Georgia’s schizophrenic politics of education
Lee Raudonis is a former teacher and former executive director of the Georgia Republican Party. He is a communications consultant and writer for an education publication. He coordinates the STAR program for the PAGE Foundation. (The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program honors Georgia’s outstanding high school seniors and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their academic development.)
This is his first essay for the blog. Welcome.
By Lee Raudonis
I admit it. I am confused. I do not understand the method behind what certainly appears to be the madness of Georgia education policies. O.K., maybe “madness” is too strong of a term to use, but there is no doubt that many educators—and parents— consider our state’s approach to education policy over the past decade to be both confusing and maddening. There is not much doubt that it has been schizophrenic.
Think about it. Early in the new century Georgia was one of the first states to embrace the policies of No Child Left Behind, including increasing accountability and testing. At the same time, the legislature significantly raised education spending in order to lower class size, and the governor pushed to strengthen the curriculum. And then, toward the end of the decade—even before the recession—the state imposed significant budget “austerity” reductions that have lead to increased class sizes, and, in many systems, to shortened school years (some systems hold classes less than 150 days a year).
With large numbers of the state’s schools forced to fire or furlough teachers, as well as cut back on education programs, including art, music, physical education and others, many legislators began to ramp up their criticism of the public schools for “teaching to the test” (but not scoring high enough on the same tests), having class sizes that were too large to provide individual attention, and having “poorly-trained” teachers who were “failing” to educate far too many students.
The real failure has been that of the elected officials who have failed to connect the dots between their legislative policies and many of the conditions that exist in the public schools. They have also failed to understand how these unacceptable conditions in the schools might be addressed.
Rather than attempt to find additional funding to lower class size and keep the doors open, the critics began to devise a myriad of plans to help students “escape’ from their neighborhood schools to private or charter schools. This has led to even more schizophrenic policies.
One that comes readily to mind is the state’s recent push to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education while simultaneously devising a clever system to provide state-funded scholarships for parents to send their children to private religious schools where theories such as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution are treated like something scientists dreamed up while taking mind-altering drugs. No doubt about it, teaching the Biblical explanation of creation over that of the scientists will go a long way to boost Georgia’s reputation in the STEM community and the nation’s top colleges and universities.
Meanwhile, as most schools continued to struggle just to keep the doors open for a full school year, the politicians jumped headlong into another federal program called Race to the Top. This latest federal “cash for cooperation” plan calls for even more testing and accountability and could eventually cost the state billions of dollars it obviously does not have. Do the politicians really plan to implement any of the Race to the Top programs, such as Pay for Performance, or did they just see a way to get their hands on federal dollars to replace some of the state funding they had cut?
Is it any wonder that so many of us are confused? How can anyone understand the seemingly schizophrenic policies pursued by our elected officials over the past decade?
Unfortunately, there are no signs of a cure in sight. Even now, legislators are attempting to “fix” our public schools by taking even more money from them to fund state charter schools against the wishes of education officials in local communities. Isn’t that a curious policy for those who claim to support “local control” in education?
If you are as confused as I am, ask your legislative candidates to explain the state’s education policies to you. Their answers should be entertaining if not enlightening.
– From Maureen Downey,for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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144 comments Add your comment
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
5:05 pm
@Dekalb Inside and Out
Myth-Your statements have validity because you say ‘myth’ in front of them.
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
5:07 pm
DOCTOR MONICA HENSON WROTE: “Inman Parker is absolutely correct when he says, “As a long time educator I too like small classes too. However, that being said, there is NO evidence that, beyond the primary grades (Pre-K to 2), class size has any impact whatsoever on student achievement.”
UNTIL NOW>>>>THE EVIDENCE BELOW DIDN’T EXIST<<<< (My previous post of EVIDENCE took about 45 minutes with a search engine while watching television. This took about 30 minutes because of trying to get the journal citations to paste.)
For some, evidence may feel like it's an attack if they are wrong, but it's more like civil discourse with factual rebuttal.
So get ready…for a few of you…this is going to boggle your mind!!!
SHAZAAM!!!!…
Contrary to studies that have used an average or an end-of-term class size measure and find no class-size effect, beginning classsize is found to be significant and negatively related to learning of economics, all else equal. In part, this is the result of students in larger classes being significantly more likely than students in smaller classes to withdraw from the course before taking the posttest.
William E. Becker, John R. Powers
Studentperformance, attrition, and classsize given missing student data
Economics of Education Review, Volume 20, Issue 4, August 2001, Pages 377–388
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
5:09 pm
DOCTOR MONICA HENSON WROTE: “Inman Parker is absolutely correct when he says, “As a long time educator I too like small classes too. However, that being said, there is NO evidence that, beyond the primary grades (Pre-K to 2), class size has any impact whatsoever on student achievement.”
UNTIL NOW…..THE EVIDENCE BELOW DIDN’T EXIST….. (My previous post of EVIDENCE took about 45 minutes with a search engine while watching television. This took about 30 minutes because of trying to get the journal citations to paste.)
For some, evidence may feel like it’s an attack if they are wrong, but it’s more like civil discourse with factual rebuttal.
So get ready…for a few of you…this is going to boggle your mind!!!
SHAZAAM!!!!…
Contrary to studies that have used an average or an end-of-term class size measure and find no class-size effect, beginning classsize is found to be significant and negatively related to learning of economics, all else equal. In part, this is the result of students in larger classes being significantly more likely than students in smaller classes to withdraw from the course before taking the posttest.
William E. Becker, John R. Powers
Student performance, attrition, and class size given missing student data
Economics of Education Review, Volume 20, Issue 4, August 2001, Pages 377–388
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
5:10 pm
PINCH YOURSELF….THERE’S MORE?…..ABRA-CA-DABRA!!!!
In a small lecture course, the instructor can challenge students to go beyond these lower-level cognitive skills. Class size influences the types of cognitive skills to which a student is exposed in any course of study.
Introductory Class Size and Student Performance in Intermediate Theory Courses
Henry J. Raimondo, Louis Esposito and Irving Gershenberg
The Journal of Economic Education Vol. 21, No. 4 (Autumn, 1990), pp. 369-381
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
5:12 pm
WAIT….IT CAN’T BE……MORE EVIDENCE? OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE!!!
In contrast to many other studies, the authors find statistically significant evidence that small class size has a positive impact on student performance.
The Journal of Economic EducationVolume 35, Issue 4, 2004
Additional Evidence on the Relationship between Class Size and Student Performance
When someone has DR. in front of her name, her opinion often carries more weight than it often should.
Just because you are passionate and carry a title does not make you right. It just seems like you are wearing blinders, have been in administrative land too long, or are simply misinformed.
My sarcasm is over the top in my posts, but seriously, I didn’t need to crack the Enigma Code, to find The Lost Ark, or to enter Area 51 to find my material.
jezel
September 27th, 2012
5:17 pm
Prof…very impressive credentials. So how does one so erudite make a statement… that there are no studies which prove that class size affects learning… beyond the primary grades?
“One teacher’s voice” gave the Richmond study as an example. A google of the subject would generate many more.
And.. if there were no studies at all…would not common sense tell you that people learn more as instruction is individualized ?
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
5:35 pm
@Georgia Coach
Instead of ignoring facts, I am looking them up and providing them for you.
Respond to the studies, educational journals and studies that I have provided after you read them.
Unlike many, take that extra step and read the information. You may change your mind, and if you don’t, at least you took the time to be more educated about the topic.
I have provided the links and/or the authors of scholarly articles.
John Konop
September 27th, 2012
6:45 pm
Dek,
If a school,system produces results why should the state get involved? Now if a school district has issues the state should have the right to get involved? What is wrong with this logic? Btw we already have system that tells us what districts are having problems.
John Konop
September 27th, 2012
7:17 pm
Dek,
In my opinion the following;
No board members should be able to be a consultant, owner and or work for vendors, charter mangement contracts…..Full dislusure if they had any prior affiliation. No board member should be able to be on the board if they revived any form compensation in the last 2 years from any material vendor.
Full dislusure of any office holder and or relatives with any afiliation with vendors providing services for the school.
No board member and or officeholder should have any interest in the proberty the school uses
Full disclosure of any officeholder relatives employed by the charter school
Board meeting should be listed 30 days in advance on a set day after 7 pm, not at 10 am on random days with short notice….
Any school,with more than 750 students with a private management company should be required to put up bonding to make sure that the school fulfills the school year
Full disclosure on ownership of proberty the school uses ie detailed list with names of the people with any affiliation
If the proberty has any ownership affiliation with the private management company it should be put up as security to pay back the government for any free tax payer dollars ie grants and management fess or expenses against the district eats via placing the kids back into school via failure.
Full disclosure of the contract between the private mangement company and the charter school.Once again a list of any cross affiliations….
Is this really asking to much, for protecting tax ?
Prof
September 27th, 2012
7:52 pm
@ One Teacher’s Voice. I almost hesitate to get involved here, since my Ph.D. is not in Education so I haven’t done any research on this particular question of the impact of class size on class learning. But I do know about up-to-date research, and the way that in any field research findings can become outdated. I note that the 3 sources you list are, to my way of thinking, rather old: 1990, 2001, and 2004. Perhaps more contemporary research shows other findings?
jezel
September 27th, 2012
8:32 pm
Prof….does one really need research to come to a conclusion that class size matters? Where were you educated…and in what? Maybe you should work on another degree because apparently you have not learned how to think.
jezel
September 27th, 2012
8:41 pm
And not one peep from Dr. Henson….will catch up with you on the next blog.
John Konop
September 27th, 2012
9:21 pm
Jazel,
Most teachers would tell you a class with students with the proper aptitude and proper behavior is a much bigger factor than class size within reason.
Prof
September 27th, 2012
9:26 pm
@ jezel. I think that all presuppositions should be tested, and that factual research is valuable. Nothing should be assumed to be true, in education or elsewhere. Surely data gathered from students in an earlier time-period when the educational system was different–as in 1990 and 2001–could show different things than more contemporary data.
But to answer your first question–yes. One shouldn’t assume that “truisms” are true, without evidence.
John Konop
September 27th, 2012
9:32 pm
Prof,
If class size was end all, than all large Univerties across the world are teaching wrong. Your first two years are spent in lecture halls with TA follow up. This has not hurt our best and brightest. What do you think since I am guessing this is your profession?
Prof
September 27th, 2012
9:56 pm
@ John Konop. This really depends on the field. Some beginning-level classes in the sciences, Law, Business, and others must be large (upwards of 200) because there are so many students who wish to take the class. In my own field, classes at the undergraduate level are “capped” at 35 or so because the smaller size is necessary to teach the material properly. “Seminars” that are capped at 12 are only given at the graduate level. Classes that require individualized attention from the professor, such as those in composition, obviously need to be small enough to permit this. Sometimes classes can be TOO small, which tends to inhibit class participation.
Of course, in today’s world of budget cuts, most USG schools are insisting that classes be filled pretty much to capacity to be allowed to run.
I think that your point is well-taken that in K-12 education there are other factors besides class size that should be taken into account in judging “success” of the class.
John Konop
September 27th, 2012
10:03 pm
Prof,
All your point make a lot sense as usual! One size fit all answers usually fail……..
Dr. Monica Henson
September 27th, 2012
10:38 pm
Here is just a smattering of the research base.
From the National School Boards Association:
We identified 19 studies that met our standards. Most of these addressed reduced class size programs in grades K-3. Indeed, most programs in the past 20 years have targeted these early grades, in part because earlier research (see, for example, Glass and Smith 1978), suggested that these are the optimal years for such programs, and in part because of the more recent and comprehensive evidence from Tennessee’s influential Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio). (For more information on Project STAR, visit http://www.heros-inc.org/star.htm.)
From this review of the research, we can scientifically document several important findings about reduced class size, which local school districts may find useful:
•Smaller classes IN THE EARLY GRADES [emphasis Monica's](K-3) can boost student academic achievement;
•A class size of no more than 18 students per teacher is required to produce the greatest benefits;
•A program spanning grades K-3 will produce more benefits than a program that reaches students in only one or two of the primary grades;
•Minority and low-income students show even greater gains when placed in small classes IN THE PRIMARY GRADES [emphasis Monica's];
•The experience and preparation of teachers is a critical factor in the success or failure of class size reduction programs;
•Reducing class size will have little effect without enough classrooms and well-qualified teachers; and
•Supports, such as professional development for teachers and a rigorous curriculum, enhance the effect of reduced class size on academic achievement.
From Robert Slavin (2010): Based on reviews by Glass, Cahen, Smith, and Filby (1982) and the Educational Research Service (1978), Cooper concludes that substantial reductions in class size can have important effects on low-achieving students IN THE EARLY GRADES [emphasis Monica's]…Even in studies that made such substantial reductions, achievement differences were slight, averaging only 13% of a standard deviation. Not until class size approaches one is there evidence of meaningful effects. Based on this and other evidence, it is suggested that Chapter 1 programs provide one-to-one tutoring in reading rather than providing small-group pullouts or reducing overall class size.
Hoxby’s (2000) analysis in The oxford Quarterly Journal of Econonics indicates that “class size does not have a statistically significant effect on student achievement…rul[ing] out even modest effects (2 to 4 percent of a standard deviation in scores for a 10 percent reduction in class size).”
Dr. Monica Henson
September 27th, 2012
10:39 pm
Enter your comments here
One Teacher's Voice
September 27th, 2012
11:50 pm
@Prof
All of the people on this blog could refer to a search engine to avoid making baseless comments. I, like anyone posting on here can search for “class size student achievement.” Both sides of the issue will come up, and with google personalizing searches these days, you will likely find what you are looking for (yes, grammar police…I used an Addisonian Termination).
It’s one thing to be biased, but it’s another to make ignorant or slanted statements of opinion sound like fact. Yes, research does exist that shows lower class sizes help students in levels above elementary school.
DR. Henson, decided to use her title, and when she makes statements, they carry more weight than say someone who simple goes by Coach, Mrs., etc.
Even you, by going with the username of Prof, suggest that you know more than the average citizen reading this board. It’s not a negative, but it has a burden of making claims with validity.
Instead of me giving more evidence, it would be more appropriate for those who think that evidence doesn’t exist which supports lowering class sizes do some searches.
However, although it’s late, here is what I found for the end of the night. These are definitely good right before bed.
Experimental Evidence on the Effect of Childhood Investments on Postsecondary Attainment and Degree Completion Susan Dynarski, Joshua Hyman and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach October 16, 2011
The conclusions in this article actually support multiple references that I made earlier. It’s pretty interesting.
Gains and Gaps: Changing Inequality in U.S. College Entry and Completion
Social Inequality and Educational Disadvantage, Russel Sage, 2011
Dr. Monica Henson
September 27th, 2012
11:54 pm
I have been out of pocket for several hours due to (1) working full-time in a startup school with the FTE count date looming and having just passed the 500-student mark; (2) making arrangements for my mom to travel to be with my cousin in Tennessee, whose own parents are both deceased and who is nearing the final days of hospice care for terminal lunch cancer; (3) helping my husband deal with the apparent suicide today of one of his family members in North Carolina.
I hope to have time in a day or two to post further on both the research base and the larger issues of CSR, when I have sufficient time to do it justice. In the meantime, perhaps those questioning my credentials might favor my fellow readers and me with their real names, so all can Google them and pass judgment?
I’m confident that my education is sufficiently sound. I majored in English and French (not education) as an undergraduate on full academic scholarship. Master’s & doctorate from private, not-for-profit Tier 1 research universities, dissertation on training high school administrators on how to execute teacher evaluation instruments with fidelity in order to produce annual professional learning plans generated by teachers that would be linked to student outcomes measured by a variety of assessments.
Dr. Monica Henson
September 28th, 2012
12:02 am
I have been out of pocket for several hours due to (1) working full-time in a startup school with the FTE count date looming and having just passed the 500-student mark; (2) making arrangements for my mom to travel to be with my cousin in Tennessee, whose own parents are both deceased and who is nearing the final days of hospice care for terminal lunch cancer; (3) helping my husband deal with the apparent suicide today of one of his family members in North Carolina.
I hope to have time in a day or two to post further on both the research base and the larger issues of CSR, when I have sufficient time to do it justice. In the meantime, perhaps those questioning my credentials might favor my fellow readers and me with their real names, so all can Google them and pass judgment? I’m comfortable and confident that my education is sufficiently sound. I majored in English and French (not education) as an undergraduate on full academic scholarship. Master’s & doctorate from private, not-for-profit Tier 1 research universities, dissertation on training high school administrators on how to execute teacher evaluation instruments with fidelity in order to produce better quality professional learning plans generated by teachers.
I use my title in discussing educational issues because I earned it and take pride in what I did to earn it.
I post under my real name because I have the guts to do so.
I make assertions when I’ve done the work necessary to ascertain the facts and discern the truth. I’ve been called a lot of things, but I’m pretty sure that this is the first time anyone has judged me “ignorant.”
More to come when life events have been handled and I have sufficient time.
Dr. Monica Henson
September 28th, 2012
12:12 am
I use my title in discussing educational issues because I earned it and take pride in what I did to earn it.
I post under my real name because I have the guts to do so.
I make assertions when I’ve done the work necessary to ascertain the facts. I’ve been called a lot of things, but this is the first time anyone’s presumed to call me “ignorant.”
I have been out of pocket for several hours because I have been making arrangements for my mother to travel to Tennessee to be with my cousin, who is in the final days of hospice care for terminal cancer, whose own parents are both deceased. We found out this afternoon that a member of my husband’s family passed away and may have been a suicide, and I have been helping him deal with that. Full-time work at school took a few hours as well–not all of us have time to spend all day posting on a blog.
There are reasons why there are a comparative very few studies showing some student achievement impact by CSR, and I’ll gladly discuss precisely what they are in a day or two when I have the time to do the discussion justice. I’ll be glad to provide a synopsis of my credentials & experience for the blog newcomers who don’t know me yet.
In the meantime, perhaps the anonymous insult-slingers might do the rest of us the favor of posting under their real names so we can Google them and pass judgment on their own?
Dr. Monica Henson
September 28th, 2012
12:15 am
I use my title in discussing educational issues because I earned it and take pride in what I did to earn it. I used to be a high school coach myself and proudly went by the title of “Coach” for several years.
I post under my real name because I have the guts to do so.
I make assertions when I’ve done the work necessary to ascertain the facts. I’ve been called a lot of things, but this is the first time anyone’s presumed to call me “ignorant.”
I have been out of pocket since my earlier posts because I have been making arrangements for my mother to travel to Tennessee to be with my cousin, who is in the final days of hospice care for terminal cancer, whose own parents are both deceased. We found out this afternoon that a member of my husband’s family passed away and may have been a suicide, and I have been helping him deal with that. Full-time work at school took a few hours as well–not all of us have time to spend all day posting on a blog.
There are reasons why there are a comparative very few studies showing some student achievement impact by CSR, and I’ll gladly discuss precisely what they are in a day or two when I have the time to do the discussion justice. I’ll be glad to provide a synopsis of my credentials & experience for the blog newcomers who don’t know me yet.
In the meantime, perhaps the anonymous insult-slingers might do the rest of us the favor of posting under their real names so we can Google them and pass judgment on their own?
jezel
September 28th, 2012
6:28 am
Henson…we know there is data to support the claim that class size does not matter. That is not the issue here. Can you not understand that?
Have you forgotten that in your lecture to the blog you stated that there was no data to support the claim that student achievement was affected by class size….HELLO…
John Konop
September 28th, 2012
8:00 am
One teacher,
At issue is also not if it had an impact but how does rank via students in a class with multiple aptitude levels, disruption in the classroom via behavior……….
Michigan1942
September 28th, 2012
9:41 am
We need experts to help with the education, not legislators. We need discipline back in the classrooms.
People need to visit a classroom for a couple of days; most people just think they know.
The charter school amendment is about the state getting their hands on the money for the state commision.
Colleges need to make changes in the education majors.
Prof
September 28th, 2012
10:15 am
@Dr. Monica Henson. I am sorry that you had to return after dealing with such stressful life-events to a rather unpleasant blog-discussion. My very real sympathies to you.
@ One Teacher’s Voice, September 27th, 11:50 pm. “@Prof. All of the people on this blog could refer to a search engine to avoid making baseless comments….”
There is a great deal more to researching than simply using an online search engine. One significant skill that graduate school education provides is training in doing research: using subject databases and also in judging the reliability of the research sources. Just finding an isolated statement published in some academic journal online is not “research.” Google tells you nothing whatsoever about the reliability or even truth of the source it lists.
Prof
September 28th, 2012
10:24 am
P. S. @ One Teacher’s Voice. I use the moniker “Prof” to indicate that I am a faculty member with experience in teaching, but not a K-12 teacher. So I usually don’t presume to post on K-12 educational matters. I’ve been posting here on the nature of solid scholarly research, notice, not the specific issue of whether small class size is always beneficial to K-12 learning.
I also use “Prof” to indicate I have experience in higher education, since many of these topics relate to that.
jezel
September 28th, 2012
10:55 am
Prof…anytime one makes statements that are untrue…there could be unpleasant consequences.
We have gone from… NO data to support the effect of class size on student achievement.,,,to…the data is not reliable, the data is not scholarly, the data bases are not reliable, search engines cannot produce reliable studies. Might not the same be said of the studies that support the premise that class size does not affect student achievement.
Come on…either step up your game or go sit down some where. It is much easier if one thinks before one speaks. The longer this subject is kicked around in this blog…the lamer some of you appear.
Prof
September 28th, 2012
12:03 pm
Indeed.
Dr. Monica Henson
September 28th, 2012
1:22 pm
(I have multiple posts because my upload last night appeared not to go through. My apologies for that.)
What I have always stated is that there is no evidence to support that CSR alone, that is–IN AND OF ITSELF–produces increased student achievement. When I have the opportunity and the time, I will offer discussion in depth on this issue and address the legitimate questions that have been posed.
Whether I or any other academic on this blog appears “lame” to anonymous posters who are unable to produce sound arguments of their own is not and has never been my concern. The opinion of a dilettante is exactly that.
Dr. Monica Henson
September 28th, 2012
1:26 pm
Jezel, in the meantime, I have two family funerals to attend this weekend. When I do have time to respond to the questions, I don’t intend to answer any of yours in the future unless you address me appropriately. Calling someone by their last name, unless that’s their screen name, is rude and inappropriate. If you can’t abide by simple etiquette, perhaps you can go troll somewhere other than this venue.
jezel
September 28th, 2012
3:06 pm
My condolences…But….do not lecture me with false statements. I called your hand on it…you have not yet responded… other than to present more data that backs your claim. Also I see you have issues with your name. I do not see it as being rude or crude to call someone by their last name…another difference of opinion.
It is interesting that you would speak of etiquette while insulting me and others with false claims. You really need to tighten up or shut up.
Dr. Monica Henson
September 28th, 2012
3:37 pm
You haven’t called anyone’s hand on anything. You are clearly unaware of the extent of the scholarly research base and therefore call a well-substantiated claim “baseless” because you aren’t academically prepared enough to assess it with prior knowledge–which reveals you as a dilettante–is not an insult, simply a description that mirrors what Prof has summarized so well: “Just finding an isolated statement published in some academic journal online is not ‘research.’”
Coach, Prof, and I know what we’re talking about at a pretty deep level because we’ve studied it extensively in graduate school; what seems to you like a broad-brush baseless claim due to your lack of prior knowledge is to an experienced administrator and/or academic simply a summary of what is well-known to those at the graduate level in our field.
I’ll post a further discussion of the CSR issues and questions raised in a few days when I have the time to do it justice and make it understandable to the lay reader.
jezel
September 28th, 2012
4:08 pm
It is obvious that any one who does not agree with you…or your stats…is poorly educated or is not in the know. You have a lot to learn and it is not to be found in the books. I think the lay term that may apply here is… opinionated.
One Teacher's Voice
September 28th, 2012
5:56 pm
DOCTOR HENSON WAS ABSOLUTELY WRONG, WRONG, WRONG
Read it again….
Inman Parker is absolutely correct when he says, “As a long time educator I too like small classes too. However, that being said, there is NO evidence that, beyond the primary grades (Pre-K to 2), class size has any impact whatsoever on student achievement. It is a waste of taxpayer money to spend millions on reducing class size when there is no reason to do so.”
Anecdotal “evidence” such as that provided by Beatings will continue only serve to prove the point that teachers do not adjust their instructional methods and strategies when their class sizes go up or down–they continue to do what they’ve been doing
How about you read the plethora of references that I made that counter her false statements.
@Prof
You have got to be kidding me.
This is the most ridiculous statement.
“. Just finding an isolated statement published in some academic journal online is not “research.” Google tells you nothing whatsoever about the reliability or even truth of the source it lists.”
Good lord…I gave you an immense amount of REFERENCE POINTS, and if you are as educated as you claim that you are, surely you will read these articles to satisfy your intellectual curiosity….you do still have that don’t you.
I took the time to give you the reference points that a person with a doctorate and is the principal of a charter school said didn’t exist.
Everyone has access to Google, and if it can be found that easily on there, Dr. Henson, a layman, or even you can find it without much effort.
Quit being lazy and actually search for the reference points and read the material.
jezel
September 28th, 2012
7:08 pm
One teacher’s voice.
These three have some agenda and nobody is going to convince them otherwise. Heck…not one of them will admit that their statement…there is NO DATA that supports the claim that class size affects learning…is false. Rather than admit that they may be wrong…DOCTOR Henson gets on a high horse about how everyone is wrong unless they think as she does…..and that she is the expert in student achievement. So…there you have it.
What a waste of time this has been.
Prof
September 28th, 2012
7:34 pm
Googling is not researching. You sound like one of my freshmen. Good night.
jezel
September 28th, 2012
8:58 pm
For the record:
Since I have been called a new word…a dilettante…and I did have to look it up I felt the need to speak further. Been called a lot of names in four decades of teaching and coaching high school in two different states. But never that one.
In addition to winning more games at my high school than any one…I earned a B.A. degree in Government and International Studies from the University of South Carolina, interned 4 years in the General Assembly, earned a B.S. degree in Secondary Ed. and a Masters degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Clemson University, earned a Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision and a Doctorate from the University of Tennessee.
But it looks like I will always be a dumb football coach who cannot teach….and now… a dilettante.
Lance
September 28th, 2012
11:48 pm
Unfortunately, Sonny Perdue brought in all his cronies and gave them jobs as advisors, policy advisors and agency heads. None of these people had any experience mind you – they just did a hell of a job nailing up yard signs or had served other candidates and their yard signs. Well, these “leaders” of the Perdue administration and policy advisors who could not form a coherent sentence go to work changing state government – especially education. They do not care how education was funding or how it was working….you ca nnot change it if you do not leave your on mark on it. So, they took a big pee on education – funding and policy – but, called it good! Well, most people today recognize that K-12 education is much worse off now than 10 years ago – when Rebublicans arrived. Teachers, you hated Roy Barnes, but how did those big Sonny payraises work for you? How about the loss of bonuses? Well, I am here to tell you the Deal administration is simply a continuation of the Perdue administration both in personnel and policy. Establish charter schools and continue to starve the public schools remain as the only real viable option for most families. In summary, Republicans have few ideas other than I do not like taxes,but when i collect some I am going to give people a cut for a vote. Nevermind every remaining public service – already cut for years – is expect to “just do more with less”. Leaders cannot be expected to adequately fund a program like education…..they expect high scores and good results but do not want to pay for it. It just might cut into their tax cut for reelection program. The behavior in Georgia is everybit as bad as Obama!
One Teacher's Voice
September 28th, 2012
11:48 pm
Jezel….
The argument of these three reminds me of an Orwellian experience.
One says that something doesn’t exist.
I show that it does.
One says that although it now does exist, it isn’t new enough.
I provide evidence that meets that new standard.
But it’s not valid enough.
If all can find what they didn’t bother to look for than it can’t be valid.
I know one has a doctorate, so she can’t possibly be wrong.
I know one goes by the name of Prof, so this person can’t possibly be wrong.
And one likes to throw out intellectual phraseology, so he can’t be wrong.
The facts are not facts.
The evidence is not evidence.
Research articles are no loger research articles when they show up on Google.
Any book or journal that shows up on Google is not real.
And the information that is given from sources that all can find must be non-information.
So for those three Squealers, I appreciate the doublespeak effort.
Facts presented by me may not be facts for those three esteemed people, but for some, educational journals and information presented by people who do actual research do carry merit.
So..you Squealers…we hear you…but your oinks of paradox are wearing us out, and I am tired of seeing the wallowing.
One Teacher's Voice
September 28th, 2012
11:57 pm
Hey Prof,
I tried to pick a novel that was a Freshmen read for you to reference.
It’s on Google so maybe it’s now a real read for your mentality. Or maybe because it was published in 1945, it doesn’t carry any thematic merit.
http://www.george-orwell.org/Animal_Farm/index.html
One Teacher's Voice
September 29th, 2012
12:00 am
Lance….
I regret my vote and the votes of my family members.
I really am sorry.