As I stepped outside of education and became an interested observer, I came to realize how much of education remains a mystery to most people. I found that people are concerned and interested in learning more, but they are hesitant to ask questions and, more importantly, not sure what questions to ask or where to go for the answers. While I have my own opinion of success, my purpose for creating this blog is to provide a forum, not where my opinion prevails, but a place where everyone can weigh in; a place where the sum of our collective knowledge is greater than our individual ideas.
What is the purpose of school? How do I know what my child is supposed to be learning in school? What are academic standards? What is a curriculum? How do I navigate my local school, school board, and the larger system of education in my community and beyond? Where do I get answers to my questions? As a parent, school employee, policy maker, taxpayer or simply an interested community member, how do I effectively evaluate the return on my school tax dollar investment? Where can I ask my questions, get the best answers and/or open a discussion that is important to me without fear of being marginalized? The answer is here.
Unlike some blog sites where moderators may tell you that there are no right or wrong answers, as the moderator of this site, my goal is to pose questions that can bring us all to the best right answer. There is enough misinformation out there. When it comes to education, misinformation can be extremely confusing; most often for the very people tasked with financially supporting the system. In the end, misinformation doesn’t serve anyone well, least of all our children.
The policies, practices, laws and regulations of education can be difficult to navigate. The vocabulary, itself, can be hard to define. My decades of experience in education and, prior to that, 18 years in law enforcement, allow me to call upon an incredible network of experts that I will invite in to help us navigate the issues, enhance our discourse and, together, come to the best answers to our questions.
I am especially counting on parents and community members to weigh in. I appreciate that your voice can sometimes get drowned out by the larger system. Speak up. Pose questions. Together let’s find the best answers. Throughout this process, we will all become better informed and a little bit smarter. This is a place where everyone educates everyone.