Re: VOTE for the Best ad Worst County for Teachers in MD

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I vote for Montgomery since is one of the largest school systems in
the USA and its diversity! ciao

On 1/27/11, VOTE /Tell us why wrote:
> On 1/18/11, Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, FL wrote:
>> Every year, Florida's students, schools and districts are
>> graded based on their performance. Now, it's time to start
>> rating parents, a state lawmaker says.
>>
>> State Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, filed a bill Tuesday
>> that would require elementary school teachers to evaluate
>> parents based on "the quality" of their involvement in their
>> children's schools.
>>
>> Parents with children in pre-K-to-third-grade would
>> get "satisfactory," "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory"
>> ratings in four broad categories.
>>
>> They would be judged on their response to requests for
>> meetings or communication, their children's completion of
>> homework and preparation for tests, their children's absentee
>> and tardy rates and their children's "physical preparation
>> for school," including a good night's sleep and appropriate
>> meals.
>>
>> Parents' grades would appear on their kids' report cards.
>>
>> "Although the school environment has a great impact on a
>> child's well-being and academic success, parents and the home
>> environment form the foundation of a child's present and
>> future life," Stargel explains in the bill, HB 255.
>>
>> "Without proper parental involvement in all aspects of a
>> child's life, the child's prospects to be a well-equipped and
>> useful member of society are greatly diminished," the bill
>> states. Stargel, a mother of five, could not be reached late
>> Tuesday.
>>
>> Parents and teachers raised questions about the bill, saying
>> it could backfire and make parent-teacher relations more
>> tense. They also feared it would add to teachers' workloads
>> if they had to keep track of parent progress as well as their
>> students'.
>>
>> "I think it would create a more hostile environment if the
>> parent wasn't doing what they were supposed to do," said
>> Andrew Spar, president of the Volusia Teachers Organization,
>> that county's teachers union.
>>
>> "At the end of the day, I don't think this would change
>> anything. It would just create more work."
>>
>> Spar said the descriptions of ideal parental involvement in
>> Stargel's bill are good and there is no doubt that involved
>> parents are key to student success. But trying to create a
>> formal grading system — complete with parent appeals — would
>> have little impact but to "put a tremendous burden on the
>> teacher," he said.
>>
>> Susan Persis, president of the Florida Association of School
>> Administrators and the principal at Pine Trail Elementary in
>> Ormond Beach, has other concerns – fairness being the chief
>> among them.
>>
>> "There are some parents who work two and three jobs and who
>> care about their kids just as much as the parent who's the
>> president of the PTA and is there at school every day,"
>> Persis said.
>>
>> "It could be a time thing. It could be something going on in
>> the family. Who is the teacher to say, 'You're not doing a
>> good job?' "
>>
>> But John Wilson, whose two sons are in kindergarten and third
>> grade at Bentley Elementary in Seminole County, thinks
>> Stargel's bill is a great idea.
>>
>> Parents who are doing their part would appreciate the
>> positive feedback from teachers, he said. Those who aren't
>> doing their part might be encouraged to start.
>>
>> "Someone who truly wants their child to learn and succeed
>> and go above and beyond, they're not going to take it as an
>> insult — they're going to step up and do more," he said.
>>
>> It's not clear whether Stargel's bill will get any traction
>> in the legislative session that starts in March, when many
>> education-related ideas will be considered.
>>
>> Leslie Postal can be reached at 407-420-5273 or
>> [email protected] Denise-Marie Balona can be
>> reached at [email protected] or 386-228-5008.
>>
>> Click here to win tickets to see Barry Manilow in concert
>> Copyright © 2011, Orlando Sentinel
>>
>>
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>> Comments (7)Add / View comments | Discussion FAQ
>> Sunkissed Adventures at 8:54 PM January 18, 2011
>> A parent that works multiple jobs can still answer a phone
>> and respond to a note if they care about their child.
>>
>>
>>
>> There are parents who fill out the school registration card
>> and provide Micky D's as their home phone number simply to
>> avoid any phone calls from the school. I think it's about
>> time EVERYONE be held accountable- teacher, student and
>> parents.
>> SeaWatcher at 8:38 PM January 18, 2011
>> Teachers can grade parents when parents are allowed to grade
>> teachers. And the catch here is that the grade the teachers
>> receive from the parents determines whether they get a raise
>> or if they lose their jobs. Can't work just one way.
>> SOUTHERN YANKEE Speaks at 8:12 PM January 18, 2011
>> More paperwork for the teacher. Good idea if a way could be
>> figured out how to establish a grade or rating.
>>
>>
 

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