Category Archives: Opinion

Spotlight Public and Peers

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

The January Malverne school board meeting brought two presentations. One informed the school board members about the school district facilities, the other depicted how Malverne teachers collaborate and organize their work. Any presentations are always welcome entertainment, as they cut the boredom of the school board reading sessions. First. Spiro Colaitis, the assistant superintendent, reported on facilities upkeep, bathroom upgrades, aerial (drone) surveillance, commemorative bricks, and the new fence in front of the high … Continue reading →

Funding charters in Malverne UFSD

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

When the president-elect-racist announced his list of possible education secretaries, articles started to pour in speculating on the effect each candidate would have on education in this country. Some authors concentrated on illustrating a collapse of public education, while others glorified the privatization, finally a green light. If you haven’t read one, this reasonable article published by Education Week is worth your time. The authors say it straight:

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Events, STEM, test refusal, mindset, bond publicity…discussed

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

Parents held a meeting at the Davison school library. In an informal atmosphere, we reflected on the past events and discussed upcoming events. The Family Craft Night this Friday, December 9, was one of them. No teacher was present at this meeting. Mr. Benfante demonstrated, on a case of 15-year old student, what happens when the mind is set passionately on improving continually “your project.” Persistence pays off. (There are several video clips available … Continue reading →

The MUFSD STEM family night

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

The Malverne UFSD held its first ever STEM family night and many families took advantage of the opportunity to tour the ground floor of the high school where all activities were concentrated. The STEM is popular. SDs are implementing variations of the STEM. Some SDs collaborate on its implementation. For example, I posted about it here and here. In recent years, the STEM was enriched by letters A and R, creating acronyms STEAM, and … Continue reading →

Party first, substance later, …really?

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

Traditionally, the media have been framing issues to fit the two-party system with the emphasis on the frame. First, they create the red and blue frame, then try to fit issues in that frame. Let me illustrate my point on the recent article Control of New York State Senate. . ., published by WSJ on October 31st. The frame The article sets the frame—Republican vs. Democrat. “. . .races in Nassau County on Long … Continue reading →

Malverne UFSD SAC met on Tuesday, ask around

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

The members of the Malverne SAC met on September 20th. How do I know? Well, I am an “insider.” My wife is a member. What is SAC? It stands for Superintendent’s Advisory Council. What do they do? Advise?! Who are the members? The district CEO calls them “panel of 30-40.” No names. Ask around.

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Welcome to the transformation

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

Following the twitter feed on the first day of school was an exciting and energizing experience. It’s awesome that the Malverne #gomules team attracted few more twitter players this year. Twitter is a wealth of information. Searching for answers to a task? Go to Twitter and you’ll find out that the “wheel has been already invented.” Not only that. You’ll also discover that the “inventors” are willing to help you with your application. The … Continue reading →

Regents assessments rule MUFSD evaluations in 2016-17

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

As it is almost a routine, the New York State department of education changed regulations how it evaluates schools and teachers. For the next 4 years, the results of state standardized assessments administered in grades 3 through 8 will not count toward HEDI, the supposed “measurement of teacher effectiveness.”

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Garn Press event about public education and corporate education reform

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

On Sunday, August 28th, I attended an event at the Dolphin Bookshop in Port Washington. The poster advertised the event as the Garn Press Author Celebration: “Writing for Parents and Teachers about Public Education and Corporate Education Reform.” From the panelists listed on the poster, I knew only the teachings of Anthony Cody. Through his blog, Living in Dialogue, I learned about the educational paradigm for 21st Century, as Yong Zhao and Will Richardson … Continue reading →

Malverne UFSD common core initiatives 2015-16

Malverne School District Community Posted on by

At the BOE meeting in May, the Malverne UFSD Common Core department summarized the initiatives management and educators conducted during the school year 2015-2016. Ms. Rachel Gross, the cheerperson for Common Core K-6, compiled the initiatives in a 9-slide presentation. “She brought things down to them [students]. It is now wonderful and the elementary schools have just flourished for it,” introduced the presenter and the initiatives Mrs. Ricca, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and … Continue reading →