| HB 5432; Lower class size to 25 in K-3 for 2006 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 16 2006, 11:51 PM (186 Views) | |
| fyi | Jan 16 2006, 11:51 PM Post #1 |
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Principal
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http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/20...05-HIB-5432.htm This is a current Bill that would limit class size---k-3---in public schools to 25. Based on LPS projections, if the LI goes through, class size would be higher than this in K-3. |
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| bee | Jan 17 2006, 08:40 AM Post #2 |
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Principal
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I'm sure this was listed somewhere and I just missed it, but, here's a link to an article in the paper... http://www.detnews.com/2005/editorial/0510/11/A12-344119.htm - I know it's talking about high-schools, but it was interesting. |
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| Elisa | Jan 17 2006, 09:11 AM Post #3 |
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Principal
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Bee, really good article. Even though they discuss high schools, the small school issue is absolutely relevant to us. The Articles/editorials and the mounds of research on small schools alone is enough to highlight the arbitrary nature of the BOE's decision. Maybe we need to send this to the board so that they can continue to ponder the issue in light of the impending litigation
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| f11 | Jan 17 2006, 09:19 AM Post #4 |
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LPS, transportation for all
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Here is the article from the link above: Michigan needs smaller schools, tougher classes Broken education system is short-changing children The Detroit News One sure formula for improving education in Michigan is to combine smaller high schools with a tough mandatory statewide curriculum. Michigan is one of the most backwards states in the country in setting academic standards, and it shows. A survey of recent high school graduates found that many considered their courses irrelevant, shied away from the more difficult classes and felt that no one at the school cared about them, according to the EPIC-MRA poll commissioned by Your Child, a coalition for improving Michigan's college graduation rate. Michigan is moving in the direction of smaller high schools -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm invited Apple Computer to create a small high school within an existing Detroit school -- and the state Board of Education is studying a mandatory curriculum. Both approaches must be placed on the fast track. As evidenced by the weekend's bankruptcy filing by Delphi Corp., Michigan's economy is changing far faster than Michigan's schools are responding. Tougher courses designed to prepare students for the world they will actually work in, combined with small schools that provide individualized attention, are the surest ways to fix Michigan's broken education system. Small schools work A growing small-school movement proposes to fix both the problem of relevant classes and the close support that many students say they need. It's endorsed by educators, researchers and big names like Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft who has donated millions to improve public education. Small schools are credited with creating a better environment for the one education essential -- transferring knowledge between teacher and student. "We have to start looking at the differences between schools and buildings," says Michael Klonsky, director of Small Schools Workshop, a non-profit education resource center based in Chicago. "Buildings are just brick and mortar and wire and steel. Schools are communities of learners and teachers. Just because you call a building a school doesn't make it a school." In Michigan, the average high school has about 675 students. But in metropolitan areas, they are much larger, and the trend is to build bigger schools. In Plymouth-Canton Schools, for example, Salem High School has an enrollment of about 2,100. Creating smaller schools doesn't necessarily require more tax dollars. Abandoned elementary schools have been used to set up special smaller high schools, as was done to create the International Academy in Bloomfield Hills. And large schools can create "learning communities" within an existing building. Experts say the smaller high schools can operate with fewer administrators, if teachers are given more authority. In some cases, several small high schools can save on transportation costs, compared with hauling students longer distances to a single building. But the key benefit is that students don't get lost in the system. At the University Prep Academy public charter school in Detroit, students move through the school in groups that are almost like families. Teachers not only know the students, but also their parents and a good deal about their home life. This allows for early intervention to keep a troubled student from dropping out and helps the school tailor their work to meet individual needs. Tougher courses overdue Without the right courses, however, even a small school will produce students unprepared to succeed after high school. Michigan has a long way to go in challenging students. The State Board of Education is only now, at the urging of the governor, examining the merits of a modern mandatory high school curriculum. "To compete in an economy that thrives on technology and knowledge, our students need to develop high-level math, science and communication skills," Granholm said. "Only a third of our school districts even require students to take algebra -- that is simply unacceptable." School boards have been reluctant to adopt tougher curriculums. Teachers often object to the extra work of teaching more advanced courses; parents complain about the additional homework. Currently, the only state curriculum requirement is one year of civics. Less than one-quarter of Michigan's college-bound high school students take a course schedule rigorous enough to prepare them for college. Soft classes will not ready Michigan students for the world that awaits them. The jobs of the future will require a sound understanding of math and science. Other states, other nations, are doing a better job of teaching those skills to their children. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan is expected soon to make recommendations on a mandated course list. It should be drawn to meet the real needs of the students, not to cater to teachers or parents. That means more and harder math classes and much more science for every student. The course schedule should also reflect the fact that all students will need training beyond high school. Some experts advocate an opt-out requirement for college prep curriculums, demanding that parents sign waivers to exempt their children from taking the classes that offer the best hope for the future. Create smaller schools. Toughen the course schedule. These two relatively simple fixes can help Michigan realize a better return on its $13 billion annual investment in public schools. |
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3:38 AM Jul 11