Bill McAninch

Recent Activity

• 

  Bill signed the petition | over 2 years ago

  Tell Lawmakers to Say NO to an SAT for 12-year-olds
• 

  Bill signed the petition | over 2 years ago

  Ask the House EdLabor Committee to Ask EdSec Duncan Your Questions
• 

  Bill commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Core Knowledge and Class Size

  Thanks Clay.  I knew there had to be a limit.  Obviously a 2 student change within the mid-20's bracket isn't significant.  So size still matters.  In the 40's and 50's when I attended K12 schools our average class size was in the low 30's.  However, there can be no content or performance comparison.  What my seven grandchildren (attending a broad range of school types from intercity public to parochial and independent) are learning and experiencing now far exceeds learning opportunities that were available to me.  Just a few examples:  much of the math and science my eldest grandchild is learning as a sophomore in high school wasn't offered until I was in college; I don't think I had to give a formal (graded) presentation to any group until graduate school; I don't remember ever doing a "project"; and I never read Shakespeare or used a computer until I was in my late 30's (now in my late 60's).  During a 30-year military career and a 15-year business career, I had little opportunity or even interest in the state of U.S. education.  But in 2001 when I first began serving in my last position as a technology director in an independent Catholic school, I was very pleasantly surprised by teacher and student quality (but not by the school leaders), facility and technology infrastructure and especially by the rigorous curriculum and teacher willingness to adopt, or at lease experiment with, new pedagogies and tools.  I remain a frequent middle school science fair judge volunteer within the Chicago Public School system and I admit to some amazement that these can be same kids that are often labeled as failed by standardized test results, in studies and in the media.  (Or that these can be the same kids [or their brothers and sisters] that are [or will be] daily killing each other on the streets.)  Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that given my very limited anecdotal experience, I find it difficult to accept that we are so far behind other countries and that "reformation" or "transformation" is really needed.  I do realize that my student interactive opportunities have been few and selective.

• 

  Bill commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Core Knowledge and Class Size

  Clay, very insteresting, especially the "update".
  
  This is sort of a beside the point -- I'm not sure where I read it but I do remember a reference to a study that concluded that class size was not a significant factor affecting learning.  The reference may have been in a blog regarding stimulus funds for education.  There certainly would have to be limits (to class size) but I don't remember what they were.