View Full Version : Education Issues
There was some discussion about USA textbooks in another thread, and I thought it might be good to have a thread where opinions and articles that pertain to educational issues (good, bad, USA or otherwise, grade school, secondary, post-secondary) might be addressed.
Virginia Delegate David Englin Proposes Legislation To Fix School Textbooks
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/virginia-delegate-david-e_n_803933.html)
After one textbook's inaccuracies garnered significant media attention in October, Virginia Delegate David Englin (D-Alexandria) is proposing legislation to get school primers properly proofed.
The Washington Post reported that Englin's bill would hold publishers accountable and require them to prove review of textbooks by subject-area specialists. He said the state of public education is at stake.
"As a legislator and a parent, I was shocked and appalled to learn that Virginia social studies textbooks had such egregious factual inaccuracies. As parents, the bare minimum we expect from textbooks is that the facts are correct."
"Our Virginia: Past and Present," published by Five Ponds Press, was released during the fall to thousands of Virginian students. Although vetted by textbook review committees, it included a variety of errors, from wrong dates to misspellings.
One section of the textbook tells students that thousands of African Americans fought as confederate soldiers during the Civil War, a statistic that is not validated by mainstream historians.
Carol Sheriff, a professor at William & Mary, told CNN that the mistakes weren't just inaccurate, but irresponsible.
"It is the equivalent of holocaust denial being taught in public schools but worse. It's also equivalent to saying the Jews helped the Holocaust."
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/curriculum/vatextbook-quiz.html?hpid=topnews
I think this is the article that got Englin started
In Florida, Virtual Classrooms With No Teachers (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/education/18classrooms.html?src=me&ref=general)
Another Anoka-Hennepin School District Fail: Lesbian Couple Banned From Pep Rally Earns A Lawsuit + A Settlement
Read more: http://www.queerty.com/another-anoka-hennepin-school-district-fail-lesbian-couple-banned-from-pep-rally-earns-a-lawsuit-a-settlement-20110130/#ixzz1CfwSgdg4
Proposed bill may quiet conversation on homosexuality
(http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/Proposed_bill_may_quiet_conversation_on_homosexual ity__116694874.html?ref=874)
For most elementary school students, the issue of sexuality may barely register on their radars. But it may be this season's political hot topic.
A proposed bill in the Tennessee Legislature wants to spell out how schools can introduce sexuality - and only heterosexuality - to your child. It's sponsored by State Sen. Stacey Campfield and Rep. Bill Dunn - both Republicans from Knoxville.
At the heart of the bill is a move to prevent children in elementary and middle schools to have classes that discuss sexual orientation other than heterosexuality.
Gay rights activists say it's a ploy to further discriminate against them.
Those who support the bill say it's about having age appropriate curriculum.
"You're looking at legislation that is going to make sure that when you are talking about sexuality with students that it is age appropriate," said Matthew Parsons, a father of seven children and founder of the group "Something Better."
He says he's in favor of the proposed bill that avoids talking about homosexuality to kids so young.
"If we're talking about homosexuality, we are talking about specific acts that are going to be unhealthy for anybody to engage in outside of marriage."
The bill, known as House Bill 229 or Senate Bill 49, says in part: "No public elementary or middle school shall provide any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality."
At least one group says that's anti-gay - and calls it the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
"The Don't Say Gay bill raises all kinds of issues about anti-gay bias, free speech and government overreach," said Ben Byers with the Tennessee Equality Project.
The group recently received $10,000 from the Human Rights Campaign to fight what they consider negative legislation in Tennessee, including HB 229.
"It limits what teachers and students are able to discuss in the classroom," Byers said. "It means they can't talk about gay issues or sexuality even with students who may be gay or have gay family."
Both Byers and Parsons agree it's a parent's job to talk to their children about sex but disagree on if homosexuality should be a part of that conversation.
Sen. Campfield's office released the following statement about the bill:
"It's the family's responsibility and not someone with an agenda - one way or the other. The bill is neutral. We should leave it to families to decide when it is appropriate to talk with children about sexuality - specifically before the eighth grade."
The Tennessee Equality Project says there are ways to discuss human sexuality without politicizing the issue in the classroom.
The group also says there is no curriculum in Tennessee that discusses sexuality in grades K-8 so the bill is not needed.
Both Byers and Parsons say they will be watching how the bill progresses.
I know...he's a celebrity...but, I am glad someone called President Obama out on this. In our Canadian system, schools who perform lower, get MORE funding, smaller class sizes, and other remedial tools to help their lower achieving students (who are, always, from disadvantaged areas).
_________________________
Matt Damon Calls Out President Obama, Education Policy
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/02/matt-damon-calls-out-obama_n_830533.html)
This is not the man he voted for.
Matt Damon sat down with Piers Morgan for an interview that will air Thursday night, and among other things, talked about his feelings on the first two years of President Obama's administration. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Damon was a vocal Obama supporter, campaigning for the then-candidate at rallies, promoting him through a MoveOn video contest and attending fundraisers for him.
Now, he's not so enthused about Obama. When asked if he was happy with the way the President is running the country, Damon said, point blank, "no."
"I really think he misinterpreted his mandate. A friend of mine said to me the other day, I thought it was a great line, 'I no longer hope for audacity,'" Damon said. "He's doubled down on a lot of things, going back to education... the idea that we're testing kids and we're tying teachers salaries to how kids are performing on tests, that kind of mechanized thinking has nothing to do with higher order. We're training them, not teaching them.
For the full interview, tune into Damon and the rest of the cast of the new film, "The Adjustment Bureau" on "Piers Morgan Tonight" at 9 PM EST on Thursday.
Chancie
03-02-2011, 06:15 PM
I know...he's a celebrity...but, I am glad someone called President Obama out on this. In our Canadian system, schools who perform lower, get MORE funding, smaller class sizes, and other remedial tools to help their lower achieving students (who are, always, from disadvantaged areas).
I think bureaucrats would say that is true here, but my experience is that none of the proferred solutions are what actual teachers and schools need to help their students learn.
Even at my own school, where I have been very happy teaching, the move is towards collecting data, rather than professional development.
In the next very few years, all of the administrators will be 35+ year old men who have very little teaching experience.
AtLast
03-02-2011, 06:26 PM
Unfortunately, Obama has traveled the same road as Bush concerning education policy in the US. And now the Tea Party has an edge to bust public emplyee/teacher unions.
I will be honest, as a former classroom teacher, I did see some "dead wood" that needed clearing. But, show me an industry anywhere that doesn't have this happen. The practice of moving a unproductive or just plain lousy teacher around a district has done a lot a damage to the public perception of teachers in the US. But, it is a false assumption to think that this does not happen in private businesses.
There are many things about tenure, I disagree with, yet, I have to think about the dangers without it and things like sexuality. We all have a right to our private lives.
I have never liked the fact that school administrators can simply get a degree in admin and never teach in a classroom, yet run a school or a school district!!! That is just crazy! It has divided school administration and teacher even further.
As I said, I have worked with teachers in the past that took advantage of school districts, which really means students. And I do support changes in tenure policy to keep these kinds of folks from becoming tenured. Not very lefty of me, but it is how I feel.
need to add that teacher salaries need to reflect the professionals they are- everywhere!
Martina
03-02-2011, 06:57 PM
from the current issue of NEA Today Magazine, which i get because i am currently a credentialed classroom teacher:
Tenure doesn’t guarantee anyone a job. It guarantees due process: Teachers are told why they are being terminated and given an opportunity to challenge that reason. During the two, three, four, or even more years that a teacher must work before earning tenure, that teacher can be fired for no reason at all. Eliminating tenure would be like a never-ending probationary period.
Tenure laws were created to keep school officials from axing teachers out of prejudice or anger, or just to make room for a politician’s relative. Those who want to get rid of tenure often say it was needed in the olden days, but times have changed. How so? Have we banished prejudice, anger, and politicians’ relatives? Do we really want to jeopardize teachers’ willingness to speak up regarding instructional, curricular, safety, or other issues that affect students and school staff?
If someone doesn’t have what it takes to teach, there’s plenty of time for a principal to tell that person to find a new career before tenure applies. Principals need the skills and the time to evaluate and work with teachers in those first years before tenure. Let’s end “drive-by” evaluations. But eliminating due process is not the way to attract and retain the best and brightest. Stronger professional development, better mentoring, and more useful teacher evaluation-all of which NEA locals are working to strengthen-are better ideas.
In human terms.
Jane Jackson (not her real name) is a special education teacher who received a harsh letter of reprimand charging her with insubordination and threatening “further action.” Why? She told the truth when a child advocate asked whether a student’s individual education plan was being carried out.
Jackson had tenure. She kept her job and her union got the reprimand erased. But what if she had not had due process? She might well have been fired for doing the right thing.
Educators without tenure have been terminated or non-renewed for reporting unsafe conditions to the superintendent, complaining about the mishandling of funds, criticizing the district’s dress code in public, filing a grievance, or being married to a union organizer.
Most administrators are fair-minded. Tenure is to protect you if you run into one who isn’t.
AtLast
03-02-2011, 08:29 PM
But eliminating due process is not the way to attract and retain the best and brightest. Stronger professional development, better mentoring, and more useful teacher evaluation-all of which NEA locals are working to strengthen-are better ideas.
Totally agree with this- and every emplyee/worker must have due process- public or private. I have concerns, however, about the deluge of administrators without prior classroom experience evaluating teachers as well as how the process is constructed.
It feels like graduate programs in counseling and psychotherapy that license clinicians from programs in which they are not required to be in therapy themselves for a period of time or are required to process record their work.
To be fair, school administrators are often locked into the politics of districts and end up with very little time spent with their faculty as well as observing them in the classroom.
blush
03-02-2011, 10:25 PM
The problem with approaching education "like a business" is we are dealing with children, not "products."
As far as I'm aware, other professions that deal exclusively with humans are not monitored and evaluated based on the performance of their human. Doctors are not hired/fired based on how many people they cure. Psychologists' jobs do not depend solely on the progress of their patients. Yet we, as a nation, are demanding that teachers "fix" students by tying the student's performance to the teacher. And we give less and less and less personal responsibility to the students themselves.
If you (collective you) want to know what teachers do, go sit in a classroom. Walk through a school. See how many teachers have their feet propped up on a desk with the paper while the class runs amuck. Yes, those teachers need to be fired. As should a doctor who is killing patients.
We are not dealing with boxes of Cheerios that need new marketing. We are dealing with children. Children who come to us with all different levels of experiences and backgrounds. Children who sometimes don't have breakfast. Or a bed. Or sometimes have too much breakfast and beds. To expect ANYONE to level that playing field in a year for high stakes testing is ridiculous. Would we expect a disease to be cured after one visit?
Students should be progress monitored using multiple modes of assessments. If a pattern emerges that students in a class are rarely or never making progress, someone should start stopping by the damn classroom and find out what's going on. Not a Dog and Pony Show evaluation, but several unannounced visits. No teacher's success should ever be linked to 1 test on 1 day.
Why Is Arkansas Christian School Harding University Telling Gay Students They Must Turn Straight?
Read more: http://www.queerty.com/why-is-arkansas-christian-school-harding-university-telling-gay-students-they-must-turn-straight-20110303/#ixzz1Fb0ewG6K
AtLast
03-03-2011, 09:14 PM
The problem with approaching education "like a business" is we are dealing with children, not "products."
As far as I'm aware, other professions that deal exclusively with humans are not monitored and evaluated based on the performance of their human. Doctors are not hired/fired based on how many people they cure. Psychologists' jobs do not depend solely on the progress of their patients. Yet we, as a nation, are demanding that teachers "fix" students by tying the student's performance to the teacher. And we give less and less and less personal responsibility to the students themselves.
If you (collective you) want to know what teachers do, go sit in a classroom. Walk through a school. See how many teachers have their feet propped up on a desk with the paper while the class runs amuck. Yes, those teachers need to be fired. As should a doctor who is killing patients.
We are not dealing with boxes of Cheerios that need new marketing. We are dealing with children. Children who come to us with all different levels of experiences and backgrounds. Children who sometimes don't have breakfast. Or a bed. Or sometimes have too much breakfast and beds. To expect ANYONE to level that playing field in a year for high stakes testing is ridiculous. Would we expect a disease to be cured after one visit?
Students should be progress monitored using multiple modes of assessments. If a pattern emerges that students in a class are rarely or never making progress, someone should start stopping by the damn classroom and find out what's going on. Not a Dog and Pony Show evaluation, but several unannounced visits. No teacher's success should ever be linked to 1 test on 1 day.
Thinking of major districts (like DC and NYC) in which the whole "run it like a business" concept was adopted. And in some cases, 100s of teachers were simply fired. All based upon test results. Boards across the US are aiming for this kind of action.
I am and always have been an advocate for public schools. I don't know if my kid were in school, today, if I would move him into a private school- mainly because of testing. Or, I would opt him out of taking these tests. A child is not a robot. Nor are teachers. (Which does not mean I do not want measurable outcomes of learning- but this is not the way).
Frankly, I am glad I taught in a very different era. I actually felt joy teaching. Demanding, but rewarding- and I felt supported by administration and parents. I don't hear this much anymore from teachers.
Let Nikki Peet Start A Gay-Straight Alliance in Corpus Christi, Texas
When Nikki Peet recently asked for a safe space for students to meet and discuss issues like anti-gay bullying at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, she expected the support of her school district.
But instead, Dr. Julia Carbajal -- Flour Bluff's Superintendent -- decided to cancel all extra-curricular clubs in order to prevent Nikki’s "Gay Straight Alliance" (GSA) student group from forming. It's her way of getting around the federal "Equal Access Act" law mandating simliar access on school grounds to student groups, regardless of their politics or philosophy.
We know what happens when schools fail to address the bullying of LGBT kids: depression, isolation, and suicide. So we need to help.
Please click here to sign the petition to Nikki’s school administrators, calling on them to approve her Gay Straight Alliance group -- and reinstate all extra-curricular groups.
http://www.change.org/petitions/let-nikki-peet-start-a-gay-straight-alliance-in-corpus-christi-texas#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
Nine out of ten LGBT students experience harassment in school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. At least two-thirds feel unsafe in the classroom. LGBT teens can be up to four times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers.
In just a few days, nearly 4,000 Change.org members have signed the petition supporting Nikki, sharing the story on Facebook and forwarding emails like this to their friends.
This Friday, Nikki and members of the Corpus Christi community are organizing a major demonstration outside Flour Bluff High School. At the protest, Nikki and her supporters will be delivering petition signatures to Flour Bluff administrators, sending a strong message that it’s time to provide a safe, caring and effective learning environment for all students -- including LGBT youth.
The superintendent's outrageous actions have garnered attention throughout the U.S. Students, parents, and school officials everywhere are watching to see what happens -- and the outcome in Corpus Christi will have reverberations across the country.
Sign our petition today, so Nikki can deliver the signatures of as many people as possible this Friday in Texas:
http://www.change.org/petitions/let-nikki-peet-start-a-gay-straight-alliance-in-corpus-christi-texas#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
Coming Out on a Christian Campus, Then and Now (http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/4363/coming_out_on_a_christian_campus%2C_then_and_now)
Melissa
04-20-2011, 03:10 PM
Let Nikki Peet Start A Gay-Straight Alliance in Corpus Christi, Texas
When Nikki Peet recently asked for a safe space for students to meet and discuss issues like anti-gay bullying at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, she expected the support of her school district.
But instead, Dr. Julia Carbajal -- Flour Bluff's Superintendent -- decided to cancel all extra-curricular clubs in order to prevent Nikki’s "Gay Straight Alliance" (GSA) student group from forming. It's her way of getting around the federal "Equal Access Act" law mandating simliar access on school grounds to student groups, regardless of their politics or philosophy.
We know what happens when schools fail to address the bullying of LGBT kids: depression, isolation, and suicide. So we need to help.
Please click here to sign the petition to Nikki’s school administrators, calling on them to approve her Gay Straight Alliance group -- and reinstate all extra-curricular groups.
http://www.change.org/petitions/let-nikki-peet-start-a-gay-straight-alliance-in-corpus-christi-texas#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
Nine out of ten LGBT students experience harassment in school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. At least two-thirds feel unsafe in the classroom. LGBT teens can be up to four times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers.
In just a few days, nearly 4,000 Change.org members have signed the petition supporting Nikki, sharing the story on Facebook and forwarding emails like this to their friends.
This Friday, Nikki and members of the Corpus Christi community are organizing a major demonstration outside Flour Bluff High School. At the protest, Nikki and her supporters will be delivering petition signatures to Flour Bluff administrators, sending a strong message that it’s time to provide a safe, caring and effective learning environment for all students -- including LGBT youth.
The superintendent's outrageous actions have garnered attention throughout the U.S. Students, parents, and school officials everywhere are watching to see what happens -- and the outcome in Corpus Christi will have reverberations across the country.
Sign our petition today, so Nikki can deliver the signatures of as many people as possible this Friday in Texas:
http://www.change.org/petitions/let-nikki-peet-start-a-gay-straight-alliance-in-corpus-christi-texas#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
Nikki was successful and the organization now meets on campus!
Toughy
04-20-2011, 09:17 PM
Let Nikki Peet Start A Gay-Straight Alliance in Corpus Christi, Texas
When Nikki Peet recently asked for a safe space for students to meet and discuss issues like anti-gay bullying at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, she expected the support of her school district.
But instead, Dr. Julia Carbajal -- Flour Bluff's Superintendent -- decided to cancel all extra-curricular clubs in order to prevent Nikki’s "Gay Straight Alliance" (GSA) student group from forming. It's her way of getting around the federal "Equal Access Act" law mandating simliar access on school grounds to student groups, regardless of their politics or philosophy.
We know what happens when schools fail to address the bullying of LGBT kids: depression, isolation, and suicide. So we need to help.
Please click here to sign the petition to Nikki’s school administrators, calling on them to approve her Gay Straight Alliance group -- and reinstate all extra-curricular groups.
http://www.change.org/petitions/let-nikki-peet-start-a-gay-straight-alliance-in-corpus-christi-texas#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
Nine out of ten LGBT students experience harassment in school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. At least two-thirds feel unsafe in the classroom. LGBT teens can be up to four times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers.
In just a few days, nearly 4,000 Change.org members have signed the petition supporting Nikki, sharing the story on Facebook and forwarding emails like this to their friends.
This Friday, Nikki and members of the Corpus Christi community are organizing a major demonstration outside Flour Bluff High School. At the protest, Nikki and her supporters will be delivering petition signatures to Flour Bluff administrators, sending a strong message that it’s time to provide a safe, caring and effective learning environment for all students -- including LGBT youth.
The superintendent's outrageous actions have garnered attention throughout the U.S. Students, parents, and school officials everywhere are watching to see what happens -- and the outcome in Corpus Christi will have reverberations across the country.
Sign our petition today, so Nikki can deliver the signatures of as many people as possible this Friday in Texas:
http://www.change.org/petitions/let-nikki-peet-start-a-gay-straight-alliance-in-corpus-christi-texas#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
I wish folks would get as pissed off and upset about the 'new and improved' curriculum that is resulting in new textbooks being written courtesy of the Texas State School Board. The effects of these new textbooks will be felt across the nation. And in my mind is far more important.
AtLast
04-20-2011, 09:27 PM
I wish folks would get as pissed off and upset about what the 'new and improved' curriculum that is resulting in new textbooks being written courtesy of the Texas State School Board. The effects of these new textbooks will be felt across the nation. And in my mind is far more important.
In other states, too. All with the "pages to copy" workbooks that take creativity out of teaching. We are in a mess with education in the US on many fronts. And it is going to bite us in the ass.
When I think about this, I see why so many Republi-Cons want to do away with the federal Department of Education. I don't want to rely on "states rights" mentality in curriculum development. Think about all of the historical facts that could be wiped-out or re-interpreted without some kind of federal intervention.
'Don't say gay' bill clears Senate panel
By Tom Humphrey
Thursday, April 21, 2011
NASHVILLE - After some convoluted maneuvers, a Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that will prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms.
The measure (SB49) is sponsored by Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, who unsuccessfully pushed the same idea - nicknamed the "don't say gay" bill - for six years as a member of the state House before he was elected to the Senate.
As introduced, the bill would have put into law a declaration that it is illegal to discuss any sexual behavior other than heterosexuality prior to the ninth grade.
But when it came before the Senate Education Committee, Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, contended current law already prohibits such instruction by deeming it a misdemeanor to teach any sex education that is not part of the "family life curriculum" adopted by the state Board of Education.
Tracy proposed an amendment to rewrite Campfield's bill to require the Board of Education to study the issue and determine whether any teaching about homosexuality is occurring and, if so, recommend what should be done about it.
Campfield contends homosexuality is being discussed in classrooms. Spokesmen for the Board of Education and the state Department of Education told the committee they are unaware of any such activity.
The Tracy amendment passed over Campfield's objections.
But then Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, proposed to change the Tracy amendment. The revision declares that, after its study to be completed by Feb. 1 of next year, the Board of Education "shall adopt" - as part of the family life curriculum - a ban on discussion of homosexuality in the same language used in Campfield's bill.
That amendment was adopted, too, and the revised bill was then approved 6-3 and sent to the Senate floor. All no votes came from Democrats.
--
Campfield has been criticized on some blogs this week for seeking a $1,000 "retainer" fee to debate the "don't say gay" bill with Del Shores, a Texas-based movie producer and director who has made films on homosexuality.
State law includes prohibitions on a legislator taking compensation for work related to legislative duties except for his or her salary and expense payments due from the state. Another statute prohibits legislators from accepting an honorarium except for travel expenses.
Campfield said his request, which came in an exchange of messages with Shores, was simply for a deposit to guarantee that his travel expenses would be paid.
"I'm not going to pay air fare to Texas and a hotel, then have the guy stiff me," he said, adding the retainer request came when he understood the debate would be in Texas.
Drew Rawlins, executive director of the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, said he did not believe the ban on extra compensation for legislative duties would apply in this case because a debate in Texas is "probably not part of his legislative duties."
Rawlins said there was a "potential violation" of the honorarium ban in the situation as he understood it, but that someone would have to file a formal complaint to trigger a formal investigation into that question.
Tom Humphrey may be reached at 615-242-7782.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/apr/21/dont-say-gay-bill-clears-senate-panel/?print=1
AtLast
04-26-2011, 08:10 PM
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wisconsin-governor-scott-walker-to-deliver-school-choice-policy-address-at-dc-summit-120698179.htmlWisconsin
Governor Scott Walker to Deliver School Choice Policy Address at D.C. Summit
WASHINGTON, April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will deliver a keynote address on school choice to the second annual National Policy Summit of the American Federation for Children, the organization announced today. The address will take place in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 9, 2011.
Governor Walker, who recently proposed a historic expansion of Milwaukee's highly successful school voucher program, is expected to discuss prospects for expanding parental choice in Wisconsin and across the country. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which began 20 years ago, is the longest-running modern school choice program in the country.
The governor's address at the School Choice Now: Empowering America's Children policy summit will follow a series of afternoon panel discussions and a luncheon address by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. More than 300 school choice advocates from across the country will attend the summit, which will take place at the Washington Marriott (1221 22nd St NW) in Washington, D.C. (Register: www.FederationForChildren.org/Summit)
"Governor Walker is one of the country's most visible leaders in the fight to provide children with enhanced educational options, and we're excited to welcome him to our signature annual event," said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children. "Governor Walker is leading the battle to bring hope for a brighter future to thousands of struggling Wisconsin children. The Governor shares our belief that a child's zip code should not prevent them from getting a quality education, and we're thrilled to host him in a forum with so many other reform-minded leaders."
Before becoming Wisconsin's 45th governor in January, Governor Walker served as the Milwaukee County Executive and prior to that, as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. In both of his previous elected offices, Walker distinguished himself as an outspoken advocate for school choice, including both private school choice and public charter schools.
In just its second year, the AFC National Policy Summit is already becoming a renowned destination for conversations with some of the country's leading school choice leaders from both political parties. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and CNN analyst and author Roland Martin were featured guests at the 2010 event, and, in addition to Governors Walker and Corbett, this year's event will include former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
AFC is a national, non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to the advancement of school choice—particularly for disadvantaged families—through school vouchers, tax credit scholarships, and public charter schools.For more information about the summit and to register online, please visit www.FederationForChildren.org.
Hummmmm... from the list of folks noted, and Walker's assault on public schools and unions, I have doubts about this. Anyone have more info?
lLh7sIjRyJA&feature=player_embedded
GAY STUDENTS THREATENED WITH SUSPENSION FOR HOLDING HANDS ON CAMPUS (http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7111&Itemid=199)
PISA 2009 Results
PISA 2009 Results presents the findings from the most recent PISA survey, which focused on reading and also assessed mathematics and science performance. The report comprises six volumes:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf
http://www.oecd.org/document/61/0,3343,en_2649_35845621_46567613_1_1_1_1,00.html
Dombrowsky won't force GSAs on Catholic schools
NEWS / Education minister endorses 'supports' for gay students
Marcus McCann / Toronto / Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The early-morning event, organized by Egale, was a fundraiser for My GSA, a program that supports students who are part of gay-straight alliances or who want to start one.
Dombrowsky has been dodging questions about GSAs in Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic school system since news broke that the Halton Catholic District School Board had banned them. Since then, trustees have partially lifted the ban, but students are still forbidden from calling their clubs gay-straight alliances.
“What’s important is that the school board ensure that there is a group that will support the needs of those students,” says Dombrowsky in an interview with Xtra at the event. “It’s important that the school community decide what they want.”
Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky addresses the My GSA breakfast.(Marcus McCann) But Dombrowsky remains evasive about whether students at St Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga should be allowed to have a club with the word gay in its title.
“We’ve said, ‘Every student deserves to be supported,’ not ‘It must be done in this way.’ But we’ve made it very clear that it’s not an option, that it must be in our schools,” she says.
After Dombrowsky addressed the breakfast, James Ryan, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA), spoke. In a tacit rebuke of Dombrowsky, Ryan did not mince words.
“The members that I represent are absolutely committed to all our students, including gay, lesbian, bi and trans students,” he said. “My association and our members have no problem with gay-straight alliances.”
Other union leaders piled on. Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, thanked OECTA for taking a stand on the issue of Catholic GSAs.
“I want to acknowledge the Catholic teachers. It’s really brave of them to get behind gay-straight alliances,” he said.
Fred Hahn, the openly gay president of CUPE Ontario, a major financial backer of Egale’s GSA work, added that non-teaching staff (secretaries and maintence personnel) at high schools also support GSAs.
The event featured Jordan Todosey, who plays trans high schooler Adam Torres on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and Mike Grassi, one of the show’s writers.
The audience was a mix of students, teachers and Egale donors. At the head tables were a number of politicians, including Dombrowsky, Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi, former health minister George Smitherman, and city councillors Janet Davis, Shelley Carroll and Kristyn Wong-Tam. Halton Catholic trustee Paul Marai was also on hand.
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Dombrowsky_wont_force_GSAs_on_Catholic_schools-10168.aspx
Martina
05-19-2011, 08:29 PM
i haven't been reading this thread, not because of the gay stuff, but just that this feels like the Year of Hating Teachers. i have stopped reading my NEA morning update for the most part too. It feels like i am getting clobbered every morning. Thank god for Lynn Ravich. And Obama darling, i am NOT voting for you unless Newt is looking good to win.
blush
05-19-2011, 09:02 PM
I wish folks would get as pissed off and upset about the 'new and improved' curriculum that is resulting in new textbooks being written courtesy of the Texas State School Board. The effects of these new textbooks will be felt across the nation. And in my mind is far more important.
I totally agree with you. And this is an issue most folks don't know much about. But most of what we know about history comes from these textbooks. They are the source of our culture's working knowledge. It is where censorship and cultural agendas are played out. Columbus is the classic example of this. Curriculum still states that he is taught as an explorer looking for spices. In the spite of autobiographical diaries in which he describes his quest for gold and methods for enslaving native Americans.
AtLast
05-19-2011, 09:23 PM
I totally agree with you. And this is an issue most folks don't know much about. But most of what we know about history comes from these textbooks. They are the source of our culture's working knowledge. It is where censorship and cultural agendas are played out. Columbus is the classic example of this. Curriculum still states that he is taught as an explorer looking for spices. In the spite of autobiographical diaries in which he describes his quest for gold and methods for enslaving native Americans.
This really is something that awareness needs to raised about. Has to be extremely frustrating for teachers pouring themselves into their work. And with the shift to the "testing" in public schools.
My late partner taught elementary grades and she and a team teacher (a Native American) gave their 5th grade class the "real" history of the slaughter of Native Americans within the California Mission system. This was before the curriculum and testing requirements were in place as they are today.
The class was taken to a Mission on a field trip wherein one little girl asked the Mission guide at one point- "Where are the mass Indian graves." He said- "We don't talk much about those much."
Out of the mouths of babes...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/20/tennessee-teaching-homosexuality-ban_n_864895.html
AtLast
06-01-2011, 12:04 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/is-the-us-doing-teacher-reform-all-wrong/2011/05/31/AGAErRFH_blog.html
Is the U.S. doing teacher reform all wrong?
One analysis.
Rainbows banned at Mississauga Catholic school
NEWS / Students stopped from donating cupcake money to LGBT Youth Line (http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Rainbows_banned_at_Mississauga_Catholic_school-10262.aspx)
Swedish School Eliminates Gender (http://jezebel.com/5815665/swedish-school-eliminates-gender)
Erin Gloria Ryan — A preschool in Sweden is doing its part to make Tucker Carlson's bowtie spin around in shock and surprise.
CNN reports that the Egalia preschool in Stockholm will eliminate gender specific pronouns, and refer to the children present as "friends" rather than "boys" or "girls." Also on the chopping block? Fairy tales that further gender stereotypes, to be replaced with tales of families featuring gay and lesbian couples.
The school is funded by Swedish taxpayers, but if it ever finds itself in dire financial straits, it could always make extra money by charging American conservatives a hefty fee for a Halloween House of Liberal Horror tour of the facilities.
Scandinavian countries are known for their hippie dippie socialist ways, leading the world in gender equality.
"Society expects girls to be girlie, nice and pretty and boys to be manly, rough and outgoing," teacher Jenny Johnsson told the AP. "Egalia gives them a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want to be."
It's a whole school of Storms!
This school, with its crazy ideas of equality and non sexualization of children, represents a serious international crisis. With Sweden going genderless, where will America's creepy uncles get their Swedish bikini team garage calendars?
No 'Boys' and 'Girls' at Gender Neutral School in Sweden [CNN]
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/26/no-boys-and-girls-at-gender-neutral-preschool-in-sweden/
America's biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta (http://news.yahoo.com/americas-biggest-teacher-principal-cheating-scandal-unfolds-atlanta-213734183.html)
Wow! Just saw this thread for the first time. I'm not prepared to talk about any of the issues already raised yet, but I wanted to offer myself as an additional source, maybe to supplement the sources I see above.
I've been in editorial in textbook publishing for 20+ years. Some smaller specialty houses, as well as "biggies" with the multi-million dollar series (Houghton, Silver Burdett, Macmillan....). Recently I've worked in high-stakes assessment. But I didn't handle Georgia!
Anyway, I'll read at the links you've provided and see if I have anything to add. I just wanted to offer my perspective if it's relevant to discussion.
In textbook publishing, we often say: Textbooks are like hotdogs. If you knew what went into them, you wouldn't want to eat one.
(ha ha, "wouldn't want to eat one," we're a riot, we textbook editors) :rolleyes:
Ontario still keeping students in the dark about Catholic school GSAs (http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Ontario_still_keeping_students_in_the_dark_about_C atholic_school_GSAs-10523.aspx)
DapperButch
09-25-2011, 08:41 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/education/24educ.html?hpw
I would love to see teachers' responses to the above. I searched and searched for the "teacher thread", but couldn't find it. If anyone knows where it is and wants to post this there, that would be cool. I would just enjoy watching a teacher discussion on this.
Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
Gay educators struggle with identity
Even for adults, they say, schools can be unwelcoming places if you're not straight (http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article596807.ece)
Anti-gay teachers and the limits of the First Amendment (http://feministing.com/2011/10/20/anti-gay-teachers-and-the-limits-of-the-first-amendment/#more-40016)
I wish folks would get as pissed off and upset about the 'new and improved' curriculum that is resulting in new textbooks being written courtesy of the Texas State School Board. The effects of these new textbooks will be felt across the nation. And in my mind is far more important.
Ah! Indeed. I've worked in textbook publishing for more than 20 years. At a major house, such as Houghton Mifflin, Harcourt, Silver Burdett, the process with Texas is this:
They deliver late the info we need to get started, having lost time that could go into fact-checking and proofreading, because they've argued and argued over mundane points. It is completely political. Every bit of pedagogy is deliberated based on who it will make angry.
We start developing a textbook series, usually K-6 for me, which to give an idea of scope can have a budget of several million dollars. Several meaning, like, 20,000,000.
We race through prototyping and development, sending each stage to Texas for them to review. If one person says, gosh, I think this should be more neutral, or more "determined," or the sun on that page should "look sunnier," we run through the books again and check that the point doesn't influence anything else. Then they send it back, after the deadline we say we needed it to assure QA. (every deadline to us is missed, no question)
Then they say, No, not sunnier that way.
Okay, I've really gone on here, but the point is that the basic problems in the process reside with the political nature of state curriculum and instruction being overseen by people who need to meet political expectations.
And besides that (!!!), every frigging book ever printed has mistakes in it. These are books that have to be broken into multiple volumes, they're so long. Page counts reach over a thousand. Yes, big errors will be found.
Sheesh, I didn't even hit Toughy's point about how TX is determining what students in NY learn, and most other places, too. TX and California are all that count in the market. You don't want to know some of the "philosophies" they wish to push forward. As TX goes, so goes the nation, in textbooks.
.
Textbooks are like hotdogs -- If you knew what went into it, you wouldn't want to eat one.
DapperButch
10-20-2011, 07:04 PM
.
Textbooks are like hotdogs -- If you knew what went into it, you wouldn't want to eat one.
Dude, you posted that same joke 5 posts back. Hears to hoping your "babe" doesn't thread stalk you....:praying:
Dude, you posted that same joke 5 posts back. Hears to hoping your "babe" doesn't thread stalk you....:praying:
Hee hee! Oh for chrissakes, did I?? Must have been a long time ago because I don't remember that at all!
Thanks for pointing that out, ya goof. Now no one will miss it.
DapperButch
10-20-2011, 09:12 PM
Hee hee! Oh for chrissakes, did I?? Must have been a long time ago because I don't remember that at all!
Thanks for pointing that out, ya goof. Now no one will miss it.
My pleasure.
An yah, it was July, so it really doesn't count. :byebye:
Tenn. Principal Quits After Telling Gay Students They're Hell-Bound (http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/03/01/Tenn__Principal_Quits_After_Telling_Gay_Students_T heyre_Hell_Bound/)
zB7UuXCk_p4&noredirect=1#!
Saudi Arabia bans 'gays, tom-boys' from schools (http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/saudi-arabia-bans-gays-tom-boys-from-schools-2012-04-16-1.454017)
ONTARIO: Catholic Group Campaigns Against Anti-Bullying Bill
The Ontario Assembly is considering Bill 13, which mandates that schools must organize programs to thwart anti-gay bullying. This has made one Catholic group extremely angry because ordering an anti-bullying campaign is bullying itself.
From the petition campaign launched by Parents As First Educators:
- Bill 13 privileges one group of students (LGBT) over others.
- An anti-bullying bill should treat all students equally.
- We do not believe that equity education should be part of an anti-bullying bill.
- We don't believe equity education has been proven to affect bullying rates.
- We don't support gay-straight alliances (GSAs) in Catholic schools. The imposition of GSAs on Catholic schools IS bullying.
- Bill 13 does not give enough local control to school boards over bullying policies.
- It is unnecessary. Bullying problems will be best solved by mediation between the bully and the the victims, with their families, at the school level. We don't need a new law for that
--from Joemygod
Here's their F'd up organization: http://www.p-first.com/
HB 2051
Prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation in public school instruction, material, or extracurricular activity except in scientific instruction on human reproduction
http://www.house.mo.gov/billsummary.aspx?bill=HB2051&year=2012&code=R
-------------------------
For the last several years - PROMO, Missouri's statewide LGBT advocacy organization and its allies have worked to advance pro-lgbt legislation, and have seen steady, continuing success.
"Filing this bill is a desperate tactic by frightened, bigoted, cynical individuals who are terrified at the advancement the LGBT community has made in breaking down the barriers to full and equal treatment under the law," said PROMO Executive Director, A.J. Bockelman. "Why else would they file a bill so clearly out of step with the growing trend for fairness in this state when similar legislation filed in Tennessee last year led that state’s legislature to become the object of national ridicule?"
"It’s clear that this proposed bill does absolutely nothing to protect students," continued Bockelman. "In some ways, however, these enemies of Freedom of Speech have done us a favor. By attempting to coerce teachers and students into making this core reality of our lives literally unspeakable, they have only proved why LGBT students need greater, better, and stronger protection in our schools."
Missouri is not the first state to push the so-called "don't say gay" bill. Tennessee advanced similar legislation through multiple votes last year, drawing national ridicule, as well as opposition from their Republican governor, Bill Haslam. Despite that legislation's failure - Tennessee lawmakers introduced a nearly identical bill this session, which was approved by the state House earlier this week.
http://www.thevitalvoice.com/news/50-latest-news/625-breaking
BREAKING: White House Endorses Safe Schools Bill and Student Non-Discrimination Act (http://www.metroweekly.com/poliglot/2012/04/white-house-endorses-safe-schools-bill-and-student.html)
AtLast
04-20-2012, 05:23 PM
http://www.cta.org/Issues-and-Action/Legislation/CTA-Bill-Positions.aspx
Toughy
04-21-2012, 10:49 AM
http://www.cta.org/Issues-and-Action/Legislation/CTA-Bill-Positions.aspx
You have to wonder who edited this summary of a Abolition of Child Commerce, Exploitation and Sexual Slavery Act of 2011 . Below is a quote directly from the summary.....
Teachers believe that children should be protected by predators and exploitation in every way possible
....shaking my head.....I do believe the 'by' should be 'from'
AtLast
04-21-2012, 11:03 AM
You have to wonder who edited this summary of a Abolition of Child Commerce, Exploitation and Sexual Slavery Act of 2011 . Below is a quote directly from the summary.....
Teachers believe that children should be protected by predators and exploitation in every way possible
....shaking my head.....I do believe the 'by' should be 'from'
I know!! Who knows what editing devices used! Weird, huh?
Here is some info concerning testing recently - as a means to evaluate teachers in NY. Many states are following this and trying to implement similar policies.
>>>Last week, the New York State Education Department and the teachers’ unions reached an agreement to allow the state to use student test scores to evaluate teachers.>>>
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/feb/21/no-student-left-untested/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February+21+2012&
Adding- Huff Post OpEd- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-lyell/linking-teacher-evaluatio_b_1034926.html
Linking Teacher Evaluation to Student Test Scores: Wrong 25% of the Time
AtLast
04-22-2012, 10:08 AM
http://www.educationvotes.nea.org/2012/04/21/state-news-roundup-for-april-21-2012/
Toughy
04-22-2012, 02:53 PM
AtLast.........the link does not work
AtLast
04-22-2012, 04:11 PM
AtLast.........the link does not work
Here is the article- link might not work without membership sign-in i guess--
Florida – Dismal state budget shortchanges public schools
FEA President Andy Ford issued this statement on the state budget signed Tuesday, April 17 by Gov. Rick Scott and its implication for public education:
The state budget passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott is a dismal failure to provide for the students who rely on the state to attain a high-quality education. Despite the governor’s claims that the increases in funding for education represent his commitment to our schools, he has failed to point out that this budget restores less than a third of what was cut from last year’s education budget and that our schools are still miles behind the funding levels in our state five years ago.
Total school funding will not change much next year, as local school districts will have to use the added state money to make up for the loss of federal funding, an increase in enrollment and a drop in local property taxes. Officials at school districts throughout the state say they’re considering layoffs of teachers and other school employees, and curtailing arts programs and athletics for students.
At the same time the governor and lawmakers doled out more tax giveaways for corporations, more money for unaccountable voucher schools and more support and autonomy to for-profit charter schools, our public schools are given a budget nowhere close to adequate and light years away from a true investment in our children.
Click here to find out more at FEAWeb.org, or sign the petition to help save educator jobs at the University of Florida.
Illinois – 2012 MAP grant rally
Community college students from around Illinois lobbied legislators, asking them to please increase money for MAP grants. MAP grants are given to college students around the state to help defray the cost of going to college.
Visit IEANEA.org for more information and to find out how you can get involved.
Wisconsin – Wisconsin schools cut 2,312 positions this year, student-teacher ratio highest in nine years
Under Governor Scott Walker, 73 percent of Wisconsin school districts have lost teachers, the Department of Public Instruction reports. According to the new report [ed note: pdf link], the number of teachers and other staff working in Wisconsin schools dropped 2.3 percent this school year.
The report, an annual tracking of staffing levels and other details about Wisconsin public schools, shows the true impact that $1.6 billion in reduced state education funding has had on local schools. According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which uses these figures for federal reporting purposes, this year’s annual school staff report shows that school districts cut 2,312 positions for the 2011-12 school year, a 50 percent increase in staff losses from the previous school year. That is the steepest decline in the nine years that the DPI has been consistently tracking staffing levels. Teaching positions accounted for more than 60 percent of the cuts.
The report said the student-teacher ratio increased from 14.33 to 14.66, the highest level in nine years.
“The numbers released by the state Department of Public Instruction underline the damage Governor Walker has inflicted on students and schools in all areas of Wisconsin. The facts are undeniable and show that – despite what the governor tries to hide – public education in Wisconsin has indeed suffered under Governor Walker,” said WEAC President Mary Bell.
Get the whole story at WEAC.org.
Utah – Educational Excellence Task Force members selected
Each year dozens of policy changes affect Utah’s public schools, yet these changes do not always result in the best outcomes for students. Educators are uniquely positioned to identify critical academic priorities and propose important solutions to strengthen teaching effectiveness and improve student outcomes. Therefore, the UEA has organized the Educational Excellence Task Force to study and prioritize critical education issues and create a vision of teaching excellence that is designed and led by educators.
The Task Force will be chaired by Park City teacher and instructional coach Anna Williams. “I’m honored to serve with such an outstanding group of educators who excel in their field,” said Williams. “It’s important that we as educators take the lead in identifying changes that will promote educational excellence for our students and enhance our profession.”
“The educators participating on our Educational Excellence Task Force represent a breadth and depth of experience in many areas,” said UEA Director of Educational Excellence and Community Outreach Sara Jones. “The end goal of the Task Force will be to impact decision-making and priorities at UEA as well as broader state policy.”
The Task Force will meet regularly with the charge to analyze relevant research in order to identify priorities for the Utah Education Association and public education in Utah; develop a comprehensive set of policy recommendations regarding teaching quality and effectiveness; and engage the association, policymakers and the public in the important dialogue of change.
---
There are so many major education political/public employee battles around the nation- "Snot" Walker is just but one Gov. that took aim at collective bargaining and teacher rights in the US after the 2010 mid-terms.
Church blindsided by Ontario government over gay-straight alliances: Catholic sources (http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/05/25/church-blindsided-by-ontario-government-over-gay-straight-alliances-catholic-sources/?sf4448914=1)
The Ontario provincial government has ignored months of behind-the-scenes negotiations by announcing Friday that all schools, religious or otherwise, will be required to host gay-straight alliances, Church sources say.
Ontario Passes Anti-Bullying Bill
Over the screams of the Catholic Church, today the Ontario provincial legislature passed Bill 13, the anti-bullying ordinance that orders all schools to allow gay-straight clubs. Bill 13 was launched after the suicide of a 14 year-old gay boy, whose own father opposed the bill.
Catholic schools and parents will soon come to accept the provisions of the government's anti-bullying legislation, according to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Ontario's anti-bullying bill, also known as Bill 13 or the Accepting Schools Act, passed through the legislature just before noon today by a margin of 65-36. Only the Progressive Conservatives voted against the legislation. Catholic educators and church leaders oppose the bill because it requires schools to allow students to call anti-homophobia clubs gay-straight alliances if they wish. McGuinty said the issue of protecting kids from bullying transcends all faiths and partisan politics. He added Catholics would understand the true significance of the bill is to build a stronger, more cohesive society.
Conservatives claim the bill is actually meant to cause Ontario to defund non-compliant Catholic schools.
UPDATE: Local Students Want Separate Prom That Bans Gays (http://mywabashvalley.com/fulltext?nxd_id=292862)[/URL]
/snip
Diana Medley is a special education teacher in town. She doesn't believe anyone is born gay.
"I believe that it was life circumstances and they chose to be that way; God created everyone equal," said Medley.
"Homosexual students come to me with their problems, and I don't agree with them, but I care about them. It's the same thing with my special needs kids, I think God puts everyone in our lives for a reason," said Madley.
"'So the same goes for gays? Do you think they have a purpose in life?' No I honestly don't. Sorry, but I don't. I don't understand it. A gay person isn't going to come up and make some change unless it's to realize that it was a choice and they're choosing God," said Medley.
https://www.facebook.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgr oups%2F474268842631471%2F%3Ffref%3Dts
Diana Medley @ The NORTHEAST SCHOOL CORPORATION of Sullivan County: Appropriate disciplinary action to Mrs. Medley, including termination. (https://www.change.org/petitions/diana-medley-the-northeast-school-corporation-of-sullivan-county-appropriate-disciplinary-action-to-mrs-medley-including-termination)
Diana Medley is a Special Educaiton teacher in the Northeast School Corporation of Sullivan County and spoke ON CAMERA to WTWO-TV saying that "Being Gay Is A Choice..." Then went on to tell a television reporter that gay people don't have a purpose in life? This is woman teaching our children -- including openly gay students. Gay Teenagers have the HIGHEST rate of suicide in our country, surely Mrs. Medley's lack of concern for their emotional and mental well-being, as well as her mis-understanding of their purpose in life makes her a threat to not only students in her classroom, but, in her community!
To:
Diana Medley @ The NORTHEAST SCHOOL CORPORATION of Sullivan County
Appropriate disciplinary action to Mrs. Medley, including termination.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
DapperButch
02-11-2013, 05:55 PM
Diana Medley @ The NORTHEAST SCHOOL CORPORATION of Sullivan County: Appropriate disciplinary action to Mrs. Medley, including termination. (https://www.change.org/petitions/diana-medley-the-northeast-school-corporation-of-sullivan-county-appropriate-disciplinary-action-to-mrs-medley-including-termination)
Diana Medley is a Special Educaiton teacher in the Northeast School Corporation of Sullivan County and spoke ON CAMERA to WTWO-TV saying that "Being Gay Is A Choice..." Then went on to tell a television reporter that gay people don't have a purpose in life? This is woman teaching our children -- including openly gay students. Gay Teenagers have the HIGHEST rate of suicide in our country, surely Mrs. Medley's lack of concern for their emotional and mental well-being, as well as her mis-understanding of their purpose in life makes her a threat to not only students in her classroom, but, in her community!
To:
Diana Medley @ The NORTHEAST SCHOOL CORPORATION of Sullivan County
Appropriate disciplinary action to Mrs. Medley, including termination.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Thanks for posting this, Soon.
Would you place your post here, as well? http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2839&page=6
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Bullied_Catholic_student_speaks_out-13217.aspx#.UTD4bRVS34M.email
*note Ontario Schools are publicly funded and are required to abide by all equality laws and anti-bullying legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
Martina
03-01-2013, 06:53 PM
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Bullied_Catholic_student_speaks_out-13217.aspx#.UTD4bRVS34M.email
*note Ontario Schools are publicly funded and are required to abide by all equality laws and anti-bullying legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
wow! I hope they lose their funding.
wow! I hope they lose their funding.
Agreed.
However, it will take more incidents (that are publicized--this crap's been going on forever) than this I think, but the tide is turning. There is no reason, in our pluralistic and secular Canadian society, for one religion to be publicly funded at this point (it began due to a Constitutional bargain way back in the day).
I want the two boards amalgamated which all but two Provinces have done (Alberta and Ontario).
The whole story makes me sick, and I hope it gains local and national attention. Bring it on.
HS Principal Threatens to Destroy Student for Speaking Out Against School’s Abstinence-Only Policies, Fails Miserably
(http://gawker.com/5994960/hs-principal-threatens-to-destroy-student-for-speaking-out-against-schools-abstinence+only-policies-fails-miserably)
Transgender Youth Presenting Challenges For Schools (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/28/boy-or-girl-gender-a-new-_n_3345965.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular)
What happened when I started a feminist society at school (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2013/jun/20/why-i-started-a-feminist-society)
I am 17 years old and I am a feminist. I believe in gender equality, and am under no illusion about how far we are from achieving it. Identifying as a feminist has become particularly important to me since a school trip I took to Cambridge last year.
A group of men in a car started wolf-whistling and shouting sexual remarks at my friends and me. I asked the men if they thought it was appropriate for them to be abusing a group of 17-year-old girls. The response was furious. The men started swearing at me, called me a bitch and threw a cup coffee over me.
For those men we were just legs, breasts and pretty faces. Speaking up shattered their fantasy, and they responded violently to my voice.
Shockingly, the boys in my peer group have responded in exactly the same way to my feminism.
After returning from this school trip I started to notice how much the girls at my school suffer because of the pressures associated with our gender. Many of the girls have eating disorders, some have had peers heavily pressure them into sexual acts, others suffer in emotionally abusive relationships where they are constantly told they are worthless.
I decided to set up a feminist society at my school, which has previously been named one of "the best schools in the country", to try to tackle these issues. However, this was more difficult than I imagined as my all-girls school was hesitant to allow the society. After a year-long struggle, the feminist society was finally ratified.
What I hadn't anticipated on setting up the feminist society was a massive backlash from the boys in my wider peer circle. They took to Twitter and started a campaign of abuse against me. I was called a "feminist bitch", accused of "feeding [girls] bullshit", and in a particularly racist comment was told "all this feminism bull won't stop uncle Sanjit from marrying you when you leave school".
Our feminist society was derided with retorts such as, "FemSoc, is that for real? #DPMO" [don't piss me off] and every attempt we made to start a serious debate was met with responses such as "feminism and rape are both ridiculously tiring".
The more girls started to voice their opinions about gender issues, the more vitriolic the boys' abuse became. One boy declared that "bitches should keep their bitchiness to their bitch-selves #BITCH" and another smugly quipped, "feminism doesn't mean they don't like the D, they just haven't found one to satisfy them yet." Any attempt we made to stick up for each other was aggressively shot down with "get in your lane before I par [ridicule] you too", or belittled with remarks like "cute, they got offended".
I fear that many boys of my age fundamentally don't respect women. They want us around for parties, banter and most of all sex. But they don't think of us as intellectual equals, highlighted by accusations of being hysterical and over sensitive when we attempted to discuss serious issues facing women.
The situation recently reached a crescendo when our feminist society decided to take part in a national project called Who Needs Feminism. We took photos of girls standing with a whiteboard on which they completed the sentence "I need feminism because...", often delving into painful personal experiences to articulate why feminism was important to them.
When we posted these pictures online we were subject to a torrent of degrading and explicitly sexual comments.
We were told that our "militant vaginas" were "as dry as the Sahara desert", girls who complained of sexual objectification in their photos were given ratings out of 10, details of the sex lives of some of the girls were posted beside their photos, and others were sent threatening messages warning them that things would soon "get personal".
We, a group of 16-, 17- and 18-year-old girls, have made ourselves vulnerable by talking about our experiences of sexual and gender oppression only to elicit the wrath of our male peer group. Instead of our school taking action against such intimidating behaviour, it insisted that we remove the pictures. Without the support from our school, girls who had participated in the campaign were isolated, facing a great deal of verbal abuse with the full knowledge that there would be no repercussions for the perpetrators.
It's been over a century since the birth of the suffragette movement and boys are still not being brought up to believe that women are their equals. Instead we have a whole new battleground opening up online where boys can attack, humiliate, belittle us and do everything in their power to destroy our confidence before we even leave high school.
It is appalling that an institution responsible for preparing young women for adult life has actively opposed our feminist work. I feel like the school is not supporting its girls in a crucial part of their evolution into being strong, assertive, confident women. If that's the case for a well-established girls' school, what hope does this generation of women have in challenging the misogyny that still pervades our society?
If you thought the fight for female equality was over, I'm sorry to tell you that a whole new round is only just beginning.
• Altrincham Grammar made the following comment about the feminist society:
"Altrincham Grammar School for Girls has supported Jinan in setting up the society, providing administrative assistance, guidance and proactively suggesting opportunities to help members to explore this issue which they feel passionately about.
"We are committed to protecting the safety and welfare of our students, which extends to their safety online. We consider very carefully any societies that the school gives its name and support to.
"As such, we will take steps to recommend students remove words or images that they place online that could compromise their safety or that of other students at the school."
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Education/Pix/pictures/2013/6/19/1371635140060/altrincham-feminists-008.jpg
pinkajl
06-24-2013, 07:20 AM
http://www.transgenderlegal.org/headline_show.php?id=415
I hope I posted the link right.
This is a pretty significant ruling and is a first in the nation for equal access.
AtLast
07-05-2013, 05:23 PM
http://www.transgenderlegal.org/headline_show.php?id=415
I hope I posted the link right.
This is a pretty significant ruling and is a first in the nation for equal access.
I was just thrilled to see this!
Parents Of Boy Chastised For Wearing Make Up To School Call For Tolerance (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/11/boy-makeup-dress-code_n_3421710.html)
The parents of a 14-year-old Florida boy are campaigning for tolerance after their son was chastised for wearing makeup at school.
Chris, an eighth grader who doesn't label his sexual orientation, wore black eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick along with a shirt featuring an anarchy symbol to the last day of classes on Wednesday, June 5.
Officials at Meadowlawn Middle School in St. Petersburg told him his makeup was in violation of the school's dress code, according to the Tampa Bay Times. However, his mothers, who admit the shirt was inappropriate, don't think his modest maquillage was any different from what girls wear every day.
Chris' mom Katelynn Martin took to MoveOn.org and started a petition in the name of change. She argues that the school's principal, Claud Effiom, "expressed his own belief that boys wearing makeup is ridiculous, unnecessary, and distracting." She is calling for tolerance training, gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ)-inclusive curriculum at the school.
The petition has since received more than 1,300 signatures.
Martin expressed dismay over the school's response to her son's decision to wear makeup in an email correspondence with The Huffington Post on Tuesday.
"Honestly, when Chris asked me to apply his makeup that morning, it never occurred to me that it would cause a problem," she said. "More than anything, I was happy to see him so confident in expressing himself. When he called a little later from the school to tell me that he got in trouble for the makeup and that the administration wanted him to wash it off, I was sad and then angry to hear in his voice that he had lost that self-confidence."
"While speaking with the principal, it became clear that his issue was based upon my son's gender nonconformity and not the dress code. In my opinion, the principal was not passing judgement upon my son's appearance, but rather his person."
Martin hopes her voice will be heard and change will be enacted so all children can feel safe and accepted at school. A 2011 LGBT student survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) revealed that more than 60 percent of respondents felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. A considerable number of respondents also reported discriminatory policies or practices against LGBT people by their school or school personnel.
"I want people to know that this is clearly a systemic issue that affects kids every day," Martin told HuffPost. "My son Chris is only one of many, and we as a society can and should do more to show them that they are welcome and valued. The things that we are asking for in our petition may seems small, but can make an enormous impact in their lives."
A communication representative for Meadowlawn Middle School was not immediately available for comment. However, district spokeswoman Melanie Marquez Parra told the Tampa Bay Times "there is more to the story" than the Martin family is telling, but she isn't at liberty to discuss it since it is considered confidential student information.
Does handwriting matter?
Not very much, according to many educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states, call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard.
But psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting a relic of the past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting and broader educational development run deep.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write that matters — but how.
“When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated,” said Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris. “There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain.
“And it seems that this circuit is contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize,” he continued. “Learning is made easier.”
Handwriting is being dropped in public schools — that could be bad for young minds. Google’s new hands-free computer is finding its way into operating rooms. Breast cancer survivors find the start of their new lives in a tattoo artist’s work.
A 2012 study led by Karin James, a psychologist at Indiana University, lent support to that view. Children who had not yet learned to read and write were presented with a letter or a shape on an index card and asked to reproduce it in one of three ways: trace the image on a page with a dotted outline, draw it on a blank white sheet, or type it on a computer. They were then placed in a brain scanner and shown the image again.
The researchers found that the initial duplication process mattered a great deal. When children had drawn a letter freehand, they exhibited increased activity in three areas of the brain that are activated in adults when they read and write: the left fusiform gyrus, the inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior parietal cortex.
By contrast, children who typed or traced the letter or shape showed no such effect. The activation was significantly weaker.
Dr. James attributes the differences to the messiness inherent in free-form handwriting: Not only must we first plan and execute the action in a way that is not required when we have a traceable outline, but we are also likely to produce a result that is highly variable.
That variability may itself be a learning tool. “When a kid produces a messy letter,” Dr. James said, “that might help him learn it.”
Karin James, a psychologist at Indiana University, used a scanner to see how handwriting affected activity in children’s brains. Credit A. J. Mast for The New York Times
Our brain must understand that each possible iteration of, say, an “a” is the same, no matter how we see it written. Being able to decipher the messiness of each “a” may be more helpful in establishing that eventual representation than seeing the same result repeatedly.
“This is one of the first demonstrations of the brain being changed because of that practice,” Dr. James said.
In another study, Dr. James is comparing children who physically form letters with those who only watch others doing it. Her observations suggest that it is only the actual effort that engages the brain’s motor pathways and delivers the learning benefits of handwriting.
The effect goes well beyond letter recognition. In a study that followed children in grades two through five, Virginia Berninger, a psychologist at the University of Washington, demonstrated that printing, cursive writing, and typing on a keyboard are all associated with distinct and separate brain patterns — and each results in a distinct end product. When the children composed text by hand, they not only consistently produced more words more quickly than they did on a keyboard, but expressed more ideas. And brain imaging in the oldest subjects suggested that the connection between writing and idea generation went even further. When these children were asked to come up with ideas for a composition, the ones with better handwriting exhibited greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory — and increased overall activation in the reading and writing networks.
It now appears that there may even be a difference between printing and cursive writing — a distinction of particular importance as the teaching of cursive disappears in curriculum after curriculum. In dysgraphia, a condition where the ability to write is impaired, sometimes after brain injury, the deficit can take on a curious form: In some people, cursive writing remains relatively unimpaired, while in others, printing does.
In alexia, or impaired reading ability, some individuals who are unable to process print can still read cursive, and vice versa — suggesting that the two writing modes activate separate brain networks and engage more cognitive resources than would be the case with a single approach.
Dr. Berninger goes so far as to suggest that cursive writing may train self-control ability in a way that other modes of writing do not, and some researchers argue that it may even be a path to treating dyslexia. A 2012 review suggests that cursive may be particularly effective for individuals with developmental dysgraphia — motor-control difficulties in forming letters — and that it may aid in preventing the reversal and inversion of letters.
Cursive or not, the benefits of writing by hand extend beyond childhood. For adults, typing may be a fast and efficient alternative to longhand, but that very efficiency may diminish our ability to process new information. Not only do we learn letters better when we commit them to memory through writing, memory and learning ability in general may benefit.
Two psychologists, Pam A. Mueller of Princeton and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of the University of California, Los Angeles, have reported that in both laboratory settings and real-world classrooms, students learn better when they take notes by hand than when they type on a keyboard. Contrary to earlier studies attributing the difference to the distracting effects of computers, the new research suggests that writing by hand allows the student to process a lecture’s contents and reframe it — a process of reflection and manipulation that can lead to better understanding and memory encoding.
Not every expert is persuaded that the long-term benefits of handwriting are as significant as all that. Still, one such skeptic, the Yale psychologist Paul Bloom, says the new research is, at the very least, thought-provoking.
“With handwriting, the very act of putting it down forces you to focus on what’s important,” he said. He added, after pausing to consider, “Maybe it helps you think better.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
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