Comments on: Mass Localism: How Might the Race to the Top Money Be Better Spent? http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/ Creative, Entrepreneurial, and Global: 21st Century Education Thu, 16 May 2013 17:20:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: The Weekly Update: Charter schools: Public or private? Brian Jones in Portland, teachers rally in Illinois and a petition to Obama: Stop privatizing our schools! | Seattle Education http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-12027 The Weekly Update: Charter schools: Public or private? Brian Jones in Portland, teachers rally in Illinois and a petition to Obama: Stop privatizing our schools! | Seattle Education Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:59:13 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-12027 [...] “mass localism,” with educators, parents and community engaging in place-based education, rooted in [...] [...] “mass localism,” with educators, parents and community engaging in place-based education, rooted in [...]

]]> By: Radio Joe http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1955 Radio Joe Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:49:19 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1955 I know it's not the whole Race to the Top kind of money, but I ran across your article and know that Motorola gives radios away on a monthly basis to non-profits and aother education programs. If you are interested in getting the walkie talkie for no charge, visit the<a href="http://www.techwholesale.com/two-way-radio-grant.html" rel="nofollow">walkie talkiie</a> grant program from Motorola. I know it’s not the whole Race to the Top kind of money, but I ran across your article and know that Motorola gives radios away on a monthly basis to non-profits and aother education programs. If you are interested in getting the walkie talkie for no charge, visit thewalkie talkiie grant program from Motorola.

]]> By: Jesse Turner http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1923 Jesse Turner Sat, 19 Jun 2010 14:08:33 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1923 I am only catching up to the blogs Dr. Zhao, I am busy with my walk to DC project, bit here is my take on the 4.3 billion. In my supervision course for Reading consultants I like to break down curriculums down to four major components, 1. Curriculum, (the road map), 2, Instruction, (the bus drivers (teachers) who take you there), 3. Assessment, (gas gauge), and 4. Students, (the road) 1. Now a map is nice, and it makes a good guide, but even our trusty GPS’s sometimes leave us on a dead end road. When this happens we depend on our bus drivers to turn us in the right direction. One major problem with NCLB/RTTT is our bus drivers are ignored. 2. Instruction, I love to remind people that the capital for building academic achievement is instruction. This is where the big bang for the buck is. Quality curriculum programs put their major efforts here. 3. Assessment, everyone needs a gas gauge, but you really only need to keep an occasional eye on it. An obsession with the gas gauge might cause you to take your eyes off the road, and well you know what talking your eyes off the road can lead to. 4. Students, only a fool does not pay full attention to the road. A major concern I have with NCLB/RTTT is where is the data that represents how children feel about the high stakes assessment? That means collecting qualitative data, and quantifying it. My feeling is policy makers know exactly how children are feeling in American schools, but fear the potential this data has to turn parents against them. This would place a focus on motivation. Imagine paying attention to what motivates learners? “A relatively modest federal program (the $4.3 billion budget represents less than 1 percent of all federal, state and local education spending) into high-yield leverage that could… I like to focus on the potential of the “cus4.3 billion could” above. What if we focused directly on instruction? To borrow from military terminology lets call it “boots on the ground” the very thing NCLB/RTTT does not focus on. Well, we could pay could hire teachers to reduce class size, but I rather hired tutors. This focus could put a million tutors in classrooms right next to students in need. Thinking outside the box we could exchange college tuition in exchange for 20 hours per week tutoring children in need. For 200,000 university students, a quick estimate is this will cost between a half of billion and one billion… Wow, this still leaves at 3.3 billion. Well lets hired 200, 000 retirees to help out as well. This still leaves 2.3 billion left. Well, this leaves 2.3 billion to keep the teachers we have in the classroom during these very tough budget times. I think schools boards all across America would love this one. Now 400,000 tutors is not something to sneeze at in my humble opinion. Just imagine the potential of what we could do if we place the focus on direct services to children in the classroom. “RTI”, (Reading to intervention) the United States Department of Education Gold Cadillac literacy intervention policy for helping children at risk spend little money on direct services to children. In essence NCLB/RTT policy spends the less amount of money on instruction. RTTT like NCLB is no more than foolish policy driving us into a wall. Thank you Dr. Zhao for always keeping the focus on the truth, and for providing alternative voices a place to be heard. Sincerely, Jesse Turner I am only catching up to the blogs Dr. Zhao, I am busy with my walk to DC project, bit here is my take on the 4.3 billion.
In my supervision course for Reading consultants I like to break down curriculums down to four major components, 1. Curriculum, (the road map), 2, Instruction, (the bus drivers (teachers) who take you there), 3. Assessment, (gas gauge), and 4. Students, (the road)

1. Now a map is nice, and it makes a good guide, but even our trusty GPS’s sometimes leave us on a dead end road. When this happens we depend on our bus drivers to turn us in the right direction. One major problem with NCLB/RTTT is our bus drivers are ignored.
2. Instruction, I love to remind people that the capital for building academic achievement is instruction. This is where the big bang for the buck is. Quality curriculum programs put their major efforts here.
3. Assessment, everyone needs a gas gauge, but you really only need to keep an occasional eye on it. An obsession with the gas gauge might cause you to take your eyes off the road, and well you know what talking your eyes off the road can lead to.
4. Students, only a fool does not pay full attention to the road. A major concern I have with NCLB/RTTT is where is the data that represents how children feel about the high stakes assessment? That means collecting qualitative data, and quantifying it. My feeling is policy makers know exactly how children are feeling in American schools, but fear the potential this data has to turn parents against them. This would place a focus on motivation. Imagine paying attention to what motivates learners?

“A relatively modest federal program (the $4.3 billion budget represents less than 1 percent of all federal, state and local education spending) into high-yield leverage that could…
I like to focus on the potential of the “cus4.3 billion could” above.
What if we focused directly on instruction? To borrow from military terminology lets call it “boots on the ground” the very thing NCLB/RTTT does not focus on.
Well, we could pay could hire teachers to reduce class size, but I rather hired tutors. This focus could put a million tutors in classrooms right next to students in need.
Thinking outside the box we could exchange college tuition in exchange for 20 hours per week tutoring children in need. For 200,000 university students, a quick estimate is this will cost between a half of billion and one billion… Wow, this still leaves at 3.3 billion.

Well lets hired 200, 000 retirees to help out as well. This still leaves 2.3 billion left.

Well, this leaves 2.3 billion to keep the teachers we have in the classroom during these very tough budget times. I think schools boards all across America would love this one.

Now 400,000 tutors is not something to sneeze at in my humble opinion.
Just imagine the potential of what we could do if we place the focus on direct services to children in the classroom. “RTI”, (Reading to intervention) the United States Department of Education Gold Cadillac literacy intervention policy for helping children at risk spend little money on direct services to children. In essence NCLB/RTT policy spends the less amount of money on instruction.
RTTT like NCLB is no more than foolish policy driving us into a wall.
Thank you Dr. Zhao for always keeping the focus on the truth, and for providing alternative voices a place to be heard.
Sincerely,
Jesse Turner

]]> By: A. L. Tirrell http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1916 A. L. Tirrell Sun, 13 Jun 2010 07:42:48 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1916 I think Race to the Top, like NCLB are measuring the wrong things. Creativity, and innovation are the qualities that have allowed our country to prosper. These qualities have been nurtured in our schools and should not be forced out of the school day. I have seen over the last few years at my high school more English and math classes added so that many students now have 2 of each of these courses to ensure better scores on the accountability test. We have lost the autoshop and it looks as if the engineering tech shop will be next. Many of the other electives are losing students. My school has also purchased testing software to measure all math and English students periodically. I have watched the classes march into the computer lab day after day for this testing. It is puzzling to me what this will show beyond what the teachers grades already reveal about the students' progress. Plus I'm puzzled why high achieving students would need to be tested. I think perhaps some engaging skill building software to help the struggling students might be a better way to use the technology. Student scores may in fact go up because of this but the down side is many students won't have had the opportunity to make the connection as to why they need to read and know math. More students are dropping out and if they stay in school just fade out seeing little relevance to learning and little joy. I think Race to the Top, like NCLB are measuring the wrong things. Creativity, and innovation are the qualities that have allowed our country to prosper. These qualities have been nurtured in our schools and should not be forced out of the school day. I have seen over the last few years at my high school more English and math classes added so that many students now have 2 of each of these courses to ensure better scores on the accountability test. We have lost the autoshop and it looks as if the engineering tech shop will be next. Many of the other electives are losing students. My school has also purchased testing software to measure all math and English students periodically. I have watched the classes march into the computer lab day after day for this testing. It is puzzling to me what this will show beyond what the teachers grades already reveal about the students’ progress. Plus I’m puzzled why high achieving students would need to be tested. I think perhaps some engaging skill building software to help the struggling students might be a better way to use the technology. Student scores may in fact go up because of this but the down side is many students won’t have had the opportunity to make the connection as to why they need to read and know math. More students are dropping out and if they stay in school just fade out seeing little relevance to learning and little joy.

]]> By: R.D. Nordgren http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1905 R.D. Nordgren Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:48:54 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1905 Re: Mass Localism. This was pretty much how the Swedes implemented their 1994 national school reforms: develop a values-based national curriculum (tolerance, democracy, respect, etc.) and allow individual kommuns to figure out how to teach these at the local level. They instituted one mandatory test (Swedish, English, and math) prior to entering high school (upper secondary which is not mandatory but 98% attend)and a voluntary test for 11 year olds. Everything was going along quite well until the 2006 national elections when the new regime decided to emulate NCLB. Disastrous. Hoping the September elections will bring back some sanity to Stockholm so I once more look to Sweden as a model for 21st century schooling. Re: Mass Localism. This was pretty much how the Swedes implemented their 1994 national school reforms: develop a values-based national curriculum (tolerance, democracy, respect, etc.) and allow individual kommuns to figure out how to teach these at the local level. They instituted one mandatory test (Swedish, English, and math) prior to entering high school (upper secondary which is not mandatory but 98% attend)and a voluntary test for 11 year olds. Everything was going along quite well until the 2006 national elections when the new regime decided to emulate NCLB. Disastrous. Hoping the September elections will bring back some sanity to Stockholm so I once more look to Sweden as a model for 21st century schooling.

]]> By: R.D. Nordgren http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1904 R.D. Nordgren Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:43:09 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1904 I also heard the Arne Duncan interview. Yes, he side-stepped the "gotcha's" like a seasoned politician. Emulate the best charter schools? This is the American Enterprise Institute's message now that it is becoming apparent so many charters are failures. I heard AEI's Frederick Hess speak a couple of weeks ago in Cleveland and that was precisely his message: open up more charters and standardize their practice. When you listen to folks like Hess (and I put Duncan in the same category despite his working for a Democratic administration), they always talk about structure not instruction. Let's change school structure but ignore what's going on inside the classroom. My guess is that these folks don't understand the complexities of learning; they're stuck in the "banking model" of knowledge transference that Freire warned about. I wish we truly would get an "education president," one who understands how people learn and is willing to foster progressive change (the only presidential candidate I've heard in the past 2 decades who "gets" teaching and learning is Ralph Nader). I also heard the Arne Duncan interview. Yes, he side-stepped the “gotcha’s” like a seasoned politician. Emulate the best charter schools? This is the American Enterprise Institute’s message now that it is becoming apparent so many charters are failures. I heard AEI’s Frederick Hess speak a couple of weeks ago in Cleveland and that was precisely his message: open up more charters and standardize their practice. When you listen to folks like Hess (and I put Duncan in the same category despite his working for a Democratic administration), they always talk about structure not instruction. Let’s change school structure but ignore what’s going on inside the classroom. My guess is that these folks don’t understand the complexities of learning; they’re stuck in the “banking model” of knowledge transference that Freire warned about. I wish we truly would get an “education president,” one who understands how people learn and is willing to foster progressive change (the only presidential candidate I’ve heard in the past 2 decades who “gets” teaching and learning is Ralph Nader).

]]> By: David Fiits http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1898 David Fiits Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:22:42 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1898 There was a great interview with Arne Duncan on NPR last week. In it, the interviewer nailed him on several points that exposed his personal agenda. He commented that without major reforms we could lose art and music programs. The interviewer pointed out that since the 80's art and music have been under the gun and we have already lost many of those programs. His response? Side step. Secondly he commented that the public schools should be emulating Charter Schools. Again the interviewer pointed out that a recent study, by I believe it was Stanford, revealed that less that twenty percent of Charter schools are matching or beating public schools on test scores, and then it is only in the worst public school districts, he quickly retreated to: emulating the "best" Charter Schools. As I see it, the major problem continues to be the political agenda of one party. A party that for years in Michigan has wanted to see the public schools destroyed. That wants to see vouchers advance their personal preferences for where they can educate their child. Personally I do not have a problem with making teachers accountable for what they teach. The problem I have is that a national agenda which attempts to create a one size fits all solution. And that is impossible. I am sorry Secretary Duncan, but Detroit, LA or New York have different issues that impede student learning. While yes there will always be some aspects that are the same NO TWO schools and communities are identical. And that part of the equation must be considered. Race to the Top???? Is this really something that MUST be expressed in athletic terms? Must we in America continue to be exposed to the Phalacy that educating children is a contest. Economic failure in this country has been because of greed not a failed education system. We need to focus on what is best for OUR kids in the US. What makes them good, intelligent, productive citizens not treat them as part of a race to some mythical finish line. We are not the most successful country in the world for nothing and certainly not because our system has "failed". Does it need improving? Sure, we can always improve and should always strive to improve. I am not sure a "race to the top" is very productive in spite of it's pitiful reality. There was a great interview with Arne Duncan on NPR last week. In it, the interviewer nailed him on several points that exposed his personal agenda. He commented that without major reforms we could lose art and music programs. The interviewer pointed out that since the 80′s art and music have been under the gun and we have already lost many of those programs. His response? Side step.

Secondly he commented that the public schools should be emulating Charter Schools. Again the interviewer pointed out that a recent study, by I believe it was Stanford, revealed that less that twenty percent of Charter schools are matching or beating public schools on test scores, and then it is only in the worst public school districts, he quickly retreated to: emulating the “best” Charter Schools.

As I see it, the major problem continues to be the political agenda of one party. A party that for years in Michigan has wanted to see the public schools destroyed. That wants to see vouchers advance their personal preferences for where they can educate their child.

Personally I do not have a problem with making teachers accountable for what they teach. The problem I have is that a national agenda which attempts to create a one size fits all solution. And that is impossible. I am sorry Secretary Duncan, but Detroit, LA or New York have different issues that impede student learning. While yes there will always be some aspects that are the same NO TWO schools and communities are identical. And that part of the equation must be considered.

Race to the Top???? Is this really something that MUST be expressed in athletic terms? Must we in America continue to be exposed to the Phalacy that educating children is a contest. Economic failure in this country has been because of greed not a failed education system. We need to focus on what is best for OUR kids in the US. What makes them good, intelligent, productive citizens not treat them as part of a race to some mythical finish line. We are not the most successful country in the world for nothing and certainly not because our system has “failed”. Does it need improving? Sure, we can always improve and should always strive to improve. I am not sure a “race to the top” is very productive in spite of it’s pitiful reality.

]]> By: Mass Localism: How Might the Race to the Top Money Be Better Spent? by Yong Zhao #RTTT « Transparent Christina: A Personal Blog by a member of the Christina School Board http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1885 Mass Localism: How Might the Race to the Top Money Be Better Spent? by Yong Zhao #RTTT « Transparent Christina: A Personal Blog by a member of the Christina School Board Tue, 25 May 2010 04:20:56 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1885 [...] Mass Localism: How Might the Race to the Top Money Be Better Spent? by Yong Zhao #RTTT May 25, 2010 John Young Leave a comment Go to comments FULL POST: HERE. [...] [...] Mass Localism: How Might the Race to the Top Money Be Better Spent? by Yong Zhao #RTTT May 25, 2010 John Young Leave a comment Go to comments FULL POST: HERE. [...]

]]> By: Ana Luisa Cardona http://zhaolearning.com/2010/05/23/mass-localism-how-might-the-race-to-the-top-money-be-better-spent/comment-page-1/#comment-1876 Ana Luisa Cardona Mon, 24 May 2010 14:29:03 +0000 http://zhaolearning.com/?p=560#comment-1876 Because Michigan remains a largely "local control state," meaning most policies are locally determined by district school boards, I believe it is possible to mesh the federal Race to the Top initiative with locally determined options. Awakening local awareness of the power that still resides within their hands, will be key to this combined solution. Because Michigan remains a largely “local control state,” meaning most policies are locally determined by district school boards, I believe it is possible to mesh the federal Race to the Top initiative with locally determined options. Awakening local awareness of the power that still resides within their hands, will be key to this combined solution.

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