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NCLB RE-AUTHORIZATION, WHERE’S IT
GOING? NOWHERE!
U.S. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), the
top lawmakers on the Senate Education Committee, are putting off
re-authorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, according to Time
Magazine. The two ranking senators cited lack of time left this year
to complete the work needed for the legislation. Kennedy’s
spokeswoman said the aim is to bring a bill to the floor early next
year. However, this may be wishful thinking because it is typically
more difficult to pass a bill during a presidential election year as
it is significantly harder to obtain the bipartisan consensus
required to pass major legislation. The House of Representatives is
similarly stalled on re-authorization, yet House lawmakers have not
officially decided to quit trying to bring a bill to the floor in
what little time is left. The difficulties in re-authorization seem
to stem from lawmakers in both parties, including Bush
administration officials, who are pushing for major revisions to the
law. The rule is that when a law fails to be Congressionally revised
on schedule, the law in its existing form stands. To recap: there is
consensus that the law needs to be dramatically changed and the
ranking lawmakers want to ensure they get re-authorization right. In
the meantime, the country and its children are left with an
admittedly failing law. So everyone has agreed to get it wrong for
the time being in the hopes of getting it right sometime early next
year, time permitting.
ARTS EDUCATION, THE ROAD LESS
TRAVELED
One damaging blow levied at the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is
that the law has caused the narrowing of the curriculum or has
prescribed double-doses of math and reading at the expense of
subjects like art, physical education and others not measured by
high stakes tests. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the chairman of
the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,
believes that if you increase instruction time, by adding hours to
the day and days to the school year, schools will be able to expand
arts education. In speaking at the Arts in Education Symposium in
Washington, sponsored by Walnut Hill School, the nation’s oldest
secondary school for the arts, Kennedy said that "a student whose
life is enriched by the arts has a better chance of staying in
school, achieving in school and succeeding...after school."
Consequently, when looking to re-authorize NCLB, he wants to
"include a new program to provide funding for states, districts and
schools...to provide more time for arts and music education and
experimental learning." The senator’s remarks serve to punctuate
recent research and news articles calling for increased instruction
time. In quoting former President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy said "a
nation which disdains the mission of the arts invites the fate of
Robert Frost’s hired man...of having nothing to look backward with
pride, and nothing to look forward to with hope."
READING FIRST: NOT GOOD NATIONALLY
BUT GREAT LOCALLY
Apparently, even gross federal misconduct cannot stop a good program
from succeeding. According to a new report from the Center on
Education Policy, Reading First, the billion-dollar initiative
designed to improve reading skills for impoverished students, has
astonishingly been implemented as intended. In fact, state and local
education officials credit the program for raising the achievement
of students who participate in the program. More than three-fourths
of states and two-thirds of districts that received grants to run
Reading First reported that the assessment and instruction programs
were key to improving student achievement, while at the same time,
only seven percent of districts gave credit to supplemental
education services for improvement gains. Reading First affects 13
percent of all U.S. school districts officially, although more than
half of Reading First districts reported using elements of the
program in non-Reading First schools. States shared this approach,
as they reported that 3,000 non-Reading First districts participated
in state-led Reading First professional development. It is the odd
program that is horribly run nationally, but has a great effect at
the local level -- imagine the gains (or losses) if the program had
competent federal leadership.
EDUCATION: A GOOD-GUY ISSUE THAT
FINISHES LAST
Voters rate education, along with Iraq, the economy and health care,
as one of the top four presidential campaign concerns, according to
a recent poll conducted by the Pew Center. The poll also shows that
education outranked jobs, Social Security and even terrorism.
Education has always been a good applause line in a campaign speech,
as one cannot argue with putting "children first." Yet this
supposedly "key" concern will not become a top-tier issue this
campaign season, reports Larry Abramson for National Public Radio.
EDUCATION SECRETARY: DON'T GO BACK TO
THE OSTRICH APPROACH!
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently sat down
with Eddy Ramirez of U.S. News & World Report to discuss the often
controversial No Child Left Behind Act, the implementation of which
she oversees. In the interview, Spellings renewed her belief that
what gets measured gets done, and added that schools can bring all
students up to grade-level by 2014, while admitting that progress is
not being made fast enough. In describing the major successes of the
law, Spellings said "we're getting better results for minority and
poor kids. That’s obviously number one." As the ebb and flow of
national standards has reached a peak, Spellings doesn't believe a
one-size-fits-all national standard "that morphs into a national
curriculum" is the right way to go. One major criticism levied at
NCLB is the way it tests limited English proficient and English
language learners, yet Spellings doesn't think it is unreasonable
for a third grader, who is a citizen of the United States, to "read
on grade level in English." When asked to handicap the
re-authorization process, Spellings indicated that "we sure could
pick up the pace." This, in one form, went from the secretary’s
mouth to Senator Lamar Alexander’s (R-Tenn.) ears (see
link.)
NCLB: YOUR SCHOOL IS FAILING. SCHOOL
BOARD VOTERS: WHO CARES!
It appears that voters are failing to hold school board members
accountable for student performance on NCLB-mandated tests, as an
increase in test scores has little bearing on re-election rates of
incumbents. According to research conducted by the University of
Chicago’s Christopher Berry and William Howell, in the 2000 school
board elections, members received more votes in areas where test
scores improved, and incumbents who oversaw test score increases
were more likely to run again and less likely to be opposed.
However, in the following two election years (2002 and 2004), any
relationship between student test performance and a board member’s
chance for reelection vanished. This signals a major problem as
Berry notes, "if voters do not cast out incumbents when local school
performance is poor, then politicians have less incentive to make
the hard choices necessary to improve education."
LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS KIDS, YOU'LL
ENJOY COLLEGE MORE! WHAT?
Taking part in learning communities, undergraduate research, study
abroad, internships and other college activities boost student
performance, according to the 2007 National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE). In addition, the study finds that students whose
parents are increasingly involved in their college life are
generally more satisfied with their collegiate experience, and
somewhat surprisingly, this finding holds true for parents who
intervene on campus to solve administrative problems. Perhaps it
shouldn't be so antithetical to think that talking with, and
following the advice of, one’s elders would lead to an enriched
experience. Among the other more interesting findings of the study
is that 10 percent of students never meet with an advisor. It
appears ignoring parents and advisors is not the best way to go
through the best years of your life. Who would have thought it?
MATH HANDS: BE A MORE EFFECTIVE
PROBLEM-SOLVER BY GESTURING
Don't just talk with your hands. Solve math problems with them as
well. Go figure. University of Chicago psychologists have found that
gesturing can help kids accumulate new problem-solving strategies
that can be applied to mathematics and kids that gesture are more
likely to succeed on future problems. In the study, children who
were told to move their hands when explaining how they would solve a
problem were four times as likely as kids given no gesturing
instructions to express correct new problem-solving methods. A
follow-up study also found that gesturing pupils learned more
effectively in subsequent instructions. After the test, when
children were given an additional math lesson, gesturing children
were able to solve 1.5 times more math problems than children who
were told not to gesture during the test. The researchers
hypothesize that gesturing helps children produce new
problem-solving strategies that go beyond simply writing things
down.
CLOSE EARLY CHILDHOOD ACHIEVEMENT
GAPS BY READING, STORY-TELLING
Currently, Latino children represent 21.4 percent of the early
childhood population and that figure is supposed to grow by 146
percent by 2050. However, relative to the size of this population,
little research exists that is focused on Latino infant and child
development. One such study recently released by the Harvard Family
Research Project involved an examination of the characteristics and
early predictors of infant development and parenting. The study’s
researchers found that family engagement for all children is vital,
regardless of social, cultural or ethnic group. The study also notes
that there is no difference in cognitive or motor competencies
between Latino children and their white peers at nine months of age.
According to results from other studies, school readiness
differences are found as early as at kindergarten age between Latino
and white children. This finding might help point to the period in
development when the divide occurs between the two groups. While few
differences in parenting behaviors exist across ethnic groups,
Latino families are less likely to read books and share stories with
their children than parents from other ethnic backgrounds.
YOUR CHILD ISN'T ADEQUATELY
ACHIEVING, SO SUE THE EDUCATORS!
Colorado educators feel teaching and learning is being drastically
hampered by the many and often counterproductive laws put in place
to help stave off legal action in this increasingly litigious
society. According to a report from Common Good Colorado, educators
spend 20 to 30 percent of their time on mandated activities that
make little sense. In addition, 77 percent of survey participants
rated the extent of legal and regulatory burdens as a ‘5’ or higher
on 10-point scale. The threat of a lawsuit has permeated all aspects
of society, as 60 percent of teachers and administrators said they
experienced a high to moderate fear of litigation, and roughly half
of the participants had been threatened with a lawsuit.
Unfortunately, educators performing basic job functions, such as
assigning grades, breaking up fights and evaluating other teachers,
continually feel that being sued is a possible outcome. There is a
real cultural problem within schools when teachers have their hands
tied by pervasive threats of litigation.
WATERING DOWN THE CURRICULUM ACROSS
THE POND
The British House Commons education committee issued a report
warning that creativity in curriculum has become a second-order
priority in England’s schools. According to some Members of
Parliament (MPs), funding structures suggest that other subjects
have been given increased prominence by the Department for Children,
Schools and Families. The MPs believe that creativity should be a
fundamental part of learning and should be funded accordingly,
reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British version of
watering down the curriculum is the result of schools being
pressured to focus on academic standards. Labour MP Barry Sheerman
said schools were enthusiastic about the benefits of creativity, but
the government needed to acknowledge its importance and change the
curriculum to make space for it. British and American children are
both experiencing narrowed curriculum in which creativity has been
squeezed out because of increased governmental focus on "core"
subjects.
FREE YOUR YOUNG MIND AND THE REST
WILL FOLLOW
Children have increasingly become overburdened and overscheduled,
which has hamstrung their freedom to be carefree kids, writes Mary
Anne Abramowitz in Greater Good Magazine. In reviewing four recent
books, Abramowitz finds that the calls for reducing homework and
increasing playtime are swelling in the hopes of giving kids less
regimented lives. According to Alfie Kohn, author of "The Homework
Myth," the percentage of six- to eight-year-olds who reported being
assigned homework on any given day has climbed from 34 percent in
1981 to 58 percent in 1997. Weekly time spent doing homework has
more than doubled, and one can certainly see the trend continuing
through 2007. The increase in home study seems to mirror a society
where there is not enough time in the week for work yet BlackBerrys
seem to trump everything. Further, as the perceived price of failing
to achieve scholastically is poverty and marginalization, it is hard
to reject the hours of homework and the assigned values that work
represents. However, Kohn argues that the benefits of homework,
i.e., higher achievement and the creation of a "good work ethic" are
simply not substantiated by available research, and in so doing he
reflects the consensus of a large number of child development and
learning experts. To counter this culture, University of Texas
sociologists Ben Agger and Beth Ann Shelton contend that there needs
to be a renewed commitment to let children be their unencumbered
selves. Agger and Shelton envision families and schools to be
intimate, communal and mutualistic institutions modeled on a decent
society, not on factories which shape children to be prisoners by
enforcing strict codes. In this utopian world, schools would reflect
the American democratic roots of freedom and self-development and
provide a meeting ground between work and family and a refuge from
the overload.
ZOOM ALONG ‘ROUTE 21’ FOR TOOLS TO
IMPLEMENT 21ST CENTURY SKILLS
Everyone has grown accustomed to business leaders and other
stakeholders clamoring for increased attention paid to 21st century
skills (global literacy, problem solving, innovation and
creativity), as they have become stock skills in an increasingly
interconnected global workforce. The Partnership for 21st Century
Skills has tried to satiate these calls by launching "Route 21," the
first ever online conglomeration of 21st century skills-related
tools and resources. The website provides information on standards,
assessments, curriculum and instruction and opportunities for
professional development. Route 21 also allows users to mark,
organize, collect and share content based on their
personal/professional needs. The site is intended to be a living
entity by being continuously updated and providing an online forum
where users can share their experiences on implementing 21st century
skills. It’s not quite the Jetsons or hover cars, but it does serve
as a great tool for educators.
BUILD YOUR OWN MODEL CITIZEN: BEGIN
WITH QUALITY YOUTH PROGRAMS
No one is likely to doubt that if children spend time in development
programs like 4-H and Boy and Girl Scouts, they are more likely to
become contributing members of their community. The national
longitudinal study released by the National 4-H Council finds that
when communities, families and schools provide youths access to
development programs and opportunities for adult interaction and
mentoring, youths succeed. Further, involvement in youth development
programs reduces the likelihood that young people will engage in
risk behaviors, and the more that youths are involved in
high-quality programs, the more they and their communities benefit.
Here’s a formula for growing model citizens: establish good public
schools and add quality youth development programs.
TO EDUCATE IN RURAL AMERICAN, YOU
MUST EXPERIENCE RURAL AMERICA
Rural and urban life throughout the United States is often as
different as apples and cucumbers, and the contrast holds true for
the 49th state. To understand the stark disparities, a University of
Alaska Anchorage (UAA) program is helping future teachers understand
how to approach students with dissimilar backgrounds. Through the
rural experience, 20 students from the early childhood education and
elementary education departments at UAA spend two weeks in a rural
village in the hope of learning how students are taught in their
native environments. In addition, the program provides great
learning opportunities for what happens across the expansive state
of Alaska and how that impacts the classroom.
NEWS FLASH: REMOVING A PARENT CAUSES
MENTAL STRESS FOR CHILDREN
When parents are arrested in immigration raids, their children
suffer, reports Oskar Garcia for the Associated Press. In fact,
children who have lost a parent due to raids face a variety of
mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder,
separation anxiety and depression, according to findings from a
study commissioned by The National Council of La Raza. In arresting
allegedly illegal parents, children who were born in America are
left with a combination of unstable supervision, stress and living
without other material necessities, all of which can lead to mental
health disorders. The study said that Congress should take more
control over how raids are handled and the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agency should have a consistent policy about
releasing arrested parents to minimize harm done to children.
However, Tim Counts, ICE spokesman, doesn't think his agency is
responsible for the family disruption caused by parents who make
poor decisions, as "law enforcement agencies across the nation
arrest”"parents and "everybody understands that parents are
responsible for...the resulting impact on their families." The
American government should be in the business of protecting its
citizens, meaning procedures must be in place when raids occur to
ensure the well being of children is the utmost priority.
IN RESPONDING TO RACISM, AFRICAN
AMERICANS CAN MANIFEST DEPRESSION
Some behavioral problems in African American youths can be
attributed to their effort to protect themselves from racism, which
can manifest itself as depression, according to Dr. Anderson J.
Franklin, an education professor at Boston College. In addition,
dysfunctional housing, such as group or foster homes, and poor
schooling can put children at risk of developing mental disorders,
reports Margaret Kamara in Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
Consequently, anti-social acts cannot be treated with simple
diagnostics as the issues are deeply rooted in society and
institutions. The solution is to "treat the illness of institutional
racism...a disease that has legal consequences as well as mental
consequences." This issue is undeniably important as 20 percent of
children and adolescents have diagnosable mental disorders and many
lack access to health insurance and consequently don't receive
proper care.
PROLIFIC SCORER HELPS SCHOOLS ONE
BASKET AT A TIME
There was a packed house to watch Gilbert Arenas, the Washington
Wizards star basketball player, reports Darragh Johnson in the
Washington Post. However, the screaming fans were students, teachers
and principals from 240 schools all over the Washington metro area
who weren't there to watch him play basketball. Instead, they were
looking to be part of the Scores for Schools program, which last
year donated $215,000 to 82 local schools or $100 per Arenas’ point.
This money is a godsend to schools like Simon Elementary, a school
desperate for "computers...resource books for teachers...a lab for
computers...[and] to go on more field trips," according to math
teacher Jennifer Johnson. To choose the school participants of the
program, Arenas draws school names out of a gold basket.
Unfortunately, as more schools were picked, Johnson and Simon
Elementary were still waiting to hear good news. When Arenas pulled
out the last name of a different school, Johnson and her five pupils
were left silent as if Lebron James had just hit a game winner in
the playoffs or something. But, in true Arenas’ fashion, he
unexpectedly declared that he would give a $1,000 consolation prize
to those schools not picked, adding an additional $62,000 to the
program. Everyone has heard that Christmas comes earlier and earlier
each year, but for these schools, it came in October.
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