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IN SEARCH OF JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF
HOMEWORK
Many high schools across the United States are making students
complete extracurricular projects in order to graduate, reports Eddy
Ramirez for U.S. News & World Report. These projects are often in
addition to Advanced Placement courses, college applications and
finals preparation. While the tasks are intended to increase
learning, they have recently raised the question of how much work
students can handle. One major danger in adding graduation
requirements is that struggling students can feel overwhelmed and
simply drop out. Still, there’s another side of the coin, as some
research indicates that asking more of high school students produces
positive results. One study, conducted for the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, credits a mandatory work-study program (students
work all four years in professional settings) for giving students
more focus and a can-do attitude. In addition, a new survey from
MetLife (first link below) seems to suggest that the level of
homework is just right. More than 8 in 10 parents believe their
child’s teachers assign the right amount of homework and
three-quarters of students report they have enough time to do their
work. While a majority of parents do not see homework as a major
source of family stress/disagreement, most parents and teachers
report that the quality of homework is less than stellar. One-third
of parents see homework as fair to poor, and 4 in 10 believe some
homework is simply busywork. Alfie Kohn, in writing for Teachers.net
Gazette, apparently both agrees and disagrees with the survey’s
findings. Kohn thinks it is curious that after spending most of the
day in school, children are typically given additional home
assignments. It becomes more curious because the negative effects
(frustration, exhaustion and loss of interest) of homework are well
known, while the positive effects are largely mythical (there
doesn't appear to be any evidence of academic benefits in elementary
or middle school). Kohn doesn't want to abolish homework, but
believes it should be limited to those occasions when it is
appropriate. Yet, the current reasoning behind homework seems to be
"we've decided ahead of time that children will have to do something
every night. Later on we'll figure out what to make them do." This
is where he agrees with the survey’s findings. In the article
(second link below), Kohn provides several steps a thoughtful
principal can take to ensure homework avoids becoming busywork. The
homework debate isn't limited to the U.S. A new study finds homework
offers little benefit to Canadian junior kindergarten through sixth
grade students, reports Kristin Rushowy in the Toronto Star (third
link below). The study also found that homework is often the source
of stress and burnout in children, as well as the cause of family
conflict. The study notes that while some research shows benefits to
homework in grades 7 through high school, there is scant evidence
that it improves student achievement in the younger years.
Also:
http://www.metlife.com/WPSAssets/10124301191202765628V1FTeacherSurveyHomeworkFinal.pdf
http://teachers.net/gazette/FEB08/kohn/
http://www.thestar.com/GTA/Education/article/302001
LOOK ABROAD: BETTER LEARNING THROUGH
BETTER EDUCATION
At the outset of every school year, the most important, and
sometimes, biggest parental fear is which teachers will be assigned
to their child. This concern is well founded, as a myriad of
evidence points to teacher quality as the factor that has the
deepest impact (both positive and negative) on student performance,
writes Linda Darling-Hammond in TIME. Many high-performing countries
around the world understand this key fact and routinely prepare
their teachers extensively, pay them well in relation to competing
occupations and allow for extensive professional development. In
addition, they typically provide well-trained teachers for all
students, rather than allowing some to be taught by untrained
novices. This strategy was achieved by offering equitable salaries
and incentives for harder-to-staff locations. Unlike some countries
abroad, many United States teachers typically plan classes by
themselves and get to attend a few hit-and-run professional
development workshops after school. In a study of mathematics
teaching and learning in Japan, Taiwan and the U.S., it was found
that Asian classes were well crafted because there was a systematic
effort to pass on the accumulated wisdom of teaching to each new
generation. With this kind of investment, it is possible to ensure
that every teacher has access to the knowledge he or she needs to
teach effectively. This is a critical goal for the United States in
any endeavor to improve a failing education system.
HERE’S A TRICK: DON'T MAKE YOUR
COLLEGE APPLICATION LOOK TOO GOOD
As college admissions officers sift through thousands of essays
written by high school seniors, they increasingly encounter writing
that sparkles a little too brightly, reports Peter Schworm for the
Boston Globe. With ever more students applying for entrance spots
that don't increase at similar rates, admissions officers are
keeping a sharp lookout for essays that might have had undue adult
influence. To that end, colleges have begun to cross-reference
student essays against SAT writing samples, and if doubts linger,
will ask for a graded writing sample or will speak with the
applicant’s high school guidance counselor. It is worth keeping in
mind that at competitive schools, which reject the vast majority of
applicants, a hint of doubt can tilt the balance toward rejection.
WHEN IT COMES TO HIGHER EDUCATION, IT
IS STILL BETTER TO BE RICH
On all accounts, A.J. Soprano, the fictitious son of Tony Soprano,
was a terrible high school student, writes Kevin Carey and Erin
Dillon for Education Sector. None to bright to begin with, he
skipped class, used drugs and alcohol, vandalized property and was
eventually expelled. Nonetheless, A.J. went to college. His mother
devoted countless hours to monitoring his grades, scouting colleges
that would actually accept him, buttonholing guidance counselors,
managing the application process and constantly nagging him about
the importance of higher education. While A.J. is a fictional
character, the intersection of social class and college access that
he represents is all too real. Despite a wide range of programs
dedicated to increasing higher education access for all, college
remains far more accessible to upper-income students than those who
come from families with modest means. A total of 58 percent of the
A.J.s of the world (those who scored in the bottom 25 percent on
standardized tests as sophomores and came from families earning over
$100,000) go on to college. Meanwhile, 80.3 percent of the
bizarro-A.J. (those scoring in the highest achievement quartile and
coming from families with less than $20,000 income a year) go to
college. The analysis also shows that high-achieving poor students
are five times more likely than high-achieving rich students to skip
college. In addition, the odds of a poor, low-achieving student of
going to a highly selective institution are almost nonexistent,
while 3.5 percent of the A.J.s managed to sneak into an elite
school. This suggests that admissions preferences for athletes,
legacies and the children of the rich are alive and well. Whatever
the reasons for this divide, it is clear that equal access to
college remains an unmet promise in America.
IT REALLY JUST TAKES ONE CIGARETTE TO
GET HOOKED
This isn't your father’s anti-smoking campaign. Actually, it isn't
an anti-smoking campaign at all. It’s simply a message from a
peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Family Practice. The
warning, addressed to adolescents, states that they "can get hooked
from the first cigarette," reports Jane Brody for the New York
Times. Dr. Joseph DiFranza, a family health and community medicine
specialist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School,
describes a typical teenage smoker: a 14-year-old girl who smokes
about three cigarettes a week. While smoking what appears to be a
scant amount, she admitted to failing several times to quit. Each
attempt brought cravings and those irritable feelings drove her back
to smoking. This seems to suggest that even occasional teenage
smokers can experience the same symptoms of nicotine withdrawal as
adults. Dependence-related tolerance (how long after smoking one can
go before he/she needs another) was long thought to be the same for
adolescents and adults, but recent research has shown that the
brains of adolescents can become tolerant to nicotine after smoking
fewer than one cigarette a day. These findings indicate that new,
more forceful strategies are needed to combat smoking by youngsters,
which typically leads to lifetime addiction (more than 90 percent of
adult smokers report they started as adolescents). Still, Dr. Robin
Mermelstein, director of the Center for Health Behavior Research at
the University of Illinois, says "the vast majority of teenagers who
try one or two cigarettes don't go on to become smokers."
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES CREATE
ART, WIN INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM
Bending over detailed engravings and squinting at their canvases,
art students in white smocks toiled amid rows of easels, reports
Jessica Bernstein-Wax for the Associated Press. The student’s
productions have toured fine art museums in the United States,
Mexico and Europe, impressing connoisseurs along the way. The
paintings evoke memories of expressionist masters, yet the skillful
artists/students all have Down syndrome. The accomplishments of
these students are shattering preconceptions about mentally disabled
people, especially in the developing world where resources for the
handicapped can be scarce. While not everyone with Down syndrome is
artistic, instructor Daniel Perez says his students’ disability
helps them see the world more creatively. The students are able to
transform verbal shortcomings into symbolic art, with a fresh
perspective that shines through their work. While many tend toward
expressionism and bright colors, each student has a unique style.
The vivid colors and broad brushstrokes captivated Swiss artist
Christine Aebi, causing her to bring 28 paintings to Switzerland for
a 10-day show in 2006. The exhibit was so popular that it extended
to Berlin, Copenhagen and Warsaw. In 2008, the exhibit will visit
Stockholm, Vienna, Budapest and Rome.
SINCE NCLB, INSTRUCTION TIME SPENT ON
MATH AND READING HAS INCREASED
The folks at the Center on Education Policy (CEP) are at it again.
This week, CEP released a report focused on the effect No Child Left
Behind (NCLB) has on school curriculum. According to the report,
districts increasing time for English/language arts (ELA) and math
have done so by about three hours a week. To make room for this,
districts have reduced time in other areas by nearly 2.5 hours a
week. A total of 8 of the 10 districts that increased time for ELA
did so by at least 75 minutes per week and 54 percent increased time
by 150 minutes or more per week. Of the districts adding time for
math, 63 percent increased by at least 75 minutes per week and 19
percent found time for 150 minutes or more. When looking at
districts that both increased time for ELA or math and decreased
time in other subjects, the report found that 72 percent of
districts cut time by at least 75 minutes per week for at least one
other subject. For example, 53 percent of these districts cut
instructional time by at least 75 minutes per week in social studies
and the same percentage cut time by 75 minutes in science. The
report seems to indicate that some subjects have been pushed aside
for the holy duality of math and reading. Nevertheless there is
still scant information on whether schools that increase ELA and
math time also are incorporating content from art, social studies
and science into the instruction of these core subjects.
YOU'RE NAUGHTY, BUT GO AHEAD, BE EVEN
NAUGHTIER
How do you get an entire elementary school to behave all trimester
long? With incentives, of course. And if you're the principal at
Hillside Elementary in West Des Moines, Iowa, you reward every
student and teacher by sending them outside to get a little rowdy.
Hillside uses Positive Behavior Supports, a program used by many
other schools nationwide, to remind kids to be well-mannered at
school. A promise fulfilled: recently, just about everyone in the
building bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow for the
last 45 minutes of the school day, reports Lars Hulsebus for the Des
Moines Register.
COMMUNITY GROUPS CAN USE DATA TO
GENERATE SOLUTIONS AND GAIN POWER
Data provide community organizing groups with powerful tools in
their efforts to argue for educational equity and improvement,
writes Seema Shah in Voices in Urban Education. The inherently
political landscape of education reform requires that both districts
and community groups use data to leverage their respective
positions, which frequently places the two groups at odds. This also
makes it difficult to share data or work collaboratively on
analyses. However, under the right circumstances, the efforts of
districts and community groups to work together can promote a spirit
of mutual accountability. This, ideally, leads to better informed
education practice and policy. Data users, like school districts or
researchers, possess power and credibility within policy and
decision-making circles. In contrast, outside constituencies,
particularly those representing poor neighborhoods and communities
of color, often must fight to be viewed as valued participants in
the decision-making process. To build political power, groups need
to use data in tandem with other organizing strategies. The role of
a community organizing group is to ensure that research is rooted in
the issues that community constituencies are raising. The intimate
knowledge of community conditions can uniquely position an
organizing group to ask qualitatively different questions that
reflect the concerns of community members. Consequently, community
organizing groups are often able to offer a distinctive perspective
on the data they analyze. Still, community organizing groups must
ensure that data, in the end, serve as a tool to catalyze change.
A LOCAL EDUCATION FUND BECOMES THE
ULTIMATE TURNAROUND SPECIALIST
Transforming a community requires substantial investments (time,
money and effort) but with this diligent work comes a significant
return. A recent report from Public Agenda outlines how public
engagement has become an integral part of Bridgeport, Conn. In 1996,
the Bridgeport Public Education Fund (BPEF) joined a national
project to explore the possibilities of fostering public dialogue
about education reform among diverse stakeholders. From this
beginning, citizen engagement has now extended beyond education to
other civic areas. In particular, Bridgeport’s citizens are
currently viewed as vital partners in social problem solving. The
report notes that links exist between the emerging culture of
collective problem solving and decision making and an increase in
student achievement. In addition, the report finds that BPEF, a
catalyst for public deliberation in Bridgeport, has been a tireless
advocate for public engagement, being instrumental in embedding
public engagement in the community. Today, the BPEF finds itself
playing the role of advisor to many similar groups and individuals
by offering consulting and training as well as helping groups frame
issues for deliberation. Out of the experiment of one organization
has grown a new set of community practices, which have quite simply
changed the political culture.
FOMENT SOCIAL CHANGE: FORGE SOLID
COMMUNITY-HIGHER ED PARTNERSHIPS
Building partnerships between communities and higher education
institutions is gaining popularity as a strategy for social change.
Nevertheless, despite being formed with the best of intentions,
authentic partnerships are quite difficult to achieve. According to
a new report from the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, the
problem seems to be that the voices of community partners are
largely ignored. The report notes that by bringing together the
real-life wisdom and expertise of communities with the theoretical
and research-oriented expertise of academics, community-higher
education partnerships exhibit great potential as agents of social
change. To help forge better partnerships going forward, it would be
wise to make building community capacity a priority. The report
offers key ingredients and a framework for authentic partnerships
and provides strategies and recommendations on how best to achieve
this goal.
A FUNDRAISER’S BEST FRIEND: JABBA THE
HUTT
Dressing up as a beloved "Star Wars" character, storming up flights
of stairs, baring your soul and holding a boombox blasting Peter
Gabriel over your head is all in a day’s work when you're trying to
get someone’s attention. In an increasingly competitive donor arena,
more and more nonprofit organizations are turning to the offbeat and
original to encourage people to give, reports Craig Semon for the
Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette. Donna McMillion, director of
development at the San Francisco Education Fund, said that when it
comes to staging a fundraiser, creativity goes hand-in-hand with
success. There are so many different golf and softball events that
it is tougher now to raise money. So when it comes to raising money,
"the more creative the fundraiser is, the more likely it will be
successful," says McMillion. At a recent event in Farmington, Mass.,
a group that dressed up as "Star Wars" characters raised $1,200 in
two days, simply from posing for random photos.
CLUB 49, ALL THE RAGE FOR ALL THE
RIGHT REASONS
Manuel Alvarez, 13, is on a mission to lose at least 30 pounds. He
says he didn't watch his food intake when he was ‘younger’ and now
is inspired to get in shape. That much is evident as he pedaled
furiously during a recent physical education class while many of his
classmates moved at a slower pace, reports Linda Lou for the San
Diego (Calif.) Union Tribune. To help him meet this goal, his
school, San Marcos Middle School, in San Marcus, Calif., has created
a new exercise room called Club 49. The club has 24 stationary
bikes, 20 elliptical trainers, exercise balls, four flat-screen TVs
and six computers used to store and track progress. During school
hours, students who fail to pass a state fitness test use Club 49
instead of attending a regular physical education (PE) class. Before
each session, students insert thumb drives into their bikes, which
record information such as endurance, distance and calories burned.
After their workout, the students plug the drives into computers to
transfer the information -- the ellipticals do the same thing
wirelessly. Students seem to be enjoying themselves and find
workouts in Club 49 more focused and better than regular PE classes.
HIGH SCHOOL REFORM EFFORTS MOVING
ALONG NICELY
It appears the high school reform movement is, well, moving forward.
A new analysis from Achieve finds that 18 states and the District of
Columbia currently require students to complete a college and
career-ready curriculum in order to graduate. This includes four
years of challenging math (including Algebra II) and four years of
English. In addition, 12 states are expected to follow suit, while
just three years ago, only two states had such requirements. Achieve
also finds that states have moved more slowly when it comes to
putting in complementary tests, data and accountability systems.
REPLICA WEAPONS POSE PROBLEM FOR
SCHOOLS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
As is the case in the United States, replica weapons are posing a
serious problem for Toronto schools, reports Kristin Rushowy (again)
in the Toronto Star. An analysis of gun incidents in Toronto public
schools shows that pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols and other
replicas represented half of all reported incidents from January
2006 to November 2007. Police warn that even though they aren't
"real," they can still cause serious injury, with pellet guns being
considered "a threat to public safety." Still, it is important to
remember that schools remain a relative haven for students, as they
are generally safer than the communities they live in. |
