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Parental Advocacy
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Some excellent references for parents, as you start out a new school year.
“Who Should Decide How Children are Educated”, by Jack Klenk and can be purchased through the Family Research Council at www.frc.org, or call 1-800-225-4008. The following is from the booklet.
“The old education system is a monopoly that is not suited to the realities of modern life. As with other monopolies, it gives disproportionate weight to itself and special interests, and not enough to the customers, the parents and children, whom it is suppose to serve. Furthermore , it resists competition. …. Any new system of education for the public must leave behind the mindset that only government schools can serve the public.”
“Shifting Roles”, by Ann Landell, Ph.D. A copy of this booklet can be received by contacting CEO at (412) 967-9691.
“It is legitimate to ask if some of the new education programs are having unintended, negative effects on children. Perhaps these unintended effects could have been predicted, and therefore avoided, if prejudice had not interfered with a free and thorough analysis of these programs when they were proposals rather than realities in our schools.”
“Why Gender Matters; What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences”, by Dr. Leonard Sax. (This book can be purchased online through sites such as Amazon).
“An avalanche of research over the past twenty years has shown that sex differences are more significant and profound than anybody guessed. Sex differences are real, biologically programmed, and important to how children are raised, disciplined, and educated.”
Some thoughts on Parents and Schools from “Making the Best of Our Schools: A Handbook for Parents, Teachers and Policymakers” by Jeannie Oakes and Martin Lipton.
“Schools and policymakers increasingly call for home/school partnerships. Everyone likes the idea, but few schools and parents accomplish it. Most schools tend to go about their business with parents watching from the sidelines. Mismatches between what children and families need or want, and what schools do may require tricky negotiations.”
Parents need to show that they are interested in what their children and schools are doing by attending open houses, conferences, and as many school related events as possible. Schools and school staff sometime react very differently when they know parents are visible and involved. If parents have time to volunteer to participate in committees, or schools organizations then that is even better. Many times this gives parents an opportunity to build and develop positive relationships with school staff, which helps when issues or problems develop.
“Many administrators are not adept at drumming up parent support and often prefer to keep a low profile. They don’t want to risk stirring up a band of frequent objectors.” Parents want to trust the schools their children attend, but sometimes there are conflicts and the issue becomes how to handle those situations as parents. First of all remember parents are their child’s best advocate, and parents are taxpayers and voters whose funds support the school through local, state and federal taxes. Keep that in mind, but also remember there is a right way to approach a school on an issue. It is called the chain of command. Always try to develop a relationship with your child’s teacher. If there is a question, call the teacher directly and ask pointed and civil questions. Emails work, and it is often good to have things in writing, if questions are not answered or situations are not resolved.
The next step in the chain of command is the school principal, or vice principal. Some schools have the vice principals deal with parent and students issues. Again remain calm, and very specific about your concerns or questions. Make sure the principal is aware you went to the teacher first, and gave the teacher several opportunities to respond to your questions, or concerns. Provide any written documentation to clarify what you asked the teacher. Again make sure you document your discussion with the principal, or principals. BE PATIENT! It may take time to resolve the situation, or to get the information necessary to get back to you with an answer.
If parents find they are not getting answers or results by dealing with school level staff and administration then the next step is to move to the district administration. Many times there are assistant superintendents or other administrative staff people who deal with issues related to curriculum and policies. Go through the same process with them as you did with the school level staff. Again it is critical to keep copies of emails and correspondences related to the issues or questions you have. Always emphasize you are working through the school district chain of command giving everyone a chance to address your concerns.
From that level the next step is the superintendent of the district, and if that step does not work there is your elected officials, the school board members. They are there to represent the taxpayer and voters. The school board members can be contacted through letters and emails. If necessary the issues may have to be brought to a public meeting of the school board if you are not receiving the results you are seeking. This is specifically a good approach if the issues involve more than one student and other parents may have the same concerns. Always bring a group of organized parents with well thought out information and research to board meetings. Try to give the board a time frame, because you have gone through all appropriate channels and have not gotten the result you are seeking.
After having gone through all of these steps first, never leave out the Pennsylvania Department of Education. If the issue involves special education, the department can be contacted at 1-800-879-2301. For regular education questions contact 1-717-787-4860.
Depending on the issue and the type of concerns being expressed by parents, it may be necessary to take those concerns to the community by writing letters to the editor and working with local community groups. Parents can always run for their local school boards in an effort to promote change.
Unfortunately, school districts are guilty of using a technique called delphi. This is something that is used if the issue being debated is heated, and the district is trying to keep control of the discussion or direction of an issue. The delphi technique can be found online, and it is something parents and taxpayers need to understand. (more on delphi technique)
*Delphi Technique: The Playbook Exposed
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Vaccine Recommendations
For a current list of recommended vaccines from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please visit
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf
The following is a School Board approved Language Arts Curriculum being used in our area at local middle schools.
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*January 11, 2012
NEW HAMPSHIRE LEARNS LESSON IN PARENTAL RIGHTS
"(T)he New Hampshire legislature overturned a gubernatorial veto of a bill that will allow parents to object to material being taught in school and further empowers them to find and pay for suitable, educationally acceptable alternatives to the curricula being foisted on their children."
>>read more>>
Related article:
*January 5, 2012
NEW HAMPSHIRE LAWMAKERS PASS LAW ALLOWING PARENTAL OBJECTIONS TO CURRICULUM
"Hoell stressed the new law could allow parents to address both moral and academic objections to parts of the curriculum. The lawmaker said he could imagine the provision being utilized by parents who disagree with the "whole language" approach to reading education or the Everyday Math program. ‘What if a school chooses to use whole language and the parent likes phonics, which is a better long-term way to teach kids to read?’ Hoell said to HuffPost."
>>read more>>
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*January 8, 2012
THE BENEFITS OF FAILURE
"As adults, we should share our stories of struggling and failure with our students so they understand that it is a part of life. The resiliency students can gain and the lessons they can learn from failing will help them find success in the future."
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Friday, December 02 2011
CALCULATOR BAN ON YOUNG PUPILS (United Kingdom)
"Children are to be banned from using calculators in the early years of primary school to tackle a nationwide crisis in basic maths skills."
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December 1, 2011
QUICK, WRITE THIS DOWN…CURSIVE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
It appears that the Common Core Standards do not include cursive writing.
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2007
"Why Minimally Guided Instruction Does not Work"
“There is no theoretical reason to suppose or empirical evidence to support the notion that constructivist teaching procedures based on the manner in which humans acquire biologically primary information will be effective in acquiring the biologically secondary information required by the citizens of an intellectually advanced society. That information requires direct, explicit instruction.”
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October 24, 2011
PARENT FUROR AT BAWDY SEX ED
“Sex ed, which becomes mandatory in city middle and high schools next year, is meant to stem unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among teens. But parents may be shocked by parts of the Department of Education’s “recommended” curriculum.”
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Related article: October 18, 2011
DOES SEX ED UNDERMINE PARENTAL RIGHTS?
Should the government force parents — at least those not rich enough to afford private schooling — to send their children to classes that may contradict their moral and religious values on matters of intimacy and personal conduct? Liberals and conservatives alike should say no. Such policies violate parents’ rights, whether they are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or of no religion at all. To see why, we need to think carefully about the parent-child relationship that gives rise to the duties that parental rights serve and protect.
>>read more>>
Click to Read “Sex Education in NYC Schools” on their own website.
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October 21, 2011
HAVEN’T I JUST PAID TEACHER TO DO THIS?
“The elementary school just sent a letter home saying I need to teach my child math. I have to teach her the multiplication tables for 10-plus minutes every night until she learns them. There hasn’t been enough time for this in class. Not in first, second, third or fourth grade. I was balancing my checkbook when I read it. My school tax bill was a budget buster so I thought, ‘Haven’t I just paid teachers to do this?’”
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October 14, 2011
ARE CHARACTER STRENGTHS ENOUGH?
“Schools, traditionally, have had a dual mission: knowledge transmission and moral development. Socrates said it best: education should make us both smart and good. Since the Second World War, in the United States and many parts of the developed world the school’s role of transmitting a moral code been given scant attention. In a crazy bit of ‘democratic logic’ the question, “Whose moral values can I teach?” has paralyzed educators.”
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October 13, 2011
EDUCATION GLOBAL WARMING BOOK FOR SEVENTH-GRADERS RECALLED BY MICHIGAN MATH AND SCIENCE CENTER
“A progressive children’s book lauding Al Gore as an ‘eco-hero,’ and offers kids suggestions on global warming activism, has been recalled by the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center ... the review of A Hot Planet revealed that, although ‘this book has some wonderful things in it, it also has some things in it that are not appropriate. There are some other pieces in there that are not based on fact.’ “
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October 10, 2011
CULTURE-WAR HEROINE GETS HER DUE
“If parents think their schools are safe, they’re whistling in the dark….In the name of ‘tolerance,’ the left is working hard to indoctrinate children.”
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October 2, 2011
SOLAR ENERGY CURRICULUM
Sub-title: Biased lesson plans for middle- and high-school students are disguised as math and science curricula
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September 28, 2011
WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION ANYWAY
"Barely enough time has passed for bologna sandwiches to begin rotting in school lockers, yet the 2011-2012 school year is shaping up to be one of the stinkiest ever, if we’re measuring in episodes of putrid political correctness and radicalism."
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September 24, 2011
CAIR/HAMAS SPREADS ISLAMIC PROPAGANDA IN FL ENGLISH TEXTBOOK
“While Islamic Indoctrination in America’s public school textbooks has been detailed in reports by groups like ACT for America, American Textbook Council, and most recently a report by Citizens For National Security (CFNS) which cites over 200 false or misleading excerpts in (27) twenty seven of Florida’s approved History and Social Studies textbooks, this is the first time to our knowledge of Islamic propaganda being reported in an English textbook.”
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September 26, 2011
GEORGIA MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT DEPICTS ‘POSITIVE’ ASPECTS OF SHARIAH LAW
“A Georgia middle school adjusted its lessons after a father complained that his daughter’s homework assignment promoted Shariah law.”
>>read more>>
Related article:
September 22, 2011
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: KEY SITE FOR 'SOFT JIHAD'
"If children are not taught the true meaning of "jihad" they will not be equipped to oppose it, and in fact may even become unwitting proponents of the ideology of political domination that is rooted within the religion itself."
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September 23, 2011
MOM STOPS SCHOOL SEX SURVEY
"When Tessitore (the parent) complained to school officials, she was told that they hadn’t received her consent form, and if parental consent forms weren’t returned to the school, consent was assumed. They called it 'passive consent.' But Tessitore said she never received such a form in the first place."
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September 16, 2011
A PARENT’S HORRID NIGHTMARE: COMING SOON TO YOUR STATE?
"Informed consent is especially important when it comes to vaccination, because there is no way for you or your physician to predict if your child will be one of the children who has a devastating vaccine reaction, such as brain inflammation, immune dysregulation, or even death."
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September 15, 2011
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE IS ANTI-US CONSTITUTION
“The goal of the International Baccalaureate Organization is to impose global education standards and curriculum. This course of study is to produce global citizens, not citizens of America who are loyal to the principles of our founding documents: the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.”
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September 13, 2011
BOOK REVIEW: THE GOOD SCHOOL, HOW SMART PARENTS GET THEIR KIDS THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE
"The purpose of this book is key — to help you recognize that, just because the realtors or the neighbors or folklore says so, even your great school isn’t necessarily that good. So, do the work you need to do before you find your child is not surrounded by excellent teachers, getting a solid foundation, a well-rounded environment and an enthusiastic, energetic confidence in learning. Oh, and don’t forget that talking with your child — and knowing how critical it is that he have such communication from the early years until graduation — is critical to his success."
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September 10, 2011
THE TROUBLE WITH HOMEWORK
The quality of homework matters more than the quantity.
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September 6, 2011
WHAT TEACHERS REALLY WANT TO TELL PARENTS
"We know you love your children. We love them, too. We just ask -- and beg of you -- to trust us, support us and work with the system, not against it. We need you to have our backs, and we need you to give us the respect we deserve. Lift us up and make us feel appreciated, and we will work even harder to give your child the best education possible."
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August 25, 2011
BRAINWASHING U
"Parents sending children off to college for the first time, beware: Their “freshman orientation” is all too likely to include being herded through a “tunnel of oppression” to learn about the evils of “white privilege,” being lectured about how they’re part of a “rape culture” or being forced to discuss their sexual identities with complete strangers -- before they even meet their first professor."
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August 24, 2011
IDEOLOGICAL BATTLES TAKING PLACE OVER TEXTBOOKS IN TWO STATES
Several different states deal with issues that are of special concern to many parents.
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August 19, 2011
ADF RESPONDS TO ADDITIONAL ACLU DEMANDS THAT SCHOOLCHILDREN BE EXPOSED TO PORN
"The Alliance Defense Fund has sent letters to seven public school districts across the country that urge them to reject the American Civil Liberties Union’s demand that they deactivate various Web filters that block student access to websites with sexually explicit material just because some of the sites blocked belong to homosexual activist groups. ADF assured the districts that they are well within their legal rights to retain their filters. The letters provide the districts with a list of sites that display pornographic images and sexual advice that would be accessible to students if the districts give in to the ACLU’s demands."
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August 17, 2011
BACK TO SCHOOL
“It’s easy to go too far one way or the other. If we over-protect our children, we create fearful adults. If we react to online immorality by banning internet use, we foster ignorance. If we over-react to bad movies and music by forbidding most watching and listening, we create rebellion. But if we’re too loose, children lose.”
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August 3, 2011
ON TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
“The school did not take a hard and fast stance on the issue; the point was that all of us were encouraged to think about what we were doing and to use common sense concerning our online interactions with students.”
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August 2, 2011
U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PUSHES MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING, SAVING THE EARTH AS CHILDREN’S READING
"During a July event at the U.S. Department of Education, children from D.C. schools and day care centers were treated to free books, including two featuring Nickelodeon characters as part of the media organization’s “The Big Green Help” Series. One of the books promotes the idea that global warming is man made and the second book talks about what kids can do to save the Earth."
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Summer 2011
HIGH SCHOOLERS IN COLLEGE
“A century ago, often under pressure from labor unions, states passed seat-time and mandatory-attendance laws that compelled youngsters to stay in school, and out of the competition for jobs. The laws haven’t changed much today, but kids have, and by their midteens, many of them—bored with high school or academically beyond it—are ready for the next step.”
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July 7, 2011
SIZING UP CLASSROOMS:
IT’S TIME TO EXPOSE THE “SMALLER-IS-BETTER” MYTH
“Teachers like smaller classes, and understandably so. The advantages include fewer papers to grade, students to manage, and parents to deal with. The teachers’ unions like smaller classes, too. Smaller classes mean more teachers—and more union dues….continuing to insist on smaller classes is foolhardy. In fact, bigger classes could benefit some children and the economy.”
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July 1, 2011
AMERICAN AMNESIA
"We live in a time marked by anxieties over many perceived threats to our way of life—terrorism, economic collapse, and climate change, to mention just a few of the widespread fears making our headlines these days. But there is a looming crisis closer at hand that poses every bit as grave a threat to the future of our way of life: the very real possibility that our democracy will be left in the hands of a citizenry unprepared to govern it and unwilling the make the sacrifices needed to preserve it. A free society requires an informed and virtuous citizenry. "
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June 2011
SCHOOL FLOUTS PARENTAL CONSENT
“Memorial Middle School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts recently conducted a survey asking students intrusive questions about sex, suicide, and illegal drugs without written permission from their parents. Arlene Tessitore has two daughters enrolled at the Fitchburg school in the seventh and eighth grades who were made to complete the survey. She was upset about the survey's probing and inappropriate contents and that she was given no notice that her children would be told to complete it, and so she contacted the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties organization, for legal help.”
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June 2011
‘ADVANCED’ IN NAME ONLY
“More students than ever are earning credits for advanced classes, according to a Department of Education study released in April. The Department's National Center for Education Statistics examined nearly 38,000 high school transcripts and found that the proportion of graduates completing rigorous coursework rose from 5% in 1990 to 13% in 2009. Good news on the education front, you say? Not so fast. Despite taking more challenging-sounding coursework, 17-year-olds aren't scoring any higher on federal standardized tests than they did in 1973. SAT scores have flat-lined since 2000, offering further evidence that kids aren't learning more now.”
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June 30, 2011
TEACHING GRAMMAR DOESN’T STIFLE CREATIVITY; IT ENHANCES CREATIVE WRITING
“Although the rules of the English language are constantly changing and transforming, teaching grammar has great value in the school system because it gives students the background that they need to understand their language and use it effectively both in and out of the academic world. By teaching grammar, educators provide students with the building blocks of language. When students understand each of the building blocks behind their language, they have a greater ability to communicate not only in their native tongue but also in other languages which employ similar building blocks, albeit in a different order.”
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June 27, 2011
L.A. UNIFIED’S NEW HOMEWORK POLICY GIVES STUDENTS A BREAK
“Though they make up just 2 percent of CalSTRS pensions, six-figure payouts are a focus of pension reform discussions under way at the Capitol. Six-figure retirees eat 7 percent of CalSTRS benefits and can ultimately get millions more than they put into the system.... The number of six-figure pensions will likely continue to rise as more highly paid baby boomers reach the end of their careers.”
>>read more>>
Editor’s note: this really doesn’t help out those low performing students. It only makes sense that the more homework they have the better their chances are of improving their grades if they struggle with passing tests.
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June 24, 2011
SCHOOL BOARD RESISTS ‘COMING OUT’ VIDEO
“School board members received multiple emails opposing it—and the board listened. ‘It’s about sexuality. We got sold on it as something more about bullying,’ one board member who voted against it told the local newspaper. “This does little on the harassment and bullying component … It’s not the bulk of the video,’ said another.”
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June 22, 2011
PARENTS SEE POLITICAL SLANT IN 3rd-GRADE TEXTBOOK
“Some Frederick County parents are upset over a third-grade textbook that they say promotes such ideas as government-sponsored child care and universal health care.”
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June 2011
MEET THE SUBURBAN PARENTS
“Teachers unions are widely regarded as the most serious obstacle to the reform of public education, but history suggests a second critical, though less obvious, impediment. It was the muckraker Upton Sinclair who in 1919 conceded -- and, as a socialist, with no great pleasure -- that the success of any reform movement in the United States depends on the active support of the upper-middle class.”
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