The National Association for Educational Statistics released a report that tested the rigor of state exams in both reading and math for 4th and 8th graders and the findings were disheartening. It found that most states' proficiency standards are below NAEP's definition of basic performance. Maryland's standards were deemed below proficient and in the bottom 10 in 4th grade reading and math; below proficient and in the bottom 15 for 8th grade reading; and slightly above basic in 8th grade math. The report also concluded that there was a significant amount of variation in the "levels of achievement required."
This report also gives strength to implementing an across-the-board curriculum like the Common Core, because it would norm the standards and really hold states accountable for ensuring that the standards are actually rigorous. On a website that discussed Georgia's performance, there was a quote from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's Chief-of-Staff, Joanne Weiss, speaking to the report and why it may be so. She said that the federal No Child Left Behind law has inadvertently driven states to lower their standards. Hopefully, with the implementation of the Common Core, this doesn't have to be the case in the future.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011458
http://www.gpb.org/news/2011/08/10/study-finds-low-test-standards
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Making change
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/how-to-improve-teacher-education-now-and-why-teach-for-america-isnt-the-answer/2011/08/02/gIQANclsqI_blog.html
This piece by Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and former president of Teachers College, argues that alternative certification programs like Teach for America serve to undermine true reform efforts in teacher quality. These programs, he says, siphon off resources that could go towards truly reforming teacher education programs. Instead of shutting down or revamping poorly performing schools, we simply create another source of teachers. Meanwhile, poor schools continue producing lackluster results.
This sounds a lot like the opposition I’ve heard to the charter movement. Much like Levine’s frustration with alternative certification, critics see them as band-aids for more systemic issues in education.
But if there is demand for these schools – and for these teachers – programs like charters and alternative certification can offer an important service.
Both charter schools and programs like Teach for America act in many ways as laboratories for innovation. Teach for America doesn’t simply provide certified teachers to classrooms. As an organization, it has contributed to a body of knowledge, offering valuable insight into what creates results in low performing schools. Though not everything a charter school or TFA tries is successful, these movements accelerate innovation.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A Warning for Charters?
When first reading about Tom Vander Ark’s history as former director of education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and his ambitious plan to create a network of his own charter schools, I thought he and his schools were sure to be another charter success story. However, his efforts to open charters in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and Newark can be described as nothing less than an epic fail.
After spending more than $1.5 million of investors’ money, Mr. Vander Ark has walked away from the project, and the schools will not open as planned this fall, leaving others involved “stunned and frustrated”.
One consultant puts into words the thoughts of many charter school critics that seemed to come alive in this particular case, “…it signals what’s wrong with the so-called charter school community. Somebody who doesn’t deserve a charter gets a charter. Somebody who doesn’t deserve a building gets a building. And then somebody who doesn’t care about the communities can turn their head and walk away.”
Obviously what happened in the case of Mr. Vander Ark is not exemplary of every charter school, and many find much more success than their traditional counterparts. However, I think it does provide a warning for anyone hoping to open a charter in the future as well as a possible deterrent to school districts’ desires to expand their charter numbers.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Leave the kids behind. They just aren't curious.
A New York Times article published yesterday listed scores and results in the national geographic survey, administered to 4th, 8th and 12th graders across the United States. The article started out with promise, saying, “The good news is that students did not do all that poorly.”
That was the only good news and I wasn’t impressed.
Only one in four fourth graders could identify all seven continents. (Did anyone else fight this battle in his/her classroom this year? It drove me crazy.) No higher than 27 percent of any of the grades tested were rated proficient. If that’s not “all that poorly” then I don’t know what is. The article was written in a Q&A style and I found some of the comments made by David P. Driscoll, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board quite interesting. He put the blame on today’s children lacking curiousity for knowledge. He said they could memorize song lyrics, but couldn’t name the vice president and that was the fault of not working hard enough.
He sounds like a real winner.
I agree that students need to take responsibility in part, but they need to be provided with quality instruction in a quality environment in order to succeed. They also need to have sturctured home life that encourages that curiousity. They need to have books in the house. Maybe this Driscoll wasn’t all bad, but he certainly rubbed me the wrong way.
Equally concerning was that results had not shown significant improvement since the test was last administered in 2001. I thought no children were being left behind during this time period…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/us/01questions.html?ref=education
That was the only good news and I wasn’t impressed.
Only one in four fourth graders could identify all seven continents. (Did anyone else fight this battle in his/her classroom this year? It drove me crazy.) No higher than 27 percent of any of the grades tested were rated proficient. If that’s not “all that poorly” then I don’t know what is. The article was written in a Q&A style and I found some of the comments made by David P. Driscoll, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board quite interesting. He put the blame on today’s children lacking curiousity for knowledge. He said they could memorize song lyrics, but couldn’t name the vice president and that was the fault of not working hard enough.
He sounds like a real winner.
I agree that students need to take responsibility in part, but they need to be provided with quality instruction in a quality environment in order to succeed. They also need to have sturctured home life that encourages that curiousity. They need to have books in the house. Maybe this Driscoll wasn’t all bad, but he certainly rubbed me the wrong way.
Equally concerning was that results had not shown significant improvement since the test was last administered in 2001. I thought no children were being left behind during this time period…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/us/01questions.html?ref=education
Monday, August 1, 2011
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them stop cheating.
Congratulations to my home state of Pennsylvania for adding itself to the growing list of states filed under educational cheaters. The New York Times reported today that 89 schools in Pennsylvania (28 from Philly) have thrown up red flags for “questionable gains” and questionable numbers of erasure marks.
The information that led to this discovery was collecting e-dust for more than a year before a reporter from a Philadelphia outlet called The Notebook had time to dig deeper. The state put out a study of red flagged schools and then did nothing with the information – nothing that is until The Notebook ran an article with the information from that study.
It’s frustrating that a state study went widely unnoticed for so long. It’s even more frustrating that I doubt much more will be done with the information. The article paralleled the Atlanta cheating scandal, where 10 months of investigations led to the identification of 44 shady schools. Those schools account for half of Atlanta’s district. In Pennsylvania, there are 3,300 schools to sift through.
So far, no teachers or administrators have gone on record about cheating at their schools. Additionally, there are political ties that will further complicate an investigation. One of the schools that had the most flagrant violations reported is run by the biggest donor to Governor Tom Corbitt’s last campaign.
It always comes back to leadership, doesn’t it? Crooked politicians. Crooked Administrators. Maybe that is the key. We need more Geoffrey Canada’s out there. How do we change the whole system? How do we create an educational climate where schools don’t resort to cheating?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/education/01winerip.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=education
The information that led to this discovery was collecting e-dust for more than a year before a reporter from a Philadelphia outlet called The Notebook had time to dig deeper. The state put out a study of red flagged schools and then did nothing with the information – nothing that is until The Notebook ran an article with the information from that study.
It’s frustrating that a state study went widely unnoticed for so long. It’s even more frustrating that I doubt much more will be done with the information. The article paralleled the Atlanta cheating scandal, where 10 months of investigations led to the identification of 44 shady schools. Those schools account for half of Atlanta’s district. In Pennsylvania, there are 3,300 schools to sift through.
So far, no teachers or administrators have gone on record about cheating at their schools. Additionally, there are political ties that will further complicate an investigation. One of the schools that had the most flagrant violations reported is run by the biggest donor to Governor Tom Corbitt’s last campaign.
It always comes back to leadership, doesn’t it? Crooked politicians. Crooked Administrators. Maybe that is the key. We need more Geoffrey Canada’s out there. How do we change the whole system? How do we create an educational climate where schools don’t resort to cheating?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/education/01winerip.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=education
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Raising the stakes
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/07/duncan_teacher_salaries_should.html
On Friday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called for higher pay for teachers, more accountability, and higher entrance criteria at education schools. And in order to make this happen, he stressed, the nation is going to have to think critically about our current hiring practices, job security, and benefits in the field.
In other words, we need to raise the stakes for public school teachers.
About a month ago, I would have seen this news, reported in Education Week, as purely positive. But the class on school reform I am currently taking makes this news more nuanced for me. It’s not that I do not want stronger teachers or incentives for hard work. I truly believe that these measures will do good things for our nation’s students. Still, I think we need to consider carefully how we evaluate our teachers and structure compensation modules.
When we place a disproportionate focus on test scores in a school environment – and then award money accordingly – we can create a climate that does not focus on complex and meaningful learning. As Alfie Kohn argues in a recent opinion piece featured online in the Washington Post, some teachers in struggling schools that aggressively and sometimes obsessively pursue gains on standardized tests reduce their classrooms to relentless test-taking drills. There is little room for a constructive approach to education in these settings.
It’s just something to think about.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Ed Schools' Pedagogical Puzzle
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/education/edlife/edl-24teacher-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp
At Relay Graduate School of Education they are doing things differently. Instead of lectures and traditional courses, graduate students will mainly be mentored at their schools and focus on teaching techniques that they can “use on Monday”. There have been many complaints lately that teachers are unprepared for the classroom- even though they may be certified or have a Master’s degree. Relay, a spin off of Teacher U which was founded by leaders from Achievement First, Uncommon Schools, and KIPP to train their teachers, seems to be following the national trend of emphasizing practical instruction over academic study in order to vastly improve teacher education. Students are not even allowed to receive their master’s degree until they have submitted a portfolio proving that their own students have made at least one year of academic progress.
While there are many supporters of this kind of teacher education, critics worry about several factors of the Teacher U/Relay model. Some say that it will add unneeded competition in a time of budget cuts and teacher lay-offs. However, the main criticism is that it dumbs-down teacher education and that the focus on pedagogical context has teachers following protocol without intellectual rigor. Though I would argue many teachers find daily classroom struggles much more challenging and “rigorous” than their traditional master’s coursework. Others are not so much concerned with the methods of Relay but rather that resources could be better spent on monitoring and supervising existing graduate schools rather than saying “let’s just toss it to the side and create something different”.
The goal of Relay’s leaders, though it may not be achieved, is to move their model beyond just servicing the charter school world. They hope to have half of their students be traditional public school teachers who can benefit just as much from the techniques and strategies, including those of Doug Lemov, that Relay focuses on. I think that many teachers would be in favor of this type of education; however, as Linda Darling-Hammond warns, with anything new “we risk learning on other people’s’ kids”.
Tricky Tenure
New York is often one of the first looked at cities when regarding school reform in urban environments, and tenure consistently remains in the center of reform controversy. What is the purpose of tenure? Is its main purpose to still protect teacher’s rights? Or is it working more to keep a steady flow of ineffective teachers responsible for educating our nation’s children? What rights do ineffective teachers deserve if they are not living up their professional expectations as educators?
In New York, tenure is changing. According to the New York Times, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the era of automatic tenure for teachers is over because of tougher evaluation guidelines put into place earlier this year.
Teachers are eligible for tenure in New York, once they have completed their third year teaching. This year only 58% percent of eligible teachers received tenure based on the evaluation system where teachers are rated as highly effective, effective, developing, or ineffective from student test-scores, classroom observations, feedback from parents, and other factors. Teachers who did not score in effective categories were deferred tenure, and three percent were denied tenure. Bloomberg says that teachers who continue to work a fourth year, with deferred tenure, will be helped with training, with hope that they will improve and earn tenure eventually.
Tenure becomes a very sticky subject between districts and unions. What should the policy be here in Baltimore? Does the extra “developing” category give new teachers the support they need to become the effective teachers that students deserve and who deserve to stay in the classroom. I think Baltimore could definitely benefit from this four-tiered evaluation system for both our teachers and our students. How will we get there, and who will decide?
For more information, read here.
In New York, tenure is changing. According to the New York Times, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the era of automatic tenure for teachers is over because of tougher evaluation guidelines put into place earlier this year.
Teachers are eligible for tenure in New York, once they have completed their third year teaching. This year only 58% percent of eligible teachers received tenure based on the evaluation system where teachers are rated as highly effective, effective, developing, or ineffective from student test-scores, classroom observations, feedback from parents, and other factors. Teachers who did not score in effective categories were deferred tenure, and three percent were denied tenure. Bloomberg says that teachers who continue to work a fourth year, with deferred tenure, will be helped with training, with hope that they will improve and earn tenure eventually.
Tenure becomes a very sticky subject between districts and unions. What should the policy be here in Baltimore? Does the extra “developing” category give new teachers the support they need to become the effective teachers that students deserve and who deserve to stay in the classroom. I think Baltimore could definitely benefit from this four-tiered evaluation system for both our teachers and our students. How will we get there, and who will decide?
For more information, read here.
This Is Your Brain on Summer
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/opinion/28smink.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
We often joke during the school year that our students are just going to forget everything they learned over the summer. A New York Times article published last week explains that summer learning loss isn't just a joke: it happens every year, and it disproportionally affects low-income students. A Johns Hopkins Study of Baltimore students found that "about two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income ninth graders could be explained by summer learning loss during the elementary school years" because they are exposed fewer opportunities for learning, reading, and thinking each summer. This is a scary thing.
The reality is that a 180-day school calendar is highly ineffective. It's based on an outdated agrarian calendar, which our country no longer has a need for. Many other countries (which surpass us in student achievement) have embraced year-round schooling. An alternative to converting to year-long schooling (which I honestly don't see happening in the near future) are good summer programs. However, very few districts offer this on a large scale. The article argues that high-need schools "should have at least six weeks of full-day summer school that is comprehensive and engaging." Perhaps summer learning will be the newest school reform craze.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Race to the Top Funds
Reuters reported on statements made by Republican, Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, in an educational funding hearing. Yesterday, Senator Shelby questioned funding for Obama’s Race to the Top campaign. He expressed concern about the program being too competitive and drawing funds away from poor states. He conveyed doubt regarding the mandates of the Race to the Top applications, and he showed worry about federal meddling in the state business of education. Senator Shelby provided support for state flexibility in education decisions to meet the needs of the state.
Moreover, Senator Shelby asked Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, to review and possibly change criteria for evaluating Race to the Top allocation of funds. Reuters included a quote from Shelby in which he stated that he is concerned funds will be drawn away from poor rural areas and redistributed to urban areas. Arne responded by saying that the evaluation of distribution of funding criteria is a “work in progress,” and he added that there will be more grant opportunities for rural areas. Reuters mentioned that critics argue that Race to the Top has been emphasizes charters school, which in return hurts public schools.
Senator Shelby displays a valid concern for rural areas. At times, I feel so consumed by the education reform going on in Baltimore City that I forget to acknowledge work in other low income areas. Are there reforms taking place in rural areas that could benefit initiatives in urban areas? How can we better communicate and partnership with schools from rural areas to enhance education for students in both areas? The allocations of funding for Race to the Top present a challenge for the federal government. A competition does not usually include equity, but when the federal government examines funding for education, it appears equity must be taken into consideration regarding the students. Does a competition change the way the federal government should approve allocations? Is it fair to students in low income areas with failing schools that are in states that do not get as much funding? What will the allocation of funds from Race to the Top look like in Baltimore City?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/27/us-usa-states-education-race-idUSTRE76Q5LA20110727
Moreover, Senator Shelby asked Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, to review and possibly change criteria for evaluating Race to the Top allocation of funds. Reuters included a quote from Shelby in which he stated that he is concerned funds will be drawn away from poor rural areas and redistributed to urban areas. Arne responded by saying that the evaluation of distribution of funding criteria is a “work in progress,” and he added that there will be more grant opportunities for rural areas. Reuters mentioned that critics argue that Race to the Top has been emphasizes charters school, which in return hurts public schools.
Senator Shelby displays a valid concern for rural areas. At times, I feel so consumed by the education reform going on in Baltimore City that I forget to acknowledge work in other low income areas. Are there reforms taking place in rural areas that could benefit initiatives in urban areas? How can we better communicate and partnership with schools from rural areas to enhance education for students in both areas? The allocations of funding for Race to the Top present a challenge for the federal government. A competition does not usually include equity, but when the federal government examines funding for education, it appears equity must be taken into consideration regarding the students. Does a competition change the way the federal government should approve allocations? Is it fair to students in low income areas with failing schools that are in states that do not get as much funding? What will the allocation of funds from Race to the Top look like in Baltimore City?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/27/us-usa-states-education-race-idUSTRE76Q5LA20110727
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
School Choice
I strongly recommend reading this article if you’re interested in school choice.
This is a riveting story about a single mother of three who wanted to send her youngest daughter to a strong public school in New York City. The child started out at Dewey, a failing school with low test scores. To find a strong middle school, the mother had to practically memorize the education department’s vague and confusing guide to middle schools, attend middle school fairs, tour schools, and ultimately, invest hours and hours of her time into doing so.
The results: Dewey. “Dewey,” Ms. Otero said. “A complete waste of my time. She should have gone straight into Dewey.”
I couldn’t imagine the efforts parents must invest in having to choose an elementary, middle, and high school for multiple children. School choice sounds good in theory, but in reality, few parents have the time to sort through all the research and make the best decisions. Remember how stressful it was applying to colleges? Imagine the same process for elementary school, middle school, high school, and college? It’s overwhelming, and I’m not sure that it’s the answer. And I can’t imagine how terrible it feels for parents like Ms. Otero, who did invest hours and hours of her precious time, only to have to send her daughter back to the same failing school.
With anything else, I wish we’d just focus our efforts on making the public schools that we do have great. The system we have in place has the potential to educate our students; why are we investing millions of dollars into opening up charters, providng vouches, etc., when we could pour that same money into attracting strong human capital to fix the schools we already have?
Baltimore County Public Schools Cut Teaching Positions
Baltimore County schools appear on the front cover of The Baltimore Sun today because 196 teacher positions have been cut for the upcoming school year. Liz Bowie of The Baltimore Sun writes that the school system hired administrators, curriculum supervisors, accountants, and others, amounting to $1.9 million in annual salaries (1). The Baltimore Sun finds that with a budget of $1.9 million Baltimore County Public Schools could have hired 42 teachers at an annual pay of $45,000 or 37 teachers for at an annual pay of $50,000 (1).
Cutting teachers is a challenging side to defend when placing student needs first. The article offers alternative measures to cutting teacher positions like freezing teacher salaries for a year or reducing health benefits. These appear to be good alternatives to reducing teaching positions, but it makes me question how unions would respond to this type of arrangement.
This article directly relates to two new hiring updates that were provided today by Balitmore City CEO, Dr. Alonso. Two new leadership positions have been created and filled according to the press release to better meet the needs of students and families. These Baltimore City new cabinet appointments make me question whether these types of new positions created by Alonso are a good use of funding. As the weight of education continues to fall on the shoulders of teachers and reform emphasizes the need for highly qualified teachers, why are funds being allocated to fill new positions in administrative roles? Could these administrative roles be better organized with fewer people and still be run efficiently? It would be interesting to see research on how the funding of different school districts (in particular looking at the funding for teachers verses administration/ operations) plays into student achievement.
Baltimore City Press Release: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/cms/lib/MD01001351/Centricity/Domain/1/%20pdf/BricePerkinsPressRelease.pdf
Baltimore Sun Article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-schools-hiring-20110726,0,4016054.story
Cutting teachers is a challenging side to defend when placing student needs first. The article offers alternative measures to cutting teacher positions like freezing teacher salaries for a year or reducing health benefits. These appear to be good alternatives to reducing teaching positions, but it makes me question how unions would respond to this type of arrangement.
This article directly relates to two new hiring updates that were provided today by Balitmore City CEO, Dr. Alonso. Two new leadership positions have been created and filled according to the press release to better meet the needs of students and families. These Baltimore City new cabinet appointments make me question whether these types of new positions created by Alonso are a good use of funding. As the weight of education continues to fall on the shoulders of teachers and reform emphasizes the need for highly qualified teachers, why are funds being allocated to fill new positions in administrative roles? Could these administrative roles be better organized with fewer people and still be run efficiently? It would be interesting to see research on how the funding of different school districts (in particular looking at the funding for teachers verses administration/ operations) plays into student achievement.
Baltimore City Press Release: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/cms/lib/MD01001351/Centricity/Domain/1/%20pdf/BricePerkinsPressRelease.pdf
Baltimore Sun Article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-schools-hiring-20110726,0,4016054.story
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Common Core Academies in Maryland
Late last month educators from across northwestern Maryland arrived at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg, MD. on a mission: to figure out how to apply the common core standards to their classroom and to their schools. This gathering is the first of many “educator effectiveness academies” for teachers and principals, which officials say will be the largest teacher professional-development program ever held in the state. Every public school from this region, 1,450 total, have been asked to send a team of educators to one of the three day workshops that will continue over the next two summers. The state is expecting to spend $12.5 million of its Race to the Top award on the academies over three years. To conclude the professional development plan, Maryland officials say they will provide follow-up support by having schools complete “transition” plans to describe how they will make their colleagues comfortable with the standards.
Educators attending the academy voiced both their support and concern of the new standards. Matthew Marsh, an English teacher, predicts that the standards could result in students’ arriving in his class with a better set of skills acquired in earlier grades, but worries that the standards will de-emphasize a rich study of literature. Another teacher asked during a question-and-answer session, “How Maryland could be developing a system for evaluating teachers using test scores, when the state is still trying to explain its standards to teachers, and hasn’t developed the exams that will be based on those standards” The state officials response was, “I wish I had an answer for that.”
What is Baltimore City doing to prepare for the use of the Common Core Standards? As part of the early childhood cohort, we were able to catch a glimpse of what the Department of Early Learning had began writing for the district at last summers New Teacher Institute, but haven’t heard anything since. Should Baltimore introduce the curriculum by sending teams to workshops as Northern Maryland has done? And also what are you thoughts on using the core standards?
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/07/13/36maryland_ep.h30.html?tkn=SZYFpeW3f7%2B4kwTkDPDHUY%2BIvXiqKp7lalQX&cmp=clp-edweek
Switch to Elected Boards in the County?
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2011/07/balto_county_school_board_task_force_chair_looking_ahead.html
Out in the country, a task force was put together in order to examine the structure of the school board. A series of public hearings were held, whose input will help put together the board's recommendations. At the last hearing, it was reported that the public voiced support for an elected board. Currently, the board is appointed by the governor. However, others were skeptical, saying the structure does not need to be changed citing success on test scores as evidence.
It is noteworthy that when the public is asked how they want their school board members to be chosen, the majority said elections. Though, it's not entirely surprising, given that the people who attended these public hearings are likely ones who attend school board meetings, would vote in school board elections, and probably want more say in who sits on the board. Most interesting, however, is that some thought there should be no changes because the country is doing well (in their opinion). Does this mean that, if asked, Baltimore City residents would want to switch to an elected board, since City Schools is perceived by many to be failing? I would argue yes. Nonetheless, I doubt the City would ever switch to an elected board, given that most urban districts now have an appointed school board.
Out in the country, a task force was put together in order to examine the structure of the school board. A series of public hearings were held, whose input will help put together the board's recommendations. At the last hearing, it was reported that the public voiced support for an elected board. Currently, the board is appointed by the governor. However, others were skeptical, saying the structure does not need to be changed citing success on test scores as evidence.
It is noteworthy that when the public is asked how they want their school board members to be chosen, the majority said elections. Though, it's not entirely surprising, given that the people who attended these public hearings are likely ones who attend school board meetings, would vote in school board elections, and probably want more say in who sits on the board. Most interesting, however, is that some thought there should be no changes because the country is doing well (in their opinion). Does this mean that, if asked, Baltimore City residents would want to switch to an elected board, since City Schools is perceived by many to be failing? I would argue yes. Nonetheless, I doubt the City would ever switch to an elected board, given that most urban districts now have an appointed school board.
Traditional Education Reform Founded on the American Dream?
In this day and age, the phrase "public education" has become code for the education of the poor and the achievement gap that exists between lower and higher income students. Many public education reform efforts target improving or shutting down failing schools in light of the conventional wisdom that failing schools are the cause of the problem--the achievement gap--and should thus be the point of intervention. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom puts the cart before the horse.
Solving the problem of public education in America requires more than just school reform. Schools should not be ignored, but they only account for a fraction of the problems that face American public education. There are extrinsic social, emotional, physiological, and psychological challenges related to socioeconomic status that leave children living in poverty playing catch-up from the minute they enter school. In particular, children living in low socioeconomic households are not adequately prepared to learn what schools are in place to teach when they enter school in PK or K.
Research has shown that low-income parents use fewer words with their children on a daily basis, engage in less two-way conversation, and expose their children to books and reading less compared to middle and upper income parents. There has been much discussion about the significant role that parents have to play in their child's education, but when it comes to educational reform efforts that reach out to parents most programs fall flat. This is what makes programs like Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone unique. The HCZ and other prospective "Promise Neighborhoods" offer parents the educational opportunities and resources that they need to learn about early childhood education so that they can intervene as soon as their child is born. The program takes a more holistic approach to educational reform, providing poor parents with resource and support they need so that they can devote the necessary time and energy to prepare their kids for academic success.
Sadly, holistic approaches such as Canada's threaten the very platform upon which most traditional education reform programs are built: demography is not destiny and the American dream lives on! According to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, every child can learn and thrive despite the challenges at home. This requires that reform efforts do not attempt to lower standards because certain students face significant challenges at home. However, maintaining high standards is not the idea being challenged. Rather, education reform should seek to maintain high standards while also providing poor students and their families with the resources that they need to achieve such standards. In this way, the holistic approach to educational reform places the horse in front of the cart in the hopes of moving forward.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jim-taylor/failing-students-not-fail_b_534797.html
Is the NYC Middle School Lottery a True Lottery System?
In the NYC public school system, students entering the 6th grade are placed into a lottery to determine which middle school they will attend. For a child to attend a school outside of his or her neighborhood, there must be demonstrated high achievement on the state standardized test. This was the situation facing Aaliyah Otero's mother as her daughter began the 5th grade. Ms. Otero was well aware that Dewey, Aaliyah's neighborhood middle school, was underperforming and would not be a good avenue for her daughter to be accepted into a strong high school. “A lot of kids at Dewey cut class, hang out on the street,” Ms. Otero said. “Kids get jumped in the park.” Ms. Otero was determined to get her daughter into a better school, and so she entered the lottery process armed with detailed knowledge of exactly what each school was looking for as far as admissions criteria.
After ranking Dewey at the bottom of the list and ranking several strong schools at the top, Aaliyah was still placed in her neighborhood school, Dewey. Aaliyah is not a bad student. Her test scores fall right on the cusp of what the more selective schools look for. However, the simple fact is that she will be a student at Dewey in the fall and will have much greater odds stacked against her as a result of having to attend there. “That’s so young for a decision that can affect them until they graduate high school,” one guidance counselor said. It seems as though this process really benefits those students who perform well, while it hurts students such as Aaliyah whose scores don't quite make the cut. In my opinion, it's the beginning of a two-class educational system where the stronger students (and usually more affluent students) will receive an even greater education than those students left to suffer at neighborhood schools which are on the decline.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Voucher Program Faces Lawsuit
In Colorado, the Douglas County School District is facing a lawsuit challenging a pilot voucher program. The program, known as The Douglas County's Choice Scholarship Program is facing a lawsuit filed by three civil liberties unions, including the ACLU, and parents who claim that the program violates the lawful separation of church and state. The plaintiffs argue that taxpayer funds intended to go into Colorado's public education system should not be allowed to fund private schools because of their religious affiliations.
In response, district officials have filed a motion requesting that the court allow them to carry out their pilot vouchers, through which they have already distributed over $158,000 of public funds to private schools for 14o students. The defense argues that since the money has already been distributed it would be nonsensical to cancel the program because doing so would only serve to inconvenience the families of the students involved.
The debate over vouchers is not an unfamiliar one. In Baltimore, city officials continue to oppose proposals for voucher programs. Though there are surely numerous reasons for the rejection of vouchers in Baltimore, it is likely that the major point of contention revolves around spending public funds on tuition for private schools with religious affiliations. Many existing voucher programs appear to offer students and their families anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000. In Baltimore City, this amount of money would afford students entry into schools like Archbishop Curley High School or Mercy High School, which are both parochial schools with mission statements promoting Christian beliefs and values. Tuition for these schools is slightly above $11,000. To send students to any of the elite private schools in and around the city that are not religiously affiliated might cost upwards of $20,000 a year.
If Baltimore city officials were to adopt a voucher program, they may find themselves facing a lawsuit similar to the one facing Douglas county officials. Are such lawsuits the beginning of the end for vouchers programs as a means of urban school reform?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/25/douglas-county-school-boa_n_908961.html
"Students Score Slightly Better on State Science Test" -Baltimore Sun
In an article released earlier this week, the Maryland State Department of Education shared the results of the science MSA taken by fifth and eighth graders. While the state average in science was better than this year's average in reading and math, there hasn't been a noticeable jump in test scores since the science MSA was instituted 4 years ago.
Bowie reports, "In Baltimore City, the fifth grade dropped 3 percentage points to 36 percent passing while eighth-graders rose 3 percentage points to 37.6 percent. The city scores were 30 percentage points below the state average[my emphasis]." This data represents a stark reality facing Baltimore City Public Schools. Whether or not we should consider this data reliable, we should be concerned at the disparity between the performance of students in Baltimore City and those in the surrounding Maryland counties. Why might we be performing so much worse?
Bowie mentions the release of a National Research Council "framework for what students should be taught in science from kindergarten through 12th grade. The framework places more weight on teaching engineering as well as science and reduces the number of core concepts taught in a year." To me, reducing the number of core concepts taught in a year - the depth over breadth argument - is key. While I don't personally have experience teaching science, one of my close colleagues this year (a teacher who just completed his fifth year) was tasked with trying to prepare our 8th graders for the science MSA. One of the major difficulties - he said - was the breadth of topics that the test covers, as well as the fact that the MSA is designed to test knowledge gleaned from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. I think that he would welcome this framework as opposed to the current science curriculum.
This goes back to the consideration of new standards like Common Core: will this significantly help students in Baltimore City and other urban areas? And not only that, but how long will it take to see results? Ravitch argues that good curricula is essential to a good education. But obviously, it is not the only factor we need to consider in reforming our schools. Baltimore City also needs to continue to encourage and develop teacher effectiveness, infuse schools with good leadership, involve families and communities in the process of school reform, and much, much more if we want to see really game-changing results in the quality of our student's education (and this means not just results on tests, obviously). Better curricula is without doubt a great thing, but it is just one piece of the education puzzle.
Bowie reports, "In Baltimore City, the fifth grade dropped 3 percentage points to 36 percent passing while eighth-graders rose 3 percentage points to 37.6 percent. The city scores were 30 percentage points below the state average[my emphasis]." This data represents a stark reality facing Baltimore City Public Schools. Whether or not we should consider this data reliable, we should be concerned at the disparity between the performance of students in Baltimore City and those in the surrounding Maryland counties. Why might we be performing so much worse?
Bowie mentions the release of a National Research Council "framework for what students should be taught in science from kindergarten through 12th grade. The framework places more weight on teaching engineering as well as science and reduces the number of core concepts taught in a year." To me, reducing the number of core concepts taught in a year - the depth over breadth argument - is key. While I don't personally have experience teaching science, one of my close colleagues this year (a teacher who just completed his fifth year) was tasked with trying to prepare our 8th graders for the science MSA. One of the major difficulties - he said - was the breadth of topics that the test covers, as well as the fact that the MSA is designed to test knowledge gleaned from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. I think that he would welcome this framework as opposed to the current science curriculum.
This goes back to the consideration of new standards like Common Core: will this significantly help students in Baltimore City and other urban areas? And not only that, but how long will it take to see results? Ravitch argues that good curricula is essential to a good education. But obviously, it is not the only factor we need to consider in reforming our schools. Baltimore City also needs to continue to encourage and develop teacher effectiveness, infuse schools with good leadership, involve families and communities in the process of school reform, and much, much more if we want to see really game-changing results in the quality of our student's education (and this means not just results on tests, obviously). Better curricula is without doubt a great thing, but it is just one piece of the education puzzle.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Unions, the NAACP, Race, and the Courts
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/nyregion/ruling-against-teachers-union-on-school-closing-plan.html?_r=1&ref=education
In New York City, the district is attempting to close 22 low performing schools and replace them with 15 charter schools (cue debate about charter schools). In response, the United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit to prevent the district from moving forward with their plan (cue debate about teachers unions). The UFT claims that the district acted improperly when closing the schools and discriminated against traditional public schools by giving charters more time in the common areas (e.g., cafeteria, gymnasium) than traditional schools.
This past Thursday, Justice Paul G. Feinman of New York's Supreme Court ruled against the union, declaring that the suit did not meet the standard required for the court to immediately stop the city from closing the schools. Further, he said that the union failed to prove that the city had acted improperly with the closings. However, the suit was not dismissed outright, and the union said they planned on continuing the legal battle.
Complicating the conflict, the preeminent African-American civil rights organization, the N.A.A.C.P., joined the lawsuit on the side of the....teacher's union. They, too, allege that the district unfairly discriminated against the traditional public schools. This lawsuit rose to national attention because of the N.A.A.C.P.'s involvement and their stance against charter schools because charters serve mostly black students. Their involvement got so contentious that one charter school mother accused the leader of the N.A.A.C.P.'s New York branch of "doing the business of slave masters."
This lawsuit raised a number of noteworthy discussion points. First, it is significant that New York City decided to replace their 22 failing schools with 15 charter schools. It appears as though NYC has unabashedly embraced charter schools as a better solution than traditional public schools. Next, it's interesting that the UFT opposed such a move to such an extent as to file a lawsuit and take it all the way to state supreme court-- though not surprising, considering how charters generally want more freedom from union regulations (a la KIPP's skirmish with the AFT here in Baltimore?).
Most interestingly, though, is the N.A.A.C.P.'s involvement and it's perception in the community. What made the N.A.A.C.P. take the side of the teacher's union against charter schools? The article did not say. What's the N.A.A.C.P.'s interest in supporting traditional public schools over the opening of more charter schools? One could only guess, but I speculate that there is a relatively high number of African-Americans in the teacher's union who are politically active. Moreover, why are charter schools associated with necessarily helping African-American students, and traditional public schools with hurting such students, in the eyes of some parents? And to such a strong extent as to make one mother associate any organization supporting traditional public schools as a "slave master." To extend this comparison, that mother, and surely others who share her views, must view the district as a force who purposefully attempts to hurt black students by trying to prevent more charter schools from opening.
Though charter schools have not been proven to conclusively raise student achievement, the fact that some parents appear to swear by them while strongly and actively opposing all groups standing in charters' way makes one wonder about charters' effectiveness and the regulations that keep them from being more commonplace.
In New York City, the district is attempting to close 22 low performing schools and replace them with 15 charter schools (cue debate about charter schools). In response, the United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit to prevent the district from moving forward with their plan (cue debate about teachers unions). The UFT claims that the district acted improperly when closing the schools and discriminated against traditional public schools by giving charters more time in the common areas (e.g., cafeteria, gymnasium) than traditional schools.
This past Thursday, Justice Paul G. Feinman of New York's Supreme Court ruled against the union, declaring that the suit did not meet the standard required for the court to immediately stop the city from closing the schools. Further, he said that the union failed to prove that the city had acted improperly with the closings. However, the suit was not dismissed outright, and the union said they planned on continuing the legal battle.
Complicating the conflict, the preeminent African-American civil rights organization, the N.A.A.C.P., joined the lawsuit on the side of the....teacher's union. They, too, allege that the district unfairly discriminated against the traditional public schools. This lawsuit rose to national attention because of the N.A.A.C.P.'s involvement and their stance against charter schools because charters serve mostly black students. Their involvement got so contentious that one charter school mother accused the leader of the N.A.A.C.P.'s New York branch of "doing the business of slave masters."
This lawsuit raised a number of noteworthy discussion points. First, it is significant that New York City decided to replace their 22 failing schools with 15 charter schools. It appears as though NYC has unabashedly embraced charter schools as a better solution than traditional public schools. Next, it's interesting that the UFT opposed such a move to such an extent as to file a lawsuit and take it all the way to state supreme court-- though not surprising, considering how charters generally want more freedom from union regulations (a la KIPP's skirmish with the AFT here in Baltimore?).
Most interestingly, though, is the N.A.A.C.P.'s involvement and it's perception in the community. What made the N.A.A.C.P. take the side of the teacher's union against charter schools? The article did not say. What's the N.A.A.C.P.'s interest in supporting traditional public schools over the opening of more charter schools? One could only guess, but I speculate that there is a relatively high number of African-Americans in the teacher's union who are politically active. Moreover, why are charter schools associated with necessarily helping African-American students, and traditional public schools with hurting such students, in the eyes of some parents? And to such a strong extent as to make one mother associate any organization supporting traditional public schools as a "slave master." To extend this comparison, that mother, and surely others who share her views, must view the district as a force who purposefully attempts to hurt black students by trying to prevent more charter schools from opening.
Though charter schools have not been proven to conclusively raise student achievement, the fact that some parents appear to swear by them while strongly and actively opposing all groups standing in charters' way makes one wonder about charters' effectiveness and the regulations that keep them from being more commonplace.
Standardized Testing.... for a 5-Year-Old.
The possibility of testing and accountability at the Pre-K and Kindergarten level is now certainly upon us. As part of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, states wanting a shot at a grant will need to put in place standards and assessments that gauge student’s kindergarten readiness. Immediately the image of our youngest learners losing explorative playtime in place of standardized test prep enters people’s minds. Kindergarten readiness, however, is supposed to be thought of as a broad picture of a child’s abilities and behaviors that are observed over time in a variety of contexts. The intent of the initiative is to determine where children are upon entering kindergarten, learn of their strengths and weaknesses and use the data to improve instructional practices that are tailored to the individual child. Sounds good in theory... but I'm still wary.
So these assessments would be given during the first month of kindergarten, the same month teachers are instructing their students how to behave in a social setting. Is it fair to test a 5-year-old’s ability in their first few weeks ever in school? And would the results of that assessment even be a valuable indicator of their ability? Studies have shown that test scores of young children did not predict well what their future ability would be.
As accountability and testing become more popular, the age of testing becomes lower, and Baltimore City is already headed in that direction. Pre-K and Kindergarten students are already given the Maryland Measure for School Readiness test, a test seen in a negative light by some teachers because of the time needed to administer it and it’s almost futile results. Did this test tell me that some of my students were not ready for kindergarten? Yes (mostly because they were shy in my opinion, and again it was the first month of school). Did some of these students score in the proficient range on other reading and math benchmarks? Yes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-giving-standardized-tests-to-young-children-is-really-dumb/2011/07/18/gIQAB7OnMI_blog.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rae-pica/is-prek-testing-coming_b_894834.html?ref=tw
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Student Teacher…Quality?
Today, the National Council on Student Teacher Quality issued a study reporting the flaws and shortcomings of educational schools’ student-teaching programs. The New York Times reports highlights here that reveal both poor results of training programs and the reactions from education schools.
“Student Teaching in the United States” examined 134 student teaching programs across the nation, and found that 75 percent of schools did not meet the five basic standards designed for evaluating high quality education schools. While the Times did not share the five standards, they do share Council President Kate Walsh’s comments on the lack of standards in evaluating education schools. Currently, basic accrediting bodies do not even standardize the length of time a student teacher needs to serve in the classroom. Lack of selection control over cooperative teachers also proved to bring negative scores for education schools.
Many institutions have reached out to the US News Report complaining of the council’s methods as these evaluations will contribute to the education schools’ grades of A-F to be reported.
Graduation from an educational school is supposed to bring accountability and credibility for those traditionally trained as teachers. What does this mean for Baltimore City? Education schools and their student teacher programs should be evaluated, but if we cannot agree upon assessment tactics, it undermines the idea of even trying to assess teacher quality. What makes a quality-student teaching experience and how can it be ensured and standardized? While the report appears to be heavily criticized, it does raise the important question of how we are ensuring that quality teachers are here for our kids and their education.
“Student Teaching in the United States” examined 134 student teaching programs across the nation, and found that 75 percent of schools did not meet the five basic standards designed for evaluating high quality education schools. While the Times did not share the five standards, they do share Council President Kate Walsh’s comments on the lack of standards in evaluating education schools. Currently, basic accrediting bodies do not even standardize the length of time a student teacher needs to serve in the classroom. Lack of selection control over cooperative teachers also proved to bring negative scores for education schools.
Many institutions have reached out to the US News Report complaining of the council’s methods as these evaluations will contribute to the education schools’ grades of A-F to be reported.
Graduation from an educational school is supposed to bring accountability and credibility for those traditionally trained as teachers. What does this mean for Baltimore City? Education schools and their student teacher programs should be evaluated, but if we cannot agree upon assessment tactics, it undermines the idea of even trying to assess teacher quality. What makes a quality-student teaching experience and how can it be ensured and standardized? While the report appears to be heavily criticized, it does raise the important question of how we are ensuring that quality teachers are here for our kids and their education.
Implications of Summer School Innovation
As part Baltimore City’s summer school program this year, 12 middle schools are offering a program to advanced math and science students in which students will build soapbox cars to be raced at Lake Clifton Park early next month. The program is part of the city’s “Grand Prix” of summer learning initiative, which also includes robotics competitions, foreign language immersion, and other enrichment opportunities. In addition, students at 22 elementary schools will be able to engage in similar projects involving cars. Many of the course offerings of the “Grand Prix” initiative reflect the district’s priority to emphasize the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum again this summer. Last summer, the programs offered reduced summer learning loss for 70% of participants. This year, teachers leading the project based learning courses received weeks of professional development. Despite many lauding the district’s innovation, the summer school program nevertheless faced budget cuts earlier this year and lost $1.5 million in federal stimulus money.
Although I applaud the city’s summer efforts, the article raised the question of why these innovations are only being implemented during the summer months. On the one hand, I am quite impressed with the summer school program that the city has put together, especially the project-based soapbox car and robotics courses. These programs directly address the STEM initiative in an engaging way and allow students to engage in hands-on experience that will benefit them not only in preventing the summer setback but also as they move on toward higher education. On the other hand, I question why these innovative approaches are only being pursued by the district for select groups of advanced students during the summer. As we discussed in class, many non-charter traditional public schools could experiment with these less traditional, more engaging methods if they wanted to do so. Even if it is argued that the district does not have the money to implement this in its traditional public schools during the school year, the article implies that the district nevertheless has the institutional knowledge to train its math, science, and technology teachers to do these kinds of projects with their classes on a smaller scale.
As Linda Eberhart, the executive director of the district’s teaching and learning office says, “We learned that we've got to make something so engaging, so compelling that this is the place to be. You can't have a kid do math six hours a day unless they don't know they're doing it." Shouldn’t her comments apply not only for the summer months but also for every day of the school year?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
New Approach Proposed for Science Curriculums
The Committee on Conceptual Framework for the New K-12 Science Education Standards; National Research Council - (a very impressive name for an 18-member group) - has laid out a new framework for American science education that is focused primarily on "paring down" the curriculum in order to allow greater depth of study for the topics included. The newly developed framework is now in the hands of Achieve Inc., a nonprofit education group, which will expand it into a set of standards. Those standards will then be presented to the states which will decide individually whether or not to adopt them.
As far as reforms go, it could seem there's not much controversy here. The primary question is whether a curriculum should focus on exposing students to as much as possible, or allow them to fully explore a select group of concepts. Even in my short term as a professional educator, I have struggled mightily with this question. In my own opinion and experience, students benefit most from in-depth study of any concept, but I am concerned that in order to allow time for that in-depth study, I must excise other elements of the state curriculum. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but for many of my students, my US or World history class my be their only experience with the subject. For me, this raises a question: if I didn't have a chance to tell them anything about the world past the introduction of the atom bomb because I wanted to make sure they really understood the Great Depression have I done them a disservice? Is it better for my students to leave class with a cursory knowledge of as much subject material as possible - (as our current curriculum is designed) - or to provide students with opportunities to be experts on a select few concepts? I am not certain, but The Committee on Conceptual Framework for the New K-12 Science Education Standards; National Research Council seems to believe it has an answer to that question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/science/20curriculum.html?ref=education
As far as reforms go, it could seem there's not much controversy here. The primary question is whether a curriculum should focus on exposing students to as much as possible, or allow them to fully explore a select group of concepts. Even in my short term as a professional educator, I have struggled mightily with this question. In my own opinion and experience, students benefit most from in-depth study of any concept, but I am concerned that in order to allow time for that in-depth study, I must excise other elements of the state curriculum. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but for many of my students, my US or World history class my be their only experience with the subject. For me, this raises a question: if I didn't have a chance to tell them anything about the world past the introduction of the atom bomb because I wanted to make sure they really understood the Great Depression have I done them a disservice? Is it better for my students to leave class with a cursory knowledge of as much subject material as possible - (as our current curriculum is designed) - or to provide students with opportunities to be experts on a select few concepts? I am not certain, but The Committee on Conceptual Framework for the New K-12 Science Education Standards; National Research Council seems to believe it has an answer to that question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/science/20curriculum.html?ref=education
Consider New Zealand's Approach
Good learners understand what others do well and adopt those skills that have proven to work. This is how success happens - by learning from others. Can this be said about education?
New Zealand, who ranks much higher than the US in the global standardized PISA test (7th in both Science and Reading and 13th in Math), approaches education in a fundamentally opposite way than the US. They believe in a system with a high trust/low stakes model of accountability whereas the US approaches education with a low trust/high stakes model of accountability. New Zealand feels that when you educate the whole child, you must believe in your teachers to try different, innovative ways to meet the standards (or “principles” if in New Zealand). Furthermore, standardized testing should be a powerful diagnostic tool to help get positive insights into what a student’s learning challenges may be. This does not sound very radical, and it is what some would say happens across thousands of schools in the US.
I think what the US can learn most from New Zealand is their view on education. According to Dr. Hipkins who is a distinguished Chief Researcher of New Zealand’s Council for Educational Research, New Zealand doesn’t believe that school learning should be entirely based on epistemology, but rather a central focus on shaping who children are and who they can become. Furthermore, learning must focus on who students are and what they can become, not just on what they know and can do.
I couldn’t agree more with this view and it seems I would be hard pressed to find a parent or teacher who does not feel the same. However, I can say with confidence that this is not what the current school systems in the US practice. If it were, the first thing to be ousted would be high stakes testing. Maryland State Assessment data doesn’t come in until students are dismissed for the summer. If the data is not used to shape instruction specifically to each child the following year than what good does it really server? Yes it holds schools and districts accountable and informs us on what students know but at what cost?
http://www.educationnews.org/political/158758.html
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Too Good to be Chartered?
The recent debate of whether charter schools belong in suburban areas has sparkled the age-old question, “Why fix something that isn’t broken?” This is what the group “Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools” want to know.
Add two more suburban charter schools to the relatively small, but growing list of charter schools located outside of urban areas if New Jersey State Education Department grants the founding parents their charter. Mr. Stewart, who is spearheading the petition, says “In suburban areas like Millburn, there’s no evidence whatsoever that the local school district is not doing its job. So what’s the rationale for a charter school?” This comment is backed by the commonalities that charter schools have with one another dating back twenty years when the first charter school was founded in Minnesota. Charter schools are publicly funded but have autonomy when determining the mission and areas of study the school wants to focus on. Furthermore, charter schools have been promoted as a way to give poor children an alternative to underperforming urban schools.
Another argument that petitioners of the like side with is that these unnecessary suburban charter schools take away funding from an already tight budget intended for traditional public schools.
It is tired to argue that funding does not necessarily equal achievement nor does it play as big of a role as having effective teachers who spark passions (more likely to be done in schools with higher autonomy) in students or smaller class sizes which, consequentially is what Millburn public schools would more than likely have if their attrition rates increase slightly due to a neighboring charter school.
Entities apposed to charter schools in suburban areas need to understand that education is not static. The once association that poor children equals the need for charter schools or underperforming urban schools equals the need for charter schools is not up to date. If charter schools whether in urban or suburban areas are achieving to the standards that the state was deemed “adequate”, then what’s the fuss? Even if something is not broken does not mean it can't get better.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/education/17charters.html
The Suspension Problem
In the article, "School Discipline Study Raises Fresh Questions," Alan Schwarz explains some startling results of a comprehensive study concerning discipline rates in Texas middle and high school and their correlation to juvenile detention rates late in life. While the fact that there is a connection will be of no surprise to any education, the rate at which students are now experiencing suspension and high severity discipline is astoundingly high. Nearly sixty percent of all students in Texas throughout the study experienced some high level discipline that was ascribed to their personal records. To demonstrate the problem, one educator was quoted as having to deal with an "eighth grader who swore at teachers, threw books and pencils."
Now, I am certain that my counterparts in Baltimore are more than familiar with a few (or maybe even many) students who swear at teacher and throw something now and then. And, there is no debating that discipline remains a problem for many urban schools, and is becoming a growing problem for many suburban schools as well. The discussion in this article revolves around how suspensions and other activities by the schools are possible culprits for this growing problem. However, it also hints at a more serious possibility. The stigma once associated with suspension, expulsion or other serious disciplinary activity seems to be dissipating from main stream society. As these activities become more common place, they have almost become expected as a right of passage, thereby decreasing their effectiveness. In short, the problem may be two-fold: the overuse of these practices, and their acceptance within mainstream American society. In my opinion, suspensions can and do still work, but they should be used lightly after all other alternatives are exhausted. This increases their severity, and hopefully their effectiveness.
Monday, July 18, 2011
President Obama Meets With CEOs to Discuss Education
White House Press Release
Obama's roundtable suggests that going forward there will be even stronger ties between private businesses and public education. Aimed at creating a stronger workforce, most of the partnerships enumerated in this press release emphasize the need to get students into post-secondary education programs. Though it is difficult to argue with the goal of creating a stronger workforce, I fear that these partnerships risk giving corporations the upper hand in determining what students need to know and how school districts can demonstrate this knowledge.
It is hard to look a gift horse in the mouth when companies such as Microsoft Education donate $15 million for "learning technology, including digital archives and game-based teaching". Technology would go a long way in my classroom and at my school, but when companies get as specific as "game-based teaching", I wonder where the teacher stands in this transaction. What if teachers would rather not use games in their classrooms? Without millions of dollars to spend on initiatives such as this one or the Bill and Melinda Gates' Foundation's push for smaller high schools, will teachers and other stakeholders be able to impact what and how students learn?
In Baltimore there is a revolving door of ideas regarding the implementation of public education. This speaks volumes of the creativity of organizations and individuals dedicated to making a difference for thousands of children and their families, but it does not say much about the success of these ideas. I'm curious about how much impact Baltimore teachers can have in determining what and how to teach when faced with Race to the Top, corporate funding, and private affiliations.
"D.C. Schools Fires More Than 400 Educators" -Huffington Post
As part of Michelle Rhee's legacy, the teacher evaluation system designed by Jason Kamras - called IMPACT - has struck again, this time firing 413 teachers in the District of Columbia Public School system. (For comparison's sake, last year DCPS fired 211 educators.)
Despite being almost finished with The Bee Eater, I was unsure exactly what IMPACT entailed, so I decided to read the New York Times article linked at the bottom of this Huffington Post piece. According to Dillon, 5 observations (3 carried out by the principal and 2 carried out by "master educators" hired from outside the district) decide 75% of a teacher's evaluation. The other 25% is based on student scores on high-stakes tests and "teachers' commitment to their school communities" (how vague). The final verdict, whether a teacher is ineffective on the one extreme or highly effective on the other, will decide the bonus the teacher does or does not receive. (And in this system, teachers can earn up to $25,000, which is a pretty tidy sum.)
I think that what bothers me most about the firing of these teachers is actually not the evaluation system itself, which seems to rely more on teacher observations than test scores (although there was some debate in the NYT article about how useful and objective those "master educator" evaluations were, not to mention the bias that can be inherent in principal evaluations). What bothers me is that Rhee pushed this teacher contract through without input from the union, and while she may have done so with the best of intentions, I think teachers are feeling the sting of not getting to have their say.
This article, while about DCPS, is incredibly applicable to the Baltimore City Public School System and Baltimore County Public Schools. Since Maryland is a recipient of Race to the Top money, we are going to have to implement an evaluation system that ties teacher performance to test scores. D.C. is kind of a guinea pig for the rest of the country as to how such a system might be structured. Whether it's working or not yet is debatable, but one thing is for certain: teachers aren't going to get a "free ride" anymore. We are going to be held much more accountable for the goings-on in our classrooms, and we will have to answer to more than just our students, their parents, and our principals.
I think that I'm ambivalent about all of this change. On the one hand, I think that student achievement should be factored into teacher evaluations. However, I think that standardized test scores should only be one small piece of that puzzle, as there are many other ways student achievement can be measured that should be taken into account. On the other hand, I'm concerned about the implementation of any new evaluation system. There will undoubtedly be a period when things are being "ironed out" and I wonder if there would be an opportunity to amend any evaluation system put into place once we see how it works on the ground. Maryland has already approved a system tying 50% of a teacher's evaluation to student performance, while ignoring the teachers on the panel who decried it. If they won't even value the opinions of strong teachers in determining the evaluation system, what hope is there that they would seek our advice in revising it?
Despite being almost finished with The Bee Eater, I was unsure exactly what IMPACT entailed, so I decided to read the New York Times article linked at the bottom of this Huffington Post piece. According to Dillon, 5 observations (3 carried out by the principal and 2 carried out by "master educators" hired from outside the district) decide 75% of a teacher's evaluation. The other 25% is based on student scores on high-stakes tests and "teachers' commitment to their school communities" (how vague). The final verdict, whether a teacher is ineffective on the one extreme or highly effective on the other, will decide the bonus the teacher does or does not receive. (And in this system, teachers can earn up to $25,000, which is a pretty tidy sum.)
I think that what bothers me most about the firing of these teachers is actually not the evaluation system itself, which seems to rely more on teacher observations than test scores (although there was some debate in the NYT article about how useful and objective those "master educator" evaluations were, not to mention the bias that can be inherent in principal evaluations). What bothers me is that Rhee pushed this teacher contract through without input from the union, and while she may have done so with the best of intentions, I think teachers are feeling the sting of not getting to have their say.
This article, while about DCPS, is incredibly applicable to the Baltimore City Public School System and Baltimore County Public Schools. Since Maryland is a recipient of Race to the Top money, we are going to have to implement an evaluation system that ties teacher performance to test scores. D.C. is kind of a guinea pig for the rest of the country as to how such a system might be structured. Whether it's working or not yet is debatable, but one thing is for certain: teachers aren't going to get a "free ride" anymore. We are going to be held much more accountable for the goings-on in our classrooms, and we will have to answer to more than just our students, their parents, and our principals.
I think that I'm ambivalent about all of this change. On the one hand, I think that student achievement should be factored into teacher evaluations. However, I think that standardized test scores should only be one small piece of that puzzle, as there are many other ways student achievement can be measured that should be taken into account. On the other hand, I'm concerned about the implementation of any new evaluation system. There will undoubtedly be a period when things are being "ironed out" and I wonder if there would be an opportunity to amend any evaluation system put into place once we see how it works on the ground. Maryland has already approved a system tying 50% of a teacher's evaluation to student performance, while ignoring the teachers on the panel who decried it. If they won't even value the opinions of strong teachers in determining the evaluation system, what hope is there that they would seek our advice in revising it?
Friday, July 15, 2011
“Number of Schools Missing Academic Targets Surges” Baltimore Sun
This is a sobering article that discusses Baltimore’s progress (or lack thereof) towards reaching NCLB’s 100% standard by 2014. The term sobering may be an understatement when we consider that “90% of Baltimore’s elementary and middle schools fell short of academic targets on state assessments this year.”
To me, this article is upsetting for reasons that may not be quite as obvious. Our students' scores on the MSA matter little to me. It’s a poor test with frightening implications—teachers now have the overwhelming pressure to “teach to the test,” using any means necessary to make sure their students will score proficient or advanced on a multiple choice exam that relies on questionable standards and even more questionable measures of excellence. Students are unarguably getting a worse education, tied soley to passing state tests. What goes by the wayside is often, well, everything else: novel studies, creative thinking, innovation, engaging discussions, and the arts—some of the very things in our public education system that, in the past, have helped to make our nation great.
My concern, then, is the implication of the most likely reality that Baltimore City Public Schools (and most other school districts across the country) will not reach the unrealistic 100% goal by the 2013-2014 school year, only to face the demoralization of being labeled a failing school system, and what’s worse, all of the sanctions that accompany such a designation, including loss of funding. Is this truly the best method we can come up with for fixing broken systems?
Sadly, none of this has much to do with how much ACTUAL learning, quality instruction, and college preparedness is occurring in our schools. But of course, the article doesn’t address this point… and neither does NCLB.
Schools Chiefs See a Path to Proposing Their Own Accountability Systems
View Article Here (New York Times)
This article indicates that Arne Duncan and his aides have "signaled" that some states will be able to create their own accountability measures for schools as a sort of waiver to the proficiency provision of NCLB. Though this action is not by any means set in stone, it seems that state educational leaders have expanded their senses of possibilities in terms of what it is possible and desirable to do in their schools. Leaders in Indiana, for example, would be interested in exploring ways to ensure that the lowest 25% of every school is making gains and holding schools accountable for that growth. In Delaware, education officials are interested in experimenting with language immersion programs and summer programs in math, science, and engineering. Many of these states, in fact, have developed these accountability measures alongside NCLB provisions, and are working to meet both sets of requirements.
Maryland officials were not included in the article, so I could only imagine what might happen in classrooms if the MSA Finish Line books were packed up and stowed away. As a middle school language arts teacher, I would hope that practical measures would be used to assess writing across the entire state starting in elementary school. In general, I would like to know that my students have a working knowledge of computer technology before graduating from high school. Figures such as the number of students sitting AP exams and the graduation and attendance rates of individual schools could also be used to hold these schools accountable for rigor and engagement in the classroom. Still, action is yet to be taken, and it is possible that waivers will be granted only to states that agree to pursue specific reforms.
This article indicates that Arne Duncan and his aides have "signaled" that some states will be able to create their own accountability measures for schools as a sort of waiver to the proficiency provision of NCLB. Though this action is not by any means set in stone, it seems that state educational leaders have expanded their senses of possibilities in terms of what it is possible and desirable to do in their schools. Leaders in Indiana, for example, would be interested in exploring ways to ensure that the lowest 25% of every school is making gains and holding schools accountable for that growth. In Delaware, education officials are interested in experimenting with language immersion programs and summer programs in math, science, and engineering. Many of these states, in fact, have developed these accountability measures alongside NCLB provisions, and are working to meet both sets of requirements.
Maryland officials were not included in the article, so I could only imagine what might happen in classrooms if the MSA Finish Line books were packed up and stowed away. As a middle school language arts teacher, I would hope that practical measures would be used to assess writing across the entire state starting in elementary school. In general, I would like to know that my students have a working knowledge of computer technology before graduating from high school. Figures such as the number of students sitting AP exams and the graduation and attendance rates of individual schools could also be used to hold these schools accountable for rigor and engagement in the classroom. Still, action is yet to be taken, and it is possible that waivers will be granted only to states that agree to pursue specific reforms.
Charter Cherry-Picking
In the recent New York Times article, "Message from a Charter School: Thrive or Transfer," author, Michael Winerip, uses a situation with one New York family to ruminate on an issue that is especially prevalent with charter schools in the Baltimore area. As he says, " do [charter schools] cherry-pick students, if not by gaming the admissions process, then by counseling out children who might be more expensive or difficult to educate — and who could bring down their test scores, graduation rates and safety records." In this case, the student in question was admitted to the school and then dismissed from the school to P.S. 75, all with the child's best interests in mind according to the charter school's officials. Now, it is worth noting that the child is now thriving in his new environment, and in this case, the decision may very well have been the correct one.
However, I do not believe, simply from my own experience that this is always the case here in Baltimore. Working at a traditional PK-8 school, we often receive transfer students out of charter schools. As might be expected, the number one reason for a student's transfer is a dismissal from the charter school for behavior problems. As a result, my school becomes a dumping ground for those that the charter school has deemed too difficult to manage. Is this fair? When students are deemed too difficult to manage in a normal environment within normal K-8s, they are sent to alternative programs for smaller class sizes, not away from charters for often bigger class sizes. Should charters function outside of this system, inherently assuming that they are “above” traditional schools in the pecking chain?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Alonso responds to decline in MSA test scores with a new program idea
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-07-03/news/bs-md-ci-msa-score-follow-20110703_1_schools-ceo-andr-s-alonso-school-system-msa
After many years of increasing assessment scores, Baltimore City’s 2011 MSA scores have fallen three percentage points in reading and five percentage points in math. This small decline is considered normal for large urban districts, but is being referred to as a “wake up call” for the city’s educational leaders. In explaining this decline, Dr. Alonso cited ongoing problems with lack of quality instruction and teachers. He also reported cheating scandals at a few city schools, and noted that tackling teacher contract reform this year removed some of the focus on what was happening inside schools and classrooms. In the short-term, Alonso is doing an individual analysis of each school whose scores declined and considering opening weekend academies for 5th and 8th graders to remedy the decline in scores. In the long-term, Alonso plans to continue to implement innovative school choice options and to hold principals and teachers accountable for student achievement.
I am interested in learning more about Alonso’s potential short solution of weekend academies. Although I believe in the benefits of additional instruction time, I am skeptical that many educators and students would embrace weekend academies, especially if these academies were mandatory and did not generously compensate teachers. I therefore am wondering about the structural components of the academies, including whether or not they would target failing students and/or schools. In addition, I question why Alonso would limit these academies to 5th and 8th graders. While I understand the idea of targeting the weaker performing grades, it would seem to me that as many students as possible should get access to this supplementary program.
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