| You can see that stories about public education failing us all are not new. The age of the lie, however, does not improve veracity. | By Jim Arnold In 1996 E. D. Hirsch wrote “The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them.” In 1983 “A Nation at Risk” told us of the failure of our system of public education. The Educational Testing Service discovered in 1976 that college freshmen could correctly answer only half of forty multiple choice questions. In 1969 the Chancellor of NY schools, Harvey Scribner, said that for every student schools educated there was another that was “scarred as a result of his school experience.” Admiral Rickover published “American Education, a National Failure” in 1963, and in 1959 LIFE magazine published “Crisis in Education” that noted the Russians beat us into space because “the standards of education are shockingly low.” In 1955 Why Johnny Can’t Read became a bestseller, and in 1942 the NY Times noted only 6% of college freshmen could name the 13 original colonies and 75% did not know who was President during the Civil War. The US Navy in 1940 tested new pilots on their mastery of 4th grade math and found that 60% of the HS graduates failed. In 1889 the top 3% of US high school students went to college, and 84% of all American colleges reported remedial courses in core subjects were required for incoming freshmen. |
 “I am incredibly honored to be recognized as National Superintendent of the Year, and am so proud to share this recognition with Athens and the Clarke County School District community,” said Lanoue. “Together, as a community of learners, we have made a difference in the lives of our children, and I am so pleased that we have been recognized for this on a national level.”
Read more: http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2015-02-26/clarke-countys-lanoue-named-nations-top-superintendent A Series by Dr. Jim Arnold Alan Long is Principal at Jefferson County High School in Louisville GA. He began his teaching career as a coach and PE teacher 28 years ago, and has served as a school administrator for 10 years. Alan raised his two sons as a single parent, and is proud of the fact both of them volunteered for military service after high school. “They took my ideas of service to another level” he said, “and I am very proud of their accomplishments.” He was elected to serve as President of the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders. Under Alan’s leadership GASSP has placed finalists in the NASSP High School and Middle School Principal of the Year process 6 of the last 8 years. He was encouraged by a former Principal to become an administrator, and took the opportunity to serve and learn with a strong building leader. He immediately saw the positive effects a good leader could have working with teachers and students, and making a difference through leadership quickly became his passion. Gov. Deal defends decision to nix school bus driver health funding (AJC) Gov. Nathan Deal on Thursday defended his decision to cut health insurance funding for about 11,500 part-time school staffers, such as bus drivers and cafeteria workers. Some lawmakers from both parties have already indicated they opposed cutting off school bus drivers from health coverage. After hearing a presentation on the cuts earlier this week, state Rep. Bill Werkheiser, R-Glennville, said, “I predict if they pass it, 80 to 90 percent of the drivers in rural Georgia won’t drive.” Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/gov-deal-defends-decision-to-nix-school-bus-driver/njtLW/
 Superintendent-elect Richard Woods used a speech to school board members from across the state to stake out his agenda.
Highlights from the AJC and AP:
Woods will be sworn in on January 12th, 2014. School Council President Writes Letter Urging State School Superintendent Barge to Stop Over-Testing12/6/2014
December 3, 2014 Dr. John D. Barge State School Superintendent Dear Dr. Barge: I am writing on behalf of the Chase Street Elementary School Council to address what we believe to be extraordinary levels of over-testing our children. Testing has been a topic of much discussion in recent months, and for good reason. I would like to share with you some of our specific concerns with testing from the perspective of parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. We understand the need for testing to measure our children’s progress. However, state- and district-mandated testing will consume at least part of our children’s school days on over 28 separate days in a 176-day school year. This means that, conservatively measured, our 3rd-5th graders will be tested on over seventeen percent of the days they attend school. |
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