Washington Post
Education
Jay Mathews Column
Manny Suarez guest
How would I improve public education with 100 Billion dollars ?
There are two major issues that I hear about constantly from my friends who teach in the public school system:
1. Only 25% of the population has a college degree, so why are we cramming algebra down the throats of the other 75% of the population that will never use it in the “real” world ?
2. The middle school is a zoo, there is no discipline, if we could just get rid of the few rotten apples, we could teach to the rest who really want to learn.
The first issue is already being addressed by the school system. Many new magnet schools and high schools which teach real world job skills are popping up all around the nation.
The second problem is really only known by the teachers who teach every day and administrators who say their hands are tied and move these troublemakers from school to school, passing the problem to other schools and teachers. Everyone is waiting until these kids turn 16, when they can kick them out of the school system.
Several years ago, here in our county the school administrators decided to build four schools around the county (mainly portable classrooms) that they called “alternative” schools, and they shipped the worse students to these schools. My friends who teach in the public schools said they noticed a difference right away. But this program only lasted two years (funding ran out), and then these kids went back into the main population again.
I suggest we use that 100 billion dollars to build 1,000 “alternative middle schools” (10 schools each in our 100 biggest school districts). This is where the federal government can help the most. Then let the local school districts provide the funding for the teachers and policemen needed to make this program work.
Manny from Tampa
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Ranking by using AP scores
Tampa Tribune
Tuesday May 30, 2006
A15 Opinion
Other Views
No Sure Yardstick,
But No Harm In Ranking
By Manny Suarez
Newsweek Top 100
Many people in education are discussing Newsweek’s ranking of public high schools across the nation. Newsweek is using Washington Post’s Jay Mathews’ rating system (you can check it out at www.washingtonpost.com Education section).
“Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school in 2005 divided by the number of graduating seniors.”
Congratulations to Hillsborough HS IB, St Pete High IB, Plant, King IB and Palm Harbor IB for making the top 100 list and to the entire State of Florida for having 20 schools in the top 100.
As an AP Calculus and AP Statistics teacher myself, I have always felt that students will rise to the teachers’ and curriculum’s expectations.
There is only one problem. Students do not have to pass the test in order to be counted. In fact they can get zero correct answers and still help their school get a high ranking.
So Jay Mathews added another scale called “Equity and Excellence”.
“The equity and excellence percentage is the portion of all graduating seniors at a school that had at least one passing grade on one AP or IB test in high school.”
Being involved in education for over 30 years, I know there is no simple way to measure a good school, there are too many variables. Jay Mathews and Newsweek are just trying to encourage schools to give kids a chance to learn challenging material. If this artificial ranking accomplishes that, then I am all for it.
Manny Suarez
(PS: my article is right next to NY Times Thomas Freidman article talking about education in America. And below an article by Jeb Bush on Florida producing better readers….Good company)
Tuesday May 30, 2006
A15 Opinion
Other Views
No Sure Yardstick,
But No Harm In Ranking
By Manny Suarez
Newsweek Top 100
Many people in education are discussing Newsweek’s ranking of public high schools across the nation. Newsweek is using Washington Post’s Jay Mathews’ rating system (you can check it out at www.washingtonpost.com Education section).
“Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school in 2005 divided by the number of graduating seniors.”
Congratulations to Hillsborough HS IB, St Pete High IB, Plant, King IB and Palm Harbor IB for making the top 100 list and to the entire State of Florida for having 20 schools in the top 100.
As an AP Calculus and AP Statistics teacher myself, I have always felt that students will rise to the teachers’ and curriculum’s expectations.
There is only one problem. Students do not have to pass the test in order to be counted. In fact they can get zero correct answers and still help their school get a high ranking.
So Jay Mathews added another scale called “Equity and Excellence”.
“The equity and excellence percentage is the portion of all graduating seniors at a school that had at least one passing grade on one AP or IB test in high school.”
Being involved in education for over 30 years, I know there is no simple way to measure a good school, there are too many variables. Jay Mathews and Newsweek are just trying to encourage schools to give kids a chance to learn challenging material. If this artificial ranking accomplishes that, then I am all for it.
Manny Suarez
(PS: my article is right next to NY Times Thomas Freidman article talking about education in America. And below an article by Jeb Bush on Florida producing better readers….Good company)
Newton's Dark Secrets
Tampa Tribune
Letter to the Editor
Newton’s Dark Secrets
In reference to Larry Carey column “Clash Between Intelligent Design and Evolution not necessary”, NOVA on PBS recently aired a show called “Newton’s Dark Secrets”. In there it is revealed that Newton had a strong faith in religion and that he believed that God did have a hand in the universe.
It is interesting that Galileo and Einstein also had these same convictions along with 90% of the US population that believe in a God.
Even the greatest mind of out time Steven Hawkins concludes in his best seller “A Short History of Time” that there must be a greater force that set the Big Bang in motion.
So why is it so hard for the liberal media to accept that most Americans believe that God had a hand in nature ?
I would highly recommend that these liberal elites stop watching “Desperate Housewives” and watch a little NOVA. They might learn something about their readers and maybe even themselves.
Manny Suarez
27 year Math Teacher
Berkeley Prep and USF
Letter to the Editor
Newton’s Dark Secrets
In reference to Larry Carey column “Clash Between Intelligent Design and Evolution not necessary”, NOVA on PBS recently aired a show called “Newton’s Dark Secrets”. In there it is revealed that Newton had a strong faith in religion and that he believed that God did have a hand in the universe.
It is interesting that Galileo and Einstein also had these same convictions along with 90% of the US population that believe in a God.
Even the greatest mind of out time Steven Hawkins concludes in his best seller “A Short History of Time” that there must be a greater force that set the Big Bang in motion.
So why is it so hard for the liberal media to accept that most Americans believe that God had a hand in nature ?
I would highly recommend that these liberal elites stop watching “Desperate Housewives” and watch a little NOVA. They might learn something about their readers and maybe even themselves.
Manny Suarez
27 year Math Teacher
Berkeley Prep and USF
3-4-5 Triangle and the Governor
Tampa Tribune - Letters to the Editor
This is reference to “FCAT Geometry Quiz Stumps Governor
By Mike Schneider The Associated Press” which appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Wed. July 7.
I agree with the student’s assertion that politicians should have to pass the FCAT’s themselves (for the record, Governor Bush has passed the FCAT), but I disagree with her choice of question. I do not believe such a question should be answerable off the top of our heads, since it requires knowledge of trigonometry and use of a calculator.
If I had to guess at the question (not released to the public) as it might have appeared on the FCAT and if in fact it were that particular question about a 3-4-5 triangle, then I would have to say it probably had multiple-choice answers.
Some possible choices that could have made sense would be
a) 30-60-90
b) 45-45-90
c) 60-60-60
d) 30-40-50
e) None of the above.
Over my 26 years of teaching experience, answer a) 30-60-90 is the most popular wrong choice. (This is also the one chosen by the student in the article.)
By the way, there is another interesting discussion about 3-4-5 triangles that appears in the movie the Wizard of Oz. It occurs when the scarecrow asks for a brain from the wizard. Check it out on video.
Enjoy,
Manny Suarez
Berkeley Math Teacher and USF GRE Teacher
check out my blog on the Wizard of Oz http://sauremangreeks.blogspot.com/
This is reference to “FCAT Geometry Quiz Stumps Governor
By Mike Schneider The Associated Press” which appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Wed. July 7.
I agree with the student’s assertion that politicians should have to pass the FCAT’s themselves (for the record, Governor Bush has passed the FCAT), but I disagree with her choice of question. I do not believe such a question should be answerable off the top of our heads, since it requires knowledge of trigonometry and use of a calculator.
If I had to guess at the question (not released to the public) as it might have appeared on the FCAT and if in fact it were that particular question about a 3-4-5 triangle, then I would have to say it probably had multiple-choice answers.
Some possible choices that could have made sense would be
a) 30-60-90
b) 45-45-90
c) 60-60-60
d) 30-40-50
e) None of the above.
Over my 26 years of teaching experience, answer a) 30-60-90 is the most popular wrong choice. (This is also the one chosen by the student in the article.)
By the way, there is another interesting discussion about 3-4-5 triangles that appears in the movie the Wizard of Oz. It occurs when the scarecrow asks for a brain from the wizard. Check it out on video.
Enjoy,
Manny Suarez
Berkeley Math Teacher and USF GRE Teacher
check out my blog on the Wizard of Oz http://sauremangreeks.blogspot.com/
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