tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1245905481064478923.post1434703688855301504..comments2021-08-09T03:17:57.421-05:00Comments on Seriously?: News I'm Thinking AboutUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1245905481064478923.post-92156649277459731062009-04-03T12:54:00.000-05:002009-04-03T12:54:00.000-05:00Hey Paul - A couple comments...I know no more than...Hey Paul - A couple comments...<BR/><BR/>I know no more than you about the Isreal situation. I have some opinions, but don't know nearly enough history to be too strong in them. But, if you haven't already seen this, you might find this op-ed from the NYT in January interesting (and you might find the author quite ironic):<BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/opinion/22qaddafi.html<BR/><BR/>As for the MPS situation... I think some of the internal choice you suggest already exists within MPS. I don't know about some of the curriculum philosophies you mentioned. But, MPS has a large number of speciality schools. It has a HS for the arts, Bradley HS is supposed to focus on trades, Rufus King is an IB school with fairly high achievement. One of my coworkers went to Bay View HS where she took a specialty construction program where they actually built a house. I know of specialty elementary schools that focus on environmental sciences and creative writing (and there are others), as well as three language immersion schools (K-8) and two Montessori schools. The choice is there. I just can't help but think the system might just be too big and unwieldy. I think, more than anything, MPS needs to find a new way to manage their finances/assets.<BR/><BR/>Vouchers don't help their cause. I'm a big believer in public education, and I think vouchers just hurt public schools and help fund churches. What vouchers do accomplish is immediately helping kids who need help now, as opposed to letting a generation languish while MPS hopefully improves. But, the new studies cast doubt on how much help these kids are actually getting via vouchers. Which, might put us back a square one.<BR/><BR/>It would be nice to look to vouchers or the school board to solve all of MPS's problems. But, in my opinion, the core of MPS problems is poverty. Poverty is a crazy tangled web of problems that put alot of extra stresses on kids that cut into their educational achievement. There has been talk of a public/private funded boarding school in Milwaukee. I think this option provides an opportunity to, at least partially, insulate students from some of these stresses and provide them with an environment in which to learn and grow.<BR/><BR/>Ok, there's my 2 cents. I could probably write a dollar's worth, but I'll stop now.<BR/><BR/>Glad to hear your prognosis is pretty good and you'll be heading back to the classroom soon!!<BR/><BR/>Aliceaehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11060772835539123152noreply@blogger.com