Efforts continue at blocking Common Core in Kansas

People are already saying that Common Core isn't effective? How do you know? We don't have a fresh class of Kindergarteners to look at yet. This is still a transition period between the old and the new. The same thing was going on with NCLB when I was in school. Unfortunately it was a bad system with no real standards. So I'm reserving judgment on Common Core until it's fully implemented and we have fresh students who weren't under the old system.

May 31, 2013 at 1:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

State Board hears opposition to Common Core Standards

I highly doubt the board will be swayed. College education programs around the state are already preparing their students to teach Common Core. Too much money has been put into this to change now.

May 14, 2013 at 8:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Parking plans

Oh yes, there's plenty of parking on campus. Try to find a spot in any of the Yellow lots on any given weekday. The dorms are a whole different issue unto themselves. Those of us who don't live on campus buy Yellow permits for their convenience. The buses don't always run on time, and they don't always run late enough for night classes or campus jobs. And of course Parking & Transit oversells permits and severely limits where student permits can be used. Of course the worst is during basketball season. Already limited parking lots get closed early before classes are even finished for the day. If you have a night class or work, good luck finding a spot. But I digress.

Just because we have parking issues on campus doesn't give us the right to affect the rest of Lawrence. Issuing permits for certain neighborhoods might convince campus to deal with the parking problems there. Greek houses should be respectful of their neighbors and either deal with the number of cars they have, or limit them in some way. Many of the Oread Neighborhood rentals warn potential tenants about the parking situation before they move in. When I lived near the stadium, we had free permits for the lot and anyone without one was towed on a game day. A solution would be for every house in certain areas to get two free permits and pay for any extras. Another would be if you want the luxury of parking in front of your house, buy a permit for a designated fee. Different neighborhoods may have different rules based on what the situation is like there. Neighborhoods near campus may benefit from the included permits. In all cases, residency must be proved.

May 13, 2013 at 4:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lawrence motorists to be delayed by work scheduled on downtown river bridges Tuesday

They couldn't have waiting one week until Finals are over? Hopefully the freshman parents know to get on 70 from McDonald Drive or K10.

May 9, 2013 at 4:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Ad campaign accuses Kansas schools of low academic standards

Kansas could consider a system of "open enrollment". In my home state of Minnesota, parents can send their children to any public school they choose at no cost other than transportation. This means that you could live in, say, Perry and send your kids to school in Lawrence. You'd only be responsible for the cost of getting them to school. The state funding for the students would be sent to Lawrence instead of Perry-Lecompton. Supposedly this encourages Minnesota schools to be competitive with their neighbors so as to retain the students who live in the district as well as try to gain students from outside. Because of this, they have created programs like language immersion for elementary grades, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate. There are also rules intended to prevent transfers and recruiting for athletics. A transfer student is ineligible to play for at least one season. Most students attend in their home district. Attending a neighboring district sometimes happens if a family moves outside the district or if there is a program in a school that entices parents. Often these are the language immersion programs since only a few schools offer them in certain languages. There is also a program that allows successful students from urban districts in Minneapolis and St. Paul to attend suburban high schools. That program does include busing to assist economically disadvantaged students. So a kid from KCK could go to Blue Valley at no cost.

May 6, 2013 at 8:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

School construction projects could begin by April 2014

Masten is spot on with putting the students first. Imagine if you have a kindergartener who starts this next school year at Pinckney and then mid-year or the next year gets moved to Deerfield or Hillcrest for two or three years and then might possibly be moved back to Pinckney to finish elementary school. The task the school board faces is as delicate as closing a school permanently. You're dealing with young children who are building relationships with peers and staff. Normally they would have six years with many of the same kids before moving on to middle school. Several of the building projects can probably be completed leaving the kids where they are. You do the bulk of the work during the summer when they aren't there. It takes a few years longer, and they may have to do without a few staple items (I didn't have a jungle gym for several years), but they get to remain in the same building with the same students and staff. Either that or the board needs to use this time to level out populations across the schools after having several buildings close and few adjustments made.

April 23, 2013 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Education a female-dominated profession, except at the top

I have a high level of respect for men who teach elementary school. My favorite teachers from those early years continue to be the men. Often they treated all students as equals. They faced the challenges of troubled students head on. While my female teachers were often nurturing and kind, the men made us think even at 10 years old. Many of those teachers have influenced me to seek a career in education. My 8th grade social studies teacher has been one of my major career influences. In the 8 years since, I haven't been able to tell him that. So students of both genders can benefit from teachers of both genders at any age.

April 22, 2013 at 6:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

School board to begin scheduling bond-funded projects

So they're considering, say, closing Cordley completely for one or two years to get all the work done while moving the students to other buildings, or closing off parts of Cordley and opening them in stages. Honestly, there are benefits to both. If you close the school completely for a short period of time, you can get the kids into a new building much sooner. The downside is that you have to move them elsewhere for a period of time. Do the teachers move with them, or are they folded into other schools and subject to the same upheaval as when Wakarusa Valley was closed completely? And then you have closing the building in stages. This is what I dealt with for most of my elementary school years in the late 90s/early 2000s. We were without such staples as a jungle gym for several years. The divider in the new MPR that separated the cafeteria side from the gym was still not functioning properly when I moved up to middle school. On the flip side, when my middle school was being modeled, they simply added an extra wing, so they put some tarps up between the old and the new. So perhaps they will close some fully and others will be done in stages, depending on what work needs to be done. Personally I hope they are able to complete all the projects as quickly as possible, so that the students can take advantage of the improvements.

April 22, 2013 at 5:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Gov. Brownback signs into law concealed carry measure; campuses exempt for four years

Excuse me, I believe my out of state tuition is close to or more than what you pay in taxes. If the student body is in agreement, then of course we should be allowed to ban guns on our campus. Don't like it? Don't come to campus. If you're not a student, faculty member, parent, or alum, you have very little reason to come up here anyway. Knock on wood we haven't had an incident with gun violence while I've been a student. I commend the administration and the regents for putting the safety of students and faculty above politics. I worry for the other public buildings that will now be subject to this law, especially the schools.

April 18, 2013 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU officials break ground on Rock Chalk Park; set goal of hosting 2014 Kansas Relays at site

Probably not until the new facilities are complete, unless KU decides to not host any home meets next outdoor season.

April 16, 2013 at 4:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )