Happy new year! With the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year comes your September/October issue of Principal magazine. As you’ll notice, we’ve introduced a new section to the magazine titled Member Voices. Among the items on the Member Voices page will be “My Two Cents,” in which principals offer their thoughts on a particular question.
The question for this issue was: If you could ask the presidential candidates one question about their stance on U.S. education, what would it be and why?
Here’s what some of you have responded:
School reform in the last decade has translated to many of us educators as unfunded mandates with an over concentration on assessment and a focus on failure. That being said, what legacy do you plan to leave? Jan BorelliPrincipalWestwood Elementary SchoolOklahoma City, Oklahoma
The current strong federal (NCLB) and state accountability standards have changed the nature of education in America. Do you feel that the burden of testing imposed by those accountability standards has improved or impacted the level of excellence of U.S. K-12 education?
Katherine RalstonPrincipalNorth River Elementary SchoolMt. Solon, Virginia
What question would you ask?
re: What Are Your Two Cents?
I am the principal of a private ps/elem/ms All are accredited and we have approx. 350 students per year, evenly divided between the ps and elem/ms.
My exec.dir.would like me to sub in the elem/ms classrooms this year. It is not a financial issue.
My question: Is this a valid, research based request? Purpose?