"Community In Schools"

Perhaps you have seen the ad for Community In Schools.  It aired over and over in the media.  If you have not watched it, click the video to watch it on You Tube above.  This article will take a look at this commercial and consider the implications of whats being said to shape your views of Community in Schools, because their goal is to get you to embrace the notion that school books, teachers, and family is not enough; we need to let big bushiness and corporations into our schools.

"My grades were bad, I would like, get, like D's and C's..."

Message here is that if you're average, (getting "c"s) you are a "looser."
(Why didn't this boy tell he he was getting  D's and "F's?")

"It just, it got worse and worse and worse throughout the years....and it was just rough focusing on school when your mother who acts like a child is somebody you have to take care of."

Note, the girl does not say, it was "rough for me" or say, 
"my mom," acted like a child and I felt like I had to take care of her.
 The choice of words, whether her own or scripted for the commercial,
alludes the personal side of this girls issue. 

What is the message here?

"I appeared to be doing good at my school life, but if you would see me at home, it would have been a completely different story."

Here we see, school is good, home is bad.

"If something was going on at home we would go to stop by at Ms. Liberty's office and talk to her."

Parents are not as trustworthy as school teachers and counselors.

  

"They can trust someone and it can be the first person they ever trusted in their lives."

Evidently, they have never trusted anyone

 in their lives before their teacher.

I feel very empowered to make positive choices for my students"

"I hear people say that we can't save every kid, but I think that we can."

The mission is to "save" every kid....

Do they really mean "every kid?" And from what are these kids being "saved?"

It almost sounds religious.

In 2015 the National Center for Education Statistics reported in US News, that the drop-out rate is lowering.  Yes, lowering!  However, here we have Community in Schools (CIS) sounding an alarm....  telling us that we have an epidemic of kids dropping out of school.

Which is it?   Epidemics, medically speaking, are extremely dangerous to health and usually something out of control.  but, have no fear, help is here and they want to sell it to you via television advertising.  Their product, and the way to stop the epidemic, is "Community in Schools."

Wikipedia says, "The Communities In Schools (CIS) network is a federation of independent, 501 C organizations in 27 states and the District of Columbia that work to address the dropout epidemic. The organization identifies and mobilizes existing community resources and fosters cooperative partnerships for the benefit of students and their families."  Wow.  It's not your usual Parent Teacher Organization. 

When you go to their website, the first thing you get to see is a request for a donation... or two, leading you to see it as a charity.Sure,  CIS is a tax exempt 501 3c organization, but it is a work force, offering jobs, complete with salaries for individuals who oversee and operate these programs in the schools nationwide.... if the schools will have them.   Any organization that can get its foot into the door of school can work both inside the school and outside, and lets remember, children and their growing minds and bodies are a very valuable natural resource.   Like trees in a forest or gold in a river, your kids are a harvest waiting to happen. for this reason, and likely many others, businesses, corporations and various services, both public and private, are more than happy to have a presence in your local school, especially if funding, or serious tax write offs, will be available to have it happen. 
Here is a listing of organizations that currently advertise themselves as funders of  CIS..Funders include, AT&T, Bank of America, LUCKY brand and American Express. Funny how people want too have their business logos all over this not for profit ...charitable... organization.  Also note, one of the top 100 Non Profit Charitable Organization, is Communities In Schools, 


Looking deeper, it's pretty easy to see, this organization is not just here to help out a few students, but really to involve everyone.  They say the want to free up teacher to teach, but really the goal is to change the way school is done,  I'd even go so far as to speculate that the point is to create something known as Full-service Community Schools, all under the pretense of keeping people from dropping out of school.  I say pretense because,  since the prestigeous not for profit organization, Communities in Schools, is run by an ex high school drop out, Bill Milliken.

This only goes to prove that dropping out of public school is not the end of the world.  If you remember, some people who would have easily been negatively labeled by the "experts" in position of educational authority as "drop outs", like Albert Einstein and Aretha Franklin, for example, have silenced the people who told them that they'd "never amount to much" because they didn't do well in school environments for whatever reason.  In fact, some "drop outs", Like Bill Milliken,  have been very successful.  So successful in fact that his agenda is pretty big. 

Says Bill Milliken: 

"We need to stop thinking of ourselves as just K-12. We need to at least be the next grade up. We need to capture the field, be the leader and not turn inward. I keep hearing “oh we have so much competition out there.” If we see that as competition and not an opportunity, then we will become isolated and shrink. We need to see that as a field to capture so that we are all going in the same direction to turn around every kids life in every school."  - Bill Milliken,  40 years Later Interview

and  
" Career preparedness starts at birth.  " - Bill Milliken,  40 years Later Interview

So, you can see, it's not REALLY just the at-risk for drop-out kids he has site on.  And he says it's not just about K-12 too.  No, he has a goal.  Since he mentions birth here, you just have to wonder...  Maybe Ccommunity in Schools , wants your babies too? 


CIS propaganda include comments like:

"Life's hurdles can only be cleared with the support of a strong community."
                                                       "Communities in Schools" advertisement  by RMDA advertising

"At Communities in Schools we wants every child to have a shot at a better life."
                                                                                             Communities in Schools advertisement

"I hear people say that we can't save every kid, but I think that we can."
                                                                            Ms. Liberty, Communities in Schools Advertisement

Bill Milliken tells us what it is and you might not believe this, but the he says the problem is not in the arena of education.

"Well....I came to the conclusion that the young people weren't dropping out of school because of education, they were breaking down.. ah ... because of a breakdown in community. You know... there was no safety net for them.... and  I felt that schools now were being asked to be mother, father, sister, brother, social worker, hall guard.  I said here we have all these people all over town working  with young people, why don't we bring them together in a collaboration around the schools where every body's bringing their gift there, to free up the teachers to teach and give safe places for our young people to learn... and so, the average school is open from 8:30 til 3, the average agency working with children is open from 9 to 5, that left from three to five to build relationships with kids that were on buses. So, we said, why don't all get  the people from the health, education, faith community, volunteers to all come together and work together as a community, and that's why it's called, Communities In Schools."
Bill Milliken (Communities in Schools) - Interviewed by Sam Beard




"We are assessing the needs of every child but we are also assessing their strengths, and that the key!  Its really about understanding what kids are great at."
Mollie Shaw 
Executive Director of a CIS program

"In actuality, the difference that Communities in Schools is making is benefiting our entire community for the future."
Monica Koechlein
President of the philanthropic Stamm Koechlein Family Foundation

"CIS offers mental health services, physical health services, mentoring, tutoring, after school programming, a whole host of services, that without CIS we would not have, or would have less of."
Michael F. Rice
Superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools

 "I think Communities In Schools encourages young people to make good choices...."
Bonnie Adams Knapp of the New Morning Foundation.

"We started out doing teen pregnancy prevention in 2003-2004, and Communities in Schools was one of our first grantees."
Bonnie Adams Knapp of the New Morning Foundation.

"We now are really proud that Communities In Schools has gotten pregnancies down to one or two a year."
Bonnie Adams Knapp of the New Morning Foundation.



"We can bring all these services to the community, but if they don't buy into them, or believe in them they are not going to take advantage of them."
Dana Millet -Public Health Director 

"The students don't know that I am a student support specialist they think I am a helper and that is generally what my job is."
Amanda Fox, Student Support Specialist CIS

.

".... and parents need to know that they are not in it alone, that there are people in the community to help them raise their kids."
Leah Livingston-Site Coordinator           

                                                                                                  

History of Community in Schools Link

Community in Schools Spokane Main page  Link

Partners in the Spokane Area Program

It's For The Kids!

School Bond and Levy Feb.  2015

The notice in the mail reads, HERE"S THE TRUTH.  Funny, but it feels a little like and "Easy-open package," you know, the kind you have to wrestle with for at least ten minutes and then you still cannot open it, even if you resort to using teeth.  There may be a lot of truthful information here, but then, is it really full disclosure?  You have to wonder...... Is it the TRUTH, or just what the sender wants you to know?

The directive is to  "VOTE YES TWICE" The words on the yellow paper work to convince the reader that "Mead kids need" your vote of  YES.  It's an emotional plea, isn't it?  (It always is!)  "Help the children, please continue funding public schools." 

We are told that the state only provides 77% of the District budget.  The levy funds the remaining 23 %.  Could the math really be that simple? 


Hardly.  It's interesting too that in this simple equation there is no mention of how much Federal fund in at use in our local  public schools.  with  no mention of any federal funding in this mailing,one might recall how, last year,  the Spokesman Review reported that in Washington there had been a decision made that took a chunk of federal funding, (about 40 million dollars,) out of the control of Spokane school officials.  Bummer for them. Needless to say, schools didn't like the loss of funding control... and many didn't like the notion of parents choosing their child's school,or using outside rescources for learning... but your kids... are your buisness and their education is your choice.... and  it's your job, to fund the schools.  You can bet they like having your money in the form of taxes... "for the kids."

While the schools do get and use federal funds, they make it sound like all the funding they use comes from two sources; the state money allocated to the district's budget and your generous bond and levy funding.  And while schools do accept and sometimes solicit, donations from parents and philanthropists, there is no mention of any private donations or grants or even business "donations"to a tax deductible charity...known as the local public school.  There is no mention of any federal funding either..


We are told that the bond is needed to upgrade "all" facilities and implement them with new security enhancements, build new schools, and purchase land for future school sites.  It's not for the economy, it's not for the peace of mind for staff and parents, nope. It's not for school administrators, teacher salaries or job security for staff and planners who work in the system to make it the best it can be, those have to think about the future of public education in general. It's not so that the parents can go to work, make a living and pay bills know the kids are being taken care of in a good and competent school......  No, the "truth" is, it's "for the kids"

We are also encouraged to renew a levy, to maintain "superior learning programs, "and this is also "for the kids," but what these programs are or might be is left to our imagination.  We are not told specifically what programs these are, just given superlative adjectives.  It sure seems odd too, that the state funding would not be being used to provide these anonymous "learning programs" used in schools for kids.  We are also informed that levies support athletics and activities, but we have no idea of what thee activities might be...

All we are told as voters who have received this yellow paper in the mail is that the schools can use the money and "Vote yes, twice... It's "for the kids."

 

 To learn more about how money is spent in your school district, (so you can perhaps better decide how best to vote,) go to the OSPI website, here.  Use the pull down menu to select you particular district of interest, then click on "search" for links to the published reports.

Other articles that might be of interest include:

The Mead Schools Levy Bond Information page

Yes for Spokane Schools Page

 Spokesman Review article - Schools loose control over federal money 

Journal of Business article- Spokane School Bond Measures could top 480 million

KXKY article on Bond and Levy 2015

Spokane Valley Article about Lotteries and School funding

Some articles related to things that your dollars buy for schools:

A Stadium 

 https://www.facebook.com/KXLY4News/posts/148449061965852

 http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/albi-stadium-could-change-hands/

http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jul/12/city-school-district-trade-property/

Buildings and Land.  

http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/central-valley-district-buys-former-yokes-building/

http://spokanevalleytech.org/2012/04/09/district-to-purchase-building-for-skill-center-branch-campus/ 

http://www.khq.com/story/21203333/spokane-public-schools-withdraw-from-building-purches

http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/spokane-public-schools-floats-2049-million-project-list/

New Classroom Materials

http://www.krem.com/videos/news/2014/10/04/15151638/

Gatekeeping

Parents guard their children from harm.  They feed and clothe them, provide for their basic and not so basic needs, and give them good things to help them grow and learn.  As parents, and in particularly as parent-educators, it is important that we also guard watch over the materials and information being absorbed into the minds and hearts of our homeschooling kids, so we act as gatekeepers.  It's not easy .  It's often difficult to help them assimilate the things they need to know let alone navigate the plethora of messages that come their way.  We protect and defend them, guide them and teach them and then we must be our own gatekeepers too.

Browsing the Internet recently, I read something directed at "teachers" that made me think about how important it is to know what it is that is contained within a curriculum.  I mean, if your kids are taking a class, you want to know what will be taught i that class.... right?  You also want to help them thnk critically about it afterward as well.  Well, this was an offer to teachers, to use the "FREE" lesson plans from the internet.  There was a catch though.  In order to view the materials, the teacher had to sign up as a member ... first.

Weird.  You did know what it was that your would get?  You did not, until you joined.  you simply had to trust that once you signed up it would be good.

Wanna join?

The ad read, "...teachers, can view a variety of lesson ideas and handouts on popular topics."  

Curious, about what "popular topics" they had lesson plans for that I could use for my high school kids, lessons that they were offering to teachers everywhere if they "joined" this site, I decided to join.

Brave, I know.

I didn't think they meant, in particular, homeschool teachers, by offering the free materials to "teachers;" I figured they targeted teachers in our public schools.  This got me thinking.  I wondered, "Do school teachers need district approval to teach from website downloaded materials or did they have to stick to the books that were part of school curriculum?  If they could get materials for free like this, why did it cost so much to send a kids to public school?  If school trachers have certain textbook materials they use in class, I also wondered if they would even have time, after school to.. not only correct papers but create their own lesson plan ideas, like me.

I had to check this content out.

First I was required to give out personal information, my email address.... location.... and name.   It dawned on me that whoever ran this website would gather lots of information about teachers.  That's quite a data base.  Not only that, think about this, the free material being offered would potentially be used in the teaching of kids in the classrooms (and homeschools)  all across America too.

 Who ran this website anyhow?  I didn't know.  What would they do with my name and eamil and location?  Who knows.

Well, that gate just went down.

Upon viewing the materials, quite frankly, it seemed pretty good to me.  Just the same, I had no idea about the substance of the stuff beforehand.  I had no idea what information it contained or even if the information would be reliable or even if I would want to use it.   Most of all, for public school teachers, it probably was not even "district approved." Some company set up a webpage and offered to give free stuff to teachers to use.  

Seeds were being planted.  Fortunately, the information was helpful and useful to me in our homeschool.

Raising and educating kids is a little like farming, education is the seeds and the test results guarantee a crop.  Sometimes educating children is more like mining, unearthing the golden beauty of their thinking and reasoning capabilities, like a gem.  For some people, your children are nothing more than a natural resource or commodity to be planted with a particular brand of seed or exploit for their own monetary gain.  Hands want to rock the cradle, but remember the cradle belongs to you.

Did I mention, this was a political website and the materials were "FREE."  In my assessment as a parent educator... and a gatekeeper,  they were reasonable and informative no things of interest to your school, so I was happy,  but let me tell you, I had a lot of reading and understanding to do before I could turn around and share these materials with my kids.   I wondered how much time school teachers had to do this.... if they even would... or f they would just teach them because they sounded good and they were "free."  Does it matter what personal opinions and facts on major controversial issues like gun control and cloning these papers contained?  Does it matter what opinions and facts are being taught to children,  to either mine or yours or someone else''s kids?

Yes.

So what is your child learning?  Do you know?  Do you approve?  Is it wholesome, helpful and most importantly is it true?  Do you, as parent, and educational gatekeeper for your growing, learning, child, have a voice in their education?  Do you know what philosophy of life and living is being taught (or not,)  whether your child in in your care, simply attends a class or goes daily to full-blown school?  Does your opinion and support of what they learn and do in their education, even matter? Does it count?

It is smart always to be aware of what kids are learning and the material they are learning from and to have open communication about all sorts of subjects, age appropriately of course, with your kids.  If someone else is teaching them, do not be afraid to ask questions and be informed; give your input when you can. 

You and your spouse are the parents of your own child...  gatekeepers, and your wise and watchful love and care for them, your helpful guidance as their parents and their most important teachers in their life.... through whatever comes their way, will benefit them greatly as they learn and grow.





 

The Intent to Homeschool

Autumn is in the air.  If your senses are acute, then you can actually feel the seasons changing around you.  When you start feeling like this, you know that soon and very soon, the summer will be but a memory of the past and schooling, of all kinds, will be in full swing.

It's an exciting thing... a new school year.  there is a lot of "newness" to the season.  With new colors on what used to be green trees, we get a new box of crayons with which to color pictures in art class.  There will be new smells in the air, new books on our bookshelves  new challenges to face, new friends in our lives, even a new scope and sequence to ponder over,  If you are bargain shopping in the stores... there will be new clothes, in new sizes and maybe even new shoes on feet to boot!  The newness that this change in season brings about is exciting, but the thing that keeps us anchored to the tasks we do, especially as homeschooling families, is in being convinced of what it is we are doing... and why.  

Homeschooling as a movement has some very deep, robust roots.  It actually began somewhere at the beginning of time, when father and mother looked at their little one and loved them.  Then they helped the little one learn and grow and, the rest is history.   Babies grow up, seasons change and the earth keeps spinning round and round.... but the roots of love.... love of family, love of life and learning, do run deep, and it is these roots that brought the homeschoolinmg movement we see today to the surface of educational choices in our state.  Homeschooling is not without challenges so, a person needs to have a strong conviction and know in their heart that homeschooling, not public or private school is what they want to be doing.... even if only for a season.   Homeschooling success comes from having these deep roots.

With a new year, it's time to begin the school year afresh and thinking new.  It's time to plan curriculum for winter, have an idea of what your kids will be learning what activities you will aspire to be doing in the months ahead.  It's also time to file your intent to homeschool form with the local superintendent's office, because your intent is to provide home based education.  So, as the seasons change and as you file your intent to provide home based education forms with the superintendent's office,  remember, success in homeschooling comes when our intentions are firmly planted in good and fertile soil.  Our roots go deep.... and sometimes the strength to do what we do as homeschoolers comes from sources that are not found anywhere on the surface of things.    

If you are feeling like you need encouragement...find water for your roots!

This means take some time and refresh yourself, read some books, magazines, web-based articles from homeschooling organizations about the beauty and sucessfulness of homeschooling.  You might want to start by clicking on the links above or the links listed on the right....  and remember, your little buds and blossoms couldn't be in better hands than yours.

You might not be an expert on everything, but you love your kids and want the best for them.  You know in your heart, homeschooling or not, it's a parent's place to lead and guide their children to help them grow into the adult people that they will one day be.  Homeschooling is great way to do just that.

Whatever the season, whatever the changes, truth is, a tree with deep, well-watered roots will not topple over in a storm.... and certainly not in a breeze.  In due season it will be fruitful.  It will produce flowers, be food for foraging bees, and even provide shade in summer as well as color the landscape of autumn.  It will fertilize the ground beneath it with it's falling leaves.  And we Christians have heard it before, we know it is true... a tree planted by streams of living water.... will flourish.

A deep rooted belief or conviction that homeschooling, (and particularly with  a Christian Education,) is a great way to educate your children, will help you be strong.  Good sources for learning will help you be the best that you can be.... and it will serve to give your children not only a good well rounded education, but two essential ingredients as they go forth in life.... roots and wings.