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.. Lack of natural, spontaneous, free-spirited play during childhood seemed to be a common thread in the histories of "horribly violent mass murderers, really off-the-wall felony drunk drivers,"...
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From the Colorado Reading First information Fact Sheet!! Could this explain why so many gifted kids are currently very bored with the scripted Houghton Mifflin curriculum in use in all...
"I have observed the steady decline of play over the past thirty years..Not one child in that first grade seemed to know what imaginative play was".
"The most effective kind of education is that a...
During her testimony before the House Education Committee Angela Engel said:
"I think this represents the worst kind of learning, in the worst kind of educational system that we can hope for…My...
The students in Cynthia Hovland's class march back and forth, singing in unison in their small, artistically decorated classroom. The fifth- and sixth-graders practice playing Roman conquerors...
They don't teach to the test. The test doesn't dictate the curriculum, nor does it hang like a sword over the school day. Van Asselt kids still get three recesses. And though it's no alternative...
Getting CSAP scores up is important to the state of Colorado. After all, their funding under NCLB rides on it, but to parents it is much more important to know if their child's overall strengths...
“priorities are out of balance and out of keeping with the nature of young children as literacy learners when kindergarten and readiness programs concentrate on letter sound matching, letter...
"..never in my career have I had so little control over what I do in my classroom…I worry about young teachers who will just accept the lockstep program and never learn to teach, to make lesson...
"Seven-zero. I guess that's the team!" - Bruce Broderius, referring to a unanimous roll call vote
"We're the experts, we went to college to learn how to do this"
Ranelle Lang - Assistant...
What they said before they were elected. Have they stayed true to their words?
Robert Stack: "It will be my honor to represent ALL of our community…My campaign slogan and personal belief is...
"In 20 years, we'll all see the terrible, terrible toll on society from these bad educational decisions…Smart people got smart not by knowing all the answers, but by being better thinkers and...
By Angela Engel
Today CSAP testing begins and my 10-year-old daughter, Grace, is home studying Sickle Cell Anemia. Her father and I opt her out of the test because the scores are used to label...
General Information
Senate Education Committee members
Senator Bacon, Chairman; su.oc.etats|etanes.nocab.bob#su.oc.etats|etanes.nocab.bob
Senator Romer, Vice-Chairman;...
Senator Chris Romer realizes the importance of recess. His Recess/PE bill SB 131 met with unanimous approval in the Senate Education Committee.
"We would love to rescue recess from the pressures...
If you have questions or concerns, please contact
GPAdvocate —>gmail.com
Also see:
Raising Awareness
Educating the Gifted and Talented
Gifted On-Line Conferences
HB1186 passed in the Senate severely amended 4-3.
The bill maintains the -.05 penalty for each student who does not test, but School Accountability Reports (SAR) will also have to show what the...
"We, the Coalition for Better Education Inc., are often asked what should replace the Colorado Student Assessment Program. We are accused of having no plan for education ourselves. Nothing could be...
Ten years of CSAP have given us: larger class sizes, the elimination of recess, electives, and even play in kindergarten, which result in bored students, higher drop-out rates, fewer students...
Don Perl of the Coalition for Better Education writes that "..scholar and activist Kelley Coffman-Lee..is circulating a flyer ..at various stores and restaurants in the Cherry Creek area. She also...
May 17, 2009
The Honorable Arne Duncan
Secretary of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Mr. Secretary:
On Election Day 2008 I was thrilled that Barack Obama had been...
In all Greeley-Evans public elementary schools scheduled morning recess has been eliminated and kindergartens no longer offer time for self-directed imaginative play and crafts!
The schedule is in...
Regarding reading, I bet that at least 35 other research-based methods with positive effects were not shared with board members! Find the report at Reading Programs That Work.
October,...
"This year has been extremely stressful and hard on myself, my colleagues, and—most important–my students. My students have voiced their opinions, and they are 5, but the way they have put it...
.". what today's children need is time to use their imaginations in playing with "true toys" such as blocks and dolls. ..left to their own devices, children can tap into their own creativity,...
We're looking for a good home for this adorable six-month-old female pup named Sheba. We agreed to take her in on a temporary basis so she would not end up at the animal shelter.
She has been a...
A mother presented the following statement to the Board of Education and also sent it to the Greeley Tribune. Her letter was published, but two critical parts (text in bold) were censored!
"I watch...
A string of studies have documented the curriculum’s narrowing since Mr. Bush signed the [No Child Left Behind] law in January 2002.
Last week, the Center on Education Policy, a research group in...
Dutch high school students are represented by the "Landelijk Aktie Komitee voor Studenten", (see: LAKS English Page) a national action committee which functions quite differently from the student...
An Interview with Eric Jensen
"Until we give kids an absolutely great environment for learning, we will never fulfill their potential."
Changing the Contemporary Classroom
Q: Your Teaching with the...
Brad, a middle school teacher in a very high-performing school, reports that teachers in his school are told to “make sure those students you believe will fail the Gateway exam fail your class...
"No parent should stand for his or her student’s education being narrowed and destroyed… No teacher should allow a student to be removed from or denied access to any course without a fight".
-...
From the book:
What does it mean to be well educated?
by Alfie Kohn
There are standards offered as guidelines ("See if this way of thinking about teaching can help you improve your craft"), and...
By Ronald Wolk
..everything I read and hear suggests that the curriculum is narrowing in order to meet the demands of standardized testing and standards-based accountability.
We can't seem to get...
The District Six Kindergarten Audit was conducted in only 4 days in April, 2006. Who did this audit? It was not an independent audit; not that the report ever claimed it to be.
It certainly was not...
"Educational systems are often hostile to students, and schools still encourage compliance and narrowly focused understandings of learning, ability, and creativity…..[L]earning in school was (and...
"Each moment we live never was before and will never be again.
And yet what we teach children in school is 2 + 2 = 4 and Paris is the capital of France.
What we should be teaching them is what they...
If you are allowed to edit pages in this Site, simply click on edit button at the bottom of the page. This will open an editor with a toolbar pallette with options.
To create a link to a new page,...
"Because of the testing, and the emphasis now that you have to really pass these tests, teachers are starting earlier and earlier to drill the kids in their basic fundamentals. Play is viewed as...
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We will publish age and school, but name upon request only!
Here's a letter from a 3rd grade student at Dos Rios Elementary. She asked her parents who had made the changes at school this year...
Greeley - Evans School District Six' developed a 65 page "Comprehensive Accountability System". The CAS report lists extrinsic rewards for students who do well on CSAP! Never mind that according to...
The article "A Day of Firsts in School" (August, 2006) featured a photo of a literacy test in progress at Bella Romero elementary school. The 5-year old girl Jamie Aguilar was assessed on her...
Is it any wonder kids do poorly on comprehension tests when they get to read nonsense like this? See what scripted steps a teacher must follow to test the kids on comprehension!
I am Sam!
See me,...
It is hard for me to share my deepest dismay, pain, frustration and disappointment to find that CAP4K proposes that Colorado's preschoolers will now be assessed as well.
"Directs the state board...
It is good news that in Atlanta public schools the kids have 20 minutes of recess, which is much better than what Greeley, Colorado kids get. They are lucky if they get 10 minutes right before or...
From edweek.org on
Self-Directed Learning
December 7, 2006
* North Star is a learning center for homeschooling teenagers in Hadley, Mass. As is detailed in Teacher Magazine's recent article on...
In September 2006 I visited three different kindergarten classrooms in Greeley to see what the literacy block was like. My visitations were not welcomed by the District Six administration and I was...
"When a subcommittee report asserts that a particular instructional technique "improves children's reading," the public deserves to know whether the authors mean word calling, speed, smoothness,...
Nature can help people recover from "normal psychological wear and tear", but nature also improves the capacity to pay attention.
The 90 second video clip shows Richard Louv, author of Last Child...
"I was a language arts/theater teacher for 30 years in both public and private schools, and I now work as the Curator of Education at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. I have witnessed first hand...
The classroom has no blocks, dress-up corners or play kitchens. There is no time for show and tell, naps or recess. There is homework every night. For much of the day, the children are asked to sit...
I've been scouring the Internet for anything on play and also to find out if Chinese kids still get recess. Our schoolboard justified the elimination of morning recess by claiming that kids in...
A Teacher Said: UNC has written a grant (several hundred thousand dollars) which provides for collaboration between UNC and District 6 to enhance science and math instruction. However, it appears...
The BABY DIBELS Screening Tool -
"Individual Growth and Development Indicators"
will be completed with your child in just 5 MINUTES!
An individual profile will then be developed AND early literacy...
Dear Superintendent Dreier and Members of the Board of Education,
We, the Greeley Parent Advocacy Group, present to you this evening a total of 475 signatures from community members who support a...
Petition for a quality and meaningful education for our children
We, the signatories of this petition, agree with the statements and goals of the Coalition for Better Education, Inc, The Greeley...
"..the more pressure put on kids at a younger age, the more results are diminished."
By Gwenne Culpepper
University of Northern Iowa News Service
"A lot of learning can occur in a play setting,"...
Ranelle Lang, District Six' deputy superintendent, justified the common schedule and the issue about recess. She contradicted herself, saying that teachers have the discretion to still allow recess...
Congressional Testimony and The Design of 'Reading First
Dr. Louisa Moats: "When I was in Washington I testified to Congress three times. I had several visits from the President in our classrooms...
"Whose decision was it to purchase the new Houghton Mifflin Reading Series?" I posed that question at the District Accountability Committee meeting of November 21, 2006. Dr. Ranelle Lang...
"Will the following nonsense words encourage you to read further? Bov Nuk Thi Toc Puv."
I doubt it. Yet this is exactly what DIBELS — Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills — has our...
"When a subcommittee report asserts that a particular instructional technique "improves children's reading," the public deserves to know whether the authors mean word calling, speed, smoothness,...
The Rationale for Daily Recess
On 9/5/06 Dr. Renae Dreier informed:
“It is important for you to know that the new elementary schedule does not eliminate recess. The elementary school schedule...
November 25, 2006
The elementary school playground has become a battleground in Greeley-Evans School District 6.
The Greeley Parent Advocacy group turned in a petition with 475 signatures earlier...
By Karen Rouse
Denver Post Staff Writer
Denver Post
Article Last Updated:01/21/2007 11:22:03 PM MST
Greeley - During a recent morning at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, Devin Smith was...
Vonnegut's Requiem
REQUIEM
The crucified planet Earth,
should it find a voice and a sense of irony,
might now well say of our abuse of it,
"Forgive them, Father,
They know not what they do."
The...
"Play can help children reduce..fear and sense of vulnerability. For instance, children can play with miniature toys, reducing the overwhelming world of adults to a manageable size."
..play...
Marlene Schuman: (Referring to CDE Regional Manager Michael Clough's visit) "We were told tonight to stay the course"
Robert Stack: "It has been left up to the teacher's professional discretion...
Tribune article lets District Six off the hook despite what research says is best for kids and learning. Please visit the article on-line at the Greeley Tribune's website if you want to submit a...
My question by email to our BOE on September 13, 2006: "
"Does the example in Detroit schools (excerpted below) not closely resemble the common scheduling in our schools with its scripted lessons?...
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Toys "R" Useless in Greeley Kindergartens?
Yes! In all Greeley-Evans public elementary schools, recess time has been severely reduced and kindergartens lack time for play! The schedule is in...
Dec. 12, 2005
Dr. Dreier stated that she has great confidence that the board now has the foundation to build a plan for a renaissance in this district.
Mr. Quinby stated that there will be some...
contact
Anonymous remark to the column "District Six is all ears" by School Board President Bruce Broderius.
"Quite frankly, it's good that it [public comment] is moved to the end of the meeting, as the...
Article 31
States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in...
Welcome to your new site! Please read this first!
This page is just a welcome-page and you really might want to change it using the "edit" button at the bottom of this page and delete this...
Ethics for Effective Board Members
Successful board service demands fair, honest, professional relationships
By Karen Walking Eagle
Relationships with Students and Parents
A sound code of conduct...
The Association for Childhood Education International recognizes the importance of kindergarten education and supports high quality kindergarten programs that provide developmentally appropriate...
According to Wikipedia, the world largest wiki site:
A Wiki ([ˈwiː.kiː] <wee-kee> or [ˈwɪ.kiː] <wick-ey>) is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or otherwise edit...
"Should a school not do what's right for your child if it expects your child participates in CSAP, which is not for the child's benefit, but for the school's?"
Indeed, parents should have a lot of...
District 6 seminar emphasizes involvement - Tribune 13 Nov. 2005
Broderius encouraged parents to share their thoughts with the board.
"We are community schools. They are owned by you and paid for...
The Greeley Parent Advocacy Group is for caring parents and teachers to help improve education in our city's schools. First and foremost we want to be a voice for the children whose diverse and...
You can explore this site by clicking on keywords in the left margin or go to index.
The Greeley Parent Advocacy Group
is for caring parents and teachers to help improve education in our city's...
Finland must do something right! Kids consistently score at or near the top on the Program for International Students Assessment, better known as PISA.
The United States in contrast, out of the...
by Deborah Meier
Educators from the progressive tradition are often accused of "experimenting" on kids. But never in the history of the nation have progressives proposed an experiment so drastic,...
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Richard Simmons urges parent across the nation to speak up and demand that recess and P.E. are part of the school day.
From ASK AMERICA - Richard Simmons: "Some of you, primarily on the EAST COAST,...
"..School leaders [should] understand the benefit of physical activity, not just because it is a core..that is a right for students, but also the benefit of overall student learning."
- Ms. Lori...
