Many of the better colleges require their students to come from high school with four years of math. Not an unreasonable request, right? Well, in the quest to save money, the majority of kids at Packemin are not getting that option. Courses like Discrete Math, pre-calculus for seniors and non-AP calculus are no longer in the budget. The courses the local junior college offers on our campus are not available to them either as they have been filled with juniors needing an extra class. The kids are upset and so are their parents.
A young woman came to me with her mom today, begging for admission to my college class. Since the class is capped at 25 (college rules) and there are 25 attending, I had to stay firm and say no! She didn't want to hear that and kept repeating her need for a fourth year of math. She also gave me quite a story as to how we could let her take her class, but that is a story for another time on the other blog.
All I've got to say now is thanks Obama, thanks for your RTTT money, money to use to collect data and to evaluate teachers. Money not to be used to actually help our students reach the top, money to be used for credit recovery and test prep, things that help our stats, but not our students. How can you say everyone should go to college when money you have given to the schools is not being used to help kids get into college? How can you be such a hypocrite? How would you feel if this girl was your child?
4 comments:
It doesn't sound like it's getting any better. I finally had to "unlike" Education Nation because of how the de-formers are controlling the panel and agenda. Now they are inviting parents who have "met" with Duncan. And to top it off, Oprah's show this coming Monday is on Waiting for Superman and all the suspects are on the panel. Teachers are royally screwed, and so are the kids. In time this house of cards will crumble.
The RTTT money can be used for the classromm. It is up to the City & State how they use it. Presently, it seems it will be used administratively to establish evaluation programs.
If the kid were Obama's child, she'd be going to an elite private school with small class sizes, room for creativity, and methods routinely denied by all the "reformers" to whom the President of the United States answers.
We're a few years down this path in my district.
What I plan to do for my own children is to utilize University of Missouri distance learning options. The pricing is more than CC dual enrollment, but less than CC nondual enrollment and the plus is no travel. Perhaps that would be a viable option for some of your potential students.
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