Short Train Running

Today will be my fourth day of taking a group of kids on the train from Tampa to Lakeland. What a learning experience for the kids....and the chaperones.

I have been playing again over on The Gradebook.


I don't have time now to 'splain and 'splore, but here is the concept:


The public is what is wrong with the public school education system.(?)


This could be a statement or a question.

If true, the implications are profound.


If one can get through all of the comments here, maybe it will make sense as to what I am trying to get a handle on.

I hear the whistle blowing - later.

Shoes And School Board Members Flying By The Same Rules

Last week I had the occasion to play in a kick ball game with a group of young kids. While this was an activity I used to supervise daily, I haven't done it for several years. Due to scheduling accommodations, I relieved one of the two young adults so that he could go do another task.

I was unfamiliar with the culture of this group's afternoon activities. I also came into an already underway game. I took my place on "my team" as the other team had a young adult already engaged. We are big on "engaging"... it leads to many positive experiences and increases communication skills which lessens frustrated behavior.

I digress. My team was up to kick. One little boy attempted to kick the ball and his shoe flew off. He put it back on, and then repeated this action with the next pitch.

I then asked him if I could tighten his Velcro to see if that would help. He said yes, and he then kicked the ball a short distance (bunt?) and was able to make it to first base. In this brief amount of time, I ranked him as an emerging kickballer, and surmised that he must get picked last a lot.

Back in the day, my favorite "team picking" strategy was to have the captains pick the other's team. The "always picked last" kids then got picked first. These low-on-the-kickball-bell-curve kids didn't care what the implication was, all they knew was they were "FIRST"!

I digress again.

After our three outs, we took the field. Our pitcher was the oldest, biggest, dominant girl. I wasn't sure if she was the "all time pitcher", but she was the commander of "her" team. Back in the day, I had strategies to help others learn to command too, and also help some to learn how to receive commands. But this day, I wanted to learn the culture first and it would be counter productive for me to interject too much.

I digress.

It wasn't long before a kicker on the opposing team attempted to kick the ball, and his shoe flew off. My dominant pitcher immediately yelled "He's out!".

I hesitantly asked "how come?". She said "because Mr. Joe says if your shoe comes off, you are out". Sure enough, Mr. Joe wasn't there to verify. But I had a more pressing question.

"How come when our guy kicked and his shoe came off, no one said he was out?"

I received a blank look with no noticeable facial movement. It was as if I had sold out my own team.

So I explained that if a rule is a rule, it must be applied fairly. If it wasn't called when our guy kicked, then we can't enforce it now. I asked her why she didn't speak up when our guy's shoe flew off and she blew it off with an "I don't know".

The game went on, and no one else had a shoe malfunction.

This scenario reminds me of the local HCPS school board's enforcement of "traveling fees". It is only called out when it is convenient to gain an edge over your opponents.

Missed A Comment On "Free Breakfast"

Somehow I did not see this comment posted by Thomas Vaughn:

"Do you honestly think the free breakfast is a money maker? I have never heard that before."


I cannot locate the original article, but I first wrote about it here:

"One more thought while I have the opportunity. In the Palm Beach Post article, there was this sentence: "Palm Beach County's program will be paid for with state and federal money. It might even be a money-making venture for the food service department, which operates as an independent corporation and does not draw from the district's general fund."

This statement leads me to believe that the motivation for the program was money, not the stated reasons of having more alert students. I could be wrong, oh me of little faith.

August 13, 2007 9:09 AM"



.... Read the complete comment by "anonymous", which was me.
The article I was referring to was written August 13, 2007. I did a few search attempts and could not locate it.

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As far as contrived social programs to create dependency, I believe that this is a much argued sociological issue in many arenas, public education being one of them.

I don't think it is much of a secret that political groups identify and target specific groups to provide services for in return for voter support.

Apart From The Obvious, It Is What It Is

While I am patiently waiting for grasshoppers to respond, I will share a bit of the fun I had on The Gradebook today.

My fun started at "Frans van Haaren | July 26, 2008 at 12:39 AM".

Admittingly, as was later pointed out, my dialogue with "publicschoolteacher" was "off topic". But by the time this started, the "serious topic points" had plenty of time to be made.

I posted these comments:
Fran's Backup - Which part is apart? | July 26, 2008 at 09:45 AM
Fran's Backup - Making my point | July 26, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Fran's Backup - Just The Parent | July 26, 2008 at 12:06 PM
One more off topic comment | July 26, 2008 at 02:15 PM

All I know for sure apart from a part that I wrote, if I don't pitch in my part, and no one else pitch's in their part, none of us will have a part to pitch in.

Blaming Parents 101

This is the kind of stuff that gets my lamb chops. And my goat.

Here is another article on The Gradebook titled Want kids to perform? Reward them

While I do not agree with this concept, I haven't got to the part that really puts my ovine in a bundle.

If one reads the articles (follow all of the links), you see names such as
1 - Sen. Elaine Alquist, the bill's sponsor

2 - Jeb Bush

3 - Patricia Levesque - "Bonuses for student performance have been tested for more than a decade, and results show this type of incentive works," reads the statement from Patricia Levesque, the foundation's executive director.

4 - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

5- Roland G. Fryer, the Harvard economist who designed the student incentive program,

6 - Nationally, school districts have experimented with a range of approaches....

7 - Virginia Connelly, the principal of Junior High School 123, in the Soundview section of the Bronx.......


I do not see any "Parent" being mentioned.

I do not see any "Parent" sponsoring a bill.

I do not see any "Parent" asking the public school system to do this.

But I did see this comment on the Gradebook post:

Isn't it the PARENT'S job to be setting the example and rewarding their children for bringing home good grades (and punishing them for bad ones)? Parents have to take responsibility for their kids and stop expecting the state to raise them right.

Posted by: Frustrated | July 21, 2008 at 05:15 PM


This is what is frustrating to me. Blaming parents for something they didn't start.
However, once it is provided to them, when it is taken away they do complain then.

But parents didn't start it.

I wrote about this a long time ago here as anonomous. Here is the reprint:

"Connecting free school transportation with free school breakfast.

This got my attention: "Following school districts in Baltimore, New York City, Seattle and Tampa, Palm Beach County is embracing a healthy breakfast as a weapon against discipline problems, chronic visits to the nurse and a lack of focus in the classroom."
palmbeachpost.com August 13

I hear a lot of criticism about how parents are doing their "job' and I hear many complaints that the school system has to "do it all". Which came first, poor parenting or a system that instilled dependence? While the stated reasons for providing this free lunch are laudable, one must look at the big picture.

I can only imagine that in a few years this "free breakfast" program will be a financial burden on the system. But by then, two things will have happened. The first will be that this entitlement mentality will be entrenched in the public. The second will be that the etilogy of this program will be forgotten. The school personnel will blame the kids and the parents for not being responsble, and the parents will be angry because their lifestyles will have adapted to the system and the system is "abruptly" taking away something.

One more thought while I have the opportunity. In the Palm Beach Post article, there was this sentence: "Palm Beach County's program will be paid for with state and federal money. It might even be a money-making venture for the food service department, which operates as an independent corporation and does not draw from the district's general fund."

This statement leads me to believe that the motivation for the program was money, not the stated reasons of having more alert students. I could be wrong, oh me of little faith.
August 13, 2007 9:09 AM"

What? But We Sent Out A Press Release That Says We Are A Model Education System

Isolated incidents. (sarcastically said)

Broad brush attacks. (sarcastically said)

Unfair criticisms. (sarcastically said)

GPA's that are almost twice what is considered Excellent.(sarcastically said)

How can one deny that our local educational system is a leader within the nation? (sarcastically said)

Naysayers and critiques are simply wrong minded and have misplaced judgement.(sarcastically said)

Personal issues. Political issues.

What ever issues there are, the local educational system is simply a victim of circumstances, but remains a national icon. (sarcastically said)


But now we have a comment from Forbes Magazine.

Via the Gradebook, a link to the St. Pete Times - Dominic Tayo


"Forbes magazine this month named Tampa the worst major metro area for young professionals in America — for the second year in a row."

Is There More Money in Test Scores Than The Kid?

Somewhere on my blogs I have written about the legal requirement under IDEA for school districts to address the behavioral, academics, social and emotional (BASE) aspects of a disabled child in all areas of their disability. A successful student must have supports in all areas.

I was perusing the Gradebook this morning, and I found this link to the Miami Herald titled FCAT third-grade reading law questioned .

At the very end of the article, the Broward County Board Chairperson is quoted as follows:

"''We always seem to focus on the academic side. It was really important for me to focus on the social and emotional side,'' said Bartleman, who worked at a Liberty City elementary school for four years. ``A kid isn't just a test score.'"

I think she gets it.

Since schools get money for having high test scores, it would seem logical to focus on academics, since that is where the money is.

But simply adding more flour and cutting out other ingredients does not a cake make.

Bakeries that attempt to get by with more flour and cut out the eggs, milk, vanilla, and other ingredients will fail.

It's Not The Real Thing - Water or Oil

So many jingles. So many products. So much money. So much political correctness.

Almost 11 months to the day, I wrote this post:
"Get Your Fat Ass Off The Bus -But Buy a Pepsi When You Get To School"

I thought I could expose a bit of hypocrisy within the system.

Today, the St. Pete Times has this: Hillsborough schools remove soda from vending machines

According to the article, "Pepsi has a 12-year, $50-million exclusive contract with Hills­borough schools".

And there is this: "Pepsi will offer only water to elementary students in Hillsborough. Middle school students can choose between water and 10-ounce servings of 100 percent juice products.

At high schools, Pepsi will sell diet soft drinks and low-calorie juices and teas. Sports drinks and fruit juices will be available in sizes no larger than 12 ounces."

It has been a while since I have been to an elementary school. Where are the "water machines" placed in the school? Are they next to the water fountains? Maybe a better question would be "are there any water fountains?". For now at least?

I know the public school system is not a business... sort of. But it seems like there are savvy business deals and contracts cut everyday within the public school system.

I've been thinking. The public school system could save money if they didn't install water fountains in their new buildings. But wait, there is more. Starting with our most treasured product (elementary kids), if they could not find water any where on campus except in one of those "water machines", it would stand to reason that sales of "water bottles" would go up. The Pepsi Corporation could recoup their investment.

Sort of like suppy and demand. Control the supply source and you can demand higher prices. It works for the oil industry is what I keep hearing.

And of course this shift of supply would not happen quickly, because it might get public attention. I think Barrack Obama made a comment that the only thing he didn't like about the increased gas prices was that it happened to quickly. We are pretty well assured that our local politicians and business people...sort of.. are very savvy people. They know how to make a plan work.


$50 million dollars is a lot of money. I wonder what else is in the contract between Pepsi and HCPS. And, I wonder who wrote it.

Oo ah oo ah oo oo, Kitty

....Tell us about the boy
From New York City
Oo ah oo ah come on, Kitty
Tell us about the boy
From New York City..." (The Ad Libs)

In case anyone missed the comments spread around on our blogs by Goader, I will post it again.


The subject of grade inflation should be taken seriously.
The subject of the credibility of public education should be taken seriously.

The slippery slope of public school systems that are more about image without substance should be taken seriously.

I know the public education system is not a business.....sort of. But what the public education system is selling and what the ignorant public is buying (talking generalities here) is "look how good our kids are doing because look how high their grades are". "There is a sucker born every minute".

It is my personal opinion that any "grading" of any "facet", (such as the FCAT, school site grades, District Grades, MAP grades, STAR grades etc) of the public school system has the same integrity as wholesale district grading curves. See here: Tampa Bay Online (note that the public comments were deleted); and here: Painted on The Wall; and here: Live again from New York with Matt Tabor.

To toot my own horn (that would be a trumpet or a sousaphone- treble or bass cleft), look here; and here; and here with Karl Marx

What I think is the basis of these inflated grades is that it is aimed at bringing the failing grades up- for the sake of money for the system or those within it. Inflated high GPA's can be used as a statistical means to camouflage "failing" students and school sites.


Here is the response to the criticism

I think this sentence speaks volumes about the issue: "Colleges recalculate GPAs to level the playing field."

Bedfellows, Birds, Boats and Chewing Gum

There is a hackneyed adage: Politics makes strange bedfellows. Shakespeare conceptulized this a while back.


The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.

Politics makes strange bedfellows


Political interests can bring together people who otherwise have little in common. This saying is adapted from a line in the play The Tempest, by William Shakespeare: “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” It is spoken by a man who has been shipwrecked and finds himself seeking shelter beside a sleeping monster. "

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Another adage is "Birds of a feather flock together". Or "show me your friends and I will show you what you are".

I purposefully have stayed away from being active in politics because I am never sure how many "beds" any particular politician may be in. So, metaphorically speaking, if I "flock together" with a politician who then "flocks together" with "birds of another feather", then I would be vicariously connected to a "friend" that I would not choose to be associated with.


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One of the few political points that I have written about is "all politics is local".

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Changing a bureacratic system is like turning a huge moving ship. It takes time and the turn starts long before the go-to point is near.

Here is some interesting commentary about some politicians that are supposed to be the Directors of the captain of a ship. But what if the captain cares less about the Directors, or the "real orders" come from some other source.

Read the public comments.



I am starting to wonder what would it matter if (My) Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor On The Bed Post Overnight?

I Don't Know What "It" Is, But I Know "It" When I See It

As the parent who was processed through the world of special education within a public school system, I have had both benefit and misfortune in many, many experiences.

One of the benefits of the bad experiences I had was that it made me a better advocate for my son. I think all that know his life story would agree that he has far surpassed expectations. And there is still much to be desired before I die. I feel comforted that his siblings will not forsake him.

One of the misfortunes of the bad experiences I had was the toll it took on my overall disposition towards the education system of which I am a part of. For 33 years, kids who have gone at least two years through my business are known to be "advanced" both academically and socially. There are always those on the fringe of the bell curve, but our reputation speaks for itself.

Frequent readers of my blogs surely must see the acrimonious style in which I relay information and my opinions about "the system". I know from experience how some people at all levels within "the system" discount what I have to say. However, I also know from experience of countless IEP's of my own and with other parents along with the fact that many of these experiences were with the same District personnel in some counties (therefore patterns could be very well detected), I "know 'it' when I see 'it'", "it" being the "purposeful dysfunction" of the system.

Trying to convey the validity and the seriousness of what "it" is to others is an extremely difficult, if not impossible, task. Prior to the "age of communication", spreading the information was limited. Spreading information now is still controlled as much as possible by those who do not want the truth be known.

I cannot and will not own the problems that I know others face because to do so would consume me. Every once in a while over the years, I have had the experience of knowing someone who, having given little credence to my perceptions and opinions, finds themselves in a "bad spot" and comes back to me and said "wow - I see what you are talking about. It is unbelievable!"

I wish I could speed that process up for everyone.

Violent Disabled Students

A common problem in school systems across the United States.

I have been assured in the past that every school in HCPS has a trained behavioral specialist that is capable of providing behavioral supports, including the completion of a functional behavioral assessment and the development of a positive behavioral support plan.

Some may be interested in how the court views violent behavior of disabled students within the school system. This should be a must read: HONIG, California Superintendent of Public Instruction v. DOE, et al.

I am of the understanding that IEP's are written to meet the individual needs of the student. These IEP's of course would include any and all supports and related services needed for the individual student to receive a free and appropriate public education. Behavioral supports assuredly would be included.

I somehow am led to believe that if the behavior of a student is a manifestation of their disability, and this behavior of the student impedes his/or her access to their education or if the behavior of the student impedes his or her peer's access to their curriculum, then the IEP team must positively address these behaviors in a manner that is reasonably designed to produce positive outcomes.

A powerhouse education system such as Hillsborough County surely must be on the leading edge in providing adequate behavioral supports to teachers and classrooms to ensure that each IEP not only is written to demonstrate compliance, but that the implementation actually occurs.

Every once in a while, one might hear a concern or two that the behavior of a student is not improving, or may even be getting worse. However, I would wager that if one were to ask if the current IEP is written to meet the needs of the student, the resounding answer would be "Yes". Where those concerns come from remain a mystery.

I wonder how many people have been to a "manifestation hearing". This process is triggered when a behavioral incident results in the removal of a disabled student for more than 10 days - give or take a week or so depending on who knows the rules. I wonder how many times at these "manisfestation hearings" the IEP is reviewed, the determination is made that the IEP was adequate to meet the needs of the child, and then, after this is prominently noted for the record, an IEP team meeting is scheduled to "review and revise" the IEP to address the recent behavioral issue.

Just wandering - I mean wondering.

Why Should We Trust the Public School Education System?

"November 2004 | Volume 62 | Number 3
Closing Achievement Gaps Pages 28-32


Confronting the Racism of Low ExpectationsRacism in educators' attitudes—and in how students are placed in advanced classes—still robs minority students of chances for success."


I will choose this passage in the above link to make a point:

"Racist Attitudes: Subtle and Overt
I have run into many parents like this man during the two years since the publication of my book, A White Teacher Talks About Race. All over the United States, from small towns to gated suburbs to "inner-ring" districts to inner-city schools, I have listened to parents, teachers, administrators, and students verify the truth of this father's observations. Principals have told me about teachers who say openly that black boys are impossible to work with because they are hyperactive and uncontrollable. These same teachers ignore the behavior of white boys who act out. Teachers have told me that they avoid their faculty lounge because the talk behind closed doors is offensive to them, full of negative assumptions based on race. One teacher told me it is like "witnessing the chances for kids diminish right before your eyes.""

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I know from experience that the plight of the disabled students within the public school system follows the same type of prejudice from the public schools that applies to black students as outlined above. I know from experience that some black people reject the correlation. It is my belief that the black people reject the inference that "blacks are the same as the disabled". That is not the point. The point is that just as blacks had to have Federal intervention to access education, so did the disabled. If you don't know the legal history of either, please do not call yourself a professional educator. Of any.

It is my understanding that blacks used(?)to be considered by "the public school system" to not have the aptitude to perform. There has been much to do within the court system over the years that have demonstrated that low expectations is pervasive against both blacks and the disabled.

I write often about the arrogance and ignorance of public school systems.

I smugly comment that these types of situations do not happen in my own school system, only others.

This is a recent case, not in my district of course, that addresses retaliation.

This is a resource for those who want a quicker version


What I found interesting about this case is the following comment at the bottom of page 11:

(....describing "air of disdain and tone of contempt of APS officials" at due process hearing)id. at p. 33....)

And there is this:

"As the meaning of �students-with-disabilities� gets watered down, the most severely disabled children pay the steepest price. Dillon reminds us that their parents are crying out for them not to be treated as victims and excuses:"

this quote is found here.

After this week, I think it is phenomenal that a District the size of HCPS is free of any low expectations.