What the Voters are Saying (Part 2)

My name is David Goldstein and I am running for the Edina School Board.

I would like to again thank the Edina Patch for this opportunity to share some of my thoughts during this week leading up to the election on November 5.

Here are some more of the issues that have come up repeatedly over four months of campaigning.

4.         Opportunities for the public to address the full Board at its regular meetings exist, but are limited.  To some extent, the limitations are necessary in order for the Board to get its work done.  At the same time, though, I am concerned by the number of people who have told me during this campaign that they have not had a fair opportunity to speak to the Board on issues of importance.  As an elected body, the School Board needs to be accessible.  If elected, I promise that everyone who addresses the Board at a meeting will have my full and undivided attention.  I will also be accessible outside of Board meetings and I will support efforts to create additional opportunities for the public to engage the Board.

5.         There are many students and parents who are very concerned over the amount of homework  being assigned in certain classes.  Without a doubt we are asking our middle school and high school students to work very hard.  Some of our kids love the challenge and are thriving.  For others, current course offerings and expectations may be discouraging and counterproductive.  I think we can do a better job in a number of ways.  First, we need to provide students with appropriate choices to reflect the ranges of their abilities and interests.  Second, the 9th graders (and maybe even the 8th graders) need to be more closely integrated into the high school. The 9th graders are increasingly taking high school classes while remaining on a middle school schedule that provides them with 30 or 40 fewer days in class than they would receive if taking the same class in the high school.  This is putting an unnecessary burden on the students and their teachers.

6.         How to best use technology in our schools remains an open question.  It is clear that gifted teachers have found ways to use technology to substantially aid learning.  And it is also clear that there are gifted teachers who are able to get great results without using technology.  Technology offers ways to communicate information faster and cheaper.  It also allows teaching to take place outside of the school or the school day.  As one example, many students are listening to recorded lectures on a computer at home so that class time can be used to work with their teacher on problems.  Given the tremendous importance of technology in the workplace and at home, it is silly to think that we can ignore technology in the schools.  However, expecting technology to transform education by itself is naïve.  The effective use of technology will require creativity and planning.   I enthusiastically support the increased use of technology, but only to the extent that the technology is being used wisely.             

The best part of running for the School Board has been the opportunity to listen to what other people have to say.  Please contact me at David@GoldsteinForEdina.com and let me know about your priorities and concerns.