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LOOK TO TECHNOLOGY TO ATTRACT AND
ORIENT NEW TEACHERS
A hypothetical recently graduated new teacher is accustomed to 24/7
broadband access to the Internet and staying in touch via text
messages and e-mails. While looking for a job, the aspiring teacher
attended a virtual career fair online during which he talked with
personnel directors from 12 participating school districts. He
eventually accepted a job in a rural area. The teacher's mentor,
whom he can only meet with once a month, arranged for the teacher to
join an e-mentoring program that connected him with both new and
experienced teachers in the same grade level and subject area. This
example illustrates the fact that most new teachers expect to be
plugged in all the time and want the same opportunities when they
move from higher education to the professional world, writes Joan
Richardson in The Learning System. While providing classroom
computers and Internet access has become the norm, few school
districts are using technology as a way to attract new teachers or
to enhance induction. There are many ways that districts,
universities, regional education service agencies and nonprofit
organizations can harness new technologies as a way to appeal to
incoming teachers and help orient them once they've been hired.
TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT SEGREGATION
AND SCHOOLING IN THE 1930s
As you walk into the School House Museum in Smithfield (Va.), you
are presented with a one-room school where African American students
in Isle of Wight County were taught in the early 1930s. The school,
and all of its "amenities," has been brought back to life for
elementary school children to teach them about the good, the bad and
the ugly of segregated education, reports David Squires for the
(Va.) Daily Press. During a recent field trip, students learned that
each day started with devotion, followed by the pledge of
allegiance, then a roll call for students in all seven grades. For
its curriculum, the school used books discarded by the white schools
and for lunch, the children ate leftovers brought from their homes.
During the visit, one child asked if they had any resource classes
like music. The answer was no. In fact, some Isle of Wight children
did walk up to five miles (one way, of course) to attend school.
Museum directors hope to give children a firsthand experience of
something they had only heard or read about in history books. If it
makes them more appreciative of all they have, that's an added
bonus.
‘THE PRINCE' PROVIDES A NEW HOW-TO
GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
Niccolo Machiavelli may have missed his intended audience. In fact,
his audience should have been the teachers of the young, writes
Regina Barreca for Education World. While Machiavelli doesn't
project the warm and fuzzy image everyone has of quality teachers,
he does understand the nature of authority. Most people can agree
that some form of authority is necessary for the effective
management of a classroom. So, according to Machiavelli, a teacher
assumes authority by either being given authority or outright taking
it. It is great to ask students for this authority, but only if one
knows they will give it. If the answer is in doubt, the ability to
compel/force is much cleaner than relying on persuading, coercing or
manipulating students because these tricks are underhanded and
unspoken, i.e., best left to politics. Further, it is undoubtedly
easier for a teacher to count to 10 and let a challenge pass, but
rarely is the easiest path the best choice (that whole road less
traveled thing). Instead, teachers should exercise their position's
authority in a responsible, effective and clear fashion.
BOY TAKES WHEEL OF RUNAWAY SCHOOL
BUS, PREVENTS FURTHER INJURIES
Rolling downhill in a bus filled with screaming classmates and no
driver, a fast-acting 11-year-old in Cleveland jumped behind the
wheel and stopped the school bus from careening out of control,
reports M.R. Kropko for the Associated Press. As the bus began on
its own accord, the boy saw a semi approaching and knew he had to
act. After successfully dodging the semi, he aimed for the last
pillar on the bridge to avoid going down a steep hill because "there
was nothing good down there," reports Joe Milicia for the Associated
Press (link below). According to police, if the bus had kept going,
it would have picked up speed and possibly flipped where the street
makes a sharp turn. Meanwhile, only 15 children suffered minor
injuries. The boy now has quite an item for show and tell -- his
interview on "Good Morning America."
Also:
http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-38/1207743243183470.xml...
COST-BENEFIT STUDIES DO HELP THE
BOTTOM LINE
The Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education specializes in
calculating the long- and short-term costs, along with probable
payoffs, of different educational strategies, reports Debbie Viadero
for Education Week. So far, the center has looked into the costs and
benefits of preschool and dropout-prevention programs, while also
investigating the public savings (about $4 billion a year) that
could result from strategies that bring the high school graduation
rate for black males up to that of white males. While cost-benefit
analyses have long been a staple of business, health care,
environmental studies and national defense, such studies are
undertaken far less often in education. The center has found that if
educators were inclined to pay more attention to costs, the savings
could be considerable. For example, when the center looked at an
experiment on computer-aided instruction from the 1960s, they found
that the research results prompted scholars to urge educators to buy
more computers and software programs, an expense that increased the
annual budget by 25 percent. However, the researchers failed to
notice that one of the control schools got the same results by
hiring more teachers' aides and using worksheets, which only
increased the budget by 6 percent. With dwindling budgets
nationwide, savings like these could provide great flexibility to
districts. In addition, when looking nationwide, any effort that
could halve the number of dropouts would provide save a potential
$45 billion a year in lost revenues and opportunities.
GUIDING A COMMUNITY TOWARD SCHOOL
REFORM
Since Joshua Starr arrived in Stamford (Conn.) as the new
superintendent, education conversations have been productive and
pro-active, he writes in the School Administrator. He sees his role
as more of a teacher than a dictator, focusing on asking the right
questions that will inspire others to seek the appropriate
solutions. Starr has accomplished this by holding monthly community
forums and neighborhood chats with parents. As the superintendent,
Starr knows he has the mandate to impose his will, yet he has shied
away from doing so. He believes that if a group is engaged and
asking the right questions about the issues they face, then they
will find the right answers collectively (hey, it worked for
Socrates, well for a little while at least). This approach can be
truly rewarding because over time, it builds collective will and
capacity and challenges people to learn and grow together. While
superintendents come and go, communities have traditions, cultures
and histories that can evolve and strengthen, but at the same time
resist radical change. To transform the practices in Stamford, Starr
knows he must engage all aspects of a school.
PUTTING THE PUBLIC BACK IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS: FOCUS ON CO-PRODUCTION
In a new article for Phi Delta Kappan, David Mathews, president of
the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, argues that many Americans have
lost a sense of ownership of their public schools. At the same time,
educators have lost sight of democracy's role in education. This
dynamic weakens America's democracy. Mathews explains that
engagement campaigns, accountability standards and good customer
service are born of impulses to reconnect communities with the
schools. However, they fail to build the kind of public that
exercises responsible ownership. Because people typically take
responsibility for what they create, the solution to this apathetic
situation means all members of the community need to be part of the
co-production of education. This, in turn, will ensure that
democracy prospers and schools benefit.
"PROJECT SUCCESS" APPEARS TO BE,
WELL, A SUCCESS
The Hillsborough Education Foundation in Hillsborough County Fla., a
charitable organization that invests community resources to help
students achieve, has found that even with effective programming and
dedicated faculty and staff, more is required to ensure students
succeed. In the foundation's eyes, "success" includes not only
completing high school but making progress in post-secondary life.
This formed the foundation for Project SUCCESS, in which the
foundation promised to help financially students who wanted to
obtain a career certificate or further their education. Before the
program was implemented, only two graduates pursued post-secondary
education. After the program's launch, 23 graduates took advantage
of the scholarships. Not surprisingly, attendance, graduation and
job placement rates all went up.
COLLEGE GOING RATES ON THE RISE,
THANKS TO TUITION AID AND ADVISORS
The number of Hamilton County (Tenn.) students enrolling in higher
education continued to climb in 2007, reports the news team for
Channel 9 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The numbers reflect hard work on the
part of principals and teachers, but also a heavy investment from
the community. The effect of the community's expectation that all
students should have the opportunity and skills to attend college is
evident in the college attendance rate, as roughly 90 percent of
local graduates took advantage of tuition assistance. One of the
goals of the local high school reform program was to place half-time
college advisors in each high school. These advisors helped students
navigate the puzzling maze of the application and financial aid
process. The dramatic reforms were made possible by investments from
all sectors of the community, including PEN member, the Public
Education Foundation.
MULTIMODAL LEARNING SHOWN TO INCREASE
ACHIEVEMENT
New research indicates that multimodal learning (using many modes
and strategies that cater to individual learners' needs and
capacities) is more effective than traditional, unimodal learning,
reports Meris Stansbury for eSchool News. According to recent
research, adding visuals to verbal instruction can result in
significant gains in basic or higher-order learning. In addition, it
has been proven that students taking part in a well-designed
combination of visuals and text learn more than students who
experience only text-based learning. This poses a direct challenge
for schools, as they must figure out how to leverage learning
environments, teaching practices, curricula and resources that
conform to what is known about the limitations and capacity of human
physiology.
STUDENT SMARTER THAN TEXTBOOK
WRITERS? NO, JUST LESS BIASED
First a fifth-grader found a 27-year-old error at the National
Museum of Natural History, and now a high school senior has raised
questions about bias in a popular Advanced Placement textbook on
United States government, reports Nancy Zuckerbrod for the
Associated Press. In both instances, the students appear correct. In
fact, legal scholars and top scientists find the teen's criticism of
the textbook to be well-founded. The student -- and experts agree --
charges that the book, "American Government," presents a skewed view
of topics such as global warming and the separation of church and
state.
A NEW WAY TO TEACH MATH SHOWS MERIT
Two new studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, examined
teacher practices and early outcomes of a dynamic classroom
assessment approach known as Proximal Assessment for Learner
Diagnosis (PALD). The reports find that sixth graders who were
taught by PALD scored significantly higher on standardized math
tests than peers who weren't exposed to the method. In addition,
fifth graders who participated in the program outperformed their
peers in geometry. The method requires teachers to break down math
problem solving -- or any academic task they want students to learn
-- into a set of connected skills and concepts. Then the teacher
assesses student performance at each step to understand precisely
where students make errors or show lack of understanding.
Also:
http://www.tc.edu/i/media/6565_AERAPALDMappingCognitivePathways.pdf
PRESCHOOL INCREDIBLY VALUABLE BUT
SEEMINGLY UNATTAINABLE FOR SOME
A new study from the National Institute for Early Education Research
finds that state-funded preschools served more than one million
children last year. However, public pre-kindergarten was unavailable
for most three- and four-year-olds. In fact, 12 states offered no
state-funded preschool and others faltered in their commitments to
high quality early education programs. Meanwhile, less than half of
all four-year-olds were enrolled in government-supported preschool
while one quarter received no preschool at all. For three-year-olds,
the situation was worse, as only 15 percent were enrolled in public
programs and 50 percent received no education at all. Still, the
report notes that enrollment, quality and state spending per child
did increase.
EXTENDED-LEARNING AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAMS: A VERY POSITIVE INFLUENCE
The results of a seven-year study indicate that middle school
students in Boston public schools enrolled in extended-learning
after-school programs outperformed peers who were not involved with
such programs. The study, conducted for Citizen Schools, notes that
extended-learning opportunities show promise in engaging at-risk
middle school students as participants attended more days of school
on average and exhibited lower suspension rates than peers. In
addition, these students outperformed their peers on English and
math course passage, Math Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment
System proficiency and selection of college-track high schools. Said
one participant: "Citizen Schools has been an extremely positive
influence in my life...I owe a great deal to the mentors and
volunteers" who helped me continue my education.
OUTCOME EVALUATORS CAN STRENGTHEN
OUT-OF-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
For out-of-school programs to learn more about how they serve
children and youth, it is important that they invest in outcome
evaluations, according to the fourth part of the Child Trends
research series on Practical Evaluation Methods. An outcome
evaluation investigates whether changes occur for participants in a
program and, if so, why. Evaluating outcomes for program
participants is vital because it allows for ongoing quality
management and serves as an indicator that the program is
maintaining a level of effectiveness. Outcome evaluations can be
conducted at different points in the development of a program, but
experts do not typically recommend conducting such evaluations for
start-ups. Outcome and process evaluations are imperative because
program practitioners or participants may believe a program is
effective, but that needs to be proved objectively. Another brief
(link below) from Child Trends describes why process evaluations
are important, when they should be used and how they can be a useful
tool for out-of-school program practitioners. The brief also focuses
on guidelines and strategies for implementing process evaluations
and provides some concrete examples that illustrate their
usefulness. It concludes with a list of helpful resources for
out-of-school time program practitioners.
Also:
http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2008_01_07_%20ProcessEvaluations.pdf |
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"Grants
for Academic Enrichment for Educators of Low-Income Students"
The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation offers Academic
Enrichment Grants designed to develop in-class and extra-curricular
programs that improve student learning. The foundation considers
proposals that foster understanding, deepen students' knowledge and
provide opportunities to expand awareness of the world around them.
Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: educators work with students
pre-K to 12 from low-income households. Deadline: May 1, 2008.
"Grants
for Arts, Early Childhood Reading, and Family Violence Prevention"
Target Local Store Grants fund programs that make arts and cultural
experiences accessible to children and families, that foster a love
of reading and encourage young children, ages birth through nine, to
read together with their families and that strengthen families and
communities and keep them safe. Maximum Award: $3,000. Eligibility:
501(c)(3) organizations, schools, libraries, or public agencies in
communities where Target does business. Deadline: May 31, 2008.
"Youth
Grants to Preserve Community History"
The History Channel Save Our History Grant Program inspires youth to
become the preservationists in their communities. Museums, historic
sites, historical societies, preservation organizations, libraries
and archives are invited to partner with a local school or youth
group and apply for funding to help preserve the history of their
communities. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) history
organizations. Deadline: June 6, 2008.
"PSA
Contest for Youth"
The By Kids For Kids youth empowerment company and DoSomething.org
announce the Advertise Your Cause Media Challenge, which encourages
young people to discover what cause matters most to them and then
"Do Something" to propel their cause into the public eye. The
competition will reward the cleverest and powerful new Public
Service Announcement (PSA) campaign idea that will also have the
broadest impact. Maximum Award: $10,000 and national media exposure
for the winning PSA. Eligibility: U.S. residents ages 5 to 19, not
graduated from high school at the time of competition. Deadline:
June 30, 2008.
"Award
for Emerging Education Leaders"
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is
seeking nominations for its Outstanding Young Educator Award, which
recognizes a teacher under the age of 40 who demonstrates excellence
in his or her profession, a positive impact on students, creativity
in the classroom, and leadership in his or her school or district.
Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: K-12 teachers under age 40; no
self-nominations accepted. Deadline: August 1, 2008.
"Grants
for Inner-City Educators"
The Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Corporation's Limited GEO
Grants to Help Inner City Educators will fund specific, one-time
future education-related needs or ideas which promise to improve
inner city education within one year of the grant award in one of
eligible cities. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility: small, concrete
projects which will improve inner city education in Boston,
Hartford, Providence, New York or Washington within the coming year.
Deadline: N/A. |
