Wall Street says GM Leadership restructuring is "Like Putting Lipstick on a PIG" - Update 7/26/06 - Wall Street Loves You Today GM

Wall Street Investors keep telling GM Leadership they should have fewer brands, fancy designs and close more plants.

For example, one of General Motors' restructuring announcement's was met with "like putting lipstick on a pig", in the words of Shelly Lombard, an analyst at Gimme Credit.

Is anyone else sick & tired of hearing and reading what Wall Street likes and dislikes? Here is a person from "Gimme Credit" making a pig statement about GM. Wow, that statement is so original and bold it realy entices me to want to do business with a group called "Gimme Credit." WS analysts are nothing but short-term vultures that wait around until a company posts figures and then they swoop in to divide the stories. And, the business of setting projected quarterly earnings outlooks is a crock, I wish Steven and Stephen (Freakonomics) would do some research about WS analysts like they did on Real Estate Agents (Real Estate Agents).

I know GM is having problems, I have written about them ( GM to close more factories updated 6/8/05) in the past.

GM (Ford too) would stop reporting quarterly to the Wall Street Journal. Be Like Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffett) and tell them to take a hike when it comes to future guidance reports. In case you have not noticed Wall Street hates you anyway.

update 7/26/06

General Motors Corp. said Wednesday it lost $3.2 billion in the second quarter as it absorbed heavy charges for its massive restructuring program. But the world's largest automaker reported an adjusted profit without the charges that handily beat Wall Street estimates and its sales surged 12 percent. "If there was ever a time when GM needed to look good, this is it," said John Casesa of Casesa Strategic Advisers. - "But John, will you still love me tomorrow?"

"We were underwhelmed by General Motors' big announcement of future plant closings and job cuts," Shelly Lombard, a senior research analyst with Gimme Credit in New York, said in a note to clients on Wednesday.

qualityg says... is Gimme Credit located New York City really mean "Gimme Yo Money Punk?" Now she says GMs big announcement about their plans stink. Maybe they do, by what method do you personally use that gives you the right to make statements like this? It can't be because you work on Wall Street and what you and others on WS say is rock solid. Ms. Lombard, is it your degree from Columbia or your 17 years of working in the credit industry that allows you to make statements about GM and other companies?

I'm telling you folks, especially you UNION members, you best get your acts together and start forming new groups and leadership. How can you stand back and allow punks from Wall Street make statements on financial figures that no one knows if the numbers are correct? Financial Figures are result figures and anyone can stand back and shoot darts when the figures are posted. Making asinine statements like "I think they should close more plants," really means, hey I'm on Wall Street, I'm quoted in the paper, you slugs working in the plants are and should lose your jobs because my company "Gimme Credit" ran some formulas and says it is so. Ms. Lombard please come to Flint Michigan and work in the plant for a month. At least then I might consider some of what you say to be accurate. Perhaps you might even make a statement before you know the results!

Wow here is another financial analyst making an after the fact bold and predicting statement...

"While a step in the right direction, GM's turnround doesn't appear sufficiently aggressive to us," says Rod Lache at Deutsche Bank in a report. He adds that the revenue side of the equation was also a concern, with GM achieving the lowest average price per car sold in the industry thanks to its mostly lackluster line-up of models.

qualityg says ... Mr. Lache - What the heck does "Doesn't appear sufficiently aggressive to us,"mean? Please define "Sufficiently Aggressive?" Here is another sufficiently appropriate statement "You can kiss a Buick's Ass!"

Ms. Lombard was that pig statement a self-portrait?

related post about GM @ http://qualityg.blogspot.com/2006/07/quality-fools-gm-death-watch-part-vii.html

For some great reading about GM and Cars in general check out "The Truth about Cars" @

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/

High School MEAP Scores for 2006 - Another example of the demise of our educational system"

2006 MEAP Test Scores Stink Worse than 2005

Only 52.37% of the students in the graduating Class of 2006 were proficient in math, compared to 56.85% in the Class of 2005. In science, the percent dropped from 58.4% to 56.77%; in writing, from 57.25% to 55.19%; and in reading, from 77.88% to 70.08%. In social studies, 36.79% of the students in the Class of 2006 were proficient, compared to 33.83% in the Class of 2005.

ClassOf2006StatweideSummary

School Building Scores

News Release

qualityg says ... The numbers are sad. The News release is really sad and more proof the School System is in a state of demise..

Post ON MEAP From Fall 2005

http://qualityg.blogspot.com/2006/03/education-fall-2005-meap-scores-are-in.html

qualityg is still watching you

OK, I have written on this before and if you think I’m going to stop you’re wrong! Please start looking at the big end-to-end picture. You may want to read the post (“We’ll Be Watching You") from April/May post on the same subject as a pre-requisite (one of many on site).

I have color coded some words and paragraphs that should be answered and in some cases questioned further (I ask some). Please remember, I’m just a concerned parent, I have no political or educational stake (i.e., job) at risk, just the future of our children.

If you care, pass on to someone else that needs to know what lays ahead for our Education System.

In the 2005 Michigan Educational Assessment Program test, 5.4% fewer students met or exceeded state standards in science, compared to the 2004 test.

Reading test scores, which jumped by nearly 10 percentage points for the Class of 2004 compared to 2003, showed a continued increase for the Class of 2005. The 84,729 students (77.9 percent) from the Class of 2005 who met or exceeded state reading standards increased nearly two percentage points over the Class of 2004, 80,214 students (76.2 percent).

Results in the other subject areas assessed show declines as compared to previous classes. In Writing, 62,604 students (57.2 percent) of the Class of 2005 met or exceeded state standards compared to 60,979 (57.8 percent) of the Class of 2004. In Mathematics, 62,135 students (56.9 percent) of the Class of 2005 met or exceeded state standards compared to 62,109 (58.7 percent) from the previous class.

In Science, 63,102 students (58.0 percent) of the Class of 2005 met or exceeded state standards compared to 66,901 (63.4 percent) of the Class of 2004.

qualityg says… this reads like an improvement.

The number of students in the Class of 2005 who met or exceeded state standards in Social Studies was 36,151 (33.8 percent) compared to 36,026 (35.0 percent) for the class of 2004.

qualityg says… this is disgusting, do you see what is happening, we have tampered and distorted the whole for the few! What about Art, Dance, Drama, Band, where are they? That’s right, can’t measure them so they drop to second-class status. It's about balance, it's about working together and pulling in the right direction.


The state Board of Education has a special meeting planned for July 28 to discuss high school issues.

qualityg says… I’ll be watching, will this meeting be open to the public? If so where and at what time?

"We're viewing these scores right now as support for the fact that Michigan does need to revise its high school standards in all areas and make them more rigorous," Hughes said.

qualityg says… you are in a reactive mode and you have no reliable facts or data shown on your web site, please provide others that can substantiate this claim?

School districts are viewing the science scores with concern and want to see what's working and what isn't, said Suzanne Klein, superintendent of Grosse Pointe Public Schools, where high school science scores slipped a couple of points from last year.

qualityg says… are you telling me you are not doing this as a whole, but each district will decide? Folks, these are after the fact result measures, where are the process measures that alert you to problems, there are none. This process is NOT stable; in fact it’s OUT OF CONTROL. What is the Process?

Gayle Green, assistant superintendent for curriculum for the Macomb Intermediate School District, said it's important to keep the scores in perspective.

If the district "dropped six points and the state's dropped six points, that's probably a function of the test," Green said.

Dr. Deming says … You should not ask questions without knowledge.

Other scores fluctuated, but not by significant amounts. In reading, 1.7% more students met or exceeded the state standards and fewer students scored in the lowest level. Green said the two-year reading trend, with an 11.7% increase thanks to a 10% jump last year, is good news because it shows the improvement continued into the next year.

qualityg says... how can we continue to use numbers for our children, there is no pain in numbers, show me the faces of the students who are not measuring up to a system where there will always be variation.

"One year does not make or break an achievement score and one year does not make or break a trend," Green said.

qualityg says…what trend? If you think Bar charts shown on the “Trend Reports” listed below they do not tell the story. Bar charts are categorical. Control Charts will show Trends, and will let you know if process or test is stable.

All other categories were down slightly, including a 0.6% loss in writing; 1.8% drop in math and a 1.2% loss in social studies. With the exception of science, the changes between 2004 and 2005 were insignificant.

"Every test is independent of every other test, so a little bit up, a little bit down, it's statistically meaningless," said David Plank of the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University. "It's random noise."

qualityg says… this is not noise, “By what Method” do you make this statement. Please provide data. I see no control charts that show stability, I see tampering from year to year in trying to hit a moving target, if statistically meaningless, why measure at all! Two terms often used in describing the types of variation are signal and noise. Variation that is expected, usual and typical is called noise. Variation that is really unusual and unexpected is called signal. We must understand the difference in signal and noise before we can properly respond to either.

qualityg recommended (even sent an Email) in May to Dr. Plank – “I learned from a very wise man (Dr. W. Edwards Deming - http://deming.org/) that when you’re dealing with statistics it’s best to be trained by a master, if not more damage can be done. Not falling into that category (I consider myself an applicationist) I would suggest Mr. David Plank co director of the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University contact an expert from their Statistics Department (preferably a theoretical statistician). Please ask that person to explain Dr. Deming’s Funnel Experiment before you continue to recalibrate a system that sounds like it is out of control.

MEAP Summary Reports (following reports produced by the Michigan Department of Education)

HS Class of 2005

News Release
Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) Questions and Answer Class of 2005
Statewide
MEAP Trend Chart (color)
MEAP Trend Chart (black and white)
Statewide Demographic Report
District & Building

"High School & College Dropouts, - "Dropouts: an epidemic" See update - 07/14/06

6/21/06

I often wonder if there is any correlation as to why high school and college students dropout?

Currently for high school studies indicate three out of every 10 students who enter high school this year will not graduate in the typical four years. That sure is a whole lot of children left behind Mr. & Mrs. NCLB Act!

I have not done an exact study with trend facts or figures but my 30 years spent
in a classroom as a student and instructor tells me there is no single reason why students drop out of high school. I have seen different reasons: feeling of not belonging (no guidance from parents or school professionals); school is boring I’m telling you in many cases this is true); no motivation (see the previous two reasons); faulty and non-standard testing procedures; and the lack of constancy of purpose (no aim, no vision and have no way to know how to get there).

I don’t have scientific facts on college dropouts but I can tell you from a time spent(graduation parties and announcements) and money giving perspective that a lot more people graduate from high school than from college.

I believe the reasons I stated above all can be stated for college with the addition of a big one and that is money/dollars. Using Michigan as an example state support for education has declined for at least 20 years.

One solution in the works might be …Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm is currently pushing
through legislation her “New Merit Award” scholarship ( http://www.mich.gov/som/0,1607,7-192--145798--,00.html) that will provide $4000 in scholarship money to every student who wants to earn a college degree or technical certification.

The long-term goal is to have more Michigan residents graduate with new skills and to
be able to find jobs in the state.

She has also called for stricter educational requirements for graduation. See
http://qualityg.blogspot.com/2006/04/
quality-education-see-update-41106-am.html

The governor’s new project may help with some financing but what about BOREDOM?

I would like to concentrate on this subject because I believe this academic disease crosses all grades of education.

I wonder if BOREDOM sets in because we have not changed our educational approaches to teaching in decades. Our schools were designed years ago to meet the needs of an agricultural and industrial environment. Perhaps if we can establish a standard for learning and a design plan that builds a foundation that meets today’s and tomorrow’s needs we will have a chance to put “Joy of Learning” back in to our schools and reduce the academic cancer known as BOREDOM.

Just last night during a college class I heard over 10 people complaining, “his is the worst and most boring class I have ever taken (at least since last semester).” “All he does is put up the authors on-line PowerPoint presentation and then gives us the authors True & False questions as a quiz to see if we listened and done our reading.” “There is no class discussion, it’s his way or the highway (no it is not Sparky Anderson).” “If this was not a required class and I need it to graduate I would drop this in a second.”

Why do we allow this type of behavior to continue at all levels of our educational system? Those educators that still believe the measure of educational success is to see how many students I can fail or hold hostage (absolute power) in a class need to retire and go back to the farm.

New teachers and instructors entering the educational system are like business people who go to company training to learn new methods and skills and find out when they go back to their job the environment and their bosses will block any effort of change.

I know money can’t buy everything, but I am hopeful in the near future that Bill Gates and his wife Melinda and their foundation can ignite some new thinking and change in our educational system. Foundation is a grand word, because education needs a new one that creates standardized evaluations for
learning and creates the consistency that the system needs to really know who is learning and what schools are providing good education.


Updated 6/23/06

More on Drop-Outs...

A new study shows that only one in four students in Detroit graduate on time. Out of the 50 largest school districts in the United States this puts them dead last. Why?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060621/NEWS01/606210441&SearchID=73248529505947

EXAMPLE OF WHY: LAST WEEK AT A HIGH-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL, BUSINESS AND POLITICAL SUMMIT ON MACKINAC ISLAND THE PRESIDENT OF THE DETROIT FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (JANNA GARRISON) SAID:

"What's good for the teachers is good for students."

Who is serving whom?

Unfortunately I don't think Ms. Garrison is the only teacher alone in this thinking.

Updated 7/3/06

Merit Award cancelled for students going out-of-state starting in 2007

On Friday June 30, 2006 Governor Granholm signed a bill starting in 2007 to eliminate the state funded Michigan Merit Award of $1000.00 for students going to college outside of Michigan.

I guess $1000.00 does not seem like much but it is estimated to save the state $3.5 million dollars and it will affect aprox. 3500 students.

qualityg says ... again our legislators and governor fail to see the big picture (systems thinking). What about the student who wants to go into a program at a four year university and none of the state of Michigan colleges will accept him/her?

Example, I know of a student that wanted to go into a special economics program that was offered at a small number of select colleges. She applied at NYU, Maryland, Illinois and two seperate programs at the University of Michigan.

She was accepted at all the schools except Michigan where her parents and she pay taxes and where she has lived her whole life.

The kicker was she went and met the dean/advisor for the two programs at U of M and he discouraged her from applying, NOT because of academics but the fact the two programs cater to International Students. You know the kind that have to pay OUT-OF-STATE Tuition ($$$).

The worst part she is now taking out loans to pay OUT-OF-STATE Tuition ($$$).

What a scam these colleges continue to do to American Children and their parents. The schools will not admit to my statements, only to the fact they need more money, but they don't deny students for this reason.

My point is this about the cancellation of the Merit Award. If it can be proved that a state of Michigan college denied entrance to a state student, that student should still be entitiled to the $1000.00. In fact, I believe the student should receive the full award of $4000.00 and charge the state school who refused the student!

People wonder why we can't produce quality leaders and educators. Our Governor wonders why students are leaving our great state after graduation (fact - I have 2 nieces and 1 nephew that all graduated from Michigan State University in the last 3 years, they could not find jobs in Michigan and now they all live in Chicago, making money and having fun).

Do I need to say more?

Follow-Up - I sent this post to the Office of Scholarships and Grants <OSG@michigan.gov>.

Here is the reply:

"Thank you for your email. The Michigan Merit Award can not go out-of-state for the graduating class of 2007. Please feel free to contact our office if you should have any further questions."

AAGH, I don't think you read the post, if you did you did not understand it! I will NOT feel free to contact your office any further. --- qualityg

Other posts by qualityg on related educational topics:
http://qualityg.blogspot.com/2006/07/quality-education-no-way-schools-apply.html

http://qualityg.blogspot.com/2006/06/
quality-education-nclb-act-updated.html

Do you know whom
teaching your college student?

Danger Will Robinson

Quality Education

Update 7/14/06

Here is another excellent article on Dropouts by Tom Watkins who is a business and educational consultant. He served at Superintendent of Schools for the state of Michigan from 2001-2005. He can be reached at tdwatkins@aol.com - This is a man that knows!

Dropouts: an epidemic

go to http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/OPINION01/607130719/1202/NEWS12

"Failing School Grading System" --> Baby Boomers To The Rescue!

Why I Dislike the School Grading System

This week ends another semester and I am beginning to hear through out the halls, bathrooms and school cafes complaints about the classes or I better get an A and I took this class because it was supposed to be easy (Minority). Oh there were the gleeful ones too that got high passing grades and feel justified that they mastered the subject (Majority). What I did not hear was how much was learned regardless of the grade. So then why do we need the current grading system? Why do we continue to teach only to the majority of students and how can we continue to fool ourselves about the millions of students (Minority) still being left behind?

Let me explain…

First we need to set up a scenario. Let’s say in our state we have one million students in grades 4-16 and our state test scores indicate we have 85% percent of our students (Majority) who have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of a C (2.0 out of 4.0) or better. That leaves 15% of our students who receive a D or below (Minority). Also included in the Minority group are school dropouts. Special Needs Children are in a separate study and not included in these figures.

The breakdown of numbers is 850,000 are passing and 150,000 are failing. Failing in this scenario does not mean being left behind in a grade or not passing a class, it just means below average.

I think most of us would agree that 150,000 students not learning is not acceptable. What if we had the same figures in nine other states that would mean 1.5 million students? Ouch!

This scenario makes perfect sense to me because what else should we expect when we teach only to the Majority? The foundation of our teaching methods is based upon what I call “basic reactive receiving” of information. I give you information, you remember information and I test you with feedback fill in the blank, multiple choice and true and false questions to see if you remember information. Does remembering = learning? Does learning = knowledge?

I’m not blaming teachers and I’m not blaming the curriculum. The foundation and environment that establishes our educational is flawed and has been for a long long time. The current approach “basic reactive receiving” serves the majority well, but is well good enough?

Charles Darwin said it is not the strong or even the smart that survive; it is the most flexible. There is the key word “FLEXIBLE.”


The following questions may help put some things in perspective:

- Why do students learn best when there is interaction with their teacher and or other students?
- Does interaction mean doing, instead of just basic reactive receiving?

- Why can’t there be enough experienced trained teachers to be able to teach in a regular sized classroom, plus a room for those who learn in smaller settings and for those who need one-to-one assistance (we do it for special ed, are there not regular ed that need this type of assistance?
- How much does self-esteem come in to play in order for a student to learn?

- Does that mean we all have to hit a jump shot to make the team of learning?

- I have been learning a lot working with Autistic and Asperger children when it comes to sensory integration. So why do we primarily utilize a few senses (see & hear)and not all of them including “common"?

- Is it not important to tailor fit approaches for both analytical (i.e., critical thinking, problem solving and innovation) and reflective (i.e., motivation, self- esteem) learning as well as basic reactive learning?

Are we sub-optimizing our student’s potential only using parts of our brain? Just think what knowledge our children could be learning if they could optimize their whole brain, and it would be fun, it would be “Joy of Learning (Deming)”.

I can hear some folks now “So what is new” and “Dream on qualityg dream on…”


BABY BOOMERS TO THE RESCUE

BABY BOOMERS TO THE RESCUE


We know that every student does not learn in the same manner so why do we continue to teach in the same type of environment and teaching methods. Is it the lack of dollars to have smaller classroom sizes? Is it the lack of knowledgeable and experienced teachers (knowledgeable and experienced do not mean “Certified”)?

I believe we have untapped gold mine that can help with many of the questions I asked above. It is the Baby Boomers who are looking for competent and meaningful work after they retire or take early buy outs. Many Baby Boomers are experienced and educated and would make a great resource to bolster the teacher to student ratio.

Now all you “Certified” teachers out there don’t get in a tizzy and go into a protective mode. I am suggesting Baby Boomers to be Aides and Teacher Assistants. Create a new position that will pay a decent rate. These types of Retired Baby Boomers are not looking for monetary gains or security, they are still looking to make a difference and find purpose for getting up in the morning.

We need to take monies slotted for other programs (not just in education) like individualized per student spending and create one pot to hire these new assistants. If children are our future then government and business needs to step up and prioritize dollars to education and quit cutting funds as soon as things get tough in the economy (again sub-optimization).

The following diagram ( Click on PIC to Enlarge) explains what I am saying, we are all in this together and there has to be a balance (optimization), for one group to go it alone is disaster (sub-optimization).

If you want proof look at the few teachers that are considered the best by your children. I bet it is the ones who inspire and encourage each student by utilizing all of their talents; the one’s who can take a large class and make each student feel important.

Want more proof? I am an example, I retired early, I am back in school, I am working in an elementary school, I feel good and I am making a difference.

I know there are good teachers who cannot or do not have these qualities, so let us give them some additional support.

Where is the UAW when they are needed most?

Where is the UAW?

With all that is going on between GM and Kirk Kerkorian in the past few weeks I have heard very little from the UAW or any of their off shoot factions (i.e., Soldiers of Solidarity - SOS).

Oh sure the Union folks have articles and comments on their web sites and blogs but why are they not taking one side or the other or even their own platform in the public? Stand for something – right or wrong, who cares but do something.

BE A VOICE NOT AN ECHO

Now is the Time

Here are a couple quotes from The Detroit Free Press:

RON GETTELFINGER

"I do trust that Rick Wagoner and his team can get this behind him as quickly as possible and stay focused on what they were really starting to make inroads on, and that's moving General Motors forward."
- President of the UAW

RICHARD INCROCCI

"I think at some point in time, with the blessing of the union or the involvement of the UAW, it could be a good thing. ... One thing I might be slightly concerned about is Kerkorian wanting to replace Wagoner with Ghosn. I think Wagoner is doing a fantastic job. People need to give him time to incorporate what his plans are and what he wants to do."
- UAW member and assembly-line worker at GM's plant in Arlington, Texas

I again ask --> Where is the UAW? You want new members; you want to be a player again? Then get out in the field and quit sitting in the bleachers yelling threats and comments. NOW IS THE TIME!

BE A VOICE NOT AN ECHO

I ask SOS where is you core mission (i.e., purpose, aim)? Where are your plans (I know where your picnics are)? What is it you really want the UAW to Do (I read them, but How would you do it)? What would you do differently (Why)?

OK, THEN DO IT!

NOTE : qualityg is not a union member or affiliated with any auto company.