Just Asking
Shouldn't NYC Parents Demand Collaborative Negotiation of Curricula Choices?
The NYC Department of Education has no time to give to local reading or math specialists when it comes to deciding on what curricula to use. Chancellor Joel Klein angered several community think tanks and groups of trained educators both in reading and math when he decided to choose members of his working groups in a random way, without consultation of prominent mathematicians and reading specialists from the New York City area. In fact, a few educators requested, under the Freedom of Information Act, information about how these people who were given the mandate to choose the curricula for New York City schools were themselves chosen. No answers were ever given, and the committees were never charged with deciding anything, nor were minutes distributed as, we understand, there were none written.
Shouldn't there be widespread outrage about this? Recently Joel Klein had to rescind his order that all schools follow the "Balanced Literacy: Month By Month Phonics" Program in order to receive the $34 million under No Child Left Behind. Perhaps Mr. Klein should follow in the steps of Florida? |