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SCHOOLS SHUN CIVIC-MINDED NAMES
Across America, fewer new schools are bearing names like Jefferson
High or Lincoln Elementary -- names that have long honored
historical figures and connected students to the ideals and
institutions we celebrate each Fourth of July, a think tank has
concluded. Instead, modern school boards have taken to geographic-
or nature-themed names such as Windy Pointe or Timber Hill, and the
republic is worse off for it, says a report by the Manhattan
Institute. It argues that boards prefer such benign references
because even towering historical figures can provoke negative
reactions. Abraham Lincoln, for instance, can be seen either as a
man who preserved the union or trampled states’ rights, reports Mike
Sherry in The Kansas City Star. Fewer than five percent of the
nation’s schools are named after a president. Lincoln is the most
popular (674 schools), followed by Washington (558) and Jefferson
(480). Of almost 3,000 schools in Florida, five honor George
Washington, while 11 are named after manatees, 54 after palm trees
and 91 after wooded areas. "What we name our schools reflects and
shapes our values -- and part of the civic mission of public
education is to provide future citizens with models of civic
behavior they can imitate and learn from," said lead study author
Jay Greene.
THE NEUROSCIENCE OF JOYFUL EDUCATION
Most children can't wait to start kindergarten and they approach the
beginning of school with awe and anticipation. Kindergartners and
first graders often talk passionately about what they learn and do
in school. Unfortunately, the current emphasis on standardized
testing and rote learning encroaches upon many students' joy. In
their zeal to raise test scores, too many policymakers wrongly
assume that students who are laughing, interacting in groups, or
being creative with art, music, or dance are not doing real academic
work. The result is that some teachers feel pressure to preside over
more sedate classrooms with students on the same page in the same
book, sitting in straight rows, facing straight ahead. The truth is
that when we scrub joy and comfort from the classroom, we distance
our students from effective information processing and long-term
memory storage. Instead of taking pleasure from learning, students
become bored, anxious, and anything but engaged. They ultimately
learn to feel bad about school and lose the joy they once felt.
Current brain-based research suggests that superior learning takes
place when classroom experiences are enjoyable and relevant to
students' lives, interests, and experiences. Many education
theorists, writes Judy Willis in Educational Leadership magazine,
have proposed that students retain what they learn when the learning
is associated with strong positive emotion. Classrooms can be the
safe haven where academic practices and classroom strategies provide
students with emotional comfort and pleasure as well as knowledge.
When teachers use strategies to reduce stress and build a positive
emotional environment, students gain emotional resilience and learn
more efficiently.
DOES RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION INFLUENCE PRIVATE SCHOOL OUTCOMES?
The vast majority of private schools in the United States are
sectarian. Thus, when examining education policies that increase
private school attendance, such as education vouchers and tuition
tax credits, it is important to consider how religion may influence
student enrollments and school outcomes. A new paper by Danny Cohen-Zada
and William Sander analyzes the impact of both religious affiliation
and religiosity on attendance at public, Catholic, Protestant, and
non-sectarian private schools. Religiosity is defined as the degree
of participation in church-related activities. As expected, the
authors conclude that religious families prefer private schools that
belong to their own denomination and non-religious families prefer
non-sectarian private schools. However, more importantly, the
authors show that religiosity has a strong and significant effect on
the demand for private schooling. Parents who regularly attend
church services are more likely to send their children to private
sectarian schools. Studies that fail to account for religiosity and
measure only the religious affiliation of families may overstate the
positive influence of Catholic schooling, especially since children
who grow up in more religious homes tend to have better educational
outcomes.
WEALTHIER DISTRICTS WORRY ABOUT LOWER TEST
SCORES AND HOME PRICES
The tight connection between test scores and home prices that was
reported by a recent Trinity College study raises fresh doubts about
the ability of an open educational marketplace to improve schooling
for all children. Although the study focused only on West Hartford,
Conn., its conclusions apply to other blue ribbon communities across
the country. When parents spend a king's ransom to buy a house, they
understandably want to protect what is undoubtedly for most the
biggest investment of their lives. Unfettered school choice poses a
direct threat by allowing children from urban schools to enroll in
suburban schools at the expense of local taxpayers. Too many of
these outsiders bring huge deficits in socialization, motivation,
and intellectual development through no fault of their own, which
lower test scores and, in turn, house prices. Faced with that
possibility, suburbanites have fought back, with remarkable success,
writes Walt Gardner in the Christian Science Monitor. It's more than
mere coincidence that efforts in the past to desegregate public
schools abruptly ended at precisely the same time that suburban
schools were imminently threatened. Emboldened by their ability to
prevail in the courts, suburbanites aren't likely to relinquish
their hold on maintaining local schools for themselves. They've
worked too hard and too long to establish residency in communities
where existing schools have garnered well-deserved reputations for
educational quality. After all, they have as much of a right for
their children to benefit from top-flight schools as parents from
the inner cities do for their children. Yet suburban parents' fears
are exaggerated. Inner-city parents who take advantage of the
opportunity to enroll their children in schools outside their
neighborhood send an important signal about their involvement in
their children's education. And it's that kind of strong, parental
commitment, studies show, that is a powerful predictor of future
academic performance. So, in the end, students who take advantage of
vouchers are highly likely to be a proud asset, rather than a
menacing liability in their adopted districts.
A WORLD WITHOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Should America have public schools, or would we do better without
them at all? Nothing is more important to this country than the
transformation of children into educated American citizens. That's
what public schools are for, and no institutions are better suited
to the role--in principle. They used to fill it with distinction,
writes David Gelernter in the Weekly Standard. According to
Gelernter, there's no reason we must have public schools. Granted,
the public has a strong interest in educating America's children, at
a cost that's divided equitably among all taxpayers and not borne by
the parents of school-age children alone. But these requirements
don't imply any need for public schools. We need an Air Force, and
the Air Force needs planes. Taxpayers pay for the force and the
planes. But the pilots are supplied directly by the government, the
airplanes by private companies (with government oversight and
assistance). Schooling might be furnished on either model: mainly by
public or mainly by private organizations. We know that private
schools are perfectly capable of supplying first class educations.
So the question stands: Why have public schools? How should we
decide whether to have them or not? The basic law of public schools
is this: Public schools are first and foremost agents of the public.
They exist to transform children into "educated citizens" as the
public understands this term -- in other words, as a public
consensus defines it. Of course, the United States is a large
country and standards have always differed from state to state. So
each state has its own public schools, charged with satisfying the
consensus definition of "educated citizen" in that state. Maybe the
schism in public thinking means that we need our public schools now
more than ever. But the schools are not acting as if they want to
bridge the great divide.
USING SOCIOECONOMICS TO DIVERSIFY SCHOOLS
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's new limits on using race to
attain diversity in classrooms, a less controversial option is
gaining attention: a student's socioeconomic background. Baltimore,
Cambridge, Mass., and districts in a dozen other states already
consider students' income and other non-racial factors in seeking to
mix school enrollments -- a system that advocates say can result in
some degree of racial integration, as well. While the idea is not
universally supported, reports John Mooney in the Star Ledger,
officials and experts said it could prove the winning constitutional
ingredient for other districts that have openly sought to integrate
their schools by race but may now be challenged by the court's
latest ruling. "There's no doubt it is perfectly legal, and I think
you'll see a lot more districts looking at going in this direction,"
said Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow of the Century Fund in
Washington, and one of the strategy's biggest supporters. "I use as
comparison our income tax system, where we treat the rich
differently than those of low-income," he said. "There is no
constitutional controversy about that; it is perfectly accepted. But
if we did that by race, there would be outcry." Angelo Genova, an
attorney who represents several school districts, said the ruling
will bring lots of discussions about what is now acceptable and what
is not. He said the court's decision and especially the concurring
opinion from Justice Anthony Kennedy allowed for some wiggle room.
Kennedy wrote that while he agrees with the majority in striking
down the Louisville and Seattle plans, he did not rule out race as a
factor in school assignments as long as it wasn't the deciding
factor. In that context, Genova said he understands the allure of
the race-neutral plans like those that depend on socioeconomic
factors, but called them a "cop-out" in the battle to integrate
schools. "While appealing, I don't know if they get you over the
hump," he said. "If you are going to deal with race, I think you
need to deal with race head-on."
TEACHER UNION PRESIDENTS SEE NEW ROLES &
RESPONSIBILITIES
The term "teacher union leader" typically evokes a hard-charging
labor activist who shares an adversarial relationship with the
school district, is focused solely on protecting members’
bread-and-butter interests, and flees from phrases like "school
reform." But a new report based largely on interviews with 30 local
union presidents who each have spent less than eight years in office
paints an evolved picture of leaders who are often involved in
collaborative relationships with their school superintendents; who
have to work constantly to balance the needs of a new generation of
teachers with the needs of older members; and, who see the
importance of framing arguments for improved salaries and working
conditions within the context of improved schools and building a
better teaching force. The report released by Education Sector,
writes Vaishali Honawar for Education Week, attributes the changes
to "new realities" in public education that threaten the future of
both teachers’ unions and public schools, including unprecedented
demands for evidence of student success under state and federal
accountability laws. In this new atmosphere, "industrial-style
bargaining, which pits one side against the other, is of little use
in solving different problems or developing new programs," it says.
There are also challenges from within, the report points out.
Today’s union leaders deal with two very different groups of
members: veterans who want to preserve traditional approaches to pay
and protections, and new teachers who demand strong support from
unions in the first years of teaching, and ongoing training, as well
as innovations in pay. Susan Moore Johnson, a professor of education
at Harvard University, who co-wrote the report, said it is often
difficult for presidents to satisfy both groups and to present a
clear and unified vision of the organization. "We don't have an
answer about where this will end up, but it is a period of great
change and opportunity for the unions," she said.
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL LUNCHES LEAVE A BITTER
TASTE
When too many parents fell behind on paying for school lunches, the
Chula Vista Elementary School District decided to get tough ... on
the children. They told students with deadbeat parents that they had
one lunch choice: a cheese sandwich. The sandwich, on whole-wheat
bread, came with a clear message: Tell your parents to pay up or no
more pizza and burgers for you. Cheese sandwiches and other
"alternate meals" have been added to menus in school districts
across the country as districts try to take a bite out of parents'
lunch debts. The strategy worked in Chula Vista, Calif.: Lunch debts
in the district fell from about $300,000 in 2004 to $67,000 in 2006.
However, some angry parents say success came at too high a price.
The cheese sandwich, they say, has become a badge of shame for the
children, who get teased about it by classmates. One student cried
when her macaroni and cheese was replaced with a sandwich. Another
girl hid in a restroom to avoid getting one. Many sandwiches end up
untouched or in the garbage. Sometimes, children pound them to
pieces. The sandwiches' low appeal is one thing, reports Richard
Marosi in the Los Angeles Times. The stigma attached to them is
worse, parents say.
SUSTAINING & ACCELERATING HIGH SCHOOL REFORM
Carnegie Corporation of New York, announced it will provide $10
million to better prepare more than 30,000 students at 70 small high
schools and three redesigned larger high schools for college and for
meaningful employment in a knowledge-based economy. Carnegie
Corporation's grant will be awarded to New Visions for Public
Schools, a local education fund, that works in partnership with the
New York City Department of Education to support increasing academic
achievement in public secondary schools. With the new funding, New
Visions and the schools will focus on deepening and expanding their
data-driven model of instructional and operational improvement and
school leadership development. Called "Scaffolded Apprenticeship
Model" (SAM), the program creates teams comprised of a principal,
teachers and school counselors who are trained to analyze data and
develop tailored strategies to improve instruction, especially for
low-achieving students. With the new funding the SAM components will
be expanded to increase the academic rigor of the high school
curriculum in order to prepare students for the content and skill
demands of college courses. Curricular and instructional changes
will strengthen students' academic skills and increase enrollment in
and successful completion of advanced classes by many more students.
Participating schools also will develop extensive college counseling
and connections programs.
HOW CAN HIGH-POVERTY SCHOOLS MAKE DRAMATIC
IMPROVEMENTS?
For decades, one of the top concerns among educators, policymakers,
and business leaders has been improving students’ ability to think
critically. Daniel T. Willingham, a cognitive scientist, explains
why critical thinking is not just a set of skills that can be easily
taught. Rather, it’s a type of thought that three-year-olds can
engage in, and scientists can fail in -- and it depends very much on
both knowing relevant content and thinking about it in critical
ways. Also, in the summer issue of American Educator, Leo Casey, a
former teacher whose school experiences prompted him to work with
the United Federation of Teachers, describes the aims and
accomplishments of teacher unionism. Critics may claim that wages
and working conditions are all that matter, but teacher unions
strive for much more: to provide a professional voice for teachers.
In particular, they have been, and continue to be, central actors in
the quest to improve the quality of teaching. How can high-poverty
schools make dramatic improvements? That’s the question Karin
Chenoweth answers in her new book "It’s Being Done: Academic Success
in Unexpected Schools." This issue includes two articles adapted
from the book. Lastly, Anne Marie Whittaker, an educational tour
designer who mixes history and monuments with poetry, discusses how
to make field trips memorable. By matching poems to places, she
brings history alive and shows students that poems can brighten
their lives, too.
RETOOLING VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Career technical education has undergone a sea change from the
vocational classes that used to shunt underperforming students into
shop and home economics classes. California’s state Board of
Education adopted standards for 15 career technical education
disciplines in 2005, so educators have now had two years to align
their practices with those requirements and prepare their students
for the 21st century economy. In the latest issue of California
Schools magazine, staff writer Marsha Boutelle reports on how the
high standards are affecting CTE programs, how the programs are
encouraging students to prepare for their futures and the challenges
that remain, such as recruiting and training qualified teachers.
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