More of what's wrong with the education system.

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In a time of budget shortfalls and teacher furloughs, dozens of Dekalb educators are on an expensive trip to Hollywood, California.

"Even in tough economic times, learning continues," says Deputy Superintendent Gloria Talley.

A total of 180 teachers, principals, assistant principals, and other educators made the trip to California for a three day conference put on by America's Choice. According to Dekalb school administrators, the total cost for the trip is around 380-thousand dollars.

Dekalb's Deputy Superintendent is quick to point out funding for the trip comes from the federal government, and not Dekalb's strapped school budget.

Still, some parents are questioning the message.

"To me, it's a sign of mismanagement," says Cordelia Blake, the parent of a second grader. "If you need training, get it here in Georgia. Don't go to California. The school district is sending employees to California while they're making budget cuts. It's ridiculous."

The conference is part of Dekalb's plan to bring reform to 40 schools that have struggled with achievement. The federal government's Title 1 program is providing the funds for the trip. School administrators the federal government dictates that the money has to be spent on school achievement, and can't go toward salaries or to help make up the county's budget deficit.

"It has to go to your schools improvement plan, which this does," says Talley.

Still, parents question the price tag, and the timing of the trip.

"I don't know of another way to get our teachers exposed to other teachers around the country who are implementing the same model, and can tell us about the lessons they've learned." says Talley.

"This is a national conference. We don't choose where the conference is held."

Talley says she doubts educators on the trip will have time for entertainment or a tour of Hollywood. She adds if they do, they'll pay for that part of the trip themselves.

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This isn't my county.

To me, this seems like an incredible waste of federal funding. So the funds have to be spent on improving school achievement; I still don't see how that justifies a trip for so many for a conference. Send a handful, and use the rest of the funds implementing what the 10 or so who go learn - hell, use one of the state mandated furlough days for teachers as an in-service where the educators can all be educated on whatever is taken away from the conference.

I also think that improving school technology would qualify as a means of improving school achievement.

I'm also rather curious about which parts of Dekalb county the 40 "struggling" schools are in. Should be quite simple to find, I'll probably do it in the morning. I'd bet it's the poorest parts, though.

edit: Another school system's difficulties:
http://www.ledgernews.com/news/461-j...e-funding-cuts

I like how the superintendent is quick to point out that they're wasting federal funds and not parents' money. Who provides the government with taxes to fund these things?

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Originally Posted by Dattu

I like how the superintendent is quick to point out that they're wasting federal funds and not parents' money. Who provides the government with taxes to fund these things?

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Me. :(

Just a small nitpick: you can't use furlough days on activities related to your job.

Down here a furlough day means no pay and no work.

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Originally Posted by Loki

Just a small nitpick: you can't use furlough days on activities related to your job.

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I think the only activity related to their job that is forbidden is teaching children - I'm not sure where I got that bit from, though. Maybe they did cancel a teacher workday this year or something.

As in work with no pay. ;)

Also, fine, if they can't use one of those wasted days, then any regularly scheduled teacher workday would be sufficient. There are plenty. And they are meant for teacher education, even.

teacher workdays are meant for classroom planning, thats why they are spread throughout the year. Usually 1 a quarter or semester.

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Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer

teacher workdays are meant for classroom planning, thats why they are spread throughout the year. Usually 1 a quarter or semester.

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OG, I'm telling you that the ones here are spent in education sessions. Not "classroom planning." But, of course, you know everything, right?

edit: Technically they are called in-service days now, not teacher workdays.

And the furlough days for this year are the snow/flood days, and February 15. So okay, no work for no pay instead of work for no pay.

What's this America's Choice group sponsoring the seminar?

http://www.americaschoice.org/

After looking through this, I believe that this program is responsible for the "standards based" report cards our district uses that all the parents and teachers hate, because it doesn't actually tell anything.

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

http://www.americaschoice.org/

After looking through this, I believe that this program is responsible for the "standards based" report cards our district uses that all the parents and teachers hate, because it doesn't actually tell anything.

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Parent organization = NCEE National Center on the Education and Economy

Funded by:

http://www.ncee.org/ncee/mission/fun...tProtocol=true


I just received the "test results" for my son's "scoring" on the Differential Aptitude Test (career interest inventory), scores based on "Normative Data Copyright 1990 NCS Pearson, Inc" 1990? :bulb:

They took a whole day off academics to test all the 8th graders for this. ugh

conferences are great, more please :up:

as long as they are good ones

and have lots of good workshops

hard to take that sort of thing back, lots lost in the transmission and more importantly lot less learned simply because because the final recipients (those back home) don't get be in the thick of it themselves.

what are you going to do with those 380k anyway? raise the salaries of people who won't even bother to go to conferences??! meh

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Originally Posted by Aimless

what are you going to do with those 380k anyway? raise the salaries of people who won't even bother to go to conferences??! meh

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I guess you didn't read the part where it can't be used for salaries, it has to be used for improving school achievement. With 40 failing schools in that district, I'm sure they could find a better use for 380k.

Is there any particular reason why you have given up capitlization and punctuation?

wine and food at computer!!

you haven't even evaluated the results of this trip

and can you give concrete suggestions that you _know_ will give better results??

it's easy to just dismiss this sort of thing as luxury guess. not saying this particular conference was fantastic, but educational conferences in general?? i dunno

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

To me, this seems like an incredible waste of federal funding.

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Its a subsidy for the travel and the conference industry. The money goes back into the economy, people get paid, they buy stuff. Yay recovery!

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Originally Posted by Dattu

I like how the superintendent is quick to point out that they're wasting federal funds and not parents' money. Who provides the government with taxes to fund these things?

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Its borrowed money, so, my grand kids. But not really. It'll never be paid back.

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

http://www.americaschoice.org/

After looking through this, I believe that this program is responsible for the "standards based" report cards our district uses that all the parents and teachers hate, because it doesn't actually tell anything.

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That actually looks like a pretty decent and information-rich report card. It seems like you'd be able to identify problems much more accurately than with the report cards I'm more familiar with. Can you explain what the problem is in more detail?

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Originally Posted by Wraith

That actually looks like a pretty decent and information-rich report card. It seems like you'd be able to identify problems much more accurately than with the report cards I'm more familiar with. Can you explain what the problem is in more detail?

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Progressing in a skill does not inform you of how much they are progressing in a skill. The teachers problem seems to be with the constraints on grading more than anything else. With a numerical grade, there is a huge difference between say an 85 and a 70, but this standards based system treats it all the same, and the teachers are apparently supposed to base their grades on the report cards solely on what is in their gradebook with a 3,2,1 system.


That is, however, everything he is supposed to learn this year. ;) He gets 1s in handwriting. :D

I see. That makes sense.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_sto...40683&catid=40

Hooray for standardized testing!

Interesting that the majority of the schools with suspected cheating are City of Atlanta schools.

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Originally Posted by Dattu

I like how the superintendent is quick to point out that they're wasting federal funds and not parents' money. Who provides the government with taxes to fund these things?

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Easy solution. Nationalize profitable banks, so bank profits reduce deficit and no bonuses are paid.
With the amount of compensation of 3 banks you could pay 67 entire flights of space shuttle.
With the amount paid by JP Morgan Chase you could pay 35 times the amount of international aid to Haiti.
I bet that if you take part of that nationalized money, you could pay for a conference.

Goldman, Morgan Stanley payouts hog the spotlight
Goldman Sachs is on pace to set aside $22.3 billion for compensation last year, eclipsing the previous record $20.2 billion it set in 2007. Morgan Stanley is on pace to set aside $14.5 billion for 2009.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60I53X20100119

JPMorgan Chase Earns $11.7 Billion
Those cheery figures were accompanied by news that JPMorgan had earmarked $26.9 billion to compensate its workers, much of which will be paid out as bonuses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/bu...morgan.html?hp

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_sto...40683&catid=40

Hooray for standardized testing!

Interesting that the majority of the schools with suspected cheating are City of Atlanta schools.

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Atlanta's public Schools aren't exactly anything to be proud of, but there are worse.
But hey, our Universities can't be beat! :D

I was just thinking that, for the most part, the City of Atlanta has both the poorest and blackest students.

Even in my district, the poorer parts have the schools that do the worst.

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

Even in my district, the poorer parts have the schools that do the worst.

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That's true for most districts, regardless of race or ethnicity. I snipped your part about 'color'.....

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Originally Posted by GGT

That's true for most districts, regardless of race or ethnicity. I snipped your part about 'color'.....

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Hey!! Why snipping color? Do you have something against blue people?

http://www.parantar.com/wp-content/u...atar-movie.jpg

Because I shouldn't be implying that in the south there is a racial motivation to the locations of the worst schools.

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Originally Posted by ar81

Hey!! Why snipping color? Do you have something against blue people?

http://www.parantar.com/wp-content/u...atar-movie.jpg

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Why don't the Navi have noses on their chests like all the animals do?

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

Because I shouldn't be implying that in the south there is a racial motivation to the locations of the worst schools.

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Why shouldn't you?

The more money you have the better your children get educated. You know why? Because money buys rights. Hell, the Supreme Court just said that dollars spent = free speech. So what the fuck. If people want to get a fair shake, they should make more money. Losers.