More Thoughts on Education

Yesterday, I posted on the absurdity of the education industry suing the state because they think they are being shortchanged when it comes to funding. Today there is an interesting article about APS inability to track something as controlled as the number of standardized tests taken in a given classroom:

Data showing Albuquerque Public Schools elementary proficiency rates by classroom apparently miscounted the number of students in some classrooms.

Several teachers reported to the Journal that the number of exams that APS reported for their classrooms was inaccurate. The data, which was prepared by APS, was posted on the Journal's Web site in late February.

Fourth-grade teacher Cathy Jordan said she and her principal sat down and tried to figure out how the district's numbers were different from her own.

"I had 21 students last year, and all the students took both the reading and math tests," wrote Jordan, a teacher at SY Jackson Elementary. "So, I should have 42 tests or 21 tests. How could there only be 32?"

The APS results show the number of math and reading tests, according to the district, so 42 tests in most cases reflects 21 students.

A spokesman for APS said in some cases, tests were considered "spoiled" and not counted, so it looked like there were fewer students who completed the test than were in the class.

In other cases, students' tests may have been mistakenly assigned to the wrong classrooms in the school.

The troubling part here is that those accountable for accountability are not able to give a straight answer. Overall, our school systems are a mess. That is not to say there aren't some great public schools. There are. Nor, is it intended to mean that all teachers are bad. The VAST majority are very good. But, the system is broken. It has grown and evolved in a way that no longer makes sense.

Essentially, the education industry is asking for a larger bailout every year to fix problems that cannot be fixed by money alone. And, this is not a New Mexico only problem. This is a national crisis that threatens our future ability to compete globally, and the worst part of all of this is that this inequity impacts those among us with the least resources the most. Consider what is going on in D.C. with regard to the successful voucher program:

The students, almost all of them black and Hispanic, patched together the voucher money with scholarships, other grants and parents willing to make sacrifices to pay their tuition.

What happened, according to a Department of Education study, is that after three years the voucher students scored 3.7 months higher on reading than students who remained in the D.C. schools. In addition, students who came into the D.C. voucher program when it first started had a 19 month advantage in reading after three years in private schools.

It is really upsetting to see that the Heritage Foundation has discoverd that 38 percent of the members of Congress made the choice to put their children in private schools. Of course, Secretary Duncan has said he decided not to live in Washington, D.C. because he did not want his children to go to public schools there. And President Obama, who has no choice but to live in the White House, does not send his two daughters to D.C. public schools, either. They attend a private school, Sidwell Friends, along with two students who got there because of the voucher program.

This reckless dismantling of the D.C. voucher program does not bode well for arguments to come about standards in the effort to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. It does not speak well of the promise of President Obama to be the “Education President,’ who once seemed primed to stand up for all children who want to learn and especially minority children.

My kids are in APS schools, but they have never gone to their "designated" school. We've placed them in schools that we felt would best match their educational needs. When those needs have changed, we've moved them to other schools. We've been advocates on behalf of our children. I spent ten years in education, so I know how to get the most out of the system. But, others are not as fortunate, and the one size fits all approach just doesn't work - no matter how much money we throw at it.

You're Kidding Me, Right?

Now here's an interesting quote from House Speaker Ben Lujan on Heath Haussamen's blog:

Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, D-Nambé, on the other hand, said Foley’s conduct “sets a bad example for children.”

“It’s unfortunate that this thing had to happen, but I feel that we have to take responsibility and we should apologize when we do something not lawful,” he said.

Hmm, Democratic Speaker of the House Ben Lujan has had only one degree of separation from some of the biggest scandals involving unlawful and unethical behavior in New Mexico history and sat silent. But, a Republican Representative rushes to the aid of a son he feels has been assaulted by an adult, and all of a sudden the Speaker is interested in "responsibility" and "apologies."

Sorry Mr. Speaker, that's just not going to fly.

As the Father of Two Boys

The incident involving New Mexico State Legislature Minority Whip Dan Foley (R-Roswell) at his son's basketball game (subscription) continues to gain attention:

The Roswell Daily Record quoted a mall security officer at the Gus Macker basketball tournament as saying that during one of the games played in the mall parking lot an incident flared up between Foley's son and another player.

According to Cpl. James Glenny, the mall security officer, a coach stepped in during the altercation between the players and allegedly pushed Foley's son. That's when Foley rushed the court.

"The coach was straddling players on the ground and pushed (Foley's) son. (Foley) started to get onto the court and between them. He got about three steps onto the court before police stepped in," Glenny said.

I waited to write about it to see if anything new was going to be reported. But, the story has remained the same since it first broke. And, as a father, I've got to tell you I'm sure my reaction would have been the same as Representative Foley's. Both my kids are involved in sports, and I can't imagine seeing an adult push one of my sons without me stepping into the fray - some reactions are just instinctual.

APS Sues Volunteers

This article (subscription) in today's Journal is very troubling:

For years, Albuquerque students in the band Mariachi San Jose entertained audiences at festivals and competitions across the region.

Now, Albuquerque Public Schools is fighting a group of parent volunteers in court over money raised to support the group and for the right to use the name "Mariachi San Jose."

At issue is whether Mariachi San Jose is a school program or an independent community program.

APS filed a lawsuit against some of the group's parent volunteers last month. Attempts to resolve the dispute through a court mediator failed Tuesday, according to parents and school officials.

The relationship between APS and the volunteers soured last summer, and everyone agrees that students have suffered the most.

It wasn't that long ago that Governor Bill Richardson was on his soap box talking about the need for government to get involved in promoting parental involvement. Now, APS is again in the spotlight for going out of its way to DISCOURAGE parental involvement.

Think about this, you have the state's largest school district, a district with boatloads of taxpayer money, suing parents, who are in all likelihood taxpayers, to keep them from being involved. Something is seriously wrong with this picture. And it only gets worse:

Forming another mariachi group is fine, APS says, but there's no question that Mariachi San Jose is a school-based group because it started at East San Jose.

Since when does a school fight for ownership rights? Isn't the school's purpose to serve the community? So what if the parents started the program at the school? Parents starting a program at a school is a good thing. Does APS really want to discourage this type of initiative by SEIZING a successful volunteer driven programs? It's not like there is any inappropriate behavior occurring:

But [APS deputy superintendent Tom] Savage said a recent audit of the group's activity fund at East San Jose didn't uncover any accounting problems.

Theses actions by APS are sending the wrong message to all volunteers who contribute their time to programs throughout the district that benefit our students. I strongly encourage you to let APS know that suing volunteers is not the answer to improving student achievement. Ask the Superintendent, Dr. Beth Everitt, to stop this nonsense. You might also consider contacting the APS Board.