PeoriaStory

Mainstream news media failures

PEORIA, IL --Two failures of the mainstream news media are apparent today.

The first is a shocking story from Alternet and US Right to Know.  It details how journalists mindlessly quote authorities on food and agriculture who have taken money from Monsanto, but don't disclose this bias.

Their so-called expert opinions have been bought.  And thus are worthless.

A story in the PJS is among those listed.

Then check out the headline in the print edition of the  Nov. 27 PJS -- urging readers to shop in local stores.  That's great, but very hypocritical of the newspaper, owned by a Wall Street hedge fund. 

Most of the PJS ad money goes straight to Wall Street instead of being invested in the newspaper to improve its coverage.

The best locally owned newspaper offering stories to the highest standards of journalism is the monthly Community Word. (Full disclosure, I am an investor in the CW.)

The ad money for the CW stays in central Illinois and recirculates, as the PJS ad revenues once did.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Wasted money, inflated grades

PEORIA, IL --  The Peoria District 150 School Board heard activist Terry Knapp criticize wasted money in his comments at the Nov. 23 board meeting.

Fifteen years ago the district had a $60 million surplus, Knapp said.  Now it's in debt after "recklessly" spending $45 million on Edison schools, and other items such as the P-cards or credit cards used during the Lathan regime, he said.

Here is a recording of the comments. 

 

D150 Nov.24

"Money went down the toilet," Knapp said. Now the district is taking out bonds, he said, for a "spend it now" mentality. He called it reckless spending.

Critic Sharon Crews, whose report will be posted below later, said inflated grades, no summer school and Compass Learning are contributing to lack of achievement in students.

She asked several questions about Compass Learning, and said research is needed into its efficacy.

A presentation on the district's report card revealed the district students are 56 percent black and 75 percent poor.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

Here are the comments from Sharon Crews:

 

I believe inflated grades, no summer school, and Compass Learning prevent District 150 students from achieving academic success. 

I have tried and been unable to get answers to these questions about Compass Learning:

How many minutes a day and for what length of time (weeks, grading period, semester) does a student spend in order to recover credits for an “F” in a class?  Is all the time spent on the computer?

For what specific courses is Compass Learning used?

Does the material covered correlate with the curriculum guide for each subject?

Are students required to do any work outside of class (as is expected in the class that was failed)?

What is the grading system (are daily grades given, what determines the final grade, and is it pass/fail or A, B, C, D, F)?

I definitely am of the opinion that Compass Learning is primarily for the purposes of keeping failing or expelled students from being held back, increasing the graduation rate, and eliminating the need for summer school.  I do not believe that it is of much help in preparing students for college or jobs.

I believe summer school is good for students for the following reasons:

It allows students to make up required failed classes.

It provides extra time to acquire skills and knowledge missed the first time around.

I found the three-hour class periods allowed me more time to spend with individual students. 

Also, students weren’t distracted by a full schedule of classes—concentrating on one subject, usually their most difficult one, helped them catch up for the following school year.

I have heard negative opinions about Compass Learning, but please ask teachers to offer their opinions.  Also, high school’s academic problems indicate that something is going wrong at the middle school and even primary levels.  Discipline problems could well be major factors there.

As to inflated grades, one of my former students wrote, “Working hard to make a C teaches us to work hard. Easy A's and B's do not teach us to work hard. The bottom line is working hard teaches us to persevere in order to succeed in life.”

Please let’s research the data that reveals which practices are leading to success and which are not helping students reach their full potential.  Please let’s pool our ideas to find the solutions.  - 30 -

 

 

Interesting news release

PEORIA, IL -- For those who have lost faith in traditional medicine, here's a fascinating news release:

OPTIONS CENTER CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY!

Options Center, 4316 N Prospect Road in Peoria Heights, Illinois, announces that 2015 is their 30th year in business.

"I opened the first office in my home where I worked with people in the den," said Helen Cox, RN, LDN, and founder of the center. "I am pleased to say that we moved into a professional setting soon after that and have made hundreds of customers and clients since then."

The evolution of holistic health/alternative medicine over the last 30 years has been astounding. Options is the oldest and only holistic health/alternative medical center in Peoria which specializes in prevention and uses hair analysis and saliva hormone testing.

It is staffed by a registered nurse and licensed dietitian nutritionist who meets with clients and students on a one-to-one basis.

People come to us for many different reasons: they want to prevent illness and degenerative diseases, they want to get well without the use of medications, and they want to know if the supplements they are taking are doing them any good.

To support healthy diets, Options Center provides a distribution point for weekly (seasonal) organic produce. Clients may also be interested in attending attend Options Center’s informational workshops on diet, particular health conditions and supplementation, or obtain professional training in Touch for Health and Brain Gym.

Besides giving workshops herself, Helen has coordinated workshops for nationally and internationally known speakers, like Carla Hannaford, Victoria Tennant and Isabel Cohen. She has also taught and/or coordinated in-school programs on Brain Gym® and Creative Self-Awareness (art therapy) in Peoria Heights, Brimfield and Pontiac.

Becky Montgomery, office manager, credits the Center's ability to give superior service to Helen's vast knowledge of herbs and supplements along with her extensive training in several different holistic modalities. Hair Analysis and Saliva testing help Helen determine what is causing a client’s symptoms.

Then she uses her expertise to interpret these tests and to suggest the supplements necessary to not only alleviate symptoms, but bring about real wellness to the body. Becky states that she has seen some amazing transformations in people’s lives since she began working at Options Center, including dietary and health changes of her own.

During their 30th year in business, Helen Cox would like to continue to reach more people by helping them to become free from illness and to live full and happy lives. Read what others have to say about our results:

I came to Options after going through the regular channels with my doctor and getting no results…no answers to my questions…no reasons for my symptoms. I’m glad I did! I feel that I am now taking positive steps to prevent further damage to my body through an [previously] inadequate diet. I can’t help but wish I had been aware of it sooner. Thanks, Helen
Debby [Name used with permission]

I have just come in from walking a mile this morning. To most that may not seem like much but 9 months ago I couldn't have done it. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and in January of this year I received my first chemotherapy treatment. I had a severe allergic reaction to the chemo they prescribed. I was never going back, but what in the world do I do now? Someone mentioned Helen's name to my husband at local health center. I reluctantly went to see her but walked out of the appointment with hope and assurance that there is another way to treat breast cancer. Since then I have followed her direction and I'm thrilled. Frankly, I haven't been this healthy in years. As for the cancer, the last test I had showed that it wasn't there. God Bless this precious woman who works tirelessly and without fanfare. Most importantly she gets results. Congratulations on 30 years and I can't thank her enough!
Suzanne [Name used with permission]

My experiences at Options Center includes a myriad of positives- I have been connected to and supported in pursuing expert training in Touch for Health®, Brain Gym International® certified classes such as Optimal Brain Organization, Blomberg Rhythmic Movement Training™, and expert support in consultation related to individual personal and professional development through Options Center and with Helen Cox' mentoring and excellent expertise.
Laura, School Social Worker, Springfield Illinois [Name used with permission]

I met Helen ten years ago. She has played a huge role in my life these past years. I am convinced that she saved my life with mind body work and a healthy diet!
Jean [Name used with permission] - 30 -

 

Wasting $14,000

PEORIA, IL -- A special Peoria District 150 School Board meeting on Nov. 16 to discuss raising taxes generated  public comments discussing hiring a search firm to find a new superintendent.

Both of the veteran commenters want the interim superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat to have the permanent superintendent's job.

They relied on history to prove their points. Terry Knapp said previous search firms yielded superintendents who didn't work out. "Business people" and others ultimately selected them, he said.

Now the public wants Kherat, he said, adding that he campaigned for board members and met and talked with people while going door-to-door. 

Here is a recording of the comments.

 

D150 Nov 16

The comments from Sharon Crews, posted below, are well done and worth reading for their insight. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

From Sharon Crews:

When Dr. Kherat was chosen as the interim superintendent, Board members Butler and Cloyd voted “No” because the selection process was not followed. 

From 2004 to 2010—Fischer, Hannah, Fabish, and Durflinger were hired as interim superintendents.  Only Martha Ross served at the times when any of those four were selected as interims.  Therefore, Mrs. Butler and Mr. Cloyd, what do you know about the selection process for interim superintendents?

At the last meeting, Cloyd, Butler, Wolfmeyer, and Adler voted to hire a consultant to search for a new superintendent.  The only reason I heard for this vote was that these board members wanted a consultant to provide an open, transparent process.

My first question to the four of you is: 

To what process are you referring?  First of all, three of you were not on the board for the selection of any superintendent.  Only Wolfmeyer was serving when Lathan was chosen.  What do any of you know about the mythical process?  Board policy simply states that the board will employ a superintendent.  I don’t believe there are any guidelines as to how the selection should be conducted.

 I have written a FOIA request to find out when consultants have been hired for District 150 superintendent searches.  My guess is that no such process occurred for hiring Whitaker, Griffith, Garrett, or Hinton. 

My second question is:  What makes you think that a search conducted by the Illinois Association of School Boards will be transparent?  Who knows or ever will know what kind of deals are made before any applicant is presented to this board and/or the public?

I don’t consider these questions to be rhetorical.  I think we all deserve answers to these questions.

Lastly, more than ever before, the superintendent of District 150 should be someone who lives in Peoria, has served District 150 in other capacities, and truly cares for the District and its employees and students—we have that in Dr. Kherat.  And now is not the time to waste $14,000. 

Also, when did this board decide that there should not be an Assistant Superintendent?  Dr. Lathan fired her choice for that position.  Board policy still lists the duties of an assistant.  So what about that process?

An interesting tidbit of District history—did you know that in 1905 Superintendent Newton C. Dougherty was convicted of forgery and embezzling $400,000 in school funds. Sent to prison for six years, Dougherty was then known as "Peoria's Greatest Criminal." In 1915, he was pardoned by then-Gov. Edward F. Dunne.  I guess the good old days weren’t all that good. - 30 -

A slap at the new super

PEORIA, IL -- In a slap in the face to the popular new Peoria School District interim superintendent, the school board on Nov. 9 voted 4-3 to hire a search firm to find a permanent superintendent.

Those voting against were board president Martha Ross, Lynne Costic and Ernestine Jackson.

Dan Adler, elected with the help of Change150 voted to hire the search firm, joining those who had supported the previous superintendent. He was elected pledging to fire he, but she resigned instead. 

He has not yet responded to an email asking him about that vote.  Has he been co-oped by the establishment powers that brought in former superintendent Grenita Lathan, whose CEO tactics were wildly disliked and ineffective?

UPDATE 11/11/15. In an email Adler said he wanted to the hiring process to have transparency.

No search firms were hired to find other superintendents who were promoted from within the district, including Ken Hinton, who didn't even have the credentials to be a superintendent. (Thanks for nothing there, Aaron Schock, who hired him.)

The interim, Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, has completely turned around the ambience in District 150 by establishing cooperation and collaborative decision making. As long time district critic Sevino Sierra said in his public comment "the atmosphere in the district is much better."

Here is a recording of the public comments.

 

Dist150 Nov 9

Other comments:  Sharon Crews discussed grade inflation, and said "Ds and Fs in the district are rare. C has become the new F."  That's lying to students and parents about college readiness, she said. See below for her complete comments.

Critic Terry Knapp reminded the board about the awful effects of students who must change schools because they close or must be bused out of their neighborhoods.  His example, of a Woodruff High School student, a cheerleader who was tossed into another school when Hinton closed Woodruff, was heartbreaking.

Do the research on Woodruff to find out what happened to those students displaced when the school was closed, he said.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Comments from Sharon Crews:

 The trend toward inflated grades started years ago.  In the 1960s, all assignments, tests, and grading period and semester averages were figured from 0-100. Seventy was the lowest passing score.  The next change came when all averages had to be on a 1-5 scale.  The nuances of grades were gone. 

The worst change came when some teachers began to use the 1-5 scale instead of the 0-100 scale for grading papers.  The 1-5 scale is a recipe for grade inflation.  To further water down grades, we were told that the average of 2 As and 2 Bs had to be A, etc.  Worse yet, three grading period Fs and a C on a final had to be a D average.

My studies of district grades over the last five years show that Ds and Fs are relatively rare.  Much to my surprise, a 2013 Washington Post article entitled “How to Detect Inflated Grades at Your School,” suggests that C has become the new F.  

Much in this article describes what has been happening in District 150.

Inflated report card grades lie to students and their parents who, consequently, believe students are ready for the workplace or college.  The latest report from Illinois shows that the majority of students are not college ready.

The article states that a comparison of AP test results with report card grades will reveal if there is grade inflation.  One study says a 4 or 5 on an AP exam is equivalent to a high school A, a score of 3 is similar to a B and a 2 is comparable to a C.  The article states that inflation is occurring if most report card grades are significantly higher than the AP test results.

The article’s conclusion agrees with what I discovered in researching last year’s AP grades.

Teachers of students who qualify for AP courses are not likely to give inflated grades because they would be embarrassed by the test results and would probably lose the AP class.  I believe that’s true in 150.

However, the article states that administrators are placing unqualified students in AP classes, believing the challenge will be good for them even though few will score well on the AP tests.  However, parents and students believe the inflated report card grades—and that has happened in District 150.  ACT tests and IB tests, also, reveal inflated grades.  Too often teacher grades are used to please administrators and/or to reward students, not to rate achievement.  Inflated grades are cruel deceptions.  Please let us lead the way in a return to higher standards. - 30 -

 UPDATE 11/11/15:  Change150 supports the interim super for permanent super, PJS says. 

Quest Charter School, Glen Barton, Aaron Schock and Turkey -- the connections.

PEORIA, IL -- On Oct. 30, the newspaper USA Today released an in-depth investigation of junkets to Turkey for members of Congress, paid for by front groups of the Gulen movement, the Turkish group of questionable motives.

That's the group that operated the Peoria charter school Quest,  an initiative paid for by taxpayers and Glen Barton, former Caterpillar CEO. 

Barton is also the guy behind the horrible plan to ruin Peoria's Riverfront Park with 4-story luxury apartments.  His plan has been approved by the Peoria City Council (helped along by campaign contributions to some of those voting 'yes,' see story below), but awaiting state and federal approval.

Now it turns out that former disgraced Congressman Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, was on one of those lawmakers on junkets to Turkey.

Check out the link above -- read down to see the actual documents, and a photo of Schock at a Quest classroom.(Thanks to the blogger who researched this!)

And don't forget the Quest kids were treated to yearly to trips to Turkey -- not London, Paris or Rome -- a situation criticized by District 150 activist Terry Knapp. 

The Gulen group contract to operate Quest ended last spring, so the school officials finally came to their senses.  Or maybe because Schock  left Congress?

Good riddance to both.

-- Elaine Hopkins