Reader comments
Utah coalition honors Alpine District superintendent

The reporter continues the misconception that the debate over Investigations is between having students discover math or memorize it. That is incorrect. Investigations tries to build a roof without a foundation. They play games and write ABOUT math rather than learning to use math and become proficient in it.

Also some schools are still using Investigations exclusively while EVERY school has been given the teachers' manuals and basically told to teach Investigations style math using a mixed text. Teachers are still being taught to teach math the Investigations way. Little has changed except that a textbook is now allowed.

The "new" balanced math has changed little from the old whole math, just like when whole language was changed to "balanced" literacy. It was mostly a name change only. We are still teaching whole language.

Vernon Henshaw is passive aggressive. He controls himself in public, yet comes down hard on everyone who does not follow his dictates. He runs his district like a Stake President. "Don't disagree with your leaders or we'll ex-communicate or disfellowship you." Unlike the LDS church, which divides a unit when it gets too large, Henshaw is fighting long and hard to keep his out of control flock from dividing.

Investigations Math is an extreme system of learning that sends shivers down the backs of mathematicians and sound educators. In an Orem City Council meeting Henshaw was caught on tape calling parents who disagree with Investigations Math "extreemists" On the same tape he accuses parents of making the Investigations an issue about themselves, not their children.

Parents want is a strong math program that equips their children with a strong foundation in math skills that will help them to become competitive in life. As a start, they want the schools to teach their children multiplication, addition, subtraction and division tables. (Investigations threw that out.) They want the teacher to require mastery in these areas. As the student progress though the grades the parents want the core foundation of core skills to take their children to them to higher levels of reason and problem solving.

Investigations is still the foundation of math in ASD. All teacher training is Investigations Math. All new teachers are expected to teach Investigations.

Vern Henshaw chose a math program for his district that has been outrageously expensive to taxpayers in Alpine School District and to taxpayers who paid for the federal grants that put it in place. Greatest cost will be to the children who will someday find they are not equipped with the math skills to be successful in life.

I don't understand why the reporter made a big deal out of the Investigations Math program, when the real focus of the article should have been on the great things this man has done for our children over the years. Thanks Dr. Henshaw for making this the best district in Utah!

What is this person saying? Bringing up "not losing his temper" has an air of him being right. He was wrong on this issue.
What if we said, "We are giving Bush this award because he never lost his temper when people criticized the war in Iraq." "Bill Gates is getting this award because he didn't lose his temper when people were upset about the Windows blue screen of death." "We celebrate Michael Brown head of FEMA because he didn't lose his temper when people criticized the government over its handling of hurricane Katrina."

What a joke! What a sick joke! I hope he puts his award in perspective. It is a government award given to a GOVERNMENT worker for operating like a GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE!

Seeing him get an award for treating the parents in his district like trash is infuriating.

I agree with Chuck. What parents want for our kids is to have them know the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division so well that they are automatic. They can then build on this foundation to learn higher level skills and achieve a truly deep understanding of math.

Investigations goes about it the wrong way. They want kids to learn all kinds of ad hoc tricks for adding and subtracting in their head, tricks that only work in certain conditions. They consider this a sign of higher learning, when they are really much ado about nothing.

There's a reason why parents are fleeing to charter schools that use Saxon Math. Vern Henshaw and the ASD Board just don't get it.

I'm a little surprised by this award. I am concerned about our educators ability to understand true principles if they believe that Henshaw is "Superintendent of the year".

He does not understand basic government, he does not understand how to support what parents need and desire, and he is mainly interested in promoting big government and larger programs that do not fit our educational needs.

He is a typical professional do-gooder as described by Henry Grady Weaver in his book "The Mainspring of Human Progress". I have nothing more to say than that.

What is calling parents extremist???? I would call that emotional. I would call that an attack on parents he is supposed to be serving. How about how many students have left his district to go to charter schools? Did he get the award for reducing numbers? This is an absolute joke!!! He has done a terrible job and to recieve a reward for it, come on.

I can't believe they pick HIM!!! Henshaw??!! What are they thinking??? I had to pull my kids out because of the ASD nonsense.

Also, I, tutor several kids that don't have any basic math or reading skills because of programs his district has pushed.

And then to top it off he is so rude to the parents!!!

Someone was not listening to the parents or looking at the students abilities in basic subject when they pick HIM!!!!

This guy is a joke, is it any wonder the growth of private and charter schools in this area. It's because of people like Vern that make me support a voucher program. My kids suffered from this "math" program which was more like art than anything else. Yet the district continued to ignore parents and their concerns.

I went to the district and when I expressed my concern and that I had to teach math at home because they were not getting it at school, I was asked not to. My response was that somebody needed to because investigations was not doing it.

I must be one of the extremists because of my complete disgust with the district and how they handeled parents that tried to get involved. It seems like districts complain when parents are not involved and call us names when we do get involved if we don't just line up and endorse whatever they do.

Congratulations, Superintendent Henshaw!

What a disgrace! This man doesn't deserve any accolades. As far as I am concerned, the only award he deserves is the worst super in Utah. Of course, I am just one of those "extremist" parents whose child was getting A's in math (Investigations) even though tests showed a two year grade level gap. Sighhhh. People wonder why there are so many charter and private schools in the Alpine School District's boundaries and why there is a move for vouchers -- the simple reason is that the arrogance and incompetency in our public school system, typified by Henshaw, leads parents with no option but to go a different direction. That Henshaw got this award casts even more doubt on the integrity of the public school system in Utah.

Well, I guess thats the way it goes. It will be good to see the award hanging on the wall of his office when he is in charge of the new Alpine district. That would be consisting of American Fork, Highland, Alpine, Cedar Hills, and Pleasant Grove. Sorry Pleasant Grove.

Cheers for Dr. Henshaw! I left the Alpine School District under his leadership as an outstanding individual ready to take on the world and it wouldn't be right if I didn't give credit to my experience in ASD. Thanks Dr. H. Your passion for education is inspiring.

It's all about pushing a political educational philosophy. Mr. Henshaw is certainly outstanding at implementing his political/educational agenda.

In October of 2006 he was honored by the leftist education think-tank, the National Network for Educational Renewal. This year he is being honored by a local socialist educational organization.

He delivered the goods for these organizations and deserves the kudos!

Charter schools, which are funded by your taxes, should applaud their number one reason why growth has been so explosive in Northern Utah County�Vernon.

We moved from CA and were absolutely stunned to see that the educational pinnacle put forth by Brigham Young, Karl G. Maeser and others had fallen so far. Even beneath CA schools, which was shocking!

According to national testing, the Alpine School district and State of Utah SAT-9 results (before this embarrassing test was abandoned) for elementary schools scored consistently right around the 50% percentile in all subjects. Compared to the nation, that score firmly stamps the Alpine School educational product as mediocre.

While some charter schools focus on different types of education and might empathize the Arts or other non traditional school subjects, the charter schools in our neighborhood (Lindon, Pleasant Grove, Orem) have taken the unique identity and approach to focus on...Reading, Writing and Math.

Not only are test scores significantly higher at the Charter than just across the street at the Alpine district elementary school but children learn appropriate discipline and gain rigorous educational habits that are not found you know where. The Charter schools in our neighborhood produce a superior product to that found in Alpine School district.

I guess the award had to go to someone. Oddly they chose ASD's super. He did keep the ship afloat when Orem decided not to seek a split study. He also managed to ignore pleas of parents about the Investigation Math program.

What he will be remembered for most, was that under his leadership great expansion of Charter Schools teaching basics were founded, perhaps Vouchers will be funded (hopefully not), and his District fractured due to collective apathy, not for this token award (because they really had to give it to someone).

"What we have here is the failure to communicate" the standard marriage counselor conclusion. School Disticts weren't always this way. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we got back to balanced leadership, cooperating between teachers, principals, parents, students and distict staff. This like the US Constitution that set up checks and balances.