Letters from Parents

I had no idea that this was going on. I really appreciate you sending this e-mail or else I still wouldn’t know. It’s hard for me to make these meetings because of work but I’ll try to make the next one or write a letter to the school board. Thanks a lot for taking the time to send out this info.

Gianni

I agree with the stance that is being taken by the parents of students in the town we live in. Are you aware that the 14 Week Knowing Math Program that seems to be the Bandaid to the problem for children who scored 1 and 2 on the state testing is a complete joke? It is not only taking kids out from their regular math curriculum (it is supposed to be used as a supplement…even saying so in the teachers’ guides) but also it is being implemented for these selected 5th and 6th graders by teaching them “3+4=7” type of problems and remains this simple for a long time. So, not only are the children who need help getting first grade “help” if we even want to consider this waste of time “help”... but they are now going to even be further behind when they are put back into their regular programs once the 14 weeks are up. What another shame!

Perhaps a Kaplan Math Program would better support our entire population of students in the Plainview/Old Bethpage School District. This type of program teaches real curriculum, and actually gives strategies to acquire knowledge and skills needed to not only pass the state tests with flying colors but also to implement real math skills that will become very important to our children as they grow up. I agree that changes need to come into effect in order to get our children what they will need to have even basic math survival skills as adults, and that even though the district feels as though they have invested too much money in Investigations and Knowing Math and therefore is simply not willing to budge…soon they must realize that the price is much higher to pay for us to continue with all of our “tutors” and worries that our children will not have learned what they need to to cross over the bridge. Dr. Brooks must realize that before we could cross over a bridge, we must build it first.

Sincerely yours,
Kimberly

To the Board:

The other night I spoke of Project Follow Through as evidence that direct instruction is superior to other teaching methods (specifically constructivist methods, including Bank Street College). I am not advocating that this approach strictly be followed as in this experiment, but I was trying to convey that there is real scientific research supporting direct learning methods. The research also shows how constructive approaches can have negative effects (remember Whole Language, another constructivist invention with no supporting evidence behind it). Of course, constructivists will say they have research supporting their position, but I have tried to find any reliable scientific studies and have found none.