"PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS": H. R. 2882 - TONSUPPORT PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS

Sponsor of the HR 2882 Bill is Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. - D (NJ10). There are 4 other Democrat Co-Sponsors. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promise_Neighborhoods

Promise Neighborhoods

Promise Neighborhoods is a United States Department of Education program established under the legislative authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Education Program to improve educational outcomes for students in distressed urban and rural neighborhoods. $10 million was allocated in fiscal 2010 to support 21 communities with one year of funding to plan for the implementation of "cradle-to-career" services.^[1][2] Funding for fiscal year 2011 increased to $30 million; funding for 2012 increased to $60 million. Funding for fiscal year 2013 has not been finalized but is expected to be between $60 million and $90 million.

The Promise Neighborhoods program is based on the experience of programs such as the Harlem Children's Zone, which has boosted students' academic outcomes dramatically. Under the Promise Neighborhood program, non-profit organizations (which may include faith-based non-profits) and institutions of higher education will be eligible for one-year grants supporting the design of comprehensive community programs. The programs must have the specific goal of preparing students for success in college and careers. As part of the planning process, applicants must focus their efforts on schools in the neighborhood and build services for students in those schools from birth through college or career.^[1]

The Promise Neighborhoods Institute was established by PolicyLink to assist communities interested in participating in the Promise Neighborhoods program. The three partner agencies that make up the institute are PolicyLink, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and the Harlem Children's Zone.^[3][4]

^AWARDS

The Department of Education announced the 21 recipients of Promise Neighborhood planning grants in September 2010. These year-long grants of up to $500,000 are to be used by the receiving organizations to develop a plan "to provide cradle-to-career services that improve the educational achievement and healthy development of children."^[8] Recipients are in urban and rural communities, including one Indian reservation.

List of recipients and associated municipalities:

• Abyssinian Development Corporation, New York
• Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, St. Paul, Minnesota
• Athens Clarke County Family Connection, Inc., Athens, Georgia
• Berea College, Clay, Jackson, and OwsleyCounties, Kentucky
• Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Montana
• California State University, East Bay, Hayward, California
• Cesar Chavez Public Policy Charter High School, Washington, D.C.
• City of Promise c/o Children, Youth, and Family Services, Charlottesville, Virginia
• Community Day Care Center of Lawrence, Inc., Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Delta Health Alliance, Inc., Indianola, Mississippi
• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Boston
• The Guidance Center, River Rouge, Michigan
• Lutheran Family Health Centers, New York
• Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
• Neighborhood Centers Inc., Houston, Texas
• Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission, Los Angeles
• United Way of Central Massachusetts, Inc., Worcester, Massachusetts
• United Way of San Antonio & Bexar County, Inc., San Antonio, Texas
• Universal Community Homes, Philadelphia
• University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Westminster Foundation, Buffalo, New York
• Youth Policy Institute, Los Angeles

References

Sent from my iPhone

http://archive.azcentral.com/news/articles/0324BiometricSchools0324.html

Schools seize efficiency of fingerprint scanning

WASHINGTON - The lunch lines in West Virginia's Wood County schools move much faster than they used to. After students fill their trays with food, they approach a small machine, push their thumbs against a touch pad - and with that small movement, they've paid for their meal.

For half of the state's school districts, as well as hundreds more across the country, the days of dealing with lost lunch cards or forgotten identification numbers are over.

"A student cannot forget their finger," said Beverly Blough, the director of food service in Wood County School District, which in 2003 became the first district in West Virginia to use finger scanners. 

But the emergence of finger scanning has also sparked a backlash from parents and civil libertarians worried about identity theft and violation of children's privacy rights. In several cases when parents have objected, school districts have backed down, and some states have outlawed or limited the technology.

A growing number of schools are using biometrics, or the science of identification based on physiological or behavioral features like facial or voice recognition, to have students pay for meals, log their attendance, board buses, check out books and visit the nurse's office. Administrators cite many benefits, chief among them efficiency.

Fingerprints are scanned, but the prints themselves are not saved; instead, a finger's ridges and arcs are turned into "data points," which are converted into a numerical identifier assigned to each student.

Pennsylvania-based identiMetrics, which offers biometric identification products, has sold fingerprint scanners to about 1,000 school districts in about half of the states, mostly in the Northeast and South, said Anne Marie Dunphy, the company's chief financial officer. By the end of the fiscal year, she expects the business will triple or quadruple over the previous year.

Dunphy said rural districts seem to be taking the lead on implementing the technology.

"You would think that it would be the technology-rich, wealthy districts along the Northwest corridor, and it's the complete opposite. We have installations in very rural areas in Indiana, where the backyard's a cornfield and there's an Amish lady working the cash register," she said.

But the technology's emergence has raised concerns for parents about whether their children's information is safe.

"It just opens a huge database out there that's just easy for identity theft," said Joy Robinson-Van Gilder, an Illinois mother who rallied legislators last year to place limits on the technology in her state. "I think it's against their civil rights, without a doubt, and it is an invasion of privacy."

Illinois is the only state that requires schools to get parental permission before scanning students' fingerprints. Iowa banned biometrics outright in schools, and Michigan doesn't allow fingerprinting because of a 2000 attorney general opinion that it would violate state law.

Arizona could join this group. Last month, a Senate committee passed a bill to ban the use of biometrics in schools.

Scanning opponents argue that districts don't have policies in place for what information to collect, how long to keep it, how to delete it when it's no longer needed and who should have access to the information. They also say that schools, unlike banks or major government agencies that also collect biometric data, don't have the financial resources to ensure that it is secure.

"The benefits certainly do not justify the privacy violations that we're seeing," said Alessandra Meetze, executive director of the Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "I don't think collecting fingerprints from very little kids sends the right message. ... They're essentially treating (students) like criminals for the sake of efficiency."

Supporters of biometrics argue that privacy and identity-theft concerns are unfounded because the prints aren't saved and cannot be reconstructed. If a child went missing and the FBI needed fingerprints, the information recorded by the lunch scanners would not be enough to re-create the print, Dunphy said.



West Virginia's Blough said the cost of the scanners, about $700 each, matches the amount she had been spending on lunch cards and printing, and the process of recording meals, which often was inaccurate.

Sent from my iPhone

The comment section of this article is what is so telling. Read the opposition of the bill in the OpEd, then read the comments. The responses evicerate the assumption that parents should NOT opt out of high stakes testing. (Select the link to see the comments. 

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/06/stand_for_children_to_gov_brow.html#comments

Stand for Children to Gov. Brown: Veto opt-out bill (OPINION)

By Toya Fick

To Gov. Kate Brown: The Oregon Education Association's bill encouraging students to refuse the statewide assessment heads to your desk after narrowly passing the Oregon House 32-28. Standardized tests are an accountability measure put in place to protect disadvantaged children. Federal law requires that states administer tests to at least 95 percent of students in order to objectively measure achievement and ensure children from all zip codes can access their civil right to a quality education.

When the U.S. Department of Education caught wind of House Bill 2655, they warned Oregon lawmakers that it violates federal law and could cost the state $140 million to $325 million in federal funding for schools.

Instead of taking the time to understand the bill's ramifications, legislators reacted by speeding it through the Capitol to your desk, fearing that increased comprehension of the bill could mean that more lawmakers would oppose it. This move convinces me that many in the Legislature value OEA's priorities over protecting our children.

In a speech before the Oregon House, Rep. Margaret Doherty, D-Tigard, reassured her hesitant colleagues with a colossal falsehood: The bill will "go into effect (in) the 2016-2017 school year, and so if there's any concern about the federal government not providing funds ... we will change it so we still get the money."

Truthfully, legislative counsel confirmed that aspects of HB2655 would go into effect in January of 2016, before legislators can address the potential loss of federal funding in the February 2016 legislative session. I am sure at least two more lawmakers would have voted in opposition to the bill had they understood that simple fact.

Doherty also said that the Legislature vetted the bill more than any other bill they heard on the floor. This is also untrue. Last week, Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, commented on how the bill took an unusual detour around the Ways and Means Committee, despite it having a major funding impact. Simply put, lawmakers did not have clear and accurate information before voting in favor of the bill.

Further, if you sign HB2655 into law, our state takes a giant step backward to a time when we did not measure how students of color, poor students or special education students perform in comparison to other peer groups. Ironically, the majority of those currently refusing these tests come from wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods, and not from the communities that stand to lose the most.

Recently, Betsy Hammond of The Oregonian/OregonLive, concluded that high achieving states took strikingly similar steps to achieve better outcomes than Oregon: "They set high academic standards, wrote rigorous tests and instituted meaningful consequences for schools and students. They provided strong, sustained political leadership in the face of pushback."

Oregon now has high academic standards and rigorous tests. Gov. Brown, it's up to you to provide strong leadership and protect those tests in the face of political pressure.

I strongly urge you to veto HB2655.

•

Toya Fick is the executive director of Stand for Children Oregon. Stand for Children's mission is to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, graduate from high school prepared for, and with access to, a college education.

(To read the comment section you must select the link and scroll down to the bottom of the article to read the comments.)

http://m.onlineathens.com/uga/2015-06-16/future-textbooks-increasingly-looks-digital?utm_source=Morris%20Communications%20Co.&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Today%27sTopStories-AthensBanner-HeraldHeadlines#78238FCE8660A8F351671C19B689582FEC2E

Future of textbooks increasingly looks digital

Students and teachers in some University of Georgia introductory biology courses experimented with using a free digital textbook instead of expensive paper texts in fall 2013 courses, and liked it.

About 86 percent of nearly 700 students surveyed after the courses said their online textbook was as good as or better than a traditional paper textbook.

But that experiment was just a fraction of what’s coming, according to 

Houston Davis, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the University System of Georgia.

People in the university system and at many of its colleges have developed free online texts and other “open educational resources” for years, but the University System last year launched a more systematic initiative administrators dubbed “Affordable Learning Georgia.”

The state Board of Regents, the appointed body overseeing Georgia’s 30 public colleges and universities, approved $2.5 million for the initiative. It includes more than textbooks; another feature is an effort to get bookstores to guarantee the lowest prices possible on books.

But free digital textbooks and other “online educational resources” may have the largest effect.

Davis expects students to save a lot more than that $2.5 million this year alone in what they spend on textbooks

One goal this year has been developing free online materials for courses in the system’s so-called eCore classes — 26 basic college courses students in any state public college can take online, such as college algebra, calculus and the first courses in chemistry, philosophy and world history.

Professors at colleges across the state could get small grants to develop online course materials, and many took advantage of the opportunity — enough to come up with digital materials that students can use for no additional charge in 22 of those 26 courses, he said.

“We’re far beyond what I expected in the first year,” he said.

University system students will spend $2.7 million less this year on textbooks for e-Core courses, and will save an additional $6.4 million in other courses that are not part of the eCore, he said.

In the UGA survey, conducted nearly two years ago, more than half the students said they average spending more than $300 per semester on textbooks; one in five said they spent more than $400. But many said they often don’t bother to even buy the required textbooks — often, they’re unnecessary to pass a course, they said.

A second goal is to develop online textbooks and other online materials for the 50 courses with the highest enrollments (not only online, but in regular classrooms) across the university system, 

Things are moving so fast Davis is now thinking about a more ambitious goal — the 100 most popular courses.

“Whether or not we can get to the top 100 courses in some way, I don’t know, but that’s the goal,” he said.

At some point, it may become impractical to develop online texts and resource materials because enrollments just won’t be large enough to justify the investment, he said.

Students in some of University of North Georgia professor Mark Goodroe’s algebra classes didn’t have to buy textbooks this spring.

Instead, they could use parts of open textbooks developed at other universities.

Some of the system grants go to professors who are actually writing digital textbooks, but the approach Goodroe and some of this colleagues have taken is to not reinvent the wheel.

Faculty members at other colleges and universities have already written digital algebra textbooks, so the University of North Georgia instructors have adapted those textbooks for their students’ use.

College professors generally are free to choose the texts students should use in their classes, but Goodroe expects to see more and more math classes use free online textbooks and course materials.

“They don’t have all the glamour that commercial textbooks have,” he said — online materials may not have the graphs, pictures and other bells and whistles a commercial textbook would have. Professors have to provide the “embellishments” he said.

They not only save money for the students, but can be more convenient — students can pull up their textbooks in a coffee shop or wherever they are.

“I believe it’s going to be the future of delivering content to students, especially for these kinds of courses,” he said.

In a history course, a professor might want his students to read a certain author whose work is copyrighted and not available in a free online version, he said.

“It is a bit of a paradigm shift,” he said — many students, and professors as well, are used to paper.

University of North Georgia faculty members in chemistry and education also got university system grants to create digital texts for 10 courses overall. They estimate that about 2,800 students will save $1 million next year as a result.

Digital textbooks have come a long way in the past few years, said Bonnie Robinson, director of the University Press of North Georgia at the University of North Georgia.

Quality was spotty a few years ago. But no

w, many are peer reviewed, including several Robinson is editing, and a number of university presses are now publishing digital texts — another break from the past.

“The gold standard of university presses is peer review,” she said.

Robinson isn’t as certain as Goodroe of the future of free and inexpensive texts. 

Faculty members may resist going the digital route, for example.

“There’s nothing certain in the future,” she said.

But the po

tential is great, she believes.

Follow education reporter Lee Shearer at www.facebook.com/LeeShearerABH or twitter.com/LeeShearer

Sent from my iPhone

http://lauragraceweldon.com/2012/08/07/reading-readiness-has-to-do-with-the-body/

Reading Readiness Has To Do With The Body

Sitting down. (public domain by Jusben)

Today’s kids sit more than ever. Babies spend hours confined in car seats and carriers rather than crawling, toddling, or being carried. As they get older their days are often heavily scheduled between educational activities and organized events. Children have 25 percent less time for free play than they did a generation ago, and that’s before factoring in distractions like TV or video games.

Left to their own devices, children move. They hold hands and whirl in a circle till they fall down laughing. They beg to take part in interesting tasks with adults. They want to face challenges and try again after making mistakes. They climb, dig, and run. When they’re tired they like to be rocked or snuggled. Stifling these full body needs actually impairs their ability to learn.

Sensory experience and fun. (CC by 2.0 Micah Sittig)

We know that our little ones walk and talk on their own timetables. No rewards or punishments are necessary to “teach” them. Yet children are expected to read, write and spell starting at five and six years old as if they develop the same way at the same time. Academics are pushed on preschoolers with the assumption this will make them better students. This approach is not only unnecessary, it may be contributing to problems such as learning disorders, attention deficits, and long term stress.

Studies that follow children’s reading instruction at ages five and seven find earlier lessons may damage reading development. By the time children reach the age of 11, students who were instructed earlier show poorer text comprehension and less positive attitudes toward reading than children whose instruction started later.

Literacy isn’t easy. It requires children to decode shapes into sounds and words, to remember these words correctly in written and spoken form, and to understand their meaning. Allowing reading to develop naturally or teaching it later tends to create eager, lifelong readers. Why?

Children pushed to read young (not those who naturally pick it up) tend to rely on right brain processes because that area matures more quickly. These early readers are likely to guess at unknown words using clues such as appearance, context, beginning and ending letters. Their main tactic is memorizing sight words. These are valuable methods but not a balanced approach to reading. Such children may quickly tire after reading short passages or read smoothly but have difficulty deriving meaning from what they read. The procedure they use to decode words can make the content hard to comprehend. These reading problems can persist.

On the other hand, children benefit when they learn to read naturally or are taught later. That’s because, as the left brain matures and the pathway between both hemispheres develops, it becomes easier for them to sound out words, to visualize meanings, and mentally tinker with abstractions. They memorize short sight words but sound out longer words, an approach that is less taxing. As they incorporate more words into their reading vocabulary they more easily picture and understand what they are reading.

Developing eager readers (CC by 2.0 Daniel Pink

In order for children to read, write and spell they must be developmentally ready. Some are ready at the age of four or five, some not for many years later. This readiness includes complex neurological pathways and kinesthetic awareness. Such readiness isn’t created by workbooks or computer programs. It’s the result of brain maturation as well as rich experiences found in bodily sensation and movement.

These experiences happen as children play and work, particularly in ways that cross the midline. They includes expansive movements such as climbing, jumping, digging, swimming, playing hopscotch and catch, riding bikes, sweeping, running. They also include fine movements such as chopping vegetables, drawing, building, playing rhyming and clapping games, using scissors, and playing in sand. And of course there’s the essential growth that comes from snuggling, listening to stories, singing, trying new tastes,  enjoying make believe. Children are drawn to such experiences. Without them, they won’t have a strong foundation for learning.

Play is related to reading readiness. (CC by 2.0 stevendepolo)

These activities stimulate the child’s brain to develop new neural pathways. Such activities also build confidence, smooth sensory processing, and create a bank of direct experience that helps the child visualize abstract concepts. Well-intended adults may think a good use of a rainy afternoon is a long car ride to an educational exhibit. A young child is likely to derive more developmental value (and fun) from stomping in puddles and digging in mud followed by play time in the tub.

There are many other factors contributing to reading readiness. Perhaps most important is a supportive family life where play, reading, and conversation are an enjoyable part of each day. But it helps to remember that young children want to participate in the purposeful work of making meals, fixing what’s broken, and planting the garden. They also need free time without the built-in entertainment of specialized toys, television, or video games. Their development is cued to movement. These bodily experiences prepare children for the magic found when shapes become words, words become stories, and they become readers.

Reading enthusiasm isn’t magic. (CC by 2.0 John-Morgan)

Sent from my iPhone

BUILDING THE MACHINE: TJE COMMON CORE DOCUMENTARY

http://youtu.be/zjxBClx01jc

1. BUILDING THE MACHINE - The Common Core Documentary

   HSLDA 363,340 views

   

   SUBSCRIBE

   3,773

   3K

   116

   Published on Mar 31, 2014http://www.CommonCoreMovie.com
   http://www.facebook.com/BuildingtheMachine
   http://www.twitter.com/CommonCoreMovie
   
   To request a public screening copy of the film, please contact media@hslda.org.
   
   ABOUT THE FILM
   
   "Building the Machine" introduces the public to the Common Core States Standards Initiative (CCSSI) and its effects on our children's education. The documentary compiles interviews from leading educational experts, including members of the Common Core Validation Committee. Parents, officials, and the American public should be involved in this national decision regardless of their political persuasion.
   
   OWN THE FULL DOCUMENTARY
   
   The 3-disc extended DVD set is now available at http://www.CommonCoreMovie.com. Digital version and online rental options coming soon.
   
   CONTENTS
   - The Original Documentary (interviews with experts)
   - The Parent Interviews (new bonus documentary)
   - Six Supplementary Episodes (exploring in more depth topics such as reading and math standards, datamining, testing, and international benchmarking)
   
   WHAT IS THE COMMON CORE?
   
   The Common Core is the largest systemic reform of American public education in recent history. What started as a collaboration between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to reevaluate and nationalize America's education standards has become one of the most controversial—and yet, unheard of—issues in the American public.
   
   In 2010, 45 states adopted the Common Core, but according to a May 2013 Gallup Poll, 62% of Americans said they had never heard of the Common Core. Prominent groups and public figures have broken traditional party lines over the issue, leaving many wondering where they should stand.
   
   - 
   
   MORE ABOUT THE COMMON CORE
   
   Find out even more about the Common Core at http://hslda.org/CommonCore.
   
   Copyright © 2014 Home School Legal Defense Association. All rights reserved.

1. 

   2:52 

   BUILDING THE MACHINE (2014) - 

(VIDEO) THE CASE AGAINST COMMON CORE

http://youtu.be/inM8WTBT1lg

2:14:13

1. 
   

   The Case Against Common Core

   Costa Mesa Brief 11,300 views
   

   SUBSCRIBE

   136
   128

   9
   Published on Mar 29, 2015On March 27, 2015 Dr. Duke Pesta spoke on the dangers of Common Core. No doubt one of the most outspoken critic of the Common Core States Standards, Dr. Pesta exposes the origins and dangers of the Common Core scheme. Through his and other's efforts, people are beginning to fight back on behalf of their children. From this video, you will learn why our local school districts are so secretive, all about the government's overreach, its concealment and outright lies that drive Common Core.
   
   Throughout his presentation, Dr. Duke discusses the current state of the fight, identifies new threats -- including the coming Science and History standards -- and updates up on many state's efforts to remove Common Core. With over 350 talks in 40 states behind him, he offers his perspective on the best ways to push back against this ploy to manipulate the heart and minds of our children.
   
   Speaker Bio: Dr. Duke Pesta
   Freedom Project Education Academic Director
   
   Dr. Duke Pesta received his M.A. in Renaissance Literature from John Carroll University and his Ph.D. in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature from Purdue University. He has taught at major research institutions and small liberal arts colleges and currently is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and the Academic Director of FreedomProject Education.
   
   This event was held at the Hosanna Christian Fellowship church in Bellflower, CA. and was sponsored by: Faithful Christian Servants, R.E.M. and Redland Tea Party Patriots.
   
   For more info: FCSconcernedParents@gmail.com
   
   To learn more about Dr. Pesta's and the Freedom Project Education:  
   Website: http://www.FPEusa.org
   
   Want to do something for your children? Complete an Opt Out Form:  
   http://www.pacificjustice.org/california-common-core-data-opt-out-form.html
   
   For free legal advice on Common Core, contact Brad Dacus, Esq.
   Website: http://www.pacificJustice.org

http://www.caintv.com/why-a-certain-14-year-olds-tra

Why a certain 14-year-old's traditional school career ended today

Image Credit: Angie Calabrese

The old templates don't work anymore - at least not for everyone.

I try not to wade too much into the use of this forum to tell personal stories, because I'm sure you really don't want to know that much about me. But I also thought you might find some insight and inspiration from a decision we've made that today takes my son in a very unconventional - and we're convinced, very positive - direction with his education and his life.

My son Tony (our only) is 14 and he's been in traditional public school ever since pre-school. For the most part it's been fine - apart from their silly attempt to sell us on "Young Fives" instead of kindergarten when he was clearly ready for the latter, and their attempt at the same time to convince us he was autistic. These are both gambits by school districts to get more state funding - the former by extending a student's years with them and the latter because those special ed aid dollars are greatly coveted - but I don't think the way this district played it was very different from what the rest of them do.

He did fine in elementary school, struggled a bit in the transition to middle school, and found his freshman year of high school to be like wrestling a tiger at first - although he got the hang of it and recovered from a rough start to turn in a nice performance in the second semester.

But during the course of that struggle, we realized some things about traditional, public, brick-and-mortar schools. One is that they spend at least as much time doing rule enforcement and crowd control as they do teaching. Another is that they handle you pretty well if you have a conventional learning style, but they have no idea what to do with you if you're smart but a little out of the ordinary. Another is that they're obsessed with testing, in large part (in fairness to them) because state legislatures have tied their funding to it, but nevertheless they put a lot of pressure on kids to do well on tests so they can get more money, and that's not right.

So when Tony walked out of Grandville High School today, he did so for the last time. He won't be back for his sophomore year. We've enrolled him with one of the most highly regarded Christian online academies, and he'll do his last three years of high school in that program.

There are several things about this that have us excited:

• Students can learn at their own pace as long as they complete their courses within a 12-month window.
• There's nothing to distract you from learning. That's all you do. There actually are student organizations and he may want to be part of some of them, but that's not the same thing as dealing with nonsense during class time.
• He's not under pressure to do well on tests so the school can get money. We pay the school. They teach him.
• Contrary to what you might think, all the classes are teacher led. He can talk to his teachers via e-mail or Skype, and they can work according to each other's schedules.
• We travel a lot - sometimes for business and sometimes for pleasure - and up until now if he's missed a day of school, he just missed it flat out. Next year when we go to spring training in Lakeland, he can either make up the classes when he works it out, or he can do a class while he sits in the stands watching Miguel Cabrera take batting practice. Yeah. You can do that.
• He is an aspiring actor, and a pretty good one, and a lot of auditions are during the day and out of town. If you want to get in my face and insist that "school comes first," OK, fine, but I challenge your premise that it's necessarily a conflict. With traditional brick-and-mortar school, sure. But if you can travel to Chicago, do your audition at noon, and do your classes online in the car on the way back to Detroit - why not?
• The ever-present worry about "socialization" is not the big problem people think it is. Between his church youth group and the actor's studio he'll be involved with in the fall, he gets plenty of opportunities to interact with other kids. And you know what? A lot of the socialization you experience in high school is really not so positive.

Now Angie and I certainly understand the challenges involved her. We opted not to do all-out homeschooling, mainly because we don't have time to teach him ourselves and I really think either of us is qualified to do so. But we do have to play the official role of his "supervisors," and self-directed learning requires a lot of discipline - probably more than you'd expect from a kid who's just turning 15 as he starts this. It's very much on us to teach him how to do that and keep him on point.

But what it comes down to is this: Traditional public school can no longer meet his needs. I don't really blame the people who run it for that, because they can only operate within the constraints of the system they're given. But for a lot of kids, something radically different is better, and today we move forward with the decision that our son is one of those kids.

Real innovation always comes from the private sector. I decided to share this because maybe there's something that's not working that well in your life either, and maybe you think you have no options aside from the traditional ones that have always been presented to you.

And maybe, just maybe, that's not true.

Get Dan's three-part series of Christian spiritual thrillers! And follow all of Dan's work by liking his page on Facebook

Sent from my iPhone