Ground gained on math goals
I write to share my perspective on the debate between math “traditionalists” and those defending the Spokane Schools math program. I spoke at the first forum, thanked everyone for attending and proposed that public dialogue is a good thing and that everyone in attendance had the same goal: student math achievement.
Teachers at my high-poverty elementary are working diligently to raise math achievement for all kids. In fact, we set a 90 percent pass goal for every classroom. We are beginning to see that level of success on our unit assessments. Now our challenge is to maintain skills and sustain this trend.
As a teacher of struggling students, I share very clear, precise learning targets, am explicit in my instruction, and carefully plan activities that will help students construct meaning of math concepts. I invite anyone to visit our school and observe this type of instruction. “Discovery math” is really a misnomer. We teach to the state standards in a very intentional manner.
Yes, there definitely are aspects of the district curriculum that need improvement, such as clarifying the essential skills and knowledge and ensuring diligence across the district. Let’s keep talking – civil discourse is a hallmark of democracy.
Ann Kaluza
Spokane
Voters are to be congratulated on voting against racism and social/economic discrimination in our school’s academic and sports programs.
Education is a state, not district, responsibility. Local funding of education is patently discriminatory.
It is the state that sets, and constantly increases, graduation requirements to benefit employers, student-teacher ratio and teachers’ salaries and benefits.
The politicians require testing that can not be compared nationally to make sure we have no idea how bad, on a national scale, our students are performing.
Education is a welfare program for corporations and the military who do not want to pay the costs of training workers and for “educators” in the K-12 program and our state’s “higher” education system. Education is simply not really about kids!
Mead’s $59 million bond would have cost $2.20 per $1,000 of assessed value; Reardan-Edwall’s $1.1 million levy $2.73 per $1,000. Newport’s $1.3 million levy will cost $1.82 per $1,000. This is unfair to taxpayers.
If the state would meet its educational responsibilities, all taxpayers would be taxed at the same rate, facilities would be equal and all students might have the same amount per student available for “education.”
John Axtell
Valley, Wash.