High Octane School Choice

Imbedded in a 160-page education reform bill recently passed by the Florida state legislature is a proposal that would substantially change the school choice initiative, as it currently exists. If Governor Rick Scott signs this bill in to law, the net effect would be that any student-starting next school year- could attend any public school in the state as long as that school has openings. Parents would be required to provide transportation to the school. Also embedded in this legislation are guidelines regarding athletic eligibility. Under the new proposal, a transfer student would be eligible to participate in sports immediately- even if the season has already started- provided that the student did not participate in that sport at another school in the same year.

The Florida proposal could have a major impact on eighth graders who could decide where to attend high school much like selecting a college. This could also cerate a recruiting dilemma for athletic directors.  Many years ago, well before school choice became educational as well as a political issue, the City of Philadelphia public schools had a magnet school system. One high school had a premier music program. Another had a highly regarded science program. Then there were two single sex high schools that were designated college prep only and were highly selective.

Educators really need to focus on the true purpose on a school choice program. Is it to send students to underutilized schools?  Is it to force underperforming schools to close? Will such legislation create defacto segregation (again)?  School choice has merits but they need to be weighed carefully. Some pundits in Florida are expecting a chaotic situation should the governor sign the new bill.

The education community is anxiously awaiting the outcome.

C.2016 Margolis

Re-energizing Civics

If the current Presidential election debacle is any indication of the need for an educated electorate, then parents and community leaders should be running, not walking, to their schools and demanding a more rigorous and serious civics curriculum.  Two Declaration of Independence signers, Dr. Benjamin Rush and Thomas Jefferson, believed that in order for the fledgling democracy, known as the United States of America, to succeed and survive, then the country needed to have an educated populace.

In a recent article in RandReview Magazine, Anna Saavedra, a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, noted, “ US democracy depends on citizens’ investment in the constitutional foundation on which the country stands.” We are not born with these skills- they need to be learned. Some of the latest examples are those Middle Eastern and African nations that were liberated from dictatorships and told- “ Now go form a democracy.” We have seen in the news what happens.

Unfortunately with the advent of school STEM programs and the Common Core State Standards, classroom teachers are focusing on what needs to be learned for the standardized tests and civics is not at the top of that list and has been relegated to the back of the classroom.

Author Saavedrea observed that student would do well to engage in civics on a project based curriculum and that classroom teachers need to obtain additional training. She also felt that the “Every Student Succeeds Act” signed by President Obama last year is a positive step to provide funding for social studies, history and civics.

There is no better time than now to get on this bandwagon.

C. 2016 J. Margolis

Using the Olympics as a Teaching Tool

As many of you may know, The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will take place in August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This event creates a unique teachable moment for students on many levels.

First, The Olympics represents a fantastic geography lesson. Students  can learn about the culture and customs of the host country- Brazil. A major country economically in South America, learning about Brazil creates a long list of possibilities. Map projects, Internet searches, videos, music, etc.  are all classroom experiences that are available.

 There will be over 10,000 athletes participating from 206 nations in the Olympics this summer and that too lends itself to discussions and visuals about who will be there . The games will last 17 days beginning on August 5^th.

Beyond the social studies lesson, the Olympics games offer an excellent opportunity to discuss fair play and good sportsmanship- something that can carry over onto the playing fields of every school.

Teachers looking for websites to start research to get students motivated might try:

www.rio2016.com and www.Olympics.org.

Currently there are two Olympic themed motion pictures in theatres that can be recommended for students. One is “Race”- the story of Jesse Owens, US Olympic track star and his quest in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic games. The other film, a little less serious is “Eddie the Eagle,” the whimsical true story of a British house painter who enters the Calgary Winter Games as a ski jumper.

Don’t miss this opportunity to take your students higher and further.

C.2016 J. Margolis

Writing for the Academic Press

It is a topic that many journalism students don’t get a chance to investigate. Other than completing research papers for a college class, few writers get the background and the knowhow to be a successful academic writer. By academic writing, I am including writing and editing textbooks, researching and writing articles for professional journals, and writing research papers for presentations at conferences.

The style of academic writing is by necessity, more concise and needs to show independent and documented research and allows the reader to be able to draw the appropriate conclusions.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when writing for journals or textbook chapters.

1)   The writing should be formal and logical.

2)   The narrative needs to define, support, and follow your thesis or argument.

3)   Work needs to be unbiased.

4)   Paragraphs need to be unbiased

5)   Writing needs to be well structured

6)   Work should contain proper citations and sources must be acknowledged. The Internet makes it too easy to obtain information and write it as your own.

7)   Work should be written in the passive voice.

8)   The author needs to always keep in mind who the intended audience is.

9)   The reader should have no problem identifying your position.

10)                   Refer to the AP Style Manual when needed.

It is always a good idea to have at least two other individuals review your work and to critique content and style.

c. 2016 J. Margolis