Comments for Education News Colorado Opinion & Commentary

Comment on My son was on her ‘bucket list’ by P Martin

P Martin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:48:32 +0000

I had the pleasure of working with Mary, at Gilpin Elementary school, for many yrs. Although I thought I knew her, this article shed a new light on an old friend! I remember the enthusiasm she had for her “kids” and her zest for life! Her Pepto pink house and her 1/2 wolf dog! Many yrs of great memories! So sorry to hear of her passing. I was very young back then, but I feel I have fulfilled a lot of my “bucket list”, in part, to her guidance and tolerance (Lord knows I needed it!) RIP MPH, you will be missed! P.

Comment on The graduation-proficiency gap in DPS by Mark Sass

Mark Sass — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:33:14 +0000

Nice article Alex. I’d like to see a comparison of local large scale school districts in order to give some context to the conversation here. State-wide we have a lot of work to do with remediation of high school graduates. Making students eligible for college has long taken front and center versus making students ready for college.

Comment on DPS’ response to the credit recovery controversy by Jennifer Gomez

Jennifer Gomez — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:05:59 +0000

For the record, students in DPS are REQUIRED to complete one year of geography and two years of foreign language.

Comment on The graduation-proficiency gap in DPS by Jeffrey Miller

Jeffrey Miller — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:41:48 +0000

Did they make a difference prior to promotion? Great question. Look at what happened to Principal Johnston, the miracle worker at Mapleton’s MESA school. He got sweet appointments and then proceeded to foist SB 191 on us. He is a perfect example of a “leader” who did some great big thing–once. Just the kind of person Ravitch was talking about in this piece also cited on this blog http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/opinion/01ravitch.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ravitch&st=cse

And for that one time Johnston pushed really, really hard to make something happen, he has never been asked to do it again. According to School View, Johnston’s MESA is sliding in its graduation rate, well under the state average. And all he did was to raise the college acceptance rate–not even the grad rate for pity’s sake–is that a miracle worker at work or a one-off thing? Looks whatever he did do that was positive, his lasting effect is wearing off. And, do we know what has been the remediation rate of all those 100% of all those who graduated who got into a college? How many of them persisted in college? I know some have but perhaps they would have in any case.

Maybe he doesn’t really know how to create lasting change in schools.

Has anyone ever really analyzed the data on MESA?

Comment on Tuition skyrockets because that’s what we want by Katie Zaback

Katie Zaback — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:01:27 +0000

Holly, this is an excellent piece about the realities of funding in higher education, I hope it drives good conversation in state government.

Alexander, your comment intrigues me; I would love to hear more about your perspective on the evoluation of the higher education sector.

Comment on DPS’ response to the credit recovery controversy by Ed Augden

Ed Augden — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Mr. Wilson’s response exemplifies the DPS administration ability to juggle the facts. For example, Mr. Wilson wrote that graduation requirements have increased from 220 to 240 credits and that math and science have been bolstered. Yet, students can graduate without a single year of a foreign language or geography at a time when foreign language skills and a knowledge of the world is critical to economic success. How would Mr. Wilson explain that?

Comment on The graduation-proficiency gap in DPS by Ed Augden

Ed Augden — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:03:43 +0000

I’ve often posted that “reformers”, such as Mr. Ooms, frequently ignore reality in favor or personal observation and anecdotal information. It’s heartening to read an article that presents the hard facts. Unfortunately, “juking the stats” isn’t limited to a few schools. Likely, the entire district has been using the same technique to conceal, for example, that college bound students often need remediation. Note, that the lower achieving high schools also have higher numbers of low income students than higher achieving high schools. The effects of poverty are evident in student achievement. The questions raised by Mr. Ooms ought to directly addressed to the board and the administration. And, to continue my own drum beat, call to their attention the 2006 Harvard Civil Rights Study Project as well as the more recent UCLA study.

Comment on DPS’ response to the credit recovery controversy by Elise Edelson Katch

Elise Edelson Katch — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:49:32 +0000

Antwan Wilson’s response to the manipulation of credit recovery and the fudging of graduation rates, represents EVERYTHING that is wrong with education today. How about an authentic answer from DPS? How about a dialog that represents honesty and the ability to look within. I could not believe what was written. It was uncomfortable to read.

Comment on From the publisher: “Juking the stats” in DPS by Mike Galvin

Mike Galvin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:06:39 +0000

Should we wonder about the rigor of the examinations when access to Google provides students the ability to pass?

I would hope that college readiness has more to do with critical thinking, expository writing, deconstructing text, comparing points of view, etc., none of which can be copied from Google.

Comment on DPS’ response to the credit recovery controversy by Michael Kane

Michael Kane — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:54:01 +0000

Please note that the term ACCOUNTABILITY does not appear in this release until the second to last paragraph.

The context in which the term accountability is placed implies that it was teachers not holding up their end which caused this fiasco. Nowhere in the Westward article, nor in Mr. Gottleib’s analysis do I see implications that teachers were doing anything contrary to the instructions presented by their administrators.

So please, where is the release which holds these administrators and/or their direct supervisors accountable?