Comments for Mecklenburg Citizens for Public Education

Comment on What Can Mecklenburg County Learn from Finland? by Bill Anderson

Bill Anderson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:24:48 +0000

Thank you for your comments and analysis. From a strictly historical perspective, Finland struggled quite a bit in their earlier education days (40 years ago) before their government made a commitment to fund education with a model that values birth through high school graduation. I think one could also make a case that one of the reasons they are now a low poverty country is the highly skilled work force that attracts investment and ultimately provides high paying, high skilled jobs. And how did they become highly skilled? By providing a quality free and public education for ALL children.
Another point that should not be overlooked is the Finn’s, as a people, feel ALL children are deserving of a quality education and they are willing to pay for it, and have done so for four decades. Another important reason, that I personally feel should be practiced in our country, has to do with teacher recruitment, preparation and retention. I dare say our society does not value the profession of education and does not provide our teachers with a competitive salary that would encourage them to remain in the profession. Thanks again for your interest. Bill

Comment on What Can Mecklenburg County Learn from Finland? by Applesandoranges

Applesandoranges — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:39:12 +0000

I agree that there is much to learn from the Finland model, but it is naive to ignore that Finland is a very homogeneous society with very low levels of immigration. Go into many classrooms in Charlotte and nearly a quarter of the class, though very motivated, may not have a good command of English. I have seen teachers having to learn the basics of two or more languages in order to try to keep students engaged.

Secondly, primary teachers in Finland are considered “school mothers” and have far more latitude to address social and emotional issues as they arise. We’d never allow that here. And, children in Finland don’t start school until the age of 7.

Third, Finland has very low rates of poverty. I know this is controversial to mention, but I don’t think its impact can be ignored. What goes on outside of the classroom surely has an impact inside of it.

Fourth and very important, Finland has almost no private schools because there is broad consensus that there must be equality. Arguments can be made about the impact of private schools, but it is hard to argue that who can afford to still pay attention or consider themselves stakeholders in the general education system.

Comment on Toni Freeman Honored by Leadership Charlotte by Carolyn Mints

Carolyn Mints — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:16:02 +0000

Congratulations Toni. Well deserved.

Comment on CMS Board Needs to Work on Relationships by dorothy waddy

dorothy waddy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:23:10 +0000

My response: It is Charlotte Mecklenburg. Not inner city. Not east, west, north or south. What’s good for one area has to be good for the whole school system. In the past certain areas were left out. We had a board that did not consider Charlotte Mecklenburg. If you think the previous board was concerned with CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG, then I beg to differ. Unless you feel certain areas do not belong to CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG. In you writing above I don’t think that you are being factual with your reporting. For instance when schools were closed it was not representative of CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG. So if you are going to write articles you should make sure that you look at CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG and not at the areas you want to look at.

Comment on Public Education: Our Vital Interest by Nancy Falls

Nancy Falls — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:12:42 +0000

Anna is right….we ALL need to care about ALL students and ALL schools because it directly impacts our community and our quality of life! Awesome historical perspective and thanks to the Spangler Family and all of the other family and corporate foundations that are making Project L.I.F.T. a possibility! WC is #1 and don’t you forget it….

Comment on MeckEd and CMS Go to Memphis by Bill Anderson

Bill Anderson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:47:24 +0000

Nathan, I couldn’t agree with you more. Clear and consistent communication only enhances trust and the flow of correct information. One of MeckEd’s major responsibilities is to educate and inform our readers with correct and unbiased information. Thank you for your ongoing interest in our work.
Bill

Comment on MeckEd and CMS Go to Memphis by Bill Anderson

Bill Anderson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:44:27 +0000

Dorothy, Thank you for your your interest in CMS and MeckEd. I encourage your to visit the MeckEd website and the CMS interactive data maps. There you will find the passing rates of each CMS school along with five other important indicators that show the different levels of achievement across our county.
Very soon we have a new set of maps coming out that will also indicarte the % of students in each school whop gained “at least” one year of growth in the 2010-11 school year.
Bill

Comment on Toni Freeman Honored by Leadership Charlotte by Kathy Ridge

Kathy Ridge — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:43:11 +0000

Congratulations Toni! We all have learned much from you!

Comment on Toni Freeman Honored by Leadership Charlotte by Nathan Foster

Nathan Foster — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:58:49 +0000

Congratulations Toni!

Comment on MeckEd and CMS Go to Memphis by Nathan Foster

Nathan Foster — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:56:32 +0000

I think Martavias Jones’ comment on the need for robust communication to the community is key. With counties facing tough economic choices, sacrifices will need to be borne by many in the community. Making a clear, consistent, and repeated accounting for the decisions and the reasons behind those decisions will give the community the best chance to accept (if not embrace) why certain actions need to be taken. Thank you for sharing!