Eric Parker
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On the article POLL: Who is to Blame for Tyler Clementi's Death?
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On the article UPDATED: Christie Calls for Tax Cuts, Education Reform
Eric Parker
11:39 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
"Rich" people won't leave NJ? Really? I'm originally from NC but have lived in NJ for 16 years. NC population has doubled since I was a kid, while NJ has stayed static. Take a trip to a place like Cary, NC, which used to be a small crossroads and is now a large, wealthy suburb filled with, you guessed it, hundreds if not thousands of NJ transplants. Face it, people of all income levels have been leaving NJ for years and will continue to do so until this state stops redistributing wealth to union loafers, freeloaders, career politicians, and, yes, those who become wealthy by leeching off the taxes or the rest of us.
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On the article Call for Comments: Christie's Proposed Changes to State Employees' Benefits
Eric Parker
11:44 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
ReplyI agree with Mr. Sinclair that Gov. Christie can be unnecessarily confrontational at times, but at least he's trying to address the problem. As Mr. Marquardt mentions, "collective bargaining" in NJ means funneling huge amounts of union money to politicians who then reward the unions with overly generous salary and benefit plans. I don't think that's one of the inalienable rights the founders had in mind. I don't begrudge government employees having a reasonable salary, but there are simply too many of them, benefits are too generous, and there is little if any link between salary and performance. The state is broke and taxpayers are tired of supporting an ever-expanding group of government employees, many of whom are totally disconnected from the real world and totally unappreciative of what people in the real world are going through to support them.
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On the article Meet the BOE Candidates for Scotch Plains
Eric Parker
2:03 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
Reply7. You can justifiably criticize me for often quoting my own experiences rather than publicly available data, but as you yourself said, such data is hard to find. I would argue that's not an accident – the NJEA has argued against any objective measures of teacher/school performance for years and they control the education agenda in this state.
This is my first (and possibly last) foray into the blogosphere. I believe these kind of discussions are best conducted face to face, and I agree that arguing with strangers over the internet is not very satisfying (and I've gone on way too long here anyway). I would be happy to discuss this with you in person if you are ever interested. The future of our young people and our nation as a whole concerns me greatly, which is why I have taken the time to reply here.
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On the article Meet the BOE Candidates for Scotch Plains
Eric Parker
1:57 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
Reply5. The state data you refer to involves a test that is not difficult and does little to differentiate between districts or years. One interesting set of statistics are the numbers for AP tests. The state only gives statistics for scores of 3 or better on this web site, which isn't very useful since many schools require a score of 4 or 5 to receive college credit. Note that 100% of the kids at SPFHS in the Calculus BC class took the test and I know that virtually all of these kids got a score of 4 or 5. The reason is simple: that particular class has a good teacher. Look, however, at the numbers for biology or foreign language. Well below 50% of the kids take these AP tests because they know they haven't learned enough to do well and those who take these tests in fact rarely do well. There are huge improvements our district needs to make for these more gifted students.
6. I would have a look at the following recent article in NJ Monthly(http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-high-schools-2010.html). Overall, I don't think this article paints a very favorable picture of our district, either when compared to other suburban districts in Union County or other districts in our district factor group. Our district benchmarks itself against Ridge and Westfield High Schools and SPFHS is not in the same league, based either on these statistics or on my conversations with multiple parents in those districts. -
On the article Meet the BOE Candidates for Scotch Plains
Eric Parker
1:50 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
Reply3. I deal with documents every day written by supposedly well educated young people emerging from our educational system. Most simply can't write well. Also, troll around the posts on this web site and others. I don't think anyone can come away from a few minutes of that with the conclusion that the majority of our population has a good command of the English language.
4. While many people acknowledge the decline of our educational system in general, they seem to believe the problem lies elsewhere and that their local schools are just fine. It's akin to the fact that approval ratings for Congress have been in the teens for years, yet over 90% of incumbents are re-elected. I would encourage you to talk to kids in town and assess what they know. I talk a lot with my kids and others about what they are learning. It's not encouraging. The curriculum is driven more by a political agenda, not by an education agenda. I've had first hand discussions with several administrators and heard presentations by others. This agenda of (multiculturalism, globalism, equality of outcomes, etc.) comes across loud and clear. After all, we're just one nation and one language among many on this planet. Why be so parochial and just learn American history and the English language? -
On the article Meet the BOE Candidates for Scotch Plains
Eric Parker
1:47 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
ReplyMr. Porter,
I apologize if my comments came across as more of a rant without much factual basis. Frankly, I was frustrated and moved to respond by the second comment in this chain, which illustrates the increasingly common practice of dishing out insulting comments while hiding behind both a computer screen and a pseudonym.
Here are a few pieces of information that I would respectfully ask you to consider:
1. The fact that students at SPFHS are required to take two years of American history and four years of English isn't proof that the students are learning American history and English. These are statewide requirements at all public high schools in New Jersey, including high schools where a substantial percentage of the graduating students don't even meet basic literacy requirements.
2. I think the decline of the American educational system is so well documented and so widely acknowledged across the political and social spectrum in this country that it's hardly worth debating. If you are interested, however, here are a few links for your consideration, specifically with respect to English and historical literacy:http://www.njsetc.net/publications/policy_papers/litconct.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/education/05civics.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general
http://www.americanheritage.org/the_problem.html -
On the article Meet the BOE Candidates for Scotch Plains
Eric Parker
9:01 am on Tuesday, April 26, 2011
ReplyI have had children in the SPF school system for 15 years and, in my view, most of beth's comments are spot on. We are spending a fortune on a school system whose academic and disciplinary standards have been declining for years. Our school system abhors anything associated with traditional educational philosophy, opting instead to fully embrace the latest fad of globalization / multiculturalism. To cite but one example, American history and classical literature have been all but abandoned. Most of our top students couldn't pass even a basic test on these topics. Drugs and other discipline problems are indeed rampant and you have to have your head in the sand if you don't believe that. There are many good teachers who are doing a great job despite all this, and we all know who they are. Unfortunately, the system under which they operate is flawed at its core. Until parents really engage with their kids about what's going on, and until the BOE and the PTA become more than shills for the NJEA, I don't think much will change.
On the positive side, while the athletic department is not perfect, my son has had a great experience in track and cross country and the new athletic director is doing a great job from what I can see.
Eric Parker
5:52 pm on Monday, March 5, 2012
Nice try, but you conveniently added the phrase on homosexuals to Niemoller's original quote. Niemoller never mentioned homosexuals in this quote. No need to embellish the truth to make your point.