Education Nation

As MSNBC and NBC embark on their Education Nation segment this week, it's important for all of us to look at the role we play in education. Either as a taxpayer, parent, friend, teacher, volunteer, administrator, etc. we all have a stake in the future of the children of this country.  I plan to watch, listen, evaluate, and then decide what I can do to help make education better.  I'd love to hear from many of you!  What is the real problem with education in the United States today, and where do you think we should begin to fix it?

Madalyn's Graduation Performance at SPAC

Exciting Book Tour Launches in California

Congratulations to Barbara Pokras and Fran Pokras Yariv on a very exciting start to their new book tour for "Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz and The Caregiver."  Okay, they packed the very popular Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena on  Friday night.  Standing room only.  That's the way to go ladies. 

Emmy Award Winning Film Editor and Award Winning Screenwriter Launch California Book Tour This Month That Reaches Out to Caregivers


Sisters Reflect on the Sibling Relationship and Hot-Button Issues That Arise When Called on to Become Caregivers for Aging Parents

TIME magazine recently reported that nearly 43.5 million Americans are caring for elderly parents or relatives. Authors, and sisters, Barbara Pokras and Fran Pokras Yariv understand the ins-and-outs of caregiving, since they took care of their aging mother through three assisted living facilities in California. They have captured the essence of their experience in their new book, consisting of two novellas; the first is Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz, written by Barbara and the second, The Caregiver, written by Fran, who now is also a senior advocate.

In this pair of moving, gracefully poignant novellas, sisters Pokras and Yariv explore the world of the elderly with deft humor and heart-wrenching detail. Pokras’s Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz introduces us to the remarkable Golde Moskowitz, an elderly Russian widow living alone with her memories. In Golde’s world, “signs” are everywhere, the dead converse with the living, and dreams are real. Natalie Holtzman, a thirty-six-year-old graphic artist longing for connection, fills her world with work and with Artie, her commitment-wary boy¬friend. One sweltering summer morning, Golde decides to do some grocery shopping. Natalie, on her way to work, quite literally “runs into” her, and the lives of both women are forever changed.

Yariv’s The Caregiver unfolds in a series of stories, revealing the inner workings of Sunset Hills, a fictional upscale assisted-living facility in Hollywood. Narrated by Ofelia Hernandez, a young Latina caregiver, the stories capture both the mundane routines and the absurdi¬ties of the residents’ lives. With deep empathy and subtle humor, Yariv crafts intimate portraits of characters whose passion, intensity, and intelligence are only magnified with age.

This month they begin an extensive California book tour to discuss how they found the right assisted living facility for their mother, how they navigated the waters of the assisted living facility once she was there, how they divided up the responsibilities of caring for her, since one of them lived in California and the other on the east coast, and how they dealt with her aging and the impact it had on their own lives. Join them for a lively discussion at their bookstore events this month or on their blog at http://feedingmrsmoskowitz.blogspot.com/. They are ready to tell you all about their own experiences as caregivers, and how they’re embracing aging in their own lives.

Thank You Once Again NYS Government for Proving Who You Really Work For!

Governor Patterson once again has led us down the path of ignorance and chaos.   "Race to the Top" was a much needed incentive that New York State schools needed.  Have you gone to your local school board meeting lately?  I have.  And yes, they're all talking about the Governor's cuts and how it will affect our children -- yours and mine! And yet, when money is offered with accountability strings attached -- the special interests win.  Not sure you agree with me?  Then read the articles below and tell me what you think. 

(As reported yesterday in The Daily Politics) -- School aid is being reduced $1.1 billion (a 5 percent year-to-year reduction), targeted based on "local school district wealth and student need". Health care gets slashed by $1 billion, which includes reductions to Medicaid providers. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/01/patersons-2010-2011-budget-pro.html#ixzz0d9oDevs9

Okay, so what's the problem then with increasing the number of charter schools and calling for teacher accountability in the classroom?  Nothing, except a very powerful teacher's union.  That's right!  Thought the healthcare lobbyists were big.   Think again.  The NYSUT is even bigger.   The two sticking points that are keeping NY State out of the running: increasing the cap on the number of charter schools in the State, and allowing for student's test scores to be considered in the tenure process for a teacher. 

Seems pretty simple to me what needs to be done.  $700 million isn't going to solve all our education woes, but it sure can help.   Beyond the money, accountability is only going to make for better teachers and better success for our children. See what you think!  Here's their argument:

Teacher accountability!

(From NYS School Boards Association, June 2009, by Marc Humbert)  "On the issue of linking student performance to individual teachers, both Mills (former NY State Ed. Commissioner Richard P. Mills) and newly elected Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch have said they favor some sort of linkage, although not necessarily for use in decisions about tenure and merit pay bonuses."   I say, why not?  (read the article)

Richard Iannuzzi, head of the State teacher's union, NYSUT "showed his interest in having no accountability when it comes to scrutinizing his member teachers using test data since NYSUT's position is to ban the use of scores when making tenure decisions for teachers, which they got the legislature to do for them last year." (quote from the Chalkboard, NYCSA read it here!)

Charter Schools!

(From the Wall Street Journal, Jan 19, 2010)  "In New York, the program has sparked a stiff political fight over charter schools that could jeopardize the state's chances. Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run, often by nonunion staff. New York lawmakers on Tuesday failed to agree on legislation that would allow an expansion of charter schools beyond the current statewide limit of 200. Despite the complications, New York submitted its application for the first round of funding."

(From NY Post, January 20, 2010) "State lawmakers flunked by blowing yesterday's deadline to lift the cap on charter schools -- imperiling cash-starved New York's bid to win up to $700 million in federal education funds. In doing so, Albany's Democratic leaders sold out students and sided with the powerful, anti-charter teachers unions, critics charged." Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/no_class_ny_nQpJxf7EqNZY4GNVUhiM3L#ixzz0d9wr3oED

You weigh in.  Please tell me what you think.