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BUILD A BETTER TEACHER BY CHANGING
THE WAY THEY ARE TAUGHT
When Melissa Zipper looks back on her nine-month Master’s degree
program, she wonders what it was actually preparing her for, because
it wasn’t “to modify or accommodate the diverse needs that [she]
would find in [her classroom],” writes Grace Rubenstein in Edutopia.
Zipper claims she received nothing from her teacher preparation
experience, being merely released into a sixth-grade classroom in a
high-poverty neighborhood with next to no university support. What’s
worse is that her alma mater credentials about 2,700 teachers in
California per year and this type of institution is not an outlier.
The major problem facing the country is that far too many teacher
preparation programs employ instruction methods that segregate
theory and the actual practice of teaching -- and some programs fail
to provide sufficient time and support for teacher candidates to
learn on the ground. The proof is in the results, as half of all new
educators leave the profession within five years, costing about $2.6
billion a year -- not to mention the harm caused by millions of
children educated by inadequately prepared teachers. At the heart of
teacher education reform is a move toward innovative instruction
that includes extensive field experience. Some new programs go so
far as to transport the actual learning environment from the
university to the K-12 school through residency programs supported
by school districts and foundations. This tends to be a more extreme
model, as another new initiative, the professional development
school, paves the way between this approach and the old failing
approach. This model fosters partnerships between
teacher-preparation programs and K-12 schools to provide settings
for student teaching, faculty development and field-based research.
Emporia State University (ESU) uses this approach, and boasts an
attrition rate of 7.2 percent after three years, while principals
continually rate the skill level of ESU alumni highly. Hopefully the
progress toward new models of teacher education signals that the
preparation of teachers is taking on a far more important role in
education policy.
TEACHERS DOING BETTER ON ASSESSMENTS
AND IN COLLEGE
A new report from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) examines the
effect of a renewed policy focus on teacher quality by comparing the
academic qualifications of teacher candidates who took Praxis
assessments for licensure from 2002 through 2005 with the
qualifications of a cohort of test takers from eight years prior.
Praxis assessments (developed by ETS) provide educational tests and
other services that states use as part of teacher certification. In
conducting this comparison, ETS found that teachers are more
academically qualified than they were a decade ago, and the academic
profiles of candidates have improved. Additionally, SAT-Verbal
scores for Praxis test-passers increased by 13 points, while
SAT-Math scores increased by 17 points. Going beyond test scores,
the study notes that today’s teacher candidates have higher college
Grade Point Averages (GPAs), as well -- 40 percent of candidates
report a GPA higher than 3.5 relative to 27 percent a decade ago,
while the percentage reporting a GPA lower than 3.0 has decreased
from 32 to 20. In the words of Sharon Robinson, president and CEO of
the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, “this
study…should inspire optimism and encourage all of us to recommit to
the goal of providing every student with caring and competent
teachers.”
WHAT I.Q. DOESN'T TELL YOU ABOUT RACE
According to Malcolm Gladwell, I.Q. is not fixed as some scientists
and policymakers believe (generally called “I.Q. fundamentalists”).
To the I.Q. fundamentalist, two issues are beyond dispute: first,
that I.Q. tests measure some hard and identifiable trait that
predicts the quality of one’s thinking; and, second, that this trait
is stable -- it is determined by genes and consequently largely
unaffected by environmental/external influences. However, a growing
body of evidence indicates that I.Q. is not just the measurement of
the quality of a person’s intellect but also of the world that
person inhabits. Gladwell writes in The New Yorker that James Flynn,
in 1984, found that “I.Q.s around the world appeared to be rising
by…three points per decade.” Flynn’s discovery suggests that, if
I.Q. fundamentalists are correct, the typical teen of today with an
I.Q. of 100 would have grandparents with average I.Q.s of 82,
putting the average I.Q.s of 1900 schoolchildren at around 70
(meaning the United States was at one time largely populated by
people who today would be considered developmentally challenged).
This indicates to Gladwell that measuring I.Q. includes not only a
person’s mind but also the quality of that person’s environment.
LEARNING ABOUT YOUR GRANDPARENTS’
SEPTEMBER 11
Bill Melega, Chapel Hill High School’s teacher of the year, began
class last Friday by asking his students if they could name
historical days that changed the world, reports Cheryl Johnston
Sadgrove in the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer. The history class
came up with “D-Day, Pearl Harbor and September 11.” Provided with
the beginning he hoped, Melega set aside his typical December
curriculum to discuss the day that brought the United States into
World War II. He first asked students to go through a table littered
with 60-year-old newspapers, then captivated them with video clips
of the bombing and a step-by-step discussion of the Japanese
preparations and American response. With help from a local grant,
Melega is going even further in his quest to bring history to life
for his students, and will teleconference lessons from Pearl Harbor.
His plans include interviewing a park ranger and a survivor and
videotaping behind-the-scenes tours. Melega says he tries to tell
his students that “1941 was your grandparents’ Sept. 11.” His style
is clearly working, as one student says, “I really like this class
because some teachers teach off the book -- he makes it exciting.”
PENNY HARVESTING IS REALLY CATCHING
ON
The newest Rockefeller Center display comprises 100 million pennies
amassed by public school children for charity, according to the
Associated Press. The Penny Harvest Field, which is as long and wide
as a city block, is the visual exhibition of the results of the
Common Cents’ 17th annual penny harvest (similar to the one in
Washington state -- second link). Common Cents began to teach
children their value as vital members of society. If you live in or
plan on visiting New York City, the display is near the famous
Christmas tree and will be there through the end of the year. If
not, click
here and visit the above link to see the totally awesome
picture, the pennies look like rows of wheat.
ECS UNVEILS WHOLE
HOST OF PUBLICATIONS AND INFORMATION
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has released three
briefing memos in the hopes of setting the 2008 education agenda. In
addition, ECS has created interconnected web sites that provide a
comprehensive picture of various education issues (click
here), including news about what states are doing, the best
publications available on particular topics and a list of other web
sites with valuable information. The briefing memo focused on
aligning early learning, K-12 and postsecondary systems (click
here) includes information on the problems with implementing a
P-20 system, but also potential solutions and ways readers can have
a positive impact. Another briefing memo (click
here) details how best to benchmark education to international
standards, while at the same time protecting a local community’s
traditional responsibility in creating a comprehensive education.
The prolific ECS hasn’t stopped there, as a third brief (click
here) discusses the “hot issue” of the role education plays in
economic and workforce development.
FILM USES KIDS’ QUESTIONS TO SHATTER
TABOOS ABOUT AIDS
Brian Hennessey and Radia Daoussi, married human-rights and public
health advocates, attended an International AIDS Conference last
year in the hopes of crafting an oral history of HIV and AIDS. The
couple also brought along their two children and a video camera, and
by happenstance filmed the two girls (ages six and four at the time)
interacting with conference participants. They quickly realized they
were onto something and the two children became the stars of the
conference by interviewing participants on camera, reports the
Associated Press’ Ben Nuckols. The girls’ unscripted questions
elicited simple explanations and became the basis for a documentary
titled “Please, Talk to Kids About AIDS.” Mark Weinberg, the chair
of the conference, in responding to the girls, said “AIDS gets into
your body in ways that can be complicated to explain to little
girls.” Still, most people didn’t pull any punches in their
responses, which was fine with the girls’ parents -- they think if
their children were brave and curious enough to ask the questions,
then they were entitled to honest answers. In addition, check out
the second link, which highlights the necessity that today’s
adolescents, especially those in the African-American community,
receive comprehensive, high-quality health education. For more
information, visit the above link and click
here.
FREE TEACHING RESOURCE PROVIDES LINKS TO KEY TEACHING AIDS
Recently the U.S. Department of Education launched a new and
improved version of the much acclaimed web site, Federal Resources
for Educational Excellence (FREE). The new site makes it easier for
users to find teaching and learning resources by offering, for the
first time, a list of 500 educational topics and a redesigned home
page. FREE provides educators with lesson plans, primary documents,
science visualizations, math challenges, literary works, paintings,
music manuscripts and many other vital classroom resources. The tool
also combines important educational elements culled from the Library
of Congress, Smithsonian, National Science Foundation, NASA,
National Archives and other federal agencies. By integrating these
important agencies and resources, FREE is able to provide
comprehensive lesson plans. For example, one such plan helps
teachers integrate 100 of the most important documents in U.S.
history into class by providing a timeline covering the milestone
documents along with in-depth descriptions.
MAN’S BEST FRIEND KEEPS ON GIVING;
PROVIDES IN-SCHOOL THERAPY
With a bit of obedience training, Spartan, a one-time stray dog,
could well be on his way to being the Burlington (Ia.) School
District’s first certified therapy dog, reports the Associated
Press’ Craig Neises. In the meantime, the oh-so-cute white Labrador
retriever-mix visits school each afternoon to maintain daily contact
with children to sustain his child-loving temperament -- a critical
trait of a therapy dog. The goal is to train him so he can spend
every school day providing special-needs students with a calming and
huggable presence. In addition, playing with and walking Spartan
will become an incentive for students to do their work and behave.
So far, Spartan is off to a good start, as he has calmed behavior
disorder students, tagged along on a home visit to a family whose
three children lost their mother and given a truant girl an
incentive to return to school. It appears man’s best friend is
quickly becoming a school’s best friend as well.
KEEPING SCHOOLS AND KIDS SAFE THROUGH
THREAT ASSESSMENT
Eddie had a history of abuse, delinquency and treatment for
self-injury, and he was also picked on extensively. When another
student on the school bus told Eddie that he looked like someone who
would bring a gun to school and shoot people, Eddie replied that he
was and that boy would be number one on his list. Eddie admitted to
a school administrator that he made those threats, but said he
wouldn’t actually hurt someone. In this real-life case, the school
involved had a systematic, formalized response geared toward
addressing this type of behavioral issue: the Mid-Valley Student
Threat Assessment (STAT) program, reports the latest issue of
Northwest Education. STAT accumulates resources from schools, mental
health agencies, law enforcement and other youth organizations to
support 19 school districts when they face disciplinary matters tied
to possible violence. The program was designed to address both
targeted, planned violence and reactive violence, which triggers an
immediate and emotional response to provocation. Following STAT’s
guidelines, Eddie was suspended in-school pending a screening, which
took place that afternoon. The screening showed that Eddie required
an additional assessment, a process conducted by representatives of
the school district or education service district, mental health
agencies and law enforcement. During this meeting, the team looked
at factors that would increase Eddie’s likelihood of committing
violence, and they also identified inhibitors that would help
decrease the risk of violence. The team decided that Eddie should be
given opportunities to be physically active and the chance to do
chores to earn money. Eddie was a success story -- he worked in the
cafeteria, developed a couple of friendships, passed all of his
classes and wasn’t involved in any new incidents that year.
TEACHER ED PROGRAMS REPORTEDLY EMPLOY
TECHNOLOGY IN INSTRUCTION
A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics finds
that initial licensure teacher education programs were oriented
toward preparing future teachers to use educational technology. The
report notes that a large majority of institutions somewhat or
strongly agreed that graduates of their programs possessed the
skills and experience necessary to integrate technology into
instruction. Nevertheless, the same institutions reported a variety
of barriers that impeded the efforts to prepare teacher candidates
to use educational technology, both within coursework and in the
field. When focusing on the barriers candidates faced when pairing
instruction with technology in the field, institutions reported that
competing classroom priorities, available infrastructure within
schools, a lack of training or skill and unwillingness on the part
of supervising teachers were the biggest obstacles.
POETRY CAN SUSTAIN THE COURAGE TO
LEAD
“Leading from Within: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Lead”
focuses on how poetry can help leaders make sense of the various
challenges they face. The selected poems and corresponding
commentaries provide a glimpse into how difficult it is for leaders
to meet the demands of the world, while maintaining their own
integrity. The leaders profiled represent diverse fields, positions
and professions, including business, education, nonprofits and law.
Importantly, all proceeds from the book will be used to support the
Center for Courage and Renewal -- an educational non-profit that
strengthens individuals and communities through programs aimed at
rejuvenating the human spirit. If you look closely at the table of
contents, you will see an entry by one Howie Schafer, capturing his
reflection on Yehuda Amichai’s “The Diameter of the Bomb.”
HOW TO INCREASE MINORITY ACCESS TO
BUSINESS EDUCATION AND CAREERS
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there
have been double-digit gains in the number of African American,
Hispanic and Native American students graduating from high school
and college, along with similar gains in the numbers graduating with
Master’s degrees in business administration. In fact, a new report
by the Diversity Pipeline Alliance and Deloitte Consulting finds
that 74 percent of college students of color indicate they are
planning to pursue a master’s or other advanced degree, writes Brian
Heiss in Diversity Spectrum. Recently, shortages of workforce talent
in business careers has been forecasted, which makes it critical for
corporations to understand how best to attract and nurture talented
minority students. The report describes viewpoints of students of
color and outlines a plan that businesses can follow to increase the
pool of talented minority job applicants. The findings suggest that
corporations should: increase the early awareness of business
careers not only among students, but also among high school
teachers, parents and counselors; become more strategic in
allocating resources to ensure the most capable students have the
support to achieve their goals; and provide more detailed
information to students concerning careers in business.
MAKE MENTAL HEALTH CULTURALLY
SENSITIVE: IT’S A NO BRAINER
The current mental health system has continually neglected to
incorporate, respect or understand the cultures of diverse groups,
according to the paper “Research and Evaluation on Programs for
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
Populations.” This has led to tragic consequences, including
inappropriately placing individuals in various levels of the justice
system. While recently there has been increased awareness of the
need to create programs and interventions that are culturally
sensitive, the sensitivity of the evaluation of these programs is
often overlooked. To that end, the research paper focused on the
important ways that culture must be considered when evaluating
mental health programs for children and families from diverse
groups.
WRITER’S STRIKE HALTS HOLLYWOOD --
CELEBRITIES PLAN TO OPEN SCHOOLS
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith began home-schooling their two children
because of hectic travel schedules, but also because they were
dissatisfied with their education options, reports Tim Nudd in
People. Pinkett Smith believes “the school system in this country --
public and private -- is designed for the industrial age…[and they]
don’t want [their] children to memorize. [They] want them to learn.”
Based on their positive experiences of bringing home-schooled
children together, the Smiths plan to team with like-minded parents
to create a school, possibly to launch next year, that would
incorporate these education concepts. The People article also
details the Smiths’ plans to celebrate their 10th wedding
anniversary…it is People after all.
HAKIELIMU, THE NGO THAT CAN
HakiElimu, an effective education activist group in Tanzania, has
unfortunately been one of the region’s most federally maligned
non-governmental organizations (NGO), according to an opinion piece
in the Dar es Salaam Citizen. However, despite the government’s
diligent work to shut the organization down, the NGO has grown
stronger and stronger by relying on official government records that
are supplemented with on-the-ground research. In addition, the
government has, for the most part, based their actions against
HakiElimu on unfounded and unjustified fears, compounded by
misconceptions of the group’s efforts and goals. One would hope the
government could fully grasp the policies and practices of HakiElimu,
because in so doing the government would grow to understand the
noble work the group is performing, which could lead to more support
and an end to overregulation.
TWENTY-THREE ORGANIZATIONS PLEDGE TO
EDUCATE THE WHOLE CHILD
Since the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
launched their whole child initiative, 22 national organizations
have joined with ASCD as partners. In so doing, the partners have
committed their expertise to promoting the whole child cause by
pooling information with their membership and constituencies and
providing resources to ASCD and its network. The whole child
initiative’s goal is to engage the public and advocate an approach
to education that would highlight community involvement in creating
an education system that ensures students are healthy, safe and
focused on learning. Several partners have made resources available
at the initiative’s website, www.wholechildeducation.org, which
allows visitors to grade their schools and communities and share
their own stories about what works.
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