Parents ‘n Schools

Certain political philosophers subscribe to the theory that progress best comes in small, incremental steps. As Professor Tom Flanagan of the University of Calgary has written, “Sweeping visions have a place in intellectual discussion but they are toxic in practical politics.”
There is no more practical arena of politics than government schooling. In my observation, public […]

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Conflict resolution among parents ‘n schools is one of the most challenging aspects of government schooling, and from parents’ point of view one of the most unsatisfying and distressing aspects of having anything to do with their children’s schools. To my mind, conflict resolution in schooling is where that “utmost good faith” thing and that […]

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Our billion-dollar local school board (”The Biggest School Board West of the Pecos”) has in recent years taken to publishing a multi-page insert in the local newspaper at the start of each school year celebrating its work and aspects of local public schooling. It is titled “School for Everyone”.
Parents are almost never mentioned.
One year, the […]

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An article the other day caught my eye about a school study (San Diego schools) that concluded children likely to fail high school could be identified as early as the 4th grade. The authors of the study viewed their results as evidence for the old-as-time-itself wisdom that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound […]

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In New York City is a program that works to make zoos and museums an integrated part of school curricula. Not just field trips. Not just kids visiting, but kids-as-researchers with clear expectations.
The civic and school authorities are partnering to take advantage of these out-of-school resources.
“Partnering” is always a red-flag word for me in government […]

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I really appreciate your comments. More comments, please. — GLO

There was a time when power plants, pipelines and refineries could not be operated without a lot of people watching every dial and every flow (those times were characterized by less than optimum power generation and refining). There was a time when factories teemed with people […]

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In his National Post column on entrepreneurship recently, writer Rick Spence described seven skills that Canadian inventor/innovator Ron Gdanski maintains are necessary for success in bringing new ideas to market. It occurred to me upon reading them to ask what is K-12 schooling except bringing children with new ideas to “market”? How is success in […]

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I read an article recently describing how some schools are purchasing and using video game equipment in their physical education programs (eg., WiiFit and Dance Revolution). The technology is praised, in part, as “mechanizing” the education process as well as individualizing it. They like how it “keeps track”, and how that keeping track renders the […]

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Not to beat this up too much, but I need to try to get my own mind around this and attempt to better articulate what I mean when I suggest that government schooling should have placed upon it (statutorily and by policy and protocol) a duty of “utmost good faith”.
In fact, if I were empowered […]

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Perhaps you remember the Field of Dreams line “If you build it, they will come.”
In government schooling, as regards things like playgrounds, I believe the line has been altered to “if you DON’T build it, parents will come and build it for you.”
And parents can be counted on to do that (again and again and […]

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