conservativeBrand

New Trier High School Board of Education

James Koch, jkoch@gkw-law.com

Alan Dolinko, adolinko@robinsoncurley.com

Carol Ducommun, csmme01@aol.com

Mac Harris, mac_harris9@hotmail.com

Bob Merrick, ramerrick@sbcglobal.net

John Myefski, jmyefski@myefskicook.com

Wendy Serrino, wserrino@aol.com

This Wall Street Journal interview (“Why We’re Failing Math and Science,” 10/26/09) with three au courant educators and advisers to Barack Obama demonstrates just how far we have come, producing such dismal results for students. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704754804574491180197671224.html

As Christopher Edley Jr. writes in a letter to the WSJ today, “The way out requires no new studies or pedagogical innovations, but rather a return to what worked in the past. Early math instruction should emphasize the rote memorization of certain dull (sorry) fundamentals like multiplication tables. Once the foundation has been established, success at problem solving is largely a function of time on task. It will take lots of time. With repeated exposure, generic problem types are recognized and standard solutions can be applied.”

The Chicago Tribune front page today reported out the rankings of elementary and junior high schools in the Chicago area - based on the percentage of their test scores that meet or exceed state standards. Of the New Trier feeder elementary schools, Winnetka’s Skokie School (grades 5-6) came in at #34 and Washburne Junior High (grades 7-8) at #49. Wilmette District 39 schools did not appear at all on the list of 57 top Chicagoland schools.

ConservativeBrand really hates to say “I told you so” when kids are involved. But today’s news story in the Wilmette Life makes it irresistible. “Officials probe fifth-grade math slump,” reported the WL today. From 2008 to 2009, fifth graders from Highcrest Middle School dropped from 59 percent exceeding the state’s (pathetically low) learning standards to just 32 percent. According to the WL, “the decline wasn’t a one-time blip, but a repeat of a pattern also seen the prior year.”

As a member of the Wilmette District 39 Board of Education for eight years during the late 90s, fuzzy math was very much the issue du jour. California had tried Everyday Math in the early 90s, tested it and finally made it against the law to teach “constructivist math” in the state. Websites were devoted to fighting the blight of fuzzy math: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/skeptic/message/44975. 

Meanwhile, a committee of progressive teachers was trying to install the University of Chicago Everyday Mathemathics curriculum in District 39, but hesitated to start a fight with advocates of traditional learning - namely Board Member conservativeBrand. Instead, a weaker version was slipped in over a summer: the Kendall-Hunt Trailblazers Math created by UIC education profs. Parents hated it because it required constant homework partnering as well as an endless amount of craft supplies at home. Teachers hated it because elementary school teachers tend to be math-averse, and the fuzzy curriculum required excellent math understanding and skills. When conservativeBrand’s second term ended in 2002, it didn’t take long for the district to switch over to Everyday Math, the uber-fuzzy math curriculum used for years throughout Chicagoland.

Now District 39 administrators are attributiung the appalling fifth grade achievement to “bad timing” of the state tests. Nonsense: the proof is in this math pudding. Throw Everyday Math in the garbage disposal and start using speed tests, memorization of the multiplication tables, and rewards for finding the right answers. It is painful to think of virtually a generation of young math students struggling with long division and algebra and multi-variable calculus because of a lousy start in their public school.

Meet your elected representatives:

Tuesday, November 3, 7:00 p.m.
New Trier Board of Education meeting, Room 301
385 Winnetka Ave., Winnetka (east campus)

Don’t pass up this opportunity to see the plans developed by the Chicago architectural firm, Perkins & Will, and judge for yourself whether the building project merits the $185 million (plus) cost and tax increase. The members of the Board of Education will be there, and maybe there even will be some dialogue with the tax-paying community. Chances are, the board will decide to put the tax increase referendum for this construction on the February 2 primary election ballot - while many North Shore Snow Birds are out of town. Then, if this maxed-out scheme fails at the polls, the board can scale it down a few million and try again in November. That’s they way it works, folks.

By the way, conservativeBrand’s property tax bill arrived today: a 7 percent increase, most of which is due to school taxes. Nice timing.

The entry of Andy McKenna into the primary for governor yesterday is interesting, and not just because he is asking to be considered the outsider in the race. How dumb and ignorant of political history in the state does he think we are? After all, he was the chairman of the state GOP until recently - and the one who threatened in 1994 to run against conservative Senator Peter Fitzgerald in his reelection primary - causing Fitzgerald to withdraw rather than face a challenge. Question #2 is why McKenna is jumping into the primary race right now, with plenty of choices across the GOP spectrum. Hope it’s not to “spoil” the Republican primary and give us a full term of Pat Quinn.

Several readers were concerned about the outcome of the dust-up shown on the video below between William Kelly and Judy Baar Topinka’s campaign staffer. Here’s the response from Kelly:

“Thank you for all of your notes of concern - I was not injured in the attack shown on the video below.  The important message here is we will NOT be intimidated, we will NOT keep quiet because our primary opponent wants us silent, and we WILL win this campaign!”

Now that Rep. Mark Kirk is running for the U.S. Senate and State Rep. Beth Coulson is running for Congress (10th District), should we all be wondering about their earlier (2008) endorsements by the Illinois Education Association? It’s a tough sell to differentiate the IEA from ACORN, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) and the AFL-CIO. All these unions spend most of their time and money working for radical Democrat issues in elections. Where do these two important “Republican” candidates stand on the thugs who run the IEA? For that matter, there is cause to wonder about the other Republicans endorsed by the IEA in 2008: Rep. Judy Biggert, Rep. Aaron Schock, Rep. John Shimkus and Rep. Tim Johnson.

Here’s a quote from an NEA blogger, http://elephanteducators.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1225964505:

“My Congressman, Rep. Mark Kirk IL-10th, earned our union’s support and truly values his relationship with the IEA & NEA.  He is an outstanding leader for our district and the nation; Kirk will continue to gain influence in Congress and in the Republican Party.  NEA grassroots political activists made thousands of member-to-member telephone calls and the IEA/NEA sent an incredible three mailings to the almost 10,000 members living in the district.  The bi-partisan leaders of Illinois supported five Illinois Republican representatives in Congress.  They have forged is a constructive friendship and that has served our members very well.”