Yeah, I remember those days too. Sitting in the dealership, with a printed catalog, and a paper form. The dealer would use his rotary dial phone to call in the order! Or, he might use one of those new-fangled FAX machines!

Yes, the good 'ole days, before computers and computer based instruction. Before the internet, and instant access online video libraries. Before tablets and smartphones.

:-)

Just joking around.

I see your point, but I really think technology has come a long way, and is vastly underutilized in education. I'm not talking about the "replace the teacher with a computer" scenario that some are likely to latch onto, but am instead talking about customized computer instruction PRESCRIBED by the educator, and the computer-based data collection and report that can be a tool FOR THE EDUCATOR.

Somehow the message here is not being received. I am not saying that auto industry is great, and we should model education after the auto industry. I'm saying that GM was a dinosaur -- just like our education system -- and they have been able to turn the corner. A long way to go, yes, but they have started on the path.

In education, it certainly seems like we still live by the old Henry Ford philosphy of "You can have any color you want, as long as you want black."

If our public schools are not able or willing to meet the educational needs of every student, then they need to admit that and allow free options - charter, voucher, online, etc. - that are willing and able to meet the needs of the ones being missed. If they claim that they are meeting the educational needs of every student and work to prevent these other options, parents have the right to raise the issue and demand better when they fall short.

Every educational issue I can think of, there are public schools that are successful in addressing that issue, public schools that are failing in doing so, and ones that aren't even trying. Most educational issues can be solved given the resources we have available. However, the educational issues must be recognized and have the willpower to confront them. In talking with Dr. Shaner, I believe he has the willpower and that this is one of his strongest characteristics. My hope is that he will listen to the community in order to help recognize the issues.

Amen, Wendy!

Hi Wendy…

Yes, we’ve had some good discussions. And yes, there have indeed been some incremental improvements in the district, but I guess I don’t see the leaps and bounds that you describe.

As far as the Mackinac Center goes… I don’t just read them… I try to contribute to them. I know school folks don’t like the Mackinac Center analysis, but they’ve got some pretty insightful perspectives that could benefit schools IF educators would only shed the “circle the wagons” reactions to any discussion of education. For the most part, educators tune out anyone who doesn’t sing their praises.

We hear this from the schools all the time… You have it good, so pipe down.

Keep in mind that you are looking at things from a PROVIDER perspective, while I am looking at it from a CONSUMER perspective. I’ve got kids in the system. I think we’ve had some good experiences, and some not-so-good experiences. We've had some great teachers... and some not-so-great teachers. Some of the administrators have been very accommodating trying to help us work through this system, while others have not.

I guess I’m curious how you can feel comfortable telling me that we’re having a good experience with the district?

How can you judge the working relationship?

While there's always room for improvement anywhere, I am absolutely thrilled that my children are enrolled in Rochester Community Schools. We feel fortunate to have dedicated educators working hard every day to provide our children with a wonderful education. Our children have opportunities that my parents only dreamed of for my brother and me. I agree with Wendy 100%, and I AM definitely looking at this from a consumer perspective.

Wendy,
Where I hear Mike saying that progress is not being made is in areas described in this paragraph:
"Imagine a school where together parents, teachers, and students could collaborate on an individual education plan that can appropriately mix classroom instruction, homework, and self-paced on-line learning. Students could progress based on their ability to learn, and not be limited to the speed of the classroom. Those that struggle would have access to more one-on-one time with our learning professionals. Education will be driven and measured by results, not by a time clock and “seat time”."

When Geraldine Moore was here, she talked numerous times about each student having an IEP, or Student Education Plan as she termed it. It never happened and perhaps it has been discussed in committee, but not at a BOE meeting that I recall.

In elementary, self-paced learning needs to come a long way. The only progress I've seen in this has been from switching elementary schools. Some teachers seem to really have a handle on how to self-pace for reading, spelling, and other ELA topics, but math differentiation isn't there. Math packets are better than nothing - and I've seen "nothing" in some previous years, but it's tough for the kids when the instructional part isn't differentiated to the same degree.

For parents of gifted learners in elementary, it has been quite a few rough years seeing little to nothing being addressed on this issue districtwide. There are always some schools or teachers that are bright spots in this and working to make it better, but other times have been sheer frustration. It's a huge issue to me. To others, it isn't even on their radar.

For most of the other issues in the district, I've been fairly happy. One of the best parts of attending BOE meetings is seeing the innovative programs at various schools. Experiences throughout the district have also had some real shining points. Musson's Positive Behavior Supports and Peace Path are phenomenal morals education programs. April Wuest at Long Meadow has implemented some great programs for addressing the individual ability levels of all students. Meadow Brook has a incredible Fine Arts Night. Colleen Mestdagh at Meadow Brook has an excellent way of differentiating spelling words for her second graders. The Technology Study Session at the last BOE meeting had some great examples of how to use computers to meet educational needs. (I even found out about Glogster, a graphical blogging program I had never heard of.)

One problem is that many of these great ideas are relatively unknown throughout the district. If only one school is using an innovative technique, there are some immediate low-budget steps we can take improve education. We can look at forums that would allow teachers to share ideas and perhaps even allow parents to make suggestions or find out why certain things are the way they are. And yes, I'm sure there will be lots of grumbling, but criticism is much better than just praise for discovering where growth is needed.

I think education is somewhat similar to IT (my field) in that if you are doing everything right, nobody notices, but when something goes wrong, fire and brimstone rain down upon heads. Perhaps some of do need to get better at noticing and praising the good, but we also need to feel like we are heard and action will happen when something isn't going right.

One suggestion I've made to the BOE and some administration is that they need to be more vocal about the good in RCS. I'm not talking about standardized test scores or rankings, but programs that are available. Many programs are relatively unknown and new programs such as the STEM magnet can slip completely under the radar even to someone who attends all BOE meetings. They need to let parents know when innovative changes are made. Preferably, parents should be consulted when they are beginning to consider these programs because many have great input and because they are responsible for the consumers of these programs.

We do have a pretty great school district, but there is always areas that are missed and room for improvement. We need people who are avid supporters of our schools, but we also need people like Mike who look with a critical eye to see what could make our schools better.

I agree with your comments Wendy. As I'm sure Mike Reno will share somewhere in this thread he was on the RCS school board and tried to be a part of the solution for several years. Perhaps one could speculate it's this involvement that has made him so jaded on the RCS district. And, you are right-on in your analysis that "People tune you out when all you do is grumble." There are indeed many things to celebrate in the RCS district. Am I saying it's all good and there's no room for improvement? Absolutely not, but I'll first point out the good things in my children's district while getting involved for positive change.

Good question. I believe AP participation has probably increased, although the district does not really disclose meaning data. I also believe they have more AP offerings.

I believe they are attempting to use data in a more meaningful way.

A few years ago they took a step backwards on math, and have not recovered. We had 33% of our 8th graders taking geometry, and now it is less than 5%.

They should implement math 6 in elementary.

They should move physical science to 8th grade.

They are trying double size classrooms for AP, which is a good intro to college classes.

They should allow more input into teacher selection. THIS WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, and could also provide some interesting data points for the district.

They should take student and parent surveys at the end of each semester.

Great! Thank you, Mike!

I agree that parent and student surveys would be very helpful. They could be used to discover programs that work great and find teachers who are excelling in certain areas that can pass their knowledge along to their colleagues, as well as determine where additional professional development or other action was needed.

I'm very much looking forward to reading answers from the other participants on here. I will be adding mine shortly.

* In the past 5/10 years, what has improved districtwide at elementary, middle, and high school levels?
- Elementary: The Workshop models appear to be an improvement, although I'm unfamiliar with what existed before.
- Middle/High: Plans for STEM education
- High: Increased participation in AP exposes more students to higher-level courses.

* In the past 5/10 years, what has changed for the worse districtwide in elementary, middle, and high school levels?
- Elementary: The gifted education program was removed.
- Middle: The advanced math program seems to be in disarray.
- High: Increased participation in AP often leads to decreasing rigor to meet the increased range of abilities.

* In the next 5/10 years, what should be improved districtwide in elementary, middle, and high school levels?
- Elementary: Gifted education! Increased use of technology to differentiate. Central exchange for methods and ideas.
- Middle: Honors courses for each subject
- High: Work-study program similar to Cristo Rey that will prepare students not just academically, but professionally and will allow students to better discover what career path would fit their interests.

I am on board with educational reform that benefits the child and his/her personal development. What I have difficulties with (and I know you will disagree with me on this one) is revamping curriculum, rewriting history books, computerizing learning and allowing our current media sources both online and off to shape the belief systems of future generations. So, as much as I admire those who take a stand on moving our educational system forward, I have to wonder in an age of book extinction, sensationalism and short attention spans, what will be the educational foundation on which future generations will draw to make the important, informed decisions that our children are going to HAVE to make for survival. Big issues that are difficult to face NOW are only going to be more difficult to address when we are being led by a generation that was never given guidance as to how to critically analyze information, let alone taught any fact based lessons. There are too many households now who completely depend on TV for their news. If we completely eliminate core curriculum, where will kids get their facts?

That said, the method with which core standards are introduced, tested, implemented and evaluated gives me pause. I often hear the term 'growth market' used when referring to education. ( I laugh because I think of Grosse Pointe Blanke .....) So, we then risk profiteers running our system. And generally speaking, capitalists are not educators. (Think Jeb/Neil!)

I apologize Mike. You may delete. I will not be offended. It was just a knee jerk reaction........am a bit sleep deprived this morning and perhaps a little too sensitive to the right wing rhetoric this morning after an evening of fracking discussions. Please discard. I really am done.....promise! :)

Let me extrapolate a bit. I think we can both agree that you are a computer guy. We have discussed the gamut of alternate educational environments including self guided on line educational curriculums such as seen in 'Carpe Diem' charter school. Lets just say that I have a difficult time wrapping my head around that type of learning despite being on board with a more individualized curriculum. Perhaps my knee jerk reaction was a direct result of watching my middle school daughter having to learn about the entire Russian Revolution on line from Wilkepedia last night in an attempt to write a comparison/contrast argument for 'Animal Farm'. Now, I know I did not read Animal Farm until I was in high school and to be honest continue to struggle with comparing Totalitarianism,Socialism and Communism. So to have to have my daughter grapple with such broad controversial topics without the aid of a teacher to lead the discussion is somewhat disheartening. ( Kind of like discussing broad off topic subjects on line I suppose )
And the 'elimination of core curriculum' was a response to Charles Murry's book which emphasized 'individualized education'.
Yes, the 'Capitalist 'comment was thrown in 'for fun' I suppose. I could have thrown in 'Socialist' as well but refrained. I have a feeling your blood pressure might not handle that. I do think it would behoove both of us to come up with a common definition for the words 'Conservative' and 'Socialist'. Blog post anyone?

Oh believe me, I have no doubt you will make that happen! Where are you moving to?...France?

Yes, when you look at the article with a particular mindset, you are going to see what you want to see.