In regards to summer classes, the Summer Learning Program (SLP) through RCS is a joke. It doesn't focus on student comprehension of the material, but on getting through the necessary benchmarks, and regurgitating the student out of the process with little additional knowledge from before. That is, for STEM related classes. Trying to learn a years worth of physics, chemistry, or mathematics in a few weeks can be done - but not through the SLP. I recommend auto-didacticism all the time, and testing out with exam for credit tests. Exam for credit tests are too easy to say that a student is well-prepared for the next course, though. You need a 77% or higher on the test, and you receive high school credit. It's a nice way to get more credit, but it does not compare to the year long high school classes, though. Perhaps honors science classes might be an interesting addition to RCS.

In regards to self-education, I've found the following links to be overwhelmingly helpful:
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
http://www.khanacademy.org/
http://patrickjmt.com/
http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/
http://thenewboston.org/
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/
http://quizlet.com/

And, of course, the materials at the Rochester Hills Public Library along with MelCat.

If RCS really wants to beef up students to prepare for STEM jobs, I'd recommend a stronger science / computer programming / CAD program.

This is an idealistic, but incredibly innovative and helpful new way to teach as proposed by Salman Khan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OtSs2xEpzY&feature=player_embedded

I think the problem with implementing new education techniques in a place like RCS is that RCS is too formalized and it already has its inertia in the way it's been run. Educational change is necessary, but no one seems to know a practical way to go about it.

The teachers know many ways to better the education of students, but not all of them have the experience in educational policy that they would need to implement change through RCS's administration. RCS's administration doesn't always have as much educational experience as teachers...

If we want to better things, I wouldn't recommend getting parents involved. It's about the education of the students. I'd recommend getting teachers and students involved.

The students will not grow if they are coddled by mommy and daddy. http://articles.latimes.com/2001/nov/26/entertainment/ca-8418

If you want students to be more innovative and stronger in STEM, RCS could actually interest them and allow them more leeway with things like internships with local companies. School gives you theory, but theory is pointless if you don't have apply it to practice.

I wouldn't advocate parents getting more involved in educational policy. I would advocate students and teachers doing so. It's their education - allow them the leeway to take ownership of it.

Consider cutting pointless things at Rochester High School like "Social Break" and implement a day or two each semester on new ideas for educational policy. Have the students in each grade go into the auditorium at different times, and allow them to share their ideas with an open mic.

As far as education goes, we must prepare for teamwork.

Some schools allow an option that if you get over a 90% each marking period, you do not have to take the final exam. This would REALLY galvanize students to do better. I would recommend team projects in classes and presentations, as that is what most tend to fail at when they get to the real world where they *must* collaborate.

Ideas for different departments:

Social Studies - If a student is interested in government, why always learn from the book when the Rochester Hills City Hall is right down the street? Organize field trips where kids can ask questions and learn more about government in practice. http://www.rochesterhills.org/

STEM - I cannot stress enough how much learning these concepts are supplemented when seeing their real world applications. The Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce has a list that shows there are more STEM businesses in the area than you would think. http://rochesterregionalchamberofcommerce.chambermaster.com/list
See if they can integrate into RCS and teach students the real world applications of theory. This will make better students and smarter future businesspeople.

Very few students know they can go to RACE and take classes at night to pass out of school requirements that may be less related to their future major.

In regards to the arts, there does exist Avon Players Community Theater and Paint Creek Center for the Arts that students can better their artistic abilities at.
http://www.pccart.org/
http://avonplayers.org/

Don't forget the fact that there are very educated teachers at each high school, and the three colleges in the area: OU, OCC, Rochester College.
http://www.oakland.edu/
http://www.oaklandcc.edu/
http://www.rc.edu/

There's also Oakland Technical Schools that seems to be underutilized. That's a great example of students being actually prepared with hands on experience learning something practical, whether it be nursing, automobiles, cosmetology, and so on.
http://www.ostconline.com/

I don't think Rochester and Rochester Hills lacks materials to better education. There's a lot to offer in these great two cities.

What RCS lacks is honest communication about what we want out of education, and all of the opportunities that are offered. How many students know going into high school that correspondence classes, RACE night classes, exam for credit tests, and so on, are offered in the counseling office? Not enough, that's for sure.

I apologize for writing so much, but I think that parents aren't the ones going through the educational process, and it seems like they gripe about it more than they give concrete, helpful advice on how to pragmatically improve it.

Let's start getting the students involved. It's their education, after all. Let's do this for them, and have them help take ownership of their education. They're smarter kids than you could ever imagine, and a heck of a lot smarter than they're treated. They just need to be treated like the adults that they can grow up and become.

Incorporae Foreign Language into the Elementary School program. Current guidelines for graduation require 2 years of the same languare and this can be fulfilled at any grade and allow our High School students additional electives such as band, choir and art or more challenging course work.

"Since you appear to have a good understanding of many of the opportunities available to high school students in RCS and the view of someone who is right there, have you considered blogging about these opportunities and others you would like to see happen?"

No.

"Back in middle and high school, I ended up taking geometry twice. The first time, in eighth grade, since I was the only student in the course, I read the book and asked questions of the teacher when necessary. Video lectures are a different medium, but similar in content. In ninth grade, I started high school, my scores were sufficient to be in Algebra II with the juniors, but school administration recommended I take a combination Honors Geometry/Algebra II course with sophomores to minimize the age difference and receive an extra point for my GPA. I did not learn significantly from the instructor as the material was the same, but the questions my classmates asked provided a new depth to the course that I missed the first time.

I do strongly recommend the use of technology in the classroom, but we must understand what it does and doesn't provide."

Typically, when you take something twice, that tends to happen. The more material you go over, the better you get at it. I'm not saying technology is the answer - I'm saying it's something that's very underutilized.

"While I do believe that these methods have great merit, they may not be the best for all and they need to be implemented with caution. I've taken a number of the Khan Academy courses and found that they were lacking in some aspects that are vital to student learning."

I didn't mean that Khan Academy should be used in order to teach the entire course. It's a great resource that is underutilized.

My recommendation for using media is to videorecord courses from RCS across each district. If we can't find supplemental material that meets that standards RCS needs, then let's make it. If RCS puts up its classes on video, students that need to review material can watch it, and students that are not currently in the class can watch it to get ahead to prepare for testing out or sheer interest. Putting up syllabi and homework assignments would also be a beneficial resource to students. It would not interfere with the current academic structure of RCS.

"Having breezed through school until I hit walls in college and the workplace, experience serves me when talking with gifted youth who enjoy the ease of high school, not realizing that this can set them up for difficulty later. I do not doubt their intelligence, but experience gained from living the consequences of decisions is also an important factor."

I don't understand what you're recommending to implement.

"I'm recommending that both parents and students have a voice. Students bring one perspective. Parents bring another. For example, many students may view easy courses as better, whereas parents may view them as not preparing students for life in the workplace."

I think you'd be a tad surprised if you went into today's classrooms. You're implying that a lot of these students are not cognizant of their decisions, when most of them are pushing themselves with nearly all AP classes.

It's probably hard to know this because your children aren't in high school.

Joshua, this is a very thoughtful article, and I thank you for writing it. I just wanted to comment, however, that I think that RCS teachers do an amazing job of communicating with parents. My children attend Brewster, and our teachers have always communicated frequently with me about their progress. They've even e-mailed me if my second-grader seems sad one day or if my kindergartener appears to be coming down with a cold. My son (the second-grader) is a little young for his grade, but all three of his teachers (past and present) have done an excellent job of identifying his strengths and his weaknesses...and providing extra support when necessary to make sure that he is challenged in the areas in which he excels and that he stays on track in the areas in which he struggles. We feel extraordinarily fortunate to be in a district with such dedicated, talented educators who go that extra mile to communicate with us on an almost daily basis.

Thank you again Joshua for your insight and very thought provoking discussion. As parents, we all want the best for our children. We also have to accept at some point, though, that not everything is up to us. Our kids have to find their way. What seems perfect for one child, may not be the right fit for the next kid. I could reflect ad nauseum, but will refrain for now.

As far as early education, there are a few suggestions I would like to make. First of all, our children need more time outdoors....period!! Movement and sunlight are fabulous antidotes to much of the behavioral conditions we are seeing in our schools including ADD, depression ect. Seratonin levels and dopamine levels rise with vertical and rotating motion. If we could release these neurotransmitters naturally through physical activity, think of the number of children who could be taken off of meds. It sickens me to see how many of our children are on any number of SSRIs. Enough said!

Secondly, on a lighter note, I would like to make a suggestion for curriculum. I would like to the sciences strengthened in the early grades. They do a good job overall, however, I feel much time is wasted in kindergarten and first grade. When my girls were little, I would take them to Dinosaur Hill and Cranbrook for weekly classes. They loved the hands on activities and outdoor interaction. It would be fabulous if we could better utilize Dinosaur Hill or even develop a science department within each elementary school that could emulate such programs. I would like to see science treated as a special just as gym, art and music. Perhaps even a program which included multiple grade levels where projects were developed and carried out by groups made up of 2 or more grades. I would like to see a 'science' team in each school that concentrates exclusively on this subject matter. This is time to plant the seeds of enthusiasm. Just a thought.

!

I would like to say, that overall, I have been very pleased with our Elementary school experience. We have wonderful teachers who really care and are passionate. I was sorry to see so many retire last year. We will miss them dearly. I concur with Meredith on the communication aspect. My girls' teachers have been fabulous. Our teachers have also done a wonderful job at identifying appropriate teachers for my girls. Having the right fit makes all the difference in the world.

Middle school proves to be a challenge as predicted. Letting my daughter make her own mistakes has been the most difficult aspect of parenting. I am accepting that this too is part of the learning process. And, like yourself, I was also taking geometry independently in 9th grade so have high standards for my daughter. I also recognize that much of my success came from internal motivation. Whether or not a child takes Calculus in 11th grade or 12th grade or at all for that matter is rather inconsequential in the long run. The most important aspect of mastering math is that the foundation is strong. Pushing kids through prematurely is counterproductive on so many levels.

I

Perhaps, if our schools lightened up on their overall high school graduation requirements, we wouldnt risk diluting such classes in order to push maximum children through. Not everyone needs Calculus. Those that do, deserve a strong foundation! Despite the push for math and sciences in this country, we need to recognize that these are not the only fields of specialty that are necessary to move our country forward. Learning is a lifelong process! Cliche, to be sure but oh so true!

Math is the gateway to higher-order thinking, and is not just an end unto itself.

http://www.breakthroughcollaborative.org/sites/default/files/Advanced%20Math%20research%20brief.pdf

We are doing our kids a great disservice with the weak curriculum we currently offer, it is hard to understand how lightening-up is going to prepare our children for college or a meaningful career. And it is hard to see how it is going to boost self-esteem over the long run when they become adults, and see the rest of the whizzing past them, taking the rewarding and high-paying jobs because they were not prepared.

College affordability is an issue, but so is preparedness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiRGRvE_Wqg

#5 cont.
If California has such high standards, then why is it that all of my friends living in the Silicon Valley send their kids to private schools? I would think that of all places in California, Silicon Valley would have the best public schools. My only friend out there who sends her kids to public schools lives in LaCanada.

If we are not careful, we could be in the same situation. If class sizes explode due to budget cuts, we too could have gangs in the suburbs as they do in California. I suspect California schools are not exactly an example we should emulate.

http://www.lcusd.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=2535

Cheryl,
LaCanada is NOWHERE close to Silicon Valley. It does, however, have the best Schools in California

James, I do not falsify information! There is no point in doing so! LaCanada is a northern suburb of Los Angeles. I spent four years in Grad School in California and have a great number of friends living and raising families throughout the CA . While I went to school in Los Angeles, many of my friend settled in Silicon Valley. (Los Gatos, Cupertino, Palo Alto and the Bay Area.) No, I am not an expert on their schools, but while I was visiting friends in Los Gatos, I was surprised to hear about the competitive nature of their private schools. My friends described parents interviewing schools and rating them based on their child's probabilities of getting into Harvard. That seemed a bit extreme as we are talking about 5 year olds. But so it goes in the Valley I guess!

I recognize how fortunate I have been to have experienced so much in my lifetime already. I have the highest of hopes for my children and this Country which is why I am fighting for our public schools. The are the foundation for everything!

And James.... Thanks for the link. It is interesting to see which schools (according to your study) ranked highest in CA. Have you seen the income levels of these communities?

Oh, and just because I lived in LA for 4 years without seeing one movie star, they do exist apparently! My friend who lives in LaCanada said she met Angela Bassett while waiting for parent teacher conferences:)

I note that in Joshau Reynold's original article he did not mention teachers at all. Surprising !
Following are links to two articles, one about the differences good teachers have made in the future lives of their students beyond high school and a second article to quote the author how college schools of education are the "slums" of the university.
My children, both the product of RCS, have done very well. However it seemed that in high school every semester they would have one teacher who couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag and obviously didn't care. Everyone knew it but there was either no way to get rid of that failure of a teacher or no one in authority cared.

http://www.humanevents.com/2013/03/11/walter-williams-educational-rot/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-12/standard-tests-do-reveal-which-teachers-are-best.html