In the midst of election season, as we are pulled in multiple directions for our vote, we need to look seriously at one of the election’s most important issues – education, and why it matters for Arizona’s future economic vitality.
Arizona is at a fork in the road.
One path leads us to staying where we are today: 74 percent of fourth-graders are below proficient in reading; 69 percent of eighth-graders are below proficient in math; 22 percent of high school students are not graduating on time; and a workforce is underprepared to compete in a global economy. (Sources: 2011 NAEP Test results and Arizona Department of Education).
The other path focuses on raising expectations to deliver a world-class education for all Arizona students. This path provides the support necessary to prepare all students to succeed in college and career.
Arizonans have recently taken steps to move our education system in the right direction. As one example of a recent education reform, we’ve begun to transition to Arizona’s Common Core Standards, which are new, more rigorous standards in English and math for grades K-12. This year, they are being implemented in targeted grades and are expected to roll out to all others next year. The successful implementation of these standards moves us one step closer to ensuring that all of our students are ready to succeed in college, career and life and compete with their peers around the world for the best jobs.
Are the reforms we’ve made enough? Not yet, but they are a start down the right path.
Whether we succeed in raising expectations and improving outcomes for Arizona education depends on our public will to make strategic investments in education that deliver a world-class education for all Arizona students regardless of ZIP code, ethnicity or special needs. As Arizonans, we have a shared responsibility to create the state, nation and world that we want. It starts with each of us and our support of students, educators and schools in our communities.
At Expect More Arizona, join us and many others in choosing that path of success for all Arizona students with our Vote 4 Education campaign which is a statewide, non-partisan campaign that asks Arizonans to make education a priority when they vote.
Although voting for education can seem ambiguous, it is actually quite easy. Before you head to the polls this November, consider the following steps to voice your support for Arizona education.
1. Study up on Arizona’s education issues. Learn about the key education reforms that are being implemented, including Arizona’s Common Core Standards, Move on When Reading, and A-F school letter grades. Expect More Arizona provides four questions that you can use ask your friends, neighbors, family members, elected officials, candidates and community leaders, to educate yourself about the issues and to start a dialogue about the commitment needed to improve our education system.
2. Speak up. Join thousands of Arizonans statewide in sending a unified message that education is our top priority. Visit ExpectMoreArizona.org to find out how you can get involved and speak up for education.
3. Sign up to make a difference. Join the movement for world-class education at ExpectMoreArizona.org.
4. Show up on Nov. 6 and cast your ballot.
Working together we have the power to change the course of Arizona’s education system.
Pearl Chang Esau is the president and CEO of Expect More Arizona, a high expectations movement dedicated to making Arizona education the best in the nation.
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Katydid52 posted at 8:37 am on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
There is no relationship between per-pupil-spending and a successful student. The academic success of a child depends on a laundry list of interacting pieces including the priority placed on education in the home and the child's own motivation to learn.
A state can throw millions of dollars into their system and get the same levels of success or failure. A good example is Kansas City Public Schools in 1985 or Wyoming Public Schools spending, or Washington D.C. Public schools.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 5:30 pm on Fri, Oct 26, 2012.
How many more U.C.L.A. (University of California at Los Angeles) graduates are going to migrate to Arizona and tell us what's...."WRONG WITH ARIZONA".
Don't we have enough Liberals and others telling ...'hard working (as oppposed to the 'hardly working if at all Californians") tax-payers of Arizona what they should be doing.
TED SIMMON, the Moderator on the....Arizona Tax-Payer funded PBS-ASU CHANNEL 8, KAET'S....."HORIZON"...show is forever asking....."WHAT'S WRONG WITH ARIZONA"...........Ted....what's... "WRONG"....with Arizona is that it doesn't have a ...."QUOTA"....on the....HISPANIC "RIGHTS" (as in open the Border to every single Mexican that wants to come into Arizona) ACTIVISTS, LIBERALS, TREE-HUGGERS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, SOCIALISTS, MARXISTS (including our "home-grown" ones down in Tucson), COMMIE WANNA-BE's and DEMOCRATS............THAT'S THE ONLY THING ...."WRONG"....WITH ARIZONA.
LET THESE... U.C.L.A. GRADUATES....CONTINUE WITH THEIR...."BANKRUPTCY SOCIALISM"....IN CALFORNIA....LEAVE ARIZONA ALONE.
concernedcitizen posted at 12:51 pm on Fri, Oct 26, 2012.
Our teacher's union only has power accordingly as the district gives it. Not sure about other districts, but I've heard Mesa's is a joke also and has no power to help support teachers at the district level (only one person's viewpoint, so I really don't know for sure).
Leon, your simple solution isn't so simple because education has changed in so many ways since the time you went to school "back in the day." (I thought early 1900's but now I'm thinking 1800's)
Teachers do teach by rote, repetition and homework. They also teach using other methods that can be more effective, especially in light of new technologies that have been created since pencil and paper/Leon's schooling. We teach in whatever way will create the best result in the end, educationally speaking.
Leon, where is your 25% statistic coming from? Please cite the source and post the website, I'd be interested to read about that. Also, stating statistics like that do nothing to prove your point. It could be 4th grade you are referring to, or all high school math scores, or something else. Your statistic is not valid because, for one, I know it is not true from the actual test results I am able to view as a teacher, and two, it is such a broad statistic that it is useless because there is no specificity.
But, then again, what do I know being in the trenches as a teacher every day...
Chuckles, we could divert more tax dollars away from those other things, but there are no "bloated pensions" for teachers. The way state retirement works is you get the average of your last 3 years salary as your pension when you retire (after a required amount of years served, etc., of course). For teachers, that is still not enough to live off of, even with collecting social security as well.
If you divert money away from programs on bullying, you will end up with students doing worse on their standardized tests, because if bullying is not addressed adequately and often, then students who are bullied perform worse. Have you ever been bullied in some way at work by a boss? Did that make your productivity better or worse when you were treated that way? The same goes for students.
What is your solution for "silly pet projects" and "overstaffed administration offices?" The only solution I see to that is either get legislators to write new laws to correct that and make district more accountable for those portions of their budgets (which also, by the way, involves more paperwork which means hiring more secretaries...), or to vote the current legislators out and vote a new crop in who will take care of it somehow. The problem with the second solution is no one in Arizona is willing to vote for the opposite party if that is what it would take, even if that candidate would do a better job, because they want their beliefs to be voted on by their legislators. I'm a conservative Republican, but sometimes a Democrat is better suited for a political office (and vice versa for registered Democrats).
I can tell you that with the recent budget cuts to schools, there is a LOT less waste and a lot more accountability to citizens on the part of districts.
You also have to realize that administrative costs does not just mean office workers, it also means gas for busses (5 years ago gas was under $2, now we are at almost $4/gallon), it means new busses and repairing old busses when needs arise (and funding has dried up for a lot of things by the state), repairs on school buildings that are getting old and falling apart (these funds have dried up too by the state)-all sorts of these are covered under "administrative costs," so just because administrative costs have gone up a little percentage-wise, it doesn't mean we have more district and school office staff. In our district it is actually less, and I'm sure that is the case in almost every district in Arizona.
Look at the facts instead of spouting stuff that people spout all the time without really digging in to figure out what is going on. Educators are not whiners (generally, not individually, I know a few that are, but they are WAY the exception rather than the rule!). Educators want what is best for children, they want children to succeed, especially in today's ever-changing world and ever-changing economy. Children more and more come from broken homes with divorced parents (or many forms of abuse), and these things can sometimes keep a child from learning entirely because they are so worried about what is going on at home, or what will happen to them when they get home. My wife and I have been foster parents for several years and seen the trauma, even on newborns, that happens to abused children and how many YEARS it takes for them to overcome it, even with therapists, etc.
As I said previously, educators have more demands than ever. If you keep not valuing them for what they do (while at the same time valuing sports "stars" who make millions of dollars a year each), you will push all of the good educators out of the business. At that point, good luck with trying to have good schools. New college graduates will not do a good job with having no experience, and eventually you will have to educate your children at home (while still trying to hold two full-time jobs to make the bills). Good luck.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 11:49 am on Fri, Oct 26, 2012.
25% OF OUR ARIZONA STUDENT CAN PASS THE .........AIMS TEST.......25% LOUSY PERCENT.
LET'S THROW OUT THE 1970'S "INTUITIVE TEACHERS"....AND HIRE SOME OLD-FASHIONED....."TEACH BY ROTE, LEARN BY REPETION AND HOMEWORK" STYLE TEACHERS......................VOTE NO ON ..............PROP 204....NO MORE TAXES.
JMJ posted at 3:13 pm on Thu, Oct 25, 2012.
Powerful teachers' unions in Arizona? What are YOU smokin'?
concernedcitizen posted at 10:45 pm on Wed, Oct 24, 2012.
Read the text of Prop 204 and you will realize:
1) That it REQUIRES the state government to maintain the current funding for education at the greater of the current years' or last years' budget.
2) It is NOT the same group that initiated the temporary 1 cent sales tax we have now.
3) The LOOPHOLE has been CLOSED-the state cannot reduce funding for education from the general state coffers by the same amount as is brought in by this tax. That is what happened with the temporary 1 cent sales tax. This proposition is worded so thIs DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. No wonders Republican lawmakers don't like this proposition-it forces them to keep current funding rather than cut it again if/when this new sales tax takes over to replace the old one.
Remember that there are three big unfunded mandates on the education system right now:
1) Move On When Reading (new state law that requires schools to hold back students if they are not at a proficient reading level by the end of third grade). While I agree with the motive for this, there was only $40 million budgeted for it this year, and only because lawmakers were trying to bargain with Governor Brewer who wanted $260 million more for education in this year's budget. Next year, lawmakers have already stated they will not be funding this mandate. Who will pay for the reading tutors for students, plus the students who will be in school for an extra year when all is said and done?
2) New teacher evaluation system-I do believe it holds teachers and administrators more accountable, but I have to tell you, as a professional educator it is a LOT more work on the part of both teachers and principals, and there is no funding to help with the extra paperwork secretaries and principals have to take care of, the time it takes away from actually planning quality instruction by teachers, etc.
3) The new PARCC assessment is coming soon-it is federally funded UP UNTIL IT HITS THE STATES. Once the federal government hands it over to the states to implement, the states have to scrape up the money to train everyone on the new assessment, come up with money for new computers and increased internet bandwidth (since it is all electronic), etc. etc.
All of the three items above are MENTIONED in Prop 204 as part of what the money is designated to go for.
I am a teacher, and I can't tell you how many AWESOME teachers who are AMAZING with helping students learn effectively are ready to up and quit, because of the extra demands on their time. If that happens because teachers don't feel respected and valued for everything they do put in to Arizona's children (because Arizonan's don't care by their vote to fund education properly), then you will be left with new college graduates who, by and large, are not nearly as effective as your veteran teachers. And then education will plummet even further.
To be fair, I know 80% of the Prop 204 goes for education (67% for K-12, 13% for college scholarships, which will help offset the 63% increase in college tuition in the last 5 years for students). The other 20% goes towards road construction, etc., and if anyone else has more details on that portion, I'd be willing to listen.
Overall this bill is a win-win. It will improve our education system because there are NO LOOPHOLES for lawmakers to steal that 1 cent sales tax, and it STATES SPECIFICALLY what it is to go for. When the youth of Arizona get a higher quality education, then more businesses will be attracted here because they know there will be a good pool of workers to draw from, which will then improve the economy even more and the state coffers will increase because of the extra taxes that will be paid. Again, a win-win situation.
Arizona, you have a chance to make a difference with Prop 204. Vote yes and make that difference. Let's not devalue our teachers even more and push them out of the business-if you really have a question on how hard teachers are really working, I invite you to visit a classroom for a day and see all that they go through and do. It is amazing, and it will give you more of an appreciation for what they do (and it would prompt you to vote yes for this proposition, because it is the right thing to do).
Mike McClellan posted at 5:46 pm on Wed, Oct 24, 2012.
well, if you guys have your way, we'll soon find out if money isn't the problem:
Federal stimulus funds for education have dried up.
The sales tax dies next June.
Let's assume that the overrides all fail.
Then you'll have your way, chuckles and company. Enjoy.
chuckles3 posted at 12:26 pm on Wed, Oct 24, 2012.
blah blah more money for the children blah blah more money for the unions blah blah don't worry about bad results blah blah blah.
If education is so important, why can't we divert some of the tax money we already have away from things like, I don't know, bloated pensions, silly pet projects, overstaffed administration offices and programs on diversity and bullying?
Could it be we already spend enough on education and money isn't the problem?
chatmandu002 posted at 11:00 am on Wed, Oct 24, 2012.
Vote NO on prop 204. Ther are too many fingers in this pie and it will hurt us later down the road. Make the legislature responsible to fund the education of our children.
sockratties posted at 10:10 am on Wed, Oct 24, 2012.
Ever hear of the National Educational Association (NEA) or the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)? Right to work or not these two unions are powerful political forces that influence Washington’s involvement in education, decisions made by the Department of Education and policies nationwide that effect education here in Arizona.
I’m not sure how you got “Rush” in there but you know what you can do with him.
Irons1 posted at 9:21 am on Wed, Oct 24, 2012.
Sock whatever, there are no powerful teachers unions in Arizona. To continue to insist that this is true is ridiculous. Remember, you and others have made this a right to work state. Unions have no power, but I guess, if Rush tells you so, it must be true
Arizona Willie posted at 11:44 am on Tue, Oct 23, 2012.
There are problems with 204.
There is NO guarantee the money will make it to the schools and teachers.
The Legislature has a given amount of dollars dedicated to education, now ... but if 204 passes they will reduce that amount by the amount brought in by the 204 tax and spend what < would > have gone to education on more private prisons or some other lobbiest's dream(s).
There is nothing in the legislation to make sure the money from 204 is put on TOP of regular education funding from the legislature instead of < replacing > it.
This is a well intentioned piece of legislation that should be DEFEATED because it has too many loopholes.
sockratties posted at 10:38 am on Tue, Oct 23, 2012.
Want to make education in Arizona Better?
Address issues like privatization of the education system, the self interests of teachers unions and a top heavy educational administration.
Also look at getting federal government out of local education. Don't confuse feeding needy children as part of education. It is a valid issue but not an education issue.
Realize that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) need to be educational goals starting with kindergarten through 14. K-14 needs to include community college with a diversity of options including vocational.
School needs to be mandatory with no drop-outs. Drop-outs become a burden on society at once and continue for life. These kids need to become contributing citizens as soon as they graduate. Get truant officers back on the job and hold parents responsible for their kids.
The Obamacare provision that allows kids to remain on their parent’s plan until age 26 needs to apply AS LONG AS THEY ARE IN SCHOOL. Why should we contribute if they aren’t doing their part?
sockratties posted at 10:35 am on Tue, Oct 23, 2012.
Yes Ms. Esau, we do need to vote the CANDIDATES that effect education because politics and special interests have gutted our education system.
Expect More Arizona is pushing Prop 204 which wants us to add more money after bad. Don't confuse political ads claiming to benefit education with education issues. Those are TAX issues using education to give the state more taxing power and more money to waste.
Prop 204 will give the state almost unlimited taxing authority under the guise of educational need. It doesn’t set the 5% as a limit. Congress can interpret that amount as a minimum, which you can bet they will. The temporary tax is expiring and has been spent. Now the scammers have their hand out again.
Watch out for tax traps like prop 204. Remember how the lottery was supposed to take care of all our educational needs? Gov. Symington reduced the state contribution to education by the amount the lottery brought in! The lottery just became a windfall for the state to waste.
OldGuy61 posted at 9:33 am on Tue, Oct 23, 2012.
Here we go again. This tax was supposed to be temporary. Now, once again, they want to make it permanent. Education is not the only thing being funded by this permanent tax, if you read the proposition closely. Giving our politicians more money is just foolish. Put forth a specific proposal that only funds education with no loopholes and I will vote for it. As this proposition stands, I plan to vote against it. There is just too much "wiggle room" for our politicians to divert these funds elsewhere.