Kumon Math & Reading Centers, the world's largest after-school education program, turns 50 this year .
[…]
"The Education industry is burgeoning," says Deven Klein, vice president of Kumon franchising. "Tutoring is a widespread option for an increasing number of families in the United States."
Gee, lucky for us that we have this option.
Over the past five years, the average Kumon Center enrollment in the United States increased by 55 percent, and overall, the company has 80,000 more U.S. students than in 2002.
Kumon opened 84 new US centers last year, and expects to open 120 in 2008. Business is booming.
84???
ReplyDelete120 next year???
Is there any way to correlate opening of new KUMON centers with growth of constructivist math curricula?
I think they may have done it in WA.
Tutoring centers may become the only places to learn what schools are supposed to teach.
ReplyDeleteThe descent into greater and greater nuttiness seems inexorable.
See the amorphous goals ex-NYT ed columnist RR wants to see measured as reported by eduwonkette:
"In a talk last Thursday at Teachers College, Richard Rothstein proposed a "Report Card on Comprehensive Equity" that would broaden the set of measures we use to assess the achievement gap. Rothstein argued that accountability systems that focus only on basic academic skills distort the educational process as schools focus more on skills for which they’re held accountable. Because we want more out of schools than math and reading scores, Rothstein proposed extending the data we collect to include domains such as critical thinking and problem solving, social skills and work ethic, readiness for citizenship and community responsibility, foundation for lifelong physical health, foundation for lifelong emotional health, appreciation of the arts and literature, and preparation for skilled work."
So, does that mean RR wants the state to test my kids on their “lifelong emotional health, appreciation of the arts and literature”? Oh yeah, that’s just what I want. NOT!
ReplyDelete"Because we want more out of schools than math and reading scores,..."
ReplyDeleteWhen is it either/or? What other knowledge makes it OK to flunk tests of the basics?
Apparently, it can't be that the schools are really screwing up, and it can't be that the kids are really stupid, so it must be that there is some other knowledge that needs to be authentically tested to show that everything is OK.
Authentic means anything that's too vague to be blamed on the schools.
Rothstein has been proposing testing for character ed for awhile now.
ReplyDeleteI say beat them at their own game.
Go ahead, folks.
Establish a state testing regimen for character.
Let's see how well our schools do teaching black, Hispanic, and white boys to behave like white middle class girls.
Schools think they're having trouble making AYP now.
instructivist is right.
ReplyDeleteParents who want a serious education for their kids are going to have to get out of the public schools. Period.
There are some last bastions of common sense in the schools; I believe the good schools we have left are located in mid-sized cities in the Midwest and possibly in the south.
But that's it. Schools in the major cities and their suburbs are a lost cause.
There aren't enough private schools to go around and they're too expensive to boot.
Catholic schools are on the ropes -- and I gather they're under the sway of ed schools, too.
Parents are simply going to have to opt out.
Band together, teach each other's kids, create new structures -- homeschooling centers, "teacher placement agencies," "community colleges" for K-12.
It makes me sad to agree with you on this one Catherine, but the more I learn the more I lose hope. Yes, even the Catholic schools are beginning to buy into the ed school propaganda because it is so entrenched in the very soul of our culture now. This is the result of over one hundred years of thinking. Change would be required on a mass, cultural level. At this point, most people assume things are as they should be and so they do as they do.
ReplyDelete"[M]any American parents are unfussy customers when it comes to academic performance. They care about a safe, nurturing environment and a caring teacher--and about convenience and sports and such. Those are significant considerations, yes, but not enough to boost achievement."
ReplyDelete-Chester Finn
A dear friend of mine owns a Kumon center. She's shared with me the challenge of parents who complain about their child having to do the Kumon worksheets everyday or the stress on the child of timing these efforts. Those who are successful with Kumon understand that it in the antidote to public education's anti-mastery, minimum effort, don't-push-the-child mentality. The secret of Kumon's success is in the discipline and the attainment of mastery (time and accuracy).
If you're not a fussy customer when it comes to academics and you don't buy into the philosphy behind places like Kumon, you should really spend your money on something else.
Based on Kumon's amazing success, however, it seems that they have some very "fussy" customers.
I went to the eduwonkette site and read the comments. Even after all of these years, I was stunned.
ReplyDeleteThey like these ideas. I feel so naive sometimes.
Somehow, academics don't matter? There are other things that are more important, or that will show that they are really doing a better job? Do they think that because they are sincere and work hard that everything is fine? Don't they see that their idea of education is not held by others? Of course they do. They see the kids go off to private schools. Do they think that all of these parents are so stupid that they would pay all of this money just for elitism?
I know that teachers think that because private schools get to pick and choose students (only a few do this), the public schools can't do what they do. Maybe they think that they can't do more than teach to the lowest common denominator. But then they talk of "critical thinking and problem solving" as if they are doing something better. It's incredible.
It's just like the math problem. They do less and have lower expectations, but then claim that it's better. And they actually believe this!?! My son's fifth grade EM teacher didn't get to 35 percent of the material in the course, but said that she was happy with their critical thinking development, and this was a private school.
And my sixth grade son had to draw another crayon picture of his favorite scene in a book last night. I'm going to scream, but I can't do that. It's not constructive. The problem is how can I be constructive when I want to change their choice of curriculum and fundamental assumptions. I want to tell the teacher that she shouldn't have sixth graders coloring for homework. We're miles apart, and they're in charge.
I don't want to talk about critical thinking. This is less, not more. Calculators are less, not more. Powerpoint is less, not more. Class blogging is less, not more. SMART Boards are less, not more.
No, I don't feel better.
My hope is that the AP tracks in high school will be better, but I guess I'm still naive. I will have to focus on SAT, playing the grade game, and re-teaching at home.
"I don't want to talk about critical thinking. This is less, not more. Calculators are less, not more. Powerpoint is less, not more. Class blogging is less, not more. SMART Boards are less, not more."
ReplyDeletei seldom see eye-to-eye with steveh
--"choice" to me is code for
"keep taxing us but admit you're
not going to provide any services"
(schooling as health insurance)--
but this paragraph is flat-out perfect.
thanks.
I'm all for critical thinking problems if they are along these lines:
ReplyDeleteWith a straight edge and compass construct an equilateral triangle on a given finite straight line.
"i seldom see eye-to-eye with steveh"
ReplyDeleteIs this the contrarian speaking?
"--'choice' to me is code for
"keep taxing us but admit you're
not going to provide any services"
(schooling as health insurance)--"
I won't argue with that, but are you against choice or just how the money flows?
i'd rather the government
ReplyDeletequit pretending to be in
the education business at all.
so: i'm all for "choice"
rightly-so-called ...
if outright non-participation
counts as one of the choices
--and, yes, that means
(among other things)
"quit extorting money from me
and failing to deliver on your promises".
thanks for asking.
Here is a snapshot of the Finnish school system:
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120425355065601997-1JeGscidTIqAmJ6F7Nk6j_MJlJo_20090228.html?mod=rss_free
It seems, Finns are laid back and do well. Egalitarianism reigns. Gifted are not promoted but since the population is homogeneous in more than one way, everybody is above average anyway. National standards give guidance. Teachers need to know their stuff.
Technology enthusiasts on an ed pilgrimage are disappointed by low-tech practices.
An odd point in the article is that the gifted are promoted in this country.
It is sad that KUMON is in such a high demand. Something is failing in our education system.
ReplyDeleteRecently encounter a couple of KUMON-like maybe better online math program. Noetic Learning StayAhead! and MathScore. Anyone used either of them?