KATY'S FIRST BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL:

Katy ISD's first Blue Ribbon School.

Katy Times article on December 29, 1993

Pattison Elementary's nomination for the U. S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Recognition Program, one of the only 22 schools in the state nominated by the Texas Education Agency, was the result of a massive effort by teachers, parents, students, staff, and community said Principal Sara Eggleston.

"With the exception of opening the school, I have never been involved in anything as difficult in my life," said Eggleston in a news release from the Katy Independent School District.

The TEA invited all Texas school districts to apply for the Blue Ribbon recognition program, and 99 elementary school [sic] turned in applications, including Pattison and Katy Elementary.

In order to be nominated by the Blue Ribbon Schools' panel of 90 professional educators, representatives from the corporate business community and superintendents, principals, and curriculum directors, school had to demonstrate their effectiveness in meeting state and national goals, said Mike Guila, TEA director of exemplary instruction.

The applicants provided evidence that students are developing reasoning and problem solving abilities and demonstrating effective skill in subjects deemed important by the state, school district and school.  There must be evidence of strong leadership and effective working relationships between the school, parents and others in the community.  Schools also had to show an atmosphere that is orderly, purposeful and conducive to learning and character development. 

The 22 schools nominated were reviewed six times at the state level before being recommended for nomination.

Eggleston said the Blue Ribbon application contained 39 pages of information, single-space, with small type and tons of information had to be gathered about Pattison Elementary, located in the 19900 block of Stonelodge in Kelliwood.

[The school board at the time was invited to the award ceremony, and U.S. Representative Bill Archer came.  Mrs. Eggleston wore a hat to the ceremony, and we were all greatly amused by it. She worked hard to get this award.

What not many realized at the time was that our superintendent, Hugh Hayes, and the State Commissioner, Skip Meno, were trying to shove the liberal education agenda orchestrated by Hillary Clinton down everyone's throat, and this award was one of their tools.

Words and ideas in this article that are tip offs are the adherence to "state and national goals," and providing evidence "that students are developing reasoning and problem solving abilities and demonstrating effective skill in subjects deemed important by the state, school district and school." Also the emphasis on "character development" and the inclusion of "corporate leaders" in the judging process are clues to the intent of the program.

If you STILL don't know why these things are not good for your children, let me explain!

Hillary Clinton believes it "takes a village to raise a child."  It doesn't.  A mother and dad will suffice.  They decided to have the child; the child belongs to them, and it is THIER job to raise it!  Raising your children is NOT the purview of the rest of the world.  In fact what you do with your child and when you do it, is none of anyone else's business.

Twenty-three years ago, the public did not understand that "goals" from the state and the feds were simply a way to control what is taught, how it's taught and who teaches it.  That, as well, is none of the state's and the fed's business.  It is the business of the local school board, but in this case, we all just sat and watched "control" slip right through our fingers. Although in our defense, we asked Hugh Hayes the direct question, "Do we have Outcome Based Education" in Katy ISD, and he lied to us and said, "No." We did have it, and we still DO have it.

OBE is based on outcomes or performance goals in a framework that has no grades, varying schedules, little objective measurement of progress which encourages procrastination instead of meeting deadlines.  Most of the "outcomes" are affective with the outcome as the primary concern.  The student is pushed to reach the goals in any way possible as long as he reaches them--whatever they are. Most often the outcomes reflect values, beliefs and attitudes that may determine political correctness.  The question becomes whose values, beliefs and attitudes are we going to push on our students? How will we measure such vague objectives as "good citizenship"?  What do we do if the student refuses to conform? These values for the most part are the epitome of social engineering, and parents for years have been concerned but unable to stop it. Most parents who understand what has happened and what continues to happen have put their children in a private school.  Private schools are no guarantee that they don't also have OBE.  Unfortunately most of them do because all of the teachers attend the same colleges of education where this mess is taught.

In our area of Texas, Lamar Consolidated, was the first District to jump into the middle of OBE!

Proof that the students were developing reasoning and problem solving abilities is a ridiculous requirement.  No way in the world that proof could have been provided.  Elementary students are not capable of "reasoning and problem solving" because they were and are not being taught to read, do math, learn history, geography and science in a way that they could "reason and problem solve."  They have no KNOWLEDGE, and so they are incapable of reasoning and problem solving, and why the dickens would we want them to do that anyway!  It's hilariously ridiculous!  It just sounded good, and so the fools in charge implemented what sounded good.

In the meantime, while Mrs. Eggleston was bragging about her schools' accomplishments, the scores of the students on the TAAS test at this premier school in the Katy School District were awful.  They were BELOW those of Wesley Elementary, an inner city 98% black school in Houston ISD! We were and are teaching kids to read using the whole language method, and Wesley used phonics.  We teach goofy NCTM math and Wesley teaches Saxon Math.  Makes a lot of difference. Those kids at Wesley now have the jobs that Pattison students might have had if they had been educated properly!  Katy students don't just compete locally--a fact that seems to be lost on most Katy parents.

The Blue Ribbon schools designation is a joke.  If you've fallen for the hype, shame on you!  Don't be so stupid.  Every school in KISD is probably a Blue Ribbon school by now, and those expensive (started out at three grand apiece) signs on the side of the schools now look VERY tacky and outdated.  What a waste of money this whole program was and is. I tried to tell them, and no one would listen to me! MM]