| | long term success, the Texas Ascendant Campaign.
Better Leaders for a Better Future
The Plano ISD needs better leadership today to restore quality to our education and sound financial decision making to our budgets.
Our children are facing a difficult future because our nation's leaders for the last 17 years have been fumbling away our prosperity. We must prepare our children to set new standards for leadership so they can dig themselves out of the deep hole Washington has dug for them.
History, economics, and finance are the skills our children will need to find their way through the challenges of a difficult future.
As an engineer and scientist, I know science and technology. But I have also studied history and philosophy and I understand the need for a well rounded education that includes culture and the arts.
We must prepare our children to be tomorrow's leaders. I have developed a vision of a great future for our children and our state to succeed and prosper in a challenging future: The Texas Ascendant Campaign.
Education needs a goal like ancient sailors needed the Pole Star. With the right goal and education, our children and all the children of Texas can have a bright and secure future.
"Better leaders for a better future!"
Improve Elementary School Mathematics
Mathematics education in elementary school needs improvement. It has been weak for years and has not improved. Third grade, for example, is when the TEKS (the Texas curriculum) says students should learn multiplication and division. The Plano schools make a very weak effort in third grade, then the children are behind in fourth grade.
Parents need to send their children to Kumon, or Chinese school, or personally tutor their children in math during elementary school.
Plano does have economically disadvantaged people and they might not have the resources to fill the gaps in the Plano elementary school math program. This means the economically disadvantaged children will fall behind in elementary school and have trouble catching up. Even if they pass the TAKS test, that does not mean they are proficient in math.
The SAT test for college entrance is basically just math and verbal skills. Out of all the courses your child takes during a school day, math is extraordinarily important. Math might be 15% of the school day, but it is 50% of the traditional SAT.
"We must do better in elementary school math!"
Eliminate the Connected Math Program
The Connected Math program has been a pain and a burden for parents and students of Plano for far too long. All our neighbors -- Allen, Frisco, and Richardson -- outperform Plano and none of them use Connected Math. It is time to eliminate this failed program.
"Connected math must go!"
Improve Elementary School Reading & Writing
The world is increasingly complex and changing faster all the time. Knowledge based jobs are displacing manufacturing jobs. Good reading skills are vital for success in a knowledge based economy.
I was shocked when I saw reading assignments in elementary school directing my child to guess the meaning of a word. Children need to use a dictionary! And the curriculum needs to intentionally impress a good vocabulary upon our children.
In high school I was again shocked to hear a teacher tell my child to guess the meaning of words. A child cannot develop a good vocabulary by guessing the meaning of words.
Grammar is important for writing. Today's curriculum provides skimpy coverage of grammar. Grammar instruction has improved a little over the years, but it needs further improvement. Furthermore, there is not enough correcton for grammar when papers are graded. Teaching writing is very labor intensive. As Plano class sizes and teacher work loads continue to increase, the time shrinks that teachers have available to correct writing for grammar and style.
Our English Language Arts teachers are dedicated and they do an outstanding job within the restraints of the district's curriculum. But it is not until our children take a college writing course that their writing gets a rigorous review for grammar and style.
"Elementary school reading & writing must improve!"
I welcome your questions and suggestions: email.
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