Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Do we have enough Math teachers??

Added May 1 after SBE Math Panel meeting:
BIG Correction--
The SBE will not act until probably July 2008 on this issue. While they would like all children to consider algebra II as the third credit for math. If a parent and a school official think a different third choice is in order, they can make a decision for a more appropriate class. Now we need to start the design of a third math credit for those who survived Algebra I and Geometry but did not prosper. Statistics, applications of algebra and geometry, and financial literacy pop immediately to mind.

Looking at the new SBE requirement for 3rd credit of high school math. (which was enacted by the SBE on April 29, 2008) ( My mistake this was circulated but is still in a proposed stage.) It requires essentially math through Advanced Algebra for most. I think this is another disconnection from reality for the decision makers.

Now the the K-8 standards have been approved by the SBE, I thought I would take a look at the Washington Educators that Dr Bergeson Selected to be on the Standards Revision Team.

Dr Bergeson said she had the best math mind's in the state. If we look at those who are not University Professors, we find 21 people on the Team. Of those 21, seven have an undergraduate degree or better in Mathematics or Computers Science. Fourteen do not not.

That is 2/3 of those involved in the day to day life of schools ( this includes Microsoft's Jane Broom ) do not have an undergraduate degree in Mathematics or Computer Science or better. Now you may have some idea of why this process when no where.

We do not have enough Math teachers in this state currently. What is the plan - just pass more legislation, clearly the legislation does not need to make any sense.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

how many of them have any REAL experience with the job market of the last 3 decades?

the education job market is 1 place operating as if it is still the 1950s - Kind of The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit

-- collect credentials which prove almost nothing, collect piddly titles and piddly raises and survive re-orgs

and get your gold watch.

since the 70's, unknown to the majority of the American public, skills are your best security because the people at the top only care about taking as much as they can get while the can get it.

since people in education are rewarded for credentials, instead of skills, they really don't have a clue how to educate people to have skills and be educated --

for some reason, highly skilled mechanics aren't really supposed to be interested in shakespeare and certainly those who are interested in shakespeare can't be expected to know squat about math, science or money.

Anonymous said...

Average teacher salary = $46,000

Why would I want a credential?

Teaching kids Core plus or Everyday Math the way Dana 'experts' say teach it, credentials aren't necessary, or for that matter a college degree, the kids aren't going to learn anything anyway.

This state is hostage to a group of educational crackpots.

The kids say school sucks and I agree.

Signed, Wake-up Peanutheads

Anonymous said...

When mechanics make more money than teachers...Aristippus said to a Greek parent who complained about their child's stupidity despite having gone to school - "You get what you pay for jackass."

This state needs leadership - quality follows those that lead.

Anonymous said...

I've got better things to do with my time than listen to 165 whiny kids, 500 a-hole parents, and a know-it-all administrator aka counselor or ex-home economics teacher telling me how to teach math with an sos textbook like cmp, em, or imp.

Core plus anyone???? what a bunch of bleepheads.

Here's a solution! Take more math...your classroom will be blessed with geniuses. Not.

Anonymous said...

It takes a village :)

One principal's solution to the math problem....

Take core plus 1 without a calculator in the eighth grade.

Take core plus 1 with a calculator in the ninth grade.

Take core plus 1 with a calculator in the tenth grade.

Take core plus 1 with a calculator in the eleventh grade.

Twelth grade?

Super senior?

Going on 20?

Guess you don't graduate.

Hey congradulations, you're pregnant!

Anonymous said...

Why are strong academic programs important?

Strong correlation between

Math failure rates and teenage pregnancy


Math failure rates and teenage suicide

Math failure rates and drug abuse

Math failure rates and car accidents involving alcohol and teenagers

Math failure rates and school discipline problems

Math failure rates and drop out rates

Math failure rates and teacher shortages

You still don't get it?

Bergerson is a fool...but who are the real fools?

Anonymous said...

Bergerson's solution to the math problem

1. Hire experts that are more stupid than her.

2. Raise teaching standards, so fewer qualified people will want to teach.

3. Blame curriculum on local school boards.

4. Rewrite standards over and over until teachers get it right.

5. Hire stupid textbook writers to tell us what books we should buy.

6. Don't use world-class standards or curriculum that works, proving American kids can't compete internationally.

7. Blame low test scores on minorities and kids with disabilities.

8. Hire your friends, because they will always agree with you.

9. Lose kids in the 'system', so you can make things look better than they really are.

10. Attack teachers that have the guts to disagree with what this state does with children.

Do I think Bergerson is a pathetic, racist, moronic, a-hole?

This is what happens when you put a school counselor in charge of academic programs? Gross negligence.

Like watching a monkey playing football.

Anonymous said...

teacher salary = $47,000

5 years of college education
1 BS degree in math or science

Been in a classroom lately?

What's the life expectancy of a teacher?

Most are going for early retirement, so they can have a second career.

Very few people have the stomach to consider teaching anymore...and most teachers are plain fed up.

I think they ought to make everyone's kids use the same textbooks - maybe then we'd start seeing better curriculum.

Kids are at the mercy of public schools. If you're poor or illiterate, there's a good a chance you won't ever succeed. That's how the US treats its children.

That's why we have random violence and our leadership intentionally created it, because it improves profit margins in today's inflated economy.

The US curriculum industry experiments and it improvises. It sells to a market that it helped create.

They don't analyze what works and they don't attempt to improve their product. Its a non-competitive oligarchy - that's the purpose of the 'standards-based' exemplary curriculum. It all looks equal and anything considerably better was excluded because otherwise why have so many poor choices. Its given a democratic stamp of approval when the board decides on what curriculum to use. But that's hardly good teaching.

Who gets hurt most by this charade? People who would benefit most by good teaching.

So which first world economy manages to keep half of its children living in below poverty conditions? The US.

Ignorance => Violence => Fear => Consumption => Profits (short-term)

How many years before we're no longer a Democracy and just another crappy little dictatorship (CLD)?

Don't equate democracy with justice or freedom. It isn't so.

Do you really think that just by believing in Democracy that a country can be Democratic?

Democracies result from a necessary synergism that starts from a set of prescribed social conditions within a society - It can't be imposed, as the US did with Iraq. That is the naivety we accepted (celebrated?) when we voted for a leader such as Bush.

Bush can bat, but he can't hit the ball. We knew that when he was elected and we celebrated the fact that he couldn't lead.

Bergerson isn't any different.

Two Monkeys running with footballs.

Anonymous said...

The danger of voting in morons like Berg and Bush is they will cost you hundreds of times more than what a normal hard-working, average Joe charges and morons are capable of sinking ships before they ever leave the dock. They will be your Pied Piper and the rats will come in droves, take up residence, and steal everything.

bon apetit

dan dempsey said...

Interesting points,

The MSSG wanted industry representatives involved every step of the way. Plattner wanted industry reps involved on the Standards Revision Team.

By Industry Reps is meant highly Math Knowledgeable representatives from industry --> Like Engineers and Computer Scientists and Physicists etc.

What did the Dr Bergeson picked SRT get?

One lone industry Rep with a degree in Communications and gee I forget but it sure had no connection to math.

The State Board of Education has ZERO math professionals on it. Many of these members are appointed by the Gov. I guess it is more important to play politics than put an SBE together that has an math skills to make judgments from.

They do have a math panel to assist the SBE -- they simply have no interest in listening to the panel.