Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Questions for the Obama administration

If it fails my child (not to mention other kids, too), then frankly, I don't much care if it's failing big or small. Failure is failure. And something different needs to happen.

I'm not necessarily pro-big government in the schools. (And I think NCLB is a PRIME example of big government in the schools, BTW.) But I don't rule out big government on principle either. I want something that works. Period.

How do the hourly lawyer fees compare to the psychologist's $160/hour I'm looking at paying to have my daughters assessed?
Doing the right thing in the first place sounds cheaper for everyone involved.

This is what always grinds my gears! It is NOT expensive to subject accelerate. It IS expensive--in ways more than $$$, even--to refuse to educate kids.

<shaking head>

This is the part that just makes me want to scream! Use a wee bit of creativity, schools. Show a wee bit of interest in making it work. Sometimes (though certainly not always) I see a real lack of good faith effort on the part of schools/adminstrators/teachers. If they hold the "What's wrong with being bored for 3 years?" attitude, then there IS a lack of good faith effort. And I fear that too many educators have that attitude.

Heck, ONE educator having that attitude is too many...

Our district can't afford to hire another school psych. so the one at my son's school is responsible for 4 different elementary schools. That's over 1000 kids. My son, they say, needs to socialize with children his own age, they don't have the staff or time to make it happen.

My son needs to have pull out to go with older children for math and reading, but with so many kids failing, the remedial teacher can't add another kid. So he loses out. My son qualified for on-line classes, if there is not enough staff, they will not be able to provide him a computer to take those classes.

When you say it doesn't cost more money.... I am not sure what you mean? If they can't provide him a specialized program because they have to spend all of there extra time and resources on kids that are going to fail the test..... They don't have the extra staff, nor do they have the money to hire the extra staff.

Our districts budget just got cut by $3,000,000.... guess where they care going to cut back? I heard it from the horses mouth, any special program, like the gifted program the high school has managed to hang on to, and a head start program for kids that are in high risk groups, will be gone.So the cycle of failing kids will continue for a few years. Until there is money to hire more staff.

In a large urban district, where most of the students come from poverty or just above poverty.... money or the lack of makes a difference.

Why not just have an acceleration policy and be done with it?

High grades, supporting test scores, and assent from the parents and children.

That's how it was done in my case 20+ years ago. On the FIRST day I arrived in the district.

Why do things have to be so difficult?

Oh, of course, Dottie! I know I was intending minimum standards in this discussion. You KNOW I want individualized education!

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm pro having big-picture standards, given that most people aim to do the minimum that's required and no more. I think it ultimately sets the bar too low. But I suspect it's unavoidable to have them in some form. I mean, we have them now and have had them for as long as I know. Certainly since we saw the end of the 1-room schoolhouse...

But one way or another, I do think that some minimum level of education must be granted to all. So how do you communicate that level without big-picture standards? It's what state licensure is about. It's what NCLB is about. It's what state laws about education are about. It's already there in the system.