Archives for July 2008

Not only has the economy and $4 a gallon gasoline had an impact on our personal lives but it is having a major impact on the schools.  Some schools districts have been discussing a 4-day a week school week.  Others have been discussing lengthening the area that students need to walk to school as opposed to bus pickups.  (The cost of diesel fuel has increased even more than gasoline.)  As school districts need to address their increased costs including the costs of heating buildings during the fall and winter months, they are looking at cutting costs.    What can school boards cut out of existing programs in order to save money?  Among the items some schools are discussing are cutting out after-school programs, sporting events, “unnecessary frills” like field trips, school performances.  Some districts are even considering eliminating school nurses and increasing counselor loads.  It will definitely be an interesting year.  Stay tuned.

Related to the above, I read an interesting article by Doctor Peter G. Temple, a petroleum geologist.  He wrote, “Our oil consumption rate has not changed much in 20 years (570 million barrels annual consumption 20 years ago.  In truth we do not ‘over consume’ given the diversity, geography and social structure.)  In fact, the U.S. consumption is 7.6 billion barrels of oil per year.  These numbers are from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the official energy statistics from the U. S. government.  Over the 21 million barrels of oil per day, 15 million are imported.  Seven hundred billion dollars per year are leaving the shores of the U.s. and going into the pockets of foreign governments, many of whom do not like us.

Far from stabilized consumption, we have been increasing our consumption at the rate of at least 1 percent per year-and our U.S, production has been declining since 1980.  In other words, we are combining increasing consumption with declining reserves.

These numbers have obvious and ominous implications for our future. We cannot drill our way out of this problem.  There is not enough legislative will, but we do not have plenty of oil.”

I found these comments from Dr. Temple interesting.  I hope you did as well.

‘Till next time.  Franklin

Diploma’s Count, published by Editorial Projects in Education Research Center lists the states with the highest and lowest graduation rate:

Highest Graduation Rate                 Lowest Graduation Rate

New Jersey  83.3%                             Nevada                  45.4%

Iowa            82.8%                            New Mexico           54.1%

Wisconsin    80.5%                            Louisiana               54.7%

Pennsylvania 80.4%                           South Carolina       55.6%

Vermont      80.2%                             Georgia                 58.1%

What do the highest graduating states have in common?

What do the lowest graduating states have in common?

Politicians look for short-term, immediate “solutions” to complex problems.  They have been trained to think and speak in terms of 17 second sound bites that can make the evenings news.

Unfortunately the solutions to America’s school crisis cannot be solved simply or quickly.  The problems are too complex.  (Do they know that some school buildings are still being heated with coal?  Do they know that some of you work in “temporary buildings”, in use for 20 years that lack running water or bathrooms.  Do they know that students (and teachers) work in the early part of the summer, in buildings without air conditioning where the temperature goes beyond 90 degrees.”  This is no way to treat professionals.

We need politicians who realize these problems and take time to address them.  When it comes time to vote in state, local and federal elections, remember to ask, do they address the issues that you believe are most critical to you and the children you serve?

Somebody should come up with a bumper sticker which says, “I am an educator.  I make a difference because I vote.”

Perri Applegate from the University of Oklahoma’s K-20 Center investigated high and low-achieving rural high schools.  Dr. Applegate found that the top factors that impacted student achievement in urban schools -test scores, student-teacher ratio and a rigorous curriculum – did not determine student success in rural schools.  In high performing rural schools, the determining factors was the community’s involvement and the school’s commitment to student success.  Teachers in rural schools also are more flexible in their teaching technique.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619174221.htm

Speaking on the topic, “Building America’s Competitiveness:  From the Schoolhouse to The Workplace”

The global marketplace has become reality. No longer do companies compete solely in domestic markets. Faxes, cell phones and the Internet have globalized the world. Businesses are no longer geographically bound to produce products in their home countries. Neither are they geographically bound in their hiring practices. Companies are capable of flying around the globe in search of cheap labor, to places where taxes are reasonable, regulations are limited, and where workers are qualified to run, repair, design and develop machinery.

Our schools must be as globally competitive as businesses. The best graduates from Raleigh’s schools are not competing for jobs with the best graduates from Durham’s schools but with the best graduates in the world.

Parents have many valid reasons to home school their children.  These include the safety of their children, low-performing public schools and religious reasons.  But the question to be asked and answered, are children who are enrolled in home schools learning anything?  And  do we measure?

New Mexico’s Department of Education mandates that home schooled children receive “a basic academic, educational program, including, but not limited to, reading, language, arts, mathematics, social studies and science.”  But the Department does not have the capacity to monitor whether children in the state who are being home schooled are actually receiving that instruction.

New Mexico is one of 14 states with “low regulation”.  Low regulation is defined as requiring parents notify the state that children are being educated.

Twenty states require parents to send notification, test scores and/or a professional evaluation of a students progress to the state.

Six states with “high regulation” require  home visits by state officials, teacher qualification of parents and a curriculum approved by the state. In Pennsylvania, for example, parents are required to file an affidavit assuring the state that subjects are taught in English, give an outline of proposed education objectives by subject area and provide evidence of immunization.

Ten states including Texas, have no regulation.