March 10, 2000: On Getting Appointed to School Committees.

March 8, 2000: On Document Based Questions.

March 7, 2000:  If ever I've seen a Professor Henry Higgins of Music, it has to be Mr. Darryl Drew, acting Head of Fine Arts and Junior High Chorus Teacher.  In about six academic weeks he has turned two classes of musical Doolittles into well-disciplined, technically proficient choruses.  (ref. Pygmalion.)  Only a genuine Master could accomplish so much in so little time.

True enough, there was little choreographic glitz shown by the 7th and 8th grade choruses at tonight's concert.  That's a compliment, not a complaint, for Mr. Drew has demonstrated a sound knowledge of  the highest truth and value a teacher can hold: the hard and not so glamorous work of technical proficiency comes first.  Glitter and polish are added to quality, not to create quality.

So, to Mr. Drew I say, "I was not nearly so much entertained by tonight's performance as I was devoutly impressed."  Well done.

March 2, 2000: On Parent Visitations and Participation At School.

January 21, 2000, Update on 8th Grade Social Studies:  After talking with Peter Sheridan, academic head of social sciences, for 3.5 hours yesterday, and following up with my daughter, it turns out that to say "much" of social studies class time was spent on either the price of gas or teenage employment is not as precise as it could have been, and I apologize for the imprecision.  While it is not clear to me that "too much of class time was spent discussing these topics," is an inaccurate statement, it is clear that the salient portion of class time was spent on these topics, from my daughter's viewpoint.  All other facts have been confirmed, except the apparent "digression" into teenage employment (based on assigned reading materials) was, in fact, part of the lesson plan.

Before I make a final report on Mr. Schiavone's social studies class, I want to examine the quiz that was given on this material, which is not yet available.  (March 1, 2000 Note: The final report has been written but I have no plans to publish it to this website at this time.)

Mr. Sheridan provided me with copies of the lesson plans for the dates I questioned.  In addition to being the first of the many lesson plans I have examined without being told to file a FOIL request, these lesson plans were the best I have ever seen from any teacher in this district, and the best I could ever expect to see from any teacher any where.  In deference to Mr. Schiavone, I judged it necessary to reveal my opinion as soon as this favorable information became known to me.  However, in fairness to my previous statements, I believe improvements will have to be made in this class.

January 14, 2000:  On January 11, I made a report on problems in social studies, technology, gym and English in 8th grade.  The technology department made a call with a promise to look into the situation.  The Director of Curriculum also called with a promise to look into the practice of pleasure reading; however that promise has been outstanding since my comments to the School Board on November 8!  No one from the other departments felt inclined to call.

Louis Schiavone is a step-19, $65,107-per-year social studies teacher at the junior high school, who also teaches advance placement social studies at the high school.  After spending two class periods talking, in part, about the price of gas and jobs for teenagers (including work on his farm), and after my webpost on this issue, Mr. Schiavone started the next class by stating he spent time on these topics to show that methods used in the 1880s are still used today.  Then he quickly moved on to Thomas Edison and never looked back.

I don't buy the explanation.  Connecting the past to the present is important work for social studies.  But taking parts of two days on the selected topics (despite being behind in the text) and asserting a connection that my reasonably intelligent daughter could not make or explain represents ineffective teaching unworthy of  a teacher with his experience.

Moreover, Mr. Shiavone's "Contract and Expectations for Social Studies," handed out at the beginning of the year, was so messy and patched together that I refused to sign it.  You would expect a teacher would try to make a good first impression with the first writing sent home to a parent, but, for some, when you have tenure, why bother?  The contract said that neatness would be part of the student's grade but his own work product demonstrated such a lack of proper regard for neatness that I was embarrassed to use it as an example to my daughter of what she should never do.

Finally, in the opinion of one parent whose judgment of educational quality I emphatically trust, Mr. Shiavone's A.P. courses have not been what they should have been, to put it kindly.  I'd take that to the bank.

It's these conditions that keep us from being the best school in the area.  We spend way too much money for this kind of education.  Without constant parent vigilance and input our school will never be as good as it should be.

If you, as a parent, are not talking to your child every night about the day's activities at school, then you have a great opportunity to start making a positive difference in the quality of education in our schools, and it won't cost the public a dime.  

Find out exactly what your child learned in each class--the repetition will reinforce the learning.  If you hear things that don't make sense or sound like a waste of time, follow up on it immediately.  If you can't get satisfaction, post your comments in School Talk, anonymously if you'd like.  Maybe someone will make a suggestion you can use.

While you're thinking about how you can make a positive difference, please read a parent's comments on parental involvement in school life, posted in School Talk.

January 11, 2000:  In the midst of installing and revising a discussion forum for this website, I find that I must break for a moment to address some compelling issues.

First, from the junior high school eighth grade.  Yesterday, in one social studies class, the teacher spent too much of salient learning time talking about the current price of gasoline, without an apparent connection to the subject material. 

Today, in the same class, the teacher spent too much of salient learning time talking about teenage employment.

One of my daughter's friends wrote a record 6 notes to friends during class time and didn't know if there would be time to pass them all out!  This social studies teacher showed movies around 13% of the time during the first grading period.  The teacher is significantly behind in the text.  One of my daughter's friends parodied Thomas Edison and noted that social studies is 99% conversation and 1% perspiration.

Although I have heretofore refrained from mentioning the names of teachers on this website,  on Friday afternoon I will announce this teacher's name, as I have spent far too many hours over the past 8 years in consultation with teachers without any significant change in circumstances.  Since administrators do not back up parents on matters of pedagogy and substance in my experience, and since the school board has eliminated parent input on teacher evaluations for even untenured teachers, parents must be given information directly to act in the best interest of their children.  The school's system of quality control is simply dysfunctional.

In 8th grade technology, compared to last year, the students are far less productive, spending hours less time working with computer aided graphics, and doing almost no research for their projects.  When I asked my daughter how her group decided to design its project if it didn't do current research, she said they just got together and talked about it--much the same way the middle school was designed pre-vote.

In gym class there has yet to be a significant series of cardiovascular workouts despite CDC recommendations and concerns over obesity.

In 8th grade English, students are somehow expected to compete on tough exams requiring higher order thinking and writing skills, while their teacher uses more than 10% of available instructional time to let kids do pleasure reading.

Although Mr. Parker's Advanced Math, Mr. Smith's Earth Science and Mrs. Constantino's French I are all stellar examples of quality education, parents are going to have to wake up to the exceptionally great educational disservice occurring in way too many of our most important subjects.  All is not well in Mudville.

On the middle school building project, the school board is giving its blessing to around $120,000 of non-voter-approved upgrades to the administrative offices.  It has refused to consider adding even one needed music room at about the same cost because it wasn't approved by the voters.  The board's rationale is extremely inconsistent.  It hasn't publicly engaged in any kind of cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, or other rigorous trade-off analysis to determine whether a music room will have a bigger educational impact than nice-but-not-essential upgrades to administrative spaces.  When the public doesn't participate in decisions, children lose.

Finally, I attended a Shared Decision Making meeting at the Junior High this afternoon to point out some problems in the draft vision statement for the middle school.  Just as I was about to make a point (in a five minute presentation) that the school does not respect the opinions of parents, the facilitator, Mr. Allen Calhoun, Dean of Students, cut me off.  The group then spent more than 10 minutes discussing whether I should be permitted to finish my statement.  With support from some parents, I was permitted to finish.  I thank Mr. Calhoun for not only proving a lack of respect but also an unwillingness to listen to even one parent's concerns on the vision statement for the new middle school, which should be a matter of some passing interest to the parents and teachers on the Junior High's Shared Decision Making Committee.

January 5, 2000:  Jerry's Response to December Journal Articles on Websites and Music Rooms

On December 24, 1999, The Journal reported a complaint by Niskayuna School Superintendent McAndrews that websites link to official school sites without the permission of the schools.  No one needs permission from anyone to link to public web addresses.  He also expressed concern that people might mistake my site as being affiliated with the schools.  I am flattered, and as a district and county member, I am affiliated with the schools.  However my website is not, which should be obvious. 

The article also raised a concern about accurate information.  Scotia-Glenville has repeatedly demonstrated a near pathologic propensity to distort, misrepresent and twist the truth.  It's favorite tactic is to wag the dog.  It finds something that is very positive which represents about 5% of the truth and represents it as 100% of the truth.  And even though it has better access to school information than anyone, it regularly publishes inaccurate information.

In spending just 30 seconds on its website, I found this distortion, leading to an appearance of greater than real participation by parents on school committees:

"Each [building committee] team, [including High School Renovations, Science, Technology, New Construction, Middle School Renovations, and Social Aspects] involves dozens of staff and community members and is at various stages of review."

I am a member of many of these committees and have attended all but the Technology committee at one time or another.  I was the only parent who attended High School Renovations meetings in the Fall, where total attendance was about a dozen.  The total attendance at the most recent Middle School Construction Committee was six.  The Science Committee has 13 members on its email list.  The H.S. Athletic Building Committee has about 8 members, and again, I have been the only parent in attendance since Fall.  The Social Aspects Committee has about 25 members.  The Auditorium Committees for the High School and Middle School have about 8 and 15 members, respectively.  I have been the only parent attending the H.S. Auditorium Committee since Fall.

It simply is not true that each team involves dozens of staff and community members.  They should, but they don't.  The average attendance for the committees I mentioned is 12.6, which is nearly 50% fewer persons than needed for "dozens" in "each team."  There is absolutely no excuse for distorting basic facts.

In accordance with my policy to correct any misinformation on my website, I have added the substance of Mr. Marcelle and John Carpenter's comments to the relevant article, which you may view below.  If the school district is as concerned with misinformation as I am, it will remove or correct the inaccuracies on its webpages.

January 3, 2000:  Teachers in East Hampton, Connecticut recently agreed to 4.2% raises in each of the next three years.   The raises include the cost of step advancement.  On average, Scotia-Glenville gives 3.23% annual raises on its 18 step advancements.  This means an equivalent agreement at S-G would result in less than a 1% cost of living increase for each of the next three years.

The time is here for beginning the preliminary discussions on the next teachers contract.  Many members in our community have asked for public hearings on teacher salaries.

This is a reasonable request, especially since we pay more for education than 80% of the rest of the country, and our teachers earn as much or more per hour than many lawyers in public service and even some governors.

In addition to the forecasted teacher certificate shortage, discussions need to be held on whether it is prudent, or necessary, to pay $350/day to teach spelling, arithmetic, and other elementary skills, to show movies, monitor pleasure reading, organize and supervise gym classes and to oversee myriad other activities that are routinely performed by professionals outside the school setting for a lot less money.

The Scotia-Glenville School Board has professed a deep interest in public opinion.  It should keep its commitment to public accountability by timely holding public hearings on teacher salaries, as so many of our citizens have requested.

December 20, 1999:  OK School Board, here it is as simply as it can be said.  You are adding 250 students to the new Middle School.  You are providing no space for a 6th grade band, a 6th grade chorus, or a 6th grade orchestra. 

Consequently, there are two options.  Declare there will be no 6th grade band, no 6th grade chorus and no 6th grade orchestra and be done with it.

Or, turn the auditorium over to the music program and forget about using it for assemblies, PTA events, Hollywood Squares, parent meetings, teen gatherings, variety shows, and the like, because it will be fully scheduled as a music room during the day.

Karen Bradley is wrong to stand by mistakes.  The obvious big "Ooops" in failing to plan for music is a reason to take corrective action, not a reason for staring at the plans and insisting the damn thing should work because we spent so much time on this and worked so hard.  Karen, you remind me of my college students who insisted on getting A's because of their great efforts, despite the shoddiness of their product.

Mr. Benny is wrong when he says there is no money for a music room.  Nobody knows that yet.  The telecommunications upgrades will cost about $80,000 less than budgeted.  The energy performance contract may free up more money for construction.  Besides that, the Board has already approved $300,000 of non-voter approved expenditures, half of which is totally discretionary.

Bottom line.  This is not a trivial storage room issue or a traveling time problem.  In the end, the Board will provide the space needed for 6th grade music programs.  The only question is how much damage will the Board cause along the way?

December 14, 1999,  Afternoon:  A major oversight in the Middle School Building plans has come to the fore.  With music rooms already bursting at the seams, no additional music space for 6th grade band or chorus was included in the conceptual plans for the middle school.  You can read more in Darryl Drew's report of 12/10/99.

The school board correctly nixed a $400,000, over-designed addition to the auditorium to provide music space.  However, the board must do something to increase instructional space available to the music department.  The music department's needs are present and concrete, unlike the hoped-for and speculative needs of such areas as the $150,000 non-voter-approved-but-board-blessed student-work display gallery in the High School, the $200,000+ gathering space in the middle school, and the double-classroom-sized teachers' lounge in the High School.

[Note: In a 12/24/99 Journal article, Mike Marcelle reportedly said I was "wrong to lump in the possible new entrance for the high school with the building project. . .  The student display gallery would be on the second level of a brand new entranceway for the high school, but the entranceway is a separate endeavor and will only be done if bids . . . come in below estimates and there's enough money left over."  He also said I was a "tad misleading" in calling a space in the high school a teachers' lounge.  Teachers would not go there "to put their feet up. . . .  There would be telephones in there where they could contact parents and there would be additional space [where teachers could] work individually or in small groups. . . ."

First, it was not me, but the High School Principal who first called the space in question a "teachers' lounge."  When she realized the unpopularity of the label, she kept trying different names to reconceptualize the space, but in the end, it remains a teachers' lounge.  

Second, the attempt to upgrade the teachers' lounge to a work area by installing telephones for contacting parents is pretty cute.  How often do teachers call parents?  I've gotten one teacher-initiated call in 8 years.  Besides, who are teachers going to call during the day?  Answering machines?  Teachers will undoubtedly use the telephones to try to call parents.  But the vast majority of the calls made from the teachers' lounge will be personal.  Anyone with common sense and experience in education and the workplace knows that.  Using telephones as a reason to rename the teachers' lounge is a wag-the-dog ploy.

Finally, Mike is right that the extra space "could be used" for work.  But it could also be used for lunching, lounging and lollygaging.  In reality, it will be used for some of both.  Whether it is principally used for work or rest remains to be seen, but the mere hope that it will be used primarily for work is an insufficient basis for calling the space anything other than a teachers' lounge.

On the display gallery and the entranceway, the two functions are tightly integrated and the original conceptions of the areas permitted display areas on both floors.]

This is a perfect example of the district's wag-the-dog approach to communications.  How many telephone call

There is a lot of waste in the construction program.  The addition of two unrequested classrooms to Glen-Worden simply to generate state aid for a library expansion is just one example.  Given recent building committee comments from teachers like, "[This work] should have been done before the bond issue went to the voters," and "What is this committee supposed to be doing," the Board of Education has a duty to correct the glaring mistakes it left in the building project in its great rush to get a quick vote from the public.

[In a 12/24/99 Journal article, John Carpenter said I was "'off base' in claiming the board rushed the project."  He said the board was "very thorough about assessing what our educational needs would be for the future."]

October 5, 1999:  An economist from the Institute for Policy Innovation says we aren't getting our money's worth out of public education.  Countries that we look to for models of health care are ignored as models for education even though they surpass our performance on many standardized tests. These countries pay much less per student for public education.  You can read more in this PRNewswire article from Yahoo!

In my opinion, in the near future--5 to 7 years--the Internet will dramatically cut the total cost of K-12 education and radically change the nature of our public schools.  A few great teachers will become millionaires by offering courses that parents will choose for their children from the Internet.  The great weakness of public schools--the inability to individualize courses and teach them to each student's pace of learning--will be solved.  Public school teachers will see their responsibilities shift from teaching to tutoring.  Places with strong unions will hold out against the trend and devise new roles for teachers, but the teachers in some grades or in some kinds of subjects will see their status and pay decline.

September 8, 1999:  "Teacher salaries are too high given our community's economic resources."  "The more expensive teachers are, the fewer we can afford."  Recent news reports support both propositions.  While school districts across the country are setting teacher salary increases at or under 3%  (Los Angeles area: 2.5%; Indianapolis: 1.5%; Columbus, Ohio area: 2.25 to 3.1%), New York, with the third highest teacher salaries in the nation (but absent from the top 20% of states in math, science and English), keeps rolling along with a 4% pay raise for teachers in Rochester.  (Our increase was 3.5% last year.)  That wouldn't be too bad if we lived in an area where all worker wages outperformed the national average.  We don't.  Workers in our area are paid thousands of dollars less than national norms, as this Gazette article points out.

Also, can you guess why Students in Halsey, Oregon have a four-day academic week?  To give teachers a day off for personal affairs they can't seem to get to during the 180 other days they have off.  The district hopes to save the money it spends on substitute teacher costs, which is substantial.

For a full discussion of today's issues, please see my commentary for September 8, 1999.

September 6, 1999:  Schools often insist they need more money to do a better job.  In my analysis of the 1999 4th grade English test results for the Capital Region, I show that teacher experience, teacher pay, spending per pupil, and student-teacher ratios have very little to do with the difference in scores among schools.  I then demonstrate how parents--schools, too if they want to--can improve a child's learning by monitoring a child's IOWA scores (or other annual comprehensive test scores) over time.  Whenever new IOWA scores are reported, parents should immediately compare the scores to prior years, looking for slow downs in learning.  You have got to do this because the school will not do it for your child.  Despite what school officials say, these slow downs should not happen, and they don't happen in excellent schools.  Parents who note that children are learning at declining rates, or learning less than one grade equivalent per year in each subject, or performing at a level less than the "grade equivalent" for the child should make it clear to school officials that this level of educational service is unacceptable.  Parents can help their children by working with them in the area indicated by the lowest IOWA score.  They can either search out and develop their own resources or they can ask a teacher about the kind of activities and lessons that will help the most.

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