For your consideration.

[NYC_SKP]

Sent by a Facebook Friend, worth a look.

I really appreciate in advance any thoughts DU educators may have on this school and this series.

Thanks in advance. One of ten, watch as many as you like.

http://www.ayearatmissionhill.com/index.php/chapter1

[NYC_SKP]

1. Kick, in case any actual educators are out there. (nt)

[mbperrin]

2. All of it very standard stuff - well known to educators:

Small school - 220 kids K-8. Good.
40 staff members - 5.5 students per staff member. Excellent.

Those two alone would be wonderful to have.

For example, the campus I teach: 3600 students 10-12. Huge. Alienating to children. Impersonal.
202 Staff members - 18 students per staff member, counting janitors and cafeteria workers.

AND soon to add 1500 9th graders, along with 50 staff, bringing our new ration to 21 to 1. Our administration calls it economies of scale. Sounds better than warehousing, doesn't it?

Good looking school and great success evident. Now if we could just convince more districts to put in the resources.

[sulphurdunn]

3. There wasn't enough

information about the school to draw any conclusions from the video.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. All schools should be like this.

Honestly, I'm tired of seeing these puff pieces about a single wonderful school, in an urban system, while we are not told about the REST OF the schools in that same system and state that don't provide the same opportunities to their students.

I love and respect Deborah Meier. As soon as I saw her name I knew this was a terrific institution of learning.

We did this in my school district. We had several wonderful theme oriented schools that focused on project based learning. We no longer have them because the rest of the school districts in the state screamed loudly that it was not fair, our district was robbing the rest of the schools in the state of resources they needed. A court case resulted, we won, but eventually the state fulfilled its obligations and we were left with successful programs we could no longer afford to operate.

Let's do this for ALL of our kids. Education is supposed to be democratic. But until we convince our state legislatures and voters that our kids deserve schools like this and they are worth every penny we put into them, we won't be able to accomplish this goal.

Sadly, it's ALWAYS about the money.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Indeed. These schools serve as models to show constituents what is possible.

It's a never ending battle, but like anything else we have to have something to hold forth to say, "Look. We can do this. We MUST do this."

Happy Sunday to you, P2BLK!

[LWolf]

6. Yes.

Do it for ALL.