Education Reforms – School Funding - Parenting.com
As a parent and an educator, I get really frustrated because I understand what some of the problems are with today's educational system, yet I feel like I have no power to make a change. I read this article in Parenting magazine and I agreed with the top 10 reforms the Mom Congress is pushing. Of course, I doubt anything will change and I do not understand why it is so difficult to change the system. Right now I feel like the current strategy is a mish-mash of a whole bunch of crazy ideas. Rather than taking the time to see what works and what does not, we see new baseless theories being shoved into the curriculum. The teachers understand the problems, but the lawmakers do not.
Here is the top 10 list from Mom Congress along with my thoughts:
Stop the Testing Insanity Let's figure out once and for all what kids really need to learn, and how to measure their progress, without forcing teachers to spend all their time on drill-and-kill methods.
VERY TRUE. WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL THE TESTS WERE DONE TO HELP TEACHERS AND PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHILD WAS ACADEMICALLY. IT WAS A TOOL, THAT'S IT. NO PRESSURE ON THE STUDENTS. NO PRESSURE ON THE TEACHERS. LET'S JUST LEARN FROM THE TESTS AND MOVE FORWARD TO HELP THE STUDENTS IN THE AREAS THAT THEY NEED IT.
Show Teachers Some More R-E-S-P-E-C-T Offer them stipends and tax deductions to help with their education, then pay them more and reward superior performance. According to the National Education Association, the average teacher earns $55,350 a year. The average NBA basketball player: nearly $5 million. Enough said.
OUR VALUES ARE REALLY MESSED UP. TEACHERS ARE INCREDIBLY VALUABLE TO OUR SOCIETY YET WE PAY ATHLETES AND ENTERTAINERS AS IF THEY HAD THE KEYS TO OUR FUTURE. WHAT A WASTE!
Motivate Moms and Dads Get more parents involved with innovative programs, such as reducing their tax burden if they volunteer at school or requiring them to commit to a specific amount of time if their child is accepted in a charter or “choice” public school.
PARENTS NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION. TEACHERS CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. IF THE PARENT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS THEN IT'S A LOSING BATTLE.
Pony Up for Preschoolers, Too Increase funding for Head Start, Universal Pre-K, and other early-childhood programs so all children are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten.
MANY CHILDREN NEED THAT EXTRA BOOST BEFORE THEY ENTER SCHOOL AND MANY PARENTS CANNOT AFFORD IT. LET'S HELP KIDS GET OFF TO A GOOD START.
Clean Up the Cafeteria Ensure that healthy meals are provided to all children daily.
Reclaim Recess If you really want to fight childhood obesity, make recess mandatory every day and demand more phys-ed classes.
YES, YES, YES! RECESS IS NEEDED! KIDS NEED TIME TO BE KIDS. THEY NEED TO RUN AND PLAY AND INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. ACADEMICS ARE IMPORTANT BUT SOCIAL INTERACTION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ALSO CRUCIAL TO DEVELOPMENT.
Bandage Their Cuts and Bruises… and treat their allergies, asthma, tummy aches, and whatever else ails them with a full-time nurse in every school building.
A FULL TIME NURSE IS NEEDED IN EVERY SCHOOL. ASIDE FROM THE NORMAL ILLNESSES AND SCRAPES THAT HAPPEN DURING THE DAY WE NEED A NURSE TO LOOK AFTER THE KIDS WITH SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES, LIKE JUVENILE DIABETES, FOOD ALLERGIES, ETC.
Banish Bullies… and any other threats to our childrens' safety by insisting on adequate security and zero-tolerance policies.
NO BULLYING PERIOD.
Be Smart About the Arts! Ensure that music and arts education remains a key part of the curriculum in all schools.
ART AND MUSIC ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF A CHILD'S EDUCATION. EVEN IF A CHILD DOES NOT SHOW A TALENT IN EITHER AREA, THEY CAN STILL HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR THE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS. OUR KIDS NEED TO BE INSPIRED BY WHAT THEY SEE AND HEAR.
Wire Budding Brains Equip all schools with the technology and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes needed to make our children globally competitive.
I WANT EQUAL ACCESS TOO. ALL SCHOOLS NEED ADEQUATE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES. WE CANNOT LET ANY SCHOOL BE LEFT BEHIND AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES AT RAPID SPEED.
So there it is. Now what can be done?
