Where Civility Is a Moto, a School Integration Fight Turns Bitter 

Dana Goldstein, NYT

Opponents say that redistricting and integration efforts by Maryland’s, Howard Country School Board is a destined-to-fail effort. Dr. Martirano, the Superintendent of Howard County Schools has proposed his Equity in Action Project. The policies would transfer 7,400 of the district’s 58,000 students to different schools in “an effort to chip away an at uncomfortable truth: Some of the county’s campuses have become havens for rich students, whole others serve large numbers of children whose families are struggling”. Either it urban or suburban, cities have been built on lines of segregation through a systematic process of exclusion. The racialized and economic inequity is so starkly reflected in the composition of schools which leads to the prevailing conversation circulating around the Howard County integration debate: civility, race, and self-preservation.

         Howard County, like other districts around the country have begun to move toward equity through integration proposals but have been met with fierce opposition. Opponents insist it’s about the extra 2 miles their child may have to be on a bus, or they even argue that lower-income families will have an ever-harder time engaging with their child’s school if it’s farther away. I argue that in reality, we’re battling racist stereotypes, fear, and an especially pervasive racism that illusions an individual of power into thinking that racism and a racist policy (like school zoning) benefits them or even solidifies their power if it subordinates another. 

The School Board is voting on Equity in Action come November 21st, 2019 

Equity in Action Link "Attendance Area Adjustment"

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/howard-county-school-redistricting.html?searchResultPosition=3 

Test Bias

The Black-White Test Score Gap written by Christopher Jencks and edited by Meredith Phillips shed light and much-needed perspective on a sensitive issue with the American education system-- standardized testing as it relates to race in America. For years, people argued that standardized testing has been an illegitimate and unequal source of academic measurement in the United States. Historically, different forms of testing in American culture and society have included elements of bias, thus benefiting White Americans and disadvantaging people of color across lines of racial difference (ex. Voter literacy tests). 

The legitimacy of standardized testing as it relates to the Black community has been challenged many times. Many people standardized tests to be historically racially biased, with the pendulum swinging in the direction of white Americans. Jencks’s writes that test bias is perpetuated in the following regards: Labeling Bias, Content Bias, Methodological Bias, Prediction Bias, and Selection System Bias. Jenck’s explains the fore-mentioned categories of test bias in the following regards:

• Labeling Bias: When a test claims to measure one thing but really measures something else.
• Content Bias: When a test contains questions, that favors one group over another.
• Methodological Bias: When [one] access(es) mastery of some skill or body of information in a way that underestimates the competence of one group relative to another.
• Prediction Bias: When a test’s use has different implications for different groups
• Selection System Bias: When a person is selected solely based on their test-taking aptitude, rather than other relevant skills. 

Test bias as it relates to the American standardized testing system one of the things that gives white Americans an advantage over Black Americans. This extends beyond the American Education System into many other facets of life, oppression, and injustice in America.

https://www.crozetgazette.com/2019/11/08/county-schools-reinterpret-gifted-instruction/

Informal Teacher Evaluations in Baltimore City

There is a lot of talk within Baltimore City Public Schools around the change in the teacher evaluation system. North Avenue administrators are planning to move forward with a revision to the existing teacher evaluation model by implementing unannounced formal observations. The concept of implementing unannounced formal observations is that administrators seek to gain an authentic look into classrooms, learning, and management operations.However, teachers are anticipating that the plan may do more damage than good by working to undermine and penalize teachers without quality preparation and support.

Currently, the model includes a pre- and post- conference between administrators and teachers. The pre- conference provides teachers with adequate support by informing teachers on “look-fors” or aspects of the instructional framework that will be emphasized and used as a rubric. Additionally, admin provide teachers with feedback based on things that have been observed in their current practice. Teachers are prepared with the time and date of their evaluation to properly prepare their instructional lesson and their students leading up to the lesson. One reason why the pre-conference is essential is that these “look-fors”  and preliminary feedback allow teachers to properly prepare, adjust, and segment prior lessons to achieve instructional outcomes, according to the plan. Additionally, the post-conference provides space for teachers and administrators to discuss the outcomes and justifications for the evaluator's scores.

During September’s board meeting at North Avenue, one conversational point that was brought up and is worth strong consideration is simple-- kids. My administration makes a huge emphasis on cultivating strong culture and climate within our classroom space; however, they make minimal effort to include themselves in our classroom spaces (in a non-punitive way) on a routine basis. Students deserve to be included and clued in on the fact that “strangers”-- albeit administrators-- will be entering our classroom and the space that we have cultivated together. It’s important to consider how changes like this may impact student engagement and student performance. For example, when my administration enters the classroom for any form of an observation-- formal or informal-- they make it a point to involve themselves in my students’ work without any form of consent or acknowledgement towards my students' needs. Many students only associate administration with trouble because this is the only time in which they see them. On several occasions some of my English-language learners have expressed some level of discomfort with this, as they were not aware that others were entering the room-- neither was I. As a teacher, I don’t want my student’s engagement, effort, comfort, or learning to be compromised at the hands of a poorly devised plan.

The implementation of “surprise” observations could potentially create a punitive developmental structure that affects professional development and salary. Baltimore City Public Schools is one of the only school districts that connects it’s teacher evaluation to its salary scales. Therefore, teacher evaluations hold more weight than just feedback on one’s instructional practice; they determine one’s livelihood. Unannounced formal observations are likely to shift the dynamics of climate and culture across schools in the district dramatically as they instill a sense of timidness in teachers across the district. Teachers should not be made to feel fearful about the outcomes of unexpected observations nor should our instructional practice be holistically evaluated based on a random 75 minute period.

The district lacks a sustainable and strategic model that works to provide effective and consistent coaching to better develop teachers. Implementing one aspect of the plan without considering the need for the others is impractical and irresponsible.

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-teachers-push-back-against-proposed-evaluations/28985117

Chicago Public School Teacher Strike October 2019

Chicago teachers and their union, CTU, have been in a stalemate with the city for the past week. While students missed class, their teachers took to the streets, unified by their red and purple shirts in a desperate call for change. A major hope of theirs is to end issues such as overcrowded classrooms and to stop funding cuts that jeopardize supports for bi-lingual learners. The push for smaller class sizes, in particular, has been a contentious point for policy makers and on-the-ground practitioners for years. The praxis of theory and the reality of navigating what’s best for our students (and especially our students who are historically at the most risk) has been a back-and-forth battle rooted in funding measures and top-down policy implementations across the nation.

And perhaps inevitably, the conversation of class size is linked to staff shortages. I find that both are a result of a no-excuse culture that seeks to get the most "bang for your buck" in education. In reality, this pervasive mentality effects the futures of students and the longterm sustainability of a school district like Chicago, that's fully responsible for educating ~300,000 students and developing ~21,000 education professionals. And so, despite class size caps and designated district staff to monitor the over-crowning of schools in Chicago, some teachers still find themselves with classes of over 40 students. This especially seems odd given the city’s reported ratio of “one teacher for every 14 students”. My interest, and the interest of all educators, should be in supporting a just rhetoric of policy and research that works in the best interest of our students across the country. Let’s continue to create conversations around the reality of school districts and the ratio of in-classroom teachers to students. Depriving students of their right to equitable opportunity of education is detrimental, and the CTU knows this. So, backed by current research specific to “urban” schools, let’s continue to hold cities and stakeholders responsible for providing our students with what they need- contextually reasonable class sizes, assistant teachers, universal Pre-K, and the long list of measures still on deck. It’s up to us to know, decide, act, and advocate. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-cps-strike-crowded-classes-how-it-happens-20191025-kb44bvhworab3lw4emqviyuttm-story.html#nt=instory-link

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-cps-strike-chicago-teachers-union-updates-20191026-igiywrczazcf7oonzvrydam5gq-story.html

Warren proposes Charter School Funding Cuts, Increase in Title I Money

Elizabeth Warren just rolled out a huge educational plan to address what she calls "privatization" of public schools. This somewhat complex plan attempts to work on a a multitude of issues. In her plan, Warren proposes incentivizing house policies so that they eliminate strict zoning policies, fixing segregation, banning for-profit Charters and ending all Charter school funding, and quadrupling Title 1 funds. This dense, intricate plan seems to target a wide range of issues, so I am going to focus primarily on the charter school funding implications.

One of her arguments for her drastic charter school proposal is that she says that charter schools are not held to the same transparency standards and that they divert funds away from traditional public schools. Based on what we learned in class, I really don't think this is fair. Charter schools are unique in that most aspects of them (i.e., how they can be started, admissions, standards, etc) are dictated by each individual state's laws. In Maryland, for example, there are very strict and specific laws for starting a charter school. It's hard to be pro or anti them, as they are very much dependent on context. To eliminate the funding completely is just not fair because charter schools are not really run by the federal government! It's like saying that the federal government is eliminating money for a local restaurant -- they don't know what the standards are here!! Charter schools already operate on somewhat limited finances (at least here they do). I don't think eliminating the money for them is going to universally solve anything, as they are very different in each state.

As we've discussed, there's a lot of misconceptions and lack of understanding about how these particular schools work. In Maryland, charter schools still have to meet the same content standards -- the only difference is how educators approach teaching them.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/21/elizabeth-warren-education-plan-053260
https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2019-10-21/elizabeth-warren-k-12-plan-would-end-federal-funds-for-charter-schools-quadruple-title-i-funding

California Becomes the First State to Mandate Later Start Times for School

Last week, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill into law that mandates later start times for middle and high schools. In California, by the 2022 school year, middle schools can’t begin school before 8:00 a.m., and high schools can’t start school before 8:30 a.m. There has been a lot of research that supports later start times for students, but not all parties are in favor. 

Advocates say…

• This change is a necessary adjustment needed to support school and health reform
• Teens have a biological predisposition that makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00 p.m. and for students to function at their best, they require 8-10 hours of sleep a night
• About 75% of teenage students don’t receive the recommended amount of sleep, thus making later school start times necessary
• Teens that wake up later show increased academic performance, attendance, and overall health
• Less sleep is linked to an increase in weight, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, risky behavior, and automobile accidents 

Opponents say…

• It will be difficult or impossible for parents and guardians to rearrange their schedules to accommodate the change
• After school activity schedules will be impacted and will need to be altered 
• Schools and districts will occur unexpected expenses such as the cost to reconfigure bus routes and the price to pay before and after school employees
• The law in California excludes rural school districts, and there is confusion surrounding what that means
• This is a decision that should be made at the school district level, not the state

Numerous case studies have documented the results of later school start times, some that support the research, and some which show inconclusive results. Being that California is the first state to mandate later school start times, others will be observing closely to determine if such a change can help transform schools to meet the needs of today’s students. 

Resources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/14/california-dreamin-why-state-is-first-mandate-later-start-times-middle-high-schools/

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/10/14/us/ap-us-california-school-start-times.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/25/u-s-doctors-urge-later-school-start-times-for-teens/

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Let-Them-Sleep-AAP-Recommends-Delaying-Start-Times-of-Middle-and-High-Schools-to-Combat-Teen-Sleep-Deprivation.aspx

Measuring Educational Improvement

Assessments like the PARCC, have to do a better job in measuring the growth of the whole child. Ruth Wattenburg's article addresses the flaws in this testing by explaining how the results are not proven to display a clear connection between students' readiness skills and the education they receive at school. As research continues, education becomes more aware of the elements outside school that contribute to a child's educational performance.

  As a child, I was grateful to have a mother who placed me in various grade school and college readiness programs. From these opportunities, I was able to pass the placement test and attend the number one public high school in the state. Until this day my high school holds the title of number one in the state, however, Wattenburg's article leads me to believe that is ranking only persists because of how proficient we'd already proven to be. Can the high school be the sole benefactor of the success of the students or is it a compilation of things?

  The author further explains schools have numerous factors that aren't being accounted for in the PARCC when assessing the students. Every new class that enters a school isn't going to be the same and I believe that was one of the strongest points Wattenburg was trying to make; the performance of the senior class may not reflect that of the freshman class because each student is different. The school may have a varied number of students with disabilities who average a low performance, increase or decrease in skill level due to accessibility and/or gentrification or even students moving or graduating. How do we go about assessing a more accurate performance? The author suggests that assessments track the individual performance of each student as they move up in class within the school. I believe that would be the best but would it be generalizable? Ultimately, that would mean schools shouldn't test students until they've spent a least a year at their schools and just testing for improvement, not standards.

What ways do you think the PARCC can go about making adjustments?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/local-opinions/parcc-results-dont-give-us-an-accurate-picture-of-educational-improvement/2019/10/04/e11cc37c-d65f-11e9-86ac-0f250cc91758_story.html

Finnish Teacher Training

After reading about the comparison to  Finnish schools I was curious to learn more about what kind of training Finnish teachers go through to make them so good. I found two articles, one published a few years ago in The Guardian and one from the university of Helsinki. Some of the things described were:

• Teaching is a highly respected profession 
• Trainees are engaged in hands-on work from day one
• Teachers enjoy wide autonomy and flexibility to organize own teaching
• All teachers are required to have a master's degree, which is a 5 year and 300 credit program 
• Student teachers are engaged in research during their master's program 
• Grade schools are affiliated with universities for easy placement of student teachers 
• Teachers are trained to know when to hand over students to other professionals, such as speech therapists

All of these things sound great and mostly reasonable, although the 5 year masters program is a commitment and makes it difficult to change one's mind, but I keep thinking in circles that the main reason the Finnish system works is that as a society they have a broad acceptance of certain values, so while they have freedom of choice, the core of what they're teaching is the same. Something in the US, I'm not sure we'll ever have. Student teachers are also provided with free education,  so there are no massive loans to pay back and the Finns have universal healthcare, so most students arrive at school with baseline needs met that not all American children have. The  I start to think the US is so different that maybe a one size fits all solution won't work,  but it also won't hurt to take ideas from  different systems to make them work for us.

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/education-news/why-is-finnish-teacher-education-excellent-teacher-training-schools-provide-one-explanation

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jun/17/highly-trained-respected-and-free-why-finlands-teachers-are-different

Mental Health Days for Students?

Life can be hard, but it doesn't always have to be. Over the past decade, there has been a growing emphasis on maintaining a healthy mental state. People are recognizing that as a society, we can benefit from slowing down and smelling the roses. Although there is still a stigma surrounding mental health, it is slowly decreasing as self-care has become a trending theme among many adults. 

As an educator, I have taken many mental health days. I know when I need a break for myself, my students, and my co-workers. I can't be my best if I'm not feeling my best, whether it's physically or mentally. Should the same thinking apply to students? 

Across the United States, school districts, including Baltimore City Public Schools, are opting to include social and emotional learning into the school day. Oregon and Utah even allow students to take mental health days. Just like students can take a day off of school for a physical injury or illness, they can take a day off to focus on their mental health. 

The inclusion of social and emotional learning in schools across the United States will surely grow, as the stigma surrounding mental health continues to decline. The CDC reported in 2017 that "nearly a third of all high school students experienced significant periods of sadness and hopelessness within the previous year, and 17 percent had contemplated suicide." Navigating emotion is a complex process that doesn't come naturally for many people. Educators have a unique ability to impact the lives of children not only through academics but with life skills such as understanding and managing mental health. It will be interesting to see how far school districts will be willing to go to support all aspects of their student's minds. 

Do you think students should be allowed to take mental health days? How do we teach children to utilize this appropriately and effectively? 

The New York Times recently asked students for their input on this topic. Check out their comments: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/learning/what-students-are-saying-about-mental-health-days-self-doubt-and-their-fashion-idols.html.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/students-can-now-miss-school-mental-health-day

Chicago Teachers on Strike

As of yesterday, the Chicago Teacher's Union authorized a strike, meaning as many as 25,000 members could officially go on strike as early as October 7th. This means children could be without school and extracurriculars (including sports), and parents could be without childcare. The union members are essentially asking for two things: better compensation and more support. 

Right now, the union members are disagreeing with the 16% base-pay raise over five years. Instead, they want 15% over three years. They are also asked for things relating to staff, class sizes, and time to prepare for class. Specifically, they are asking that every school has a social worker, nurse, and librarian. They also want more special education support (i.e., classroom assistants and case managers). 

What does this mean for students?

The Good: It is not unreasonable to want a nurse, a social worker, and a librarian in every school. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s legal not to have at least a nurse and a social worker. Of course, every school’s staffing situation is different, but if there is no mental health staff member, then that is most likely violating the legal rights of students in special education who may require that support. Additionally, in an ‘urban’ district such as Chicago, it is imperative that they have access to adults whom they can trust and go to for help. Whether this is someone they can talk to about stress, or someone they can go to if they are feeling sick, every student deserves to have these resources available. The strike may not necessarily happen. Essentially, there are 10 days to negotiate and potentially call off the strike. 

The Bad: A strike means children could be out of school for an indefinite amount of time. This puts parents and guardians in tough positions. They now have to figure out how to care for their children during the day. In Chicago in particular, this could also mean parents could struggle to feed their children, as this is a highly impoverished area in which many kids are on free and reduced lunch. Furthermore, students are now missing instructional time (though it should be noted that any time missed will be made up at the end of the school year). Last time there was a strike, Park District worked with CPS to provide day programs for children affected by the strike, but this time, even Park District workers have a strike authorized, so their help may not be an option this time. 

The Implications: This is a tough situation because honestly, the teachers and union members are not making any unreasonable requests. The question then becomes if they are doing this at the expense of the children. On the one hand, these students will be missing instructional time and won’t necessarily have the structure that they and/or their parents need during the day. But the teachers are planning on doing this partially to benefit the students. Most of their demands (minus the compensation one, which I am not informed enough to speak about) have to do with resources. On the other hand, how good is the quality of their education if they aren’t getting basic needs met at school? 

Yes, it is good that the time that they do end up missing will be added to the end of the school year, but there is a delicate balance that has to be navigated. Even if the teachers do have their demands met, how would systems go about placing librarians, nurses, and social workers? Is it more important to get them into school quicker, or to vet them and make sure they are good quality and a good fit for the students? It’s definitely a catch-22 here!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-cb-chicago-teachers-strike-what-you-need-to-know-20190927-fhdqc6uxynck7dxvdgvpkslhzy-story.html

The Philadelphia Inquirer: He seeks more black men to teach in Philly and beyond

In recent debates of charter schooling, educators have argued that any charter school where one race is the majority disrupts the goal of integrated schools. As I learn more about the politics of education and reform, I find that although the battle between public schooling and charter schools is heated, there is a conversation to be had about charter schools geared towards students of color.

The article of focus reminded me of Brown vs. Board of education and how the ruling to integrate schools was sought to give all students an equal opportunity for a good education. However, this article was about the importance of centering in on young males of color and allowing them to foster bonds and strengthen their future paths through an environment where they are the majority.

As the number of charter schools steadily grows, I empathize with principal El-Mekki’s reasonings for creating these spaces. Aside from the appeal of having representation in the classroom, the article stressed the necessity for students who aren’t African American to see that the role of an educator can be filled by a person of color and that they too can be sought out for knowledge and guidance. Students within the school expressed content in being a part of an educational environment with so much common ground. An objection to this practice is the possibility of eliminating public schools and reverting to segregated school systems. It would take quite some time to get to that point, but I believe the argument the Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker is trying to make is to normalize different faces in power as well as attack the school-to-prison pipeline.

Among other things, the article speaks about the creation of fellowship catered to black males becoming stakeholders in the community and education. A member of this fellowship states “we need a diversity of voice, a diversity of thought, particularly around who makes decisions about our children”. I can see those in opposition saying there are ways to have a diversity of voice in diverse institutions but I believe the presence of majority-black staff provides more leadership roles to be filled by black people who will then become stakeholders whose ideals will align more with the population they seek to represent.

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/education/20170103_He_seeks_more_black_men_to_teach_in_Philly_and_beyond.html

The Washington Post: The Changing Face of Classrooms

With the start of the school year, the Washington Post has done a few articles focusing on different issues involving urban school districts. I’ve enjoyed them, because it’s interesting to see the things we’ve learned about in different classes in practice and to see what does and doesn’t work in different school systems.

Two articles in particular focused on diversity in schools. The first article was about two different school districts in Colorado; Denver, which has a highly segregated school system due to historical housing patterns and redrawn district lines, and Roaring Forks, a suburban school system in the mountains that has increasingly diversified in the past 10 years and has worked hard to keep their schools as diverse as the community.

These school systems diversity is similar to other urban and suburban areas. One theory the article suggests as to why suburban schools are more diverse is because white people in newly diverse areas are more accepting of POC moving into newer neighborhoods and have fewer objections than their historical counterparts. Also school lines have usually already been drawn. In urban school districts, due to laws or social pressure neighborhoods are often historically self-segregated, which leads to less diversity in schools. The article doesn’t really address how things might be changed in urban districts to address this issue, but does mention the need to consciously maintain the diversity in suburban areas.

Some of this article reminded me of Loudoun County, VA which has had a huge population increase in the past 10 years due to tech jobs and new construction. This has caused a previously predominantly white county to become very diverse, mostly with Hispanics and Asians. Although it’s all suburban, you can see in areas where everyone is new, such as eastern Loudoun, people, on the surface, have fared better at being a diverse community, while western Loudoun, which has been settled for longer, has not been as welcoming.

 The second article was about how African American and Hispanic parents in urban school districts are often left out of PTOs, even when their children make up the majority of the schools population. A non-profit organization in DC is trying to change that by holding workshops with parents to change attitudes. There was a quote from an African American father that described how he viewed the parent-school relationship, “I always looked at the school as an authority figure instead of a service provider.” I never thought about it that way, but that’s exactly how I view the school, as a service provider, so I’m curious how do you view the school and/or how do parents you interact with view the school?

Article 1: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/09/12/more-students-are-going-school-with-children-different-races-schools-big-cities-remain-deeply-segregated/

Arrticle 2: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/as-cities-gentrify-and-schools-diversify-ptos-grapple-to-ensure-all-parent-voices-are-heard/2019/09/20/50314488-7277-11e9-8be0-ca575670e91c_story.html