIMMS every year." The truth of Massachusetts' TIMMS performance should be taken with a grain of salt -- there were only a few states who even participated in the tests as states. New Jersey did not. (It's my understanding that any state or group of schools can pay to be scored as a group). The test mainly measures countries' performance. Also, Massachusetts is not New Jersey (in a nutshell). (And as an aside, isn't Massachusetts the home of TERC/Investigations? Aren't they using it in a lot of schools there? What does that mean?. Kind of ironic, at the very least!)

You know what, Mr. Misinformation? This is not helping. (And by "this" I don't mean talking about math. Talking and sharing are good. I welcome your comments. What's not helpful is spreading misinformation and trying to fan the flames.) We have a plan. We have smart Ridgewood educators working on the plan. We have experts advising our educators. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Team comes up with and asking my questions at that time.

What is Left Behind

I stumbled on this interesting essay which was written in late 2007. I hope the Obama administration can inject some sense into this senseless situation.

What Is Left Behind
As NCLB’s reauthorization or expiration takes center stage in Washington, American citizens who care about the future of our public schools and our democracy must be heard. Our shared future is not an abstract political possibility but, rather, one that breathes in every son or daughter, every niece or nephew, every grandson or granddaughter, every neighbor’s child, and every one of our own students who enters the schoolhouse door.

While Secretary Spellings and legislators from both parties stubbornly proclaim that NCLB is working—despite of all the empirical evidence indicating otherwise—and as politicians boast that no child is being left behind, let us pause to consider what has been jettisoned. Let us take a moment to think about what has been left behind, what has been dumped, what has been pushed out the door because there is no longer space or time for it in the school day.

Now if your school still has some of these things, I say congratulations. At the same time, however, I say beware. Beware, because the unattainable goal of 100% proficiency that is the bedrock of NCLB makes it most likely that over the next seven years, your school will join the 30% of schools today where these crucial elements of school have already been left behind.

As American citizens deeply concerned about the health of our democratic republic, we are, of course, concerned and horrified that the social studies have been left behind. In Florida and other states, social studies teachers, afraid of losing their jobs, are lobbying for social studies to be tested, so that their work will survive.

The emphasis on math and reading tests has meant less geography, civics, and government, which leaves children ignorant of how public decisions are made or where their community fits into state, national, and global contexts—or even that there is a context beyond their street and TV screens. Children are left, in effect, stranded on lonely islands of ignorance, without the impetus or skills to have their voices heard in ways that make the world listen.

History, too, has been left behind, making it assured that this next generation will grow up more likely to be swayed by the mistakes and misdeeds of the past to which they remain clueless. What is a democratic republic and where did it come from? Sorry, that’s not on the test, either.

And economics? While children in wealthy communities, the ones without AYP worries yet, play stock market games and learn about hedge funds, the economic education of children in schools under the testing gun consists of collecting “Scholar Dollars” that they trade in for bags of Skittles, a pittance of pay for a meaningless labor whose significance remains a mystery to them.

Health and physical education have been left behind, too, leaving children out of shape and subject to diseases associated with obesity and inactivity. At the same time, children are left in the dark about the importance of healthy foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, the kinds of foods that are scarce in the small stores of poor neighborhoods. And left behind, too, is information about the hazards of a never-ending diet of Taco Bell and McDonalds—because that's not on the test, either.

Art and music have been left behind, leaving in their crossing wakes an imagination gap, a creativity gap, and expression gap, an aesthetic gap, a souls gap. We can add these gaps to the achievement gap that parallels a widening economic gap – despite years and years of increased testing and accountability in those schools where the economic gaps are at their deepest points.

Diversity of thought has been left behind. What remains in failing schools and the ones teetering on the testing bubble are collections of remote and desiccated facts that represent not even a single culture, but rather, an anti-culture that has essentially eradicated cultural values as a discussable issue.

Science has been left behind, too, and thus the primary tool for understanding how the modern world is organized. Where science survives, it is where it is tested, and the kind of science that remains is the kind that can be fit into a multiple-choice format, not the kind that exercises children’s ability to think, solve problems, conduct experiments, and make good decisions.

Literature has been left behind, and with it the love of reading and books and the curiosity that is spawned and kept alive by the life of the imagination. Stories are now substituted by the measured mouthing of nonsense syllables and the framing of comprehension responses that the children who utter them do not understand.

Recess has been left behind in a third of all American elementary schools, and as the percentage of failing schools increases, we may expect that number to rise. Play, itself, then becomes left behind, and along with it one of the most useful skills of all—to think as if, what if, as in what if life were somehow different than, or what if there were a choice beyond a, b, c, or d?

Nap time has been left behind in kindergarten and even in pre-K, as teachers focus on replacing dream time with skill practice time for a future of testing.

Field trips, holidays, and assemblies have been left behind unless they can be used for test preparation, or unless they come after the test, those short precious weeks when smiles may be seen to return to teachers’ lips and to students’ eyes.

The love of the teacher for her craft has been left behind in so many schools, replaced by the burdensome regimen of the pacing guide and the production schedule and the script. And time for teacher-led discussion, exploration, reflection? There is only time for teachers to learn their lines, trying to become good actors in a very bad play where the audience is compelled to participate. And time to weigh the results of the practice tests in order to get ready for the real tests.

Left behind, too, are teacher autonomy and professional discretion. Now whole hallways of fourth grade classes are on the same page of the same scripted lesson at the same moment that any supervisor should walk by, supervisors who are identically trained to look for the same manifestations of sameness, from bulletin boards to hand signals to the distance that children are trained to maintain from one another as they march to lunch, with their arms holding together their imaginary straightjackets.

Most troubling, however, of all that has been left behind is the teacher’s nurturing care, the teacher whose advocacy for and sensitivity to every child’s fragile humanity has been a trademark of what it means to be the teacher of children. With the current laser focus on avoiding test failure, even as expectations become higher with each passing year, the child who cannot do more than a child can do now becomes viewed as the stumbling block to a success that is increasingly elusive.

Instead, then, of being viewed as the reasons we have schools to begin with, the needful child who is, indeed, behind, becomes the obstacle to a proficiency that becomes further and further out of reach. When this occurs, as it surely does every time teachers and principals fall prey to the pressure, children become the burden that must be reluctantly borne, obstacles to a success that their own disability, poverty, or language issues complicate— and that even the best teacher can never compensate for.

Students, then, come to be seen as complicit in creating the failure that, in fact, no one, teacher or student, can remedy, because there is a monstrous system that has made child failure and, thus, school failure inevitable, a monstrous system that has traded and treated this generation of children as a means to attain a political end—a political end that, in fact, threatens our future as a free people who are able to think, to solve problems, to care, to imagine, to understand, to have empathy, to participate, to grow, to live.

So as you listen to the growing debate this fall in Washington, please do not leave your political responsibility behind and your good sense with it. Go online tonight and order the Linda Perlstein book, Tested. . .. Read it and, as you do so, keep in mind that the horror that she so ably describes occurred in a school that is considered a success, a “lighthouse school.” Think, then, of what it must be like in the thirty percent of American schools that are now labeled failures.

Recently, a quote by Cal State professor, Art Costa showed up on one of internet discussion groups, a quote that is horribly relevant today: "What was once educationally significant, but difficult to measure, has been replaced by what is insignificant and easy to measure. So now we test how well we have taught what we do not value."

Call and write and visit your school boards and your Congressional delegation. Remind them what you value and what you believe to be significant for now and for our future, and what you know that now and finally must to be left behind.

Jim Horn
Monmouth University
September 2007

21st Century Skills

Interesting article in the Washington Post yesterday, about so-called 21st century skills. What are they? How will our students get them? How much of the push for these skills is being driven by companies with vested interest in technology and software, etc., and is that even a bad thing? Click here for the article.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Reading about Math

While the District's Math Planning Team meets and does its research, I've been doing a little math reading of my own. If you want to get some outside-the-village perspective on our math conversation over the past couple of years, I highly recommend the book, What's Math Got to Do with It? by Jo Boaler. Lots of clear information on the reform math approach. I just finished that and next I'm on to The Equation for Excellence: How to Make Your Child Excel at Math by Arvin Mohra. It appears to be focused on more traditional, "non-fuzzy" teaching. After that, I plan to read Math Wars: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by Latterell. It purports to be an objective/academic presentation of both sides, leaving conclusions up to the reader. We shall see. I'm also intrigued by Math for Humans: Teaching Math through 8 Intelligences (Wahl) and Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Breaking a Nail (McKellar).

Just thought I'd share these resources. I also have a list of interesting journal articles, which I'll post later.

Dear Amazon, you're welcome. Ha.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Referendum Comments, Questions & Answers

At the Board of Education meeting on 12/8, Business Administrator Angelo DeSimone presented a large spreadsheet listing all of the proposed projects to tentatively be included in a bond referendum later this year. You can download a PDF of the spreadsheet by clicking here. I'd like to comment a bit on the list.

First, a little background. This list was compiled by the Facilities Committee over several months. We met with principals and asked them what their buildings need. We reviewed the comprehensive facilities evaluation done at the high school in 2007. We walked properties with architects. What we came up with is not a "wish list" of everything we could possibly dream of. It is a very serious list of necessities. There is nothing purely cosmetic or aesthetic. For the buildings, we focused on 1) health and safety; 2) building envelope (protecting from water infiltration, etc.); 3) instructional space needs. Every school's list started out much larger, and we deleted many, many projects.

I encourage you to look at the spreadsheet. If you have questions, please ask. Here are some of the questions I would ask, if I were a taxpayer seeing this for the first time:

Why is the number so large?
With 11 buildings built between 1919 and 1965, our buildings are old. Old buildings require maintenance. As many of us with old houses know, you do vital repairs as they come up, but eventually you need a new roof. Or a lifetime of basement water requires repairs to the foundation. And when that happens, most of us can't finance it with our savings or our monthly cash flow. Instead, we take out home improvement loans to make repairs that will carry our homes through a few more generations.

Is the Board crazy to be asking to raise taxes when the economy is such a mess?
Arguably, we're not crazy. We don't know what's going to happen to the economy this year any more than the so-called experts. But we can't sit back and wait. If we want to go forward with a referendum in September or December, we have to submit our plans to the state by February 2. BUT -- and this is important -- submitting the plans now doesn't lock us in to anything. We can wait to formulate the final project list and ballot question later, when we do know what's happening economy-wise. We can even decide not to do it. (Theoretically, although the buildings need what they need.) But by submitting plans to the state now, we make ourselves eligible for the maximum possible grant funds and debt service from the state -- and we definitely want to get all the help we can.

Why do we need to add-on to any schools? Is our enrollment growing that much?
Right now, the plans include additions at four schools: GW, Ridge, Willard and Hawes. GW is extremely overcrowded. There are teachers who don't have classrooms, instead they wheel their materials on carts to any available space. The Principal, Dr. Kashmanian, gives up her office for teaching on parts of some days. The library and computer lab are tiny. And the gym is terribly small. In addition, there is no place where Dr. Kashmanian can gather the entire student body for an assembly. The renovation will address these issues. As for Ridge, Willard and Hawes, the additions are primarily for small group instruction, special ed, OT/PT, resource rooms, ESL, etc. All these schools currently have instruction taking place in hallways or in divided classrooms which would not meet state requirements if inspected. In addition, the additions will allow us to consolidate special ed classes in stable, long-term environments, rather than moving students from year to year in a disruptive process.

What about adding solar panels or other "green" projects?
We have studied green issues extensively. First, all construction will follow green practices as much as possible. As for solar panels or alternative energy creation, currently those projects have very long payback cycles, especially since the government incentives and grants have disappeared. As of now, solar panels would be a large expense that would not pay for itself for decades. However, we are looking at incorporating projects that will reduce our energy usage and get us the most "bang for our buck." Things like digital temperature controls and motion sensing light switches are relatively low cost and can dramatically reduce energy use. We are still working on this list, with the goal to balance cost with benefits. I expect more info to come on this topic.

That's all I have time for right now. Please post any additional questions here, or email me. Or come to the next public meeting on January 12.

Friday, January 2, 2009

What's up this week

I feel like I should keep people apprised of what I'm doing in my Board of Ed role...you elected me, that means you have a right to know what I'm up to. So maybe this year, in addition to my topical posts, I'll try to give regular updates of just what I'm personally doing. It will probably help me keep myself organized, too. So, what am I up to this week?

The Board has a closed session Monday night. That means it's a meeting that is not open to the public. The reasons for a closed session are determined by law and they may include only topics in these categories: personnel, contracts, individual privacy issues or matters which are already confidential by law (eg., issues involving specific minors), pending or anticipated litigation, attorney-client privilege, purchase or lease of property or protecting public safety. While the discussions in closed sessions are private, any subsequent action taken by the board (eg., voting) must be taken in public. We will not be taking any public action after Monday's session.

Tuesday I have a meeting of the Board Communications Committee. We'll be discussing plans for the Communications Open Forum that is tentatively scheduled for March 3. I'll write more about this later, but basically we'd like to invite the public -- parents, taxpayers, business owners, etc. -- to come talk about District communications (what do we do well, what could we do better, what types of communications do people prefer, etc.). More info to come. The Communications Committee is also reviewing other districts' parent "satisfaction" surveys, with an eye toward developing our own survey or "report card." We'll also be talking about a communications plan for the referendum which could be held this September.

Tuesday morning I'm also going to try and attend the Hawes HSA meeting.

Wednesday I have the Fields Committee meeting at 7:00 AM (!). The Fields Committee is made up of representatives from the Village and Board of Ed as well as youth sports groups. I take it as a direct and personal challenge to make it to these early meetings.

So that's what I'll be doing this week. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Sometime this weekend I'll be posting about the referendum and the list of potential projects which was presented at our last public meeting. (You can see the entire spreadsheet by clicking here. Click on Bond Referendum Estimated Costs.)