Civics & School Reform
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brought to you by Butterfly School and Explorer Club

Welcome to Kid Pages, an intersection of Butterfly School and Explorer's Club.

Letter from jessie...  jess@shininghours.com

Two major concepts run through these special Activity Sheets:  school reform, and civics.  These resources are something I began to develop to help my own children during the fall.  First, they needed to understand the new vocabulary I had been using at home.  In part, this was because I was taking an education class, Professor Kay Merseth's "School Reform" (vocabulary: pedagogy, curriculum, instruction, assessment).  However, I was also attending an increasing number of night meetings to support school budget increases (vocabulary :  School Committee, Board of Selectmen, budget, fiscal year, capital expenditure).  Second, I wanted them to understand why I deliberately was attending more night meetings -- sometimes dragging them along.  At one meeting, some parents who sat behind us saw an early version of these Activity Sheets and joked that adults also need a clear explanation of how our town works.

To complete the final project for Kay's course, I was torn between a children's book to illustrate the things I had been learning, and a way to help parents educate themselves and their children -- quickly -- in time to impact my town's FY05 budget process.  Ultimately, I have tried to do both.  

My concept of school reform has changed, thanks to the readings and discussions in my class.  I now see schools as constantly undergoing school reform.  No two academic years are alike.  The students change, the teachers change.  State mandates change.  And, most importantly (at this moment) -- budgets change.  As federal, state and local governments withdraw money from schools, they are forced to reform.  Of course, it is a twisted reform -- not inspired by what children need, but rather the best effort of professionals to patch up a school  to make the best for our children with whatever is left after programs are cut, teachers laid off, buildings left too small and overcrowded.  

Parents, teachers and other caregivers must become increasingly active as advocates for schools.  Most public schools are not well connected to the rest of the community.  Often physically set apart in the landscape, schools are so easy to ignore.  This isolation hurts the children.  Citizens remain unaware of the specific challenges (or successes) taking place in their local public school.  Schools just aren't on their radar screens.  Given a choice about spending more tax money to support schools, or keeping the money, is it really surprising that so many people vote to keep their money?  

I am hopeful that the answer for better education is better education.  Educate our children to make the most of schools.  Educate ourselves about how schools work.  Educate our neighbors about what schools, and our community, needs.

These Activity Pages construct a positive framework for children and adults to discuss the way schools work, and the partnerships needed to make schools successful.  

As in districts across the country, our local school budget has suffered enormous cuts as state and federal funding evaporate.  We had a 5 million dollar cut in FY04's budget.  An additional 2.5 million dollar cut looms on the horizon for FY05.  

My children easily grasp that art, music and gym have been reduced, and they don't like it.  They understood that their gym teacher from last year lost her job when the budget was cut.  I want them to see that we don't need to give up and accept the losses.  Working with others, we can build creative solutions for our community.

See you at a meeting!

-- Jessie Steigerwald