A Market Driven Strategy In Public Education?

The headlines are surprising. It almost looks like what a business entity does when it realizes it is losing business. Usually when this happens, the business entity tries to meet the needs of the consumer, and lure them into "buying" the product.

Hernando County schools hope to lure back homeschoolers - St. Petersburg Times

Could this be interpreted as wanting to meet the needs of the consumer?: -"Somewhere along the line, many of you grew disenchanted with the county's schools," he wrote, saying he would "appreciate the opportunity to hear from you and gain an understanding of your reasons for leaving or choosing not to attend our school district."

Could this mean that the desire to bring students back to the system is a financial driven need, and the District actually spent time and money to figure out how much it is losing because the public is not "consuming" the "product"?:
- "Nearly 760 county children were educated at home last year. At $3,961 or more per student in state funding, their return to the public schools could bring about $3-million to a budget that was facing a $4.5-million shortfall last spring, said finance director Deborah Bruggink."

Since when does financial concerns of a public school system drive the focus on what the education program is?

- -""Absolutely, I'm telling you," she said. "From a curricular perspective, if you're offering different things, you might entice some parents back" to the public schools."

I realize this is not the traditional bait and switch tactics of savvy businesses, but it does reflect the strategy of placing "on-sale items" next to higher profit items to increase exposure:
- - "They might come to participate in only wresting or school band, but if they have a good experience, they could try something else."

Let's hope for the well being of our children that it just isn't another financial scam dreamed up to get money but still not meet the needs of the "consumer".

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."

A Jimmy Buffett Song Plays In The Background

"It's those changes in latitudes,
changes in attitudes
nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

I am not sure how many people are laughing about the situation with the HCPS. I think there are more than a few going insane. And I think that there is a lot of running and a lot of cunning in attempts to keep it together.

I was asked this question: "Is the school district too large to make the changes needed in response to the public who finance the operation and use the system?"

My short answer is "no". My long monotonous answer is "no" also. At one point in time back in the late '90's, I was involved in several different areas with the District, mostly revolving around ESE issues. I was attempting to address "systemic issues". As my knowledge and experience increased, my skills and ability to analyze different aspects of how the District operates also increased. I will admit, I was at times lacking of diplomacy when I was being fed a line of bull snot and expected to believe it. Hence, I was invited in for a conference more than once, which I talk a little about in this post: "It's Not What You Say, It's The Fact That You Said It."

I was disturbing the troops. Again, admittedly, some of the teachers and staff were "innocent victims" of the system and they were blindsided when someone came along and challenged the "propaganda". I can recount countless numbers of incidents where the information being given to parents in IEP meetings was easily demonstrated as wrong by simply asking the information giver to "let's just read this section of the procedural safeguards out loud". I was once threatened of being ejected from an IEP meeting despite the fact that I was right on two out of two challenges of how the ESE specialist was "explaining the parent's rights" incorrectly. I was later told by an administrator that I should have waited "until after the meeting" to address these issues. How many of you want to be told the truth about the contract you are negotiating "after" you have signed it?

In several settings, both in IEP meetings and out of them, I heard that "the District is too big for everyone to get the right information". I think it was in one of the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Special Education where I heard this excuse one more time and I responded with "Are we going to change the size of the District? If not, then I don't want to hear that as an excuse anymore."

I said all of that to say this - size doesn't matter. One, because it is not an option to change the size of the District and two, if the District wants to address communication issues or deal with issues succinctly, they can and will, in my opinion.

A large part of the problem is that the majority of the public has no clue about what goes on. I believe that apathy, ignorance and blind trust is why a majority of the public don't know. For the rest who see the challenges, just look how hard it is for the teachers to get attention to what is going on. Parents have the same difficulty. And "they are just parents".

Only recently has the media seemed to be more enlightening. Just look how many articles have come out in the last year. But, then read how Mr. Otto was challenged about what he writes. Considering his wife is a teacher, he surely wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds her. And now there is blogging. I have already cited in my previous posts how blogging may accomplish change effectively, mainly because it cannot be controlled, even though "they" will try. Those who are entrenched in "how it used to be" won't be able to overcome the new technology and the information age.

So, in my humble opinion, it won't be a change in the size of the District, it will be a change in how it is administered.

Hey Mister Editor, May I Have A Job?

That's what I'm talking about.

Today in the Tampa Tribune, we have this: All Students, Athletes Included, Are Entitled To School Choice.

It restates what I said here: Footballs, Business Cards, Gavels and Scientific Method and bolsters the need for the District to pay attention to appropriate numbers that I mentioned here: Numbers and Coke Leave One Out of Touch with Reality.

This paragraph drew my attention: "It's interesting to note, however, that while Hillsborough coaches claim to know other coaches who have broken the transfer rules, none has the courage to report the details to the district for investigation. It's hard to have sympathy for coaches and schools unwilling to police themselves."

I was a founding member of the Superintendents ESE Advisory Council. While acting in the capacity as President of same, I was told straight forwardly by a District representative that the District did not need policing. I assume that those who are keenly aware of the difficulties facing all of those involved in ESE issues silently plead for some accountability.

It may be a complete surprise to some that I possess a degree in Sociology. The only time I used it for gainful employment was during my stint with the University of Miami. While I have retired a few times already, it would be fun to be an investigative reporter delving into the networking of the HCDS. Ferreting out how the District runs their business of education would be intriguing. Instead of me being a keyboard mocking critic, I could be a professional gumshoe.

So maybe I should put in a formal job application. I would of course have to become educated in writing. My participles not only dangle, most outright hang themselves. Commas and llamas all seem the same to me. The only ‘grammer’ I have ever known spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking pies.

And I could just imagine the look on the faces of all of those that I used to spend a lot of time with and know that I have seen the truth and don’t buy into their scripted rationalizations, such as “the District is too big for everyone to get the correct information.” I could provide the information for them, but no one is going to tell them what to do, much less how to do it.

Footballs, Business Cards, Gavels and Scientific Method

This article in today's Tampa Tribune enlightens us in to the daily struggles that face our public education system of today. These struggles probably have been going on for a while, but now that the stakes are higher, the faltering sense of control may be making the stirred muck more noticeable.

2 Districts Limit Athlete Transfers

I am becoming aware that within the public education system there are a few people who at least take education and teaching as a very serious matter. I imagine this is a reflection of how seriously they took their efforts to obtain a position within a public school system, and they are quick to defend any perceived unfair, and sometimes fair, criticism of the system.

What may be unfair to these real professionals is that there may be a belief by those who are in decision making positions that education and teaching just happens. Attention to processes and mechanisms that will ensure and promote education and teaching may not be a priority.

One who follows along various concerns about our local education system may recall that there have been concerns about teachers, nurses, school bus drivers, contracts, and athlete transfers. Each of these areas has at least two common components of numbers and money.

I will concede that education is not a business, 'cause I don't want to argue anymore. However, it is difficult to understand how education and teaching can be effective as a whole if someone isn't paying attention to how the business of the system is monitored.

Within the article, we find this paragraph:

"District coaches told The Tampa Tribune that shopping for an athletic program is common and increasing. But Hillsborough County officials said they do not know how many athletes in the district are on special assignments to schools outside their assigned boundaries or how many moved into a new boundary to play a sport."

The phrase "they do not know how many" seems to be a common denominator in all of the aforementioned issues. It brings reason to wonder just what numbers they pay attention to. I am sure it isn't Avagadro's.

Using special assignments as an example of how major decisions are made without any science of reasoning is almost laughable, if not so disconcerting. A student who is asking for a special assignment because the school they want to get into has a particular educational setting that they want or need might go far in enhancing the education and teaching purposes of the system. A student who is given a special assignment so they can hang out with "tbf" may in fact have a negative consequence on the education and teaching purposes of the system.

What I don't understand, again from a business perspective, is that there seems to be money and time spent in a decision making process that there appears to be no accountability for. If the one's with the gavel have to take time to confirm a decision made by a group that doesn't know if kids are going to the science lab or the football field, why bother.

PS or update or whatever - It should be of utmost importance to those who are serious about the serious goals of education and teaching, that the above example leans heavily towards a convincing argument that it is "who you know" instead of "how many" and other vital variables that one should know to make an educated decision, whether it be in the best interest of teaching or business. I have seen the rebuke from the dias by some when one questions "those who should know"'s knowledge of "how many", so maybe it truly is the "who".

Oh To Be A Fly On The Wall

Dallas school district's corruption investigators keeping busy


Rumour mills grind out the stories as consistently as ever flowing water keeps a mill turning.

The article says this operation is saving the school system lots of money.

One should read the article closely to ascertain who has the final decision to move forward on findings by the investigative group.

A Look Gained By Following the Links

I was curious about the onset of Jack Levine in the SDHC Parent Press


http://www.4generationsinstitute.org/


Health Care Access is Essential, one would find:

....... "Please visit the Voices for America's Children site at www.voices.org and click on the Speak Up section of the site. .........


JACK LEVINE,

founder,

4Generations Institute,

Tallahassee "


If one follows the www.voices.org link, one can find Speak Out but not Speak Up.

Today's headline is:

SCHIP Secured, Progress Denied

On December 19 Congress completed action a stop-gap measure to continue the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through March 2009, Voices for America’s Children hailed the extension of the vital program for children’s health care, but expressed outrage that that lack of an authorization halts the drive to provide coverage to more of the nation’s nine million uninsured children.

Some Business Components of Education

Interesting commentary.

Especially when he poses the thought that business decision makers of the education system should speak the truth.

Dade County teachers used to hold their IEP meetings in groups in the cafeteria. Imagine the monkey wrench thrown into that process when a knowledgeable parent comes along that the I in IEP stands for "individualized".

It appears that when these crossfires of time issues occur, it is the student that suffers. Being responsible and stressed does not make for a positive education environment, parent, teacher or student.


Florida School Boss: School Bosses in Planning Time Crossfire

For those who are still interested in the Union and MAP

Click here: Broward Teachers Union negotiates big raises for vets, little for newcomers -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

I have in the past said that school system administrators and union administrators work together for the benefit of the top tier of each

Sometimes my ideas are supported by others.

Comments may be found at this site.

Click here: Florida School Boss: You Break It, You Own It