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School Board Candidate Questions
Q. Whenever
school-board elections come up, I feel guilty that I don't know beans about the
philosophies or ideas of any of the candidates. I tend to vote by name
recognition, and I know that's not good. They all sound alike in their election
circulars and voter's guides. How can I find out what these people think, and
what they're likely to support while in this important political office?
Even if you don't have a school-board election going on
right now, make a copy of these excellent questions. They focus on three key
areas: academics, policy, and parents' rights.
Then get a voter group together next time you're going to
have a school board election, schedule a public forum where the candidates are
all invited and the public can attend, and survey candidates with these
questions early in the election cycle. Publish the responses for all to see;
you can set up a blog for free or get with other citizens and pay for a
newspaper ad together. Then go to bat for the candidate or candidates who "get
it" about what's needed in public education.
These are from the grassroots education organization in
Minnesota, www.EdWatch.org:
QUESTIONS FOR
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES
ACADEMICS
1.
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Do you support schools giving
primary emphasis to teaching basic skills
(e.g. reading, grammar, spelling, traditional arithmetic)
rather than social activism or psychological matters?
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2.
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Do you support the use of
intensive, systematic phonics to teach children
how to read from kindergarten on and into special ed?
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3.
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Do you support the goal that
children should be able to read
by the end of the first grade?
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4.
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Do you support teaching abstinence
as the norm for unmarried teenagers
and as the only truly effective way to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases?
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5.
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Do you support teaching that the
use of illegal drugs
and the unlawful use of alcohol are "wrong"?
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6.
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Do you believe the topics of
homosexuality and alternative lifestyles
should be excluded from the classroom?
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7.
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Do you reject classroom
instruction that undermines American sovereignty,
limited constitutional government, or private enterprise?
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8.
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Do you reject programs that
promote an over-emphasis
on vocations in elementary school and that encourage or
require students to choose a career path by 8th grade?
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9.
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Do you support academic programs
for middle and high performing students to complement the NCLB focus on
low-performing students?
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10.
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Do you oppose global curricula
that promote world citizenship?
(Examples: International Baccalaureate, the GLOBE program,
the Center for Civic Educations curriculum)
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11.
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Do you support teaching the
scientific strengths and weaknesses
of scientific principles such as evolution?
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POLICY
1.
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Do you oppose the collection and
maintenance of data on student
health, performance, attitudes, behavior, and family, as well as
academics, in computerized databases?
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2.
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Do oppose routine mental health
screening for all students?
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3.
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Do you oppose school-based health
clinics, which may perform examinations,
provide immunizations and medications, and dispense birth control
devices and abortion referrals, without parental consent or knowledge?
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4.
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Do oppose social and emotional standards
being incorporated into the curricula?
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5.
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Do you oppose accepting outside
grants from wealthy special
interest foundations and from state and federal government
that set the district agenda, such as establishing smaller
learning communities (a form of School-to-Work),
expanding early childhood education, diversity training,
and global citizenship programs?
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6.
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Do you oppose the targeting of
commercials to students in the classroom
through Channel One television?
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7.
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Do you support traditional class
scheduling, as opposed to block scheduling?
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PARENTS' RIGHTS
1.
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Do you oppose school districts
collecting student data with non-academic
student surveys involving students personal behavior, values,
attitudes, beliefs, or those of their family and friends?
(Examples: Teen Screen, Minnesota Student Survey, Search Institute, etc.)
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2.
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Do you support requiring parental
permission on all non-academic student surveys
that the district may be involved in?
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3.
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Do you oppose the creation of a
district universal pre-school system?
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4.
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Do you oppose all-day, every-day
kindergarten?
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5.
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Do you support the right of
parents to home school their children?
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6.
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Do you believe in the fundamental
right of parents to direct
the upbringing and education of their children?
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Homework: Check
in with www.edwatch.org regularly for
updates on important education issues.
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