http://swiftandchangeable.org/index.php?blog=2&disp=comments en-US http://backend.userland.com/rss 60 Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:53:49 +0000 Melissa Rentchler [Visitor] c5611@http://swiftandchangeable.org/ I have to agree fully with Marilee Greene's post, " Comment from: Marilee Greene [Visitor]<br /> I find as I work in and visit schools that the above thoughts are right on track. More money is wasted on useless programs that make all kinds of promises and don't deliver. It is a boon for Publishers of textbooks and new boxed programs. Meanwhile libraries are closed, have no money for books, and no passion for reading and learning is stimulated in the schools. We already give teachers too much to do and not enough time to do it. Spend the money on hiring classroom aides that work with the teachers and give them another voice and presence in the classroom. Aides doing classroom work on their own is a waste because the students are pulled from the classroom and get further behind. We have data to prove this. Put the help with the teacher.<br /> Give the students newspapers and magazines and books to read and inspire<br /> them.<br /> Field trips are all gone. Students need to go on these trips if they come from impoverished districts. They do not have the "Velcro" for learning that the students get from the parents in upper middle class districts.<br /> Education...an never ending challenge."<br /> I am a California Teacher Librarian at two elementary school sites in Broad Award winning Long Beach Unified School District, both Distinguished California Schools and one this year STAR award-winner. At both sites the library program has diminished over the past 5 years: open 2 or 3 days a week with a credentialed Teacher Librarian who is still servicing the same large student populations without classified support staff and for the last three years insignificant new materials budgets ($200 = about 15 books) or zero budgets. The library program is no longer about critical thinking, lifelong learning, and keeping kids engaged in reading who have just gotten "hooked" and are also the result of all of those school specialists' work in Reading Recovery. NCLB was never funded so the funds that previously went to programs one would consider normal for schools like music, the arts, fieldtrips, library and librarian, credentialed physical educators, technology teachers (computer lab) are cut in order to fund reading specialists, speech specialists, guidance counselors, nurses, psychologists, facilitators (often bi-lingual community interfacers). ALL of these professionals are needed in our heavily impacted English Language Learning student schools who often are also from low socioeconomic (unenriched, struggling parents with several jobs and little energy remaining for parenting let alone student support at home) environments.<br /> I like what I see outlined in the NCLB changes above but it is CRITICAL that the money is used for identified CORE school work and positions and not squandered like I've seen done when a sudden unexpected source of funds arrive that must be spent or lost (another bad idea).<br /> CORE school programs need to be identified and prioritized and not become political footballs at School Site Councils where often community members are unaware of being manipulated by school professionals to vote for their pet positions or projects to the detriment of the school as a whole program.<br /> <br /> http://calmtadvocate.pbwiki.com<br /> http://melissarentchler.pbwiki.com I find as I work in and visit schools that the above thoughts are right on track. More money is wasted on useless programs that make all kinds of promises and don't deliver. It is a boon for Publishers of textbooks and new boxed programs. Meanwhile libraries are closed, have no money for books, and no passion for reading and learning is stimulated in the schools. We already give teachers too much to do and not enough time to do it. Spend the money on hiring classroom aides that work with the teachers and give them another voice and presence in the classroom. Aides doing classroom work on their own is a waste because the students are pulled from the classroom and get further behind. We have data to prove this. Put the help with the teacher.
Give the students newspapers and magazines and books to read and inspire
them.
Field trips are all gone. Students need to go on these trips if they come from impoverished districts. They do not have the "Velcro" for learning that the students get from the parents in upper middle class districts.
Education...an never ending challenge."
I am a California Teacher Librarian at two elementary school sites in Broad Award winning Long Beach Unified School District, both Distinguished California Schools and one this year STAR award-winner. At both sites the library program has diminished over the past 5 years: open 2 or 3 days a week with a credentialed Teacher Librarian who is still servicing the same large student populations without classified support staff and for the last three years insignificant new materials budgets ($200 = about 15 books) or zero budgets. The library program is no longer about critical thinking, lifelong learning, and keeping kids engaged in reading who have just gotten "hooked" and are also the result of all of those school specialists' work in Reading Recovery. NCLB was never funded so the funds that previously went to programs one would consider normal for schools like music, the arts, fieldtrips, library and librarian, credentialed physical educators, technology teachers (computer lab) are cut in order to fund reading specialists, speech specialists, guidance counselors, nurses, psychologists, facilitators (often bi-lingual community interfacers). ALL of these professionals are needed in our heavily impacted English Language Learning student schools who often are also from low socioeconomic (unenriched, struggling parents with several jobs and little energy remaining for parenting let alone student support at home) environments.
I like what I see outlined in the NCLB changes above but it is CRITICAL that the money is used for identified CORE school work and positions and not squandered like I've seen done when a sudden unexpected source of funds arrive that must be spent or lost (another bad idea).
CORE school programs need to be identified and prioritized and not become political footballs at School Site Councils where often community members are unaware of being manipulated by school professionals to vote for their pet positions or projects to the detriment of the school as a whole program.

http://calmtadvocate.pbwiki.com
http://melissarentchler.pbwiki.com]]> http://swiftandchangeable.org/index.php/2009/01/19/analysis-of-education-provisions-in-the-?blog=2#c5611 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:23:37 +0000 Marilee Greene [Visitor] c5605@http://swiftandchangeable.org/ I find as I work in and visit schools that the above thoughts are right on track. More money is wasted on useless programs that make all kinds of promises and don't deliver. It is a boon for Publishers of textbooks and new boxed programs. Meanwhile libraries are closed, have no money for books, and no passion for reading and learning is stimulated in the schools. We already give teachers too much to do and not enough time to do it. Spend the money on hiring classroom aides that work with the teachers and give them another voice and presence in the classroom. Aides doing classroom work on their own is a waste because the students are pulled from the classroom and get further behind. We have data to prove this. Put the help with the teacher. <br /> Give the students newspapers and magazines and books to read and inspire<br /> them. <br /> Field trips are all gone. Students need to go on these trips if they come from impoverished districts. They do not have the "Velcro" for learning that the students get from the parents in upper middle class districts. <br /> Education...an never ending challenge.<br /> Give the students newspapers and magazines and books to read and inspire
them.
Field trips are all gone. Students need to go on these trips if they come from impoverished districts. They do not have the "Velcro" for learning that the students get from the parents in upper middle class districts.
Education...an never ending challenge.
]]> http://swiftandchangeable.org/index.php/2009/01/19/analysis-of-education-provisions-in-the-?blog=2#c5605