Thursday, June 30, 2011

Is our children learning? In suburbia?

In the city? A powerful voice challenges the teachers' unions. The most powerful of all--a parent who cares--and speaks up:
In the suburbs? Still waiting:
The problem, he concluded, is that over decades suburban schools have developed effective techniques for promoting ideas that support the convenience of teachers and administrators, while excluding information and research that would require a change in policies, practices, and personnel.

It starts at the top with boards of education composed largely of busy volunteers, who over-rely on the guidance of superintendents, and goes all the way down to the interactions between teachers and individual parents. When suburbanites join school curriculum committees, for example, they are rarely presented with all sides of an issue and seldom informed of all the relevant research. Critical parents, Professor Rochester found, "end up being demonized as right-wingers or troublemakers."
Ain't it the truth.

And that affects the future of every child.

Give a child a choice. Give a child a chance.

And ask questions, because you may be shocked at what passes for education in your school.

...Read this.

2 comments:

SpearWolf said...

"...Critical parents, Professor Rochester found, "end up being demonized as right-wingers or troublemakers."

Too true. Not only that, but the children of such "troublemakers" will be discriminated against by some of the teachers and by the administration. Been there, done that.

Anne said...

Yes. It's why so many parents remain silent and quietly get tutoring for their kids, if they can afford it.

I still remember the teacher of one of Gov. Walker's kids put that on a sign. It seemed a not so subtle threat.