Zealotry threatens public schools

I was impressed by this article by state school board member Leslie B. Castle.  Public education is essential to our progress as a state and the Utah Core Standards are a well thought out approach to improving the opportunities our children will have available to them.

STEM Funding

I am not sure about the source of this funding, but I think it is important to recruit and retain great STEM teachers.

Alpine School District Student Achievement

I recently figured out how to find the raw achievement data for students in Alpine District.  It is impressive to see continual improvement in CRT and ACT scores since 2004.  You can find it by accessing the main ASD page at:
http://alpineschools.org/

Then Departments/Research & evaluation/assessment data
http://alpineschools.org/research-evaluation/crt-criterion-referenced-test/crt-junior-high-2004-2011-2


I am particularly impressed by the decrease in the number of students who get 1s and 2s on the CRT in Jr High in this graph.  The years are hard to read, but they go from 2004 to the present.

Early Math

This study concluded that success with division and fractions predicts future success in math.  I think that it is really important to learn efficient algorithms so students can be confident in these topics.

Class Size

I thought this article provided some good data on the relationship between class size and outcomes.  It is particularly important to keep class sizes small in k-3.  I find it interesting that the student ration nationally is around 16 students per teacher.  Some states legislate a cap near this point.  

Small Class size

I was impressed by this article on class size.  Small class size is important, but there may be other considerations.

National School Board Conference

I attended a seminar in Boston last week.  The speaker talked about the need to improve the preparation of our children to compete in a global economy.  He talked about the importance of standing up for our children in the face of budget cuts and those who will oppose any change to the status quo.  I hope I am not too strong in my responses to the kind of misinformation that has been leveled against the Utah Core, but I really do feel that the Utah Core is the direction that the state should go to create opportunities for our children.  I am glad that we are getting help from federal funding to create assessments.  It would be a significant burden for us to do on our own.  I am glad that we are benefitting from the experience of other states who are our partners in the Common Core because it will save us time, money and more importantly it will save our children from graduating without an adequate educational preparation.

I know that some people who are against the Utah core feel that they are standing up for their convictions.  I feel that I am standing up for my convictions too ... that our children deserve a better education.  The Utah Core is worth standing up for.