GeorgiaScholars

Stating a Problem...Then a Solution

I attended the rally for educators at the state capitol Saturday, January 23, 2010.  Thousands of educators and other school personnel attended to voice their opinion with the slogan “Invest Now or Pay Later”.  I respected the slogan for many individuals that dropout of high school lavish in poverty which in too many cases escalate into criminal activities that leads to incarceration.  Given a state regulation to balance the budget, notwithstanding a recession, education will be reduced by 3%.  This will result in 3 additional furlough days with a possibility of 6 additional days next school term, 2010-11 for educators in Fulton County School System.

In addition, class size for middle and high school classroom will increase by one to 30 students and if a waiver is approved the class size can reach 32 students.  Moreover, Fulton and DeKalb Counties School Systems are forecasting a 37 and 56 million dollars shortfall commencing July 1, 2010, which is the beginning of the new fiscal year.  Polk, Peach and Carroll Counties School Systems are concerning a four day educational week to save money.  With a shortfall at the state and local levels, additional furloughs (which is a cut in pay) and a cut in operation could lead to a tremendous downgrade in Student Achievement.  Every public school must make Adequate Yearly Progress and with the cut in days, it makes this proposition harder to achieve.

I am proposing that the state increase revenue by adding .25 cents to the lottery.  This portion of the lottery will be used for school operation.  The idea of less instructional time is unacceptable!  The proposal to just sacrifice is ridicules for our students need additional time in the classroom with a competent and exemplary instructor.  We must put all options on the table prior to accepting cuts as a reality.  I ask that the General Assembly to run the numbers to determine if this idea is a possible solution or a piece of a solution.  For our students need to be in school 5 days a week indulge in excellent instruction leading to exemplary student achievement.    

A NEW PLAN to ENHANCE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT???

 In response to additional furloughs, eliminating fundings for National Board Certification and new proposed legislations such as Performance Pay a rally will be held Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 1:00pm at the State Capitol

Performance Pay for Teachers and Principals

For decades, Georgia, like most other states, has followed a locked-step single salary schedule for K-12 teachers, basing compensation on inputs, such as years of experience and highest degree earned with no consequential regard for impact on student learning. This salary schedule fails to reward Georgia’s excellent teachers and leaders.

Benefits of Performance Pay proposal:

• To identify, motivate and reward effective teachers and principals

• To improve student learning, and

• To provide career ladder opportunities for the state’s most effective teachers

What will this legislation do?

This legislation will preserve the current salary structure but will also enhance it by allowing current teachers to opt-in to a new, performance-based pay structure. The State Board of Education (SBOE) will be required to adopt a common, statewide evaluation tool that takes student achievement into account when assessing teachers and leaders. Using this tool, the state will calculate a Teacher Effectiveness Measure (TEM) and Leader Effectiveness Measure (LEM), 50 percent of which will be based on student growth.

SBOE will adopt a new salary schedule that provides performance bonuses for the state’s most effective teachers and principals. The TEM and LEM will be used to determine if teachers are eligible for bonuses related to performance and career ladder opportunities in their schools.

The bill will enable those who are already enrolled in advanced degree programs to complete their studies and remain in the present salary structure if they so choose. But, new teachers and those who choose to opt-in to the performance-based salary structure will no longer be paid for the degree but instead will be paid for the degree to which students grow.

Who is eligible to be considered?

Current teachers and principals who wish to opt into the performance pay system and all new teachers and principals. Current teachers and principals who do not wish to opt into the performance pay system will be evaluated on the new statewide tool, but will remain on the current salary schedule.

What is the timeline for implementing Performance Pay?

Several years of data collection are needed before the state can implement performance pay. Therefore the SBOE shall adopt the new evaluation tool by July 1, 2013. The SBOE shall adopt a new salary schedule no earlier than January 1, 2013 and no later than January 1, 2014. All new teacher hires after January 1, 2014 will go into the new salary schedule.

As Performance Pay is part of Georgia’s Race to the Top proposal, districts that enter into memorandums of understanding with the state may implement Race to the Top on an earlier timeline.

Governor Sonny Perdue' Proposal For Educators

ATLANTA (AP) -- Gov. Sonny Perdue is calling for legislation that would pay Georgia's teachers based on student performance, not their advanced degrees. Perdue says the state's current system rewards teachers for their level of education instead of classroom achievement. He announced the proposal Tuesday at the annual Eggs and Issues Breakfast presented by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce . It was the governor's final address to the group, as he enters his final year in office.

Do you believe that this proposed legislation will enhance student achievement through productive and effective collaboration or will competition and selfishness become the norms?  Submit your point of view and we will submit our opinions to our policymakers.

 

Accountability for All

The General Assembly will commence Monday, January 11, 2010 with the big issue of establishing a balance budget with less income and sales taxes.  Georgia's budget is 3 billion smaller from last year but the population of Georgia has increased by 600,000 since 2005.  Given a possible 17.8 billion dollars budget, 57% of the budget is for education, 27% for health care and 8% for public safety with many of these sectors already cut to the bone; therefore, we need to look at the funding system for items such as the lottery and SPLOST to plug the hole in the operation sector for education.  If we do not plug the hole, classroom size will increase, teacher furloughs will continue and the teaching and learning process will greatly suffer.  However, the policymakers, school officials, and educators are being held accountable but we need additional parents to step up to the plate to complete the accountability circle.

Education is a national security issue for if we do not greatly enhance student achievement our leadership in the world will become a perception not reality.  To meet the needs of our children, I am requesting that parents get involved with the Local School Advisory Committee, PTSA, attend parent-teacher conferences, maintain constant and positive communication with their child's teacher(s) and school and make sure we monitor daily homework.  In addition, make sure your child is an avid reader and writer and are critical and creative thinkers.  Do not leave student achievement to others but become a strong partner in the teaching and learning process of your child.  This is my challenge to us as parents as we begin 2010 for if we want to close the achievement gap we must personally get invovled and this process begins at home.

I also ask that you visit this blog weekly for I will keep you abreast of the activities at the General Assembly in terms of educational issues.  I want you to know what our policymakers are proposing and how that proposed policy will affect student achievement.  We as parents cannot blame others but we must get and remain involved to influence the change that will greatly enhance student achievment.

Innate vs. Value Systems

Reading-Intelligence and How to Get It-by Richard E. Nisbett

Many individuals feel that IQ is largely based on a heredity and is affected little by one's environment.  After reading the Richard E. Nisbett' Intelligence and How to Get It, the environment can play a large role by providing excellent conditions for the development of intelligence. 

Parents can enhance intelligence by reading to their children, asking questions while reading to engage the reader, visit museums, encourage your child at least 3 times more than reprimand, communicate with your child more than always giving directives and teach your child to be respectful, responsible and develop a high degree of character and integrity.  Moveover, value academic achievement by developing a positive relationship with your child's teacher and school and challenge your child to reach excellence through education.  Lastly, make sure your child visits a doctor once a year, the dentist twice a year, eat a balance diet, get enough sleep and seek mentors to improve parenting skill.

Schools can enhance intelligence by providing high quality teachers and principals in every classroom and school.  In addition, the school promotes excellence by providing professional development and using data to guide and focus all decisions related to student achievement.  Futhermore, schools can enhance student achievement through instructional techniques such as computer software, cooperative learning, partnership with parents, integrating problem solving techniques to improve decision making and reasoning skill and creating systems that promotes prevention and intervention that greatly decrease failure in the classroom.

If a person study the Ashkenazi Jews, a person may discover that this group "values intelligence, intellectual life, and achievement".  According to the book, in many African American households, the value is usually athlete prowess, entertainment talent and street smarts over academic achievement.  According to Nisbett, students in the countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan and Singapore values hard work and persistence, interdependence and collectivism while the western society mostly believe that intelligence is innate and focus on independent and individualistic traditions. 

This book gives us strategies to greatly enhance our intellectual prowess.  We must take advantage of these strategies in order to compete effectively in a global society.  Americans cannot continue to rest on its history but develop and implement a plan that will enhance the learning experience for all people. 

Welcome to our new colleagues

Thank you for selecting Woodland Middle School to enhance the teaching and learning process.  Woodland is in the process of ensuring academic achievement for all students by creating systems of prevention and intervention, providing support systems, being a positive role model and giving all students the opportunity to learn. 

Given this design, compose a perspective describing the type of learners and behaviors you expect to teach and observe at Woodland.

Strategies to enhance student achievement for Low Income and Minority Students

With the advent of the information society the marketplace has clearly stated that low skill workers are not marketable.  Many of the students who will find themselves unemployed or underemployed will be low income and minority students.  The purpose for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was to make all public schools accountable and transparent and close the gap as it relates to student achievement.  However, statistics after statistics demonstrate that low income and minority students are still lagging behind. If we do not solve this problem, the

United States

will participate in a precipitate fall of its great democracy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to solve this problem, we must realize that low income and minority students are valuable and unique individuals.  Schools that serve this demographic must not be in the business of recycling underachievers but must develop and implement a plan of action to ensure achievement for all students.  The first step is to develop a common mission, vision, belief and goal statements.  The development of this plan is to include all stakeholders to gain input and ownership of all members involved.  If the statements are conveyed top-down, the ownership is limited to the persons at the top making the statements null and void.  The next step is to create standard based classrooms to ensure that all teaching and learning is based on research based best practices.  This process will provide professional learning opportunities for all teachers to learn, demonstrate and analyze how these teaching practices enhanced student achievement.  Professional Learning must be provided to teachers at least twice a month to monitor the effectiveness and success of the program.

 

 

 

 

The third component is to have high expectation for all students.  We must embrace this behavior by using the term “our” students instead of “these” and/or “those” students.  We must believe with our heart and mind that our students can learn and will compete in all expect of the learning process.  Our school and students must be measured, in addition to testing, to the number of participates entering projects into the science fair, social science fair, art fair, technology fair and competing in the music festival, debate team competition, beta club and athletic competition. This process will develop a student body that embraces high level learning that promote our students from basic skill to knowledge base achievers. 

 

 

 

 

Parents and community cannot sit on the side line and throw rocks at the parade.  Parents must actively engage themselves by providing a learning station in the home.  A learning station can be the kitchen table for it provides a public access for parents and guardians to assist and review the learning experience.  In addition, parents are to meet their child’s teachers and maintain a positive, open and honest line of communication.  Moreover, review your child’s progress report each grading period to check for understanding.  Lastly, make sure to make reading apart of the home environment by getting and using a library card and reading with your child daily. Organizations that serve students such as the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, day care centers and religious organizations and community centers are to develop meaningful partnership with the school to provide students with additional opportunities to learn and grow.

 

 

 

We cannot continue to talk about the achievement gap but we must develop, design and implement a plan of action.  I know this plan can work for I help create and carry out this plan at my school and we have experience tremendous success for the past five years.  Our plan is rooted in the principles of reasoning, honesty and love and this is why our plan continues to be successful.

Stop Discrimination in all Form...Now!

President Obama, what do you call an 18 year veteran of the Air Force, who pilots a F-15 fighter, was selected for the initial alert crew after September 11, involved in 88 combat missions, 2,180 total flying hours, 1, 487 fighter hours, 400 combat hours, highly decorated pilot with 9 air medals, deployed to Kuwait to support the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq…… Fired!

 

 

Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach was fired for violating the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for this dedicated, committed and courageous airman is Gay.  During the campaign, sir you stated that you would overturn this policy but presently this person and others are being removed or must keep quiet what they do during their private time. 

 

Given your brilliant mind, background and abilities you clearly understand that the 14^th amendment without ambiguity states that “…No State shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”.  Mr. President, we are a nation of laws and when a policy is based on maintaining discrimination, it must be overturned for discrimination is harmful and hurtful no matter the form.  It seems from the outside looking in that Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach did not hurt the moral of the military until his sexuality was discovered. 

 

 

Based on this thinking we need to resurrect the Salem Witch Hunt and remove all homosexuals, liars, people that gossip and individuals that are glutton of food and guzzler of the vine. And if the moral does not improve, we will continue removing individuals and where we will stop, nobody knows.  Mr. President, end this policy now!

 

Catherine Maddox' Community Meeting

Meeting was Monday, April 20, 2009 at Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School at 6:30am

• The state has asked the local school system to determine the 3-5 days furlough proposal
• April 23, 2009- Salary Hearing #1 at Dunwoody Springs Charter School, 6:00-6:30pm
• May 12, 2009- Salary Hearing #2 at Administrative Center, 4:30-5:00pm
• May 21, 2009- Tentative budget adoption-Dunwoody Springs Charter School
• June 9, 2009- Final Budget Adoption and Tentative millage Rate Adoption

Gus Thornhill Scholarship Fund, Inc. is sponsoring a Walk It Out For Education Walk, May 2, 2009 at 8:00am.  The purpose is to raise contributions for students attending south county's high schools to assist with the cost of college.  The cost is $25.00 per Adult and $15.00 per student, 18 years and below.  The location for the event is Sykes Park, 3208 Dodson Drive, East Point, Georgia.  Contact Ms. Thornhill at 678-414-6071 for additional details.

SPLOST III, the 1 cent sales tax, is $245M below original forecast.  Possible solutions to cover the shortfall are: Lower construction cost due to the economy will save $130M; a SPLOST IV-vote in November 2011; Increase in Property Taxes; Pay as you go or Leverage future funding sources.

Success of SPLOST III- New Schools: Westlake HS, West Stubbs ES and Oakley ES.  Additions- Bethune ES and Love T. Nolan ES

Growth in Fulton County School will continue to grow but at a slower pace due to the economic downturn.  Based on projected growth the following schools are to be constructed:

Derrick Road ES, 2013; Feldwood Road ES, 2011; South Fulton Middle School, 2013; Banneker HS, 2013

Milton County Proposal

Pay close attention to the General Assembly as it relates to the creation of Milton County.  Chairperson John Eaves stated that citizens north of I-285 would create Milton County leaving citizens south of I-285 with a 40% drop in revenue.  The proposal failed this year but will return for a vote next year.  If this proposal pass, it will cause a major tax burden to the citizenry; therefore, contact your state representatives and state senators concerning this matter.  If we do not engage in this process we may be forced to have our own tea party.

Catherine Maddox' next meeting is May 14, 2009 at Gullatt ES, 9:00am

 

 

Enhancing Both Student Achievement and Quality of Living

Thank you to both chambers of the general assembly for keeping money in the 18.6 billion budget to fund school nurses.  This is a positive position to maintain safe and healthly children during the school day.  However, additional work must be performed.

Governor Perdue is recommending cutting the 10 percent bonus to teachers who win National Board Certification.  A quality education is critical to the prosperity and security for the state of Georgia.  A state that has excellent schools will attract productive and successful business to start and relocate to the state.  Imagine Georgia providing businesses low taxes, excellent transit system, and superior school system.  Imagine Georgia, providing its citizens with high quality health care at a competitive price, low property taxes, transit system that serves the entire state and a superior school system.

Superior school system equates to student achievement.  This achievement is more than meeting AYP status but developing the whole child.  Our achievement will have a value added component to measure how many students participate and place in the science fair , social science fair, technology fair, music festival, debate team, chess clubs, art exhibits, sports and productive business and community partnership.  All this is possible and more with quality teachers in each classroom.  However, the governor wants to cut programs that will award teachers for elevating their profession.  The state, country and world want teachers to do more with less but we have families and/or ourself to provide for as well.  We want to enhance student achievement and want to enhance our quality of living.  This is the United States of America and it is nothing wrong with wanting and demanding both.

I love being as educator but I also want to provide for my wife and two children.  I love collaborating with my colleagues to examine teacher and student work to gain another perspective to enhance the performance of students.  I worked from 7:30am to 5:30am daily to make sure my department and classroom have the necessary materials to make learning rewarding for children.  We do more than teach students to perform on a test; we teach them to become competent and exemplary performers.  Therefore, while performing this profession, we ask for an excellent quality of life for our labor. 

Contact the general assembly and the governor to keep the 10 percent bonus for teachers who qualify for National Board Certification.  To locate pending legislation and/or identify legislators, please visit www.legis.state.ga.us.  Our mission at this site is to engage the reader to act!