Where is the Road to Education Going?

Barack Obama is the President-elect.

Where will he take public education?

Fortunately, he has voiced opposition to vouchers and he wants more teachers. It will be interesting to see what he proposes, now that he has won.

National Security

Everyone is focusing on the economy, but we mustn’t forget that our national security DEMANDS well-educated citizens making the important decisions of the future.

After two long years of endless campaigns, the votes are in and counted.

Supporters of Obama are ecstatic!

Those opposed to his candidacy are depressed, and even frightened, about the coming years.

No matter WHOM you supported for President, now is the time to make plans and set goals for a new, and probably different, USA.

As for public education, we must put our children’s best interests first.

As I ponder what part William Ayers will play in Obama’s education agenda, I am more convinced than ever that we need to be teaching our children Critical Thinking and self-responsibility.

The future is ahead of us!

Planning the battle for the minds and hearts of our students is going on now from liberals, moderates and conservatives.

Can we find a common ground?

Where do you stand?

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Things are NOT Getting Better in School

It’s only ten more days until the presidential election and the subject of education has completely vanished from the campaign issues.

In the meantime, according to Anna Habash, of Education Trust:

“The U.S. is stagnating while other industrialized countries are surpassing us. And that is going to have a dramatic impact on our ability to compete.”

Hmmm! Sound familiar?

The report goes on to say that the USA is the ONLY industrialized country where students are less likely than their parents to graduate.

Well, the problem is NOT going to be resolved politically, no matter which candidate is elected President.

We the People are going to have to do something, like The Kingsland Plan, or face the consequences.

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

“The American public school system has long been under scrutiny and in crisis. However, there is growing sentiment that large scale reform could be possible. In anticipation of the 2008 election, I have been conducting a series of interviews on education, sponsored by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.”

“Most recently I spoke to four of our nation’s best teachers, all of them recent winners of the National Teacher of the Year award. Here is some of what Michael Geisen, Jason Kamras, Kimberly Oliver, and Kathy Mellor had to say about standardized testing, merit pay, and other features of the current educational climate:”

The only comment I can disagree with is Kathy Mellor’s comment (the final teacher), that the NEA is an “association, not a union”. Whether the NEA benefits teachers or not, it is, first and foremost a union.

If enough parents and teachers can rally around The Kingsland Plan, then we can implement the positive changes needed to straighten-out public education in the USA.

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Teachers and their supporters from across the country will be marching to the capitol in Washington, DC today - to protest Teacher Abuse across the entire nation.

Organizers for the rally have provided paper bags for teachers to wear if they fear retaliation for marching. Since, under our present system, teachers can have their lives turned into a “living hell” if they irritate the wrong people, it makes sense that some of them desire anonymity.

The goals of the protest include:

• Making citizens aware of the dangers teachers are experiencing on a daily basis as they try to do their jobs.
• Protesting being made the scapegoats for the problems in our educational system.
• Presenting a united front to protest having the blame for the failures in our public schools being placed on teachers.
• Indignation at politicos’ comments that the USA needs “better teachers”

As Don Kingsland states in his book “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education”, there are many dedicated, highly-skilled and professional teachers all across the nation. They are almost all contending with negative forces, from within and outside their schools, to teach their students under nearly hopeless conditions.

These noble and ethical educators are struggling to fulfill their duties within a system that almost GUARANTEES failure for both students and teachers.

Because of societal issues, unrealistic accountability issues, and the physical dangers they face on a daily basis, teachers are discouraged. Many have already left teaching for safer and more financially rewarding venues.

I for one am glad that teachers are finally doing something to defend themselves against unjust accusations.

It’s about time that they speak out and bring the dangers of their job to the awareness of citizens and politicians alike.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.
Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Candidates & Advisors Debate Education

Nationally, debates and the countdown to the Presidential Election have been forging ahead, uninterrupted by hurricanes or other national disasters. OOPS! Guess I shouldn’t forget the financial meltdown and bailout that has added to our national deficit, and apparently caused a surge for Barack Obama in the polls.

At my house, I’ve had lots of time to study all the issues, though I’ve been helpless to comment on them.

My #^@%%@$ computer has been giving me fits, so apparently the last Total System Restore wasn’t the final solution that I’d hoped it would be.

Fortunately, the lag time in posting has given me an opportunity to see that, not only do I have a pulse on what the American voter is concerned about, it appears that I am psychic!

My post of 9/23 asked for more details of the education reform plans of John McCain and Barack Obama.

Now that I’m able to post again, it seems that all the education sites are jumping on MY bandwagon!

Everyone from National Public Radio (NPR) to EdNews.org have been focusing on just those issues, by interviewing or sponsoring debates by the Education Spokespersons for both candidates.

Lisa Graham Keegan, Education Advisor for John McCain, and Linda Darling-Hammond, Education Advisor for Barack Obama have been interviewed on NPR and will debate the candidate’s positions at Columbia University on October 21st.

After listening to the NPR interview, I’ve learned that both candidates think that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is broken, but differ on the solution.

McCain doesn’t want to put any more money into it. He wants the money to go to parents to pay for tutoring or better schools.

Barack Obama wants to fully fund NCLB and proposes a $30 Billion dollar education package.

I’m wondering if there could possibly be a few more DETAILS that either advisor can share during the upcoming education debate.

Or perhaps the next Presidential debate could actually include some info about education. Ya’ think?

Details! I want details!

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

2008 Presidential Candidates Vague on Education Plans

While I’ve been battling computer problems and a Total System Restore, the Presidential candidates have been plowing-on with their respective campaigns.

It is true Barack Obama has garnered the support of the National Education Association, and John McCain has been proposing vouchers and charter schools, but neither candidate has spelled-out a definitive plan on how they will accomplish any education objectives.

The NEA loves Obama because he proposes more and better teachers, combined with reform to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). No surprise there - Every citizen in the USA wants better teachers and NCLB reform (even the Republicans).

Don’t you want to know HOW he’s gonna do it?

John McCain is proposing vouchers and charter schools. Even most Republicans admit that vouchers are elitist, expensive and won’t work except for a few, so they are not the answer. And while charter schools may be part of the solution, don’t you want to know how McCain would prevent charter schools from becoming private enterprises, promoting special interests at public expense (as has already happened numerous times)?

No matter WHO your chosen candidate is, if you are concerned about the future of the USA - both economically and educationally - you need to INSIST your candidate spell-out a real plan.

Let’s get education off the back burner, and back in front of the public eye, where it belongs!

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Sad State of Education on Both Coasts

The lead stories on Education News.com highlight problems on BOTH coasts! The top story tells about the disastrous drop-out rates in Los Angeles and the second story talks about horrible achievement gaps in Philadelphia.

In the first story, Mitchell Landsberg, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times reports:

“A study released Thursday confirms that many California dropouts give school another try. But the California Dropout Research Project also reports that even dropouts who go back to school appear to stand little chance of success in college. And in an economy that increasingly prizes academic success, the outlook is bleak for those who don’t return to school at all.”

“Kids who drop out of school are at risk in general — we know that,” said Russell Rumberger, a professor at UC Santa Barbara who leads the dropout project. He added he was alarmed by the study’s finding that one in three of the students who dropped out of 10th grade in 2004 were doing nothing four years later — not going to school or working.”

The article goes on to explain only one in five drop-outs go back to obtain a GED, and only 54% of those obtain that GED.

Even worse, 90% of those who obtain their GED don’t go further. They either drop-out of college, or never even attempt to enroll.

And the financial future for each of those individuals is bleak.

On the opposite coast, Kristen A. Graham, staff writer for The Philadelphia Enquirer, shares some shocking statistics released by the Philadelphia School District.

” One in 10 white students is classified as mentally gifted; just 3 in 100 black students are.”

“Black and Latino students make up 79 percent of the district’s 167,000 students, but make up just 54 percent of students in the district’s prestigious magnet schools. Those groups make up 90 percent of all children labeled “emotionally disturbed,” and most of the students at the district’s lowest-performing schools.”

The article goes on to explain how misjudgement on the part of administrators, coupled with the limitations of archaic laws, combine to keep the ‘achievement gap’ in place.

The situations in our schools are getting worse, not better.

The topic of Education has been mentioned more and more as the Presidential election draws nearer.

It’s vitally important that every parent, teacher and taxpayer pay close attention to what the candidates say in the upcoming debates.

And we need to mobilize to FORCE positive change!

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

Chicago School Boycott!

Instead of heading into their center-city schools, 1400 African American students and their parents loaded buses to travel to the affluent, mostly white New Trier High School freshman campus in Northfield, and one other upscale school.

The purpose of Tuesday’s caravan, organized by Rev. James Meeks, was to protest inequities in Chicago public school funding.

Rev. Meeks, who is pastor of the South Side Salem Baptist megachurch, and a state senator, planned the protest for the first day of school to achieve maximum impact.

Parents are protesting the fact that inner-city schools don’t receive the same funding as more affluent, suburban schools. Also, they wanted to draw attention to the 50% drop-out rate in Chicago inner-city schools.

Chicago Mayor Daley accused Rev. Meeks, the event organizer, of using children as political pawns.

The students and their parents were warmly welcomed at the New Trier campus and the entire event appears to have been handled smoothly. Even so, the protest was mostly symbolic, as students need to have proof of residency in the district to attend classes there.

New Trier officials said an estimated 950 CPS students tried to register.

Rev. Meeks plans to take his protest to the lobbies of downtown businesses, to force the issue of the funding disparities among public schools onto the table. He was quoted as saying,

“We’ve seen the results of three decades of underfunding schools. We under-educated their grandparents, we under-educated their parents … enough is enough.”

The biggest immediate impact of the boycott, other than the disruption of first day classes, appears to be the $100,000 dollars, or so that Chicago schools may lose in state reimbursements.

Seem the parents of inner city school kids want their children to have a fair shot at education.

What do you think? Is a boycott the way to go?

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

All is DEFINITELY not well in Georgia education

Well, the first deadline passed and the county got a new Superintendent of Education (one of the prerequisites for continuing accreditation). But the problems with the Board of Education continued (basically they were terrible at their jobs and completely unqualified), but they refused to resign.

Well, the day of reckoning has come and SACS (Southern Accreditation of Colleges and Schools) has revoked the Clayton County School System’s accreditation. CC’s schools have the dubious distinction of being the first in forty years to lose such.

What does this mean to students? Well, for one thing, this makes seniors ineligible for scholarships, and even admission to some colleges and universities.

SACS has given CCSS until September 2009 to straighten things out, according to their guidelines. If Clayton County is successful, the accreditation will be retroactive to 2008, and students who graduated in the meantime, will regain eligibility.

The furor over the de-accreditation has really turned nasty, with allegations of racism, cronyism, and blame being dished-out to everyone, including the Governor of the state.

However, this mess in Clayton County may just be the tip of the iceburg. Georgia schools overall rank 47th in the country. Will there be more loss of accreditation, or will Georgia schools get turned around?

BTW, the schools in my state rank even lower than Georgia, which is one of the reasons I’m so adament about effective education reform.

Yes, there are severe education problems in Georgia, and elsewhere. How much longer are parents and taxpayers going to tolerate it?

Why hasn’t anyone implemented The Kingsland Plan? It’s a PROVEN, WORKABLE Plan and even addresses the issue of a qualified Board of Education!

All of the reviews we’ve had from readers of Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education and The Kingsland Plan have all called the plan “full of common sense” and “workable”.

It’s time to WAKE UP, be realistic and implement practical, workable change.

C’mon folks. Let’s get together and take action.

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools

• Is your teenager giving you problems?
• Do you find yourself arguing constantly about clothes? curfew? anything?
• Does your teen grumble about chores?
• Are they constantly badgering you for a car, or to drive?
• Is this beginning to look like another school year from Hades?
• Finally, are you just plain tired of being the parent of a teenager?

Well, I may have found the solution to your problems!

All you have to do is move to NEBRASKA! That’s right, NEBRASKA!

Broadly-Expanded SAFE HAVEN Law

Seems it took a little while for Nebraska to pass a SAFE HAVEN law protecting unwanted infants. In fact, Nebraska was the very last state to adopt the law. However, when they finally did it, they did it up in a BIG WAY!

Nebraska’s new SAFE HAVEN law actually goes farther than the laws as enacted in other states. Instead of just allowing parents to abandon unwanted babies at hospitals with no questions asked, it actually goes beyond infants and potentially permits the abandonment of anyone under 19.

While lawmakers may not have intended it, the month-old law allows for the real possibility that frustrated parents of adolescents could actually drop off misbehaving teens.

However, Nebraska lawmakers sincerely wanted to extend the protection to all minors, which in Nebraska is age 19.

Senator Tom White was quoted as saying,

“All children deserve our protection. If we save one child from being abused, it’s well, well worth it.”

Why SAFE HAVEN?

In other states, SAFE HAVEN has been enacted to focus on preventing the abandonment of newborns, so that babies can be left in safekeeping, without prosecution to the abandoning parent. The idea is to prevent babies being dumped and left to die, or outright killed. SAFE HAVEN laws were designed to protect newborns.

What Nebraska has done, which is a BIG THING, is extend that protection to any unwanted or at-risk minor.

ON A VERY SERIOUS NOTE: It is important to remember that SAFE HAVEN laws do not protect the parent, or caregiver, from prosecution, if abuse has occurred. Thank goodness!

Thus far, according to reports, no children in Nebraska have been dropped off under the new law.

A Great-Grandmother’s Point of View

Just a bit of advice from a happy great-grandmother:

All the battles with your teenagers are so WORTH IT!

If you hang in there and keep loving them, no matter how awful or rebellious they seem - or how much they tell you they hate you, eventually they get past this stage.

When they grow up and realize the heck they put you through, they’ll be real sorry!

Ah! Revenge is sweet! Heh! Heh! Heh!

Best of all, they become wonderful people who will become your best friends.

And they sometimes give you grandchildren. And that’s the best reward of all!

Brennan

The Kingsland Plan

Save Our Schools