I agree totally, time to spend a LOT more money on JK K and primary grades making sure all kids can read. Maybe even use a little “phonemic awareness”  here and there but don’t over do it. 

All we have to do is keep all the teachers we have now and declining enrolement will mean very small classes in primary and junior grades.

And here from the land where parent advocacy is legend and years ahead of Canada:

“What is happening to Illinois schools?

    All across Illinois parents are talking about very startling developments:

      o First graders not taught the mechanics of reading, and instead told to guess at words by their shapes
      o Second graders asked what “color” math is, and “working in groups” on “strategies”—but not learning basic arithmetic
      o Fourth graders who have yet to be exposed to any real substance in history or geography
      o Fifth graders required to choose a book to read from a list of “award-winners” with dark, depressing themes
      o A lone, nervous sixth grader reciting his short report on Britain—the only exposure his grade-school classmates will ever get to English history
      o Seventh graders doing a unit on rainforests (for the third time)
      o Graduating eighth graders who can’t do math without a calculator, who are unable to identify major cities, states or nations of the world on a map, and who have never heard of Copernicus, Renoir, Napoleon or Frost

    How can this be ... when Illinois claims to have “strong state standards” for education?
    How can this be ... in suburbs groaning under huge property taxes to pay for their lavishly-funded local schools?
    How can this be ... when the average district superintendent is paid more than the Illinois governor?

    The Illinois Loop website helps to provide information on issues in Illinois education to the parents who are consumers of that education, to the taxpayers who pay for it, and to everyone who wants to restore quality to Illinois schools. “

http://www.illinoisloop.org/

What a joke Chuck, graduating eighth graders who have not been exposed to people who populate HS history and science or art. How could that happen?

Governor can raise his wages if it is not enough?

Endless so called anecdotal information confirmed by who?

Fifth and sixth graders here have not had history here either.

Makes you very suspicious of the whole joke list.

Couple of interesting comments in Globe editorial.

Why do kids do badly?

Attendance, moving around too much.

No culture of reading in the home.

Looks like the Globe is saying it is the parents fault but that can’t be true.

“There is no recipe for teaching students who struggle with reading and writing” says their expert Julia O’Sullivan. Hmmmm

Their solution? Massive intervention by reading experts in small groups about grade 7?

More time in teachers’ college? Like who? Finland who makes it a graduate degree.

Sounds like a plan.

Notice how Doug represents the status quo-we could change things immensely for parents as far as how their children learn but they think very administratively and financially-they don`t want to know about the details that would correct 95% of the damage..

It`s quite remarkable how we can`t get details into their sweeping thoughts-teach them all to read-better gains under my term etc…but how?

The how is everything-read children of the code Doug or does it frighten you-then sit in at OISE`s teacher training for a B.ED.Notice the lack of training in specifics and mechanics-don`t assume please-
It`s all theoretical and also false information about phonics-

Actually phonemic awareness and phonics students score far higher in comprehension tests than your kids.

Does driving to Buffalo with a map take less or more time?The nuances in comprehension and inferencing only come after a lot of reading and development of background knowledge-phonemic awareness and phonics teachers all teach comprehension-we just teach both-and in order-we don`t skip the essentials.

This article in the Globe is sad because it shows us how ignorant our leaders in education are…to wait till grade 7 is nuts…

If I represent the Status Quo in 2010, Jo-Anne represents the Status Quo in 1954.

How is it I represent the Status Quo when I demand billions more in spending, extensions of ELP downwards, smaller classes, longer teacher prep, free university and college, major anti-poverty reforms, etc. What if the status quo is a great deal better than what you want. The right wing play book exists at the Hoover Institute,
American Education in 2030, a dystopia of horrifying proportions.

The agenda has one goal, the total privatization of Canadian education, the rest is window dressing. Ask the “fellows” at the Fraser Institute like Mike Harris, Ralph Klein, Preston Manning, what a collection of Troglodytes.

“Fifth and sixth graders here have not had history here either. “—Doug Little

Oh yes they have. By the end of Grade 6, Ontario students have studied:
(1) Pioneer days in Upper and Lower Canada (Grade 3)
(2) The Middle Ages (Grade 4)
(3) Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and the Mayan civilization (Grade 5)
(4) World exploration from the Vikings to the 18th century (Grade 6)
(5) The history of Canada’s aboriginal peoples (Grade 6)

Doug, pointed out something about the article. I notice it too, but unlike others, I decided to find out more about Julia O’Sullivan, a professor and dean of education at the University of Western Ontario.

It is based on a report: REPORT PREPARED BY SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
SUBMITTED BY JULIA O’SULLIVAN, PATRICIA CANNING, LINDA SIEGEL AND MARIA ELENA OLIVERI

http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/201/key-factors-literacy-school-aged.pdf

On the Science Blog, in September of 09 - she talks about the golden ticket.

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/shes-going-back-school-can-she-read-24837.html

The article in the G/M is an article, to promote discussion. It is vague, and promotes questions such as what Doug has pointed out. I do not particularly like articles like this, because it has a tendency to present information, in such a way, where prior knowledge presents an image, and when new knowledge is presented, few will moved from their present position to a new position. It is that first image that gets in the way.

The first paragraph, ” Take a typical classroom of 25 pupils, anywhere in Canada. At the back, seven boys and girls slouch in their seats, unable to understand most of what they read, or to express their thoughts in writing. The problem of poor literacy skills is a scandal in plain view.”

All readers will have a differing image of the 7 students sitting at the back of the classroom. No wonder Doug, did not have to bother to explore it further, it fit in with his present day thinking. What is behind the article, is the poor state of literacy in our country. The poor state of literacy in our public education schools.

Her idea is not a novel idea among parents who have LD children, but are sitting in the regular classroom. There is always one parent, seeking a program to concentrate on the core problems of reading and writing of their child, and to make room for it, dropped a number of classes and keep math, science and language arts/English as the required courses.

I would say, one can have both. We have to have proper reading programs, in the primary, and in the middle part to stemmed the flow , and within 10 years, 95 % or more are accomplished readers. Sullivan’s key, is that teachers need to be trained in the reading processes, from K and right up to grade 12. Which I do agree with, because as a parent, it would have made my life a whole lot easier, and as well as my child’s life.

But as it was put in the article, she seems fine with the present day stress on literacy in the primary grades. If you want to truly solve the literacy crisis, it starts in the primary grades, with effective literacy programs. By grade 6, the majority are reading at good to excellent levels. So, one day, there will be little or no need to have literacy being address in the middle grades, for large numbers.

I find the comments on the article, typical. Here is one comment, blaming the parent. Oh, if only there was some magic, to reach in and touch that person. A lot of people will blame the parents, for all the wrongs in the school system. The first paragraph, presented an image, and in his mind, anybody sitting in the back, was not at all listening to the teacher or what another person said to me one day, taking up space.

“I read the suggestions but nowhere did I see the suggestion that maybe the parents should be putting a lot of personal effort into getting their kids to read and write. The parents let their kids watch TV 6 hours a day, play stupid games on computers etc but never do they say wow, my kid can’t read msybe thats my cue to help the kid out, Always pass the buck to somebody else like teachers, parents have a huge responsabilty that most do not forfill.”

Sullivan does agree with the use of direct explicit instruction in the middle grades. Now the question is, what type. What the public education system calls direct explicit instruction can be one thing, and to another it is something completely different.

Margaret Wente wrote a piece in the Globe extolling the virtures of early literacy but making it look as if Julia supported an SQE perspective. I emailed her for clarification and she wrote me back that “she supported the scientifically supported literacy perspective of “balanced literacy” I’m sure this means she is off your Christmas card list.

urbantech….....1
Doug….............0 - need to brush up on your Ontario elementary curriculum young fella!

Oh please.  Conspiracy theorists take note—there is no “hidden agenda” to eliminate public education.  We just want kids to learn.  Go back and read our blog entry from a couple of days ago.

Anybody who associates with the Fraser Institute,

1) Is being duped by their privatization agenda

2) Agrees with it.

Pick one.

Oh please, being duped. Think tanks, no matter where they are sitting on the political line, still provide information, based on science methodology. They also provide solutions, using the data that is generated, and using other outside data, to support the solution. The data is not in dispute, and has never been. It is the solutions and the conclusions and how they interpret the data.

In the public education policy, often they provide the solution first, and make the data fit in after the fact. Bad science methodology, but than again dealing with an education theory philosophy as their science, is called science in their eyes.

In public education, it is the children and their parents being duped. Here is the latest on who the Liberals are listening to. Cutting class sizes is a waste of time and money.
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/education/article/810122—class-size-is-the-biggest-dead-end-in-the-world-writer-tells-provincial-liberal-think-tank

***testing***

proof positive that even with nothing to say sometimes Doug just wants the last word. A sign of desperation if I ever saw it.

Why would I be desperate about anything Sheep? I am retired, I have a great pension, I have started 2 other businesses, I don’t need anything.

Am I desperate because I think the FI is a joke? Everybody knows they are a joke. I debated Claudia Hepburn from FI on CBC, She is pathetically bad as a spokesperson for FI.

Last word.