When Divorcing Parents Misbehave...

One of the most heartbreaking occurences when two adults divorce, with children are involved, is when one parent alienates the child(ren) from the other parent. More common than we would like to think, this Parent Alientation Syndrome creates a dynamic between parents and children that can be ultimately very destructive.

Dr. Amy Baker, a nationally recognized expert in parent child relationships, especially children of divorce, parental alienation syndrome, and emotional abuse of children, discusses this topic in her book, "Adult children of parent alienation syndrome." Based on in-depth interviews of over 40 individuals, Dr. Baker's book answers the question, "What are the long-term effects of this type of alienation?"

Dr. Baker has graciously offered to appear on the radio program today, and will also be featured in an upcoming podcast of the program. Don't miss the show:

Live on the Radio
Thursdays, 4-5pm (Arizona)
AM 1330

Live on the Web
http://www.tucsonsjolt.com/

Podcast
http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlisasEducationTalk

Thanks for reading!

Alisa

What the....?! Parents buying alcohol for minor children...

Ok, I need to know what you think. There was a report on the news today stating that 40% of teens who were surveyed reported that their parents provided alcohol for them...40%!!!!

Is this good or bad? The surgeon general says that's it's definitely bad since it can contribute to dangerous situations and possibly deadly situations...

Proponents of the practice state that it teaches children how to drink in moderation - by not hiding the alcohol, it keeps the lines of communication and learning open.

What do YOU think??

Here's the surgeon general's 'Call to Action.'

Some other links that might be of interest:

www.stopalcoholabuse.gov
http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

Thanks for reading!

Alisa

What's wrong with our education system?

Hi all -

A special thanks to Ms. Nancy McCallion who wrote the below op-ed piece that was published in the Arizona Daily Star recently. She's graciously agreed to let me post it here, and will be on the radio program today to discuss her thoughts further.

Enjoy!

Alisa

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As a third-grade teacher with seven years of public- and private-school experience, and 11 years as a substitute teacher in Grades K-12 in the Tucson Unified School District, I've been following the Star's articles on social promotion and the relationship between AIMS tests and classroom grades with much interest.

Several experts weighed in with reasons for social promotion, from lazy teachers, to pressure from the district, to wanting children to feel good about themselves. All these examples may hold some truth, but one reason was not cited: Teachers promote students because they don't think retention will help them succeed.

Retained students are returned to the same course of study in the same traditional classroom environment that was unable to meet their needs in the first place.

Failing students are failing for a reason. Be it because of learning disabilities or emotional or behavioral problems, they are unable to succeed in the crowded, traditional classroom.
What we need here is not legislation to force teachers to retain students, nor more high paid accountability experts to conduct lengthy and expensive studies.

What we need are warm bodies in the classrooms: aides to monitor one group of students while teachers work with struggling students; tutors to provide one-on-one help for students who are too distracted to focus in a large group setting; high school students in need of community service to listen to a struggling reader.

It is particularly disconcerting that the AIMS test be considered as a sole means to determine retention or promotion. The AIMS test, while it may be a useful tool in conjunction with other assessments, is not the end all in judging a student's achievement.

Struggling students are the first to balk at page after page of questions and bubble sheets. I've seen students who I know could have answered the questions randomly bubble in answers just to finish because they're overwhelmed with the task before them. For these students, shorter tests spread out over a period of time would provide a more effective assessment of their abilities.

We pride ourselves on being an individualistic society, but this is not reflected in our education system. Teachers are told to individualize instruction to help struggling and advanced students alike, and yet our assessments are of a one-size-fits-all nature.

Struggling students need attention and focused instruction to help them grasp the material.
Conversely, bright students need to be challenged, as they often sit bored, waiting for slower students to learn material they've already mastered.

The answer is in numbers: smaller classes, more tutors and more adults in the classroom. This is where we need to put our education dollars.

Perhaps the Star could do some research on how many $10-an-hour teachers' aides could be hired with what we pay out to accountability departments and standardized testing companies.

Marlin Keesler - a dad who cares, and who runs, runs, runs!

I'm so excited about today's interview for the radio program - tune in at 4:00-5:00, AM 1330 (Tucson), or on the web at www.tucsonsjolt.com OR the podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlisasEducationTalk.

Marlin Keesler is a father of two teenagers who took his family on an amazing journey. With a goal to visit 50 states, and run 50 marathons, Marlin and his family learned about history, our country, and how to be together, as a family.

Listen to his fascinating story on the radio program, and learn more about Marlin and his family at www.ourlifeontherun.com.

Marlin and I spoke earlier today, and are 'plotting' ways to get his message out to more parents and teachers - how to live with, and learn from, children who have special needs. His son has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, and his daughter is diagnosed with the rare Turner's Syndrome.

I'm sure you'll hear more about Marlin's work, and our joint efforts, on this blog and on the radio show. So....stay tuned!

Thanks for reading,

Alisa

Nationwide Graduation Rates Released

In this month's issue of Education Week (www.edweek.org), there is a fascinating article on the division of congressional districts and their corresponding graduation rates.

I'll be talking about this on the radio program today, but in case you want more information, here's a quick link:

http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2008/40congressional-map-scorecard.h27.pdf

From this link, you'll see a map of all the congressional districts in the United States, along with their graduation rate. Here's a snapshot:

• Cook County, Illinois (where I grew up): 76-85%
• Pima County, Arizona (where I live now): 56-75% (a HUGE range of percentages, depending on which district - of course, the areas of the county that are generally considered low-socioeconomic reflect a low graduation rate)
• Most of Wisconsin: 76-85%, with a large portion of the state indicating the highest graduation rate level in the U.S.

What's also interesting is that you can look up your state congressional representative and see graduation rate within his/her district. Here are some rates for our local representatives:

• Raul Grijalva (7th Congressional District): 66.8%
• Gabrielle Giffords (8th Congressional District): 70.7%
• Ed Pastor (4th Congressional District): 51.5%

It will be interesting to see if any dialogue about the connection of congressional districts, and how a political division can play out or, at least reflect, the local graduation rates.

Just some food for thought....thanks for reading!

Alisa