Increasing the Quality of Teacher Education Programs

In the United States, when we think about the professions that are considered highly competitive and requiring the most training we think of doctors, lawyers and engineers. The teaching profession does not make this list. While teachers have one of the most important jobs—educating children to become successful and productive members of society—the programs that prepare them lack rigor and high standards for enrollment. As a result, teachers are increasingly unprepared to effectively educate their students when they get to the classroom. In a recent New York Times article “Train Teachers Like Doctors” Polakaow- Suransky, Thomases and Demoss pointed out that the United States is facing a shortages of teachers due to high turnover rates and low enrollment in teacher training programs. The response to this issue was to lower the standards for new teachers making it easier to become a teacher. There are now programs that allow people to become teachers with little to no training, and usually these teachers are assigned high poverty areas. When teachers are faced with educating students under the most challenging circumstances and with insufficient preparation, it is not surprising that the burn-out rates are so high.

By not investing in high quality teacher education programs, we are setting teachers up for failure. I remember when I was attending my teacher education program, I had a professor who told us very matter-of-factly that no one was a good teacher their first year.  He was trying to make a point about the importance of experience in becoming a highly effective teacher, and he was right in the sense that there are some things about teaching that you learn best through experience. However, I do believe there is a certain amount of instruction and hands on training that is required in order for new teachers to manage a classroom and implement effective teaching practices. While first year teachers may not be highly effective, they should not be failing to educate their students. It is essential that new teachers start their careers with enough training to keep them from burning out before they gain the experience that makes the highly effective. There are so many teachers who have the potential to be highly effective but because they lack minimum training necessary, they burn-out and leave the profession before they reach that potential. This results in high teacher turnover rates especially in low income areas that need have the greatest need for stability and experienced teachers. It is completely counterintuitive that the most inexperienced and underqualified teachers are teaching in schools that have the greatest need for high quality education. This is yet another example an injustice suffered by high poverty populations.

The article highlighted several teacher education programs that are models of effective teacher preparation. The teacher education programs that produced teachers who stayed in their profession and demonstrated high student achievement rates all required lengthy co-teaching residencies. These “residencies” are different than that of traditional student teaching in that they are yearlong and provide more opportunities to take on all the responsibilities of teaching. In many of the fast-tracked teacher education programs the student teaching is brief and limited to observing veteran teachers and teaching short supervised lessons. In order to prepare teachers to meet the needs of our students and provide them with a high quality education, we must raise the standards for teacher preparation programs so that they are on par with those of doctors and lawyers.

 Link to New York Times Article http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/opinion/train-teachers-like-doctors.html

The Forest Hill Nature Preschool and the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education

           This article discusses The Forest Hill Nature Preschool.  The school’s director Lavonne Taylor spent time working at Joppatowne Elementary in Baltimore County and The Archdiocese of Baltimore before starting her own school.  The school emphasizes the Reggio Emilia approach.  The students learn in the school building, but spend a great portion of their time outside.  They also get to interact with animals such as rabbits and chickens that live on the property, participate in performances and do yoga on the stage in the “classroom in the woods,” and walk the fairy gardens trail. 

                Ms. Taylor express her concern over the amount of pressure being put on younger students in order to achieve higher testing scores.  She mentioned that what was once a first grade curriculum is now being taught in a kindergarten classroom, causing the kindergarten curriculum to be taught in the preschool classroom.  She believes that students are not prepared at their age for this type of work.  Sitting inside and doing worksheets is not developmentally appropriate for that young of children who acquire most of their learning through interactive play.  One example Taylor gives is that, when it rains and water fills up the sandbox, the children practice irrigating the water.  The children are still getting academic training, but they are learning in a way that is authentic for them.

                Although for most educators who understand the value of developmentally appropriate practice and play for children, I think the culture in our education system now is the more “traditional academics” the better.  Everything is about the test scores.  Because school systems are placing so much emphasis on this, students and parents do as well.  Because of this, they might see the extensive amount of time outside playing as “a waste,” even though in reality it is presenting the students with diverse, relevant, and authentic learning opportunities. 

This approach to preschool education seems to be very effective, but I wonder what it would look like in other areas.  This preschool is located in Forest Hill, Harford County.  Parents have more options about where they want to send their children to school.  They choose to send them to The Forest Hill Nature Preschool.  Its location also lends itself to the exquisite outdoor education the students’ receive.  When discussing her previous jobs, Ms. Taylor said that parents were apprehensive about letting their students go out into the woods.  She replied with, “It’s just trees.”  In some cases though, areas surrounding schools are not “just trees.”  They are unsafe areas.  Also, this type of education, I feel, would require training in the Reggio Emili approach.  While the article does not specifically mention if the staff are Reggio Emilia certified, I am presuming that the staff receives training.  Brining this type of education to schools in the City or County would also require training for faculty and staff.  This then brings about the question, “Where do we get the money?”

How do you feel this approach could be handled in public schools in areas such as Baltimore County or Baltimore City?  What are steps the school systems or teachers could take to better educate the whole child?

I have placed the link to the article here.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/aegis/ph-ag-forest-hill-nature-preschool-1012-20161026-story.html

School Systems Denying Students of Their Constitutional Right

School Systems Denying Students of Their Constitutional Right 

In a recent New York Times opinion article, Geoffrey R. Stone discussed the issue of whether or not the Detroit Public Schools are unconstitutional due to their dismal conditions and test scores. Children have the constitutional right to an adequate public education that provides them with the skills they need to get into college. According to this article, it is questionable whether Detroit Public schools are providing their students with just that—an adequate public education. At one school 100 percent of sixth graders scored below proficiency in reading. Illiteracy is a common trend among the vast majority of students in this public school system. What is even more troubling is that this is only the case is schools that serve high poverty neighborhoods. When the students at a school are demonstrating that they are not being taught basic literacy skills, can we say they are being denied a constitutional right?  Stone also pointed out that not only are the test scores indicating that there is education provided is inadequate, but the conditions of the school are horrific. Many of the schools are rodent infested, lacking heating and cooling, and are without basic learning materials. This is just naming a few of the major issues with the facilities. Ultimately, the schools are not providing an environment that is fit for learning to take place so it is not surprising that the test score are so low. 

                Major changes were recently made to public schools in Connecticut because a state judge ruled that Connecticut was not fulfilling its constitutional obligation to give students an “adequate education.” Based on the mounting evidence that Detroit schools are failing to teach their students basic reading and writing skills, it is clear that similar changes need to be made to that school system. It is impossible to combat poverty in a community when the school system is floundering.

                This article resonated with me for several reasons. First, when there are schools serving high poverty areas that are dirty, overcrowded, using outdated materials and freezing cold, it sends the message to the students about the worth of their education. It sends the message that their education does not matter as much as rich white students. If they are receiving this message from a young age, how can we expect them to put effort into learning if no effort is put into providing them with the bare minimum in terms of their education? Students then graduate without the basic literacy skills they need to find a job and support a family. This then perpetuates the cycle of poverty. It also supports the school to prison pipeline issue. The conditions of schools are so unsuitable for learning to take place that teachers are forced to direct their focus on behavior management practices. In a desperate situation when kids are unengaged, frustrated, confused and feeling defeated and therefore acting out, punitive behavior management practices begin to arise. Under these circumstances schools start to look more and more similar to prisons, and kids can feel it. When kids are feeling like education is not an option for them due to the conditions of their school, they are more likely to resort to criminal activity. Thus the school to prison pipeline is perpetuated.    

                In order for students to value their own education, drastic changes need to me made to show them that their education matters to those in charge. In thinking of a possible solution to this situation, the role of charter schools came to mind. When the public school system is failing so miserably clearly drastic changes need to be made. Could one solution be to funnel more money into charter schools that provide promising alternatives to the struggling public schools? For this solution to work I think that clear parameters need to be set for the charter school model that ensure that the issues faced by the public schools are addressed. Charter schools are also not a guarantee because it takes years of data collection to prove the success of a charter school. However, I think that at this point, because of the level of urgency, the benefits outweigh the risk.

Link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/opinion/are-detroits-most-terrible-schools-unconstitutional.html?_r=0 

Support in Mental Healthcare Helps to See Students as "At Hope" Rather Than "At-Risk."

The author of this article, Leana Wen, conducted a discussion with a group of young Baltimore children asking for their biggest concerns, all of which included traumatic situations which can result in mental health issues.  Traumatic situations can involve seeing family or loved ones die due to gun violence or drug abuse, dealing with physical and verbal abuse, and living in poverty.  Scientific research has shown that children suffer the most from these traumatic events.  This trauma can play a significant role in negative situations occurring later in these children’s lives.  The Baltimore City Health Department has recognized that the effects of trauma in lives of the citizens of Baltimore, particularly its children, needs to be addressed. 

                The Health Department, along with its partners, have created four principles to address this issue.  The first principle is that children are seen not as “at risk,” but rather “at hope.”  The second calls for recognizing our city as a place of recovery and resilience.  The third calls for understanding how history has played a part in the amount of trauma that citizens are faced with today.  The fourth asks for a break in the stigma of mental health issues and to rely on our scientific findings—that trauma cycles can be broken, especially with early intervention. 

                Several grants are now being used to address and alleviate traumatic situations occurring in Baltimore.  With the help of a 2.3 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Baltimore City Public Schools will be able to devote much more attention to mental healthcare.  This includes hiring a full-time clinician at 13 schools and providing training to all staff about recognizing and preventing trauma. 

                I found this article interesting because it seems to be addressing something that teachers and school staff, I feel, have known about for years.  Many teacher had students who disrupt class or struggle with paying attention.  In many cases, teachers are wondering in the back of their minds, “Where did this student sleep last night?” or “Who is caring for this student while his or parent is in jail?”  If we think back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, basic needs are the most important, closely followed by the needs of security.  If students are coming into school without these basic needs being met, how can we expect them to learn?  Speaking from my own personal experience, I had a student who I had discovered slept on the floor without a pillow for many nights.  How could I blame him for being too tired in math class the next day?    Many teachers go above and beyond to help make the classroom environment as mentally healthy and welcoming as possible for their students, but they cannot alleviate these problems alone.  They need support that will also address community needs.  They also need more support in what to do when they have students in their classrooms who are in need of mental health support.

Congressman Elijah Cummings is quoted saying, “It is our duty to ensure that where our children live does not determine whether they live.”  This relates to the idea that all children deserve a good education.  They deserve to be in a school where they are valued and given opportunities to become their most successful selves.  Aligning with this quote is the first principle that students need to be seen as “at hope” rather than “at risk.”  Currently in education, there is a great demand for change in mindset.  I think this is a great summary of what those changes are asking.  We cannot just label as child as “at risk” and consider it normal that they face these traumatic situations in their everyday experiences.  We need to work as a city to see that these students become “at hope”—that they aren’t seen as problems that need to be dealt with or ignored, but promises we need to keep. 

I have included the link to the Baltimore Sun article below.  

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-baltimore-trauma-20161016-story.html  

Hidden Agendas: My Take on the Executive Orders

           The education community in Maryland has been abuzz about Governor Hogan’s executive order for Maryland Schools to begin after Labor Day since he issued it in August.  It’s a divisive issue and has two clear sides from what I have seen so far.  Governor Hogan cited giving children more time with their families, creating more tourism revenue, and keeping students out of un-air-conditioned schools as his reasons for creating the executive order.  However, some education officials believe that the governor is acting outside of his control and that his listed interest in the schools are less than genuine.

            On October 11, Governor Hogan issued a second executive order outlining specific guidelines for schools in Maryland to ask for waivers to begin school before Labor Day.  The new order states that only charters and low-performing schools may apply for waivers and only if they have a school schedule that requires them to be open in the summer.  The order also states that districts can seek waivers if they have been closed for 10 days within two of the last five school years for bad weather.  A spokesperson for Hogan said that this order was created as a best solution for the concern and confusion about the waiver process.

            I will admit that I as a teacher I was very excited to begin school after Labor Day and to be guaranteed to end school a few days earlier in June.  I think that the students really do have a harder time learning when it is nicer outside, and I know in my experience, keeping the students engaged during the summer months of June and August becomes twice as difficult.  When I went to elementary school, Catholic schools never started before Labor Day.  They didn’t start going back before Labor Day until I was in high school, although some still remain closed until then.  I have always thought, even before I was teaching in public school, that schools stay open too long and go back too early.  It seems like kids don’t even get to have a summer break any more.

This type of executive order is unprecedented in Maryland and many people believe that governor Hogan has over-stepped his authority.  They believe that he is taking away control from local school boards.

As with a lot of issues in education, I find myself in middle ground.  I personally don’t think that school should start until after Labor Day.  When I was in school, we never started before Labor Day, and I learned the same things that my counter-parts in public schools learned.  However, I understand that my view is a little biased because of how I spent my summer.  When I had summer breaks, my family was able to go on vacation, my grandparents or a baby-sitter could watch me while my parents were at work, and I had access to books that I could read all summer long.  I understand school officials’ concerns that lots of families cannot afford enriching experiences for their children during the summer, and that starting school later would be harmful to them both educationally and financially.  From what I have heard people within the education community, in addition to the concern about the actual education, are concerned because if Governor Hogan enacts executive orders like this they worry about what else he will enact orders about within the education community.

This may seem pessimistic of me, but I have a hard time buying into the fact that people on boards and people in politics have genuine agendas when it comes to education.  I put a lot more stock in what actual teachers and staff think when it comes to school policies.  I tend to think that people always have some other type of agenda, even if it’s just a power struggle.  For example, a lot of “school officials” are concerned about Governor Hogan’s orders because they think it will be detrimental to education, but I have to wonder if they really feel that education will suffer that much or if they are just concerned because they didn’t come up with the idea.  Baltimore, Carroll, and other counties created two calendars—one that starts before Labor Day and one that starts after, and their boards will vote on them in either November or December.  When discussing the original executive order, school officials and TABCO representatives were trying to explain to the public that students must be in school for a certain number of days and that schools had to be open before Labor Day to accommodate all of those days.  However, if Baltimore and other counties have created two calendars, I wonder how true that is.  To me, if they can create two calendars, it means that there is a workable option to have students be in school the required number of days while starting after Labor Days.  This makes me wonder if school officials are actually concerned about these students’ education or just the fact that the governor is encroaching on their territory.  I wonder what would have happened if Governor Hogan had enacted an executive order with which a lot of “school officials” agreed.  Would they still be questioning his authority or would they be more inclined to let it go.

            I think that a lot of time in education, particularly when politics come into play, there seem to be a lot of power struggles, and the students and teachers kind of get caught in the crossfire.  They get stuck following policies (or being stuck in schools without air-conditioning) because people who are making decisions have lost what their purpose is supposed to be.  I think that Baltimore and Carroll counties did the right thing by creating two options.  To me this shows their actual concern for students’ education because they took action and made two workable options so whichever way this debacle turns out, they will be prepared.

            I’m interested to see what becomes of this issue.  I want to know what will happen if it is determined that Governor Hogan is within his authority to enact the order.  What will school boards that oppose it do then?  I also wonder what kind of doors this is opening for other executive orders within the education community.  In general, and I know this probably every teacher’s dream, I wish that politicians, board members, and educators could work together to determine best policies for students, but I feel that too many power struggles and additional agendas get in the way.

The article that discussed the second executive order is from The Baltimore Sun and can be found at this link http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-hogan-school-start-order-20161011-story.html

Commodore John Rodgers: A story of Title 1 funding

The entryway to Commodore John Rodgers Elementary School, located in the Butcher’s Hill neighborhood of east Baltimore, proudly displays their students who have perfect attendance and the latest school project of a certain grade level. Like the way I remember my own public elementary school, the hallways were decorated with brightly colored paper and the latest classroom artwork.

It was one of my favorite schools to visit when I moved to Baltimore in 2014 to work for an AmeriCorps program called The Choice Program. My team worked out of the Department of Social Services and served youth on the east side of Baltimore City who were considered at-risk of being placed in foster care. Part of my job was to visit a caseload of 15 youth at school twice a week, so I was able to view the daily workings of a number of mostly east Baltimore schools, and not all of them looked or felt as welcoming as Commodore John Rodgers.

It was somewhat shocking to learn from WYPR a couple weeks ago that in 2010 Commodore was one of the lowest ranked schools, not just in Baltimore, but in all of Maryland. The story explained that the school had applied and received a federal School Improvement Grant, which is often referred to as ‘turn-around funding’ and is available to all schools operating in the bottom 5 percent of the nation’s poorest schools. A new principal came in, armed with an extra $2 million a year, and was incredibly successful in turning the school around. So successful, in fact, that Commodore is no longer eligible for the extra funding.

The school specializes in accelerating learning for students who are levels behind where they need to be, as well as creating a school culture among students, parents and teachers. The youth I knew who was attending Commodore was two grades behind, and while she still struggled with math (mainly because it was her first class and getting to school on time was not her forte,) she did improve in English. She and her younger siblings also participated in several after school activities and sports, and her parents attended different nighttime shows and events at the school.

In my experience, it was one of the easier schools to meet with teachers or administration. The adults at the school seemed to really care about the students, and wanted them to succeed. Commodore had a different feeling to it than a lot of the Baltimore City schools I visited, and after hearing this story, the extra effort that went into the school seems centered around the additional funding.

It hasn’t been that long since Commodore received the additional funding, and dramatically improved test scores and decreased absenteeism. According to the article, Title 1 funding doesn’t work for every school that receives it, and then goes on to list several reasons why Commodore did succeed – a change in atmosphere, enrollment and absenteeism. But it doesn’t say what makes these changes different from a school that received funding and wasn’t so successful. Did that school just need more time? A better leader? More community involvement?

While there might not be one formula to turn-around our poorest schools, the principal of Commodore did bring up an interesting point at the end of his interview asking if “federal funds would be better spent fueling his school’s progress a little longer as opposed to being directed at an entirely new school.”

It is hard to know where Commodore will end up in the next 5 years. Will it keep it's high enrollment and attendance rates it's worked hard to obtain? And is it fair to continue to obligate funding while other schools have more of a need, and should be given the opportunity to succeed? The real test to Commodore's success is in the years ahead, without additional funding, rather than in the work they've accomplished since 2010 -- and whether or not they can keep their progress moving forward. 

Fixing failing schools: do school improvement grants build sustainable change

http://wypr.org/post/fixing-failing-schools-do-school-improvement-grants-build-sustainable-change#stream/0

The Anti-Charter School Movement

“The education system in this country has never worked for poor people and people of color.  We’re not calling for the status quo. We don't want things to continue as they’ve always done."

quote by Hiram Rivera, one of the BLM platform authors and executive director of the Philadelphia Student Union

Recently, there has been pushback against a bipartisan popular educational reform, namely, charter schools.  

Critics have focused on issues of poor oversight and regulation.  Lax enforcement of regulations have led to incidents of fraud, corruption and tax dollar waste such as covered on John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight episode on charter schools

Other critics have focused on charter schools’ use as a mechanism to increase segregation, and exasperate, rather than alleviate the current problems in public education.  As a result, the NAACP and the Movement for Black Lives recently called for a moratorium on charter schools.

The Movement for Black Lives announced a big, overarching educational policy that had many different components.  Their educational policy called for a moratorium on charter schools and school closures, equity in funding levels and for an end to Teach for America and Broad Superintendents Academy, as well as other, more controversial measures.  BLM Educational Policy

The NAACP also called for a moratorium on charter schools, however, their focus was just on charter schools, and not on other aspects of educational policy. News on NAACP moratorium on charter schools

There is some serious debate going on in response to this issue, however, it appears to be primarily from pro-charter lobby groups, which is to be expected: Questions Of Race And Charter Schools Divide Education Reformers

But what about families?  Vouchers, charters, and lotteries in low-performing districts are hotly contested and people come out in droves to get into a lottery.  However, research from 2014 suggests that "87% of parents with school-age children have sent a child to a public school, more than a quarter have made use of an alternative type of school: 14% have had a child in a private school, 9% a charter school and 8% have homeschooled their children.  The totals add up to more than 100% simply because many families are making use of more than one type of school." quote by Paul E. Peterson from Education Next

Families seem to want good, safe schools, with decent curriculum, conveniently located and filled with quality teachers.   That isn't something that only charter schools can offer.

 

The question is, why are charter schools so popular among politicians and so unpopular among civil rights groups?  Why is there such an appeal to the privatization of public education instead of educational reform from within the system?  In practice, does competition equate better educational opportunities for all?   Is there a middle ground of an extremely well-regulated charter school system that goes in tandem with the public school system?  What states have been able to figure it out?  

Maryland seems to be one of the few states with consistently successful charter schools because it is one of the most restrictive in the country.  Charter school teachers are public school employees and are unionized.  Only the local school board can authorize charter schools.  They are under strict oversight and regulation.  A majority of the charters are in Baltimore (34 out of 47), and many are "mom and pop" charters, meaning parents or former local educators founded them, as opposed to some of the larger national charter management organizations. 

Governor Hogan introduced a bill to try and give more freedom to charter schools in 2015.   It became extremely watered down, and what was passed into law, did not make the impact that the pro-charter interests were hoping.  The bill ended up granting "greater autonomy to charters that have demonstrated five years of success, and it provides for increased flexibility with student enrollment. The bill also authorizes the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the DLS to complete a study by the end of October 2016 to determine what a more appropriate figure should be for districts when it comes to commensurate funding." A New Course: Larry Hogan wants to change Maryland's unique charter school laws and bring in more charters, but will kids suffer?

Grading on a Curve in the Foreign Language Classroom

“But our Biology teacher grades on a curve, why can’t you Mademoiselle?” Students usually ask some variation of this question towards the end of first quarter. I should probably come up with a less dismissive answer, but I say, “I’ve never been in a foreign language class where the teacher grades on a curve.”

Let me really explain myself here. Over the years, it’s become clear to me that a grade curve does not belong in a foreign language class. It creates competition for an “A.” For the record, I teach at a Baltimore City public high school. In French level 1, the freshman are skeptical about learning a new language. Some even tell me they don’t speak English well enough, so how are they going to speak French? Through surveys, I’ve learned some students believe they’ll never leave the country to study abroad. Why learn French? Simply stated, in order to graduate from a Maryland public high school, two years of a language is needed. My goal as the teacher is to help fulfill this requirement, but to also teach how to communicate effectively in French. Ce n’est pas bon if the student doubts or doesn’t see the worth of the subject taught from the beginning. Furthermore, a grade curve can undermine class morale, and low class morale can lower student ability.

I realize a grade curve helps the student reflect on their performance in relation to all other students in the class. In an ideal world, students may take the class more seriously and study harder as they realize earning an “A” is limited. First, this isn’t the type of intrinsic motivation I want to instill. Second, I’m concerned about the students who aren’t motivated by the grade curve. The students who earn a “D” (in Baltimore City public schools 69 or below), even with the grade curve. For these students, their self-worth just took a hit. Competition, especially in the foreign language classroom, hinders an inclusive classroom environment. No support or cohesion in the classroom means basically no student participation. Language in the classroom is about production. This means skits, presentations, class discussions, small groups,  partner discussions, and choral readings to name a bunch of important activities.  

Avoiding grading on a curve doesn’t immediately encourage students to collaborate or support one another. It’s necessary to make sure students understand that every student has the opportunity to earn an “A.” Furthermore, students need to get to know each other as quickly as possible. Icebreakers may seem cheesy, but they’re vital if you want to build community. Students are more willing to speak French in front of their peers if they feel as if they’re part of the group.

Now that a level of competition is removed and a collaborative culture in the classroom exists, how do I extend it outside of instructional time? How do I get them to help one another?By helping one another, they’re teaching each other and that’s one of best ways to learn. I don’t want to continuously assign group assignments. The students don’t live close to one another. How do I teach the skill of group studying? At the university level, the author and professor of the class “built a collaborative culture with a reward system where one person’s success benefited someone else.” How do I replicate that in a high school foreign language class? I could try his tactic, “to pick the one question about which they were most unsure, and write down the name of a classmate who might know the answer — the equivalent of a lifeline on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” If the classmate got it right, they would both earn the points.” But what about writing or speaking assessments? This tactic works for multiple choice. I’m thinking about limiting time on group work in class, especially when working on skits. Groups need to be of mixed ability (high-low) and so the time limit challenges weak students, but also pushes strong students to finish. I can suggest they continue practicing during study hall, during coach class, or after-school in the school library. Then when it’s time for the interactive oral assessment (a one-on-one interview cued by an image), if the student doesn’t know how to respond and they say the name of a classmate who might answer correctly, they both could earn the points, if the classmate gets it right. I’ll have to try this and report back.

link to article: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/opinion/sunday/why-we-should-stop-grading-students-on-a-curve.html

Clashes of Culture: Racial Tensions in Integrating Schools

The Hair I Wear, The Skin I’m In: This Is Me. Please, Let Me Be.

Earlier this summer, students at the Pretoria High School for Girls clustered outside of their school’s towering gates to protest the school’s code of conduct that placed stringent limits on the ways in which the girls could wear their natural hair.

Several students reporting being ordered by school staff members to “fix” their hair. The recommended fixes—chemical straighteners and hot combs—were embarrassing and degrading to the African girls who perceived the school’s code of conduct as an obstruction of their cultural expression and identity. In an interview with NPR, Tiisetso Phetla, a recent graduate of the school, recounted how girls could be removed from class or excluded from assemblies as punishment for wearing their hair in an afro, “It was very difficult because they tell you that either you look barbaric or… to remove that nest off your head.”

Founded in 1902, the Pretoria High School for Girls, was an all-white school under apartheid, admitting its “first black, non-diplomatic pupils” in 1991. Phetla laments, “So you'd always be on the short end of the stick as a black child in the school or a mixed-race child because you were never included in the blueprint of the school when it started.” When girls at the school grew frustrated with the school’s attempt to dictate their hair in addition to discouraging them from speaking their native African languages, students began staging protests. The protests quickly went viral, sparking a national debate about the subtle and unsubtle ways that blacks are forced to conform to white culture.

After thousands signed an online petition supporting the Pretoria students, the head of the province’s education department organized meetings with students, parents and staff to address the students’ concerns. Soon after, the department ordered the suspension of the school’s controversial hairstyle code of conduct clause.

A Model For Baltimore City and County Schools

Multiple studies have shown the effectiveness of diversity on decreasing the achievement gap between minority and white student groups. However, integration is challenging and for schools strategizing new ways to compensate for increased minority enrollment, dialogue has proven to be a powerful tool for exploration and reconciliation.

Schools like Digital Harbor High in Baltimore City is one example of how thoughtful dialogue can be used as an vulnerary instrument in schools where shifting demographics lead to racial tensions. In 2014, the school’s growing Latino immigrant population faced ongoing conflict with the school’s dominant African American population. The mounting tension exploded into a weeklong procession of violence that culminated with the death of a student.

The following year, the school, along with a local Latino group called CASA de Maryland, started a program called SPIRIT to bring students together to find common ground, embrace their differences, and get to know each other. The group opens with an icebreaker before students begin answering questions about themselves that lead to honest dialogue about the students’ unique experiences and their perspectives on the challenges they face. So far, SPIRIT appears to be working and Digital Harbor High hopes to expand the model to other schools.

Final Thought

For those of us who champion integration and believe in its efficacy, we must also champion dialogue. When minority student groups enter schools with fixed cultures, rules, and social norms, there must be a safe space for those students to meet with their peers as well as stakeholders to raise their voices, questions, and concerns. Integration cannot be oversimplified and race relations cannot be overlooked. When a school’s demographics begin to shift, so should the school’s resources and staff, and ostensibly, so should its rules and policies.

From South Africa to Baltimore, Maryland, the effect of open dialogue between students, parents, and administrators is understanding, compromise and reconciliation. If Baltimore hopes to become a successful center of education, it must not look past integration and it must not neglect the dialogue that needs to accompany it. We must act before the protests erupt, before the violence catalyzes, before the lives are lost to create a culture of inclusion in our schools.

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/protests-over-black-girls-hair-rekindle-debate-about-racism-in-south-africa/2016/09/02/27f445da-6ef4-11e6-993f-73c693a89820_story.html#comments

http://www.npr.org/2016/09/04/492599435/girls-at-south-african-high-school-protesting-hair-and-language-bans

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/09/06/492417635/a-ban-on-black-hairstyles-raises-deeper-issues-about-race

https://awethu.amandla.mobi/petitions/stop-racism-at-pretoria-girls-high?source=twitter-share-button

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-county-school-year-20150818-story.html

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-ci-brown-v-board-20140511-story.html

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-05/one-baltimore-school-students-are-easing-racial-tensions-learning-each-other

https://fsrn.org/2014/06/creating-common-ground-amid-racial-tensions-in-baltimore/

Determining Discipline

   “I went to Catholic school, and that kind of stuff did not fly there,” is a phrase that I repeatedly hear myself say when talking to my team members or teacher friends about students’ behavior and discipline.  When I was in school, at a tiny Catholic school in Dundalk, Maryland, disruptive behavior simply wasn’t tolerated.  Little things that I deal with as a teacher every day—talking back, yelling and being disrespectful to peers, pushing, and being disruptive in class—simply weren’t allowed.  There wasn’t a discussion, there weren’t any options or second changes.  Once you got in trouble, you were in trouble and that was the end of that.

            I believe that my upbringing in schools (I followed my K-8 Catholic School with an all girl’s Catholic High School) really plays into how I feel about discipline as a person and as a teacher.  I consider myself a strict teacher, and I set high behavioral expectations for my students.  One reason is that I need non-disruptive behavior in order to teach the most effectively and also because I am trying to prepare them to function further in their education and in real life.

The Articles

            As I was perusing articles this week to determine what I wanted to blog about, I came across two articles in the New York Times that were themed in student discipline.  The first article, “The Unintended Consequences of Taking a Hard Line on School Discipline,” discussed the unintended consequences of the “Zero Tolerance” policy.  It explains the roots of the policy and how it has been expanded quite beyond its intended reach of stopping gun violence to suspending students for minor incidences, such as kicking a trash can or drawing on a desk.  The second article, “An Effective but Exhausting Alternative to High School Suspensions,” discussed alternative methods to high school suspensions, specifically focusing on restorative justice and also the need to discuss race and its relation to discipline.

My Thoughts

            The first article that I read was pretty eye-opening for me.  It mentioned several incidences where elementary school students, even those with diagnosed disabilities, were being suspended for minor incidences, like drawing on a desk.  Honestly my first thought was where is this happening? Because the people I have spoken to can’t get any type of disciplinary action taken at all.  In some of my own experiences, and in those of some teachers I have talked to, it is very difficult to get disciplinary action taken, even for behavior significantly more disruptive, and at times more dangerous than that.  It’s interesting to me that there seem to be discipline at opposite ends of the spectrum, and I’m wondering if there’s some type of, to be cliché, happy medium that could be achieved. 

Although I don’t agree with the severity of a suspension for a minor infraction like kicking a trashcan, honestly if it were me it would just be easier for me to deal with it in my classroom, I do understand where those teachers and principals stand.  Any teacher will tell you that one student can change the whole dynamic of your classroom.  It’s very difficult to teach a room full of students with varying degrees of prior knowledge, and it becomes even more difficult when you have a student who is being disruptive.  I think that these teachers are probably trying their best to do what is best for their students, and getting those students out of the room somehow was the best thing they could think of.  I also think that in a way, not being strict enough is doing a disservice to disruptive students.  If teachers don’t impart some kind of discipline, how will the students be prepared to make decisions and face consequences in the “real world” when they are adults.

I also think, like with a lot of issues in education, concerning discipline it becomes a question of what is more important.  Is it more important to keep this student in school and to try and work out a problem with him or is it more important to teach the majority of my students the skills and concepts they need to learn.  Tied in with this idea of importance is also the idea of fairness.  How is it fair to my students who are following directions to spend so much time with this one student who is being disruptive?  I will admit I have thought this many times myself when dealing with challenging behavior issues.  As teachers, everyone wants us to be fair to all of our students, so how do you fairly decide who gets how much of your time?

Reading the second article was honestly a little uncomfortable for me.  I mean I came from schools where I lost recess if my shirt was untucked, got detention if I forgot to wear my formal uniform for mass, and literally got cornered against a wall by an angry nun.  In comparison to that the idea of restorative justice that this article was pushing, just seemed so wishy-washy to me.  I keep hearing in my head that the students should just listen because I’m the adult in the room and they should know better, but I also realize that not everyone has the same upbringing that I did in school or otherwise.  I understand the theory behind it, talking out the problems in a calm way, giving all parties a chance to voice their side, and then determining a solution, and I think it is more beneficial for students to have this type of training in the long run, but I struggle with the practicality of it. 

My school does not currently use restorative justice practices, but my sister’s school does, so I asked her a few questions about it.  She has to have a morning meeting every day that focuses on some aspect of conflict resolution, team building, social training.  While this is valuable and her students enjoy that time, it does take away instructional time.  I see this as an issue of what do schools, districts, and the country care about more—the students’ social, emotional states and their conflict resolution abilities or their test scores. 

I have heard through various articles and discussions that restorative justice works and improves school behavior, unlike the zero tolerance policy, but I am very interested to see what it looks like day-to-day.  I value the research and data, but I much prefer to hear from teachers in schools similar to mine about how these practices actually look and how much they have to do to prepare and to facilitate and to determine if these practices are actually working for them.  Since there are varying degrees of restorative justice, I also wonder which practices on that continuum are working better for students and teachers.

Although this wasn’t mentioned in either article, I think that discipline and behavior in schools is intertwined with discipline and behavior at home.  I think that it is crucial to have a home-school connection concerning behavior and discipline so that students have that consistency, and I think that is what is lacking in a lot of school systems.  I have noticed from my time teaching and student teaching in various schools, and with talking to other teachers, that in schools that have lower SES statuses, restorative justice, and practices like it, are seeming to become closer to the norm.  I think this has a lot to do with parental involvement.  I think that in a lot of instances, in my own experiences at least, students who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, or at least who attend schools that are less-affluent, have less training and practice from home about talking out problems and conflict resolution, whereas students that come from more affluent schools, with higher levels of parental involvement, have more training and practice from home.  They come to school with more of these skills, so they don’t need as much of the training and practice in the classroom because they are learning about this at home.  I wonder if other teachers who have been in different types of schools have the same experiences that I have had or if mine is a unique situation to myself or my district.

In general, I found that there needs to be some type of balance in school systems, and really individual schools, about what constitutes disciplinary action, such as suspensions, and what can be dealt with in the classroom through restorative justice.  I think that leaning too much in either direction can be harmful to both the students and the teacher.  For example, suspending a student who is constantly being disruptive—talking, being disrespectful, etc.—is not going to deter that behavior, especially if they are not getting a lot of social training at home.  However, consistently allowing a student to be disruptive and disrespectful in the classroom without any type of disciplinary consequences can take away from the other students’ ability to learn, and that in my opinion is not right.  I also think that students need to buy-in to whatever practices the school is using, which is probably the toughest obstacle.  In the accompanying video of “Unintended Consequences of Taking a Hard Line on School Discipline,” Bertie Simmons, a school principal uses a student court to determine academic consequences, rather than punitive ones.  However, I really only think this can work if the students buy into the idea that they need to complete the academic consequences.  I think that one of the biggest obstacles to having suspensions actually deter behavior is that the students are struggling in some way and then are out of school for a pro-longed period where they are not working on their issues or their social skills, which leads to continued disruptive behavior and more kids dropping out of school.  However, I wonder how teachers and administrators get students to understand and to buy into restorative justice so that it can work for them in their classrooms.

           

If you are interested in reading either article, I have provided the links below:

Unintended Consequences of Taking a Hard Line on School Discipline

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/03/us/the-unintended-consequences-of-taking-a-hard-line-on-school-discipline.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation&action=click&contentCollection=education&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

An Effective but Exhausting Alternative to High-school Suspensions

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/magazine/an-effective-ut-exhausting-alternative-to-high-school-suspensions.html