Pennsylvania School Board Candidates: What do They Believe?

I decided to compile this list of questions because I rarely hear a candidate for school board even brush up against these topics. However, from my perspective, what other questions really matter? Please feel free to copy, paste, and shove down the throats of any candidate for school board in your district.

Questions for Pennsylvania School Board Candidates

1. Do you believe in the concept of public education (free and equal educational opportunity for all)?

2. Are the district children receiving the best education possible and how do you know?

3. What research supports the curriculum and instruction used in the schools?

4. Can you identify any waste in the district? Please describe.

5. What are vouchers?

6. How will vouchers impact the school district?

7. Have you given any campaign contributions to politicians that support vouchers? If yes, why?

8. What is the relationship between PSSA scores and real estate values?

9. Should Pennsylvania ask for a waiver to “opt out” of NCLB requirements? Why?

10. How much will it cost Pennsylvania to implement the Keystone Exams?

11. Will the Keystone Exams guarantee that district students are ready to graduate?

12. Should sports, music, and other school related activities that are non-academic be financed with taxes or should students “pay to play?”

13. Explain the use of Value Added Measures in determining effective teaching.

14. Tell me about reliability and VAMs.

15. How much does it cost Pennsylvania to collect data and determine PVAS values?

16. What is a PVAS value and should you even care?

17. If you don’t know the answers to questions above then why are you running for school director?

School Board Candidates: What do They Believe?

I decided to compile this list of questions because I rarely hear a candidate for school board even brush up against these topics. However, from my perspective, what other questions really matter? Please feel free to copy, paste, and shove down the throats of any candidate for school board in your district.

Questions for School Board Candidates

1. Do you believe in the concept of public education (free and equal educational opportunity for all)?

2. Are the district children receiving the best education possible and how do you know?

3. What research supports the curriculum and instruction used in the schools?

4. Can you identify any waste in the district? Please describe.

5. What are vouchers?

6. How will vouchers impact the school district?

7. Have you given any campaign contributions to politicians that support vouchers? If yes, why?

8. What is the relationship between NCLB tests scores and real estate values?

9. Should our district ask for a waiver to “opt out” of NCLB requirements? Why?

10. How much will it cost our state to implement the Exit Exams?

11. Will the Exit Exams guarantee that district students are ready to graduate?

12. Should sports, music, and other school related activities that are non-academic be financed with taxes or should students “pay to play?”

13. Explain the use of Value Added Measures (VAM) in determining effective teaching.

14. How reliable are VAM scores?

15. How much does it cost our state to collect data and determine VAM values?

16. If you don’t know the answers to questions above then why are you running for school director?

Value Added vs Experience.

From The Wall Street Journal on line.

At Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, principal Gregory Hodge uses the value-added results to alter instruction, move teachers to new classroom assignments and pair weak students with the highest performing teachers. Mr. Hodge said the data for teachers generally aligns with his classroom observations. "It's confirming what an experienced principal knows," he said.

Question. If an "experienced principal" can do the job then why don't they? I know. They're too fracking busy sifting through data instead of being instructional leaders. Also, how much do company's like SAS Institute Inc. make on Value Added Data Systems? I'll bet you taxpayers pay more for these data systems than the they would for an "experienced principal."

Pittsburgh Teachers Can Relax

Yunz Pittsburgh Teachers Can Relax an at. See below.

Arizona has reached an agreement with federal officials to stop monitoring classrooms for mispronounced words and poor grammar from teachers of students still learning the English language.

Explaining Opposition to High Stakes Testing

The"Opt Out" movement is growing. Petitions are being signed. Australians and New Zealanders have joined. And still some just don't truly understand why we are opting out. An important group that needs to understand that this movement is in support of public schools are school leaders. Below is my attempt to explain why I will not let my children take high stakes tests. Feel free to use or modify for your purposes. Just change the names of people and places to fit your localities. :-)

Dear Dr. Toth (Superintendent),

I'm sure you know my opposition to PSSAs (NCLB) and the Keystones (Exit exams). However, my guess is that you don't fully understand why. It has nothing to do with a fear that my children will experience failure. My kids are fine.

My disdain for the testing culture is centered on the fact that testing and the data the testing provides are the weapons being used by "reformers" that want a privatized system of education. The standards and accountability movement was never really about making public education stronger. It was designed to "prove" public education was failing and provide leverage for the voucher, charter, and private school movement. It's a beautiful strategy on the part of the "reformers" because it has convinced our own neighbors that our public school and the taxes being used to support it are being wasted.

Their (reformers) new narrative portrays all teachers, administrators, custodial, and support staff as lazy and overpaid. The data provided by standardized testing feeds the propaganda machine that sucks away the support communities typically provide neighborhood public schools.

I'm not against standards and rigor. I'm against a system that defines standards and rigor as standardized tests and takes the power away from neighborhood schools in defining and delivering a truly rigorous experience in learning. You, the other administrators, and the teachers are the professionals with the knowledge and experience and expertise. I want all of you to be able to do your jobs. Don't worry about "accountability" as defined today. We (parents and community members) will hold you accountable (That's our responsibility as engaged citizens). Don't let politicians being funded by McGraw Hill, Pearson, ETS etc, decide what's best for our community. Again, as a community, that is our responsibility.

I am convinced that our neighbors, if given the alternative narrative (truth) that the Bellwood-Antis School District (actually all public schools) is slowly being dismantled by forces that don't care about our community and only care about using public dollars to make a profit, will never allow this to happen. Except for a few, the citizens of Bellwood-Antis (My town) love their community. And if given the opportunity they would rally around the schools because the Bellwood Antis School District is the center of this community.

Kind Regards,

Tim

Extra reading:
http://zhaolearning.com/2011/07/17/ditch-testing-part-5-testing-has-not-improved-education-despite-all-the-costs/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-d-slekar/the-honest-public-educati_b_814340.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-d-slekar/the-shock-doctrine-case-s_b_856053.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-d-slekar/pennsylvania-selectively-_b_869841.html