Plano Parents

Teaching Patriotism

2011-11-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

The American national anthem was botched during the Nov. 24, 2011 football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. The singer, Lauren Alaina, did not know the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner and went silent for several seconds. During last year's Super Bowl singer Christina Aguilera fumbled the lyrics to the national anthem.

Patriotic songs are one more thing American public schools no longer teach. It seems as though it is up to us parents to teach our children patriotism and patriotic songs. At the bottom of this post is the first stanza to the Star Spangled Banner. I've printed copies for my family and we will sing the anthem today so I can make sure my children know our anthem.

There is also "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" by Sir Walter Scott, a poem about patriotism that I learned when I went to school.

I hope you will consider teaching your children some of our patriotic songs. In addition to the Star Spangled Banner, I recommend the following:

God Bless America
America the Beautiful
My Country Tis of Thee

Citizens of other nations sing their patriotic songs with fervor. See these examples from YouTube:
Rene Fleming leading Rule Britannia, see the audience join in!
Here are Scots singing Flower of Scotland at at soccer game. It's not fancy singing, but you can see they know the lyrics and love to sing it.
Here is a French TV audience jumping up to sing la Marseillaise when Shakira starts singing it.

America is a great country and there is no reason why our children should not be taught to love it. But if we parents do not do it, it won't happen. Patriotism is one more thing our schools have abandoned.

Robert

The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

The Lay of the Last Minstrel
by Sir Walter Scott

Breathes there the man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung.

Skills & Success; Cursive & Math

2011-05-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Immigrant engineers and scientists are more creative than engineers educated in American public schools reports the Wall Street Journal in "Give Us Your Huddled Masses of Engineers," written by Peter Schuck and John Tyler and published on Friday, May 13, 2011. The article says they, "apply for patents at a disproportionate rate," and "the government grants their applications two to three times as often as with comparably educated Americans." The authors drive the point home with more detail, saying, "Even if we limit the comparison to scientists and engineers, high-skilled immigrants in those fields still receive 20% more patents than their American counterparts."

How can it be that immigrants educated in other counties are more creative than Americans educated in public schools that focus on cultivating innovation and teaching higher order cognitive skills? Have not the bureaucrats in our education establishment disparaged education in foreign countries for using antiquated educational practices like instruction and drill, calling this "rote learning" and "drill and kill?"

Apparently, more successful creative ideas flow from highly skilled people. What kind of musical genius would Beethoven have been if his father had never given him music lessons? Our public schools have been dumbing down mathematics for years so that even America's best students are at a competitive disadvantage.

In "The Academic Achievement Challenge" by Jeanne Chall we read, "Data from the Second International Mathematics Study show that the performance by the top 5 percent of U.S. students is matched by the top 50 percent of students in Japan. Our very best students -- the top 1 percent -- scored lowest of the top 1 percent in all participating countries."

The Plano ISD has been dumbing down mathematics for many years. Two years ago I warned that the dumbing down disease would spread from the middle schools to the high schools. This is now happening. The PISD has dumbed down Algebra 1 and rolled it down to 8th grade. This has already happened. Next they are planning to dumb down math all the way up through 12th grade. The district's reputation will end up in tatters if this is allowed to happen.

Do you know if your child can read and write in cursive? Many children in the district now cannot read cursive, much less write cursive. I discovered this the hard way when I handed my son this example of cursive writing and found he could not read it. I have asked around and found that teachers in Plano high schools are being asked by students to print their notes instead of writing in cursive because many of our high school children cannot read cursive.

Writing in cursive is now a sign of distinction, it sets you apart from those with a lessor education. I will teach my son cursive this summer, now that I have discovered another hole in the education he gets from the Plano ISD. I want my child to be able to read his teacher's class notes if the teacher writes in cursive. Cursive is quicker, making it more effective for taking notes in lectures.

Employers get better work results and higher quality innovation from skilled workers. Let us hope the changes in the Plano Board of Trustees will lead to a better quality education for the children of Plano. Let us hope schools all across America can change and raise the quality of skills imparted to our children; their future depends on it.

Robert Canright

If you click on the link to the example of cursive writing, then you can print the example and test your child's ability to read it.

Mike Friedman: A Good Man for the Board

2011-05-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

After I endorsed Mike Friedman for the Plano Board of Trustees I had friends who questioned if he had sufficient credentials as a conservative. So I talked to Mike about the Candy Cane lawsuit, then we talked about kids, then I asked him to convince me that he would be good for our kids. I got him to open up and tell me a story.

In 2006 Mike Friedman was awarded the prestigious Stemmons Service Award from the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors and Real Estate Professionals (NTCAR). If you go to the NTCAR website and read the award for 2006 you will see that amongst all the services Mike has given to his community, Mike performed incognito as "Smiley the Clown" for terminally ill children at Children's Hospital and Medical City.

At the awards banquet, a lady came up to him and thanked him for performing for her son when he was sick. She said Smiley the Clown lifted both their spirits and she never forgot that. She had not known until that night who was Smiley the Clown. The testimony from that mother meant more to Mike than the award.

In my mind there is nothing more heart breaking than a terminally ill child. I have heard other stories from people about Mike's kindness to those with ill fortune. Mike is a good man.

Now I am putting aside my thoughts about which faction on the school board Mike will align with. I am putting aside my assessments of how he will vote in the future. We need a man with a heart like his to oversee our children's education.

After having re-examined Mike, I'll recommend Mike Friedman to you for the Plano Board of Trustees because he is a man with a big heart.

Robert Canright

PS: early voting has started. Early voting is most convenient.
Here is a link to early voting locations and hours.

Is Long Division Gone?

2011-03-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

Parents are coming to me from different middle schools in Plano to tell me that their children have not been taught long division in elementary school. Their children cannot do long division and the middle schools will not teach it because it is an elementary school skill. Parents now must teach their children long division or hire tutors to teach their children.

If you are not sure what long division is, here is a link that shows the algorithm for long division. If you find it hard to believe that any school system would skip teaching long division, then you should watch this video. Here, M. J. McDermott shows what some school text books teach in place of the standard algorithms for long multiplication and long division.

Does it sound crazy that Plano ISD does not teach long division? Well, yes and no. John Dewey in his book, "How We Think," disparaged the teaching of skills and facts. When I read Dewey's book I thought that John Dewey hated the education he received as a child and wanted to overthrow the education establishment. John Dewey has followers in the education establishment today and they are busy destroying the academic skills of our children.

So it is understandable that some administrators or teachers in Plano ISD have abandoned teaching long division, but it is wrong, it is a mistake.

It is time for us to take back our schools and fix our children's education the right way: by fixing the curriculum instead of by hiring tutors. The PISD election is coming. Tell the candidates you want long division back in the classrooms. Tell the candidates you want all the children to have a good education, not just the ones with tutors. Then go vote and make sure your friends vote as well.

Robert Canright

PS: I have been hearing from parents. I am hearing parents affirm that some kids are not being taught long division, but some kids are being taught. It seems to vary among the elementary schools. It sounds like PISD has a quality control problem.

The Secret to Success in the Suburbs

2011-01-30T15:03:00.000-08:00

The Secret to Success in the Suburbs
by
Robert Canright

(This was published in the December 2010 issue of the Lone Star Crescent, pages 8 and 11, all rights reserved by Melanz, LLC.)

A good education cannot be taken for granted. It is not enough to buy a home within a school district with a good reputation. You must study the test scores before you buy a home. School district SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) averages are not a good indicator of quality education for several reasons. Some parents will home-school their children or place them in private schools for elementary and middle school, and then place them into the public high schools for AP (Advanced Placement) courses or for the IB (International Baccalaureate) program. This means that high school SAT scores are influenced by private schooling.

A friend of mine in Garland used the combination of a private school and the IB program for his children and his daughter is now at Cornell University. A school district can also steer lower performing children into the ACT test instead of the SAT test and thereby boost the SAT scores. The TAKS test is taken by all the children of Texas and is therefore a better way to evaluate a school district, but even this measure is not the best indication of a quality education. Only close scrutiny by parents can reveal the true quality of education within a school district.

What many concerned parents have discovered is a lack interest by school administrations in teaching academic skills. The schools want to teach critical thinking instead of skills. I have heard one administrator at the Plano ISD use the expressions “drill and kill” and “sage on the stage” to disparage tried and true methods of instruction. I have heard one Plano teacher speak with great excitement about the discovery method she uses in her classroom. The discovery method is where teachers assign problems to students without first instructing them how to solve that type of problem. This technique is also called problem based learning. The discovery method is a proven failure. A book by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them, explains with great thoroughness how school administrators all across America have sacrificed our children’s education for the sake of failed ideologies.

When conscientious parents discover that skills are not being taught to their satisfaction, then many pull their children from public elementary schools and turn to home schooling or private schools. Many parents in Plano, however, turn to private tutors to provide their children with the skills they need for a good education. Go to Craigslist for Dallas and search on “math tutor Plano” and you will find over forty math tutors listed. Google “math tutor Plano” and you will find pages of hits. My neighborhood coffee shop seems to always have a math or SAT tutor working with a student. Mathematics is one of the ultimate skill based courses and math tutoring provides a clear advantage over students not receiving math tutoring.

The administration at the Plano ISD clings to their failed ideology of discovery learning even when they are faced with clear evidence that their ideology is a failure. Here is an example: at the Plano ISD Board of Trustees meeting on November 2, 2010, the board received an update on the Math Rocks program. The presenter said the children in this program are significantly ahead of their peers and most of these children receive math instruction outside the Plano schools. These are children who get either private tutoring or classroom tutoring outside of the Plano schools, being tutored with the traditional approach of classroom instruction and homework for drilling the instruction.

The PISD administration can see that traditional instruction and drill puts children significantly ahead of their peers who are taught with the discovery method or with Connected Math. But instead of abandoning failed methods, the PISD creates the Math Rocks program that provides yet more discovery method for these advanced students who have raced ahead with traditional instruction. The Math Rocks program is discovery learning with more challenging problems. The administrators at the Plano ISD are like the Marxists who cling to their failed ideology in spite of clear evidence that their ideology does not work. The existence of the Math Rocks program is positive proof that the philosophy of instruction at the Plano ISD does not work, but the Plano ISD administration stubbornly refuses to admit failure and correct their mistakes.

There are still more secrets for success in the suburbs. There are schools that provide classroom instruction and homework as an alternative to private tutoring. Two such schools are Ed Gurukul and the Hua Hsing Chinese school. Ed Gurukul (Ed stands for education) focuses on mathematics instruction, K though 12. They have classes in the evenings, on Saturday and Sunday. Students typically have one hour of instruction, they do homework during the week, and are tested on their progress. Most of their students receive commended scores on the TAKS test. Ed Gurukul makes the Math Olympiads part of their program. Ed Gurukul also promotes instruction and competition in chess to aid in mathematical thinking. Ed Gurukul has facilities in Plano and Irving.

The Hua Hsing Chinese school meets in Jasper High School in Plano on Sunday afternoon. Ten years ago my daughter and some of her classmates were enrolled in math classes at Hua Hsing. The school met at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson back then. Hua Hsing has been in operation for 25 years. I was very relieved that I could find math tutoring for my daughter. I was in shock at what I perceived to be low skill levels for math in the Plano schools. Plano parents are lucky that the Hua Hsing school now meets in Plano. I spoke with the director at Hua Hsing and learned that parents drive to Plano from Sherman, from Denton, and from Irving for math instruction. There are students from Richardson, Frisco, and Allen, but the majority of their students are from Plano.

Hua Hsing provides math instruction K through 7, algebra, and geometry. They teach math for SAT preparation when there is enough demand. Additionally, Hua Hsing teaches phonics, writing, and SAT preparation for the verbal and writing portions of the test. Hua Hsing students have classroom instruction lasting over one hour. Students receive homework that gets graded, they have a mid-term and a final exam. Some of their students are in the Math Rocks program in Plano ISD. Hua Hsing has science classes and, of course, they have classes on the Chinese language. The Hua Hsing Chinese school has a math contest that is open to the public. The contest has 50 problems and is timed.

For the final push towards high SAT scores, many parents send their children to Karen Dillard’s College Prep. When my daughter graduated from Plano Senior High, the class president joked about all the hours they spent at Karen Dillard’s. A significant number of the National Scholarship winners in the Dallas area are graduates of the Karen Dillard program.

Tutoring is the secret to success in the North Dallas suburbs. For years this has all been known only by word of mouth. Now you know the secret. The beauty of life in America is that you have choices. The difficulty of choices in America is that so many choices require money.

Writing TAKS Test

2010-12-27T18:03:00.000-08:00

The writing Taks test this year will be on March 1st. Only the 4th grades and 7th grades get a writing Taks test. Because this test is not administered every year, the results of a writing test
linger for years.

Plano parents now have January and February to consider how their children are performing on their writing before the tests arrive in March.

Robert

Math Rocks Proves Connected Math is a Failure

2010-11-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

The Plano Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, proved that Connected Math is a failure. There was a presentation that night by a Plano Math teacher on the Math Rocks program that Plano has created as a "super honors" class. The students in the Math Rocks program were described as being years ahead of their grade level. The presentation also mentioned that the students in the Math Rocks program have received math instruction outside of the Plano schools. This is the key point!

One of the unspoken secrets to success in Plano is the need to hire tutors for your children. Besides private tutors, there are a number of programs that provide traditional math classes in the evenings or on the weekends. A traditional math class rests on two principles: instruction in solving specific types of math problems and homework to drill the students.

So students who receive traditional math instruction end up being years ahead of their classmates who are stuck with Connected Math and the "discovery learning" theory of teaching.

Instead of saying, "Wow! Traditional math instruction is much better than Connected Math, let's cancel Connected Math and let everyone have a good math education!", the PISD administration says, "Let's permit the clearly better trained students skip out of Connected Math, but let's give them more of the discovery method!"

What we were shown at the Board of Trustees' meeting were film clips of children in small groups debating how to solve the problems they were assigned. The teacher making the presentation was very excited by film of students talking. I would have been impressed by film of a teacher providing instruction. But alas, the parents need to continue paying for tutors to provide the instruction that the PISD refuses to provide.

It is sad to see that the Plano ISD administration is incapable of learning from its mistakes. It is sad to see our students stuck in a failed program year after year.

Robert Canright

Time to Think About the TAKS Test?

2010-10-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Is October too early to think about the TAKS tests? That depends on (1) how well you want your child to score and (2) what grade your child is in. When there is a writing test or a science test, then there is more testing and you need more time to prepare. Also, the writing tests are administered earlier because they take longer to grade.

Here is a link for the TAKS test schedule.

The Taks tests have different objectives and some are more difficult than others. Math usually has 6 objectives and 2 of them are more difficult. Objective 2 is "Patterns, Relationships & Algebraic Reasoning." Objective 6 is "Mathematical Processes & Tools." These are the more difficult objectives.

I just opened a Taks prep book for objective 6 and found a really goofy problem. Some of the problems given to the kids on the Math Taks are hardly math problems at all, they are puzzles using numbers.

Remember: large numbers of parents in Plano provide private tutoring for their children on Math. Be careful about relying on classroom instruction only for your child's math education. That holds true for the Taks tests as well!

Robert

Das Rheingold in Plano

2010-10-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

I had a choice of viewing Das Rheingold at either the Cinemark in Plano West or the Cinemark on Legacy today. The performance was part of The Met Live in HD series. We are lucky to have two theaters in Plano broadcasting the performance because otherwise patrons would be turned away for lack of seats.

If you can cultivate a love of opera in your children, their lives will be enriched. What worked for my daughter was being exposed to opera music in the house or in the car, just a nice song here and there. Puccini's arias are beautiful. Then in high school or senior high a trip to a good opera can be a great experience.

I loved the staging for this production of Das Rheingold. The set was unusual but brilliant. I found it effective, but impossible to describe. You have to see it to believe it. It allowed the Rhine maidens to swim, Donner to rise into the sky and create lightening with his hammer, and the Norse gods to walk over up the rainbow bridge to Valhalla.

There will be an encore performance Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010 6:30 p.m. local time, so if you missed today's live performance you can still watch a recorded performance later.

When I got home I told my son how much I enjoyed the opera and expressed my hope that he would someday enjoy opera as much as I do. I don't think he is old enough now to sit through 3 straight hours of Wagner.

What we did enjoy today as a family was a UIL band competition at Clark Stadium. If you haven't enjoyed one of these band competitions, I encourage you to go with your family. The competition is all day and all night, but you can go whenever you want. You just have to know the schedule to avoid going during a dinner break. It is a very pleasant experience to watch all the talented high school marching bands. James Bowie H.S. from Arlington played the Polovtsian Dance by Alexander Borodin among a sampling of Russian music.

Plano is a wonderful community with much to offer.

Robert

What is Wrong with Connected Math?

2010-09-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

If you as a parent are wondering what is wrong with Connected Math, then I would explain it as simplistic, dumbed-down mathematics.

In February 2, 2000 Susan Sarhady traveled from Plano, Texas to Washington, D.C., to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. You can read her testimony here. She has an eloquent description of Plano's problem with Connected Math.

For now I will give just 2 examples from Connected Math. The 7th grade booklet on integers has illustrations of red stones and blue stones for negative and positive integers. At home we are working on writing and solving systems of algebraic equations out of a Singapore Math book, but on a school test the 7th grade Connected Math test is challenging the students to illustrate 18-6=12 with red and blue dots, except their pencil only writes in black. So the challenge is to represent red and blue dots in black and white. This is an utter waste of time.

Tonight we looked at the Connected Math book and the most challenging problems in the current section are like this: "Is +8 - (+8) equivalent to 8 - 8? Explain." What mindless tripe!

Connected Math is a good example of why mathematics abilities in America are plummeting while Korea and Singapore take turns leading the world in math.

Plano parents objected bitterly 10 years ago to Connected Math and we are still stuck with it. In April 1983, 27 years ago, the famous report A Nation at Risk was published. Why be surprised that Plano has been stuck with a bad math curriculum for 10 years when the entire nation has been saddled with poor education for over 27 years?

So if you have a low opinion of Plano's middle-school math curriculum, you are not alone.

Surviving Connected Math, 6th Grade, Plano, Texas

2010-09-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

Survival Strategies

Connected Math starts in 5th grade. If you as a parent had already found the Plano math curriculum weak, you would have provided tutoring to your child already and 5th grade Connected Math would not have been too bad.

However, mathematics instruction is supposed to take a step up in middle-school and your tutoring program needs to take a step up. Here is what the Texas TEKS say about 6th grade math:

"Within a well-balanced mathematics curriculum, the primary focal points at Grade 6 are using ratios to describe proportional relationships involving number, geometry, measurement, and probability and adding and subtracting decimals and fractions."

Your tutoring program should provide good coverage of ratios and proportions. I found 6th grade Connected Math was inadequate in covering ratios and proportions. Spectrum Math for 6th Grade, a series I've used for years, was also light on ratios and proportions. I did not want to send my child to school on Saturday or Sunday for math like so many other parents do, so I looked around and found a Singapore Math program from Frank Schaffer Publications.

Singapore Math

The small city-state of Singapore made headlines when its students had the highest scores on earth in international math testing. There are a number of sources for math material in America that follow the Singapore model.

To avoid the deficiencies in Connected Math, I recommend a light use of Spectrum Math for computational problem sets and a heavier use of Singapore Math for ratios and proportions.

Singapore Math Practice Level 5A for 6th graders covers Whole Numbers, Fractions, Area of Triangles, and Ratios. Singapore Math Practice Level 5B for 6th graders covers Decimals, Metric Measurements, Averages, Percentages, Angles, Triangles and 4-sided Figures, Geometrical Construction, and Volume.

Excelling in Spite of Connected Math

Singapore Math Level 5, 70 Must-Know Word Problems is a gem but it is tough. If your child is good in Math but is stuck in Connected Math, then this might be a resource for you. Good word problems are hard to find, but this is a great collection of challenging word problems that are still not at a competitive level of difficulty.

Math Counts is a program aimed at middle-school math. It is a source for interesting problems to use as enrichment for your child even if you are not interested in joining the contests and clubs.

MOEMS is the Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools. They hold contests and sell training material. I purchased Math Olympiads Contest Problems, Vol. 2, edited by Richard Kalman. It is an excellent collection of interesting problems. Unfortunately, the Plano ISD does not do anything with the Math Olympiads. They'll talk about it occasionally, but I haven't seen them do anything with the Math Olympiads.

One advantage of Math Counts over the Math Olympiads is that you can download for free Math Counts problem sets from old competitions. They are both good sets of enrichment problems for above average math students. Another advantage of Math Counts is that some of the schools in Plano ISD have Math Counts clubs and enter competitions, if that is something you want.

The Math Rocks Program

For parents who send their children to private schools for math on the weekends, the Plano ISD has a separate math program called "Math Rocks." If your child is in Connected Math now and you do not like the program, then it is probably too late for your child to get on track to enter the Math Rocks program. You can read more about Math Rocks at this link.

There is Hope

I was at a Tea Party meeting where some parents wanted to talk about the problems with the Plano math curriculum. The Tea party organizer told them the meeting was only about taxes and education would not be discussed. I will always remember the lost and hurt look in their faces when they found no helping hand. I am sharing my experiences as a parent to offer a helping hand to parents who moved to Plano because it has a good reputation, but then discover the problems with the Plano math curriculum.

There is hope for your child to get a good math education in Plano, but I think you'll have to hire tutors or teach your child yourself. The Plano teachers do the best they can, but their curriculum is weak and you will have to fill in the gaps as best as you can.

The high school math curriculum is good. We just have to hope and pray they do not ruin the high school curriculum with another worthless innovation.

Robert Canright

Now it is a year later (2011). My son is in 7th grade and the Math Olympiads is in use in his 7th grade class. I think that is great. They are really neat problems!

Fishing in Athens, Texas

2010-09-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took my boy to Athens, Texas to go fishing at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. This is a beautiful facility. It will make you proud to be a Texan. The facility has museum quality aquariums, a nature trail, and a fishing pond.

You can rent a rod & reel and buy bait at the pavilion by the fishing pond, but you are better off bringing your own gear and bait. The catfish love hot dogs! Bring pliers in your gear. They ask you to flatten the barb on your hook because most people catch and release. Fishing is included in the modest cost of admission. You must pay extra if you want to take your catch home with you.

The gift shop is a hoot. Everything is about fish or fishing! There was a fish mail box, a bobber pillow, fishing-lure bookends, and Fish-opoly, a fishing oriented version of Monopoly.

The entrance to the Fisheries Center is on the right, just past the entrance to the public boat launch. When you leave, I recommend you enter the drive to the public boat launch and enjoy lunch at the Marina Restaurant. I recommend the Pecan Crusted Tilapia. The view of Lake Athens is wonderful.

It is an hour and a half drive to Athens down good roads and decent scenery. Going fishing in Athens is a great day trip for the family.

Robert

What is Going on at the Plano ISD?

2010-05-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Morning News has nice web link to find recent DMN articles about the Plano Independent School District:

http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/Plano_Independent_School_District

It is a useful feature to keep track of what is going on at the Plano ISD.

Robert Canright

TAKS Time: Watch Out for the Test Traps

2010-03-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

TAKS testing is upon us again. The 4th grade writing test has already been administered March 3rd. The majority of the testing is in April. I like to know what tests my child will take and when they will be administered. I went to this TEA website and downloaded the 2009-2010 school year testing calendar.

You can administer previously released TAKS tests to your child if you wish. You go to this other TEA website for tests and answer keys. Whatever grade your child is in, there are four sets of tests available. Before you print a test, you might show the PDF file to your child and ask if those test questions have already been used in class. Why print something and end up throwing it away? The teachers use these tests in class but they usually don't have the time or need to use every test.

I like to administer an old TAKS test to my child because I want to know what my child is facing.

I break up the test into parts so it is not a burden. I exmine the problems that get marked wrong according to the answer key. Aside from mistakes in subject matter, it is important to coach a child on the art of test taking. There are traps in the TAKS tests. The most prevalent traps are the "false attractor" and the "most correct answer" traps.

The false attractor trap is an answer that is almost correct. It looks like the correct answer, but has a tiny mistake, usually at the very end of the answer. This trap is usually inserted before the correct answer to lure your child into a mistake on the test. It is sad to see your child correctly work a math problem and then get tricked into selecting the false attractor. My recollection is that math problems use the false attractor.

The most correct answer trap is very devious. There will be two correct answers. You will see this in verbal answers, usually not in math answers. The test writers will claim that one answer is more correct than the other. If there is a strategy for a most correct answer, perhaps it is the answer with more information. The test writers are sometimes wrong. Do not be surprised if you cannot understand why the test writers like their most correct answer better than the most correct answer you and your child both agree upon.

If you want to help your child with the TAKS testing, I hope this helps.

Robert Canright
Former Math Teacher
Candidate for PISD Board of Trustees, Place 1

PS: Here is a modestly entertaining video about the TAKS test from Irving High School
Here is I Failed the Science TAKS Test for some light humor.
The TAKS Ninjas is a bit long, but it humorously provides test taking advice.

Voting in the Primaries

2010-02-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

Today was the only Saturday for early voting for the Republican and Democratic primaries. Sunday, 2/21, still has early voting available. Monday through Friday early voting hours are 7am to 7pm. Here is a link to the locations for early voting.

If you don't know who to vote for, you can go to this web site. At the bottom, below the voting locations, you will find a list of precinct numbers and a sample ballot for your precinct. (Your precinct number is printed on your voter registration card.) There are many important spots open for voting: the Governor, the Rail Road Commissioner, a couple of State Supreme Court spots, the County Judge, and many court judge positions. With this list of names I used Google and studied the available information. It took over an hour to select select the candidates I voted for.

Election day is Tuesday March 2 for the party primaries.

On March 27 there will be the run-off election for the Plano City Council. Here is a link to info for the City Council election. Early voting for this City Council election will be March 11 to March 23.

I hope you will take time to vote in these elections.

Robert Canright

Plano, Chess, and Texas Tech

2010-01-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

Small World!

I introduced myself to a gentleman giving a chess lesson at my neighborhood coffee shop and discovered he was from New Orleans. Alfred Carlin has been the Louisiana State Chess Champion 5 times. He is missed as a chess teacher in New Orleans, as mentioned in this article, in the section "Scholastic Drought".

Chess and Scholastic Achievement

If New Orleans had to lose Mr. Carlin, I'm glad he came here so our children can benefit from his chess instruction. The Plano schools require student participation in Choir or Band in 6th grade because studies show a connection between music and scholastic achievement. Similar studies have shown that playing chess improves scholastic achievement. Alfred Carlin was tutoring students at the coffee shop and I'll wager his students do well in school.

Chess at Texas Tech

Many students from Plano go to Texas Tech. You will be happy to hear that a chess team from Tech tied for 2nd place at the 2009 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship held Dec. 27-30 on South Padre Island. A chess team from Tech tied with a team from UT Dallas, which has been a national powerhouse in chess for years. The Tech A team defeated Princeton, University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University. The Raiders B team defeated Yale University’s B team.

Texas Tech has Grandmaster Susan Polgar heading SPICE: the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence. Grandmaster Polgar, born in Budapest, Hungary, now lives in Lubbock. I'm happy to see a major Texas university like Texas Tech bringing world-class talent to Texas to help our students achieve at the highest levels.

It's great to see talented teachers like Alfred Carlin in the Dallas/Plano area and Susan Polgar in Lubbock helping our children compete at the highest levels.

Robert Canright

PS: I can help you contact Alfred Carlin if you so desire.

Thanks Daddy and Goodbye to All That

2009-12-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Daddy!

My daughter graduated from Plano Senior High in 2009. It was a happy occasion for her and she told us that she loved going to school in Plano. I reminded her that I changed careers so she could grow up in Plano, and she gave me a hug and said, "Thank you, Daddy!"

There came a time when I needed to move to Silicon Valley to continue working in the design and manufacturing of computers. My wife and I had a heart-to-heart discussion about the future of our family and we decided Plano was where we wanted to rear our children, so I changed careers. The sacrifice I made for my daughter worked out, but I wonder if my sacrifice will work for my son.

Goodbye to All That

When my daughter reached middle-school in Plano, the math curriculum improved so I no longer had to send her to Chinese School for her math instruction. My son, however, is stuck with Connected Math, so I have to continue supplying him with extra instruction to compensate for the poor math program in Plano.

Plano is a great community, but the math curriculum in the elementary schools has always been weak. Now the weakness has spread to the middle-schools. So many children go to Kumon, or Chinese School, or Japanese school, getting extra tutoring, that the problems with the math curriculum are covered up. The danger will be in the dumbing down of the high school math curriculum. The high school math program in Plano has been a gem, but the dumbing down will eventually reach the high school and the damage will be too great for all the tutoring companies in Plano to overcome. When the high school math program is dumbed down, then we can say goodbye to Plano's reputation.

School Realignments

After my daughter attended a Texas Tech football game she was surprised at the lack of school spirit. I told her that Plano Senior High was a gem. I explained that her high school experience was rare. We bought our home so she could go to Plano Senior. I changed careers so she could go there, and then the PISD board ruined it for my son. Even if we move or we transfer him so he can attend Plano Senior, all his friends will go to Plano West.

The Plano Board of Trustees and the PISD Administration have done a dismal job of planning for very many years and the goofy school realignments are the by-product of years of poor planning. The once great Plano school system has been unraveling around us for years. The neighborhood chemistry is important for a school and this was ignored by the Board.

I hope Plano Senior High can survive the changes. I hope the city of Plano can survive these changes because the schools are the heart beat of our community.

What Can We Do?

People have been trying for years to fix the problems with the PISD, but the problems are so deep seated that there is no end in sight. However, we might be able to either undo the problems from the school realignment, or at least minimize the some of the problems.

We Plano parents should get busy over these next few years. Either approach -- undoing the realignment or ameliorating its problems -- will take years.

To undo realignment problems will require changing a majority of the Board of Trustees, which will take a couple of elections. There will be a school board election in May. That will be a time to voice your dissatisfaction with this realignment.

Robert Canright

Why an Election on November 3?

2009-10-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

If you have heard there is early voting going on and wondered why, I can tell you that it is because there are 11 constitutional amendments on the ballot for a November 3 vote.

I care about one in particular: Proposition 4 is intended to help create more tier one universities in Texas.

I explained back in September why I believe we need more tier one universities. I encourage you to vote for Proposition 4.

You can go to the website of the Texas Secretary of State and (1) see a sample ballot, (2) read "Explanatory Statements" (the propositions in simpler English), and (3) read an analysis of the propositions. The analysis is nicely done and is in a PDF document you can download and read at your leisure.

Where do you go to vote? The website for Collin County Elections has the info you need. The locations and times are available online. It looks like a very convenient time is Saturday: 7am to 7pm.

Here is a link to an article about Proposition 4 for all you Texas Tech fans.

Please support higher education in Texas. We truly need more tier one universities.

Robert Canright

I Love Plano: the Guitar Moment

2009-09-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Plano is such a great community. This Sunday I hopped into my car, scooted a little way down the road, and was inside the Angelika Plano very quickly. I was able to see the guitar documentary It Might Get Loud, which my friends in other towns cannot see because it is in limited release.

For a guitar buff, the show was a small slice of heaven. Then I step outside and find a good band playing rock in the street. I've heard many bands at the Shops at Legacy, but this one made me stop and listen until they took a break. The local band's name is Aquz and if I want to listen to live music, the first thing I'll do is check their schedule.

What a great night! Astounding music in the theater, good live music waiting for me outside, and all just a few minutes from my home. I love Plano!

I do want to mention Plano is surrounded by other great communities: Frisco, Allen, and Richardson. I was in the Half-Price Bookstore in Frisco recently and found "Consequences of Pragmatism" by Richard Rorty on the shelves. It has an essay, "The World Well Lost," that I've been curious to read. After reading the essay I thought, "this is not a common book, where did it come from?" I looked at the book mark that had been left in the book and saw: "The Concord Bookshop, 65 Main Street, Concord, Massachusetts"

How nice that a book can find its way from Concord, Massachusetts to my home in Plano via a shop in Frisco.

Plano, Frisco, Allen, and Richardson are great places to live!

Robert Canright

TAKS Scores Make Sales: Hebron and West

2009-09-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

I met a gentleman on the way to Texas Tech recently. We were both taking a child to Lubbock for the freshman year at Tech. He was moving his family to North Texas from Houston and chose his house location based on TAKS results. This is a wise choice.

He found that Hebron High School was ranked Exemplary by the TEA while Plano West was ranked Recognized, so he purchased a home in the Hebron attendance zone. Plano lost a home sale because of TAKS scores!

Hebron High School is a fine school. I have had an opportunity some years ago to visit it and was impressed, but I noticed then that it did not match up to Plano West. But now it truly is ranked Exemplary. Here are the ratings over the years.

You will notice that Plano West has been Recognized 67% of the time and Acceptable 33% of the time. Hebron has been Expemplary 17% of the time and Acceptable 83% of the time, but now is Hebron's time to shine!

Healthy competition makes us stronger. I hope the Plano ISD can study what Hebron H.S. did to move up to Exemplary and make similarly effective improvements.

Robert Canright

PS
You can go to this webpage and click on links to all the TAKS results, 2004 through 2009. Look for the section entitled, "The TAKS: Viewing School Results".

One needs to study the TEA report details to see if the TAKS scores alone make the difference between Exemplary and Recognized, or if other factors are responsible. The data is available online for anyone wishing to study the details.

UT Does Not Want Plano's Best?

2009-09-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal ran "University of Texas Drops Merit Program for Need-Based Aid" by Tom Benning in the Wednesday Sept. 2, 2009 issue. The article says the University of Texas, Austin, is phasing out its National Merit Scholarship program starting next year.

Plano has a large number of National Merit Scholarship winners. Plano had 128 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists in 2008. This means that UT does not want Plano's best students. I believe discouraging the brightest students from going to UT will drive down further the SAT scores at UT Austin. We have already seen the SAT scores for Math at UT Dallas surpass the Math scores at UT Austin.

UT's loss will be a gain for UT Dallas, Texas Tech University, and the universities at neighboring states. However, we need to be strengthening UT to raise it as a world class university, not driving it down.

Robert Canright

Pledge to Justice

2009-07-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

During the Summer of 2009, a young man visiting Dallas from California was assaulted coming out of a Rascal Flatts concert at Fair Park and put in a coma. Next, a graduate of Plano West Senior High was accused of being the assailant. I was so sad to hear someone from Plano be accused of this crime.

I have suggested for years that the Plano ISD adopt the Pledge to Justice, reciting it after the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

The Pledge to Justice

We do not steal, we do not cheat, and we do not hurt other people.
We are people of integrity, competence, and compassion.

If we had drilled these simple principles into all our students in elementary school over the years, perhaps that assault at Fair Park would not have happened.

We Plano parents can use the Pledge to Justice with our children. Even if the schools use it daily, parents need to use it as well to emphasize its importance. We Plano parents should tell our children we live by this standard and we expect them to do so as well.

Robert Canright

Plano Senior High Debaters Second in Global Contest

2009-04-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Plano Senior High debaters Crystal Xia, Gursimran Singh, and Javed Laljiani for taking second in a global debating competition held in New York City, at New York University.

Kudos to their coach Cheryl Potts. You can read the details in this press release.

Plano is a great community with talented students, teachers, and coaches.

Our thanks to Bickel & Brewer for making this experience possible for our children.

Robert Canright

Plano Debaters Advance to Final Four!

2009-04-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned earlier how wonderful it was that Plano Senior High debaters had advanced to the "Sweet 16" round of the Bickel & Brewer/New York University National Public Policy Forum.

Our kids are in New York right now, this weekend, April 17 to 19, competing in the final four. Here is a press release describing the event. Isn't this fantastic!?

I've said before that we should rear up our children as though each might become President of the USA. Here is a link to my blog post on a speech writing project to support our children who might run for President one day.

It is great that the Bickel & Brewer Foundation supports the National Public Policy Forum (NPPF).

I love Plano. It's a great community. That is why I run for the Plano school board, because I love Plano and want our schools to give our children the best education they can get.

Robert Canright

I Love Plano: the Plato Moment

2009-02-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

I was in a bookstore in Plano, looking at Allan Bloom's translation of Plato's Republic, and someone came over and chatted briefly with me about it. The other patron told me he thought Plato's Republic was the best book ever written.

Later, a friend who lives in Plano received a copy of Plato's Republic as a gift, so we formed a two person book club to read through it together.

I love Plano! What a great community Plano is with so many people having an interest in this exceptional book, one of the most brilliant works in all history.

Robert Canright

PS
I like best the version of Plato's Republic printed by Agora Publications. Their version is laid out as a dialog, which is best. It's easiest to follow the conversation in the Republic when it is presented as a script. Even better, Agora hired actors who have enacted the dialog on audio CD. This is a treat.

Effective Parenting

2008-12-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

There is now an Effective Parenting Initiative. It has always been known in Christian churches that parenting is important. Our society is better understanding the link between poor parenting skills and many social ills, such as dropping out of school or joining gangs. Change.org has a proposal to Make Parenting Education a National Priority.

The Plano ISD has a free course for parents from the Love and Logic organization. Here is a notice regarding the most recent class schedule. Here is a sample of Parenting Tips from the course.

This parenting class is another fine effort from the Plano ISD to help the children of Plano, Texas.

Robert Canright

PS: I attended a Love and Logic seminar when I was a public school teacher. I can testify they do teach useful methods.

Plano Senior High Debaters Advance in International Contest

2008-12-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

From the Dallas Morning News, Education Notes, Sunday December 28, 2008:

"The Plano Senior High debate team has advanced to the "Sweet 16" round of the Bickel & Brewer/New York University National Public Policy Forum, an international contest that makes them eligible to win the $10,000 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for the final. More than 100 schools from 14 foreign countries and 32 states entered the 2008-2009 NPPF competition."

It is fabulous to see Plano students debating public policy at the international level. The article says the contest is sponsored by Bickel & Brewer, a law firm with offices in both Dallas and New York City. Here's another link describing the contest.

Even more important than the success of the debate team is their participation in public policy debates. The people of DFW, the people of Texas, need to start thinking globally and not let New York City think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations control America's interaction with the world.

If we believe in the principles of free market competition, then we should apply the principles of competition to foreign policy and public policy. I believe we should start a Texas Diplomacy Project. The people of Texas, the people of DFW, and the people of Plano need to engage in foreign policy and public policy at the national and international levels. We should not continue to cede the steering of our nation to the New York City establishment.

So when our Senior High students debate public policy at the international level, it's not just another debate competition, it's a step towards moving Texas onto the world stage.

Robert Canright

TxVSN: A New Resource for Your Children

2008-12-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Texas Virtual School Network is a new resource for your children, provided by the state of Texas. It allows your child to take school courses for credit online. Why would anyone other than a home schooler need this? Here are some reasons:

Need to make up lost credit.
Wish to accelerate learning.
Homebound due to illness or other health related issues.
Want to take AP courses.
Courses not available in the students home district.

Here's a link to a press release from the Texas Education Agency regarding the TxVSN.

I heard about this resource from David Hall's weekly email on education. Mr. Hall sends out an email every week on education. If you would like to be added to his distribution list, email him your request to
dhall.planoisd@gmail.com

He also has a blog:
http://www.dhall-planoisd.blogspot.com/

It's great that our State Legislature and the Texas Education Agency try hard to provide a good education for our children. And we are lucky to have people like David Hall who work to contribute to our children's welfare.

Robert Canright

Follow up:
I have heard of one home schooling family that tried the virtual school network and quit it.
One complaint was that learning was disjointed. The curriculum hopped around a lot. I can understand that problem because I see it in the PISD math curriculum. The public schools do have trouble teaching in a coherent fashion, so a virtual public school on a computer network could easily manifest all the curriculum failings of the public schools.

PISD's Advocacy Program

2008-12-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

PISD's Advocacy Program is a great idea. Plano ISD's priorities for the 2009 legislative session are published at this site and in the school district's official 2009 Legislative Brochure. Citizen involvement is the foundation of our democratic society.

The Plano PTAs are involved in their own Advocacy Project to inform the public about the 4x4 Program: 4 years mandatory of math and science. The Shepton HS PTSA has written about it. The Plano PTA has a short presentation and a more detailed presentation addressing the problems with the 4x4 program.

All Plano parents should be involved in contacting their state legislators about 4x4 because it narrows our childrens options, puts undue stress on the schools, and is 20 years behind the times.

Our children need more education in Economics, Finance, and History to deal with tomorrow's challenges.

This is fine work by both the PISD and the PTAs/PTSAs.

Robert Canright

Planning Session a Success

2008-10-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

Plano parents met and discussed goals we would like for children's and grandchildren's future.

It was a great experience. Time flew by as we put together a list of goals. The list of goals is available here at this link.

We plan to meet again and work on this list.

We forget we do not need to be empowered, we only need to care and become involved!

Robert Canright

Brainstorm Your Children's Future

2008-09-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

I worked with parents in another town to brainstorm their children's future.

Everyone there really got into it and they generated a lot of good ideas.

If you live in or near Plano, come to the Davis Public Library on Sunday Sept. 14 at 3pm to brainstorm what we can do to help our children have the best possible future.

The Davis Library is at 7501 Independence, between Legacy and Hedgcoxe. The meeting will run from 3pm to 5pm.

Robert Canright

Plano Parents Brainstorm Their Children's Future

2008-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever worried about your child's future? Have you wondered what jobs will be available for your child as jobs are being sent overseas? Have you wondered how TAKS testing or Robin Hood is diminishing your child's education?

Let's get together on Sunday September 14, 2008, to brainstorm about our children's future. We can decide what concerns us most, and then we can brainstorm what to do about out concerns.

If you have no worries about the future, but you are interested in your child's success, please come and discuss what we might do to promote a great future for our children. If your children are grown and your interest is for your grand children's future, please come.

Please meet me at the Davis Public Library, from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Please come even if you are not living in Plano. All our children face a difficult future.

In brainstorming, all topics are fair game. If you worry about the fall of the American republic -- whatever your worries -- come and share them.

Robert Canright

Plano Parents Join Forces

2008-07-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

I am lucky to know great parents here in Plano, Texas, that have helped me help my children. Some parents told me of a math program they had enrolled their son and I enrolled my daughter in that same program. That program made a big difference in her math skills. Other parents have helped me by sharing ideas. I have helped other parents by helping coach their children in chess or math.

We Plano parents can best help our children when we share ideas about education, sports, and the child rearing experience.

Many parents are concerned about their children's future. So many jobs are being sent overseas, how will our children earn a living? What can we do about it?

We see deficiencies in core subjects in school, but what can we do about it?

Whether you are concerned about your child's education or concerned about your child's future with corporations and banks going bankrupt and the economy imploding on a regular basis, let's meet and talk.

If you have no concerns, but want your child to have the best opportunities for success, let's talk.

We are strongest when we are united.

Let's meet an discuss how we can share ideas to help our children:
Sunday September 14, 2008
3 to 5 pm
Davis Public Library
7501 Independence Pkwy
Plano, TX 75025

Email me, Robert Canright, if you have questions.
Do please email me so I know you are coming.