Fri
Feb 21 2014
09:34 am
Ten questions for School Board candidates
By: R. Neal

Commenting on uninformative answers at candidate forums, Cathy McCaughan over at Domestic Psychology says "When the board votes on anything, they vote yes or no. They do not get to vote for jibber-jabber."

To cut to the chase, Cathy has come up with 10 "yes or no" questions for School Board candidates. Hopefully every candidate will stop by Cathy's place at the above link and respond.

Topics:
Teresinha 's picture

Tennessee - Worst Educated

Submitted by Teresinha (not verified) on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 10:15am.

Please, add one more question.

Do you still want Tennessee be listed the state as worst educated ranking? Do you want feed them with really education or just producing workers?

Cece's picture

love Amber Rountree

Submitted by Cece (not verified) on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 10:19am.

I just watched on YouTube Amber Rountree's interview on WNFZ 94.3 FM. Amber is running in the 9th District School Board race against incumbent Pam Trainor. Amber is a teacher and will be a great addition to the School Board.

(link...)

Tamara Shepherd's picture

Shepherd profile

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 10:41am.

1. Do you support the current Magnet school program in Knox County?

Yes. In fact, I support expanding the Magnet program. I believe funding should be made available to offer a richer curriculum at every school in Knox County. Since all students don't share the same interests and aptitudes, we lessen access to opportunity when we ask them to traverse the county to avail themselves of it.

2. Do you endorse vouchers in Knox County?

No. Vouchers only serve to skim from our public schools its most able students, while leaving behind its least able--and most expensive--ones. Neither should public dollars ever flow in such volume to private enterprises for the purpose of delivering a public good already available.

3. Do you endorse charter schools in Knox County?

No. Charter schools decrease transparency, invite further privatization, and weaken local control. Neither have the bulk of them produced compelling academic results. I support innovation within our traditional public schools, especially to duplicate within our traditional public schools any great ideas introduced by charter schools elsewhere.

4. Will you vote for a new middle school in Hardin Valley?

Pass. Look with skepticism on any candidate who would render a $30 million decision before thoroughly and completely analyzing and prioritizing all communities' needs, then researching how they may be most economically satisfied. I am yet neck-deep in that tedious process, which I take very seriously.

5. Will you vote for a new middle school in the Gibbs community?

Pass. See above.

6. Do you agree with the current teacher evaluation system in Knox County?

No. My manifestos on the subject abound on the Internet.

7. Do you agree with the current implementation of Common Core standards in Knox County?

No. I continue to collect feedback from teachers on the front lines to better form my response.

8. Are the Common Core standards developmentally appropriate?

No. The standards are particularly dismissive of children's varying rates of development in the earlier grades

9. Do you support a year-round calendar?

Yes. Ours has not been any agrarian society for a very long time and this calendar would be especially helpful in boosting children's retention rates over what has long been a lengthy summer break.

10. Do you believe in Climate Change?

Yes.

CathyMcCaughan's picture

Tamara - Do you think your

Submitted by CathyMcCaughan on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 12:06pm.
(in reply to Tamara Shepherd)

Tamara - Do you think your paragraph answer to number one could be construed as the magnet program you would support, since it does not describe the current magnet program?

Tamara Shepherd's picture

Magnet school program

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 11:16am.
(in reply to CathyMcCaughan)

Cathy, I've been wanting to pick up the phone and call you and Bob Fischer both to gather more of your insights on the current magnet program.

Maybe we can use this thread to share info of that sort, AFTER I get past this kick-off of mine this afternoon?

Apologies for my delay, but yesterday afternoon and today are very busy because of that event. Looking forward to hearing from you very soon.

fischbobber's picture

Magnets

Submitted by fischbobber on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 12:06pm.
(in reply to Tamara Shepherd)

Really, the point of magnets is to offer courses of study that it would be unfeasible to offer at a school by school basis.

For instance, at the core of the IB program is a philosophy that teaches how thinking takes place. Students study the process of thinking. There is not a county wide demand for this, indeed, we had two spots open at the end of the transfer process. This shows that the program is about sized properly.

I've heard similar numbers at STEM.

When we get to the point where students are being turned away, then we must look at expansion, indeed, it is important that the board have expansion plans in place for immediate implementation. But the idea that all schools are to be all things to all students is just unfeasible. In addition, the students participating in magnets are those that will likely continue their education beyond high school and the process of leaving their neighborhood school and adapting to a different set of peers and expectations is, in and of itself, a valuable learning experience.

I always liked Charles Lindsay and I remember thinking, when we ran him off, that we might want to be careful about what we ask for. I don't care as much for McIntyre. As a parent, I'm expected to do three times the work and spend more money with what often seems to be less return. But still, to say that everything that has happened in the last five years is bad, is just nonsense. We have to figure out what we're doing right here, and fix what is wrong. This is not an all or nothing process.

I support the current magnet programs.

CathyMcCaughan's picture

That is an excellent

Submitted by CathyMcCaughan on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 3:18pm.
(in reply to fischbobber)

That is an excellent explanation of the current magnet program, Bob. I will add that the weakest magnet school is the one that has been duplicated on a smaller scale in other high schools.

Tamara - Watch this. When you question the number of admins at each school, you need to realize that each one is doing this much work for their own school and the educational community in this area.

Min's picture

Here's the one I would add.

Submitted by Min on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 4:10pm.
(in reply to Tamara Shepherd)

Is the SAT 10 developmentally appropriate for grades K-2?

Because that one still pisses me off.

Treehouse's picture

Thanks

Submitted by Treehouse on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 11:02am.

First one to respond. Good job.

Knoxgal's picture

One More Questio

Submitted by Knoxgal (not verified) on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 11:07am.

Thanks, Tamara. I have one more question for the candidates. What role, if any, should the theory of Intelligent design play in our public school curriculum?

Rachel's picture

I have one more question for

Submitted by Rachel on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 11:55am.
(in reply to Knoxgal)

I have one more question for the candidates. What role, if any, should the "theory" of "Intelligent design" play in our public school curriculum?

Fixed that for ya. :)

Knoxgal's picture

Much Better

Submitted by Knoxgal (not verified) on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 9:03am.
(in reply to Rachel)

Thanks, Rachel.

Average Guy's picture

Seems like a question that

Submitted by Average Guy on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 12:09pm.
(in reply to Knoxgal)

Seems like a question that needs to know if a school has religious studies as part of its social science curriculum.

Tamara Shepherd's picture

*

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 12:48pm.
(in reply to Knoxgal)

This question turns on the definition of "theory" as used in the field of science.

Per LiveScience.com, that definition is as follows:

A scientific theory summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing. If enough evidence accumulates to support a hypothesis, it moves to the next step—known as a theory—in the scientific method and becomes accepted as a valid explanation of a phenomenon.

Intelligent design does not presently meet this scientific definition of a "theory" because no repeated testing has yet yielded a body of evidence to support it.

Because this question also touches on religious belief, I will offer here Albert Einstein's eloquent thoughts on the subject of how religion and science intersect (New York Times Magazine on November 9, 1930):

I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research. Only those who realize the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer work in theoretical science cannot be achieved are able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of which alone such work, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life, can issue. What a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and what a yearning to understand, were it but a feeble reflection of the mind revealed in this world, Kepler and Newton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanics! Those whose acquaintance with scientific research is derived chiefly from its practical results easily develop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who, surrounded by a skeptical world, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide through the world and through the centuries. Only one who has devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid realization of what has inspired these men and given them the strength to remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength. A contemporary has said, not unjustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific workers are the only profoundly religious people.

WhitesCreek's picture

Intelligent Design is not a

Submitted by WhitesCreek on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 12:50pm.
(in reply to Knoxgal)

Intelligent Design is not a theory by the scientific definition that I am aware of. Let's call it what it is "wishful thinking", but I do understand the intent of this question.

R. Neal's picture

If we're opening up the

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 1:55pm.

If we're opening up the textbooks for alternative "theories," we should go ahead and include this. (By way of this.)

Mike Knapp's picture

TFA and other issues

Submitted by Mike Knapp on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 6:31pm.

N) What is your opinion on Teach for America? Should Knox county employ TFA teachers in our school district?

N+1) Balanced calendar follow up - if you are for a balanced calendar are you also in support of additional extended contract hours for teachers to work with academically at-risk students during balanced calendar break periods?

N+2) According to Professor Diane Whitmore Schanzanbach of Northwestern University class size really does matter. They should be smaller, especially for low income students. Would you support a policy that would reduce high school maximum class size from 35 to 20? In your view what is an ideal class size and attendant teacher work load?

N+3) Do you support reconstituting the KCEA president position?

N+4) Do you support teacher unions' right to collective bargaining?

CathyMcCaughan's picture

You know nothing.

Submitted by CathyMcCaughan on Fri, 2014/02/21 - 8:59pm.
(in reply to Gave up)

You know nothing.

Cece's picture

Pam Trainor?

Submitted by Cece (not verified) on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 5:19pm.

Indya Kincannon? Lynne Fugate? KCS Ethics Committee?

(link...)

I don't get the Sentinel, I wonder what they have to say.

What a mess.

Bbeanster's picture

This needs its own thread.

Submitted by Bbeanster on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 5:28pm.
(in reply to Cece)

This needs its own thread.

Cece's picture

This is fine reporting by

Submitted by Cece (not verified) on Sat, 2014/02/22 - 5:51pm.

This is fine reporting by Mike Donila.

(link...)

I'm going out to buy a paper. I want to see how this was reported there.

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