Obviously the elementary school principals are trying to stop a mass exodus to the DSES K-8 Academy and the parents of those left behind are asking what in all of this upheaval is in it for my child.
Today comes this news about LMES:
All the elementary schools in the district are searching for a focus, a specialty that we can offer the students. Desert Sun has embraced Core Knowledge, Desert Willow has Spanish Immersion; what would Lone Mountain offer the
students? After much debate over programs and curriculums Lone Moun-
tain will be building our science, technology, engineering and math programs
to develop a STEM program. STEM combines four disciplines to help stu-
dents understand the real world. Through inquiry the students learn how to
question, to become more curious about the world around them and to look
for evidence in their problem solving.
So where are the funds going to coming for this? Guess the PTO better get their wallets out because STEM in CCUSD means smartboards, computers, and laptops and our tapped out district will not be paying for those.
Note to the Lone Mountain Principal: If you are teaching Everyday Math, than there is no STEM at Lone Mountain. Calling yourself STEM without a significant changes to the district curriculum and textbooks is just window dressing and cheating those looking for true challenges and rigor for their children. We hope you prove us wrong and make those changes to show you truly care about educating our children and are not just chasing dollars.
Unbelievable. The whole handling of this situation is so bad that this is what it has come to. Schools scrambling for whatever they think will make them look better.
ReplyDeleteHere's the irony...Desert Sun isn't any better. You can put lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig.
Meaning...same principal, same teachers, same program they have had for two years...but NOW Dr. Burdick and Dr. Miller, in a pathetic effort to pander to families outside the district have now said it is "better". That it has "honors" classes and they promote that it is "Core Knowledge" but I would bet that 90% of those folk leaving for Desert Sun have NO IDEA what Core Knowledge is.
They have no idea how it is different or similar to what they have at their school already or whether it is a program that will work well for their child. All they know is that folks at the district office are saying it is "better" and that the folks at Grayhawk have Core Knowledge and that school is supposed to be "better". No parent wants their children left behind at an inferior school.
WOW! Folks have wondered why CCUSD needed a PR person....this is a FINE example. This whole situation has been handled so poorly that they have families running around like chickens with their heads cut off--terrified that their son or daughter is not getting the "best"--frustrated because they don't really understand all that is going on--and just plain tired.
Unbelievable. Really unbelievable. This is supposed to draw people to CCUSD? Good luck with that...
Whatever happened to working hard to assure the best teachers are in front of the classrooms and that class sizes are manageable. Why the focus on all these new "fads"? Doesn't it really just come down to having the best teacher possible in front of the students?
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't matter the curricular focus if class sizes (elementary) were 20 students or less and teachers were stellar. Anyone could learn anything under that scenario.