April 3, 2002, Washington Post, A-5. Amy Goldstein

Bush Outlines Education Sequel

Senators Unveil Their Own Early-Childhood Proposals

President Bush outlined the "early-childhood initiative" during his visit to Pennsylvania as a sequel to his proposed educational changes of last year witch were passed into law.  

The new education law affecting  K-12 public education stresses expanded student testing and assessment, more money to schools with poor and minority students and parental choice in school selection.

On the basis of this law the early-childhood initiative asks for more skills development and assessment of 2-5 year old children before they enter kindergarten. Under the initiative states could no longer receive federal welfare or child-care subsidies unless they developed plans to upgrade the quality of preschools and day care. Part of the administration's plans need congressional approval.

The White House is also promoting a campaign for the importance of educating children early, especially addressing Head Start: ..the program should expand its focus beyond largely nurturing children's social and emotional development to emphasize "early literacy"...

This summer the Department of Health and Human Services will begin to give four-day workshops of training to 2,500 Head Start teachers and child-care providers on how to promote literacy among young children. In fall HHS is scheduled to try out the new assessment system in which every Head Start class will be evaluated on the teaching results of language and numerical skills to 3-,4-, and 5-yar olds.

The legislative branch disclosed on the same day their own early-childhood proposals which show overlapping themes with the early-childhood initiative, but differ in the distribution of resources for their implementation. 

Comment: Cristalla.com has deep concerns about education legislature as outlined by President Bush. All education is based on the developmental stages of a child. which vary tremendously among children during their first six years. The learning potential of each individual needs an initial space of freedom to unfold before "instruction of literacy and numerical skills" is advisable and/or can lead to success. Uniform testing and performance assessment is simply impossible in the 2-5 year old group.
  

January 28, 2001, Washington Post, B 3. David C. Berliner

Averages that Hide the True Extremes

The article evaluates the mediocre report American Public Schools received after the results of a major international test - TIMSS-R (Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat) - were released.The author's major points should lead to serious educational considerations and discussions:

• Average scores mislead completely in a country as heterogeneous as ours.
• Are American Schools failing or is America failing to educate some of its children?
• Public educational systems are denying quality education to some American citizens.
• Perhaps, instead of condemning public education on the basis of these average scores, unhappy citizens should advocate paying teachers enough money so we can attract mathematicians and scientists to public school classrooms.
• The United States will not improve in international standings until our terrible inequalities are fixed.
• Without the financing to recruit and retain qualified teachers for all America's children, the most wonderful curriculums, designed to meet the highest standards, will fail.
• The new president's testing and accountability programs won't change these realities at all.

In delineating some of the differences of some of the better performing nations and the U.S. the following topics emerge: Lesson structure and presentation. The kind of mathematics presented. The kind of mathematical thinking required of students.Teachers and their views on reform.

Comment: Cristalla.com is in total agreement that school reform has to start with teachers who understand and can implement a change in the present thinking and learning patterns of students.
 

Finding Ways to make Sense More Common

Reflections on the missing link in our educational system regarding the development of basic vs. construed problem solving skills. David Perkins from Harvard Graduate  School of Education's research group 'Project Zero' points out the discrepancies between well-defined made-up problems in a school situation and complicated, messy,chaotic situations in real life ... for which we better have the skills to cope'. He recommends pedagogical strategies based on three types of questions - questions of exploration, conclusion and connection, an approach in stark contrast to current teaching practices toward meeting requirements of fact-based tests, which focus on narrow questions and well-defined problems.

You'll find the full text at:

Our response: If all teachers in all schools would respond creatively to test demands they would be the most welcome vehicle for bringing the nation’s educational performance level to new heights. Unfortunately, the creative response to test demands is rare exception to the rule. Focus on creative teaching and learning methods needs to precede or at least parallel all testing procedures before they can have a positive impact.

"The junior and senior high schools need to continue to examine the isolation created by these large impersonal institutions. We are subjecting all adolescents to these places at a time when belonging, community, and interpersonal skills are so critical and imperative. The damage that can be done at this age may be long lasting and permanent, even deadly."

This is the last paragraph of Kathie F. Nunley's article The Relationship of Self Esteem and Depression in Adolescence

You'll find the full text at: http://brains.org/depression.htm

A well researched paper on a current phenomenon in our schools and society which is not widely known. Teenage depression can lead to serious future problems for the society at large. Anybody, but especially teachers, need to exercise greater awareness and apply measures of prevention.