Yaffed ... we know exactly what the slope is and where it leads to, because they are telling us!
I still don't get it. What is their final goal? I'm just hearing secular studies in yeshiva.
Yaffed and its leaders have not shied away from ...shoehorning other concerns into the education issue (such as covid compliance above).
Didn't we have comments to that effect on DDF too? That if people understood science they wouldn’t be gathering in large groups and rejecting the vaccine? Or did I imagine it?
The idea that Yaffed is speaking on our behalf, or on behalf of people forced into silence is laughable. You'd be hard-pressed to find a single parent who supports them in any way.
That may be true, but when Moster shows a list of parents who allegedly agree with him, the media see a credible story, especially if the other side just answers “That’s laughable.” Data is more impressive than anecdotes.
I'm starting to think that this is why we were asked to sign the letters. I was annoyed when I first read their talking points, because they seemed full of exaggerations and fear-mongering and failed to convince me so why would they convince NYSED? But maybe Agudah felt that the contents of the form letter didn't matter as much as the names. So now they could say, in effect, Sure, Yaffed has their 10 unhappy parents and alumni, but we’ve got these 200,000 who are satisfied with the status quo.
But they are extremely effective.
I think you exaggerate the influence they have on the BOE and NYSED. They’re hearing him out, but they’re not stupid. They can see that he’s advocating for a view that isn’t widely accepted by schools and parents. If he were that effective, this wouldn’t have dragged on for 13 years.
And that is how some of the world sees us.
Just as you see these primitive schools who dont teach secular subjects as you wish they would.
I don’t see any evidence that the Education Department disrespects yidden or considers yeshivas to be primitive.
I mentioned yesterday that NYSED got feedback from 500 stakeholders to help develop the regulations. They organized these comments into categories, of which I copied a few below. The comments cover some 20 pages, of which a very small percentage were yaffish, mostly in this first category:
Stakeholders did not always agree on how well some religious schools are balancing academic and religious components of their programs.
o One participant felt that some religious schools could not be considered substantially equivalent to public schools because students could not learn academic topics in any substantive way through Talmud studies.
o
A representative from a state-level organization stated that some schools provide less than two hours of academic instruction out of an eleven-hour day.
o An alumnus of a religious school described having attended yeshivas and said that they, along with their family and friends, had been unaware of the Regents exams.
o Another alumnus of a religious school expressed a similar sentiment and argued that their school had ignored academic subjects completely.
o Another alumnus of a religious school stated that students had been well prepared because half the school day was secular.
o A current student said, “I actually attend a Hasidic school and we do take the Regents exams.”
Many participants from religious schools discussed how academic and religious components are woven together throughout their curricula.
o One participant stated that religious and academic studies are not mutually exclusive.
o Several participants from Jewish schools explicitly mentioned how their programs included both academic and religious curricula that allowed students to apply skills such as critical thinking to both academic subjects and the Talmud. They emphasized that academics are central to Jewish education.
o Other educators at Jewish schools discussed how dual curriculum programs resulted in 11-hour school days for students to ensure that all material was covered.
o Multiple parents whose children attend religious schools echoed these comments. One parent stated the schedule of most yeshivas is highly academic while also incorporating religious studies.
Educators, mainly from religious schools, discussed how parents play a large role in schools’ decision-making processes
o A religious school educator stated that the responsibility of holding schools accountable should fall primarily on the parents, rather than the government or the state.
o An educator from a religious middle school stated that parent choice should carry great weight in determining whether schools are providing quality education.
In 20 pages of comments, Yaffed was just one small voice.