My first reaction was that political correctness was going to be the downfall of the U.S. economy. So, I left a comment about the history of high school diploma labelling and how all this was ignoring the reality that we are not all created equal, no matter how much progressives want that to be so. It is also a negative reaction against the values of merit and competition.

My second reaction, however, was to visit the EEOC’s website where I came across a page on the lawsuits and activities completed by EEOC during the last year or so.Unbelievable! I knew the U.S. was litigious. But, scan the list of law suits and settlements and it comes to millions upon millions of dollars against employers, the very businesses that are supposed to keep the U.S. economy afloat. And, those settlements have been going on for the entire 35 years since Democratic President Lyndon Johnson signed the agency into law.

Unbelievable! I knew the U.S. was litigious. But, scan the list of law suits and settlements and it comes to millions upon millions of dollars against employers, the very businesses that are supposed to keep the U.S. economy afloat. And, those settlements have been going on for thirty-five years since Democrat President Lyndon Johnson signed the agency into law.

(Posted by Sandy and continued at Crux-of-the-Matter…)

For example, you could have a parent or a guest speaker at the front of a classroom and it would be the same space — the learning environment — as that occupied by a licensed teacher. Sure, the teacher provides routines and classroom management strategies, but that is their job. That is part of instruction and has nothing to do with  “working conditions” — those guarantees that schools and classroom are fully compliant to health, accessibility and safety legislation.

The motto is also extremely self-serving because when teachers’ unions ask for more funding to improve their working conditions, they are not talking about those legislated issues. Rather, they are talking about more money for salaries and benefits and more money to reduce class size.

Now, on the face of it, a lower pupil-teacher ratio sounds like an approach that is better for students, better for their learning conditions. But, analyze the issue carefully and you will see that it is not really about the students at all. It is about school boards and districts having to hire more teachers which gives the unions more members.

Doubts? Well, look at the title of this Daily News article by Derek DeGear, President of the Nanaimo District Teachers’ Association. “Teachers are Committed to Best Learning Conditions!”  Cynical? Self-serving? Entitled to their entitlements?  You bet! Moreover, the claim is fundamentally untrue.

More at Crux-of-the-Matter…

For example, there is an eye-popping discussion going on over at Paul Bennett’s “Edu-Chatter.” While his post started out on the topic of the Muslim prayer program at the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Valley Park Middle School, somewhere around comment 140 it moved into what’s wrong with education in all corners of Canada today.  

So, what is the primary cause of this anger and frustration? From what I can interpret, it is due to the fact that ordinary parents and citizens feel ignored — that they don’t have any way to provide meaningful input towards educational excellence or change. Yet, actually they do and don’t seem to realize it because the main avenue for input and change is, and always has been, through political pressure — which is why blogs like Paul’s and this one are so important.

For example, school principals and teachers have little or no power to change anything. Yes, they could be less patronizing when they start their ”we know what is best for your kids” attitude but like other professionals, they are trained in their field and have an understanding of the process of learning and instruction that non-educators do not have.  While that view may not be popular right now, it is reality, just as lawyers know more about Canadian law and regulations than non-lawyers.

However, neither principals nor teachers have any way of advocating for change. Teachers, particularly, simply do what they are told.  Check out this handbook, for example on the duties of both. In regards to teachers, what you will find are verbs like promote, encourage, maintain, follow, participate, ensure and perform — rather than verbs like advocate. So, when a school implements a controversial decision like the Muslim prayer program, they sure did not do it alone.

More at Crux of the Matter…

Well, the argument against Eden High School in St. Catharines has always been that Eden is essentially a publicly funded faith-based high school. Why? Because it provides a Christian oriented chapel service BEFORE the school day starts.

Yet, Valley Park is allowed to provide a Muslim prayer service right after lunch in the middle of a school day and we hear very little about it by the politicians and the media.  

The bottom line is this: How can the McGuinty Liberal government defend Muslim faith-based prayer programs that are happening during the main part of a school day, when Eden can only provide a similar program before the school day starts?

Well, in my opinion, the McGuinty can’t defend the decision. Meaning, that faith-based funding has come to Dalton McGuinty Ontario schools by the back door — and only for those who follow Islam!

More at Crux of the Matter….

So, what exactly is test-based accountability? Well, my understanding is that, in the U.S., from President Obama on down, policy makers are trying to pay teachers based on the results of standardized tests — a type of merit/demerit system based on how students perform.  The problem with that kind of system, of course, is that teachers are not teaching widgets. While not politically correct to say, students are not all equal in ability or opportunity.

Plus students of all ages have the free will to learn or not. I mean, we can’t open up a child’s head and dump information and skills into it. Would that we could! So, what on earth does a teacher do when they are teaching children or youth with special needs and the students do badly on the tests — assuming of course that the students actually did their best.  And, that is not an excuse. It happens.

When I was in private practice, for example, government agencies, parents and/or school boards would contract with me to work a certain number of weeks with students who had reading or written language difficulties. I prepared a specialized program based on my assessment results and I very carefully went over my program with everyone involved. The students/clients were going to meet with me for a two or three-hour block every two weeks, but in-between, they had to do a minimum of one hour practice (using a tape-recorder) at least three times a week.

Now, you can guess what happened. The students who did their practice sessions (using school work so as not to give them extra work) usually did well and learned how to use the accommodations they needed to know “how to learn.”

Now, I am reading that the London Ontario Catholic School Board, (LCSB) sometime in the last few days, has tried to put a gag order on the LFP to “cease and desist” coverage of this safety issue.  As well, and perhaps even more important, is the fact that the LCSB is allegedly trying to keep secret a petition that was presented to it on May 30th (and sent anonymously to the LFP).

That petition was signed by 60% of the staff, alleging that the school was no longer safe “because students displaying violent or threatening behaviour weren’t adequately punished.” As today’s LPF article also states: “Those who signed it [the petition] feel students who ‘willfully put teachers, their families and/or other students at risk should be permanently removed from the school.’”

Allegations like that should not be kept secret! Yet, what message does the LCSB communicate? Do they say that they are going to make sure the bullying stops? Do they say, without naming names, how they will do that?  No they do not. Instead they want to put an end to the publicity nightmare.  Excuse me? It’s not their accountability to parents, staff and students that should be stopped. It’s the bullying that should be stopped.