Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Peter E. Pflaum & Mary Anne Watkins
225 Robinson Road
New Smyrna Beach, 32169
386 428 9609
pflaump@ucnsb.net
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
RE: Using funds for High Impact:
Thinking about how private, foundation or public funds could have the most impact on the American Society. The question as in business, return on investment (ROI), is how to get the most bangs for the bucks. This is not an easy question since there are an infinite number of options and ROI is hard to measure for social action.
My suggestion involves the Advanced Placement Program (AP) at the educational testing service (ETS). I can’t think of any investment that has a higher ROI than education from a person and social point of view. Better educated and smarter people make a smarter and better culture in the short and long run. The founding fathers often stressed the point of a valid civic culture. The AP program is the most important and maybe the only important reform in American Education since the blackboard and school bus. It sets a new tone and encourages academic performance in an anti-intellectual sports driven secondary school system. The curriculum was set in the 1890’s, run by textbook publishers and teachers colleges and in general been dumbed down for decades. Colleges now teach high school classes and remedial classes because the kids lack basic skills and knowledge.
First, teachers of these classes should first and foremost pass the exams in their subjects at the 5 level. They should have 18 hours of college level work at 3.0 or better in the subject. They should get a nice supplement of 10% or more of their base salary. There is a critical shortage of math and science teachers who should get extra supplements. Since the teacher’s union will not allow this an external gift becomes necessary. The grant or gift could be tax free as a grant and tied to the number of AP classes taught and the number of student who actually pass the subject. http://nces.ed.gov/
Of the roughly 15 million high school students only 6.5% are candidates for AP or a million in 50,000 classes with about an upper limit of 50,000 AP teachers – with a supplement or grant of $5,000 per class or teacher who qualifies (has passed the exam themselves, where 75% of their students get 3 or better, and have 18hrs in their subject) is $250 million not an impossible number.
225 Robinson Road
New Smyrna Beach, 32169
386 428 9609
pflaump@ucnsb.net
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
RE: Using funds for High Impact:
Thinking about how private, foundation or public funds could have the most impact on the American Society. The question as in business, return on investment (ROI), is how to get the most bangs for the bucks. This is not an easy question since there are an infinite number of options and ROI is hard to measure for social action.
My suggestion involves the Advanced Placement Program (AP) at the educational testing service (ETS). I can’t think of any investment that has a higher ROI than education from a person and social point of view. Better educated and smarter people make a smarter and better culture in the short and long run. The founding fathers often stressed the point of a valid civic culture. The AP program is the most important and maybe the only important reform in American Education since the blackboard and school bus. It sets a new tone and encourages academic performance in an anti-intellectual sports driven secondary school system. The curriculum was set in the 1890’s, run by textbook publishers and teachers colleges and in general been dumbed down for decades. Colleges now teach high school classes and remedial classes because the kids lack basic skills and knowledge.
First, teachers of these classes should first and foremost pass the exams in their subjects at the 5 level. They should have 18 hours of college level work at 3.0 or better in the subject. They should get a nice supplement of 10% or more of their base salary. There is a critical shortage of math and science teachers who should get extra supplements. Since the teacher’s union will not allow this an external gift becomes necessary. The grant or gift could be tax free as a grant and tied to the number of AP classes taught and the number of student who actually pass the subject. http://nces.ed.gov/
Of the roughly 15 million high school students only 6.5% are candidates for AP or a million in 50,000 classes with about an upper limit of 50,000 AP teachers – with a supplement or grant of $5,000 per class or teacher who qualifies (has passed the exam themselves, where 75% of their students get 3 or better, and have 18hrs in their subject) is $250 million not an impossible number.
