Comments on: Circling the Drain http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/ Peace, Justice and Hockey Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:01:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: NoPo Parent http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11724 NoPo Parent Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:25:43 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11724 FREEAK - I think they sometimes have childcare for these meetings, but not this one. FREEAK - I think they sometimes have childcare for these meetings, but not this one.

]]> By: FREEAK http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11662 FREEAK Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:14:54 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11662 NoPo are kids welcome to come too? FREEAK NoPo are kids welcome to come too?
FREEAK

]]> By: NoPo Parent http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11636 NoPo Parent Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:51:56 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11636 Hi, FREEAK. Come to a meeting sponsored by Portland Area Rethinking Schools. Get involved. Stay. Fight. TGIF — with a point: "Reclaiming Our Classrooms: Making Room for Teachers" When: Friday, October 26th. 4 pm, social; 4:30-6 pm program Where: Hinson Baptist Church, SE 20th and Salmon (enter on Salmon, across from the Eastbank Farmers Market location -- plenty of parking) Hi, FREEAK. Come to a meeting sponsored by Portland Area Rethinking Schools. Get involved. Stay. Fight.

TGIF — with a point: “Reclaiming Our Classrooms: Making Room for Teachers”

When: Friday, October 26th. 4 pm, social; 4:30-6 pm program

Where: Hinson Baptist Church, SE 20th and Salmon (enter on Salmon, across from the Eastbank Farmers Market location — plenty of parking)

]]> By: FREEAK http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11576 FREEAK Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:31:59 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11576 Wow, this everything that I have been up against trying to get Free Required Equal Education Access for my KIDS (FREAK). Am I bad because I am going to use the Student Choice option? Our elementary school closed a few years back. Guess what? We are now Vernon (Tubman but Vernon is going pre-k-8) and Jefferson!! What a JOKE. We have tried, I go to the PTA, Principal/parent Coffees and maybe, maybe a handful of parents show up. What am I to do? We love, LOVE our home. It is our home. Our children love it, but since our son started his first year of school at Vernon we are a wreck and are seriously thinking of selling because we were told that since the school isn't "failing" there is little chance to get into a school of our choice. Forget magnets, special programs, or focus, we don't even have music for any grades, we don't have science fairs and math clubs. We have "diverisity and multi-cultural training". There is absolutely nothing EQUAL about the Education Access for our KIDS in the Portland Public Schools. By the way, we are 1.5 miles away from Grant but have been redistricted to Jefferson almost 2.5 miles away and accross several major streets. Honeslty what do we do? Move? Give up our home we bought for our kids? As a native Oregonian I never thought I would see this crisis here. Will screaming help? Fighting for what is right? My son has been in public education for not even 2 months and the flaws of this segregated education system are pathetic. How does the public not see it? The communities we live in, how can they ignore it? The media, how can they NOT report on it? Really, I care, some say too much and to those I say they don't care enough. If you all say to move, then I guess that is what we will have to do. It can't do more damage then this screwed up educational system. Signed, FREEAK Wow, this everything that I have been up against trying to get Free Required Equal Education Access for my KIDS (FREAK). Am I bad because I am going to use the Student Choice option? Our elementary school closed a few years back. Guess what? We are now Vernon (Tubman but Vernon is going pre-k-8) and Jefferson!! What a JOKE. We have tried, I go to the PTA, Principal/parent Coffees and maybe, maybe a handful of parents show up. What am I to do? We love, LOVE our home. It is our home. Our children love it, but since our son started his first year of school at Vernon we are a wreck and are seriously thinking of selling because we were told that since the school isn’t “failing” there is little chance to get into a school of our choice.
Forget magnets, special programs, or focus, we don’t even have music for any grades, we don’t have science fairs and math clubs. We have “diverisity and multi-cultural training”.
There is absolutely nothing EQUAL about the Education Access for our KIDS in the Portland Public Schools. By the way, we are 1.5 miles away from Grant but have been redistricted to Jefferson almost 2.5 miles away and accross several major streets.
Honeslty what do we do? Move? Give up our home we bought for our kids? As a native Oregonian I never thought I would see this crisis here.
Will screaming help? Fighting for what is right? My son has been in public education for not even 2 months and the flaws of this segregated education system are pathetic. How does the public not see it? The communities we live in, how can they ignore it? The media, how can they NOT report on it?
Really, I care, some say too much and to those I say they don’t care enough. If you all say to move, then I guess that is what we will have to do. It can’t do more damage then this screwed up educational system.
Signed, FREEAK

]]> By: megs http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11014 megs Mon, 08 Oct 2007 13:40:00 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-11014 Kindergarteners are assessed with a ton of literacy and math assessments. Data. It is supposed to inform instruction, of course, but it has become something else in the last couple years, as the district has demanded every assessment in the book be done and then reported via computer to the district. Data driven...not improve instruction driven.. Kindergarteners are assessed with a ton of literacy and math assessments. Data. It is supposed to inform instruction, of course, but it has become something else in the last couple years, as the district has demanded every assessment in the book be done and then reported via computer to the district. Data driven…not improve instruction driven..

]]> By: NoPo Parent http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10991 NoPo Parent Mon, 08 Oct 2007 03:44:56 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10991 Does anyone know anything about the Kindergarten assessments that are being done? Are they using DIBELS? I was told of a PPS school using Kindergarten assessments that determined who the "high-achievers" were and then everyone else. The Kindergarten class was divided into two sections, the "high-achievers" in one and and everyone else in the other. Is there any truth to this kind of practice in PPS? Does anyone know anything about the Kindergarten assessments that are being done? Are they using DIBELS? I was told of a PPS school using Kindergarten assessments that determined who the “high-achievers” were and then everyone else. The Kindergarten class was divided into two sections, the “high-achievers” in one and and everyone else in the other. Is there any truth to this kind of practice in PPS?

]]> By: Zarwen http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10988 Zarwen Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:43:09 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10988 Last I heard, Jean Fischer was the "Interim Manager" of the OTL. I know she's still working for PPS; does she still have that title? Either way, it's long past time she retired! Last I heard, Jean Fischer was the “Interim Manager” of the OTL. I know she’s still working for PPS; does she still have that title? Either way, it’s long past time she retired!

]]> By: megs http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10986 megs Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:10:40 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10986 All I can say is that the Office Of Teaching and Learning has indicated that teachers are expected to follow the agenda in Reading Street...and as a teacher..I have to say that in the early grades it is less than appropriate...and people who have attended meetings for building facilitators (recruited to be curriculum facilitators) have come back from these meetings and said that the OTL has indicated people will be sent out to buildings to question students.....i.e. "What did you learn this week?" in order to ascertain if the script is being followed or not. Pretty heavy handed, don't you think. Some folks think that it is because the OTL has people vying for power up there, and they are determined to impose their power over the teachers and the new curriculum. All I can say is that the Office Of Teaching and Learning has indicated that teachers are expected to follow the agenda in Reading Street…and as a teacher..I have to say that in the early grades it is less than appropriate…and people who have attended meetings for building facilitators (recruited to be curriculum facilitators) have come back from these meetings and said that the OTL has indicated people will be sent out to buildings to question students…..i.e. “What did you learn this week?” in order to ascertain if the script is being followed or not. Pretty heavy handed, don’t you think. Some folks think that it is because the OTL has people vying for power up there, and they are determined to impose their power over the teachers and the new curriculum.

]]> By: NoPo Parent http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10983 NoPo Parent Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:45:44 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10983 Megs - can you say more about the Reading Street police? Megs - can you say more about the Reading Street police?

]]> By: Neloa http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10973 Neloa Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:21:36 +0000 http://morehockeylesswar.org/blog/archive/2007/10/03/circling_the_drain/#comment-10973 Can anyone out there come up with a list or chart or something showing the classes that are actually offered at each high school? No one believes me when I tell them how limited the "small schools" are. The school websites seem to be all PR or vague (Jeff) to the point of being meaningless. And who would be responsible for "truth in advertising"? I know that our little SE magnet has outright falsehoods about its program on its site... Can anyone out there come up with a list or chart or something showing the classes that are actually
offered at each high school? No one believes me when I tell them how limited the “small schools” are.
The school websites seem to be all PR or vague (Jeff) to the point of being meaningless. And who
would be responsible for “truth in advertising”?
I know that our little SE magnet has outright falsehoods about its program on its site…

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