Posted 10:46 AM by Susan Darst Williams

HERE'S HOPING NEBRASKA SCHOOLS
WILL COPY THE SUCCESS
OF THE K.I.S.S. PRINCIPLE:
KEEP IT SIMPLE, SILLY

Happy to see these great results for New York City low-income kids that have been gained with an excellent, back-to-the-basics curriculum, the Core Knowledge series, along with a sensible, cost-effective, back-to-the-basics approach to school management:

http://ednews.org/articles/scrimp-avoid-quick-fixes-watch-academic-achievement-rise.html

This Christian Science Monitor article contains several simple but smart changes that could help those 20 or so failing buildings in the Omaha Public Schools get it back together in a hurry.

Class size is kept fairly large, but test scores are 'way up, simply because these educators were able to say "no" to stupid and expensive fads, and met kids' learning needs in a straightforward way.

The Core Knowledge curriculum is excellent (www.coreknowledge.org), but in Nebraska is in only limited use right now, chiefly at the Core Academy in one grade school in the Millard district.

One of the neatest things the New York principal does is share the annual budget with parents and teachers. What a concept!

Labels: Core Knowledge for low-income students, smart school management ideas