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Each New Year brings a flood of personal resolutions. Lose weight, pay off credit cards, call Mom more often. But this annual time of reflection isn't restricted to one's private affairs. We found that education experts have distinct resolutions for public education. In their words, here are the top 10 areas in which public education should be focusing in the coming years. Show us the money How schools receive and use money was at the top of several lists. Mary Perry, deputy director at EdSource, says as the state faces a record budget crunch, how existing money is used will be key. EdSource is a Palo Alto-based nonprofit organization that examines public education issues. "Part of what needs to happen is for California's schools, both at the state level and all the way down at the school level, to really examine the effectiveness and efficiency of expenditures - to do the most it can with the resources it has. That said, raising resources is a constant conversation. At the local level, districts are constantly making tradeoffs like class-size reduction, salaries, the types and the use of personnel. There are also questions of school size and administrative overhead costs. "Currently California allocates about one-third of money to schools based on earmarked programs with sets of regulations. Some people feel that's important in order to get compliance from local districts. Other people feel there is a lot of administrative waste and unnecessary paperwork and regulations that often represent an irrational use of resources." Calling all parents Barbara Paxton, president of the California State PTA's Fourth District, which includes Orange County, says parents must recognize the many ways in which they can - and should - be involved in their children's education. "This year...we have begun to focus on parent education and providing opportunities for parents to get involved. It's not just showing up at school to work at the carnival or in class. It's making sure your child has breakfast in the morning, a good night's sleep, and has seen a dentist. "Help a child do her homework, even if you don't understand it. When my daughter was doing math I didn't understand, I could always make sure she'd done it in an atmosphere that was conducive to her learning style and her best concentration. I'd ask her questions, to get a sense of her understanding of the material. "When a parent makes school important, a kid makes school important." Never too young to learn Dave Long, Riverside County superintendent of schools, has focused on early childhood education and encouraging agencies to work together to provide community services. The county's first Early Learning Center opened last year in Perris, funded with Proposition 10 funds. Long says the center is just the first step. "We need a comprehensive, articulated 0 to 12th-grade plan. For years, we've known that it's those developmental stages from birth to 3 or 5 years old that are so critical in literacy development. It's about school readiness, so when they hit kindergarten they're prepared to learn...We talk about it, but we don't do it. If we're going to make systemic changes in education, we're going to have to pay particular attention to development from the time a child is born. I believe that will have more of a significant impact on a child's ability to learn and be successful in school than anything we do. "We need to create early learning centers and involve hospitals. Parents can take their children there for shots, exams, to meet with psychologists, and to fill out school paperwork. There would be child care and education for preschoolers. We need to quit talking about collaboration and do it. It can be done, it must be done. We're talking about shaking the roots of the system." Universal preschool The idea was discussed heavily during the creation of the state's Master Plan for education. Many have concerns about the costs to taxpayers, while others argue that affordable preschool is the key to improving the state's education system. Nicole Savio, project consultant for the Orange County Childcare and Development Planning Council, suggests that lawmakers and citizens should consider many questions before making a decision. "Universal preschool is coming more to the forefront lately and that's a good thing. The planning council promotes accessibility, affordability of care and also parental choice. We support the idea that it's wonderful for all children to have access to affordable care. Between the ages of 0 to 5, it's a very strong time for social and emotional development. "The council really believes in linking the K-12 system with the early care and education system. But there are issues of parental choice and accessibility - will the care that's available really meet a family's specific needs?" What is success? Perry, of EdSource, says the state needs to develop better guidelines for how school districts should judge success. "I think the state really needs to develop...what is 'an acceptable final product' in terms of what student achievement looks like. We have academic content standards, but we haven't really fleshed out the performance standards. What can we truly and realistically expect as a goal for our high school graduates? Currently about one-third of California's graduates are eligible to attend (Cal State University) and (University of California). There is a lot of rhetoric around that level of preparation being appropriate for all students. Also, there is talk that all kids aren't going to go to college, nor do they need to. Some level of post-secondary preparation or training is important. What does that look like? What is our K-12 system's obligation in that regard? "The analogy we use about standards is running the mile. We want all kids to be able to run the mile and have the experience of running the mile. In the analogy, that's the academic content standard - all kids must run the mile. Within that, there is an acceptable range of performance. Not all kids are going to run a 4-minute mile, nor is that something they necessarily want to do. The kind of commitment it takes to run a 4-minute mile is pretty substantial." Testing and more testing Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher (R-Brea) who helped develop the state's Master Plan, says testing is the one key piece of the state's accountability system that still needs attention because it doesn't do a good job of measuring the material required by the state's standards for what children should know. "I think we've come a long way by putting standards in, and schools have made the adjustment. But you don't implement something as massive as that in a few years. We have yet to see all the textbooks be reflective of standards. And our testing is way out of whack. "I don't think one person in the state would say what we're measuring reflects what we're teaching." Something for everybody Joyce Powell Riley, co-president of the Orange County Learning Disabilities Association, says schools are ignoring nearly half of all students in their quest to become top-rated schools. They cater to those who will attend college, but ignore those who struggle. The result: angry youths leaving schools with certificates of attendance or nothing at all. Her suggestions start with the very young. "Every child will be evaluated at about age 2 by a pediatrician and by the local school district to see that their perceptual skills and language skills are intact. Government or private agencies will give training for improved sensory responses and language training. When each child enters kindergarten, each will again be evaluated to be sure that the child is capable of learning. Any child not ready to learn will be given the help that is needed long before she/he fails first or second grade. "By third grade, the effort would be to see that every child has learned to read. Those who have not mastered that complex task would continue to receive training as long as it was needed. By third grade, the schools will have a pretty good idea of which children can deal with a faster, more abstract curriculum. Parents will be consulted and a part of the decision process. Algebra will not be a high school graduation requirement. Accommodations will be made during any testing procedures for students who have difficulty with learning. Vocational education classes will be available in every high school. "If all students can learn that there is a place for them in society and that there is a future for them, if their parents are supportive of the school, if there are vocational training classes in the high schools, we can keep many of our young men out of jail and in productive work." Healthy competition James Fleming, Capistrano Unified School District superintendent, believes families will have more choices as the number of charter schools and private institutions continues to grow. Public schools must rise to the challenge by reinventing themselves. "There are greater options now than the standard public school classroom. We have the charter school movement, which allows anybody from the faculty within an existing school to a parent group to come forward and say, `We've got an idea on how we want to structure a school.' We have two charter schools. I suspect there will be a lot more. You've got a growing field outside the public sector of people coming in with approaches to educating children where there's a profit motive. It's questionable as to whether there should be a profit or whether the savings should be pumped back into the system. "We really have two dichotomous trends right now. We are much more standardized than before. At the same time, we've got movement toward decentralization in terms of structure. Any school in this district that wants to do something, from change the hours to the materials they use, can do that. There are greater options for parents with charter schools and even within public schools. We encourage schools to develop their own sort of identity. We have elementary schools with hands-on science instruction or a community service focus. Every April we have open enrollment and put out a booklet so thick that it almost looks like a Sears catalog. Each school gets a page. "Now parents have to be wiser consumers. I've had parents say, 'You've made it more difficult for me. Now that you're giving me choices and options, I've got to do some homework.'" Teacher appreciation Paying teachers well and promoting the career as a valued profession will be necessary as the state sees thousands of experienced teachers retire and the continued attrition of frustrated, new teachers, says Paxton of the PTA. "What drives the education is not the building, not the equipment, not even the textbooks. It's the person standing up there giving the lesson and diagnosing each child's learning style, their weaknesses and where they can build them up. "We have a huge teacher shortage that is going to keep on coming. I don't know if the capacity is big enough at this point to have the teachers we need. A big part of that is pay. Look at what we pay people who take our most treasured assets. There's a big disconnect. We all have to make teaching look more attractive. You do that with salary, with re-educating the public to hold this profession in esteem. As a part of that, we're holding districts and teachers to a higher level of accountability." Keep the buildings in good shape The schools in which children learn can impact their education, says Perry of EdSource. The state and local districts should be focusing on ways to fund school construction and better maintain existing campuses. "School facilities are one of those things that often get left as a side issue. But it's a continuing challenge in California. We know it can make a difference in children's education. Four or five years ago, state leaders made a substantial investment in facilities. One of the challenges, because of the budget situation, is they always cut maintenance because it's away from the classroom. "There is a tremendous amount of pressure to make budget cuts. You can lay off janitors in January, but you can't lay off teachers. So California ends up, once again, with a problem. We should really be rethinking how you fund facilities over the long haul. Floating $11 billion bonds every 10 years may not be the best approach." Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda is an education reporter. To reach her: leuer.ramus@sbcglobal.net. |
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