Reborn for Education Reform
Rising From the Ashes for Education Reform
I wanted to start this post with a picture of the mystical Phoenix being reborn.
The first thing I would like to do is thank my readers who stuck by me during my recent brush with illness/death. Your kind wishes and financial support for our animal sanctuary rescues meant so much to me at a time when I didn’t know how many days I had left. In fact, my medicine (which has since been changed) was damaging my kidneys and I am now recovering. Each day I am stronger and stronger and I’m more determined than ever.
Over the last year, I concentrated on bringing you the latest news and statistics regarding the plight of students in our public schools.
- Drop-out rates on the rise
- Students graduating from high school barely able to read and write
- Violence increasing in our schools
- Teen suicides increasing
- Drugs permeating our culture
- Testing, testing, testing with no time for teaching
- Vouchers PROVEN not to be effective for learning
- And many other problems
While I was so ill, on the days I was able to read, I continued my research and found even more disturbing news.
- Many people don’t believe there is a problem in our schools.
- Those who are aware of the problems don’t know how to fix them.
- The group who wants to abolish public schools is becoming larger and more vocal.
- The average parent has NO IDEA how to make things better for their students.
- Teachers know how bad things are but haven’t been able to unite to fix things.
After my most recent scare, I have been reborn with new determination.
Instead of just bringing you the latest news and statistics, from now on, I’ll be helping to unite parents and teachers to SAVE OUR SCHOOLS!
I will continue to bring you the latest news and information on the education front. (Along with my opinions, of course.) But, in addition:
I’ll bring you information about the steps you can take to:
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Join the nationwide movement
Actions to make a difference in your local schools
Methods and information for contacting your local politicians to FORCE improvement in education
Other easy, step-by-step actions you can take to help your students and schools locally and nationally
This problem seems overwhelming, but it can be fixed. You can do it! I can do it! Together, WE can do it!
Stay tuned! And again, Thank you, Friends!
Brennan
25th Education Report Anniversary?
‘A NATION AT RISK: THE IMPERATIVE FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM’
It’s been 25 years since this report was published.
This report was ground-breaking, not only because it demonstrated the trouble U.S. public schools were headed for, but it did it in plain-spoken language, without pulling any punches. One major issue the report demonstrated was how dangerous failed schools are to our nation’s future and security.
Did the report do any good? Well, like everything else in the highly-politicized world of public education, no one agrees. In fact, the report has it’s proponents and it’s harsh critics.
In the intervening years, numerous attempts have been made to improve public education, but the results show year after year of miserable failures. Most recently, we had a nationwide reform program, the famous/infamous (depending on your viewpoint) NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. Mandated testing and alleged accountability was implemented at great expense and yet our schools continue to deteriorate.
Drop-out rates are at an all-time high! Many graduates cannot read, write or perfom basic math adequately. Colleges and businesses spend billions of dollars in remediation for students and workers that cannot perform.
There are calls to eliminate the Department of Education and even eliminate public schools entirely. What a fiasco!
Some people advocate for vouchers, or privatization of public schools, or charter schools, or homeschooling. And the list goes on and on. Yet no one seems to want to work together for the good of students. Teachers unions want to eliminate homeschooling, the one technique that seems to be bringing good results.
Everybody wants to cover-up problems or “throw the baby out with the bath water”. Either approach is self-defeating.
I keep trying to tell people about a simple solution that could turn public schools around quickly. The Kingsland Plan has PROVEN answers. Why won’t people listen? Too many people have too much to lose if our schools become successful?
Twenty-five years this problem has been facing us and it keeps getting worse. What is it going to take to make Americans wake up and demand change?
Just wondering!
Brennan
Modern Tools for Magical Education Results!
Today I have a treat for you.
My friend, Clive McGonigal, who has a wickedly delicious sense of humor, commented on one of my articles by sending me a fantastic website and a video to view. Clive is an Englishman, living in France, conducting a worldwide business, and he is funny!
There are so many articles that he has shared with me that had me spellbound, but this information is something I MUST SHARE!
These videos are about an award-winning teacher in the U.K. and the techniques he uses to motivate and inspire his students. As Clive mentioned in his email to me. . .
“How many classes of kids do you know that moan when the lesson’s over?”
Enjoy the videos and take a look at the website. See what can be accomplished when teachers are allowed to use their creativity.
What a fellow teacher says about the effectiveness of this technique.
For years, Don Kingsland, author of “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education” and “The Kingsland Plan” utilized creative techniques to help his students far surpass expectations. The newest generation of creative teachers is exemplified by Tim Ryans.
Our students are bright and they deserve the best education we can give them. Schools must be revamped to allow excellent teachers to provide innovative learning environments for those students, at all ages.
Take a look at Tim’s website Tim Rylands website and his blog Tim Ryland’s blog to learn more about the results of education done creatively.
Have a GREAT WEEK!
Brennan
21st Century Education
“This project was created to inspire teachers to use technology’s power to engage students in higher level thinking.”
bj nesbit on www.TeacherTube.com
Brennan
New & Updated! “Set Our Teachers FREE!” VIDEO
At last, what you’ve been waiting for. The New & Improved version of my very first ever, totally done by me video,
I’m learning as I go along. This version is a little better, isn’t it?
Brennan
Primary Education Imperatives in 2008
Has anybody heard anything about when Congress is going to get back to work on No Child Left Behind? With all the furor over the Presidential campaigns, we need to remember to hold Congress accountable for their responsibilities.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not really a fan of NCLB. I think it was well-intentioned, but because of some basic flaws, it’s done little to improve education. States setting their own standards as low as possible to qualify for federal funding is just one of the flaws. Too much classroom time devoted to test-preparation and test-taking is another.
And our schools continue to fail. I want to make it clear that I am not saying that we are not producing “A” students. But the problem is that the level of academics required to obtain an “A” is totally inadequate.
There is abundant evidence that our top students are not being sufficiently prepared to compete in a global environment. Numerous articles and studies show that we are shortchanging all of our students, including our very best students.
Two things that are even more sad, are:
1) That we delude ourselves that some schools are actually GOOD. Thus the proponents of vouchers say to move a few children around.
2) Drop-outs are increasing drastically. Even worse than the fact that we are giving our best students inadequate preparation for life – we are also LOSING 28% – 50% – 75% of our students as drop-outs (depending on the area).
It is time for a COMPLETE REFORM of our education programs in USA public schools.
It can be done! Read “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education” by Don Kingsland, or learn about The Kingsland Plan which is spelled out in the book.
Don’t take my word for what I have claimed. Just look at the statistics and news reports. Then you can see for yourself how miserably our schools are failing. Yes! It’s true! USA schools were ranked 24th around the globe, when we sent our best and brightest. The only countries that ranked lower were Cypress and South Africa. Last year, the USA didn’t even compete! Hmmmm!
To those who are opponents of making national changes; who say that changes must be community-based, I reply that No Child Left Behind is NOT community-based. The problem starts at the top.
To those who say “we have, and always have had, an elitist educational system where the cream will rise to the top”, I respond that the only way we will eliminate an elitist educational system is to demand change.
Teachers have been taking the blame for school failures for too long. But, to say that national change will only occur community-by-community is not only unrealistic, it is a sure-fire recipe for disaster. We cannot depend on problems staying in one particular vicinity. Nor can we can stand back and wait for ‘the cream’ to develop into the leaders this country will need in the future.
Let me give you an example of how deteriorating conditions in our schools can impact the future. And why it is foolish to think that we can isolate ourselves from those conditions.
If I live in an exclusive area (which I have) and attend an expensive private school (which I did) that MAY allow me to be well-educated, or have access to better drugs. What it does NOT do is stop the uneducated, violent and angry drop-out from across the city or country from entering my safe little haven and violating my “serene existence”.
One way or another, we will pay if we do not improve education nationally. Either we will be forced to build more jails, more security systems and higher walls, or we will forfeit our actual lives.
The time is coming when the ‘have nots’ will range farther and farther afield to scavenge or take by force from the ‘haves’.
I’m old enough to have seen the spread of crime from major urban areas into bedroom communities, then into tiny rural areas. There are no more ’safe enclaves’, and we can blame the growth of ignorance.
“Wake up”, America! We MUST straighten-out our public schools NOW!
Brennan
Is Education an Issue in Campaigns?
The caucuses in Iowa are over, to be followed by New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday, and then a running jam-packed series of primaries across the nation that finish-up on Feb. 5 when 22 states, including California, hold what is basically a national referendum.
Primaries are being held earlier than ever before and all squeezed-in together, so that it’s difficult to see where the nominations, and the future of U.S. education, is going to wind up. Will we get a proponent of vouchers, home schooling or the status quo? Or are there other options in the pack?
As the campaigns move forward, candidates are going to pull out all the stops. One thing that needs to be asked again and again, is where does education fit into your plans for the country, Mr./Mrs. Candidate? We need to determine if the candidates understand what a national security threat failing schools are to our country.
Tuesday in New Hampshire should give us a little more information about which direction this election year is headed, but it is only the beginning. Will No Child Left Behind ever get past Congress? Should it? Will the candidates start taking education issues more seriously?
Guess we just have to wait and see what the candidates have on their agendas.
In the meantime, let’s keep agitating for Education Reform. We simply MUST NOT let education problems get swept under the rug.
Brennan
Education Awareness in 2008
Richard Day — http://www.ehealthinsurancesource.com/blog left a telling comment on this site, in response to my post of Monday in which I recapped a few of the failures in education in 2007. Richard wrote,
“The problem with most people is that they feel that spending more money on the existing system is the answer. The system is badly in need of reform. Voting for more money to be sent to the school system is a vote for paying the school administration a big raise in pay. That is not the answer.”
How very true! Richard hit-the-nail-right-on-the-head. I’d like to elaborate on some improvements I feel would be beneficial, but first, I’d like to share my response to Richard.
“Richard, you are SO right!
“What is needed is a COMPLETE overhaul of the system, especially one that can be implemented quickly.
“More money is NOT the answer. That’s why we are forming a grassroots movement to bring The Kingsland Plan to the attention of the American public.
“Time to stop the bureaucracy and put the emphasis on programs that work and that can train the future leaders of tomorrow.
“When 1, 2 or 3 out of every 4 students are dropping out under the current system, we see a corresponding increase in crime. Sooner or later, every person will be forced to realize that a failing educational system is EVERYONE’S PROBLEM.”
If you have already read “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education” by Don Kingsland then you already know that a complete revamping of the system is needed, and can be accomplished quickly, using the PLAN spelled-out in the book.
Bureaucratic control of our schools is creating havoc. More local and state control is needed, especially by parents and teachers, who have a vested interest in the success of their students. Curriculum needs to motivate and encourage students. Yes, our teachers need to be accountable, but they must also have more control over implementing methods to achieve student success.
This is now an election year, and we need to listen carefully to what the candidates recommend. One wants all new teachers, a couple want widespread vouchers, and one even wants to abolish public schools and let all students be home schooled. (How many parents do you think can afford to quit their jobs and stay at home to school their children? How many of those parents are qualified to home school?)
If you’ve read the book, you already understand why none of these solutions are workable.
So let’s see what’s in store in 2008! The Iowa Caucus is tomorrow night. Right now the field is wide open in BOTH parties. Perhaps we’ll have a better idea of where education could be headed, after Iowa and then the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
We shall see! We shall see! In the meantime, if you haven’t read the book yet, get a copy and get yourself prepared for the battle to come.
Brennan
2007 U.S. Education Recap
Happy New Year everybody! As you feverishly finish all your New Year’s Resolutions for 2008, I hope you’ll add a commitment to education reform onto your list.
Is there a reason to be concerned? Let’s take a quick look back at a few of the highlights (lowlights?) of the happenings in Education in 2007:
- No Child Left Behind became increasingly unpopular as studies revealed that results of massive testing included lots of inaccuracies and even widespread cheating.
- Congress recessed for the year without making the needed changes to NCLB, so we are still stuck with a program that, even if it did work, can still be abused.
- Violence became more widespread than ever:
- A 16 year old student in Wisconsin was convicted of murdering his high school principal.
- An Amish school experienced the slaughter of several young girls.
- A teacher in South Carolina was terminated for reporting a rape threat from a student. (NOTE: She sued the district and won the lawsuit.)
- Bullying, especially cyberbullying, increased drastically – resulting in several suicides by victims of the attacks.
- Gang violence increased on campuses nationwide.
- Our very best U.S. students failed so miserably in an important international competition (ranking 24th) that we didn’t even enter the competition in 2007.
- Drop-out rates continued to soar – up to 75% in some urban areas.
- Early campaigning for the 2008 Presidential election gave us candidates who first ignored education in their campaigns, then offered the same old tired, unworkable solutions.
- Several studies were published that suggested billions of dollars and up to 15 years would be needed to fix our troubled public education system.
Basically, 2007 was another year of ‘nothing done’ to fix our schools.
EXCEPT: In the latter part of the year, a new book was published. Written by a Master Teacher with a 50-year span of teaching experience, the book “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education” by Don Kingsland, was introduced to the online community.
From the book, The Kingsland Plan was formulated. Now there is a complete plan for fixing U.S. public schools and a grassroots movement started to implement the plan and fix our schools.
Let’s see what happens in 2008!
Brennan
Education: Set Our Teachers FREE in 2008!
Well, 2007 is almost over! It’s time to take a clear, hard and honest look at what has happened during 2007 in education. Although there were a few small triumphs in individual schools over the last year, by and large, there were no great accomplishments.
- The battle over No Child Left Behind continued through the year, then fizzled, as Congress recessed for the year without making any needed changes or decisions.
- The results of several studies were published, mostly reporting the same dismal results for education in our public schools.
- Proposals for improving education were offered by several “think tanks” and “study groups”. Most of them were prohibitively expensive, offering 15-year frameworks for implementation.
- At least six studies reported that test scores from NCLB were inflated or “gamed”, meaning that even the so-called improvements are suspect.
- Numerous articles appeared that documented abuses in testing and grading, and firing of teachers that protested or publicized these discrepancies.
- Report after report showed USA students falling farther and farther behind, compared to other countries.
- Dropout rates continue at an all-time high, up to 75% in some urban areas (that’s 3 out of every 4 students dropping-out).
Not a very promising state of affairs that we saw in 2007.
So now we are looking at school reconvening in 2008, after the ‘Winter break’. Will the deterioration continue? Or, is there hope that public education in the USA will improve during 2008?
The fact that 2008 is a Presidential Election year offers an opportunity for our schools, students, and USA public education to go either way.
With the primaries being so much earlier than ever before, I don’t see how Congress will get a bipartisan amendment to NCLB passed. Although I am not a fan of NCLB, because I believe it has replaced real teaching with testing, it does force some accountability (along with all the cheating). An improved NCLB would be better for the country than what we currently have. Since partisanship is normally at a very high level in congress, I don’t see how trying to achieve a consensus in a hotly-contested election year is even realistic. But, I could be wrong.
One factor that could force education improvement would be to make it a ‘hot button’ during the 2008 campaigns. What do the candidates propose for education reform? Do you have any idea? Do you know what your preferred candidate, or candidates, believe about education in the USA?
So far, I’ve heard campaign pitches that offer some pretty dead-end solutions. Everything from vouchers-as-the-solution to all-new-teachers, even homeschooling-rather-than-public-schools. NO candidate has presented a workable solution and we’re letting them get away with it.
In 2008, we have to wake up as a nation and realize that our future is in jeopardy. Poor education results are a matter of national security, not just family pride. How will our students compete in a global marketplace when they can’t read or write or do math calculations? Unless things change, only the privileged few, with parents able to afford private school, will stand a chance. Is that type of elitist system one we want to perpetuate and settle for?
What we need is a nationwide, grassroots movement to FORCE education reform. Groups like EDin08 are supposed to be pushing education into the front of the campaign agenda. Though they have zillions of dollars at their disposal (courtesy of the backing of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with major contributions by Eli Broad and Warren Buffett) so far all we’ve seen from them is a few videos and a bunch of black t-shirts mailed out across the country. If you saw the first video on YouTube, starring Kanye West, then you may also have taken the time to read the negative comments it has evoked. And there is still very little discussion about education by the candidates.
We contacted several candidates about the workable education reform plan spelled-out in “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education” by Don Kingsland. From the book, he distilled a proven workable plan that he is humbly calling The Kingsland Plan, which details proven techniques and a reorganization of personnel, curriculum and accountability. The plan is simple, workable and could be implemented nationwide quickly. No candidate even bothered to look at the plan, even when we met with them in person.
We need parents and teachers and taxpayers to become informed and aware. THERE IS A PROBLEM, even if you think you are in an excellent school district. Our BEST students made a very poor showing in international competition. Our BEST schools aren’t good enough.
We need parents and teachers and taxpayers to understand that billions of dollars are being wasted on school programs that are not only non-productive, but actually detrimental to student achievement and motivation.
The system isn’t working. We need to get united to FORCE change to help our students and our schools to excel.
You can help. 2008 is coming. Let’s resolve to make it a year of POSITIVE change and improvement.
Brennan
