Some districts, trying to be helpful, publish glossaries. Educators, of course, haven't cornered the market on fuzzy language. The first step, it seems, would be for the adults to speak the same language. Critics say jargon undermines this partnership. It allows teachers and administrators to insulate themselves from scrutiny and maintain a grip on power.
All professional language is turf language.
To be fair, plenty of teachers and administrators try to speak plain English . Plenty of parents glean valuable information from teacher conferences and contribute good ideas to their schools. School officials have agreed to appoint a committee to draft a document that spells out parents' rights in plain English. She also filed a formal complaint against the county school system and the state Department of Education to compel them to produce a document written in plain English. She claims the county and state are violating a federal requirement that the guide be written in an understandable manner.