Does district's global outreach make sense?
Janesville School District Superintendent Karen Schulte wants to forge international alliances that don't just include Chinese schools, educators and students but also expands those in other countries that already include Argentina, Thailand, Spain, France and Germany.
We've heard criticisms from residents that the outreach to China is a waste of time and money and that administrators are losing the focus on what should be their top priority--strengthening learning among local students in basics such as math and reading.
Are these concerns fair and reasonable? How do Schulte and her administrative staff respond to these criticisms?
We'll offer some answers and share our perspectives in our editorial Saturday.
Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook
Feb 19, 2013 at 12:56 a.m.
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It would be very interesting to get the perspective of teachers from other countries. I know that Asian countries place a great deal of value on their teachers. Teaching is considered to be an honored profession and teachers are well compensated and appreciated. Can't say that necessarily exists here, especially in this tri-county area.
Feb 18, 2013 at 10:46 a.m.
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It's about priorities and timing....
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Think about this.
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The Asian, Centeral American, and European exchange students we recieve "generally" are ahead of our students in Language and mathmatics...
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Those foreign students are ready for exchange... When our students are ready to travel, then we should think about it... Maybe.
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But in a time when resourses are so limited, I don't see priority value in this type of exchange...
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I know some of the District Exect/Board travel has been financed by outside private sourses... Fine..
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Taxpayer/State/Federal/Grand dollars need to be spent locally at this time period. In my opinion
Feb 18, 2013 at 1:34 a.m.
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We as people are losing the basics. So why should we reach farther when we cannot even get the basics? Our children have more than enough here at home to learn and grow, without over reaching and putting our future on thin ice with this god-awful 'global' thinking. Trade and cooperation between countries can still take place without this. We have pumped so much money into our schools and productivity has been level or declining in most reports. This is simply a feel-good thing for the ultra-progressive minded bureaucrats, who we should maybe think about replacing.
Feb 15, 2013 at 4:48 p.m.
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When does global outreach not make sense?
I'm just sayin'...
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