Report: What does Fernbank really do and for whom?
In 2005, the DeKalb school board appointed a blue ribbon task force to recommend the future direction of the Fernbank Science Center. The final report delivered to the district in 2006 apparently never led to any real action on anyone’s part.
The charge to the task force from then school chief Crawford Lewis was to “…review Fernbank’s programs, services and facilities along with the needs of all the stakeholders in our community…”
A year later, the task force reported back to the school board that it was stymied in its efforts and could not create that future blueprint. (For a strong view on keeping Fernbank open, read this post.)
Here is the summary letter from Sally Sears, who was chair of the executive committee of the Blue Ribbon Future of Fernbank Committee. As you read this letter, you get a better sense of why the DeKalb school board is now giving serious consideration to closing Fernbank.
Here is the summary letter:
This final report contains strong recommendations. The two dozen people who sat down to this job almost exactly a year ago share many of Fernbank’s admirable characteristics. They are thorough, committed, bright and questioning. Yet the job of defining the future of this wonderful place was complex. We did not succeed in creating a blueprint for its future. It frustrated many of us. We found:
•The Science Center critically needs attention, oversight and support from school administrators and the public.
•We struggle to find basic documents about the Science Center’s finances, lease agreements and teaching arrangements. The methods of record keeping and the records themselves seem opaque.
•The talent and dedication of the faculty is dimmed by conflicting missions and leadership.
We support several ideas better to align the Science Center with your goal of improving science education throughout Premier DeKalb County Schools. The immediate changes to polish the gem that is Fernbank include:
•A dramatic increase in the number of students offered the premiere class, Scientific Tools and Techniques, for school year 2006-2007, to demonstrate commitment to greater access and revamping middle school science teaching.
•Use technology in sharing terrific teaching through the system.
•Require mastery of science before promoting students.
The Subcommittee working on programming and instruction finds many nagging problems at Fernbank Science Center consistent with lack of funding, conflicting missions and oversight. Maintenance, the future of the forest, bus schedules, and poor follow-through from classroom teachers figure in the problems we found.
But perhaps most discouraging was our difficulty clarifying and evaluating what Fernbank Science Center actually does, and who its target populations are.
The remaining three subcommittees struggled with similar issues. They did not choose to create reports.
Sally Sears
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
84 comments Add your comment
Dunwoody Mom
May 29th, 2012
3:51 pm
And there you have it…no one really knows what goes on within FSC, but hey it’s gem, we don’t know why, but it is.
John Adcox
May 29th, 2012
3:57 pm
::sigh::
Here’s why:
AN ENHANCED APPROACH TO SCIENCE EDUCATION:
AN EVALUATION OF THE FERNBANK
SCIENTIFIC TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES PROGRAM
Ralph Buice, Fernbank Science Center
Su Ellen Bray, DeKalb County Schools
William L. Curlette, Georgia State University
Presented at
1993 Annual Meeting
American Educational Research Association
Atlanta, Georgia
Co-sponsored by DeKalb County School System and the Educational Research Bureau of Georgia State University
TOUR OF FERNBANK SCIENCE CENTER AND
FERNBANK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
AN ENHANCED APPROACH TO SCIENCE EDUCATION:
AN EVALUATION OF THE FERNBANK
SCIENTIFIC TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES PROGRAM
Ralph Buice, Fernbank Science Center
Su Ellen Bray, DeKalb County Schools
William L. Curlette, Georgia State University
Objectives
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an evaluation of the Fernbank Science Center’s Scientific Tools and Techniques (STT) program. This 15 minute paper presentation will be given in conjunction with a tour of the Science Center and Museum and observation of STT classes actually in session.
Perspective
The STT Program at Fernbank Science Center is an innovative quarter-long magnet program which is available to ninth and tenth grade students in DeKalb County who show a special interest in mathematics and science. In addition to classroom lectures, this comprehensive program in science education incorporates laboratory research, field trips, and individual instruction. Topics covered include meteorology, physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy, aerospace, animal ecology, plant ecology, electron microscopy, microbiology, ornithology, and physiology. The STT program is taught both in the Naturalist Center of the new Fernbank Museum of Natural History and Fernbank Science Center. The overall Fernbank complex is a unique partnership of the DeKalb County School System and Fernbank Inc., a non-profit corporation.
Data Sources
Data for the program evaluation were obtained from the academic student histories and, in addition to gender and race, consisted of the number of science courses taken (NSC) and the science grade point average (GPA). A control group was obtained by matching each student in the STT program with a student who did not take the STT program but had the same home school, gender, race, eighth grade science GPA, and specific eighth grade science courses. The sample size for the STT program evaluation was 125 students a year for four years. Thus, the overall sample size was 1000 students. In addition, a mailed questionnaire was sent to each student in the experimental and control group.
Methods
The primary hypothesis is that the population mean science GPA of the STT group will be greater than the control group. Descriptive statistics are presented for the quasi-experimental design that compares the STT program to a matched control group. In addition, a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was run on science GPA and the number of science courses taken (NSC). Responses to the items that were asked of both the STT and control groups on the questionnaire are compared using inferential statistics.
Results
Overall, the students in the STT program at the end of their senior year had a science GPA of 3.196 compared to the control group which had a GPA of 2.977, a difference of 7.36 percent. For the subgroup of Black Males, the mean GPA for the STT program was 2.887 in contrast to a mean GPA of 2.426 for the control group, a difference of 19.00 percent. The number of science courses taken by students in the STT program at the end of their senior year was 7.872 compared to 7.588, a difference of 3.74 percent. For the subgroup of Black Males, the mean number of science courses taken was 7.690 compared to the control group which had a mean number of science courses taken of 6.381, a difference of 20.51 percent.
As part of the study a questionnaire was mailed to students in the STT and control groups. The response rate for an initial mailing and a follow-up was 40.8 percent. A univariate analysis of variance for one-within and two-between factors for selected responses on the questionnaire resulted in week non-significance for responses grouped according to the week in which they were received. Among the findings of the questionnaire are 1) STT students are three times as likely to be employed full-time in science or a science-related field as the control, 2) STT students are almost twice as likely to have majored in science in college as the control, and 3) STT students are four times as likely to have received a science award while in college as the control.
Educational and Scientific Importance of the Study
As far as can be determined, there is no science program of this magnitude involving a partnership between a museum and a school system in the United States. Furthermore, the results indicate that the STT program could serve as a model for enhanced science education. Based on these results, a science program patterned after STT will be offered to inner city seventh grade students this summer. In addition, a qualitative research study to assess the STT program in the new Fernbank Museum by the DeKalb School System is under consideration.
Multivariate Analysis of Variance for
One-Within and Two-Between Factors for
Two Dependent Variables (GPA and NSC)
Between-Subjects Effects Wilks Lambda p-value
Sex by Race by Year 0.988 0.481
Race by Year 0.990 0.596
Sex by Year 0.993 0.763
Sex by Race 0.993 0.194
Year 0.963 0.008
Race 0.985 0.034
Sex 0.987 0.050
Within-Subjects Effects
Sex by Race by Year by Condition 0.990 0.563
Race by Year by Condition 0.989 0.528
Sex by Year by Condition 0.987 0.399
Sex by Race by Condition 0.987 0.045
Year by Condition 0.970 0.032
Race by Condition 0.998 0.698
Sex by Condition 0.998 0.702
Condition 0.226 <0.001
Note: The factor Condition has two levels which are Experimental and Control.
Univariate Analysis of Variance for
One-Within and Two-Between Factors
For GPA as Dependent Variable
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects.
SS DF MS F Sig of F
Within Cells 325.22 460 .71
Constant 5554.31 1 5554.31 7856.13 .000
Sex 6.42 1 6.42 9.08 .003
Race 29.06 1 29.06 41.11 .000
Year 9.16 3 3.05 4.32 .005
Sex by Race .67 1 .67 .95 .330
Sex by Year 2.00 3 .67 .94 .420
Race by Year 2.41 3 .80 1.14 .333
Sex by Race by Year 1.28 3 .43 .60 .614
Tests involving 'Cond' Within-Subject Effect.
SS DF MS F Sig of F
Within Cells 169.63 460 .37
Cond 12.17 1 12.17 33.01 .000
Sex by Cond 2.38 1 2.38 6.44 .011
Race by Cond 2.21 1 2.21 6.01 .015
Year by Cond 1.99 3 .66 1.80 .146
Sex by Race by Cond .01 1 .01 .02 .884
Sex by Year by Cond 1.55 3 .52 1.40 .241
Race by Year by Cond .33 3 .11 .29 .830
Sex by Race by Year by Cond .52 3 .17 .47 .701
Univariate Analysis of Variance for
One-Within and Two-Between Factors
For NSC as Dependent Variable
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects.
SS DF MS F Sig of F
Within Cells 4492.68 460 9.77
Constant 36354.40 1 36354.40 3722.28 .000
Sex 17.14 1 17.14 1.75 .186
Race 9.06 1 9.06 .93 .336
Year 137.30 3 45.77 4.69 .003
Sex by Race 27.81 1 27.81 2.85 .092
Sex by Year 10.37 3 3.46 .35 .786
Race by Year 25.73 3 8.58 .88 .452
Sex by Race by Year 12.72 3 4.24 .43 .729
Tests involving 'Cond' Within-Subject Effect.
SS DF MS F Sig of F
Within Cells 3155.97 460 6.86
Cond 24.05 1 24.05 3.51 .062
Sex by Cond 10.42 1 10.42 1.52 .218
Race by Cond 4.02 1 4.02 .59 .445
Year by Cond 18.72 3 6.24 .91 .436
Sex by Race by Cond 14.75 1 14.75 2.15 .143
Sex by Year by Cond 21.64 3 7.21 1.05 .370
Race by Year by Cond 17.06 3 5.69 .83 .478
Sex by Race by Year by Cond 27.78 3 9.26 1.35 .258
Comparison of GPA and NSC
Between Treatment and Control
Initial Sample
Group GPA NSC
Treatment 3.165 7.954
Control 2.938 7.620
7.73 % 4.38 %
Comparison of GPA and NSC
Between Treatment and Control
Missing Value Cases Removed
Group GPA NSC
Treatment 3.210 7.954
Control 2.980 7.620
7.71 % 4.38 %
Comparison of GPA and NSC
Between Treatment and Control
Mean Values Substituted
Group GPA NSC
Treatment 3.207 7.954
Control 2.978 7.620
7.68 % 4.38 %
Comparison of GPA and NSC
Between Treatment and Control
"Other" Category Removed
Group GPA NSC
Treatment 3.196 7.872
Control 2.977 7.588
7.36 % 3.74 %
Comparison of GPA
Between Treatment and Control
"Other" Category Removed
Group FW FB MW MB
Treatment 3.360 2.960 3.226 2.887
Control 3.320 2.700 2.943 2.426
1.20 % 9.63 % 9.62 % 19.00 %
Comparison of NSC
Between Treatment and Control
"Other" Category Removed
Group FW FB MW MB
Treatment 7.824 7.824 7.958 7.690
Control 7.514 7.851 7.788 6.381
4.13 % 0.00 % 2.18 % 20.51 %
SURVEY RESULTS
Per Cent
Question Experimental Control
1. Employed full-time in science or related field 12.1 4.2
2. Employed part-time in science or related field 16.5 6.6
3. Two-year college graduate 3.0 3.0
4. Four-year college graduate 34.6 29.3
5. Currently enrolled in college 68.4 73.7
6. Majored or currently majoring in science 45.0 26.3
7. Worked as a science lab assistant in HS 8.7 1.8
8. Worked as a science lab assistant in college 18.6 3.6
9. Received a science award in high school 46.8 20.4
10. Received a science award in college 8.2 2.4
Scale (0=Low, 5=High)
Question Experimental Control
11. Motivated to seek job in science by HS courses 3.293 2.677
12. Motivated to take college science courses by HS courses 3.784 3.180
13. Motivated to join science groups by HS courses 3.069 2.527
14. Motivated to become interested in science hobbies 3.649 3.000
Per Cent
Question Experimental Control
15. Would recommend the STT program to students today 96.2
16. Had siblings who participated in STT 21.3
17. Used facilities at Fernbank after STT 48.1
18. Used planetarium 36.2
19. Used library 25.5
20. Attended lectures 13.6
21. Visited exhibits 32.8
22. Enrolled in Independent Study 10.2
23. Had one-on-one help from Fernbank instructor 10.2
24. Attended a Fernbank Festival 19.6
25. Joined STT Alumni Club 19.6
Scale (0=Low, 5=High)
Question Experimental Control
26. STT motivated me to select more science courses 3.872
27. STT made me feel more confident in science courses 4.340
28. STT was a valuable experience 4.664
Note: The returned questionnaires were grouped according to the first, second, third, or fourth week in which they were received. Those received after the fourth week were placed in group five.
A univariate analysis of variance for one-within and two-between factors for questions 11-14 resulted in week non-significance for the first four weeks of responses versus the last group of responses.
Appendix I
Overview of Fernbank
Audience
Fernbank’s primary audience is within a one hour drive and is essentially metro Atlanta, the 11th largest MSA in the United States with a population of 4,112,198 people. Of this area 37% is minority. Inner city Atlanta closer to Fernbank has a larger minority population. Fernbank is six miles east of the center of downtown Atlanta. DeKalb County Schools (one of the Fernbank partnership) enrollment is 76.6% Afro-American, 3.8% Asian, 6.4% Hispanic 2.1% multiracial and 10.8% Caucasian. It is a system where the minority is a majority. The Atlanta school system has a similar demographic. DeKalb and the Atlanta system are the two largest in the Metroplex.
Fernbank is very successful at reaching underserved audiences. Most local families have been to Fernbank if not recently, then when they were in school. As a result our image with underserved populations is a favorable one.
History
The Fernbank Science Center was founded in 1967 as a partnership between the DeKalb County schools and the Fernbank Foundation, a 501(C) (3) not for profit and is a unique application of formal and informal science education. As one of the founding members of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Fernbank has been an innovator for nearly 35 years. The initial facility included a 500-seat planetarium, an observatory with a 36-inch reflecting telescope, an Apollo capsule, exhibit halls and classrooms, greenhouses, gardens and an old growth forest preserve, the only one in Atlanta. The forest is designated as one of the best walks in Georgia and will be featured in a new publication on Urban Forests by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. As part of the long-range plan Fernbank Natural History Museum opened in 1996 with an IMAX theater and an extra 160,000 square feet of new space. Over 800,000 people visit the Fernbank Complex each year.
Program
The bulk of Fernbank’s visitation is in single field trip visits or public attendance but we also produce extensive educational programs ranging from vocational horticulture to aerospace education. Fernbank is a partner with NASA’s SEMAA program and produces curriculum for the program. We serve over 825 students in it each year in summer, fall and spring daytime sessions that include 21 hours of study for upper level students and 12 hours of study for elementary students. Fernbank also does SpaceStation Fernbank, a summer aerospace camp. As part of the SEMAA program Fernbank pioneered Parents Café program to involve parents in the SEMAA activities while their child attends class and to provide continuing education in science and life and parenting skills. Last year we served 1048 parents in the SEMAA program.
Similarly, students visit our Quest summer camps on other topics as well as a variety of programs, lectures and activities in the forest and gardens. These range from bird watching and bird banding to composting.
Fernbank has also been instrumental in writing the DeKalb County Schools Science Standards, which are based in state and national standards.
Staff
Fernbank has a center of excellence in its educational program and boasts of one of the finest faculties at any museum or science center in North America. There are over 60 professional scientists and educators on staff and over two thirds of them have advanced degrees. The disciplines include astronomy, chemistry, physics, biology, microbiology, computer science, the history of science, meteorology, entomology, forestry, horticulture, entomology, ornithology, geology, environmental science, ecology, paleontology, archeology, physiology, neuroscience, genetics as well as science and aerospace education at all grade levels. There are 180 staff members with one half of those supported by the DeKalb County Schools.
Since Fernbank’s inception as a partnership between a school system and a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, Fernbank has excelled at creating additional partnerships. Present partners include NASA, Zoo Atlanta, The Arabia Mountain Project, Project GLOBE, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Tech, Emory University, The Atlanta Black College Network, Agnes Scott College, Georgia State University and various interest or professional groups and clubs ranging from Audubon and Astronomy to Tourism and Watershed Alliances.
blurb
May 29th, 2012
4:04 pm
Sigh. Typical of the DeKalb County School System — commission a report or task force or consultant and then ignore the recommendations. If only this task force’s recommendations had been followed, we probably would not be having the debate about closing the science center.
yes i am worried
May 29th, 2012
4:08 pm
John
Do you know how different DCSS is now than 20 years ago? What about how different DeKalb is? The once affluent county isn’t anymore and probably won’t be ever. We simply can’t afford everything we once did.
What new partnerships have been created in the last 3 years, since Fernbank was last on the chopping block?
Scott Fresno
May 29th, 2012
4:13 pm
So, let’s throw out the baby with the bathwater? I know that the Science Center inspires children in the sciences. And that is something we – as a county, a state, and a nation – need. Rather than throw up our hands like silly fools, fix the parts that need fixing and move on.
John
May 29th, 2012
4:14 pm
The problem with Fernbank or any educational program lies in setting priorities. In this day of diminishing state support and diminishing local property tax bases, local school boards are required to make cuts. However, every time a school board proposes eliminating or reducing funding for any program, some group steps up and circulates a petition that the budget cuts must come elsewhere because their particular pet program is absolutely vital. When the school board tries to cut salaries or raise class sizes, members get ambushed by the teacher organizations. When the board tries to reduce funding for school nurses, counselors, media specialists and other support personnel, those groups come oit of the wood work and claim that board members don’t care about children. When a board tries to reduce funding for fine arts and athletics (which in total accounts for less than one tenth of 1 percent of most school system budgets), the booster clubs scream that this funding is essential. I have enjoyed trips to Fernbank in the past but can anybody actually say funding for the museum is more important than the other needs of the deKalb County School System?
MannyT
May 29th, 2012
4:16 pm
Not in Dekalb, so no dog in the fight. Looks like there were plans to develop science excellence in 1993. With many leadership changes since then, it’s easy to understand that mission may have been diluted or changed. I’d ask can the mission be clarified and justified for 2013 & beyond. If so, what does it cost and is it worth the cost to move forward with updated goals?
Wayne Meyers
May 29th, 2012
4:17 pm
I took a great class at Fernbank this spring for educators. Debi Huffman is a wonderful aerospace resource for DeKalb.
yes i am worried
May 29th, 2012
4:19 pm
One of the recommendations in the 2005 report was this, “Lab classes are limited to 24 students per lab.” We are no where near that and that is a huge issue. Let’s see how reallocating at least most of FSC’s resources to the schoolhouses can help us reach this goal.
Once Again
May 29th, 2012
4:22 pm
Add yet another to the FAIL column for the government school system. A private business would never operate this way (or they would fail and go out of business).
yes i am worried
May 29th, 2012
4:23 pm
Really well said John….
skipper
May 29th, 2012
4:27 pm
This school system is so scrwed up………….incometant folks and too much dead weight….get rid of the dead weight and non-necessary programs and watdh it improve.
skipper
May 29th, 2012
4:29 pm
thats “incompetent” and “watch”..long weekend! Not too long to realize that the system is a cluster………………
Atlanta Media Guy
May 29th, 2012
4:33 pm
Sally Sears, the former TV reporter and wife of Richard Belcher? Gee, I wonder why Clew did not take the advice of HIS “blue ribbon” panel?
Can anyone remember how many “blue ribbon” panels Clew put together and how many of those he never listened to? I honestly think all those past Blue Ribbon panels were smoke and mirrors to distract the stake holders from finding out the truth about the RICO operation CLEW and his friends were operating out of his office. No wonder Clew needed a shower in his new office at the Palace. Anyone would need a shower after working for that corrupt operation.
Until Tyson, Ramsey, Tucker, Moseley, Thompson, Berry, Mitchell-Mayfield, Beasley, the Guilroy’s, any of Francis Edward’s kids and kins are shown the door, do not expect anything to change! All Atkinson is doing is what Tyson and Clew did before her, balance the budget on the backs of our teachers. Dr. Atkinson your allegiances to the former regime and to the Friends and Family plan are obvious and well, rather obnoxious.
dekalbed
May 29th, 2012
4:33 pm
I’m struck by the suggestion that Dekalb? Fernbank? “Require mastery of science before promoting students.” From what I’ve learned teaching in Dekalb, students don’t have to master anything to move to the next level or class. According to the CRCT scores published on Dekalb’s webstire, @ 50% of last year’s 8th graders did not meet the expectations/requirements, but they moved on. Students fail 9th, 10th, and/or 11th grade history, English, and/or science classes and they move on.
jarvis
May 29th, 2012
4:33 pm
Any chance that the non-profit that runs the IMAX and Natural History Museum or a similar entity would be willing to take on the Science Center?
Decoupling it from the Dekalb County School System might be a good solution.
I love that the question posed in the 2005 report is “What does the Science Center do, and who is its target audience?” That says everything about the School System’s lack of ability to set any agenda. Give the Science Center a direction and follow it…
This is the Mueseum’s Mission: “Fernbank Museum’s mission is to inspire life-long learning of natural history through dynamic programming to encourage a greater appreciation of our planet and its people.”
That probably took them 10 minutes to right and a half-hour to agree on….Government isn’t the solution.
Teacher2
May 29th, 2012
4:48 pm
What are these panels called “Blue Ribbon?” Sounds rather silly.
Ron F.
May 29th, 2012
4:51 pm
Like many things in Dekalb these days, FSC suffers from lack of focus and poor leadership. How my kids in rural GA could benefit from something like this, but we don’t have the money to even take field trips let alone have a science center. The sad reality is that there is no leadership capable of managing this place properly, so closing it will likely be the only fiscally sound decision the school system can make. What a sad outcome for what was, for a long time, a visionary program that likely got a lot of kids involved in science in a real way.
Teacher2
May 29th, 2012
4:54 pm
Typo s/b Why
Don H.
May 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
Not to worry. Coca-Cola or some other corporation making “evil” profits on behalf of the 50% of us with retirement savings invested in its stock … will subsidize Fernbank.
Maybe even assisted by the not-for-profit schools so disparaged by union shills on this website!
Don H.
May 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
Not to worry. Coca-Cola or some other corporation making “evil” profits on behalf of the 50% of us with retirement savings invested in stocks … will subsidize Fernbank.
Don H.
May 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
Maybe even assisted by the not-for-profit schools so disparaged by union shills on this website!
Beverly Fraud
May 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Where’s Jerry Eads when you need him to dissect the John Adcox post?
Big Mama
May 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
If Fernbank is a valuable asset to the community, cut it loose from the school system and let the community support it through admission fees. Why are the schools making cuts in the classroom while still supporting extras like sports, science centers, etc. ?
Dunwoody Mom
May 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
Well, poor John, he copied information from a 1993 document. DCSD as it was in 1993 is long, long gone.
Ed Scofield
May 29th, 2012
5:24 pm
Only an idiot would close Fernbank. Based on the education my older son received at Fernbank, my son received a Presidential Scholarship to Georgia Tech. He went on to graduate with a MASTER’S DEGREE in Physics in just 4-1/2 years. My younger son also benefited from Fernbank. The computer courses (Turbo Pascal) he took there at Griffith House catapulted him into a career in which he designs computer chips. If Fernbank goes on the chopping block, the School Board and the Superintendent should be fired and “reeducated” in Siberia. . . !
Dunwoody Mom
May 29th, 2012
5:28 pm
@Ed, exactly what was the education your son received at Fernbank?
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:33 pm
so, EXACTLY,
what should be closed to keep FCS open?
DCSS is 70 mil in debt.
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:35 pm
@ Ed
I’m a + 1 with Dunwoody mom. what, EXACTLY kind of education did your son get at Fernbank?
I don’t recall them having day to day classes, so unless we’re talking the elementary school …
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:36 pm
only an idiot would keep funding FSC under these current circumstances.
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:38 pm
@ John
next time, please just post the link and maybe one or two vital bits of info.
Atlanta Media Guy
May 29th, 2012
5:39 pm
ThanksDM, I was wondering why he would copy and paste a 20 year old document. Shutter FSC, bring STT and the teachers into the schools. Let the designers and the cabinet maker get a job at the aquarium, World of Coke or the Atlanta History Center. Folks, our former CFO has raped our accounts dried and we’re sitting here arguing over a perk, not a need!
We need teachers, Para Pros, Librarians/Media Specialists. We don’t need the Palace! We don’t need the Old Offices on North Decatur. How about we start selling the properties of DCSS that have not been used in 5 years. The old CMS in Dunwoody is a eye sore and is falling apart. Sell this prime property at top dollar! How many other prime properties could DCSS sell? Like the property on North Druid Hills Road? When Sembler wanted it, Clew did what he could by moving Kittredge and then of course Sembler backed out leaving Clew holding the bag AGAIN!
Stop the bickering over FSC and let’s start cutting! It’s not our fault we have no money, it’s the fault of POOR CORRUPT LEADERSHIP who spent too much time thinking of themselves an NOT the mission of DCSS.
Tyson MUST GO! Ramsey MUST GO, Tucker MUST go, and of the folks from Clew’s cabinet MUST GO! Why are so many from Clew’s regime still employed? These “leaders” are the true failures of DCSS, not the kids.
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:40 pm
and most telling of all…
once again a DCSS component with bad leadership and sketchy finances
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:42 pm
@ atl media guy,
only one problem with your ideas. in this market, you’ll never be able to move the property for what its worth. better to shut them down and keep a skeleton crew on hand to maintain them til the market improves
(assuming it ever does)
RCB
May 29th, 2012
5:43 pm
If Fernbank is so great, why wouldn’t it succeed if it were privatized? It doesn’t sound like they offer anything more than a science teacher could/should be teaching. If you want the enrichment classes they offer, pay for them. Dekalb can no longer afford this “luxury.”
Don H.
May 29th, 2012
5:45 pm
Sorry for duplication in posts. Maureen doesn’t favor my non-union viewpoint and so forces me to constantly await her “permission” to be heard. This sometimes results in duplicated posts when I grow impatient and re-post by other means. Censorship does inspire innovation.
In my next life I want to be an unhindered union shill like Ron F … or be posting to the less liberal and more representative newspaper which one day replaces the AJC.
Maureen Downey
May 29th, 2012
5:51 pm
@Don H. Not holding back your posts. No idea why the filter did not publish your original post, but did publish the split posts. If I were holding back your posts as you state, nothing from you in any form would post.
Maureen
But to all, I am moderating more posts as I am trying to reduce personal attacks and off-topic postings. I am also banning folks who repeatedly post off topic. It seems to be making the blog more appealing to a wider audience, as we posted record numbers of page views thus far this month, 407,000. (To put that number in context, the high was 29,000 a month when I took over this blog in August of 2009.)
Thanks for reading.
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
5:59 pm
at some point you guys are gonna have to acknowledge a basic fact.
DCSS is beyond broke. in the business world, you’re bankrupt and in receivership. the Sheriff would have padlocked the doors and be hauling away the telescope to pay creditors.
70 + million in debt is not belt tightening. it is slash and burn, with jobs lost and facilities closed.
quibbling about FCS is like fussing over making the beds before Titanic sinks.
if DeKalb citizens and DCSS don’t start dealing in reality instead of fantasy, you’re gonna be wishing for the good old days of just being $70 mil in debt
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
6:03 pm
@ Don H
on behalf of conservatives everywhere….
knock it off.
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
6:05 pm
harsh reality time:
its not like DCSS students et al are burning up the states colleges with their scientific acument.
irisheyes
May 29th, 2012
6:07 pm
Why not start charging for admission? Charge $2 per student for DCSS students and $5 per student for classes outside DCSS. It may not pay for the entire operating costs, but it’ll pay for a huge chunk.
70 million?
May 29th, 2012
6:09 pm
When the science center goes, it’s gone for good. It’s a sad reality, but if DeKalb was serious about getting it’s financial house in order, about half the administration has to go to cut costs. Along with cancelling football season, homecoming, prom, drama programs, and any other extracurriculars that require a single cent of school money. If the parents want it, they can pay for it and let a private entity sponsor/host. Free market solution, right?
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
6:21 pm
lets be really brutally honest here
the citizens of DeKalb county have been happy to allow DCSS to be a jobs program/social experiment.
it has failed on both counts. but the county voters were happy to let it continue.
and here we are: so deeply in debt Obama would be ashamed.
for all the carping about how wonderful FCS is, DeKalb has worked very hard to get itself into this position. you’ve allowed incompetent fools to run DCSS for too long.
when FCS closes, you really have nobody to blame but yourselves
Don H.
May 29th, 2012
6:34 pm
@blabney farnsworth: On behalf of readers—PLEASE consider cultivating some alternative hobbies! Your mother may delight in your incessant blabber. We don’t so much.
SCH
May 29th, 2012
6:35 pm
I am conflicted… about as conflicted as someone trying to figure out Fernbank’s mission. Conflicted because I was “salvaged” as a student by Fernbank (typical undermotivated student finds motivation in unique opportunities at Fernbank)… but that was 30 years ago.
I think the conflict here is between a science museum and an a specialized instructional facility. On the one hand we have this neglected facility that is free to the general public (the entire Atlanta area) and funded by the school board. It’s inspirational to a lot of 3rd-5th graders, and it could be quite nice with sufficent money poured into it. Is that really the core mission of the DCSS? Even in good times, probably not.
On the other hand, we have the instruction – a lot of people have said those resources could be better utilized if distributed amongst the rest of the schools. That’s an opinion, honestly… but so is my position. Personally, I don’t see that – I see that is a way of assuring that only those students in certain schools will get access to AP courses. I think Fernbank has a long way to go to fullful what I think it’s real mission should be (being the centerpiece of middle and highscool science education), but I think they can be that. A number of programs they offer could only be offered in select schools, and some could not find a home in any single school simply because of the limited number of students in any one school who are either interested or qualified.
I worry that, however, they can’t be that while they are conflicted with two missions – operating a museum and operating an instructional center. I see where continued, tight, association would be beneficial but I just don’t see where operating a museum is in the best interest of a struggling school system.
I have a lot of fondness for that place, and I honestly think that the museum would thrive in the hands of a private/non-profit. But, when I took my 4 year old there recently, I was quite disappointed. It is where it is for many reasons, not the least of which is the complete and total lack of leadership from previous DCSS administrations.
That said, I think it should be given a chance… given the year to come up with a plan… not from a “blue ribbon comission”, but from the folks currently there. Direct them to two tasks:
1) Identify a suitable non-profit partner to take over operations and maintanence of the museum.
2) Develop and begin implementation of a plan to increase utilization of the instructional resources of the facility with particular emphasis on serving the needs of schools where science education has been traditionally weak.
Give them a year, give them specific objectives… and if at the end, they have not achived, then maybe it’s time to go. It seems, though, like despite all the talk, no one has ever done that.
BlahBlahBlah
May 29th, 2012
6:41 pm
I bet they could randomly cut 25% of the administrative staff in the county and not lose one iota of “performance”. The fact that the science center lacked basic financial documents is horrifying. Heads should have rolled over that alone, but I doubt anything happened. When there’s no apparent accountability for anything from an administrative standpoint, no one should be surprised the county is in a $70 million hole.
bootney farnsworth
May 29th, 2012
6:48 pm
@ Don
I want you to know just how deeply wounded I am by your pity comments.
it took me all of less than no time to get over your scathing retort.
with such a command of language and a willingness to go for cheap shots
at the drop of a hat, I’ll be disappointed if you’re not in the state legislature
Don H.
May 29th, 2012
6:56 pm
@blabney: But you WILL consider finding at least one other hobby, right?
Jane W.
May 29th, 2012
7:03 pm
Yeah, bootney. Give us a break already!
Teacher Reader
May 29th, 2012
7:04 pm
@ Bootney Farnsworth, you hit the nail on the head. No one wants to face reality about the debt that we are in, which could be more than 73 million if home values have dropped further. No one cares what happens again next year, when we’re in another hole, or when we lose one or both of the law suits we are in which should net tens of millions of dollars and God only knows how many millions more to continue on with.
The biggest disgrace to me is the superintendent. I could have made her budget decision for a grand, and here she’s paid well over $300,000 a year to come up with raising taxes, increasing tax size, and furlough days. The university giving her, her PhD should be proud of the thinker that they developed.
Even if we cut administration and workers to the bare bones, we will not cover 73 million dollars. It’s really a shame that people are so short sighted.
Tabitha
May 29th, 2012
7:42 pm
Maybe FCS could offer subscription services to science classses and to school systems. You benefit, you pay. Lots of schools, public, private and home would benefit from FCS. Teachers might benefit from summer programs to update skills. Put a real board in place to decisively fix the issues of transparency and governance. Offer a vision of FCS as a showpiece of science education in metro Atlanta. DCSS can’t afford a luxury like Fernbank but let’s find out if metro Altanta can.
dekalbite
May 29th, 2012
8:02 pm
Look at the 2011 science scores for DeKalb:
Science % FAILED by Grade Level
3rd grade – 30.9%
4th grade – 33.6%
5th grade – 35.2%
6th grade – 42.2%
7th grade – 31.9%
8th grade – 49.9%
Almost half of our 8th graders do not know the most basic concepts in science. We have experienced a steep decline in science achievement.
Every metro area school system except Clayton County has better science achievement and none of them have a science center.
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-comparing-standardized-test-scores.html
pierre
May 29th, 2012
8:15 pm
I think closing the FSC should go hand in hand with closing many of the magnet programs and special little pet projects that have proliferated in DCSS over the years. There is no county in the greater metro Atlanta area that comes close to having so many special interest/theme/magnet schools. We need to prune back the tree so it will grow back stronger, and that means pouring resources into the “failing” home schools so they can become functional. We can do that if we shut down all the magnet/ theme/whatever you want to call them schools. Lewis was criminally incompetent and also a shameless panderer. He would give any interest group that screamed loud enough what they wanted just to shut them up and not look too closely at the “criminal enterprise” he was running. Now we have far too many small schools and chronic under-enrollment at many large schools. What all the magnets etc. do is gut the home schools of many of their best students, teachers, and resources that could go to under-performing students. Eventually, those schools’ failures become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We have to make more choices available at the home schools by returning the magnet etc. resources back into them, and if magnet etc. parents don’t want their child to go to the home school, well they can suck it up and go private. With all these small magnet etc. schools, the county has created a parallel system of privilege for the noisy and the connected. Let’s make the home schools work.
catlady
May 29th, 2012
9:32 pm
Ms.Downey, Piggybacking on Teacher Reader’s 7:04, could the AJC give us a breakdown of the educational “shakers and movers” as to what degrees they hold from where, and their compensation (including EVERYTHING) Perhaps their years of classroom experience also? Not just supers, but asst. supers, and area supers and directors of…, down the line to just above principals? I would like to know how many of these folks hold suspicious degree “qualifications.”
I suspect that the public would be very interested in how many got their advanced degrees from the LMUs of the educational feeding chain.
d
May 29th, 2012
9:52 pm
Well it looks like Fernbank will cost me $35 a month – and I teach Social Studies.
Teacher Reader
May 29th, 2012
10:02 pm
If you live in DeKalb, it will cost you more. Sorry d.
d
May 29th, 2012
10:05 pm
Fernbank – off the table, eliminating the health insurance subsidy for the same amount, moved through…. I don’t mind the tax increase, I think the pain needs to be felt by all…. oh, 6 furlough days, when will I have time to actually prepare meaningful instruction? Looks like I will be having to find a second job just to make ends meet now. Can’t grade papers while I’m running a cash register at Home Depot very well can I? Comeon DCSD…. this is the definition of insanity.
dekalb teacher
May 29th, 2012
10:48 pm
More furlough days, more studenta in the class room. I would like to see one of the Board of Ed members come in and teach my class with 37 students. Fernbank is off the table yet the teachers are still paying the price. It is going to be a very rough school year next year. The parents need to be ready as I will not be doing extra work for their students since I will also have to get a part time job to make ends meet. If the admin at the county office really cared they would make some of the needed cuts at the top, get ride of the ineffective and repeat postions. why do we need to have 6 regional superintendents??? Why do they have 2 or more assistants?? The county curriculum coordinators do nothing but create extra paper work for the teachers, they also need to be gone. The people of the county need to vote the idiots out of the office and get over the fact that if you want a good education it will have to be paid for. DeKalb will see a mass exodus of teachers in the near future if the Board can not or will not fix the problems.
dekalbite
May 29th, 2012
10:55 pm
Fernbank is the most powerful group of parents in DeKalb County and really in the entire metro area. There is absolutely nothing they can’t get if they set their minds to it. They are smart, affluent and politically connected. They want Fernbank Science Center to stay just the way it is so they will protect it since it sounds good for their neighborhood to have the science center. They decided it needed to stay open 2 years ago and so it did. They were for redistricting and closing schools, but when they were in danger of being redistricted, they didn’t want that to happen for their own children, so it didn’t. They wanted a new school even though they had a new wing built with SPLOST III money so they put their influence into passing SPLOST IV, and lo and behold they are getting a brand new school. When some SPLOST IV projects were going to be delayed or deferred, they suddenly end up at the top of the list with their brand new school. Again Fernbank Science Center comes up for closure for excellent educational and financial reasons, and they manage to deflect that. Now they want taxes raised so the science center will be safe and that will no doubt happen as well. They know how to be part of the system in order to work the system. That’s just the way it is.
I guess those five Deisgners and one Cabinetmaker will easy now. Who needs teachers anyway?
Look at the Fernbank Designer salaries (they maintain the relatively few Fernbank exhibits) – from the 2011 state Salary and Travel audit:
Designer $77,381
Designer $63,360
Designer $84,073
Designer $65,827
Designer $69,178
Total: $359,819
With benefits – $431,782 for five Fernbank Designers.
Cabinetmaker $56,600 salary and benefits
Frustrated
May 29th, 2012
10:58 pm
Fernbank could be funded with grants. I fail to understand why this hasn’t been tried.
Public School Kid
May 29th, 2012
11:02 pm
I don’t know anything about Fernbank’s record-keeping or mission statements, but I do know that Scientific Tools & Techniques was by far the most challenging and inspiring learning experience of my ten years as a student in DeKalb County schools. It was also the best preparation I received for college. Let’s not freak out and give up a great thing that may just need a little leadership and nurturing.
dekalb teacher
May 29th, 2012
11:02 pm
@dekalbite It is sad that and insulting that the Cabinetmaker makes more than I do. I have a Master’s degree and 13 years with DeKalb.
Button D. Otherhand
May 29th, 2012
11:17 pm
Please, everyone, please! Let’s not turn this into another World of Sid & Marty Krofft!
gsmith
May 29th, 2012
11:23 pm
i am considering running for DBOE , after seeing the illititerate board members on T,.V this evening i could not believe my eyes… these board members looked like the homeless and spoke as if they never reached the level of the 2nd grade !!!! i am a white male and have a college degree does that make me way way way overqualified to sit on the education board in dekalb or any job in dekalb county all together????
DCSD Science Teacher
May 29th, 2012
11:25 pm
I’d vote for giving Fernbank Science Center staff one year to redesign their mission IF they were given a serious commitment by the Board and Administration for space (if they move programs out into schools); equipment (because there are, after all, only enough supplies for any class for the number of students who would presently take that class at FSC); and a mandate to make Professional Development (sharing methods and programs with other science teachers) a part of their mission. Even if FSC instructors moved out into classrooms, this wouldn’t be a drop in the bucket of DCSD’s incompetence in science instruction. Adding, say, 10 science teachers to teach in under-equipped labs, overcrowded classes, and nonsupportive teaching environments, won’t improve anything. Don’t trash a group of people who are dedicated and well-trained…just let THEM have a strong voice in redesigning what they do. Believe me, they have ideas about how to help science in this County return to a higher level. Just stop bickering and listen to them.
dekalbite@Frustrated
May 29th, 2012
11:26 pm
“Fernbank could be funded with grants. I fail to understand why this hasn’t been tried.”
Fernbank Science Center has NO incentive to seek “external support” as long as DCSS continues to fund it. They like things just the way they are.
What non profit is going to:
1. Fund on a teaching facility that employs as many highly paid non teaching admin and support personnel (28) as they do teachers (28)
2. Be willing to invest $2,000,000 in a rundown building that has severe facilities and technology needs
In addition, Fernbank Science Center lacks personnel with the grant writing expertise to facilitate this.
Teacher Reader
May 29th, 2012
11:40 pm
Parents in my neighborhood ask me why I homeschool, and this is exactly why. I would love to be able to send my children to the public schools. I am a product of the public school system and have taught only in pubic schools. I cannot have my child in such a large class with teachers who are asked to sacrifice time and time again. It makes me furious that my kids can’t attend the schools in the county, because they stink so.
Cuts need to be made. I realize that parents of children in these programs or those that have them in their neighborhood don’t want to see them go, but in reality these are programs, along with the bloated employees that we can no longer afford. What happens next year when we are further in debt? Will teachers be asked to pay for their job?
Being from a small school district from the North, having no access to AP classes of any sort, I look at the 57 people that I graduated with. We not only went to top notch schools (including Ivy League), but also have many in the math and science fields. Fancy does not mean better.
This tale of two educations would never fly up North. I went to a small school district, but there were much larger districts around us and even with multiple schools (elementary, middle, and high school) this inequity would not fly now and never has.
I am not sure what citizens of DeKalb are trying to do. Are we trying to have more communities break off and form their own town? Are we trying to see how poor we can make the education system be and how far into debt we can be?
Why aren’t we focused on providing a quality education for all and attracting the best teachers?
Tonight is a sad night in DeKalb. Bu
another comment
May 30th, 2012
2:18 am
The best school districts up North and in the midwest are small with one or two high schools. In fact a large school district has two high schools. The School Boards are elected volunteers with no pay. You can not have represenatives who represent the local community when you have school districts that have 50,000 let alone, 100,000 children. All the parent groups should model themselves after the “Fernbank Parents” but that type of involvement is not the culture of the minority communities. It is more than fustrating when the same 12 or less parents do everything on the PTA, supply all the money. They are ussually the “white educated parents”. If there kids are in a school that has turned minority, then their kids are the ones bullied for being smart. The only solution is to split up the School District by their feeder patterns at least. That way people get what they pay for. You can stop the bussing. If people want their kids to go to another school they can at least buy them a Marta fare card. No other county reimburses in cash for parents to transport their children from their home school. What did that get, no incentive to improve the home school, and alot of bragging about how they were making money driving their kids to a school near where they had to go to work anyways.
I would suggest Dekalb go to a 4 day school week. It is interesting that was not one of the choices. Since, that is working in several of the rural counties. All the kids that need remidiation could be dropped off or take marta to a remediation center on the 5th day to play catch up. But the rest of the schools and the busses could be shut down. Of course, the lunch would not be served on that day. They can pack a sandwich from the foodstamp purchases and bring it with them.
yes i am worried
May 30th, 2012
8:29 am
another comment,
bigoted a bit?
The Fernbank parents and what they do for their own children, at home and in their own school, are to be respected. How they behave on a county level is not. They put their children and their community’s needs above all else.
KIM
May 30th, 2012
8:49 am
My comment went to another line…sorry. Don’t know how that happend, Maureen. It seems to me that Fernbank could become a model STEM site with some retooling and all the prep for that: new mission statement, new vision, redefinition. But, it definitely needs to be saved. It is a respected place that with the right new focus could turn kids on to science and allow great growth. Save Fernbank.
@Kim
May 30th, 2012
8:55 am
“It seems to me that Fernbank could become a model STEM site with some retooling and all the prep for that: new mission statement, new vision, redefinition.”
Fernbank needs $2,000,000 in renovations and is not designed to be a STEM school. Have you ever visited a STEM school? It would be cheaper to tear it down and build a STEM school. I do not think the personnel at Fernbank would like that however. A number of the instructors are not certified teachers and the librarian ($90,000) is an uncertified employee as well therefore they would not be eligible to teach students in a school setting. On what pay scale they are employed is a reasonable question. One that won’t be asked though. Many live in the Fernbank area which only goes to show there are “friends and family” everywhere in Dekalb.
Atlanta Media Guy
May 30th, 2012
9:00 am
Folks here is a quote from Tom Bowen in this mornings AJC.
Tom Bowen introduced the proposal to increase taxes while cutting teachers and school days. He said, “the one mill increase SHOULD be rolled back by 2015.”
Then Tom write it into the proposal. Place a sunset on that one mill increase. I know you won’t but you will say you tried. Does anyone believe a Eugene Walker led (if he gets reelected) BOE will “ROLLBACK” the one mill increase in 2015? I’ve learned never to trust a Superintendent or a BOE that continue to balance budgets on the backs of teachers, students and taxpayers. The friends and family reaped huge benefits throughout the “recession” and now we’re paying dearly for poor leadership. The amazing thing about it? Most of the people that got us stuck in this ditch are still drawing checks from DCSS. Why?
When I see the people, who aided Clew through the most corrupt period in our school systems history start getting pink slips, then I might actually want to give them more money. However, just the mistakes under Tyson’s “interim” leadership cost us millions and could have cost us more until a Dunwoody State Senator Millar stepped in as the adult in the room and got the funds to DCSS.
The many mistakes made by the Clew/Tyson leadership, still in place after all that has happened, is the true tragedy. In the real world, people responsible for huge costly gaffes would have been fired long ago. At DCSS, the ones that make the biggest mistakes are usually celebrated and even given a raise. Why?
DCSS(D?) still an epic failure since 2004.
dekalbed
May 30th, 2012
9:37 am
So Fernbank stays and 150+ central office salaried positions stay (if we’re now looking at the elimination of 140 from the 330+ superfluous ones) and the super’s budget increases, the communications department increases, and the department of strategis management and accountabliity grows.
No one seemed to know how to run Fernbank. No one budgeted for interest and other expenditures. No one figured out how to use Title 1 funds at the beginning of the school year. No one knows exactly what the Heery Mitchell law suit will cost or do. No one proofed the erroneous contracts sent out in May.
Is accountability something that happens only in the classroom, when one teacher is responsible for differentiating instruction, providing remediation, tracking data, and calling parents for as many as 175 to 180 students (with the increase of one student per class)?
Still trying to understand why Dekalb isn’t creating partnerships with Georgia Tech and Emory for programs like the ones offered at Fernbank or working with Georgia State for professional development or using our own broadcasting students to record and produce Dekalb’s video messages. Also wondering why we employ so many “educators” (purported experts by their degrees and salaries) who have absolutely no interaction with students.
Dekalb Daddy
May 30th, 2012
10:54 am
Dunwoody Mom, Do you ever look after your kids or do you stay on the phone all day. Maybe nurture your children and they may have a passion for Science. My kids love science and cannot get enough. Be creative and constructive good qualities of a Mother.
catlady
May 30th, 2012
11:06 am
dekalbed makes many good points, especially on accountability. Why are only the teachers held accountable? Why is the CO so top-heavy? Why is there no one (with all these people employed there) taking care of Title 1, of the correct printing of contracts, etc?
I agree with an earlier poster. Anyone without direct instruction of students should have their job carefully scrutinized. Get rid of half, automatically. Start with those with sketchy degrees, and those with a family member in a higher position. Then, of the remaining, cut salary 20-40%. Those who resign, do not fill the place. (Teachers have to just make do if they get more responsibilities.) It seems to me that first and foremost, DCSS needs to restore RESPECT and CONFIDENCE in its work.
Next, look at scheduling in the schools. No one should be employed as a teacher with more than one planning period. Right now, too many are getting expanded leave to “manage” or to “find scholarships”. Get all schools on 6-7 periods a day, so that everyone is teaching 85% or more of the day. No more “group plannig times”.
Finally, put ALL employees (except bus drivers, lunch room ladies, and janitors) to work intervening with students who are behind. Too much time is lost in saying, “It isn’t my responsibility.” Make working with kids EVERYONE’S responsibility.
I taught for years under a principal who insisted on teaching a class every day. He taught 7th grade math. It kept him mindful of what was happening in the real world (the classroom) and he was the best principal I ever worked with!
@Teacher2
May 30th, 2012
8:58 pm
Please note that “Teacher2″ is already taken
It may be confusing to have two people posting under the same name.
KIM
May 30th, 2012
10:07 pm
Actually I have been to a STEM school and it can be done with out tearing down Fernbank.
Alphadog
May 31st, 2012
8:28 am
What a horribly written report/letter by Ms. Sears. “… Almost exactly a year ago. “?
Ole Guy
June 1st, 2012
2:08 pm
Well, call me silly, but my experience with this fine facility is…FERNBANK OPENS EYES, MINDS, AND IMAGINATIONS; it has probably “primed the mental pumps” of many.
This (so-called) Blue Ribbon Taskforce (whenever I see, hear or read that word blueribbon, I think of hogs; this is precisely what lies behind this “appointment” of a (clearing of throat) task force) is yet another means of “searching”…looking for yet more ways to save a few bucks…at the expense of WHAT? Do the easy stuff first: step on teachers’ heads, push em around like cattle, cut all the programs you wish…DON’T LOOK IN YOUR OWN MISERABLE BACK YARDS FOR WASTE, CORRUPTION, AND PLAIN OLE UNADULTERATED CRAP!
John
June 1st, 2012
8:23 pm
I’m going to guess that the reason for the decline is that many of the DeKalb students are the type who are more interested in voodoo and being hoodrich.
Eric Werner
June 2nd, 2012
12:49 am
I took the Scientific Tools & Techniques program in the 90s and it was wonderful. We learned more in our brief time at Fernbank Science Center than we ever learned in the DCSS classrooms. The classes were better than the science classes I went on to take at UGA. Most of the people who were in that program are very successful now.
Mike Langford
June 2nd, 2012
5:22 am
I could speak volumes about Fernbank Science Center. It is an absolute crown jewel of DeKalb County, and the impact it has made on my life and on the lives of many of my friends cannot be calculated.
I recall my first visit to the planetarium, exhibit hall, and forest with my eighth grade Physical Science class in 1967, the year Fernbank Science Center opened. When Apollo 11 headed toward the Moon, Fernbank’s Dr. Knappenberger caught national attention by following the spacecraft with a video intensifier mounted on the 36 inch telescope. As a result, NASA learned about the unique educational potentials of Fernbank. They then provided the key support to Fernbank to allow me and a hundred other high school students to execute a daring student project: full-scale real-time simulations of the last two Apollo spaceflights, achieved with an amazing array of contributions including a trucking company that carried an Apollo Command Module mock-up from Cape Canaveral to Fernbank, just for our project. Later that year, I took a National Science Foundation course in astronomy and meteorology at Fernbank, which led to lessons in operating the planetarium from Dr. Stahl and working with Dr. Williamon in the observatory, doing photometric observations of eclipsing binary stars. At a DeKalb County School Board meeting later that year, two of my fellow students and I spoke publicly to Mr. Jim Cherry and the Board and thanked them for the leadership that gave us these priceless educational opportunities. Later, when the first Moon rocks went on public display, I was immensely proud that Fernbank received the honor of being one of the first museums to exhibit a piece of another world.
Fernbank Science Center changed our lives, and it still has that transformational power. Don’t tell me it doesn’t.
Don’t tell me that science education is a meaningless luxury we can’t afford. The United States is extremely far behind dozens of other countries in Science and Math education. It is a crisis. We need more Science Centers like Fernbank across this nation, and we need the will and the wisdom to find a way to make it work.
GT Professor
June 2nd, 2012
11:14 am
I am a Professor at GT. A huge challenge in American science is to recruit more members of under-represented groups to careers in science, The US government spends large sums of money to improve this situation and achieves only very modest results. Fernbank Science Center sponsors the most successful programs that I have ever seen to hook these kids on science, to nurture their interest throughout their public school years, and to provide a long-term support and mentoring network. I believe that FSC should serve as a national model of science education for all kids, and especially members of under-represented groups in science.
An essential element of Fernbank’s success is to have a cadre of master teachers, who are real scientists, teach science by having the kids do real science.This sounds obvious, but in practice it is extremely difficult and expensive to implement. If Fernbank is closed, it would be almost impossible to recreate it.
John
June 2nd, 2012
11:28 pm
Mike Langford, white and asian students are not behind compared to the rest of the world. When you take out hispanics and blacks, we are actually in the top 5.
Source: http://www.asianweek.com/2008/12/24/odds-and-ends-alternative-energy-czar-2
“U.S. Asians are just as far ahead in Asia; that’s a two-year lead, despite attending American schools. On the international table, Asian Americans scored an average of 582 and trail only Hong Kong and Singapore, and they’re ahead of Taiwan and Japan. Euro Americans averaged 550 and beat the very same four European nations above the U.S. average, including England. Hispanic Americans averaged 505 and rivaled Austria and Sweden. Blacks equaled Norway, with an average score of 482, plus Ukraine and Georgia.”
So yes, we aren’t #1 and we can improve. But what we need to be focusing on is removing affirmative action that places people who are not competent into positions of authority.