"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves." -- John Adams

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." -- Indiana Constitution Article 1, Section 6.

"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." – Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - November, 2014

...with some added words. Click on any image to see the full sized version.

ON TEACHING

It's the teacher's fault.


...from Linda Darling-Hammond's The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future.

Teachers in the U.S. are overworked with little time for professional collaboration and professional development, yet this is one of the most important aspects of professional life needed to improve the teaching profession.



THE TEST

What else isn't being taught because of "the test?"



MONEY MATTERS

Trying to fix the nation's educational system without paying attention to the economic problems facing the U.S. is doomed to failure.

There is a direct relationship between family income and test scores. Causality? Poverty has an impact.
Many studies confirm that poverty has a devastating effect on school performance: The dream team, "the world’s most inspiring, transformational teachers" will have little effect when students are poorly fed, ill because of lack of health care, and read poorly because of lack of access to books.



The Democrats of today won't save public education. People like Barack Obama (through his mouthpiece, Arne Duncan), Andrew Cuomo, Cory Booker, and Rahm Emanuel have sold out to the Gates-Broad-Walton Megabillionaire's Club whose goal is the privatization of American education.

Republicans aren't much better. Remember the 2012 Presidential campaign and Mitt Romney's disgusting comment about getting "as much education as they can afford". The only education issue discussed was how people were going to pay for college. And we know how that turned out...students now finish college buried in life-long debt.


The danger to public education is greatest at the state level. Legislatures around the country are gutting public education funding and transferring money to private run charters and, in Indiana, Louisiana, and other places with destructive voucher plans, private schools.

America's child poverty problem is an indication of the disdain we have for our children...and our future.



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All who envision a more just, progressive and fair society cannot ignore the battle for our nation’s educational future. Principals fighting for better schools, teachers fighting for better classrooms, students fighting for greater opportunities, parents fighting for a future worthy of their child’s promise: their fight is our fight. We must all join in.
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Stop the Testing Insanity!



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