Submitted by Joan Battey, Dec 16, 2006 12:20

This is just a rehash of the same-old/same-old that has all but ruined education. This is a near re-issue of what has been steadily inserted, pushed, and embellished over many years now.

In a nutshell, there is nothing much different proposed in this re-run of an old and not-particularly-good scenario.

The way to improve education is to focus on WHAT IS TAUGHT in the classrooms, to STOP FOCUSING ON buildings and "innovations in methods;" to RESTORE DISCIPLINE beginning in kindergarten and going right through all the grades; to REQUIRE TEACHERS TO BE COMPETENT IN THEIR SUBJECTS BEFORE THEY TEACH THEM; to STOP in-service conferences during school days; to RESTORE FOCUS ON ACADEMICS and have the academics sequencing in progression from basics to advancing to applications of materials learned; to get a handle on the rapid upward career path job changes by administrators; CURTAIL ACCESS TO CLASSROOMS by public advocacy groups and non-academics-related speakers.

That's just a start. Before implementing new recommendations, or legislating new education-related issues, re-visit the many proposals and programs steadily implemented ever since Outcomes-Based Education, Goals-Based Education, Inclusion-Based Education, Workforce Training Legislation, etc., were all in succession deemed the perfect fix for "improving our schools."

They 've all been expensive failures. It's not money, it's lack of education in education. Start with fluency in English, focus on academics overall. Forget consultants. Do your own homework.

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