Bulldog Bytes
Newsletter for Employees of the Mexico59 December 14, 2016
The last Bulldog Bytes of 2016--Next one will be released January 4, 2017
Can President Donald Trump get rid of Common Core?
I found this article interesting. Partially because it gives a pretty decent history of Common Core. Partially because it points out the reality of our current political system. Candidates say what they have to in order to get elected, regardless of their ability to follow through on those promises (and this is not a Trump issue - we would be able to say this about Hillary too. Or just about any high-level office candidate elect).
It will be interesting to see what the administration does with public education. The ink is barely dry on ESSA. More autonomy to the states. Less testing. Less oversight. But what will the new Ed Secretary do? If her history in Michigan is any guide, she will be a champion of vouchers and an opponent of public schools. I hope it does not play out that way, but it is my fear.
Related to this national talk are the recent PISA test score announcements. In this BBC article, you'll see the US does not even make the list as they only publish the top nations. And then this line: "We're losing ground - a troubling prospect when, in today's knowledge-based economy, the best jobs can go anywhere in the world,'' said the US Education Secretary, John King.
You see, that statement is not entirely true. But it is the kind of statement the media and politicians use to attack public education. While we would love to score better, where we currently score is not so different than the mid-sixties. The US has never scored well on international assessments. Yet we have led the world in patents filed during that time.
Stand up for public education. Stand up for yourself. Your voice is the voice that legislators need to hear from in Jeff City as well as Wash DC. There are over 66,000 teachers in Missouri and over three-million nation-wide. That is too big a lobby for any legislator to ignore.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/10/501426803/can-president-trump-get-rid-of-common-core
NOTE: Board of Education meeting is THURSDAY, December 15, 2016
Pioneer Awards and Board of Education Meeting
3:45 - Pioneer Reception Opens
4:45 - Awarding of the Pioneer Awards
Honorees are:
Garf Thomas
Linda Rosendahl
Freddie Crews
Lou Mongler
Jackie Barnett
Kathy Yount
Diane Melahn
5:45 - Reception closes
5:50 - Quick closed session to select Belcher Scholarship winner
6:00 - Regular Board Meeting
Thursday, Dec 15, 2016, 03:45 PM
2101 Lakeview Road, Mexico, MO, United States
Peach Jar Service
MHS Art Club Annual Ornament Auction
Bidding will close at Noon on Dec. 15. Then, the ornaments will be delivered or can be picked up by the purchaser on Friday the 16th.
Meetings and Events on Weeknights or Weekends?
EB Lewis
Eugene Field Outstanding Artists
Audrain County Retired Teachers Thank MHS Jazz Band
Scarf donation at Early Childhood Center
Chamber Choir and Noteworthy on Tour
Malik Holman earns college accolades
Malik is the son of Mark Holman, MHS Counselor and Melissa Holman, Computer Technician.
Hour of Code
Bulldog Bytes
Email: jdiffenderfer@mexico.k12.mo.us
Website: www.MexicoSchools.net
Location: 2101 Lakeview Road, Mexico, MO, United States
Phone: 573.581.3773
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mexico-School-District-59/692521830775778
Twitter: @LetJoKnow