On April 9, 2012 www.baltimoresun.com posted an article entitled “Stay in School”. This article discussed the struggle to increase Maryland’s dropout age to 18. Although keeping it at 16 sets low expectations for students, raising it would cost the state more money than the state can currently afford.  18 other U.S. states have increased its dropout age and found ways to modify its budget to include the rise in age.

I chose to read this article due to a conversation that I had with my principal. We discussed the MANY budget cuts that our school is facing next year. Although I understand the lack of educational funding, I am unaware of the what formulas can be used to assist the city in providing students with a good education while also not “banking” on saving money based upon the 9,000 student who drop out prior to completing high school. The reason for (good) schooling is to provide students with the skills needed to better prepare them for becoming upstanding citizens, who can soon join the states’ work force thus give back to the state. However, if has been proven that many states (Maryland included) spend billions more per year on supporting those without diplomas (through funding imprisonment and social service costs). Therefore, in my opinion wouldn’t it make more sense to keep students in school and educate them so that in later years the state does not have to support them.  Reading this article has encouraged me to continue research. I am hoping to find an exact comparison of the amount of money Maryland spends each year supporting those who have not graduated from high school to the amount saved by students dropping out. Lastly, I hope to find a study, from one of the 18 states which have increased the dropout age to 18, that shows how many of those students would have dropped out if they were not forced to stay in school; and how many of those students then became upstanding citizens who are in no need of support from the state.

Extreme Makeover: BCPSS Edition

There has been a lot on my mind lately.  As we start the 4^th quarter I contemplate what I need to do with my students before the summer arrives and they move on (hopefully) to the next grade; we attended many hours of Professional Development this past weekend, a significant amount of which was dedicated to thinking about the big picture in Baltimore, achieving transformational change for our students, and what our own legacies and ideals are as educators; and I look ahead to putting the finishing touches on my own Teaching Portfolio.  To be sure, this is surely a time full of reflection for many of us. 

However, as I sit here typing this, there is only one thing on my mind.  Something that is persistent and pressing and refuses to be ignored:  Oh my GOODNESS is it ever HOT in here!!!!  It’s a hot sunny Monday morning bleeding into a scorching and oppressive afternoon in Baltimore City.  I – like hundreds of my fellow teachers along with the students that we teach – am sitting in an un-air-conditioned classroom.  It’s hot.  Really, really (really really) hot. And it’s just April – there is more where this came from.  As I walk through the hallway on my planning period, I see students wilted across their desks, the drone of four or five fans in each classroom loud enough to compete with the voices of the teachers and students engaged in their lessons.   As I think about all of the things our students need, from rigorous instruction to school supplies, nutritious meals to sex education, I find myself asking: shouldn’t a little AC make that list?  At first blush it’s easy to think that AC is a “nice to have” not a “need to have” and to some degree there is validity in that.  Students need books and nutrition more than they need air conditioning.  But at the same time, the stifling heat that permeates most public education facilities and book ends our school years should not be ignored nor underestimated.   What message are we sending our students when we demand that they slug through hours on end in what could only be classified as extreme discomfort.  Is this an environment in which learning is happening?  A place where students are excited to come and eagerly take in all that they can?  No – when it’s this hot, our students are mostly looking at their watches and waiting for the day to be over.  They are not concerned about learning, about whether they are catching up to or falling further behind their suburban peers. 

So because of this I wanted to check out the latest buzz surrounding the push to improve Baltimore’s school facilities.  The new $2.8 billion dollar campaign, led by Transform Baltimore, has been generating buzz and garnering support all year long.  The city’s Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and City Schools CEO Dr. Alonso have recently presented a united front to bring about this badly-needed renovation and rejuvenation.   What’s more, the city’s business leaders and economic communities are taking note.  They argue that the city’s schools will play a vital role in attracting the ~10,000 new families that are needed to sustain Baltimore’s economic vitality.  Without getting into the details of the proposed plans, leveraged finance, and taxes, etc….it’s clear that a lot of people support new school buildings for Baltimore’s youth.  Why can’t we make this happen? 

On a recent school visit this fall, the difference that a building can make was illustrated to me in a very powerful way.  I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the City Neighbors high school.  The minute you walk through the door of this high school, you know it’s a special place.  It feels more like a (new and nice) college building than a public school facility.  It feels like a building where the students are respected, honored, and cherished.  Where the students are given what they need to grow and develop, and then are held to high mutual standards of respect and hard work.  The students themselves respect the building – there is no graffiti; only excellent-quality examples of student work adorn the walls.   As a community, we need to take pride in our schools, take pride in our students, and give them an educational experience that is inspiring and will serve them for the rest of their lives.  Ultimately, it is an investment not simply in real estate around the city of Baltimore, but in the next generation and what they can do for the city.

During last period today I received (and distributed to my students) a letter signed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Dr. Alonso, and the Chair of Baltimore City's Board of School Commissioners. It addresses many of the issues discussed above. A few key take-aways:

- The letter reiterates the sentiment that we must provide better school buildings to support our students' education.

- It is more efficient and cost-effective to undergo this renovation now; it will only be more expensive if we put it off.

- At the Baltimore City level, the City Council is considering raising the beverage container tax to help raise revenues.

- At the state level, they are working on securing a block grant to leverage in order to secure more funds.

- As citizens and educators, we are called upon to support this issue and make our voices heard.

Maybe high grades, but are expectations high enough?

“What’s my grade?” This common question asked of educators by students, particularly near the end of the term, can represent much more than a numeric assessment of student progress. Imbedded within a student’s grade is essential qualitative information that reflects a sense of self worth for both the student and educator and a measure of ability and effort for both parties. Since I began my career in education, I have sought to construct a firmer philosophy on the essential essence of a grade as well as the process of grading, but often have found my feelings on the matter to be at odds with district policy.

In Baltimore City Public Schools, grades appear to be a constant source of anxiety, conflict, and confusion. Both teachers and students often lack autonomy in the measure of the grade and the grading process, as state curriculum, schools and departments standardize content and expectations for assessments. For teachers, this poses intense ethical questions about grading on effort versus mastery, progress versus completion of standards, the ability to prepare students to be successful academically but also to have the self esteem to be successful in other life endeavors. One particular example of this conundrum is the required 55% teachers must give students who are not passing their class, even if the student is truly earning far below that number (teachers also must give a 50% to no shows on their rosters). Pass/fail rates can be used as part of the evaluation process, and often teachers feel pressured to pass a certain number of students or to help students earn higher grades, even if this doesn’t necessarily reflect that students have truly mastered rigorous content and skills. With all this pressure on teachers, at what point are our high school students taking responsibility for their own learning? How does this low bar match up against what will be expected of them in their future schooling or careers?

Perhaps the most alarming element of this process is that many top performing students are still entering college feeling drastically unprepared. A recent article in the Washington Post illuminates how a student from a top performing D.C. charter school struggled immensely in his freshman year at Georgetown, despite always earning very high marks in his high school classes.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-went-to-one-of-dcs-best-high-schools-i-was-still-unprepared-for-college/2012/04/13/gIQAqQQAFT_story.html

Is it right for a student to earn an “A” if this doesn’t signify that their work is setting them up to handle college material? Ultimately whatever a grade may signify, we should be preparing our students to be independent learners that can handle college coursework and also to be armed with a plethora of strategies for when they encounter a challenging course. Additionally, high school teachers should move their students to more college style classes, at least in small doses. While sending students home with a dense chapter to read and then lecturing on a related topic the following day doesn’t necessarily incorporate the clear cut “I do-We do-You do” teachers are expected to employ, it does present students with the opportunity to practice learning at a college level . When planning, instructing and grading, teachers should not be afraid to push students to the expectations that they will likely encounter in their post-secondary institutions.