Category: general schools

Test Scores Down – 1st all Common Core H.S.

I sent the following to (Wheaton-Warrenville, CUSD 200 board members today 11/1/2019)

To:board@cusd200.org

All of these “experts” were wrong.

[T]he class of 2019, the first to experience all four high school years under Common Core, is the worst-prepared for college in 15 years, according to a new report.

Common Core is a set of national instruction and testing mandates implemented starting in 2010 without approval from nearly any legislative body and over waves of bipartisan citizen protests. Continue reading “Test Scores Down – 1st all Common Core H.S.” →

School cost per-pupil

On 10/30/2019 The Daily Herald published an article about the per-pupil cost of schools, the following is a summary of some key facts from it:

“While the average per-pupil cost at a typical suburban preschool is $15,250 and median cost is $13,814, the top five suburban early childhood schools are spending roughly $30,000 or more.”

Type (suburban) Average per-pupil expense Median per-pupil cost
Pre-schools $15,250 $13,814
Elementary Schools 14,545 $13,986
Middle schools $14,377 $13,991
High Schools $14,612 $13,905

Top per-pupil pre-K

  1. Ann Reid in Naperville D203, $36,633
  2. Jefferson in Wheaton D200, $34,969
  3. Prairie Children Preschool in Aurora, $34,274
  4. Queen Bee in Glendale Heights, $33,751
  5. Rondout Elementary in Lake Forest, $31,491
  6. Geneva 304 Early Learning Program, $30,875.

Continue reading “School cost per-pupil” →

Are parents paying attention?

New Law in Illinois – LGBT History

HB0246 101st General Assembly signed into law on 8/9/2019.

Effective July 1, 2020.

Synopsis “With regard to the textbook block grant program, provides that the textbooks authorized to be purchased must include the roles and contributions of all people protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act and must be non-discriminatory as to any of the characteristics under the Act. Provides that textbooks purchased with grant funds must be non-discriminatory. Provides that in public schools only, the teaching of history of the United States shall include a study of the roles and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State.”  [highlighting added]

Continue reading “Are parents paying attention?” →

IL Legislation to close “Lease” to avoid referendum loophole

Wheaton’s state Rep, Amy Grant has submitted a bill, HB2145 and Palatine Rep. Thomas Morrison has submitted a bill, HB2738 (virtually the same), to close the “loophole” that district 200 tried to use to avoid the referendum for a new Jefferson pre-school building. Other districts have already done this, and we fear it may be catching on like wildfire. If school boards can build new facilities without referendum by signing a lease-to-own agreement, then issue debt service extension base (DSEB) Bonds, without a referendum to shore up their general revenues (raising future taxes to pay then back), we are in real trouble. Using the magic word “Lease should not void the clear intent of the original law that requires a referendum for new construction.

I submitted written comments (similar to this post) with my witness slip in support of HB2145.

Continue reading “IL Legislation to close “Lease” to avoid referendum loophole” →

Why so many special Needs?

I’ve been watching a video series called “The Truth About Vaccines”
Some Say Vaccines are Essential. Some Say They’re Evil.
If you have children or grandchildren, you deserve the FACTS to make your own informed choices…  Available for a limited timehttps://go.thetruthaboutvaccines.com/

I’m hearing several things that put together explain a lot.

  1. Pre-1990 autism was less than 1 in 10,000 children.  Most of us hadn’t even heard of it.  Now they claim it is at least 1 in 100, maybe as high as 1 in 50. 
  2. 1986, congress passed a law that vaccine producers could not be sued.  It also set up a fund for vaccine injured children.
  3. I recall having a few shots as a child.  Our children (now young adults) were vaccinated.  Today’s children get about twice as many shots, at younger ages and even pregnant women are given the flu vaccine, which has not been proven safe or effective.  WHAT are we doing?
  4. If they are right that this cocktail of vaccines is causing developmental problems, then ceasing to mandate vaccines could reduce the incidence of autism, ADHD, … which would reduce the need for so many special Ed teachers/aids in schools, and thus reduce the cost of public education.  And more importantly, it could improve the quality of life for so many of our youth & their families who must care for a vaccine injured child.
Look around.  You know something is happening that is not right!

Problem-Based-Learning – PBLs – Activism or Education

A friend had sent this letter awhile back about “PBLs” or Problem-Based-Learning.  I re-read it the other day.  It is well worth reading.  I asked if I could post it.  The answer: “I have no objections to sharing it… I’d prefer to keep my name off it… for now.”  And so I post it with permission, from “anonymous.”

 

It contains nuggets such as:

  • How am I to feel? How should I react if my own son is scoffing at me because he seems to have been convinced that I kill Penguins because I bought a pumpkin?
  • The solutions always attempt to control other people’s behavior… Are you trying to mold them all into life-long activists instead of life-long learners?
  • Why should kids be stemming the tide of the ocean when they can’t tie their own shoe?  Shouldn’t we focus on basic skills before saving the world?
  • By veering off course with a PBL-based curriculum, we are leaving our children under prepared for junior high and high school.
  • Being able to regurgitate someone else’s opinion is not the same as being able to think critically.

All presented with real stories and thoughtful analysis.
Enjoy

OurPBLstories