State Board Considers Regulation on Student Discipline

This article by Liz Bowie of the Baltimore Sun discusses a regulation on suspensions in public schools, which was proposed by the state board. This action follows the recent suicide of a student in Virginia who was out on a long suspension. While they do not believe the suspension is the cause of the suicide, they do believe students are out of school for too much time when suspended. The regulation would limit the amount of time a student is out of school, while appealing a suspension or an expulsion. The school districts would like the discipline policy to be left up to them rather than have the state regulate the policies.

Being a Baltimore City teacher I do not agree that discipline policies should be regulated. In the City we have alternative schools that students attend while on long-term suspension or expulsion. I believe there is a need for long-term suspension and expulsion for certain offenses that endanger the safety of students and teachers. I also believe it is a great that the City is able to have alternative schools while children are out on long-term suspension or expulsion. When a student is issued a long-term suspension there is usually a reason and that student should not be allowed back until their suspension is over, or their appeal is complete. If the time out of school is regulated everyone will appeal their suspension so the can return to school earlier. In most cases the students should not be able to return until their suspension is complete.

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-student-discipline-20110322,0,6500829.story

Facebook Fights, MySpace Brawls

According to the 2009 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report, one third of teens report being bullied while at school. Bullying is a critical issue that has potentially detrimental effects on young people. The effects of being bullied are associated with youth developing depression and anxiety, and can even lead to suicide. In many cases, it already has.

In today’s society, bullying has evolved to adapt to the increasingly technological landscape. This is evident in bullying’s most recent form, cyberbullying. Cyberbullying involves using technology to bully or harass another individual by sending threatening, harassing, and/or hurtful pictures or messages. Both traditional bullying and cyberbullying are becoming increasingly prevalent amongst school-aged children. According to bullyingstatistics.org, more than 1 in 3 students have received cyberthreats online. More than 25% of students have been bullied repeatedly through texts or online. The majority of teachers have likely had some experience mediating conflicts between students that were ignited via popular social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

In light of recent reports of two students suffering from suicidal thoughts after being repeatedly bullied at Gilmor Elementary school, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Alonso of Baltimore City Public Schools released the following statements: "We have 83,000 kids, and any instance (of bullying) is unacceptable because my goal has been to have 83,000 kids graduate from high school. I don't believe that any single child can be sacrificed." Like Dr. Alonso, I agree that each incidence of bullying is hindering our students’ education and is dampening to their self-esteem. Families, schools, and communities should work in cohesion to address this issue, educate our children about its effects, and develop a solution.

Sources:

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html

http://www.wbaltv.com/education/23437615/detail.html

Pay Teachers More

Two weeks ago Nicholas Kristof wrote a NEW York Times article about teacher salaries. Kristof argues that teachers do not get paid enough. The article followed public criticism of teachers by several governors. Kristof stated that instead of mocking and demeaning teachers they should pay us more. Good teachers are the most important asset in the classroom and raising student achievement. Kristof sites a study in Los Angeles that found that having a teacher from the top 25 percent for four consecutive years would be enough to close the black-white achievement gap. The effect a teacher has on their students is tremendous and if we want that effect to be positive we need to have the best possible people in the classroom. Kristof argues that in order to have the best people in the classroom salaries for teachers need to be more competitive to other professions, and therefore the need to be higher.

If teachers’ salaries were increased the profession would attract the top college graduates and compete with other professions. In other successful countries like Singapore, South Korea, and Finland, teachers are well respected and compensated. If we want the best teachers to prepare our students to be the best citizens possible we must increase teacher salaries to attract the best possible people to the profession.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/opinion/13kristof.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Pay%20Teachers%20More&st=cse

Single Sex Education-does it really increase student achievement, or is does it just further segregate our students?

Single sex schools and classrooms are a growing trend in education. In 2002, approximately a dozen public schools across the nation offered single sex education and now in 2011, there are over 500 schools that offer this type of innovative education. In Maryland alone, there are 10 public schools that offer some form of single sex education.

The two major arguments in favor of single sex education are centered on differing learning styles between genders and minimizing distractions in the classroom. Opponents of this type of education argue that it further segregates students and goes against feminist views.
Personally, I would rather have students interact with others that are different from themselves including those of opposite genders. I think it’s important for students to learn how to interact with the opposite sex especially if our goal is to prepare them for a co-ed world. I do think for some subjects, such as health education, it is beneficial for students to be separated by sex, but on the whole I think separating the students by gender will only further the gender stereotypes that exist.

What do you think? Do any of you teach at single sex schools? What are the pros and cons that you see?

Teaching to the Text (Message)

Today in the New York Times, there was an article entitled “Teaching to the Text Message.” The author, Andy Selsberg, argues that the research paper and the five-paragraph essay should be rethought in college curricula in favor of shorter, more concise assignments. He talks about the world students live in now – with websites such as eBay, Amazon, Twitter, and YouTube – and how writing longer papers and bibliographies encourages plagiarism and clichés. If students write shorter assignments, they are forced to use accurate and precise language. One comment that struck me in particular was, “The photo caption has never been more vital.” The "photo caption" mentality is prevalent in the internet-driven world we live in today.

As a middle school English teacher, I wonder if I should give more assignments that encourage students to complete shorter tasks that are relevant to them. On the other hand, students need to learn how to read and write in order to be successful in high school and college. When schools develop curricula for different subjects, should they take this into account or should they continue using traditional methods and assignments? My students have little interaction with the internet, so when should they learn how to type and use email? Should these skills be favored over writing longer assignments?

These questions make me wonder what we value in education, specifically in English. Which skills will most benefit our students in their future careers?

Where Should the Money be Spent?

I stumbled upon a study from January of this year that examined more than 9,000 school districts and their spending. The U.S. tops the list of countries based on the amount of money spent per student, yet our test scores do not indicate that our students are competitive. The study suggested (among other things) that HOW money is spent is more important than HOW MUCH money is spent. We saw in class that although the amount of money being spent per pupil is increasing every year, their scores are staying stable. So it is safe to say that “efficiency” in spending, as this study calls it, is the most important factor when discussing high returns on educational investments.

Well, thats easy to understand -- but the question is, what is the best way to spend “efficiently”? The Baltimore Sun recently reported that Baltimore County is spending more money on upper-level administration than most other counties in Maryland. Renee Foose, the new deputy superintendent, will take home $214,000 this year. The county’s teachers and mid-level administrative salaries are ranked far lower. Is this the best way to spend money on education? Baltimore County is a notoriously high-performing county in MD, and perhaps focusing rewarding those in upper-level positions pays off. I would be interested to sift through more data on this issue and see if there is some sort of connection, or if Baltimore County is, in fact, unwisely spending its money.

Sources http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/01/educational_productivity/report.html

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/education/blog/2011/03/baltimore_county_administratio.html