Skandera Plan more re-hash than re-form.

In the Journal this morning, (can't find a) link, readers found the Martinez-Skandera Plan for educational reform in New Mexico.

Noteworthy;
At the table where the "reform" was hatched, there was no seat for teachers. Nor for parents, nor for students, nor for any other legitimate interest holders. "They" are still smarter than all of us; more qualified to spend our power and resources than we.

In APS classrooms, we are fortunate enough to have more than 100,000 years of teaching experience to apply to the individual needs of 89,000 of this community's sons and daughters.

And they have no seat at the table where decisions are made.

Noteworthy;
Nowhere in the "reform" are there meaningful standards of conduct and competence for administrators and board members. Nor, does the plan include honest accountability; due process for every complaint. Nor, any consequences for the corrupt and the incompetent.

There is no mention of and actual accountability like annual Administrative Accountability Audits

Nor, transparency according to the spirit of the law.

Noteworthy;
The Martinez-Skandera endorses cemetery seating.
They think increased "accountability" will make it work.
Increased accountability to an unworkable plan is still
an unworkable plan. Conventional wisdom tells us that
doing the same thing over and over and expecting different
results is crazy.

The best of the best of our teachers will be given a group of at least 30 children who have nothing in common but their age. The teacher will be compelled to seat them in rows and ranks like headstones in a cemetery. The teacher is expected to form them into a choir. The choir, rather than singing together, is supposed to think together on exactly the same thing at exactly the same time for twelve years.

Even if you could do this impossibly difficult thing,
why would you want to?

The fundamental goal of education is to create independent learners. APS is meeting that need, almost exclusively, with group learning. Witness; the White Boards; millions of dollars worth of technology doggedly applied trying to keep cemetery seating and "group think" alive.

It is time for bold change.

Real bold change.



Transparency,
according to the spirit of the law.

Standards,
as high as we can set them.

Accountability,
as inescapable as we can make it.

A seat at the table, for the people
whose interests are being decided.

Wednesday February 2, will be one day to late to pick a side.

The Journal is covering up the ethics and accountability
scandal in the leadership of the APS. KOAT and the other
NM Broadcasters Assoc affiliates are turning a blind eye.
They will cover for their Assoc President Paula Maes.
They will never let their viewers know that Maes, and the
rest of the board by their acquiescence, admitted that

they will never agree to any audit that individually
identifies any corrupt or incompetent administrators
or board members.

You cannot end public corruption and incompetence without exposing the corrupt and the incompetent. Heads don't roll in cultures where asses are being covered.

The only way the scandal will ever be exposed
is if you elect me. It's that simple.

Unless you elect me, there will never be an annual
Administrative Accountability Audit. And the Superintendent's evaluation will never include the findings of those audits. And the evaluations will continue to be held in secret from public participation.

Elect me, and there will be a public forum at every annual
evaluation of the superintendency, the administration, and
the oversight of the board.

DONATE please.




photo Mark Bralley