Michigoose

Thu, Jun 16, 2011 : 12:43 a.m.

Those who can't teach, make policy about teaching. Funny how Rick Snyder's family does not use the public school system he wants to gut, but rather a private school which has declared its costs to be $20,000 per pupil, more than double what is spent on public school students. But let's be clear about something. There are three kinds of schools: public, private, and for-profit. When the Republicans privatize education, they will NOT be turning public schools into the kinds of fancy non-for-profit prep schools to which they send their children. They will turn them into for-profit charter schools, the K-12 equivalent of University of Phoenix, the kind of education they would never accept for their own children. This is a bunch of lies to cover up the real statement that they are making: "Let them eat cake!"

kimberly

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 : 3:36 p.m.

"…another words, put back the damage caused by the 60's and 70's leftist liberal social engineering failures." - shepard145, June 12, 2011 Since this is never going to happen, we need to come up with some viable solutions. Just because kids are learning differently than you did, doesn't make the new ways "wrong." How many times in history have we seen things as "new and wrong" that are now the norm? For some students, these programs are the last resort and their last chance at a successful life. Are you going to deprive them of a chance at an education just because it is new, strange, and unfamiliar? In other words, don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

kimberly

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 : 3:35 p.m.

If we need to use computers and online courses to get our kids engaged enough to graduate, then so be it. I have seen these programs work. "Yeah, great idea. Plunk a kid in front of a computer screen with a bunch of "assignments." Really innovative. Really hands-on and experiential and rich. Great way to learn how to engage with the world and community, how to work collaboratively, how to think critically and deal with unexpected real-world problems. Ugh. Ick." - a2person, June 12, 2011 4) how to think critically and deal with unexpected real-world problems With the constant feedback (from Highly-Qualified instructors and from other students in the program) and the infinite opportunities to revise and re-write projects, these students learn to think critically, think from other points-of-view, and to answer the "tough" questions. They are constantly being asked questions to expand their thinking and their thought process. They are often asked to evaluate the world around them and think, "What is wrong? What can I do to fix it?" If this isn't real-world, I don't know what is.

kimberly

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 : 3:35 p.m.

If we need to use computers and online courses to get our kids engaged enough to graduate, then so be it. I have seen these programs work. "Yeah, great idea. Plunk a kid in front of a computer screen with a bunch of "assignments." Really innovative. Really hands-on and experiential and rich. Great way to learn how to engage with the world and community, how to work collaboratively, how to think critically and deal with unexpected real-world problems. Ugh. Ick." - a2person, June 12, 2011 3)Great way to learn how to engage with the world and community, how to work collaboratively While students may mostly work from home in these types of programs, there is often an opportunity to go to "labs," or to work in a group setting. Here they can work with other students in the program or receive face-to-face help from a Highly-Qualified instructor. Also, these programs often offer email and chat services, where researchers sometimes like to talk to each other more than do their "assignments." Since there are state standards that require students to work in groups, these students are encouraged to contact each other and to work together to complete larger projects. Programs like this encourage the "critical friends" model, where students' peers give feedback on projects, but the feedback is constructive criticism.

kimberly

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 : 3:34 p.m.

If we need to use computers and online courses to get our kids engaged enough to graduate, then so be it. I have seen these programs work. "Yeah, great idea. Plunk a kid in front of a computer screen with a bunch of "assignments." Really innovative. Really hands-on and experiential and rich. Great way to learn how to engage with the world and community, how to work collaboratively, how to think critically and deal with unexpected real-world problems. Ugh. Ick." - a2person, June 12, 2011 2) Really hands-on and experiential and rich. It is! The students do all of their own research. It is all driven by their own drive and determination to graduate. They look into several different avenues to answer the question by looking as several different sources (such as planting a garden - should we grow organic? What should we grow? How are we going to divvy up the work? How are we going to measure how the plants are doing? What experiments are we going to do on the growing plants?). After turning in the project and getting feedback (from Highly-Qualified instructors and other students in the program), the researcher has infinite opportunities to revise and redo their project to make it even better. I think we would all agree that we learn best from our own mistakes and experiences.

kimberly

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 : 3:33 p.m.

If we need to use computers and online courses to get our kids engaged enough to graduate, then so be it. I have seen these programs work. "Yeah, great idea. Plunk a kid in front of a computer screen with a bunch of "assignments." Really innovative. Really hands-on and experiential and rich. Great way to learn how to engage with the world and community, how to work collaboratively, how to think critically and deal with unexpected real-world problems. Ugh. Ick." - a2person, June 12, 2011 1)Plunk a kid in front of a computer screen with a bunch of "assignments." Students' "assignments" are not worksheets. They are real-world problems that need to be solved. The student often has the option of answering and doing an extended project on a "ready-made" question (created by Highly-Qualified instructors) or of coming up with their OWN questions to answer. These "driving questions" all have real-world applications, such as "How do roller coasters coast?" It may seem trivial, but to answer this intriguing question the students has to analyze math and science concepts, and then they apply that information to answer this real world question.

kimberly

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.

"Education in Michigan does not need to be "transformed." What we need to do is identify what works very well with the vast majority of our students and to figure out how to get the rest of the students to follow suit." - macjont, June 12, 2011 Unfortunately, this is the problem, not the solution. Anyone who has gone through a "Highly Qualified" college teacher preparation course knows that no 2 students learn the same way. There are things called "differentiated instruction" and "multiple intelligences." Some kids learn better by doing, others by listening, and others by both. Some kids are more detail oriented while others are more "big picture" type of people. By trying to standardize our students like we are trying to standardize our tests, we squash their individuality and can't really measure how much they learn. This is was separates the teachers from the want-to-be's. Good teachers know that each student will bring a different approach to her lesson. He/she is prepared to handle any question and to explain topics a different way if necessary. He/she knows that technology is going to be the easiest way to reach and engage this generation of students. As we teachers know, a dis-engaged student is a student who is not learning, thus will not grow and succeed.

Katherine Williams Ganzel

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.

I also find it odd that the failures of the school system always come down primarily on the shoulders of the teachers. I am not okay with school administrators making shockingly exorbitant incomes because, just like corporate CEO's, they seem to have little accountability for the success for the schools and tend to "fail" upward. That isn't right. But no one seems to notice that schools have no control over the societal issues that bring damaged, poverty-stricken, under-prepared children to it's doors. If we really wanted children to succeed, we would put in place a society that protects, nurtures, feeds and prepares students for success. It has been proven that fully funded Head Start programs pay back $9 for each $1 of taxpayer money spent because those students become successful, productive taxpayers. Also, making trade schools and college truly affordable for those who really need it would seem like a no-brainer. Imagine if you were a Detroit High School student, would you bother finishing high school if you knew there was no way you would be able to afford college? Or if you did, you would have so much debt you would be crippled for years economically. And where would you find a job in Detroit with your college education? This seems like the real issue that needs to be addressed instead of "reforming" the public schools into nonexistence. Unless that was your ultimate goal.

Katherine Williams Ganzel

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 5:44 p.m.

I find it interesting that the person who wrote this op-ed is extolling the virtues of the Mackinac Island Policy Conference. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy (which I believe the Detroit Chambers Regional Mackinac Island Policy Conference is either affiliated or a sister organization) is funded by multibillionaires such as the Koch brothers, the De Vos family (Amway) and the Walton family (WalMart). This is not a group that wants to "reform" the public education system for the betterment of the students who rely on the public schools. They are intent on destroying the public education system through charter schools, school choice, destroying the teacher's unions and privatizing the school services for profit of their corporate cronies with taxpayer dollars. Essentially, they are a libertarian think-tank. If the voters of Michigan are okay with the destruction of the public school system as we know it, then let's get it going. But let's not kid ourselves as to the real goal of these right wing groups.

megan

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 3:25 p.m.

As a teacher, I have been told that everyone learns in different ways so I need to find new ways to reach the students. Differentiate my teaching strategies. Sounds like this program does just that. It gives students (who for whatever reason cannot attend school) another option. They can earn a diploma through Project-Based Learning online. Why do people feel that the only way to learn is in a school building, at a desk, writing definitions, and regurgitating information? In this day and age when virtually everyone has a computer (or access to a computer) don't we want students to know where to find the information they need and how to use it? It sounds like that's what this program does. I think it's great that kids have choices about their education when they usually have little control over their circumstances.

eastsidemom

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 3:17 p.m.

Really?? shepard 145: The solutions to improving education are direct but impossible to buy with taxpayer dollars: a. Outlaw the NEA, reorganize teachers so they're paid for performance, b. Reestablish corporal discipline in schools with legal protection for teachers, c. replace single parent households with caring, stable nuclear families, d. mandate positive, educated daily parental encouragement and involvement in the education of students. Sounds like a police state-Outlaw the4 union? That is plain Unamerican and a red herring excuse. We do not want corporal punishment restored to teachers ever. You cannot mandate family structures, sorry and thank God. And mandate positive? And 174 people agee? Wow, truly folks?

aataxpayer

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 12:01 p.m.

DonBee catches grief about budget numbers, but he's right. We're spending over $15,000 per student when all costs are included. Put another way, that's over $375,000 for an elementary classroom with 25 students. Including basic benefits and the 25% retirement charge, about $110 to $125,000 pays for the teacher. Where does the other $250,000 go? Fundamental budget reviews are needed.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 1:49 a.m.

Yet more empty rhetoric from Mr. Watkins who, apparently, is STILL lobbying for a job in the Snyder administration. Good Night and Good Luck

macjont

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 : 12:52 a.m.

Education in Michigan does not need to be "transformed." What we need to do is identify what works very well with the vast majority of our students and to figure out how to get the rest of the students to follow suit. It's interesting to note that we test students and use these test results to evaluate their teachers. Compare this approach with that taken in medicine. We patients are subjected to countless "tests." We are weighed; our blood pressure is measured; our blood is tested to extract many meaningful numbers; and on and on. In medicine, however, those numbers are used to determine our health status and, if is falls short, to determine a course of treatment. From there, matters are handled differently in medicine than they are in education. If the doctor prescribes medication or steps to reduce our weight, our blood pressure or our cholesterol, we are expected to take the medication as prescribed, control our diet or exercise as directed. If patients fail to follow the doctor's directions, we don't blame the doctor for the outcome. I suspect that if all the failing students (16%?) would do what their teachers ask them to do, the number of failures would decline remarkably. Yes, we would still have a few students who still do not learn, even with our proven educational methods. But then, even in medicine, known medical care, even when faithfully followed, does not cure or prevent all diseases.

shepard145

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 10:23 p.m.

a. Outlaw the NEA, reorganize teachers so they're paid for performance, b. Reestablish corporal discipline in schools with legal protection for teachers, c. replace single parent households with caring, stable nuclear families, d. mandate positive, educated daily parental encouragement and involvement in the education of students. Regarding A, those were the old days and like most cases, unions have outgrown their usefulness. We all know the game - teacher unions protect the wages of senior negotiating teachers, cut those of new teachers then complain to tax payers the next year that the teachers they just undercut are "underpaid" so we "need a tax hike". It's an old routine and we're tired of it. Teacher unions are set up to benefit "union workers", not children, and need to be OUTLAWED so teaching can return to a profession. …interesting you reference union factory workers, which is what those dragged from the Madison Capital Building looked like. ..not really a dignified image for teachers or factory workers. ...and by the way, factory workers will need technical college educations to succeed in this economy ...or they can move to Mexico. There are police in some schools but you're worried about corporal punishment? Really? If some teachers don't value corporal punishment then they don't need to use it, but physical response to dangerous or disruptive behavior by especially older students should be available to every teacher who wants it with the support of parents and the district. Regarding C and D, I agree that this is not an issue for teachers, but policy makers. We can stop democrat vote buying policies encouraging the creation of single parent families by taking away the financial incentives to have babies on a whim or for a living (collecting government checks). Ask people who work at the county records offices - they see this disgrace every day. We can also change tax law to place move value on nuclear families.

janofmi

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 7:37 p.m.

@DonBee: I Ann Arbor Schools would love to have $15,000 per child to spend. I believe that the actual per-pupil funding for and AAPS kid is closer to $950-10,000 per student. @shepard145...Teachers wish that they could fix C and D from your list, but no one can control families. As far as B there are volumes of research that show that corporal punishment is not an effective tool to use to help children perform better in school. And as for A...the MEA provides teachers with protections that were missing before unionization. Did you know that prior to 1966 teachers were often required to drive busses, were paid less than the average factory worker with a HS diploma, had not recourse in helping to define curriculum, class size, or other issues to benefit students. Union busting is not going to fix the percieved problems with public education. Perhaps getting Bill Gate and Eli Broad out of the education business and listening to the people who work with kids everyday will make a difference.

Michael Shen

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 7:16 p.m.

Ann Arbor's high school system is, for the most part, fine. The problem is the elementary and middle school system. I agree that in those years, kids do need free time, but they also need to learn something. There is very little progress made in elementary schools after the first few years of basic learning. Then, students that didn't go above and beyond what was expected of them in school or weren't fortunate enough to have parents pushing them ahead get completely left behind once high school starts. It should not be acceptable if teachers teach the multiplication tables in 2nd grade, but then continue to do so all the way into 6th grade. Demand more of elementary schoolers and we're likely to get more out of them! Furthermore, more technology is NOT the answer. The classic example is the case of the calculator. We should be teaching students how to do math well FIRST, then a calculator can be used for difficult computations. In the end, an educated individual can do more than an uneducated individual with a technological advantage.

DonBee

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.

Teaching is difficult. Teaching in a community with a breakdown in family structure is even more difficult. The Harlem Project has done what no one previously could do in Harlem, given children and education and hope. Yes, corporate America helped, wouldn't you if you could help children find a better life? The difference per student between The Harlem Project's $16,000 per student and AAPS $15,000 per student (all sources in both cases) is not that great. I don't have a clue why we can not stretch the money we have to cover a similar effort for the children that need it. It would be interesting to do a line by line budget comparison to see what the differences in spending are by area. Is it home visits? Teacher overtime? Lunch? Clothes? Buildings? Where is the real difference. Then after the money comes the real difference, engagement of the administration, teachers, schools with parents, etc? Rules? Disipline? Expectations? Without breaking it down into what really make the Harlem Project and others like it go, we will never know why they work. What we do know is that in Michigan 16 percent of all students never graduate. In Detroit that number is reported to be more than 50 percent. As a nation the US throws more money at K-12 education, per student, than any other in the world and our global ranking keeps slipping. What are we doing wrong?

Fire Rick

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 2:47 p.m.

Really tired of hearing about businessmen deciding how to reform education. Maybe we should consider the ideas of educators and parents? <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/08/gym.schools.parents/index.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/08/gym.schools.parents/index.html</a> On another note, please stop by the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market from 8-12 on any Saturday morning to sign the petition to recall Rick Snyder. Information about other signing events can be found on <a href="http://firericksnyder.org/" rel='nofollow'>http://firericksnyder.org/</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Recall-Rick-Snyder-Washtenaw-County/207639665935070" rel='nofollow'>https://www.facebook.com/pages/Recall-Rick-Snyder-Washtenaw-County/207639665935070</a>

shepard145

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 2:28 p.m.

I agree with the last two comments. It's easy for consultants to propose solutions and the carefully shaved statistics that claim their "new program" works on a minute scale or in another country– even the specific Steve Jobs $500 product du jour! The WAY is nonsense that would never stand up in the real world. When out of ideas, it's fashionable these days to ramble on about the wonders of Canada, which by the way pales to US economic power. With regard to education, very little about Canadian demographics matches the challenges and vast numbers of students in the US. Where is the mono ethnic "Canadian Detroit" and schools faced with teaching children of parents with a deplorable literacy rate and who are often indifferent to hostile towards education? How would the WAY work there? LOL The solutions to improving education are direct but impossible to buy with taxpayer dollars: a. Outlaw the NEA, reorganize teachers so they're paid for performance, b. Reestablish corporal discipline in schools with legal protection for teachers, c. replace single parent households with caring, stable nuclear families, d. mandate positive, educated daily parental encouragement and involvement in the education of students. …another words, put back the damage caused by the 60's and 70's leftist liberal social engineering failures. Note that NONE of these changes can be bought with more taxpayer money or decrees from the all powerful (in their own dim minds) federal government. You have all the answers now – go make it happen.

CLX

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 1:55 p.m.

I agree with northside. Great teaching is a lot like parenting - it takes tons of time and patience and ability to understand and &quot;read&quot; a child, and much of it is tedious. Think back to your greatest teachers -- my bet is that their virtues were the ability to control a class, reach everyone, and motivate the kids to motivate themselves. Great teachers take time to develop. There is no magic solution; there is a lot of hard work, and it's the type of hands-on work that is increasingly devalued.

northside

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 1:42 p.m.

This piece is a reminder of why actual educators can't stand most educational consultants. They get paid money to come in a give talks and advice that is as vacant as this op-ed. What Mr. Watkins says appeals to &quot;movers and shakers&quot; because it offers a simplistic solution to complex problems: all schools have to do is 'innovate' and 'transform' and then all student success problems will be solved.

Midwestern Teacher

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 1:34 p.m.

The greatest benefits of this &quot;reform&quot; are not going to students. Follow the money. Geoffrey Canada, the founder of Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), will benefit significantly from less attention to &quot;power, control, politics, and adults&quot; as his foundation has made and stands to make an enormous amount of money off of this transformation of the schools. It is no wonder that he is in support of a program that will lead to dismantling the public schools and paving the way for the expansion of charter schools. &quot;HCZ had net assets of $194 million listed on its 2008 nonprofit tax report. Almost $15 million was in savings and temporary investments, and another $128 million was invested at a hedge fund.&quot; &quot;Charters are overwhelmingly controlled by hedge fund directors and finance capitalists who sit on the boards of directors that are legally responsible for running the charter and establishing its financial, educational, and personnel policies.&quot; &quot;As educational historian Diane Ravitch notes, the corporate-based reform agenda undermines community and democracy and is subject "to the whim of entrepreneurs and financiers." The obsession with schools as a business, she notes, "threatens to destroy public education." <a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/25_02/25_02_miner.shtml" rel='nofollow'>http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/25_02/25_02_miner.shtml</a>

David Briegel

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.

Lisa, the funding priorities truly reflect the fearful values of American Exceptionalism. We need to fund that Prison Industrial Complex at the expense of our children. We are afraid of those &quot;others&quot; that are imprisoned at a much higher rate than any other nation on earth. Between wars and prisons, education doesn't stand a chance amongst our priorities! Heck, anything that benefits human beings doesn't stand a chance!

ViSHa

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 1:26 p.m.

I would be happy just focusing on the other 3 R's (and I don't count Everyday Math as an R). Lose some of the fluff and the endless parties.

a2person

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.

Yeah, great idea. Plunk a kid in front of a computer screen with a bunch of &quot;assignments.&quot; Really innovative. Really hands-on and experiential and rich. Great way to learn how to engage with the world and community, how to work collaboratively, how to think critically and deal with unexpected real-world problems. Ugh. Ick.

Lisa Starrfield

Sun, Jun 12, 2011 : 11:58 a.m.

Harlem's Children Zone spends about $5,000 per child not including the per pupil spending at the charter schools. Their charter school had a per pupil spending of almost $12,000. Only 75% of their students met their reading goals. They also had a teacher turn over rate of above 20%. Give the public schools another $5000 per pupil and I bet we can beat that but right now, we spend more than three times as much on our prisoners as we do our K-12 students.