Is Your Child Safe Riding Riding the Public School Bus?

How well do politics and education mix? From New York to California, residents across the country are concerned that their public schools are being taken over by local mayors. Most controversially, New York City's Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been confronted by loud opponents, with protesters arguing that Bloomberg is overstepping his boundaries in making major changes in the city's local schools. However, Bloomberg is not the only mayor under the spotlight.

This video looks at the issue of control in our schools.

The Recent Battle: Do Mayors Have Too Much Control?

As the New York Times reveals, there has been an "increasingly acrimonious battle over mayoral control of New York City's public schools." According to reports, Bloomberg took control from the "fractious Board of Eduction" in 2002 to make needed changes to help improve the public schools' test scores and graduation rates. While Bloomberg's intentions seem to have been noble, opponents argue that one mayor alone cannot have such authority and control over 1,500 schools and 1.1 million students. Although the mayoral oversight plan officially expired on June 30^th, Bloomberg still retains the ultimate control over the schools.

As a result, 10 democratic senators held a news conference in July, demanding that Bloomberg make concessions before attempting to enforce any additional educational reforms. The conference became increasingly tense as some of the senators labeled Bloomberg as a "dictator," stating

Although your freshman daughter or son may be intimidated by the looming hallways of high school, there are ways you can help ease their transition. With new schedules, seemingly endless course options, and extracurricular choices, upcoming freshmen need tremendous parental support as they struggle to make major decisions on a new campus.

Freshman Orientation Programs

Most public high schools provide upcoming freshmen with an orientation program. Typically hosted a few weeks before the official start of the school year, orientation programs are designed to review school policies with new students. In addition, the orientation typically allows students to tour the school, obtain their schedules, and ask specific questions regarding their upcoming year. While each public high school or district will offer its own unique agenda, a common example of a freshman orientation event can be reviewed through the Wahoo Public Schools (WPS) program.

Through schools located in the eastern region of Nebraska, freshmen attending a Wahoo Public School can meet teachers, become familiar with their schedules, and ask any and all questions at an extensive orientation event each August. The orientation runs from 5 pm to 8:30 pm, including a potluck dinner, allowing new students to meet and greet their peers while parents learn more about their son or daughter's new school. Best of all, the WPS event even allows freshmen to adhere to a "mini school day schedule," where parents and students can go through the established motions and procedures of a regular class

As educational leaders experiment with new programs to help turn around the current public school crisis, some experts predict that there will be a rising interest in privatizing many public schools. With public schools struggling to meet standards amidst decreased recessionary budgets, many parents and community members are wondering if their local schools will soon be in the hands of privatized leaders.

Public Schools: On the Path to Privatization?

Public schools, unlike private institutions, are funded through community, state, and national tax revenues. Some communities, through the voting process, have chosen to pay higher taxes for increased educational funding, while other communities choose to pay less. Local funds combined with national funds and the success of a school's test scores ultimately also determine the size of a school's budget. While each school community has its own formula for the amount of money it receives, nearly all public schools are struggling with lowered budgets from recent financial cuts.

In the past several decades, however, some school leaders have grown increasingly frustrated with the many educational restrictions set by either state or local officials. To provide public school students with the opportunity to participate in a uniquely designed curriculum program, some areas have created publicly funded "magnet schools."

This TEDTalk discusses the privatization of public schools.

For example, Wake County Public Schools, located in North Carolina, offer magnet programs that adhere to

When picking classes for the next school year, parents often fret over whether their kids should dive into honors courses. These classes offer more challenges, but do they mean sacrificing top grades? It's a dilemma: better marks or tougher academics? With honors courses demanding extra effort, it's a tough call. So, here are some insights from school and college pros that can help students navigate this critical decision.

Honors vs. General: What's the Big Difference?

While each state and school community has curriculum standards, most honors and general courses adhere to similar philosophical practices. For example, Wake County Public Schools, one of the largest school systems in North Carolina, divides its high school courses into "honors" and "academic" (average) tracks. In examining the differences in Wake County Schools' 9^th grade English course options, parents and students can discuss the similarities and differences between the honors and academic options.

• Honors 9^th Grade English: Students in both honors and academics must read specific texts from a county-wide reading list. An honors course, however, will generally read more texts than an academic course, as the honors course is conducted at a much faster pace. To work more rapidly through diverse materials, honors students will undoubtedly be assigned more homework than an academic class. Additionally, suppose a student in an honors course falls behind or is struggling. In that case, the student must typically seek out tutoring assistance during their own time (during lunch, before/after school, etc.), as