Education
1998 Washoe County School Bond
Is Accountability Still The Issue?
"Would that I could discover truth as easily as I can uncover falsehood."
Although attributed to Cicero, the above quote could as easily be applied to citizens of Washoe County and Incline Village who are seeking facts surrounding the need for another school bond requested by the Washoe County School Board (WCSB).
Placing the Blame for Remedial Education
Who should pay for collegiate remedial education? A number of state governments have asked such a question, and are taking steps to cut back or eliminate remedial courses altogether for high school graduates who arrive at colleges unprepared in reading, math and English. With each successive year universities have been asked to cover the costs of correcting the failures of the nation’s public schools. For a decade they have carried this burden in relative silence. But no more. Now they have the motivation and the will to hold the lower public grades accountable. It’s called the budget squeeze. Will Nevada’s state legislature give our own University and Community College System similar authority?
School-to-Work: The Right Model to Use
In an era of ever-changing educational fads and ideologies, school-to-work programs have entered the arena. This widely-debated program is part of Goals 2000, a federal education reform plan, and places more emphasis on vocational training in schools than currently in our curriculum. Pressure is on from the federal government to implement the program by issuing grants for states to develop and integrate vocationally-based coursework. Assembly Bill 191, called the School-to-Careers bill, is Nevada’s attempt to put this program into law. The idea of graduating students with "real-world" knowledge is taken from the German education system – world-renowned for its excellence. But some key differences exist between the German Model and School-to-Careers – differences that might destroy a potentially successful program. Here with a look at how the German education system is structured.
An Alternative Solution to Financing Computers in Nevada’s Classrooms
Keeping pace with ever changing technology can be a monetary strain on even the most well run business, and for government it can be an insurmountable burden. Such is the case with the Nevada education system. Controversy is running rampant between the governor’s office and legislative committee hearing rooms about how and why taxpayers should fund computers in the classroom. One side says that without computers, our children will be left in the 20th Century. The other side agrees, but wants to know why $233 million should be spent on computers when other programs are in dire need of overhauls – like standard assessment and school district accountability. But the question is raised, "If other states have found the money to have first rate education systems and several computers in every class, why can’t Nevada do the same?" Here’s a look at Nevada’s national ranking and how our next door neighbor is dealing with this problem.
Class size reduction is not the answer to Nevada’s failing education system
Education reform means different things to different people. To Governor Bob Miller, education reform means class size reduction of grades K-3 as evidenced in his recent State of the State address. But the policy has drawn fire from free market reformers since there are no studies which agree with the Governor’s claims of drastically improved achievement. Legislators during the 1995 session expressed their own skepticism with their votes and refused to approve class size reduction for third grades throughout the state. Yet Bob Miller continues to insist that if we are serious about improved education this policy must be implemented. Will the Governor succeed? Not likely … and here’s why.
The Instruction Gap
A Ten Year Study of Education Spending in Nevada
On January 2, 1995, Nevada Policy Research Institute released a ten year statistical study on how education funds were spent. The study, two years in the making, revealed a major shift from instruction to administration, teacher's benefits, and loan interest payments creating an education gap of over $80,000,000 since 1982.
What's New in Nevada Schools?
A Case Study: Jacobson Elementary School
At present, there are an estimated five to ten million youth identified as "at risk" in our country: children at risk of dropping out of school; of using, abusing or selling drugs; of getting pregnant of causing pregnancy; of contracting AIDS or other life-threatening communicable disease; or of living on the edge of homelessness and hopelessness from family strife or disability.
