1. I never said that the CARES PAC was responsible for the eggings etc.... I have always maintained that the CARES "group" (for the purposes of my blog) encompasses anyone who ascribes to the same philosophy as those that have been poisoning our community for years via their PACS.
2. The only "my way or the highway" people I have heard about in the last years are Mr. Robinson, Mr. Finch, Mr. Bogatin and a few others who actually no longer work or serve here... Mr. Wineteer and Mr. Alexander have tried for years to work with anyone who wants to head away from the direction Mr. Robinson was headed and they were shut down unilaterally by whoever was the Board chair (most recently and notably Sherrie Sprenger - another "my way or the highway" individual who is no longer here because her political aspirations were tarnished due to her involvement in Lebanon).
3. Where will we get 67 students???? well...remove the SAS and the elementary and middle school students will return AND... at the high school alone, the district document that I was shown in June of 2007 showed a loss of 450 students at the high school alone.... the academies are all but dead at this point anyway... kill them completely, bring back advanced programing and alternative ed. and to quote a famous movie "If you build it... they will come."
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7 comments:
"Mr. Wineteer and Mr. Alexander have tried for years to work with anyone who wants to head away from the direction Mr. Robinson was headed" So this is an example of compromise? Can't head in that direction at all, even a little? That is "my way or highway" by definition.
Lebanon has never had 1600 students in its high school. You cite 450 students available to replace the "67" needed. You are just wrong or hoping. There is no guarantee that any students return.
To get rid of academies would be stupid. They have been successful in lowering the drop-out rate and raising scores, not enough but they have gone up.(I personally would say they are statistically negligible but that is me) The academies are working, we need to change some aspects and hire about 20 more teachers but they are working.
If you get your way you might get just what you want, a backwater education system. Your ilk are already attacking two of our best math teachers. With your "improvements" you are likely to cause more talent to leave and then you can hire the dregs to come and teach.
I hope the board has learned that neither side was right and cooperation is the only way to go. The board is not qualified to make any decisions about the system of education in the city. None of them has the background to understand best practice in any teaching field. They need to be supervisory and recognize that the professionals in the district do know what they are talking about. In their search for a new superintendent I hope they invite community members(including CARES and PIE), students, teachers, and business leaders into the process. The interview group should have members from all interested groups.
Why remove the SAS? It seems to be working well. Wouldn't removing it bring back automatic grade promotion, regardless of achievement, and lower standards? Is that how the district would gain 67 more students? It doesn't sound like a good idea.
Dennis, I don't think you understand the SAS. The SAS is designed to keep the "less fit" from taking state tests so that our scores appear to rise. Did you hear the parent from Green Acres speak at the board meeting this week? Her student did 2nd grade twice, then skipped to 4th grade. That means he missed 3rd grade AND THE 3rd GRADE STATE TEST. This is happening all over the district. What a great way to increase scores without really increasing student achievement.
The SAS targets students with disabilities, causes a log jam of students in certain grades and has resulted in 15 year olds who attend elementary school. Do you think that 15 year old 5th grader will ever graduate? Do you think that individual will "stick with it" until she is 25, or will she drop out?
Studies show that a strong peer group does more for student success in many areas that anything else - parents, teachers, or school connections. Let's have study of WHAT HAS HAPPENED to Lebanon students who have been "retained" OR who have been promoted early. I don't think EITHER of those groups have experienced much success. The struggle is huge for kids in both situations. If the district wanted to "prove" the SAS, they would be singing from the mountain tops about the successes of these kids. But there are not many. Far more harm than good.
Do Albany or Corvallis schools turn out students who are "less than" because they DON'T have an SAS like Lebanon? I don't think so.
If the small school system is so great then why did Albany do away with it? Why is moving in a different direction leading to a "backwater education system"? Your condescending tone in your letter speaks loudly of bitterness and an unwillingness to move forward. I have seen no attacks on this board in regards to math teachers, but I do know first hand, that we are weak in this department and I was there to speak with the instructors. Additionally, why should PIE or CARES receive special treatment to sit on the search for a new superintendent? Why not include a selection from the community to be involved.
Anon at 1:29
Apparently you miss the last line of the poster's statement. The selection process should include all interested parties. I think the poster is advocating inclusion so that nobody feels left out and the decision made is one all can agree with. I may be wrong but this is how I read the statement.
Also, the academies work for my child. They feel included in a group of like-minded students. Are there problems, yes and I think most are being addressed. The attacks on the math teachers is one I feel should stop. No teacher deserves the abuse. If they are incompetent it is the administrators fault. They should help the teacher to improve and only if they refuse should the teacher be faulted. They can then be removed. But if the community starts to get rid of teachers like Mr. Hellend and Mr. Martens, how many people will want to apply for this district. I do not know of any complaints about their teaching other than Mr. Hellend's style with homework(a legitimate method by the way) and Mr. Martens' failure rate(Highly dependent on the students involved). They are otherwise praised by everyone I have talked with. Let's focus on improvement rather than vidictiveness.
If I was a member of CARES, I would probably resign from that group. Most of them are very intelligent and could do so much good work for our community. They were very devoted to Mr. Robinson, but his influence on them seems to have produced a negative mindset that unfortunately has given them virtually no credibility to this citizen. I hope can step back and ask themselves if their body of work thus far is worth continuing.
Dennis,
I would like you to show me how the SAS is beneficial, and I am not asking to be negative, I would really like to know. We have had kids in our district held back because of failing the spelling test, but did excellent on everything else. I have found many articles in the literature that argue against SAS, and show that kids held back in an SAS system have more struggles later on then those advanced with their peers. A huge article out of Chicago showed a mess of a system, especially when the kids just had to do the same year over again. I do think the district is probably violating federal law in regards to SAS and special needs kids. I am not advocating complete dismissal of SAS, but I am waiting for you educators to show me that it is improving things.
I also read an article somewhere (can't remember where) that said the Gates people were disappointed in the academy system (not just Lebanon) as it didn't show improvement.
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