SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOL STUDENTS

School districts around the country are not living up to the standards set in No Child Left Behind mandates.   I am not criticizing the mandates, I am criticizing the manner the 'powers that be' are tying to fix.  The Superintendents and the Boards are trying give the districts a fix without addressing the student performance.  All the reports keep stating the future of the students is the focus.  This is bunk.  If a district needs improvement then firstly gain student improvement.  Focus on students doing better then the district will naturally become fixed.  Students must have one goal.  This goal is to the present in class, be attentive in class and pass the daily assignment with comprehension of the subject.  If this is met, the district will improve.  To hire new Superintendents, read my book for a practical view about Superintendent positions in a school or to elect new Board members will not fix a student performance.  It is a student up approach not a Superintendent down approach to gain a better school district.  Who will join me on this quest?  Where are all the voices and joint dialogues for this approach?  Please contribute to this blog so I can start to unite us.  Silence is deafening about under performing school districts which parallels under performing students.  Let's start today and come together. 

SCHOOL POLICIES ON CELL PHONES

The school district I am involved has a collective goal for the students to reach when they take the ACT college entrance test.  The collective composite score for the school should be 21.  Some of the students in  the surrounding schools have reached and surpassed this composite score goal for their school.  The teachers in my school, for the most part, would like to have cell phones and electronic items banned from the school building.  But the policy is students can use their ipods and cell phones in the hallway, common areas and lunchroom.  This is no matter if class is on or not.  Once a student is out of a classroom, electronic items can be used, no matter the time of the school day.  I reviewed the student discipline policies for the surrounding schools which had met our set goal for the composite ACT goal.  Their cell phone and electronic policy is zero tolerance.  No cell phone or ipod is to be visible or used during the school day, period.  When I related this information the comment came forth that unless further survey and data was collected there could be no correlation made between policy and the results for the ACT test.  That was not my intention.  My comment in return says my thought on the matter, 'if you wish to eat like a cheetah, run like a cheetah after cheetah food.'