How likely is it this can come to your school district? How would you respond? The Daily Wire is the source of the report: Starting next week, many children as young as 5 who attend Los Angeles Unified public schools will participate in a weeklong celebration of “National Coming Out Day,” which falls on October 11. The district issued its “Week of Action Toolkit,” emblazoned with a Black Power Fist over neon rainbow stripes and is nominally optional, although peer pressure will likely prompt elementary school teachers to use its programming. Its version for elementary students contains an “Identity Map activity” that “Prepares students to think critically about identity and … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Students in Connecticut Learn about Being Transgender in Line with ‘Social Justice Standards’
As we start the new year (2022) with mid-term elections coming up it's time to get more assertive in our stance about education. Too many school districts are telling parents to stay out of education. The trend for the past decade + has been for schools to take over teaching moral's and values. This story was published in Nov 2021 but is a good place to start our new year. National Review By Brittany Bernstein Elementary school students in West Hartford, Conn. public schools are being forced to undergo “social emotional learning through an equity lens” as district officials have reportedly told parents they may not opt-out of the curriculum, which aims to teach students a set of … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Teachers Are Quitting, and Here Is Why
We've been pushing for less testing and pressure on kindergartners for years. We've asked for more play time only to be told that districts hands are tied due to regulations and implications of less "seat" time. Following is an article that does a good job summarizing the problems our education system has/is caused/causing. The question is...will parents do anything about it? The article was published at Psychology Today - author is Peter Gray. Last month, I posted an article describing the stand that kindergarten teachers in Brookline, Massachusetts, took in protesting the policies imposed upon them from above—the excessive testing, dreary drill, and lack of opportunity for playful, … [Read more...]
F.L.A.S.H. Kindergarten to 4th grade: Sexual Health Education in Washington State
This is our report on the K-4 F.L.A.S.H. (Family Life and Sexual Health) curriculum from King County Health that is endorsed and listed as the #1 choice for sexual education programs by OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) in Washington State. This link will take you to the King County Health Dept page: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/locations/family-planning/education/FLASH/about-FLASH.aspx The information we are providing is shared under the Fair Use Doctrine. That is, it is intended for the education of the public. There is no profit associated with these disclosures. If you are interested we have other articles on F.L.A.S.H. for the … [Read more...]
The hidden costs of Washington State Legislature mandates on school districts
Some readers may think we bash school districts and Board Directors with little to say that's positive. It may seem like that at times given the apparent failure to accept input from the public. However...today we side with school districts in a specific area...the unfunded costs of mandates in several areas. The Washington State legislature, in its zeal to satisfy the State Supreme Court's McCleary ruling, decided that school districts needed to do two (2) things: Change Kindergarten from a choice of 1/2 or full day to Full Day Decrease the size of classes in the K-3 grades On the surface those may seem innocuous. However, like most things, the devil's in the detail and … [Read more...]
Another Study Reveals Pre-K May Hurt Kids Over Time
Recently we prepared a White Paper gathering studies that suggest Early Learning (Pre-K) may actually produce negative results with children. School districts around the nation support Pre-K because it brings them additional revenue, requires more employees, expands control...and for a host of other reasons. Shortly after we produced our White Paper (which we will share soon) we came across the following article that touches on the same topic. So, without further ado...from Intellectual Takeout (Annie Holmquist)... Sending young children to school at the age of three or four is increasingly becoming the norm for American parents. The fact is, everyone wants to see their child succeed, … [Read more...]
Is NPR Pushing Propaganda about the Benefits of Preschool?
If you've been following our blog you've seen the materials we've shared about the costs and impact of pre-K programs. We've told you about the cost, how it's a way to start gathering data on your child, how they begin pushing learning too early, how children are not allowed to be children, how by 3rd grade it's almost impossible to tell who went to pre-K and who didn't...all of this and how some additional information. Today we bring you a story from Intellectual Takeout (Annie Holmquist) where she shares some information about NPR's apparent attempt to convince parents pre-K is good by leaving out information. You be the judge. The other day, NPR published an article on … [Read more...]
Why Not Full-Day Kindergarten? Here’s Why….
Full day kindergarten.... Starting in this coming school year, in Washington State, all children are required to attend full day kindergarten....whether the parents think their child should or not. No matter whether the child's development stage...no matter their interest...the State has determined that ALL children are the same. On top of this is WAKids...a program that requires the teacher to conduct an "assessment" of each child and enter the information into the students record. This begins the public schools documenting, tracking and assessing your child...for the rest of their school life. But back to full day kindergarten. We believe the parent should have a choice and not be … [Read more...]
Delayed kindergarten dramatically reduces ADHD in children
From The Inquisitir - author is George Zapo Delaying kindergarten enrollment for one year shows significant mental health benefits for children, according to a recent study. Researchers found that a one-year delay in enrolling a child in kindergarten dramatically reduces inattention and hyperactivity at age seven. Researchers found that children who were held back from kindergarten for as little as one year showed a 73 percent reduction in inattentiveness and hyperactivity compared to children sent the year earlier, according to this new study on kindergarten and mental health. Stanford’s Graduate School of Education offered a news release about the new study published in the … [Read more...]
Spokane schools suspending first-graders, kindergartners more than high schoolers – Is this happening in your school district?
We came across this story at The Spokesman. It was written by Eli Francovich The story follows in a moment but it got us to wondering what the school districts in SWW suspension rates look like. We filed a Public Information Request (PIR) with the Battle Ground School District for their data for the last three (3) years and will be doing the same with the other eight (8) districts in this area. When we get that we will write a story. In the meantime here's the Spokane story.... She’s an engaged little girl who “tries hard to make friends” despite having a developmental delay that impacts her speech, making her hard to understand. Her name is Jaleesa and she’s on the autism … [Read more...]