Upgrading Schools for a Digital World

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Upgrading schools for a digital world by John Florez If 65 percent of children entering school this fall may end up in careers that haven’t been invented, why do lawmakers think evaluating teachers annually will improve education? According to a MacArthur Foundation study, 65 percent of students in today’s classrooms will be doing jobs that have not yet been created. So why do lawmakers want to evaluate teachers based on a system that is teaching … Continue reading →

Treat Teachers As Professionals

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Treat Teachers As Professionals By John Florez  If private employers treated their employees like Utah lawmakers treat their teachers, they would be out of business and cited for violating labor laws. Yet, we see legislators continue to blame teachers for our failing schools. They keep trying to pass laws on how to fire poor performing teachers, demand more accountability, add more needless regulations and even try to dismantle education with a thousand cuts. Such actions … Continue reading →

School Board Should Retool Education For The New Economy

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School Board Should Retool Education For The New Economy by John Florez, Deseret News Andy Grove, former chairman of Intel, once said, “If you are not paranoid, you are out of business.” So it may be with the state school board. American businesses have taken Grove’s advice and retooled themselves for today’s economy. Utah’s state school board members would do our state well to do the same. In 2001, the Utah State Office of Education … Continue reading →

Education System Needs Big Medicine

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Education System Needs Big Medicine by John Florez, Deseret News  As my late friend, Judge Frank Wilkins used to say, “That calls for big medicine.” And that’s what public education needs today. It is one of the most important institutions needed to compete in the global economy; yet, we have failed to support our elected leaders in making the necessary changes for our students to succeed in the world marketplace. Today, we are living in … Continue reading →

POINT OF ODER: School Board Meeting

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In the January 08, 2013 I raised a point of order because the agenda stated that the newly elected Board members represented PRECINCTS. The text of the entire letter is at the bottom of this post. Here is the agenda:   Here is the first page of the letter: Point of Order Letter 01/08/2013 In the January 22, 2013 meeting the board President handed out this bullet point memo, the notes in the margin are mine: Board President’s Response to my … Continue reading →