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California Schools and ChildrenBy Timothy Oliver StoenCandidate for State Senator; District 2 | |||
This information is provided by the candidate | |||
SCHOOLS: The California State University system announces 53% of freshmen need remedial math, and 47% remedial English. We must replace bonehead schools with quality "no-frills" schools teaching, as per Mortimer Adler: (1) ORGANIZED KNOWLEDGE (by lecture) in (a) language, literature, and the fine arts, (b) mathematics and natural science, and (c) history, geography and social studies; (2) INTELLECTUAL SKILLS (by coaching) in reading, writing, speaking, listening, calculating, problem-solving, observing, measuring, estimating, exercising critical judgement; and (3) UNDERSTANDING OF IDEAS AND VALUES, e.g., the Good and the True and the Beautiful (by discussion groups) in great books, other works of art, and involvement in artitic activities. Head Start programs to create equal education opportunity, and higher teachers salaries, will be necessary. Money is available in the $1.8 billion surplus. The goal is teaching (1) how to lead a fulfilled life, (2) how to be a good citizen, and (3) how to make a livelihood for life. CHILDREN: A full 1/4th of California's 9.5 million children LIVE IN POVERTY, and the percentage is probably higher in Senate District 2. Too many children are abused and neglected, and the social services departments have become overly-bureaucratic and ineffective (in Humboldt County the Dept. of Social Services knowingly ignored a child kept in a cage). We should make children a central focus of social policy through government and private sector partnerships working for: (1) EXPANDED QUALITY CHILD CARE, (2) SAFE HOUSES for abused or neglected children, (3) a free-pro-active ADOPTIONS PROGRAM to place all children brought to term into loving families, (4) reform of county human service programs, including EARLY NUTRITION AND PARENTAL COUNSELING intervention, and (5) DELINQUENCY-PREVENTION programs like Washington D.C.'s "See Forever," which motivates troubled youngsters by a 5 to 1 student-teacher ratio, volunteers, 12-month school calendar and 10 1/2 hour day, high academics, and working as interns. |
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