California at the Front of Education Trends
When it comes to education, California likes to be ahead of most trends. But sometimes state lawmakers get a little carried away. Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed two separate bills that, for better or for worse, would have firmly cemented California's reputation as an education trendsetter. One bill would have required schools to carve out time specifically for teaching kids about climate change; the other would have allowed teachers to hand out rewards—possibly movie and restaurant coupons or tickets to concerts and sporting events—for good scores on standardized tests. The two bills were introduced by state lawmakers who are Democrats. Schwarzenegger, a moderate conservative, says he supports climate change instruction in schools as well as the use of cash and other perks to motivate students but believes that such decisions should be left up to individual schools.
Oddly enough, he threw his support behind a separate similarly far-out-there proposal that will require all future eighth graders to take algebra. Critics, including teachers, point out that about half of all California eighth graders fail basic math and that the new requirement will set more students up for failure unless the state offers more assistance.
Indeed, without more resources, it will be difficult for California to remain at the forefront of education trends—at least the good ones. This week, U.S. News reported on a number of states that are taking extreme and potentially harmful measures to save on food and energy costs. Add California to the list. School districts there are ending or cutting back on home-to-school transportation, and now families are threatening to sue. Private shuttle buses have seized this opportunity to charge families $400 a month to transport kids.
Tags: California | education
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Reader Comments
The Education Crisis
I fear that everyone is being directed in a direction that gets us away from the true purpose of the schools. It should be the enlightenment of youths in basic skills and not people's choices in their personal life. We are consistently falling behind the rest of the world and quickly are abandoning our youth in preparing them for the advance of civilization. It must be a partnership between schools to show our students the importance of learning skills but also of the parent to show their children where they are applicable in their lives.
Too often our students are taught and ask,"When will I ever use this knowledge?" I wish that the government would learn the importance of knowing when to use the knowledge children have learned and not keep it to learning everything from a book and not being able to apply it to their own world. That is what I fear.
California education and Federal stimulus package
There are so many things that the nation does not know about California's education crisis. It's an investigatiion that I have been following for a long time. Do you want the truth about charter schools, UTLA, teachers' union, stimulus money directed to disabled children. This information is riveting. I love new tips too. I am an investigative reporter in LA on the education beat. Nothing compares to this grass roots information. http://www.examiner.com/x-5067-LA-School-District-Examiner
Cut and paste my link. Ericha Parks
California Education Trendsetter
Why is ist necessary to teach 0-12 graders about homosexuality, if a parent or parents have a different lifestyle than what people consider normal, shouldn't it be the parents responsilbity to tell their children they are whatever they are? Why should the school system teach about your home life? Basic schooling requires the 3 R's - Reading, Riting, and Rthemtric, not the 4 R's (relationships). What I need for the teacher to do is to get my kid to college, not worry about whether or not a student has two moms, or two dad's. What about single parenting, no parenting, 1 out of 4 students not graduating from high school? I understand that all people have rights under the democracy of the United States; Why is sex so important to a child that is 5 years old? Is homosexuality a race,or an orientation?
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