Where I Stand

“Grade Banding”

You can find extensive discussions of this issue by me in the Archives. Our elementary schools are (or at least were) distributed amongst the neighborhoods throughout the borough, but our secondary schools are all in city centers. We might benefit from changing from elementary (grades K-5), middle (6-8), and high (9-12) schools to having only K-8 schools and high schools. This would likely require re-opening some elementary schools that have been closed and would involve shuttering the middle schools. There is compelling evidence that parental involvement would increase and learning outcomes would improve. There are other “grade banding” options that could be considered. The discussion that should have taken place several years ago can still take place. We should present the trade-offs of a few options, including the status quo, to parents, have town halls and other discussions, poll stakeholders (especially the parents!) and then move forward in a way that results in the community invested in the success of whatever decisions are made.

Tech in schools

Both locally and around the nation the negative influence of phones and other technology devices like iPads and Chrome Books, and the software on them. I have spoken with Alice Rhee, a passionate local advocate on the topic (her web page on the topic: https://kidsoffscreensak.org/), Fairbanks Education Association leadership, and a handful of teachers and students on what current practices are, and what they like and don’t like. I require more information before taking a firm stand on things, but I have a few thoughts.

• I am fully supportive of the School Board’s decision this past school year to remove phones from the classrooms.

• I do not think the earliest grades benefit from children using devices like iPads or Chromebooks, so I support not having them in the classrooms for grades K-4, perhaps even a grade or two higher.

• My son’s middle school has switched from issuing Chromebooks individually to having them on carts and then using them for specific purposes. This seems to be an improvement, but some of the software (especially iReady) being used have some real issues. These middle grades are where I think the downsides versus upsides (like great YouTube videos demonstrating concepts, or the Internet as a research resource) need to be weighed carefully and more nuanced policies set.

• I think computers have to have a major role in high-school education, but a careful look at how devices are currently being used in these grades is warranted.

• It is hard for me to imagine an “opt-out” policy (one of the items Ms. Rhee advocates for) that could be implemented without the end result being teachers trying to teach two sets of curriculum in the classroom, and I think we are already spreading the teachers’ attention too thin in their classes. I am open to hearing more on this.

• I think an interesting idea that could be considered is a tech-free magnet school. I would like to survey the parents on their interest in the idea and perhaps flesh out the feasibility of such an option.

• Regarding a task force to study the issues and make recommendations (another item Ms. Rhee advocates for), I agree in principle but the devil is in the details. Unfortunately the history of “task forces” in our local district is that they tend to be dominated by cronies of the superintendent and mostly exist to “recommend” already made decisions. The approach to creating task forces that are independent, appropriately comprised, and whose recommendations carry appropriate weight, is a broader issue.