Last year, the state government proposed a series of reforms to improve public education. Those reforms were soundly rejected by citizens and education professionals. Last night, the school board heard teachers weigh in on what they thought could be done to improve the quality of education our students receive by modernizing how information is delivered. The board received some fascinating forward thinking recommendations on which they should quickly act.

If we are to truly improve the quality of education our children are getting in this district, we need to listen to what professionals in the field are saying.

I was confused last night by Mr. Walsh's comment (and Mr. Dean's remark as well) that we do not currently fund a seven period day for our High School students. That is just not correct, my daughter is currently enrolled in 7 classes at GP South. Perhaps he meant that many of our High School students currently take tutorials as part of their class schedule, that of course is the students and their families choice. Tutorials serve an important purpose for many students.

All of our students in both high schools have the choice to take 7 classes and that choice is very important. Without that choice many students would not be able to be involved in band, orchestra and choir. Important classes like art, journalism, and even commercial foods would be difficult to fit in if 7 classes were not offered and many students would miss an opportunity to explore possible future career opportunities. I will be listening very carefully to the recommendations of the 21st Century High School Review Committee in the upcoming reports in regards to class day schedule, I certainly hope they are not putting the 7 period day schedule back up for debate AGAIN!!

I am also interested in knowing what the additional 2 credits for high school graduation would be in. Would it just be 2 credits of the students choice, or perhaps two targeted credits (i.e. gym, foreign language, english, arts, etc.) and how/why would those additional credits be chosen. If you are making additional requirements, just to make requirements and keep us in line with other light house districts I would have to ask why? If you feel our students are lacking an important part of their education I would have to ask what is the data behind that? Changing graduation requirements is a big deal, let's make sure we are doing it for the right reasons.

The potential class schedule change component is the the Dean & Walsh Show exclusively. They are best buddies!
I was also a little confused during the meeting last night but is was mostly by the leftover school board member digs and infighting.

I certainly would have preferred Judy Gafa to stay on as President.

I remember a few years ago a big push was made to move GP's high schools to a trimester schedule. I remember reading in the GP News that several districts had trimesters and seeing the list cited by the proponents of the trimester plan. When I saw the list of districts I laughed at most of them because they are not in the same discussion as GP. Elitist on my part but still laughable.

This article states the committee is looking into "like" districts. I don't want to see a few of the "like" districts listed with a lot of struggling ones to justify change. I also don't want to see changes made for the sake of change so that some adminstrator(s) can have something to talk about in an interview when they try to move on to another district.

To me, technology is often overrated in schools. It is very expensive to implement, update, and train for. Technology changes so quickly it becomes outdated far too quickly. And it is no subsitute for what has made the district so respected for so long.

All discussion about innovation and creativity will grind to a halt when the board slaps yet another paycut on teachers next fall. The teachers who are leaders, risk takers, who are adaptable and proactive, will be looking for a different line of work. The board thinks its teachers are captive, but the very teachers who are curriculum leaders will find positions in administration in other districts, will become consultants, or will translate their skills to the private sector. They will not continue to be helpless victims while the board projects paycuts every year into the foreseeable future.

Inherent in the desire to remain competitive as a leading school system is the wisdom and energy to explore the road less traveled. It is not to add more of the same to the status quo. Competitive schools are asking about such things as foreign languages, Advanced Placement, media development, aesthetics, practical living issues, environmental futures, biological engineering, legal thought, etc. In Grosse Pointe, emphasis on great writing is an obvious and compelling strength to further optimize. None of these need to be limited to courses or credits; they need to be tailored to the personal needs and aspirations of the community and its imagination.