Mehlville Schools Survey

You may receive an automated call from your child’s school to take an online survey.  Here is the link:

 http://mehlvilleschoolssurvey.com

Where Children Play

Here is a companion article to the last post on imagination…

Where Children Play
Reconnecting youth and families to outdoor play

The hours of unstructured, outdoor play many of us remember — building forts, fishing and exploring vacant lots — is nearly extinct. Experts now say that this loss is damaging our children. This spring, in conjunction with Where Do the Children Play? (a public television documentary), Roundtable will launch a national initiative to help communities expand universal access to outdoor play and recreation. A Community Campaign and a National Dialogue Initiative will engage organizations, community groups, and concerned citizens throughout the country in efforts to address local barriers such as sprawl, violence and lack of access in order to improve the healthy educational and emotional development of children.

For more information on this campaign click here.

A Condemnation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) from The Death and Life of American Imagination | The Rake

The Death and Life of American Imagination | The Rake
Government leaders in education are joining the chorus, too. “American education’s single-minded focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (‘STEM’ subjects) is admirable but misguided,” wrote two former assistant U.S. secretaries of education in the August 12 issue of The Wall Street Journal Online. What makes America competitive in a shrinking global economy, they claimed, is “our people’s creativity, versatility, imagination, restlessness, energy, ambition, and problem-solving prowess.” As they summed it up, true success—economic, civic, cultural, domestic, military—depends on a broadly educated populace with “flowers and leaves as well as stems.”

Click here to read on…

The Death and Life of American Imagination | The Rake

Thanks to Jeannine Oulluette for this link suggestion, a fascinatingly good article on the death and life of American Imagination.

The Death and Life of American Imagination | The Rake
Imagination is an intangible, unlimited, and free resource. It is not, at least for the purposes of this discussion, the same as fantasy, where universal laws cease to apply, where elephants might speak Latin or humans travel back in time. Nor is imagination reserved for artistic pursuits, though imagination is the core of creativity. Applying imagination to problem-solving requires the ability to come up with an idea, and to break that idea down into the steps that will bring it to fruition. It also requires an alchemical mix of will, vision, discipline, and action, not to mention stubborn perseverance in the face of frustration or opposition.

Click here to read on…

Taking Learning to a New Level – Tom Diehl – Mehlville Messenger

In a world where children have almost intuitively embraced technology, shouldn’t we use these tools to support academic achievement? Let’s go back to when you were a child. Can you recall how inquisitive you were about the world? What activities generated enthusiasm in your heart? Now try to envision a classroom that can build a sense of excitement and anticipation in children. Would a child who goes to a school in which his or her teacher encourages creativity and curiosity perform better? Would a classroom which has the resources needed to satisfy that natural inquisitive nature make a positive difference in that child’s life? All of the research say “YES.”

What would it take to create that type of learning environment? Many high performing schools are turning to technology to create that spark. Technology engages the senses. We learn first, and foremost, through our senses. We create through our senses. Educators are finding that the tools available today can make a dramatic difference in student achievement. More importantly, today’s technology opens a world for kids in which they learn how to research, investigate and solve problems. They can connect with our world and try something distinct and unique.

Progressive school districts are using technology to support their academic goals. They find that technology can increase accountability in the classroom and identify problems quickly so teachers can address individual student needs. Using technology, many districts experience greater involvement and communication by parents. Parents can instantly check students’ progress, homework assignments and attendance. Technology can also save money and increase the availability of learning resources.

One of the most exciting concepts being discussed is project based learning. These projects typically involve students in a team approach to solve a problem through an interdisciplinary approach. Critical thinking skills are developed as students set goals, identify needs, analyze data and formulate conclusions. Using the internet, students can interview experts and collaborate with other students around the globe. Students learn and practice their communication skills with written blogs and public presentations. They create their own web-sites, digital videos and podcasts. (Yes, teachers are using i-Pods to teach — kind of like tricking kids into eating their vegetables.)

I have had the opportunity to visit with educators and school board members from other districts that have made the commitment to implement one-to-one laptop programs in which all middle and high school students are issued laptop computers. Often, these districts load their textbooks and study guides on the laptops so kids don’t have to carry a ton of books home each evening. Students can take their exams on the computer and get their grade immediately. They can submit homework electronically. Non-readers can sometime be accommodated with audio books.

Teachers in these districts report that children readily help one another and bond with their classmates. They develop a sense of community. Skill remediation is easier because the laptops allow teachers to identify and focus on specific weaknesses. For those fast finishers, teachers can have those students do extra practice rather than ask the kids to just sit there quietly while the rest of the class finishes an assignment or exam. Students can experience real life applications through Web-quests. Distance learning allows students to inexpensively take specialty or advanced courses.

One district reduced its paper usage by one third (not a small expense in Mehlville). In that same district, the IT manager said one school used so little paper that they only changed one printer cartridge for the entire school year. (The kids prefer to turn in their assignments electronically.) Students were asked to evaluate the district’s laptop initiative and reported that their fellow students’ projects were better prepared; that it was easier to learn; and that group projects were more meaningful. Principals report that attendance is up and discipline problems are down. Grades are up and the number of students making the honor roll has increased by ten percent. Test scores in math and reading are going up as are writing assessments. More than 99% of the laptops were returned at the end of the year in good condition. Kids knew and appreciated that they were given responsibility of a valuable piece of equipment.

Learning is all about stimulating our innate curiosity, trying something different and working outside our comfort zones. Some may call that taking risks. But that is how we all learn. As a community, we will face a much greater risk if we remain complacent in a changing world. Good enough is simply no longer sufficient. If we are passionate about wanting to do what is best for our children, we should seek out innovation that has demonstrated clear and consistent gains in academic performance. We should adopt those technologies that create an environment that is student centered and enhances sensory learning. These tools are an essential component in our mission to produce high school graduates who are college ready.

What is the Per Pupil Expenditure Rate? ($7210.30) – Mehlville Messenger

1.  How does a district figure out the Per Pupil Expenditure rate?

Answer: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) calculates “Current Expenditure per Average Daily Attendance” for each district in Missouri.  This figure is more commonly referred to as the “Per Pupil Expenditure” rate.  Current expenditures are primarily the operational expenditures for instructional and support services of a district.  The calculation does not use all of a district’s expenditures as it excludes debt payments, community education expenditures and capital expenditures.  Also excluded from the calculation are revenues from Food Service, Student Activities and reimbursements from other school districts.  Average Daily Attendance is the rate of hours students were in attendance as compared to the hours school was in session.  The most current figure available for the Mehlville School District is based on the 2006-2007 school year.  Mehlville’s Current Expenditures per Average Daily Attendance is $7210.30.

2.  What does the Per Pupil Expenditure rate mean to the public?

Answer: This tells the public the operating cost of educating the average student in a school year.  Again, this omits the costs of capital, debt and the other areas mentioned above.  By omitting capital and debt, the calculation does not take into account the costs of instructional equipment such as computers and projectors, nor the costs of general equipment, buses, facility, renovation, etc.

3.  Why is Mehlville’s Per Pupil Expenditure rate lower than most other St. Louis County schools?

Answer: In a nutshell, other school districts in St. Louis County are able to spend more on their students because they bring in more revenue.  Some districts’ Current Expenditures per ADA are more than double Mehlville’s Current Expenditures per ADA.

Why does Mehlville have so many two hour late starts? – Mehlville Messenger

A new feature in the Mehlville Messenger each issue this year will
be a Frequently Asked Questions column. This column will be
used to address questions the district receives on a variety of
topics. This month the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) column
will discuss professional development days for teachers.
Many parents and community members ask why students receive
several days off (and two hour late starts) during the school year for Professional Development
days. Some say those days should be held during the summer. Others
wonder what teachers do during Professional Development days.
To help answer those questions, the Messenger contacted Elaine Waldon,
director of professional development.
According to Waldon, the district has an overall Comprehensive
School Improvement Plan as required by the state. This is similar to
what most companies call a Strategic Plan. In addition, each school
has its own School Improvement Plan. These plans include several
goals, strategies and action plans to improve student achievement.
The Mehlville School District sets aside four half-days and five twohour
late-start days each school year to provide professional development
activities for teachers that support the student achievement goals
of the school. Although students do not attend school during Professional
Development times, the school year calendar still includes the
proper number of days and hours required by the state of Missouri.
On Professional Development days teachers participate in a variety
of activities. While teachers at one school may be working in study
groups, another school may have its teachers focusing on strategies to
reach students with special needs. Still, another school may have all
teachers at the same grade level working together on lesson plans
while a different school’s teachers are developing strategies for closing
the achievement gap between white and black students.
All Professional Development day activities are monitored by the
Professional Development Committee to ensure the time is being used
to improve student achievement and assist the school in meeting its
School Improvement Plan.
Finally, the district is required by state law to allocate 1% of the
state funding for professional development activities for teachers. In
addition, teachers are required by the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education to participate in professional development activities
in order to advance to the next level of state certification.

Money math you need to know – MSN Money – Personal Finance Education

Money math you need to know – MSN Money
What’s your time worth?
If you work, you need to understand the basic concept that you’re trading your time (a nonrenewable resource) for money. So when you buy something, you’re trading minutes or hours or days of your life to procure that thing.

One way to do that is to simply look at your hourly wage. If you make $20 an hour and something costs $40, you can figure that it takes two hours of your life to pay for that thing. (A fast way to estimate your hourly wage if you’re salaried: Knock off the last three zeros and halve the result, so $50,000 becomes $50, which halved is $25. The rate you get will be a bit high but in the ballpark.)

Click here for the rest of the article…

Successful charter school group considers St. Louis

I typically support public education for most educational ventures. The American public education system is consistently a top performer of which studies show that once socio-economic status is accounted for, even outperforms private schools. However, I always throw out that phrase, “…once socio-economic status is accounted for….” What about those kids with lower socio-economic status?

In most cases, even charter and private schools have not been successful in teaching these children any better than public schools. More often than not, they perform worse. But like I always say, there are occasional exceptions. Perhaps this KIPP is one of those exceptions. They don’t have the mandates and red tape to cut through that the ignorant (don’t know any better) politicians of the federal government slap on public schools. The question that I have is, “Why can’t public schools set up a school with this model? What is holding us back?” I assume it is a plain and simple answer…funding. What do you think?

STLtoday.com – Printer friendly – Successful charter school group considers St. Louis
Successful charter school group considers St. Louis
By David Hunn
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Monday, Nov. 12 2007

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis is a stride away from attracting a national model of
high-energy, no-excuses charter schools — schools so well-respected that they
could transform the city’s chronically troubled public education landscape.

The Knowledge Is Power Program targets students in the nation’s toughest cities
and poorest rural areas. With a combination of long days, Saturday classes and
exhaustive teacher attention, it regularly sends troubled students to
college-prep high schools, and from there, to college.

Click here for the rest of the story…