BAN CONSTRUCTIVISTS FROM IOWA CLASSROOMS

Constructivist-trained teachers are still unable to acknowledge the biased nature of their training – that begins with the presumption of defective students.  Changing an education culture that is this deteriorated takes considerable time – time Iowa does not have because of the inescapable link to the economy – so constructivists need to be banned from the classrooms ASAP and their training programs shut down at the university level.  This would save considerable funding now being recommended to retrain and re-educate present teachers.

 The idiotic notion that preschool is the “answer” to constructivist education woes is a red herring – no different than smaller class size, special ed, at-risk, etc. -- because it stems from the notion of defective students. 

The constructivist rationale goes that “somehow” if students actually entered school at a higher level than they presently do, constructivist educators could then handle the “level playing field”.  Iowa students – ON AVERAGE – graduate two years behind grade level, losing ground each year they are in the system.  That means constructivist educators are unable to effectively teach at grade level.  Forcing children into early preschool does not, and will not, level the playing field because that presumption is still based on flawed constructivist theory.

 Unfortunately, the Iowa education system has shown itself to be so broken – Jason Glass’ unwillingness to accept this fact aside – that no real improvement can come from this Education Summit because non-constructivists, such as Judy Hintz, are not allowed into the constructivist culture.  Iowa students and the Iowa economy will continue to lose ground accordingly.

 Sue Atkinson, PhD

P. O. Box 301

Baxter IA 50028

Editor's Note:

About 23% of Iowa's school teachers and about 30% of Iowa's K-12 school administrators are hard core constructivists--who are convinced about 25% of Iowa students are not teachable.   They are highly paid and  take about 35% of the total money used to compensate teachers and administrators.   Since they are doing more harm than good, they ought to be expelled from the schools.  There is no need to replace but 4% of those teachers and 8% of those administrators--which would be doable.     The school boards can do the job once the legislature removes the evil from Chapter 20  of the Iowa Code.