tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2460967271492760386.post595813670091027024..comments2024-03-19T23:29:12.334-07:00Comments on Journal of Educational Controversy Blog: Obama’s School Choice: Shouldn’t the education that Malia and Sasha receive be available to all?Lorraine Kasprisinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01872465453874056191noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2460967271492760386.post-65745986220720587872020-05-17T10:49:54.311-07:002020-05-17T10:49:54.311-07:00In this tough situation, child care center Omaha c...In this tough situation, <a href="http://www.peekaboocenters.com/" rel="nofollow">child care center Omaha</a> can upgrade their tactics to do more careful things. They need to use more protective material and well-trained teachers to do their job more perfectly. Dannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11519512410080857061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2460967271492760386.post-39377832109318164242009-08-26T11:59:56.701-07:002009-08-26T11:59:56.701-07:00good job done guys... very nice blog.... very inte...good job done guys... very nice blog.... very interesting and knowledgeble... hope you will post newer content in coming days..<br /><br /><a href="http://www.organicbabywearhouse.com/" rel="nofollow">Organic baby bedding</a>Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01455629488922832218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2460967271492760386.post-13684474308401998392009-08-15T09:08:13.880-07:002009-08-15T09:08:13.880-07:00Give education ten years without high stakes testi...Give education ten years without high stakes testing schools would naturally become more post-modern. It's not until testing goes away along, with the standards that drive it, that schools have room to breathe. <br />I'd like to see the state of education and student outcomes in Iowa tracked over the past 30 years. Every other state in the U.S. has adopted state standards and, along with them, high stakes tests. Are kids in Iowa any better or worse off than the rest of the nation? Is schooling there any less "industrial"? As a kid growing up there, the only tests I ever remember taking were the ITBS and tests created by my teachers. The students I now teach in Texas take district benchmark assessments every six weeks, TAKS, the Stanford-Aprenda, field tests for the NEW end of course exams we'll begin this year, common course final exams, ...in addition to the assessments classroom teachers give. Teaching and learning is lost to testing. Away with tests for a generation and I think education would reform itself.lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11818266250191570701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2460967271492760386.post-52519094976876983952009-08-12T20:17:38.472-07:002009-08-12T20:17:38.472-07:00Soon after the Obamas selected Sidwell Friends for...Soon after the Obamas selected Sidwell Friends for their daughters, I read about the school on the Internet and had the same thoughts expressed by Mr. Marshak. Why are President Obama and Mr. Duncan seeking an enlightened kind of education for their own children, while advocating an industrial model, bound to fail, for other children? It's especially perplexing because the president expresses a good appreciation for authentic education in his books and speeches.<br /><br />While it's true that the public schools cannot provide some of the expensive perks of Sidwell Friends (especially regarding class size) our public schools could definitely model themselves after the Sidwell philosophy of educating the whole child. (We have over 100 years of research supporting this model.) Indeed it could be argued that many of our schools, located in affluent communities, already do. The school attended by my grandchildren in a rich suburb of San Diego is in stark contrast to the impoverished school where I taught. (Grandchildren learn in relaxed child-centered classrooms while poor children are doing test prep drudgery all day and all year). Why not provide wonderful, and yes,"joyful" educational opportunities for all our children? Psychologists will tell us that regimented instruction for young children is a recipe for failure. (Forget what the tests say; everyone is just drilling the kids on the exact items!)<br /><br />To close the gap we need to provide a Sidwell Friends environment for at-risk children from their toddler years. Can we afford to copy Sidwell's preschool program for our poorest children? Can we help with their health needs?<br /><br />Even with twenty children in a class, all public schools could nurture the talents of each child. They could encourage the character traits we wish to see in our democracy and give children the opportunity to discuss ideas, work on projects, read good books, write in journals, draw and paint, play an instrument and generally enjoy the experiences of exploration and problem-solving. Test prep should be banished. Standardized tests would still be given, but only under the strictest security (a completely different form each year and no peeking!). Also, bring back PE teachers (that might solve the obesity epidemic) and serve nutritious lunches, as they do at Sidwell Friends. Surely we can afford that!<br /><br />I would like to say this to President Obama and Mr. Duncan: Look at Sidwell Friends and use this school as a model. All children can benefit from it. You have already chosen the best. Now just find a way to spread the good stuff to our public schools and then we'll see the improvement that we all covet. We've done drill and kill for years now and we know it doesn't work. It's time to copy a school that succeeds.Linda/RetiredTeacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613269510654597179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2460967271492760386.post-42886328431574108002009-08-12T20:14:24.067-07:002009-08-12T20:14:24.067-07:00Here is a comment sent in by:
Linda C. Allen
Di...Here is a comment sent in by: <br /><br />Linda C. Allen<br /><br />Director<br /><br />Clarity Enterprises, LLC<br /><br />I wanted to post a comment – so here it is: how do we make parents aware of the different methodologies involved in the educational process so that they can make informed decisions for their children? Granted, the current form of public (And most private) educational philosophies center on the industrial model – top-down, rigid. What we’re seeking is the post industrial model, which no one has figured out. Sidwell Friends may provide a foundation for Sasha and Malia, just as it did for Chelsea Clinton, but most children in the United States have the kind of support systems at home they are privy to. How do we compensate for that?Lorraine Kasprisinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01872465453874056191noreply@blogger.com