California Insider

A Weblog by
Sacramento Bee Columnist Daniel Weintraub

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April 12, 2005

More help, please

A few weeks ago I solicited ideas for a piece I plan on the future of education in California. I was flooded by dozens of thoughtful responses from teachers, administrators, parents, students, analysts and academics. Each was unique, but I did find some common themes. And I wanted to review them here and ask for further feedback on those points. I appreciate the help. Let me know what you think of these ideas, and how you think they can be further refined. Feel free to add new ideas if you haven’t already sent them my way. Send your thoughts to dweintraub@sacbee.com.

The themes so far:

--Junk the obsolete model of school in the fall, winter and spring and a long break in the summer. Replace it with a longer school year punctuated by shorter breaks.

--Acknowledge the obvious: not every kid is going to go to college, and provide some formal system of improved vocational training for those students who want to enter the trades.

--Group elementary school students into rotating, multi-age collections based on ability or performance in a given subject, test them often and then move them up when they master each segment of the material. Take advantage of emerging technology to give teachers more data and quick feedback about their students’ progress and needs.

--Allow the money (weighted to recognize special needs) to follow the student to the school site, so that schools in poor communities don’t get stuck with all the rookie teachers while the senior teachers flee to affluent neighborhoods. Limit the state’s role to setting standards and holding schools accountable but let the locals figure out the rest.

--Expand charter schools, online home schooling, niche schools, magnet schools, vouchers, anything that provides more choice and diversity and gets away from the traditional model that’s been in place for decades. Key word: decentralize.

--Set a countywide or statewide salary schedule for teachers.

--Provide intensive intervention and tutoring for primary grade students who are falling behind and for students entering high school.