If you could change one thing...

[Jessica at Parenting.com]

If you could change one thing about your child's school, what would it be?

The class size?
The teachers?
The school lunches?
The curriculum?

How could your school be improved?

Reply to this message -- let's get our wish lists started!

[BusyMommy3]

I actually work within my childs school disctrict, so maybe my perspective is a bit different. Every parent would love to see smaller class sizes... that would be a dream! I think for the most part we have wonderful teachers... or at least enough to choose one. Our biggest issue on my wishlist is funding!!!! Our district is land locked for tax funding and we struggle every year. We lobby non-stop for fair funding and help.... but so far nothing. Sooooo that's my wish!!

[wright1212]

This is hard for me and hard not to rant, my question should be what would I keep the same... which would be the teacher is nice...thats it!
My son is in special education in a rural school with no funding or even training in inclusion. So my number 1 change would be for him not to go to that school. As of Jan next year I will be homeschooling and counting down the days until then. This month our fight is they cant not handle ADHD and want him on more medication. They also dont potty train, dont include, dont push him, there is no recess, no social meals, very very little therapy, few supplies for his level, and so on. I want to change every thing and feel I have already moved mountains just to get him a one-on-one aide. I will not be sending my daughter there, she will most likely go to a private school after my husband graduates. I've been told by several professionals that we are in the worst school district they have ever seen. I feel I am giving up by homeschool since I want to keep moving mountains, but I need to do what my son needs. I hope to keep consulting and motivating other parents. Whew.
My daughters pre-k, 1 thing I would like to change is the careless student workers in the lab preschool. Its great to have more hands to help, but not when they stand around and neglect. If they work there they need to take it seriously.

[sedland]

I'm a former teacher and am currently getting my Master's in Education. In the program by eyes have been opened to what's really "wrong" with our schools. Our schools were set up with a military model and high stakes testing does nothing more than make our kids good test takers and not good thinkers. Our classrooms should be based around building community, student centered, the teacher really as a guide, and allowing kids to make mistakes and truly learn from those mistakes. Children should be assessed on far, far more than tests. Portfolios, group work, projects-those are the things that show us what a kid really knows. Our system needs a rehaul, No Child Left Behind needs to be thrown out, administrators and teachers need more training on how we really learn. If we could do this, kids would ace tests no problem and not because they were taught to the test but because they truly understand what they've learned. I also would have plenty of recess and physical activity and healthy eating as a part of their day!

[carolee]

I would change homework. I don't think homework does anything except teach our children to hate school. Teachers are assigning "projects" that are due a week or 2 later to 2nd graders. These kids lack the mental capacity to time manage at that age. They don't understand that they have to work an the assignment a little each day to achieve the goal. They become frustrated and miserable. So the burden falls on us parents to become the homework police. I am too busy with other essential aspects of raising my family to be stuck with managing my kid's homework schedule. Kids have no social time to just go outside and play with other kids like we did when we were young. As I found out in an article in the February issue of Parenting the is little evidence to support the assumption that homework is necessary or even helpful. I urge parents of school age children to read the article. It reinforced what I already believed. There are no positive benefits to homework.

[gothgirl]

I plan on sending my child (just two weeks to meeting him!) to the school that I went to. I love Carlisle's class sizes and how the teachers know all the kids' names. I love how the administration is so approachable and they actually listen. However, I absolutely loathe the accelerated programs. I was in their sad attempt at an accelerated program and as I got older, the program just got worse. There were a couple of years that we didn't even have a class. They gave us the option of doing independent study--with no class time, no guidance, and no structure to follow. We had no idea what we were being graded on. And when you get into high school, we offer nearly no college level courses. The school is really accommodating to going to our local community college but if you do take classes there, you can only take four or five classes at the high school because of schedule differences. I have never been impressed with our accelerated program but as the years have progressed, I have become increasingly disappointed.

[NJRoadie]

Our schools in NJ get huge amounts of funding. Cost per pupil in my district is $15,000, in the poorest districts there is a court mandated amount spent. It has to be equal to the amount the most expensive districts spend, so places like Newark and Camden get $22,000 a kid.

Teachers make great money here too, (of course it costs more to live in NJ!). Still, that money does not seem to buy great teachers.

Personally, do away with tenure (which, for those of you who didn't know it, means three years and 1 day on the job NOT ten years).

Require parents to do volunteer hours in the school - this will help both them and the schools stay true to the mission of education. I've taught in wealthy and impoverished districts, and the difference is always, always, always - parental involvement and attitude toward education.

[changehappens_3]

Hi everyone. This is my first time on this site and responding to the Moms Congress Initiative. I am all for moms in the community and helping out in school programs. I have been a student of an Adult Participation Preschool in my hometown where I go with my child and learn a great deal about early childhood education, parenting skills and life skills as a mom. It is a fantastic program and has been around since mid 1970s. There has been some concerns with our State budget cuts and programs such as these and other programs that are being cut completely soon. We just had a Board meeting tonight on the whole situation. It is really sad to see education being cut at all different angles from all over our state of California. My wish is to have more options for current funding for the Parent Participation Preschool Program to remain open for the rest of the year (until June) and continue in the years to come. As parents in the class, we are conjuring up ways to keep the program running depsite near falling budget cuts. Has anyone been in this situation before in your own state? Thank you for your time and thoughts!

[eniese]

I would have elementary teachers specialized in subjects too. Have a math teacher who is well trained and knowledgeable about how young children learn math. Do the same for every subject. Instead we get well intentioned elementary teachers who teach subjects (particularly math and science) that they have barely any comprehension of themselves. You'd need roughly the same number of teachers that you have already, they'd just be distributed differently.

[CLS]

I can't pick just one, so here's my top 2.
1.) Preschool funding - My husband and I want our son to attend a preschool that has good teachers, an accredited cirriculum, and close proximity to the elementary school he will eventually attend (so he can make a friend or two before the first day of kindergarten). We currently cannot find those three things. We make too much money to qualify for the preschools run by the school district. The "private" preschools near the school are a joke as far a cirriculum goes. So, we've had to settle for a daycare/pre-school combo in a different school district, that we pay over $10,000 a year for. I'm happy to pay the $ since I know it's for my son's future, but I can't imagine how families with more that one child or families with only one income can afford it. There's so much research out there showing how important early education is. We need to do something about that.
2.) School lunches - Our preshool recently enacted a "healthy" lunch policy. I was very excited about that since good nutrician is very important to me. Come to find out that the "healthy" lunch basically meant that they quit seving syrup with pancakes, started serving soggy canned vegetables with lunch, and started offering fish sticks one lunch a week. At least they are making an effort, but really are boxed "fish sticks" any better than a frozen hamburger-like patty? Why not start serving whole grains instead of white bread, serve in-season (hence cheaper) fresh veggies and fruit that the kids might actually eat, and try vegetarian meals with real food instead of processed fish once a week?