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While there’s a lot of buzz around school reform both at the state and national level, parent involvement hasn’t been a significant part of the dialogue, Lt. Gov. Matt Denn said.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan plans to award a portion of the $4 million federal Race to the Top stimulus grant to states committed to changing the way schools run. Delaware is one of the states vying for the money.
Duncan is looking for states to adopt rigorous international standards and high-quality assessments, create data systems that track students throughout their schooling, improve teacher effectiveness and intervene at the lowest-performing schools. But parent involvement is not a requirement.
“We can change laws and regulations that govern how teachers and administrators do their jobs … and what happens to students during the school day,” Denn said. “But it’s a lot harder — as it should be — for the government to tell parents what to do.”
Denn still hopes Delaware can become a national leader in fostering parental participation in schools.
Parents are the key links to successful students. Teachers cannot be effective without involved parents. Parent cannot be an effective partner without involved teachers.
For those who don’t know me, I am not one of those people who have to list my resume of involvement. Those out there boasting about what they done as if they were responsible for doing it all are full of shit. There is no “I” in teamwork. DSTP didn’t get the Ax because of one person as many of us had a role. The 3-Tier Diplomas didn’t get repealed because of one person as many us had a role. As far as 3-Tier Diploma I got news for everyone! Bill Lee pushed it to the top of the political agenda in 2004 where he nearly beat Minner who was going for her second term as governor. Lee made it a campaign issue and if elected DSTP would have been replaced by now. Also, when John Carney was running for a second term as Lt. Governor in 2004 he called for dumping the 3-Teir Diploma way before Minner buckled under. Lee could have and should have won in 2008 however he lost touch with the real team aka those who matter parents.
Matt Denn took the time to “engage” real people who matter in education, parents! Matt Denn even takes the time to reach out to those critical of the path of educational reform. My views on the education reform aren’t driven by politics and if it were as an involved Republican I would be slamming him. Arne Duncan, I slam the shit out of and you’ll notice I put more blame on him mores so than Obama. But that’s going to change very soon.
No one can deny the highest population of students falling below the achievement gap is students living in poverty. African-Americans make up a large percentage of this population. Also, we have many single parent homes where one parent is busting ass just trying to survive and they are doing their best with their school children.
The lack of effective parental involvement in Delaware is like a disease and many of those who are trying to reform public education are out of touch. Matt Denn took the time as Lt. Governor to go out and work in the schools and reach out to parents. He also had the balls to reach out to me. Governor Markell in not Lt. Governor Matt Denn’s boss! Denn does not need Markell’s permission to get involved as he see fit nor is his mouth controlled my Markell.
Matt Denn believes in many of the reform plans on the table and all have its merits. I feel Matt Denn recognizes a pile of money on the table doesn’t guarantee complete success. We have a problem in Delaware schools and root cause in ineffective intervention in promoting parental involvement. I know for a fact Red Clay is trying it’s ass off in promoting parental involvement but their program is stifled by years of dictatorship causing fear in those within who know the truth and answers to the problems.
Vision 2015 and Rodel (OMG) have their merits and the intentions are solid but they don’t get it! Teach for America has a clue but they lack real outreach. I went to one of Rodel’s public event a few years ago and there was no open forum and all controlled by an agenda and the requirement that question to be asked must be submitted in writing. Those with questions of critical concerns were not addressed or tactfully snubbed. Rodel has a wonderful parent adership program and yes they are taught how to be an effective partner in education and advocate through positive means. But there comes a time to fess up to the fact that Delaware is lacking in promoting parental involvement side by side with effective parent accountability programs.
Some narrow-minded people say take their welfare checks away until they get involved in their children’s education. Arne Duncan’s visions aren’t all half-baked. He sees schools a community based resources center that incorporates schools as an integrated center address needs beyond education. Perhaps if when invest in food pantries and clothing closest housed within our poorest schools might get parents in the school. For many poor parents schools represents failure as in their own. Getting parents in the schools is the hardest part and once there it gets easier. It’s sad that we need to bait parents to attend event by including food and babysitting but dam if the smell of food draws then put it on the table.
On Saturday November 21, 2009 Red Clay will hold its annual district wide Family Resources Fair at Conrad. Last year over 1000 parents and students attended this event. If I could have one wish, I would wish that our elected official attend this event and you don’t have to be an elected officials in Red Clay. Dam, I would love to see Tom Wagner our State Auditor there as he plays a major role in public education. Protack don’t come there with campaign propaganda. Just wear the goofy button, Protack for county council and for God sake don’t start the Ross Perot shit “here’s what we need to do.” Rick Jensen for God sake do not do the Obama IPod rap shit cause your ass may end up in shoeboxes scatter throughout the hood! I cannot believe you did that last night! Nick bring some of those Greek deserts! Wait that might attract the wrong crowd, LOL! Also, don’t offer to buy refreshment at an event where they are free. Better yet stay home and send the Lamb Chop sisters. Lillian for God sake if you’re going to be Jeff put him on a leash. I am hoping to see Joe Biden in attendance and Joe if you bring Arne Duncan I’ll kiss his feet in public. This event a district wide event at Conrad could serve as a place for our elect officials to see and feel real meaningful parental outreach. Come and learn and be so bold in asking “parents” what they need and what can help parental involved.
We cannot turn education around until we turn parents around. We can’t keep piling money on top of money and create a larger educational bureaucratic system that just adds more administration and plans that don’t address root causes. Public education belongs to the public and the only way to return it to the public is by including them as the number one stakeholder.
“During a press conference, Governor Rhodes called the protesters un-American and referred to the protesters as revolutionaries set on destroying higher education in Ohio. “They’re worse than the brown shirts and the communist element and also the night riders and the vigilantes,” Rhodes said. “They’re the worst type of people that we harbor in America. I think that we’re up against the strongest, well-trained, militant, revolutionary group that has ever assembled in America.”
“Rhodes also claimed he would obtain a court order declaring a state of emergency, banning further demonstrations, and gave the impression that a situation akin to martial law had been declared; however he never attempted to obtain such an order.”
“The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience—the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE’s core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them”
This song America from Bloodrock is about 40 years old. I remember when it was first released and is one of the songs from yesterday that I could never shake. There was much pain in the country back then with the war in Vietnam, the assignations of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy and the National Guard killing of Kent State students protesting the war. America seemed like a hopeless country in the eyes of a 15 year old. Somehow this song rings more true about today’s America and I can only image what goes through the minds of 15 year olds today.
The push for “Race to the Top” dollars has sparked some concerns from Wisconsin Democrats, with state Sen. Mark Miller, co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, asking Duncan for more details on the federal program in a letter Tuesday.
“As much as I and other public officials want to improve public school performance, we can only do so if we can pay for it. Wisconsin will be gambling with our educational future if we make these financial and policy commitments and then fail to keep them,” Miller wrote. “Because so much is unknown about how Race to the Top grant dollars will be allocated and for how long, we feel like a gambler trying to draw to an inside straight.”
Right on Senator Miller, “so much is unknown about Race to the Top”! Pencil dick Arne Duncan doesn’t advertise this is a two-year grant and after it’s gone there will be no funding for all this bullshit intervention. Pencil dick Arne Duncan does fess up that 900 million of the 4.5 billion will be pissed away in administrative cost from USDOE, the state’s DOE and local school administration.
“We’re saying, if you’re committed to real change in the way you educate your kids; if you’re willing to hold yourselves more accountable; if you develop a strong plan to improve the quality of education in your state, we’ll offer you a grant to help make that plan a reality,” Obama told the crowd at Wright Middle School.
Dam Obama, practice what you preach! You hired Kevin Jennings Duncan’s butt buddy who has no problem with male high school juniors having sex with older man as long as they use condoms. Jennings says the student was 16 age of legal consent not 15 as reported. Right on Obama, lets forget about the back room breakfast deals Arne Duncan makes.
“These jobs include positions for teachers, principals, and support staff in elementary and secondary schools, and educational, administrative, and support personnel in institutions of higher education,” ED said in the 248-page report on education-related jobs data. “In addition, approximately 73,000 other jobs (including both education and non-education positions) were saved or created from the SFSF [State Fiscal Stabilization Fund] Government Services Fund, Federal Work Study, and Impact Aid fund. Thus the total number of jobs paid for through the Department’s ARRA grants is close to 400,000.” That is over half of the 640,000 positions ARRA saved across all sectors.”
“DE: ARRA Funding Used To Innovate At Warner Elementary School, Paid For Support Staff, Technology, Boost Up Program.”
“Red Clay Delaware, Title I funds were used to hire temporary literacy coaches at all district schools and to assist the district with its Response to Intervention Program. Some funds have also been used to upgrade technology and implement a teacher training program”
“The Red Clay Consolidated School District, which includes Warner, is getting $1.79 million in stimulus money this year and $2.32 million next year. At Warner, all the stimulus-funded programs are new, said district Superintendent Merv Daugherty. “We asked ourselves how can we think outside the box at this school,” he said. “We didn’t do anything the same with our stimulus money.” Administrators said the money will run out about the same time the district’s strategic planning will take place. That will give them a chance to evaluate what stimulus-funded programs will be worth continuing with state dollars.” [The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), 10/5/09]“
“$110.3 Million Stimulus Apportionment Via U.S. Department Of Education Helps Negate Delaware Budget Cuts.”
“205 teaching and paraprofessional positions broken down as follows: Administrative 7, 29, Substitutes 3, Technical support 2, Nurse 1, Teachers 155″Paraprofessionals,Guidance 4, Secretaries 4,
Kilroy says;
Warner school gets 6 Teach for America teachers but they are not additional teachers. 6 TFAs are just replacing the so-called losers who weren’t as qualified as these recent college graduates. Well one thing for sure, with all this money going to Warner, Warner will meet the class size legislation! I wonder what lame ass excuse the Red Clay school board will have it it doesn’t?
172 million dollars and we only get 237 saved or new jobs in Delaware’s education system ? See page 31 for yourself. 32.4 million dollars for Title 1 state-wide and only 7 jobs. FYI, the summer Title 1 jobs were filled with existing teachers looking for supplemental part-time work for the summer. 32.7 million for IDEA-B and 20.6 jobs. Seems like Title 1 is a profit center. 110.3 million to “negate” the state’s budget crisis!
Pencil dick Arne Duncan is clueless to the $$$ shell games that go on in Delaware. The bottomline is with all this millions flowing into Delaware’s public schools there should be no reason not to see test scores go up this year.
Now for our state legislators, they don’t make opinions on these stimulus issues because they are clueless and there are a few who are more involved with charter schools than traditional public schools. As long as some of Arne Duncan’s bribe money flows to their pet schools than they’ll turn their heads.
Next school year Delaware will get another round of stimulus money for education and Markell will cut education funding in the state budget. However, in 2012 shit will hit the fan because the stimulus pot will dry up and there will be big time teacher layoffs. The stimulus money is being use to address short-term needs aka crisis and nothing is being done to address the longterm crisis. Red Clay is going to be screw come 2012 becuase they’ll need more money to address the expring teacher’s and labor contracts and with the stimulus money dried up along with three years of state cuts there will be hell to pay.
Sorry Jack, by time 2012 rolls around education is going to be a finanical nightmare. But don’t worry many of my Republican friends will still be blaming labor rather than you and pencil dick Arne Duncan.
“Delaware’s Division of Public Health released data Wednesday showing that 37.5 percent — 1,531 out of 4,080 — of students at seven schools where the swine flu nasal spray was available Tuesday got the vaccine. On Monday, less than a quarter of students at eight Delaware schools turned out to get the nasal spray, known as FluMist”
Since the H1N1 is such an epidemic with many deaths perhaps it should be a requirement students should get the vaccination or not be permitted to attend school.
The United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was just in town October 27 , 2009 to have his ass kissed by Jack Markell and Rodel’s ass. You would think Arne Duncan would make a public service announcement encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated. The only message he offered was Delaware public school teachers are failures.
So when a student contracts H1Ni and dies who is held accountable? Surely the parent of the victim will be crying the should have their child vaccinated. The H1N1 vaccination is safe as the sesaon flu shot!
My guesstimate for possible state budget cuts for public education for FY2011 is between 60-80 million dollars.
Markell is pretty much all tapped out! I don’t forsee pay cuts for state workers including teachers. With 2010 being an election year it’s doubtful Delaware legislators will want to raise taxes. Markell “will” be forced to call for state layoffs and this will hurt Beau Biden’s chances for being elected to senate.
Do make note the federal education stimulus package was for only two years. Surely Markell will try to manipulate any Race To the Top federal funding and word has it RTT grant for Delaware is a shoe-in. Markell will cut the state share of public education funding and try to plug it with federal funds. But it won’t be enough to save jobs. Much of the RTT will go to state assessment. Remember we’re running the DSTP and the new test this year and there will be extra analysis cost associated with fine tuning the new test. We still have to pay the old DSTP vendor and now the new testing vendor.
Rumor has it little Joey is pissed because his associates didn’t get the contract for the new test. DOE is holding back on the announcement to get their legal position inline because Joey’s boys are going to cry foul!
According to an alarming new report, 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are unable to enlist in the military because they fail to graduate high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and some of America’s top retired military brass will hold a news conference at the National Press Club Thursday to call for immediate action to address this national security threat.
OMG. here comes the presidential fitness program to help students become better candidates for the United States military.
Obama coaxes states to change with school dollars “The administration can’t really tell states and schools what to do, since education has been largely a state and local responsibility throughout the history of the U.S. But the $5 billion grant fund, which was set aside in the economic stimulus law, gives Obama considerable leverage. “
This 5 billion dollars is stimulus money to help get the economy back on its feet and Obama sees it as leverage money to gain more federal control of public schools.
“Obama sees the test score data and charter schools, which are publicly funded but independent of local school boards, as solutions to the problems that plague public education.”
But who will be left behind in the public schools? What about children whose parents abandoned them in failing public schools, who will advocate for throw away children?
When will Delaware’s governor Jack Markell force the repeal of the Delaware charter school law that will let parents of failing schools determine if the school should be converted to a charter?
Dave Burris has returned to the Delaware blog world energized and a man who marches to the beat of his own drum.
For years Dave Burris has been the blog punching bag for the Republican Party and he did it with honor.
I have a hunch Dave Burris is back to take his rightful place in front of the party. Perhaps DL should send Dave a monthly check for bring DL back to life. Once Dave left the blog world, DL was lost and resorted to fighting among themselves. First they had had a munity taking control of DL away from Captain Jason and then they fucked over Donviti.
Dave commented on his blog,” So what does that make me? I don’t give a damn. I’m through with trying to adhere to labels. So call me what you want. I’m taking it issue by issue.”
I think this comment shows Dave Burris is flexible but refuses to let go of core values. Dave Burris does have leadership traits and they will emerge (as they are) when he leads not follows. Dave has been involved in politics since he was a little boy and I’ll bet the first thing big John told Dave when he turned 18 was , if you don’t register republican you’ll pay your own car insurance. (that’s a joke and what I told my son). Dave had many years to process all the political messages and appears to be ready put his view on the issues first and not yield to the extremes in the party. Politics is like the tides of the ocean moving in and out reshaping the shoreline. With Obama’s clout in doubt I think Dave is ready to catch that political wave that will moves the political dunes a bit to the right
Looking towards tomorrow’s leaders Dave Burris will be there. Power is either given or taken and I believe Dave will step up and take it.
Dave and I may not always agree but we respect each other to disagree. Markell will take all the credit for financial transparency of our public schools aka online checkbooks. However, Markell’s executive order and recent 2009 legislation making that order law only happened because Dave Burris, Charlie Copeland, Greg Lavelle and little help from Kilroy pushed the issue. Perseverance always prevails.
Dave’s return may be a good thing for DL because now they’ll stop the in-house cat fighting and just claw at Dave Burris.
Dave, hope you can make it Saturday night . You’ll find me at the GOP social outcast table sitting by myself, LOL.
