Report Cards for Parents?

I ran across this topic (literally) while at the gym watching the news. There are some lawmakers who want to make it mandatory for parents to become involved in their children's education, and they would also have a report card system to rate their involvement. What are your thoughts on this? How involved should parents be? (think of elementary, middle and high school levels)

Dress Code

Many schools have already adopted a dress code for students, but schools in Waterbury, CT have also adopted a dress code for teachers! What are your thoughts? Should teachers be required to wear certain things like the students? If so, what should teachers wear?

SAT scores by town

Click on the link below to read a brief article (it will take you to a main page, then click on "Town-by-Town SAT Scores"), then search different towns' SAT scores and compare them to Bloomfield. What are your reactions? How can students in Bloomfield improve their overall scores?

SAT Scores

Enrollement for state colleges at its highest

Click on the link below to read a short article on this topic.

How will this affect you and attending your number one university/college?
How does this affect the entire state/nation?

Article

President Obama: Is race an issue?

Watch the video below, which contains mainly facts. After viewing it, feel free to leave comments. Here are some questions to focus in on if you are stuck...

Is everything always black vs. white in America? Why or why not?
Do you agree with the reasons behind the percentages? Why or why not?
How much of this video have you already heard? If this is all new, were there any surprises? Why or why not?

Student Tasered

On Tuesday, Septemeber 7th, a 17 year old student from Middletown High School was tasered for stealing food from the cafeteria. Watch the short video below and post your reactions. Did school resource officers take things too far? What could have been done instead? What consequence do you feel the boy should face?


 

Cell Phones at School: Should They Be Allowed?

This has been a hot debate in education for a couple of years now. In your response, I'd like you to list 3 reasons why cell phones should be allowed in school and 3 reasons why they shouldn't. This is a tough one! Try and really think about your response.

What is the biggest problem your school deals with?

This post was suggested by Rachel Walker.

Read the article (click on the link below). It gives a poll that teenagers answered as to what they think is the biggest problem facing their school today. What do you think is the biggest problem at Bloomfield High? Can anything be done to solve it? What is your reaction to the poll? This should prompt some interesting discussion, and perhaps be brought into the classroom.

Gallup Poll

ISS vs. OSS

Read the article from the Hartford Courant.

Connecticut's Much-Delayed In-School Suspension Law Has July 1 Start

Please post your thoughts. I know you have them.

In-school suspension vs. Out-of-school suspension...any difference?

Bullying

Click on the link below to read an article on bullying from the Hartford Courant. What are some of your thoughts on this topic?

From a teenager's perspective, what are some things teachers and administrators can do to reduce this problem in schools?

What is cyber-bullying? Are sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter making this easier for kids to do? How can society combat this issue?

Here is the article: Expert On Bullying Discusses Ways To Reduce The Problem