Funding, A Complete Curriculum, And Health And Safety Are Top Concerns

Adequate funding for education is the most important policy issue that parents and families want the state to address, according to a recent survey conducted by the California State PTA.

The survey showed that 98.6 percent of respondents think adequate state funding is important or extremely important.

The survey measured the importance PTA volunteers place on 33 different legislative and policy issues related to PTA's major focus areas: education, health, safety and parent involvement.

Nine out of every 10 say adequate funding is extremely important. That was by far the highest response for any single issue in our survey.

On behalf of its more than 900,000 members statewide, California State PTA is calling for a united effort to qualify and pass a ballot measure in November 2012 to begin restoring funding for education programs that have been cut. 

Last year PTA also joined as a plaintiff in a historic lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's school finance system, and PTA has been active in opposing legislative proposals to make deeper cuts to education funding.

Education, Health, Safety and Parent Involvement

The survey showed parents and families place the highest education priority on ensuring that every student has access to a complete curriculum that includes the arts, STEM  (science, technology, engineering and math) as well as on smaller class sizes, strengthening teacher and administrator effectiveness, and reducing the dropout rate.

Reforms such as common core standards and more choices for parents such as charter schools – while generating interest – were not seen as nearly as critical.

Preventing bullying and cyber-bullying rated extremely highly in the survey, with 95.2 percent saying it is important or extremely important.

In terms of children's health, 94.2 percent rated physical activity and physical education as the most important issue, followed by nutrition and healthy school meals, and preventing alcohol, tobacco and drug use.

Parent and family engagement has been a longstanding focus of the PTA.  In this year's survey, parents rated the importance of several specific issues related to parent involvement, noting a particular need for greater involvement at the middle school and high school levels.

The impact of budget cuts

PTA members throughout the state also highlighted the severe impact of budget cuts on their schools. Of those surveyed, 96 percent said that in the past few years state budget cuts have forced their local schools to cut or eliminate programs and services to students.

Hardest hit have been programs and services that provide students with extra support or that help all students receive a well-rounded educational experience.

Summer school topped the list with 33 percent saying it has been eliminated, and another 28 percent saying it has been cut significantly.

Arts education programs have also suffered dramatically, with 22.6 percent reporting they have been eliminated and another 42.7 percent saying they have been cut significantly.

Other programs and services deeply affected by budget cuts include buses and transportation; instructional aides; physical activity and sports programs; Gifted and Talented Education; enrichment programs, such as field trips and assemblies; libraries, librarians and media centers; school nurses and student health centers.

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

December 2011

 

Thank you for all you do…..

 

I remember the day I wrote my first "thank you" note to a teacher. My daughter was just completing kindergarten. I wanted her teacher, Mrs. McKay, to know my daughter looked forward to going to school almost every day and came home after school to excitedly show me her drawings.

So I wrote a short note thanking her for making my daughter's first year of school such a success.

I loved saying thank you to someone who made such an impact on my daughter's life. And Mrs. McKay made a point of stopping me at school to let me know how much she appreciated the note.

A lesson learned about the importance of "Thank you".

Ever since then, I tried to let my children's teachers know how much I appreciated their work.

You may well ask: "Why am I saying this? It is not teacher appreciation week."

Here is why:

We are living at a time when our teachers—now more than ever—need a note of thanks.

Every year teachers—good teachers—get pink slips and don't know if they will have a job.

We are living in a world where teachers have many more students in their class and less support to help them.

Like that old children's song about "no more pencils and no more books," our teachers are living in a classroom world of "no more" lots of things.

And while they are helping our children learn to read and comforting a struggling child, the political "noise" somehow blames our teachers for the havoc caused by massive budget cuts to education.

Our teachers have furlough days and less support to improve their practice. Yet they are held accountable as if they live in Lake Woebegone during this Great recession.

I don't want to live in a world of "us" versus "them"

I want to live in a world of "us"—A world where "we" can work together.

And let me follow up on my story:

Years later ... and I mean lots of years later ...after my daughter was through high school and even through college, I ran into Mrs. McKay. We looked at each other.

And then she asked, "How's Deane?"

After hundreds and hundreds of students, she looked at me and remembered my daughter's name.

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

November 2011

 

PTA Revolution?

It's just a hunch but I bet when you hear the words "Parent Teacher Association" you don't think of a parent coup or parent revolution.

You might think of the dad helping teachers move books and materials into a new classroom or organizing the school fitness fair.

You might hear about a mom speaking at a school board meeting.

But revolution? Nah.

Well, let me share an insight.

PTA volunteers have been on the front lines for years.

From helping in the classroom to campaigning for a parcel tax or a school bond, PTA members gain the knowledge of how schools work—or don't work—and the leadership skills to make a difference.

And then an amazing thing happens....

PTAs take ordinary people from where they are to where they dream they can be. Making a difference for children. And for our communities

This does not happen by chance.

PTA invests in its members.

Our PTA University trains regional leaders throughout California on how to run their 501(c) (3) not for profit. A legislative conference teaches advocacy skills. A new School Smarts Parent Academy teaches parents how to support their children and their schools. The annual PTA convention provides workshops in leadership, communication, health, and parent engagement for thousands of volunteers. Local council and district PTAs hold training events that provide thousands more with important skills.

It starts out as a parent wanting the best for a child. Then throughout California, it morphs into community organizing, alliance building, and public engagement for public education

From the historic creation of kindergarten nearly a century ago to sponsoring legislation to support arts in the schools, PTA members identify a need and work for change.

They track bills in the legislature and speak up at the state capitol on major policy initiatives.

PTA is a plaintiff in an historic lawsuit to require the legislature to establish a new system of school funding that meets the needs of all students.

It supports healthy foods in our schools, not just through legislation but also through monitoring the salad bar and the vending machine.

It sponsors legislation to protect children from bullying, and partners with community organizations to create toolkits for parents and teachers to use at home and in school.

PTA partners with other organizations that share our commitment to children in order to make our voices even stronger.

It provides resources and training for parents new to the US school system so that they can understand how their schools work and how to help their children succeed.

PTA is the largest and most consistent voice for adequate school funding. The parent who sells gift wrap to pay for school supplies learns pretty quickly the system is broken, and that the best fundraiser of all is a line item in the state budget.

With a more than 100 -year track record, PTA is not a one trick pony or the reform du jour. It builds community-- school by school. We've been carrying on a different sort of revolution for decades: bringing people together to speak with one voice on behalf of all of our children.

The California State PTA has nearly 1 million members throughout the state working on behalf of public schools, children and families. The PTA is the nation's largest and highest profile volunteer association working to improve the education, health and welfare of all children and youth. Find out more at www.capta.org.

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

October 2011

 

Exercise for the Brain

I can still remember the day I went to visit my daughter's first grade classroom.

I saw an empty desk just outside the open classroom door.

Hmmm. I wonder which child has that spot?

This was about the same time my daughter had gleefully announced to the whole class that her mommy had just turned 14.

40 ... 14.. Close enough. I like that new math. It was going to come in handy one day.

When I entered the class, I saw my daughter standing ...happily talking with some other children.

But... I couldn't find her desk. 

You guessed it. That was her desk outside the room!

Time for a quick conference. 

What was going on?

It turns out my daughter was active..very active 

Her teacher had figured out that if she let her sit by the open door, just outside the room, my daughter could let off a little steam by walking over to the desk to get her work done and then come back into the room. 

I was reminded of this as I spoke recently with Dr. John Ratey, a Harvard professor, who has done some fascinating research on the relationship between exercise and academic achievement.

This is fascinating not only because it helps parents and teachers understand how children learn but because of its implications for how we can improve our schools.

According to Dr. Ratey, exercise is the best way to optimize brain function.

"What we know from our work in neuroscience is that exercise is a very potent energizer of the brain. It stimulates much of the brain function and stimulates brain growth."

And that — he says—translates into better academic performance, fewer suspensions, and fewer absences. 

Does anyone hear some themes that might have an impact on the achievement gap?

According to Dr. Ratey, exercise affects the brain systems and makes the attention system better, the memory system better. It improves motivation and decreases impulsivity, thus decreasing discipline problems.

"It helps better than anything else we know to boost the development of brand new nerve cells every day."

"We have to change the culture of our schools that says the best way to learn is to drill drill drill."

Suggestions for schools from Dr. Ratey:

• Implement 20 minutes of vigorous activity every morning for all students.

• Create brain breaks during the day. For example, give students four to five minutes of exercise by their desks to get their heart rates up and make their brains work harder. (Dance, calisthenics, etc.)

"The big currency we are dealing with is not money but time."

Want more information about exercise, academic performance and healthy lifestyle?

Here are some resources:

PTA Healthy lifestyles pta.org/healthy_lifestyles.asp

Let's Move www.letsmove.gov/

Shape Up SF sfgov3.org/index.aspx?page=1007

John Ratey Spark sparkinglife.org/

September 2011

 

PTA MOM—Now more than ever….

By Carol Kocivar ©2011

When my son was a junior in high school, he put a song on my computer that reminds me why I am a PTA volunteer.

Whether it is writing an agenda for a meeting, or calling PTA parents, or just clearing emails, it always makes more sense listening to Eric Clapton singing "If I Could Change the World."

It was my son's subtle way of telling mom, "I understand what you are doing."

This school year, now more than ever, our children need PTA to change their world.

Improving the lives of children has a new urgency. Pundits are now saying that this may be the first generation of children in America to grow up less healthy and less educated than their parents.

Stop right there.

Less healthy and less educated?

We need to write the new script: And it is NOT Waiting for Superman. It is The Power of PTA.

This Great Recession makes the work of PTA in our schools and our communities even more valuable. If there was ever a time for us to speak loudly and clearly for the rights of children, it is now.
Imagine, just imagine, the power of almost one million PTA parents and teachers working to improve the lives of children.

We want our children to be healthy, to live in a safe community, to attend quality schools. We want our children to have the skills they need to support themselves and their families. We want our children to be responsible citizens in a democratic society.

These are the dreams we have for every child. This is not something we leave to chance, or leave for someone else to do. We know as PTA that every day we can improve the lives of children.

We need to remind our elected officials, whether on the school board or the city council or in the California legislature, that meeting the needs of children is the responsibility of all of us. That means investing in children.

Investing in children is not an issue of Republicans versus Democrats. It is not an issue of left versus right. It is an issue of right versus wrong.

As we begin a new school year, the planning you do today will pay off in dividends for our children. As Diana Scharf Hunt once said, "Goals are Dreams with Deadlines."

So take a few moments to dream. Imagine.

What can I do each day to improve the lives of children?

How can I change their world?

For resources and ideas on how YOU can be involved, visit the California State PTA web site at www.capta.org Want to contact the district PTA in San Francisco, just email: 2nddist@ sfpta.org
Don't have much time but want to support the cause? You can join the Golden State PTA on line: http://www.capta.org/sections/membership/join-support.cfm

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

July-August 2011

A Pro

By Carol Kocivar ©2011

Every once in a while I decide I am going to be more efficient. I am going to learn a new skill or learn how to work with people. I am going to learn a new language. And I am going to get organized. Unfortunately, I usually decide to do ALL of these things at once.

You would think I would learn.

Well, I guess I have. I have learned the 7 habits of highly effective multi-taskers.

1. Program a shuffle on your IPhone that includes multiple learning opportunities.

Now this is really fun.

Just last week on a two-hour drive to Sacramento, I hit the jackpot. Not only did I hear Tina Turner remind me that I am the BEST, Better than All the rest, but through the magic of shuffle, this was followed by a five minute podcast in Japanese helping me find the ladies room on the second floor of a department store. And then Ricky Martin sang to me in Spanish. Could I ask for more?

2. Create a new calendar that works on your phone and your laptop and the computer at work.

This is really a good thing to do when you are traveling. Before you do this, make sure you download all of your meetings onto your phone. Be really efficient. Eliminate all paper, including your airplane ticket and your hotel reservation. Store it in the cloud. Now update your calendar so everything works soooo smoothly. The multi-tasking involved here is hitting your phone, your laptop, and your head all at the same time.

3. Download one of those simple checklist apps so that you know the best ways to get anything done.

I just did this and discovered a world of possibilities. There is the checklist to make sure I know what to buy at the grocery store. And while I am at it, I can select wardrobe basics. But who knew I could also organize a wedding and work on getting out of debt at the same time.

4. Clean your office.

5. Clean your office.

6. Clean your office.

7. Clean your office.

This is the best opportunity of all, especially if this is your home office.

It can involve washing dishes, shredding highly confidential notes, and finally discovering where you left your stash of secret passwords—all at the same time.

(Are these the old secret passwords or the new secret passwords?)

The most exciting part of steps 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 is that after you have carefully labeled all your binders and even made notes to yourself in a computer folder, someone calls you and asks for that one sheet of paper you just filed.

And you put it……..?

Never mind. I think it is time to cut the grass and find my car keys.

Carol Kocivar feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

June 2011

Thank a Teacher

I am a little confused.

Let me take that back. I am a lot confused.

In January, I watched the State of the Union message on television. The only part of the speech that everyone agreed on was a statement thanking teachers. Red and Blue and everyone in between, they all stood up and applauded.

And now, just a few months later, I see the way we really thank our teachers.

On March 15, we fired about 20,000 teachers in California. These are the folks who work over the weekend on lesson plans and who correct homework late into the night.

And before we fired them, we decided to have furlough days—a euphemism for cutting their pay and cutting instruction.

And after we cut their salaries, we increased class size. Talk about doing more with less.

And we make sure they have old textbooks.

And here in the technology capital of the world, many teachers can't connect to the internet.

And we have our schools and our teachers measured by an accounting system that will result in almost every school being labeled "failing."

As my mom, a 92 year-old retired public school teacher, would sometimes say, "Thanks a lot!"

We do this at the same time we wring our hands over the global competitiveness of the American economy.

We cut art and music from our schools in spite of research telling us that this is exactly the wrong thing to do.

We do this at the same time we spend almost three times more to keep someone in prison than to keep a child in school. Thanks a lot!

Teacher appreciation week is coming up.

Thank your teacher by advocating for funding for our schools and our children. Tell all of the teachers you know 'We really do care'. For ideas on how to celebrate teacher appreciation week, go to: http://pta.org/TAW_Activity_Ideas.pdf

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

April 2011

X + Y = Success????

By Carol Kocivar © 2011

We learn lots of lessons when our children are in middle school.

• There is the amnesia lesson: Your child no longer recognizes you in public places.

• There is the 'stylin' lesson: Nothing you wear is ok with your 13 year old. Nothing.

• There is the 'who is right' lesson: Clue—it is never mom.

• Then there is the math lesson: Should your child really take algebra in the 8th grade?

When my kids were attending Herbert Hoover Middle School in San Francisco, they had a really great math teacher—Shirley Huizenga. And as they moved from 7th to 8th grade, we had the math discussion.

Both kids were doing fine in math. No problems. But should they take 8th grade math or go for algebra?

Mrs. Huizenga was not one to push for algebra just for the sake of getting a head start on high school math. No, she carefully assessed each student's math facts and skills and made a recommendation. There is no rush. Let's make sure they have everything down. They can take it in 9th grade.

So my kids did not hop on the algebra train early. And I am here to tell you they did just fine in high school and college math.

So it is with more than just a little bit of personal experience that I have watched the push for all kids to take algebra in middle school — the great gate keeper to their future.

Is the equation 3(2x − 4) = −18 equivalent to 6x−12 =−18?

(I just threw that in to see if you are paying attention.)

A recent report from EdSource on the subject finds that "California's Push for Algebra I in 8th Grade Has Had Mixed Results"

According to the study, "since 2003, California schools have increased by 80% the number of students taking Algebra I in 8th grade. That change has been most dramatic among low-income, African-American and Latino students, many of whom did not previously have access to the course in the middle grades."

And how did they do? The findings:

• "While the state's push to put students into Algebra I in 8th grade has opened up opportunities for many, it has also had some negative consequences."

• "For the state's most prepared math students (as measured by their 7th grade CST scores), placement into Algebra I in grade 8 appears to have served them well, with these students generally (but not always) scoring proficient or higher on the Algebra I CST"

• "Placing all 8th graders into Algebra I, regardless of their preparation, sets up many students to fail."

I told you Mrs.Huzenga was a great teacher.

Read the report for more insight. Go to http://www.edsource.org/ and look for Improving Middle School Math Performance.

And remember: The sum of two binomials is 5x2 −6x. If one of the binomials is 3x2 −2x, what is the other binomial?

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

March 2011

 

Grim Cubed

By Carol Kocivar©2011

As more grim budget news makes its way into parent meetings and school sites, the reality of what is happening to our schools and our children is finally hitting home.

The casualties: Our children and the future of California

• A shorter school year

• Less instruction for students

• Larger classes

• Fewer counselors

• Fewer librarians

• Cuts in arts and music programs

• Teacher and staff support lay-offs

The budget is presented in numbers—large numbers with lots of zeros.

Education in California has suffered staggering cuts--$18 billion dollars from schools in the last three years.

Another $2 billion in deferrals of funding.

AND-This is then topped by the loss of one time federal money!

18,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

I try to picture this. A google search came up with a visual:

"If a billion kids made a human tower, they would stand up past the moon."

If 2/3rds of those children were traveling at the speed of light and one-third were coming at them from the other direction, how cold would it be in Alaska?

No No No. That is another math problem I am not going to tackle right now.

But if a million parents lined up end to end from here to Sacramento, there would be no doubt—regardless of political affiliation—of the real crisis facing our schools and our children.

It is little wonder that a survey of PTA leaders throughout the state identified school funding as the most urgent issue facing our schools

Parents overwhelmingly support the need to advocate for school funding, according to a survey recently released by the California State PTA, which represents nearly 1 million members. (Ahhh. More zeroes.)

Conducted in the fall of 2010, the survey of PTA leaders rated adequate school funding as the highest priority: 97.5 percent said they are interested or extremely interested in PTA continuing to advocate for it.

Respondents were asked to rate the importance of more than 20 policy and legislative issues in education, children's health and safety.

Other major concerns

Complete curriculum that includes arts

In addition to funding, parents also reacted to what they see as a narrowing of the curriculum--with 90.6 percent indicating they are interested or extremely interested in advocating for a more complete curriculum that includes arts education.

Small class size

Eighty-nine percent indicated they are interested or extremely interested in advocating for class-size reduction, especially as school districts have been forced to drastically increase class sizes due to budget cuts.

Highly qualified staff

Other issues of utmost importance to parents included recruiting and retaining qualified teachers and administrators (88 percent are interested or extremely interested), and supporting teacher effectiveness (91 percent are interested or extremely interested).

Budgets reflect our values.

Speak out for the health and education of our children.

Stay tuned as we enter into budget discussions and decide on ballot measures that will decide quite literally the future of California.

You can get more information on the budget and children's issues at:

California State PTA: www.capta.org

EdSource: www.edsource.org

California Budget Project: www.cbp.org

Feedback: kocivar@westsideobserver.com

February 2011