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LETTERS TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT: WHAT
DO YOU PLAN TO DO ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION?
The latest edition of this book is a remake of the previous letters
written in advance of the 2004 presidential election. The letters,
directed at the next president of the United States, aim to restore
the original mission of public schools to ensure young people are
prepared to be productive and active community members. As the
founding fathers knew, the people themselves were the only true
guardians of society, as each society begins to crumble when left to
the rulers alone. As the 2004 edition foresaw, students have
experienced more testing, a narrowed curriculum, and an increase in
"drill-and-kill" teaching as a result of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act as re-authorized by No Child Left Behind.
The book charges that with a new administration coming into office,
it is time for Americans to discuss the best ways to fully educate
students and how best to hold schools accountable to this vital
goal. Public engagement needs to increase to ensure the original
intent of public education is realized, i.e. educated Americans
capable of participating in democratic processes. Public schooling
was supposed to be the ultimate insurance against a tyrannical
government. This collection of letters helps frame the necessity of
reinvigorating both public education and the public’s engagement in
ensuring every citizen regardless of birth is a contributing member
of society.
ACADEMIC CHEATING IS AT AN ALL-TIME
HIGH
What do major league baseball players, professional wrestlers, New
England Patriots’ head coaches and students have in common? They all
cheat. As Regan McMahon reports in the San Francisco Chronicle, the
two most common answers to the "prevalence of cheating" question by
high school and college students is "everybody does it, and it’s no
big deal," and those answers are unequivocally correct. According to
a 2005 Duke University study, 90 percent of high school students
admit they have copied another person’s homework, and 75 percent
admit to cheating in general. One reason the level of cheating has
risen is that there are no serious consequences. A new school
syllogism has been created: everyone’s doing it, no one is getting
caught, therefore I’d be a fool not to do it. Whereas at one time
cheating was reserved to those who couldn’t obtain good grades on
their own, now, since there is no shame attached to the act,
cheaters are more likely to be the good students. One major issue
driving smart students to cheat is that a single ‘B’ on a transcript
could keep that student out of a good college, which in their eyes
would prohibit them from a good job, and consequently a good life.
While schools and students seem to be shrugging off the increase in
cheating, remember that today’s scholars will be America’s next
generation of doctors, lawyers and CEOs -- hello Generation Enron!
Like professional athletes, students are also turning to performance
enhancing drugs. Instead of HGH and steroids, kids have Adderall and
Ritalin. Students similarly see the use of these drugs as "no big
deal," because it is "still their work," obviously disregarding the
health risks. Some experts see the rise in cheating as the outcome
of the 1980s Gordon Gecko "greed is good" mantra, where the idea of
"doing anything to get ahead" was raised above the idea of a social
contract.
OTHER E-MAIL HEADACHES: SECURITY
BREACHES, EMPLOYEE CARELESSNESS, SPAM
E-mail has become an intrinsic part of both personal and business
life, and it is no different for schools. While it has helped
district operations, e-mail can cause headaches for
information-technology directors, reports Michelle Davis in
Education Week. As e-mail continues to be integrated into daily
practices, some schools and districts have not taken the time to
teach staff appropriate e-mail etiquette and procedures. A major
issue is security, as some teacher’s leave their passwords in full
view and often resist changing passwords periodically. Obviously if
a student obtains a teacher’s password, it could give that pupil
access to many things he shouldn’t be seeing, such as
correspondences between teachers and parents. It also is important
for teachers to note that e-mails sent through work accounts can be
reviewed by information-technology staff members at any time --
while e-mail may seem private, technology staff can retrieve almost
any e-mail sent or received. Most school systems do require
employees to sign an e-mail policy, however the policy usually goes
unnoticed and forgotten. The Jefferson County, Colorado school
district has installed a pop-up message that appears when employees
sign on to their e-mail, which requires them to check a box stating
they are aware of the e-mail policy. Districts have also begun to
take multilayered approaches to filtering e-mail, in the hopes of
eliminating junk mail and viruses.
SCHOOLS REALLY AREN’T PREPARING KIDS
FOR COLLEGE
In a perfect world, graduating from high school and earning a
diploma would guarantee that student was capable of performing well
in college (i.e., no remediation) or if they enter the workforce,
advancing. Unfortunately, this is not often the case as outlined by
a recent panel discussion convened by the Alliance for Excellent
Education (AEE) in conjunction with an issue brief the organization
released. Additional research from the Center on Education Policy (CEP)
on high school exit exams found that when looking at so-called "high
stakes" tests, only six states say the purpose of the exam is to
measure knowledge and skills required for college, and nine indicate
work-readiness as the purpose. The AEE brief and CEP report seem to
suggest a fundamental disconnect between how teachers are preparing
their students for success, and how they should be preparing them
for life after high school. As Meris Stansbury reports in eSchool
News, a recent ACT study finds that only 18 percent of high school
freshman graduate in four years, go to college, and earn a degree.
Of those who do go on to college, one-third require remedial
education, which costs $1.4 billion annually. However, this is not
shocking news -- according to an Achieve, Inc. poll conducted in
2004-2005, college instructors believe 42 percent of their students
were inadequately prepared for the demands of college, and 39
percent of recent graduates themselves say their high school
education left them unprepared for college and work. Apparently, the
situation has gotten worse, as the ACT study suggests 65 percent of
college professors believe high school standards do not prepare
students for post-secondary education. The "alphabet soup" of
education policy organizations all agree that high school is not
rigorous enough, and the cost is mounting for students, families and
the American economy.
PARENTS & STUDENTS WISHY-WASHY ABOUT
INCREASED ACADEMIC RIGOR
A new study based on research conducted in Kansas and Missouri
details parent and student thinking about math and science
education. While experts, business community leaders and
policymakers have long touted the need for rigorous math and science
classes, students and their parents alike do not share this level of
concern. In fact, the report notes their satisfaction with the
existing curriculum, which experts regard as behind the times and
global competitors. The report also explains that advanced courses
have not become a priority for families because parents see their
children doing more difficult coursework than they experienced in
their school days. Even with the apparent lack of interest in ramped
up math and science courses, parents and students believe that those
courses are critical to future success. The age-old disconnect
occurs for students as they believe math and science is irrelevant
to their lives: to quote a student: "I hate math because it’s hard
for me to understand how that’s ever going to come back and help
me." The report does note a chance to change perceptions, as the
research suggests that recent national attention given to algebra
and algebra II has raised the subject as a priority -- 79 percent of
parents and 70 percent of students believe algebra is an essential
course. Students and parents appear open to changing their
perceptions on the necessity of rigorous math and science courses.
They simply need a little push.
HARDER COURSES DO PRODUCE GAINS
Maryland Scholars, a pilot program launched in Hartford County,
Maryland four years ago, has increased the number of students taking
a more challenging high school curriculum than what is required by
the state. The largest increases occurred among minority students
from lower-income households, reports Madison Park of the Baltimore
Sun. In fact, since the program’s inception, the number of
African-American high school students completing algebra I by their
freshman year rose 158 percent, the number of lower-income children
finishing chemistry rose 115 percent, and the number of students
overall taking a fourth science course more than doubled. To become
a Maryland scholar, students must complete algebra II, chemistry,
physics and a foreign language, while maintaining a 2.5 grade point
average. If students satisfy these criteria and are eligible for
Pell grants, they will receive additional tuition aid. In their
freshman year, students could expect to receive an extra $750 and if
they maintain a 3.0 GPA, an additional $1,300 in their sophomore
year. Students who major in math, science or specific foreign
languages can receive an additional $4,000 through the Academic
Competitiveness Grant in their junior and senior years. Since 2003,
there has been a 33 percent increase in the number of students
receiving free and reduced-price meals who qualified as Maryland
Scholars. The program’s success in increasing the numbers of
low-income and minority students opting into rigorous high school
courses has led to its adoption throughout the state.
FOR ONE SCHOOL, A NEW HOPE AND A
FRESH START
First receiving a ‘B’ became the new ‘C,’ now a ‘C’ has become
synonymous with a ‘D,’ at least at one New Jersey school bent on
raising test scores. Students at the Newton Street School of
Humanities in Newark, N.J., are told they are better than average,
and should strive for As and Bs -- the head science teacher, Ernest
Whitaker, went so far as to outlaw Cs altogether. Whitaker hopes
this policy will curb students and parents from settling for
middling grades, reports Winnie Hu in the New York Times. There has
been an increased culture of reform at Newton, as the administrators
and teachers attempt to turn around its lagging standardized test
scores in the face of No Child left Behind sanctions. To go beyond
typical methods of reform, Newton has enlisted the help of the
Newark Teachers Union and Seton Hall University and has formed a
governance committee that gives the union and university along with
district and state education official’s approval of the school’s
daily operations. This powerful partnership has allowed the school
to make significant changes, like replacing teachers, lengthening
the school day, and committing more than $100,000 for teacher
training, supplies and field trips. The school has a long way to go,
as just 41.1 percent of Newton students in grades six through eight
passed reading and 25.2 percent passed math on state tests. At a
recent visit to the school, Mayor Cory A. Booker asked a fifth grade
class who the vice president of the United States was, and instead
of "Dick Cheney" was told "George Bush," "George Washington," and
"George Washington Carver." Yet Jerome Hancock, a 35-year-old math
teacher who has worked at Newton for 10 years, believes the new
reforms will work; in his words "you’ve got this new fire behind you
now."
ENGLISH LEARNERS GETTING MANGLED
INSTRUCTION IN CLASS
Would you feel confident attending driver’s education courses taught
by someone without a license? Additionally, how could those students
possibly become good model drivers? Similarly, why are English
language learners being taught by teachers without an adequate grasp
of both grammar and pronunciation? According to the Arizona
Republic, students learning English in Arizona could expect to hear
"read me first how it was before," "how do we call it English?," and
"sometimes you are not gonna know some" in daily instruction. For
the past five years, the state has monitored language classes to
explain how grades on Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards have
continued to drop. Last year, officials visited 32 districts and
found nine where instruction was conducted in this type of broken
English, and 12 where students were taught in Spanish (a violation
of state law). As if teachers struggling with the English language
weren’t a big enough roadblock, the state also found that some
schools had failed to apply for tutoring grants designed to help
English learners. In response to this five year study, Arizona,
beginning this year, requires schools to set aside four hours of
class each day for English learners to study grammar, phonetics,
writing and reading. For the students’ sake, let’s hope the four
hours are taught by someone with a grasp of the English language.
BUYING TIME FOR OLDER HIGH SCHOOL
DIPLOMA SEEKERS
Across the country and especially in the Houston Independent School
District, the dropout problem is wrecking havoc on schools and
communities. As Jennifer Radcliffe reports in the Houston Chronicle,
national research indicates that as many as 45 percent of the
district’s students fail to graduate from high school in four years.
To help solve this issue, Texas has introduced a unique reform that
will give students an additional five years to earn diplomas. The
law, which will cost an estimated $1.7 million dollars, will allow
school districts enrolling students aged 21 to 26 to collect an
extra $30 per student, per day. State Representative Scott Hochberg,
who sponsored the bill, believes the legislation will affect those
who want to come back to school but were otherwise unable to do so.
In fact, the law is already impacting lives, as Abraham Velasquez,
who will be 23 when he graduates in May, has taken full advantage --
in his own words: "high school diplomas are very important...without
that you can’t do anything." Velasquez quit school at 14 to work and
now works full time in addition to attending class on Saturdays and
from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every weekday. He admits the schedule is
rigorous, but recognizes the chance he has been given and hopes one
day to become a nurse. In dollars the law could cost almost $2
million, but the benefits to people like Abraham Velasquez are
almost immeasurable.
SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION: HOW SMALL IS
TOO SMALL
A major battle in South Dakota’s last legislative session centered
on a proposal to force consolidation of schools below a certain
enrollment number, reports Terry Woster in the Sioux Falls
Argus-Leader. The task force assigned to present information on the
topic suggested that 200 students would be the floor to avoid
consolidation. This number and a subsequent suggestion of 130
students, or 10 per grade level in K-12, failed to win a majority of
votes. The final bill, which included a 100-student minimum,
immediately affected nine districts. State Representative Ed
McLaughlin is convinced setting the floor at 100 is too low, as the
task force discussed setting it as high as 300. McLaughlin is
concerned that the smallest schools are unable to offer the
necessary educational opportunities. Still, don’t tell that to Cori
Bortnem, as she is convinced she received a better education at
Rutland High School (enrollment of just over 100 students) than any
bigger school could possibly have provided. The current South Dakota
State University senior said that she "received almost one-on-one
education sometimes" and that "all the courses [she] wanted were
available." She was able to experience a full curriculum probably
due to the major distance-education center at North State
University. Steve Volk, chief executive officer at Herried School
(129 students), agrees with Bortnem and has created a curriculum
where students can take all the courses necessary to qualify for the
state-supported Opportunity Scholarship.
MALE TEACHERS ARE BECOMING
INCREASINGLY SCARCE
Canada and America have more in common than a border, as both
countries currently experience drastic shortages of male teachers.
This fact is strikingly true in Canada at the elementary/primary
level, where only 27 percent of teachers are male, as reported by
Roger Collier in the National Post of Canada. Additionally, the
percentage of male teachers could get even lower, as 21 percent of
teachers over 55 are male, while only 11 percent of teachers younger
than 30 are men. Women have consistently dominated the education
field, yet ratios between female and male educators had remained
constant until the 1980s. At that time, women began attending
universities in record numbers, being responsible for 75 percent of
the enrollment growth in Canadian universities since 1981. This has
made it far more difficult to get into teacher’s colleges, and in
2005 males made up only 27 percent of total enrollment. Canadian men
also are moving away from teaching for similar reasons to American
males: poor earning potential, perceived lack of nurturing ability,
and society’s suspicion of men who enjoy being around children. Yet
unlike America’s National Education Association, Canadians are not
as sure having a male teacher matters. A study conducted by the
universities of Alberta and Winnipeg suggest that boys who struggle
to read respond better to female educators. Parents are not as
convinced. They believe boys -- especially those without fathers --
need good male role models, and teachers usually fit that bill.
RAP MASTER GIVES STUDENTS A BOOST
It’s stock boilerplate for celebrities and politicians to claim they
care about education and want to help kids, but do most truly mean
it? Well at least one, Percy Miller, better known as "Master P," has
proved he walks the walk. Shawn Cetrone in the Raleigh News &
Observer reports that Miller was asked to speak with students on a
lark, as teacher Bonnie Mwanda saw he was in town to promote a book
and sent him an e-mail. Much to her surprise, Miller responded and
recently spoke with 800 students at the predominantly low-income
Monroe Middle School in North Carolina. His speech centered on the
absolute importance of education. Miller shares the students’ roots,
having grownup in public housing in New Orleans. The difference is
that since he left the Big Easy, he has gone on to sell millions of
albums, produce movies, TV and music and even played professional
basketball. In addition to discussing the importance of good
education, Miller discussed his new label, Take a Stand Records,
which has policies about only releasing "responsible lyrics." In his
own words, Miller said "the most important thing I’ve done with my
life is clean my act up." He also issued a promise -- if the
students’ grades keep improving, he’ll have his star son, Romeo,
perform for the school. That is one great merit-"pay" bonus. It’s
worth noting that as Miller walked the walk out of the gymnasium,
the students screamed and clapped.
NBC NEWS GOES TO "CLASS" FOR THE NEXT
13 YEARS
Forget "Kid Nation." NBC News is now attempting to bring the
ultimate "reality" of young people to your television screen. The
project is called "Class of 2020," and the plan is to follow a group
of Los Angeles kindergarteners through high school graduation,
reports the Reuters/Hollywood reporter. The series will have a web
page as its dedicated home and will appear on the "Today Show." In
visualizing the show, the producers are hoping to bring to life
critical teaching moments that everyone can learn from, and help
display the positive sides of American public education. NBC
selected a diverse elementary school in North Hollywood and an
11-year veteran teacher to serve as the centerpieces. Not to worry,
the film crews use hand-held cameras and shoot only once a week to
avoid disrupting learning. However, this will not be the National
Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) on tape, as it is probable most
of the students tracked will have changed by the finish of the
13-year project. The producers want to ensure they are reflecting a
true public school, and will discontinue tracking students who go on
to private school or move away. While the end product will not be
"gold standard" NELS data, it is hoped the series can encourage
Americans to renew their interest in public schools.
BACK TO SCHOOL: READING, WRITING &
INTERNET SAFETY
Students in Virginia will be learning something new this year, as
the state has become the first to require public schools to teach
Internet safety, reports Adam Hochberg of National Public Radio. The
mandate is in response to concerns about sex offenders and adults
preying on young people they meet through social networking Web
sites. It is one of many steps states are taking to ensure young
people are safer online. The main thrust of the Virginia lesson on
Internet safety is for the students to act as if they were in
public, i.e., don’t talk to strangers and don’t share personal
information. But there is the added caveat of don’t agree to meet
people who approach you on the web. While Virginia is the first
state to implement education surrounding Internet safety, other
states such as Connecticut and North Carolina are calling for
stronger regulation of social networking sites. In Connecticut and
North Carolina, attorney generals have pushed proposals requiring
minors who want to use these types of Internet sites to get parental
consent. However, legislation in the two states has stalled as they
face fierce opposition from Internet privacy advocates and the
social networking sites themselves. Supporters of the so-called
parental consent" legislation concede some young people would likely
find ways around it, but they do see it as a positive step. At least
both social networking Web site security officers and "parental
consent" supports agree that an important need is to educate young
people to make the right decisions online.
GIRL TALK LINKED TO DEPRESSION,
ANXIETY
Talking about and venting angst can be too much of a "good thing"
for young women. As Denise Gellene reports in the Los Angeles Times,
constantly discussing crushes, popularity or other personal problems
may lead to anxiety and depression in girls, but not boys according
to new research. The study, which surveyed 813 students ages 8 to 15
twice over six months, found that excessive rumination and
reflection about problems did strengthen the bonds of friendship for
both sexes. However, forging these tight-knit friendships came at a
cost for girls. The findings question the age-old adage that young
people should share their problems rather than bottle them up. As
the study suggests, talking about personal problems is good, but
laboring over the issues can be "too much of a good thing." The
problem for girls is that they get caught in a vicious cycle wherein
the original cause of depression/anxiety spur additional reflection,
which in turn increases the depression/anxiety. Carol Dweck, a
Stanford University psychology professor not connected with the
study, said the results are in line with previous research which
suggests support groups can reinforce bad habits such as eating
disorders. So, perhaps it is a good thing when your daughter says
she doesn’t want to talk about it.
CREATING CLASSROOMS WHERE TEACHERS
LOVE TO TEACH AND STUDENTS LOVE TO LEARN
Could you use help setting limits in your classroom without anger?
Would you like to learn how to create a culture of learning among
faculty and parents? Wouldn't it be great if you could build strong
connections between home and school? How about if you could send
fewer students to the principal's office? All of this is possible
and explained in the easy-to-read storytelling style of Bob
Sornson's latest book, "Creating Classrooms Where Teachers Love to
Teach and Students Love to Learn." He captures the essence of using
Love and Logic to build successful school cultures and is great at
translating psychological research into practical applications.
Click the above link to read a free chapter. |
