Wow! For those of you not on the mailing list, the e-mails are flying fast and furious with parents concerned about math education on one side and the district on the other. Per my previous post, a group of parents went to present a letter asking Bellevue School District to halt their evaluation of a new math curriculum for the high school level until the state had finished it’s own evaluation. They were apparently asked to not read the letter as the members of the board were already acquainted with it. Well, that lit the fuse! Since then the Bellevue Reporter has been contacted, people are quoting chapter and verse of state code and Amelia Cudeiro, the new superintendent, who doesn’t even start until July 1st, has weighed in on the process.

Despite the protestations of some parents, I don’t believe that anyone at BSD is intentionally trying to keep parents out of the process or even keep the process secret. Frankly, a large group of people were told last year at a Bellevue Schools Foundation Fundraiser at Ross Hunter’s home that high school curricula would be evaluated and chosen this next year. Further, a couple weeks ago when I heard from a teacher that the process was moving along, and called Jan Zuber, she was open and honest with answers (despite, not knowing who the heck I am…). I believe that Jan and her office are simply doing their jobs the best they can. Trying to get thru the process to get a new math curricula as soon as possible. So where is the disconnect? Why are people so frustrated?

I believe the issue is two-fold: first, Bellevue School District has a track record of top-down management and concentration of power in the administration, and second, the current educational pedagogy that emphasizes “brain research and studies” over the practical concerns and feedback from parents. Parents are stuck between these two rocks and many are frustrated beyond belief.

Bellevue School District has adopted a philosophy of top-down management and standardization of education. I remember hearing Dr. Riley speak at the BSF luncheon a couple of years ago about how our model of standardization and information technology was making Bellevue “a model for the nation.” He was a great speaker and very convincing despite myself, I applauded. Afterward, i wasn’t as convinced. For example, the policy of rotating principals every three years or so, certainly retains power at the top of the administration and prevents fiefdoms. However, it also prevents anyone from creating programs or school cultures beyond the district approved ones. I’m sure the district, believing in its own their policies, thinks this is great whereas parents, faced with new principles and new agendas every few years feel differently.

Another example would be the policy of standardization of curriculum, which allows consistent implementation, eliminating issues with inequities between schools. However, if people really wanted what is being sold, why is the waiting line for International School so long and why do the parents there scream so loudly every time an “improvement” is instituted at their school? Bellevue School District is known for these type of top-down policies that sound good at least from an administrative perspective but rarely sound so good for the parents.

The second issue is the educational pedagogy that has been dominant in Washington for the last ten years. Parents have brought their concerns about TERC, Connected Math and Core Plus to our respective math nights and have been stonewalled time after time. When we’ve pressed the point, we were told, in essence, that our opinions weren’t correct, that they, the experts, have access to “brain research” and/or studies about how children learn that overrule what we desire for our children. Not to over emphasize this point but, obvious issues like complete lack of formulas in the books, no reference or example problems, lack of drill or skill development work and jargon and algorithms that made it impossible for parents to participate in the learning process were never addressed. Even when the TIMMS study that was funded by Bellevue School District said that achievement was NOT as claimed that message got massaged and somehow became a victory. (Wow… that was cathartic… I really didn’t mean to get into all that old stuff but it kind of jumped out.)

In any case, both because of their top-down management style and current pedagogy, parents feel left out and disrespected. I sincerely hope that Ms. Cudeiro is able to deliver on her promises and crack this bureaucracy open, letting parents be part of the decisions effecting our children’s education.