Monday, November 1, 2010
lower drop out rates and increased graduation rates for Baltimore City
The recent statistics for the increased graduation rate and lowered drop out rates in Baltimore city caught my attention. I was very impressed with the shear numbers. A 59% decrease in drop out for African American males is quite impressive. I was very excited and definitely shared in the pride of the city. However part of the article discusses that these higher rates are going to translate into more college going males and thus better job opportunities for African American males. While I believe that this is definitely a great first step, I am somewhat skeptical of reaching these goals immediately. While I do believe in the important steps being made I think there is often confusion with being in school and learning. I used to have a poster on my wall as a kid that jokingly had Garfield saying learning through osmosis. Unfortunately that is not actually how kids learn. Most of the students I teach are far behind grade level and it seems to me that even those that manage to graduate are not ready for college. I think we focus a lot on how kids learn (which is obviously important) but not as much on what kids learn. At a recent PD I went to we had a discussion about technology. One teacher pointed out that in the 4 years it takes to graduate high school most of the technology they will have learned will be outdated. That teacher continued to point out that our goal should be to make sure that students are equipped to learn on their own rather than just learning content. That has been an idea that stuck with me and something that I would really like to explore. Is it really important if a student knows the difference between a dictatorship and an oligarchy or is it more important if they can write a coherent letter to their congressman describing a problem they face. I guess I am asking us to think about what we teach our students and if it is the actual knowledge that will help them succeed in life or just a series of content that we are told we mus teach?
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8 comments:
Sejal,
I have struggled with this very concept in my own classroom. Technology is advancing at such a rate that we do not even know what the job market will look like for our students after they graduate. There certainly will be jobs out there that don't exist yet. I plan on sticking to the curriculum, but I am looking for more ways to integrate technology. It is tough, though. I could have my students create power point presentations on a topic, but then again, this too might be a thing of the past quite soon!
I also question the purported correlation between a decreased drop out rate and increase in college matriculation or college readiness for that matter. Can we even say that schools are better off if significantly more students remain in them? (I know that sounds harsh, but really). In terms of technology, we know there are some things that have been around and will continue to be around: using Word and being able to change font, spacing, and other basic formatting issues that so many students have trouble with. Then we have the basic skills that students acquire (or should acquire, with the right teacher--we all strive to be that educator), such as the ability to analyze a text or a problem and develop a logical response. We can teach the difference (well, not me, but you) between dictatorship and an oligarchy and connect it to something meaningful in their life. I know I'm not saying anything new, and learning skills through content isn't anything radical. We as teachers just have to figure out how to effectively connect content with skills and get kids engaged to buy into the learning process.
I guess my biggest concern with the graduation rate increase is how many 'BRIDGE' projects are a part of that number. From what I hear more students than ever are completing these projects in order to graduate but there are several problems associated with these projects. From those who have graded these projects apparently many of them are the exact same, so it appears that some level of cheating is occurring. I also wonder how much these projects really assess, since the HSA only assesses base level information. If a student cannot pass the HSA should they really be allowed to graduate? I am happy to see that the numbers are up but I wish that these numbers reflected a high level of HSA pass rates as well.
One thing I worry about in Baltimore City, particularly in the neighborhood high schools I have observed, is the drive to "improve" graduation rates in order to meet AYP, meet goals, etc. I have witnessed countless examples of students failing to miss credit requirements, fail classes / cut classes regularly in their last year and still watch them gradate in June...I have heard of a case where a Twilight teacher was pretty much told to pass the kids in order to get them to graduate. These statistics are something to be proud of and are an indicator of how successful we are with our students depending on how genuine we are in getting students to these goals. When we tend to focus solely on data, I believe we can sometimes dilute or dummy down what a high school diploma actually represents. This is still something to be earned, not a right.
What kills me about the graduation rate rising is how some high schools are going about accomplishing this feat. Please don’t misinterpret the following comments; I ABSOLUTELY believe that the graduation rate in Baltimore City NEEDS to rise. The school system has to do more to help students graduate; nevertheless, the push for a higher graduation rate can’t be at the expense of lowering expectations. I know that at my high school and at other high schools in the city, teachers were forced to help students meet the graduation requirements, even if these students hadn’t met coursework or attendance requirements.
Instead of the top-down demand of reform, a better way to improve high school graduation numbers in Baltimore is to REALLY target the 9th grade students. These are the students who drop out of high school in large numbers; these are the students who risk falling through the cracks; these are the students who need to learn the requirements for EARNING a high school degree.
Instead of pushing the students out of the door at the very end of high school, we need to push 9th graders to understand the significance of what they’re about to accomplish. The results for a program that targets students of this age won’t be immediate; it will take at least four years, if not more, to be able to tell if an initiative like this would be working. This type of slow change isn’t as impressive to the press, or to bureaucratic leaders.
But slow change works. After years of programs aimed at closing the achievement gap, Baltimore City’s elementary schools are improving the quality of education for younger kids in Baltimore. This change hasn’t translated to high school students. Trying to change the high school graduation rates by teaching 9th graders how to interpret their school experience could help close this gap.
I could not agree with Bmoreteacher face more. In fact, I am a bit harsher. Yes, graduation rates need to rise, but that does not mean that the efforts to get them to rise are efforts solely to be made by teachers/schools. Students also need to take part in this! We must hold them accountable for mastering material, lest we have higher graduation rates but diplomas that don't mean anything. Already, many prestigious schools raise their noses at our high schools. We need not give them more reason for their snobbery.
This discussion is so important for our kids because CC is right a Baltimore City diploma needs to have a strong standard. This is another case where the numbers and the value behind the numbers are clashing. I think Sejal is right on, we cannot be satisfied when students walk across a stage with a diploma in hand. Our students need to be prepared to walk into a career or continued education. We need to teach our kids to be learners, so they can walk confidently across the stage and into a more promising and secure future.
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