An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. ~Benjamin Franklin

Stimulis Money Graded for Effectiveness.

This article in Education Week tries to break down the effectiveness for the stimulis money that was injected into education just over a year a go. I am a very visual person and I found some of the graphs very interesting.

They illustrate the amount of money that when to which programs. We have heard a lot about the Race to the Top grants, and other innovative focused programs, but I was surprised to see the amount of money that went into traditional programs. I am glad that Education was made a priority for the government and received a sizable portion of these funds. I am sad that most regular people will not see this information and understand that their are some people in Washington still working for the good of the people.

The rest of the article talks about how the funds are about three quarters spent and the recovery has been too gradual so that it seems that we are going to be running out of funding very soon. Hopefully by the time I am looking for a job we will have made better strides.

School boards are the bridge...

Between the schools themselves and policy makers in Washington. Do they know something we don't? Edweek.org published this article about the findings of a recent study. It made me think of a buffer between the extremes, knee jerk reactionism and stagnation. After a rousing Graduate Seminar about the direction of  education in the U.S. I felt a little overwhelmed. I am glad that there are some more grounded attitudes in some of the decision makers. The board members listed as their priorities as making sure their students live "productive lives" and "fulfill their potential". These seem like good ideas to me. I guess that that is the great thing about a democracy, the checks and balances. No mater what is going on in the world as long as we keep a level head and make rational, informed decisions what could go wrong?

Texting for contact, part2

This article in Education Week bring up a very interesting point about texting, social media and student-teacher interaction. Schools are primarily a social institution and as such have a responsibility to teach social interaction as part of their commitment to the community. This article brings up a valid debate about the use of these technologies in the classroom but I think the debate is further reaching than this. I believe that educators have a responsibility to not only be available to our students but to model the proper use of this technology. Where better than in young adult programs, or even middle school to set an example of what is appropriate social interaction. Be it on the internet, the phone or in person, adults need to set a positive example for the future generations.

Getting real world experience, and learning.

This cover article of the January 19th Education Week is about a mentor program that puts high school students in situations that most college kids only dream about. Designing buildings and complex engineering projects. I am a full supporter of any program that helps students see the real world applications of what they are learning in the classroom. It gives them context for math, science, writing and other subjects that may seem boring when taken out of context.

These programs help fill a need for relevancy in education. In this article they are focusing on the STEM subjects but this model could be used in every field. For instance, locally, there are several charter schools that put the focus on the arts or environmental science. If we had these programs for things such as small business, politics, or any other manner of industry we could insure a strong source of future employers and employees in every field.

Cutting expenses, obvious vs. effectiveness.

When large institutions public and private go through hard financial times they often look for the easiest and most obvious places to cut. Unfortunately the ones making the decisions are usually the most expensive players. Luckily the governor of California has the elected position to see that one of the easiest ways to save allot of money right away is to cut a very expensive position, Education Secretary. This article, on Edweek.org goes more into the politics of the the decision, but I think that the financial reasons are fairly sound. I am glad that despite major cuts to the budget, Mr Brown is putting education first and not cutting much of the education budget.

Texting for Truancy

This article in Education Week has an interesting and very easy way to let parents know instantly if their kids are skipping. Seems pretty effective. I just wonder who would be responsible for sending the text out, the teacher or the administrator. I plan on being very reachable for parents and I wonder how reachable they want to be for me. I would hope that an open dialog will be created between me, my students and their parents.