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IMPROVE EDUCATION: NURTURE CURIOSITY,
IGNITE INNOVATION
The additions to the latest version of "The World is Flat" by Thomas
Friedman largely surround education and specifically answer the
question Friedman was asked the most: "I accept the premise, but
what do I tell my kids?" In an interview with author Daniel Pink for
The School Administrator, Friedman answers that question by
expounding on the importance of a liberal arts education. Math and
science remain key subjects, but, more than ever, the ability to
integrate art, science, music and literature with the hard sciences
is what produces movements like the iPod revolution or Google. This
means educators need to go beyond the "frog-march" of kids from math
to science to English. Friedman thinks Rainforest Math is an example
of a smarter approach. There is so much one can learn from the laws
of nature -- as you drive environmentalism, you also can drive math.
It is those kinds of intersections that produce the most innovative
students. To Friedman, education should focus on "mashing" subjects
together, something kids do naturally. Friedman posits this mantra:
"he who mashes best will mash most and be wealthiest." Pink then
asks if it is justified to focus so much on math and science while
neglecting things like the arts or synthesis or empathy. Friedman
answers with the example of Steve Jobs, who, at Stanford
University’s 2005 commencement ceremonies said "I dropped out of
Reed College and had nothing to do so I took a course in
calligraphy. And it all went into the Mac keyboard." Apple needed
both the algorithms (science) but also the style (innovation); the
combination of which brought success and helped define the company’s
niche. Moving from the abstract to more concrete, Friedman believes
the education system can do a better job when it comes to putting
kids in contexts that allow them to be curious and reap the rewards.
His learning foundation is CQ + PQ > IQ, or curiosity quotient plus
passion quotient is more important than intelligence quotient. He
then says, "what does it tell you when two of our greatest
innovators (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates) are both college dropouts?
Something’s not quite right about the system." Friedman also thinks
way too much is being asked of schools. When talking with his wife,
a first-grade public school teacher, he notes that if she were to
write a book about improving education, it would be a book on
parenting. "We're not going to get better educators and better
schools without better parents," Friedman adds. With Super Tuesday
come and gone, Friedman ends with a nugget on the next president. He
or she has to be "someone who inspires on the big issues, one who
can...really stimulate education all the way down the line. The
president’s got to be our chief education officer."
CRAYONS, TINKERBELLEE, DR. KING AND A
LESSON ON DIVERSITY
Kim Troncone’s first graders recently took part in a lesson about
diversity inspired by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., reports
Chris Lundy in the Asbury Park Press. The lesson began when students
opened their crayon boxes to find only one crayon. One six-year-old,
stuck with orange, drew a tasty citrus fruit, noting that "an orange
crayon doesn't really make a lot." A much luckier student got a
green crayon, drawing, grass, grapes and even a crown with it. "I
have a crown that’s green. It’s Tinkerbelle," she said. After the
exercise, Troncone gave the students all the colors they were
missing, and this allowed the orange crayon student to add a blue
car, playground, monkey bars and a tree. Children this young are
removed from the days of segregation, and they found the idea of
separate water fountains or sections of the bus silly. In their own
words, "the [crayons] all have a special thing about them," and
"it’s special when you're different."
THE NEW GENERATION GAP: AN INTERNET
AWAY
Before the Internet, Jessica Hunter was a shy awkward girl who
struggled to make friends. Somewhat typical, right? On the Internet,
at age 14, she took on the persona of Autumn Edows, a Goth artist
and model because she wanted to be a completely different person. As
Autumn, she posted provocative photos of herself and fast developed
a cult following. Her parents found out by accident, and the
knowledge, not surprisingly, came as quite a shock. In "Growing Up
Online," a new series from PBS, viewers get an inside look into the
worlds kids enter and create online, focusing on the important ways
the Internet is transforming childhood and development. There has
been much ballyhoo of the threat of online predators, but many
children think these fears are misplaced. Most children have been
online since second grade and "know how to avoid." Internet experts
tend to agree with the kids, signifying the real concern should be
the trouble kids can get into on their own. Through networking
sites, kids with eating disorders can share tips about staying thin
and depressed children can share information on suicide methods. The
documentary also notes a profound generational disconnect, perhaps
the greatest American generation gap since rock ‘n’ roll. Caitlin
McNally, who graduated from college in 2003 and served as an
associate producer, found that the only way to follow up with a kid
was through a text message or social networking site. She would
place call after call and send e-mail upon e-mail and receive no
response, but with a text, a response would ping back within
minutes. McNally sees writing an e-mail for this generation as akin
to what a handwritten letter was for her generation, and she
finished college not even five years ago. Another interesting aspect
of the use of technology is the way educators respond to it. At
school, teachers almost have to become entertainers, as it has grown
near impossible to "expect a learner of today to be engrossed by
someone who speaks in a monotone voice with a piece of chalk in
their hand," says social studies teacher, Steve Maher. The
documentary elicited a real difference of opinion between the
teachers interviewed as to whether technology was good or bad for
education and development. On the one hand, technology offers kids
amazing opportunities that were unthinkable a decade previous --
classes are now multimedia experiences. Yet on the other hand, while
technology can broaden a child’s knowledge, it has also made it much
shallower than it was before. Kids seem to know a little about a
lot, but have grown so impatient that they cannot handle the deep
complex thinking that is the key to mastery. The documentary is
informative, available for viewing online and provides teaching
guides and a discussion forum. Tip of the hat to This Week in
Education (second link) for tracking down this interesting
information source!
http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2008/02/frontline-growi.html
NO BOOKS FOR NOW, WE ARE OFF TO A
VOLCANO
For one special assignment, Brownsburg (Ind.) sixth graders traded
in their textbooks and desks for laptops, calculators and compasses
to go on a rescue mission to a small Caribbean island, reports Josh
Duke in the Indianapolis Star. Though the mission was just a
simulation of a volcano disaster that occurred 10 years ago on
Montserrat, the students experienced the event in real time. The
mission was hosted by the Brownsburg Challenger Learning Center and
designed to give students real world experience in math, group
communication and problem solving. In the days leading up to the
project, teachers prepared students with lessons about the island,
hurricanes and volcanoes. Students were then split into groups, with
the hurricane team responsible for performing precise calculations
to determine the category, speed and reaction of the storm. At the
same time, the evacuation team studied population maps to determine
the best place for people to go to be rescued, while the volcano
team read air patterns and studied other data to ascertain when or
if an eruption would occur. Students had fun while learning to work
collaboratively, make careful calculations and take decisive
action.
SUPPLEMENTAL LITERACY PROGRAMS DO
WORK
Poor reading ability is a key indicator of academic disengagement
and ultimately dropping out of school. Unfortunately, a majority of
ninth graders in low-performing high schools begin freshman year
with significant reading difficulties. A new report from MDRC
presents the early findings from the Enhanced Reading Opportunities
(ERO) study, which is an evaluation of two supplemental literacy
programs (Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy and Xtreme
Reading). The programs intend to improve the reading comprehension
skills of students who read at two to five years below grade level
when they enter high school. MDRC’s research suggests that the
supplemental literacy programs had a statistically significant
impact on improving student reading comprehension scores. The
average student started the year reading at a grade level of 5.1,
and those assigned to the ERO class were reading at a 6.1 grade
level by the year’s end, compared to a 5.9 grade equivalent for
students in the control group. Nevertheless, 76 percent of students
enrolled in the ERO classes were still reading at two or more years
below grade level. In addition, implementation of the program proved
difficult. At some schools, classes did not start until six weeks
into the school year and implementation fidelity was classified as
poorly aligned with the program model for some participating
schools. Still, when the program was run correctly, results
followed. The impacts on reading comprehension were larger for the
15 participating schools where the program began within six weeks of
the start of school and where implementation was classified as
moderately or well aligned with the program model.
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, BUT YOUR
ENEMIES CLOSER -- AND BELIEVE IN THEM
Cindi Rigsbee writes in Teacher Magazine that she was a struggling
teacher 20 years ago, but she also was in the same boat yesterday
and a myriad of other times. As a rookie teacher, she considered
herself a winner if she was able to drag her body out of school
having only cried once. During that year, she learned something that
affected the rest of her career. It was that if you make students
the enemy, they will win. She implemented this new motto in a small
way, and started out by throwing compliments here and there. She
quickly found that if she told a girl she had pretty hair or a nice
outfit, they were a little more attentive to her teaching. For the
boys, if she told them they were athletic, they not only listened,
but made sure their friends did as well. Even though it was
difficult sometimes, she found one nice thing to say to every
student, every single day. Soon, she wasn't only telling the boys
that they were athletic, but attending their sporting events as
well. While at sporting events, she found parents and made only
positive remarks about their children, instead of saying "he never
brings what he needs to class." Also, the next day in class, she
made sure to comment on the students’ performance. In the midst of
all the stress of high-strakes testing and instructional demands
placed on teachers, Rigsbee actually feels her blood pressure drop
when she sees her students in the hall. "Those goofy middle school
kids are my family during the day, and they know we're in it
together," writes Rigsbee. She learned that forming alliances with
her students and making sure they know she believes in them is a
major component to effective teaching.
FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY TO
ACHIEVE STUDENT SUCCESS
In Chile, where education resists innovation, a small determined
charter school is butting heads with the status quo by focusing on
the individual, writes Laila Weir in Edutopia. Often at odds with
the traditional Chilean education system, the school concentrates on
thinking and the individual rather than just facts and memorization.
When elementary students first arrive at Colegio San Luis Beltrán,
they retrieve personal folders and settle down to work individually
and they study what they like. They follow a work plan and learn by
using hands-on materials as well as conventional schoolbooks. This
period provides the cornerstone of a personalized education program
and after each 45 minute session, the students form a circle and
share how and what they learned. The process seems to be working, as
Luis Beltrán students achieved the highest test scores in their
school district on the country’s 2007 national assessments. The
school combines its individualized attention strategy with strong
parental involvement and family support programs (including evening
classes for parents who never finished school). Through a
partnership with a foundation, the school also is able to deliver
food baskets to needy families and provide medicine for those who
can't afford it.
KIDS: STOP! CLAM DOWN! THINK! NOT
QUITE "STOP, COLLABORATE AND LISTEN"
"Let’s all sit crisscross applesauce," says guidance counselor
Jennifer Hegerty as she instructs her children in the Second Step
Violence Prevention curriculum, writes Dawn Friedman in Greater Good
Magazine. While Second Step is one of many programs that teach
students social and emotional skills, few have been as widely
implemented as Second Step, now in its 21st year. The program has
designed curriculum for preschool through eighth grade classrooms,
all focused on helping kids work with others, control impulsive
behavior and solve interpersonal problems. Unlike other programs,
Second Step goes beyond mere conflict resolution by helping children
understand their own emotions and the emotions of others. Hegerty
teaches the early part of the program, which focuses on children’s
reactions to various emotional scenarios. She spends a lot of time
teaching kids three steps -- Stop! Calm down! Think! -- that help
them compose themselves before reacting to an emotional situation.
Through the exercises, children grow to understand effective
communication techniques as well as listening skills. Along similar
lines, in a recent interview with Senior Dad, Stan Goldberg (link
below), Christine Carter, the director of the Greater Good Science
Center, expounds on several techniques that, when implemented, can
make children happier. Carter shares her expertise on happiness
habits, learning how to correct mistakes without damaging the child,
how to raise emotionally literate children and the benefits of
altruism.
Also:
http://srdad.com/SrDad/Briefing_Room/Entries/2008/2/6_Christine_Carter-_Teaching_Your...
CHARTER SCHOOLS: DESPITE ODDS, STILL
POPULAR
While charter schools have become a popular alternative for
improving student learning, studies indicate that they are not
increasing student achievement over traditional public schools.
Still, legislative activity in the United States suggests that
charter schools continue to gain support in the public agenda. A new
paper written by Ramona McNeal, a professor of political studies at
the University of Illinois at Springfield and Lisa Dotterweich, a
professor of political science at Briar Cliff University, found that
of the many forms of school choice available, charter schools have
been the most successful at navigating the political process.
Charter schools have been so successful because they have
institutionalized their popularity by appealing to influential
actors across the political spectrum. Nevertheless, the paper offers
some counterintuitive results, namely that increased spending by the
National Education Association is significantly associated with more
charter school bills. Additionally, both liberal state governments
and states with more conservative citizens support charter schools.
The research implies that charter schools have achieved their stable
position on the legislative agenda less through their educational
appeal and more through their broad political appeal.
PRESIDENT’S PROPOSED BUDGET: MORE
SCHOOL VOUCHERS, FEWER PROGRAMS
President Bush, in announcing his proposed budget this week, would
freeze the U.S. Department of Education’s discretionary spending at
$59.2 billion, while cutting or consolidating dozens of programs,
reports Maria Glod for the Washington Post. At the same time, the
budget would expand school vouchers by adding $300 million for Pell
Grants for Kids, a new program aimed at giving low-income students
in struggling schools aid to help them switch to private schools.
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the budget cuts
"ineffective" and duplicative programs to allow for a nearly three
percent increase in funding for poor schools. Some Democrats and
education groups contend that the budget shortchanges schools.
Echoing some of these sentiments, Public Education Network said, in
a statement issued on February 4 (link below) that "public education
is the cornerstone of our democracy because we cannot hope to be
both ignorant and free. As such, the president’s proposed fiscal
year 2009 budget is embarrassingly inadequate. This budget is a
disappointment that does little to provide the support our children
need to attain the educational achievement they must have in order
to ensure this country’s security and economic prosperity."
Also:
http://www.publiceducation.org/press_releases.asp
HOW SHOULD WE SPEND MONEY TO HELP
SCHOOLS?
While no one doubts that public schools are vital to ensuring that
children learn what they need to become self-supporting adults, the
American method of financing education presents barriers to
achieving that goal. According to a report from the School Finance
Redesign Project (SFRP), it remains unclear as to how to effectively
educate a growing number of poor and minority children while schools
are financed and regulated as if that knowledge is apparent. In
addition, schools are required to adapt to a fast-changing economy,
even though financing systems can tie up funds for uses mandated
decades in the past. Further, finance systems force schools to spend
money on service delivery, but to be successful, schools need to
experiment with technologies that change teacher and student work.
From a series of approximately 30 studies, SFRP has discovered that
effective schools across the globe use money in ways the U.S. public
financing system typically prevents. The report also notes that
school finance systems de-couple performance from pay and discourage
many capable people from teaching. Even though the report maintains
that barriers exist that prevent schools from properly focusing
their funds, the research falls far short of explaining exactly how
best to use funds. Similarly, the report notes that the current
barriers to innovation and experimentation prevent anyone from
knowing exactly the best way to use public funds.
TURNS THE LIGHTS OFF AND HELP
EDUCATION
Believe it or not, a whopping 16 percent of a school’s controllable
costs are spent on energy. To help lessen this burden for schools,
the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning
Engineers has released a new book that instructs building teams on
how best to use off-the-shelf technology to construct energy-smart
schools. By utilizing these strategies, energy use can be cut by at
least 30 percent. Some of the strategies include employing energy
efficient lamps, ballasts and high-efficiency heating and cooling
equipment. Many schools spend "more money on energy than they do on
educational supplies. It’s like money just goes out the single-pane
window," says Paul Torcellini, chair of the committee that wrote the
book.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VITAL TO ENSURING LITIGATION
BENEFITS SCHOOLS
Currently, 21 states are in litigation regarding their school
finance systems and 45 have been in litigation at least once.
Litigation can present a unique opportunity for communities to
restructure the ways in which public education is financed, expanded
and delivered. This makes public engagement vital to ensuring real
improvements are made in community schools. Public Education Network
(PEN) recently released "A Guide to Public Engagement and School
Finance Litigation" to help organizations utilize public engagement
strategies to ensure that the outcome of litigation reflects the
interests of relevant constituencies. The guide was recently
distributed at the Stanford University Law School's symposium on
"Education as a Civil Right" where PEN President Wendy D. Puriefoy
and Senior Vice President Amanda Broun presented (link below).
Also:
http://sjcrcl.stanford.edu/symposia.html |
