Increasing Class Sizes: What People Outside the Classroom Don't See

This week Baltimore County Executive Keven Kamentz suggested shifting fourth- and fifth-graders to middle schools in order to solve the problem of overcrowded elementary schools. Across the country schools are suffering from increased class sizes due to budget problems despite the research that shows smaller class sizes promote higher achievement. However, across the country districts have been appealing penalties placed on schools for exceeding class sizes that have resulted in violations of the law.

Those who aren’t in the classroom don’t realize the added responsibilities of teaching more students aside from the issue of classroom management. As a teacher with rosters that reach almost sixty students per class, I understand those frustrations. No matter how many students sit in front a teacher every day, the teacher must deal with extra pressures. These include grading extra papers, providing more makeup work for the higher amount of absent students, contacting more parents, documenting more behaviors and academic data (especially if there is a higher population of special education students in the classroom), among other responsibilities. For teachers with “copy limits” or small classrooms, the increased sizes can add extra stress that is completely unnecessary and ultimately distracting from the teacher’s critical role: teaching.

In addition to a public misconception about the duties of a teacher when class sizes increase, it seems that our leaders are not in touch with the real numbers. Last Sunday Arne Duncan spoke with governors in Washington and asked them to consider paying bonuses to the schools’ best teachers for taking on extra students. Mr. Duncan stated that he would prefer to put his own children in a classroom with 28 students led by a “fantastic” teacher than in one with 23 and a “mediocre” teacher. Mr. Duncan, 28 students has become more of a norm for teachers in low-performing schools. When you look at the average class sizes of students in a city, you are including all schools, not just those schools serving low-achieving students, which are the schools that would benefit most from small sizes.

Sources: http://www.wbaltv.com/education/27141722/detail.html;

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/education/07classrooms.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education

Relationships Between Charter Schools And Unions May Suffer Due To Struggles Between AFT and KIPP

Earlier this month, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, criticized the KIPP schools in Baltimore for their alleged unwillingness to work with the union to reach an agreement concerning the temporary deal made last year. KIPP is seeking a ten-year extension of its one-year agreement with the BTU. Under that deal, it can afford to keep its 9 1/2 hour school days because its teachers are paid 20.5 percent extra for the extended day, much less than under the current union contract.

Weingarten expressed frustration that “KIPP is playing by its own set of rules”. She stated that KIPP has been eager to run to the press and criticize the union or try to change Maryland’s state law that requires teachers at charter schools to be represented by unions, instead of working with the union for an agreement that would benefit everyone involved. KIPP Baltimore’s executive director Jason Botel responded that KIPP schools in the city would have to close if they were forced to comply with the unions’ rules, and that he hoped they could reach an agreement soon.

Reading the article, interesting issues are raised between charter schools and unions. Should KIPP be able to “opt out” of union rules by changing the state law? And if so, would this result in a sort of landslide effect in which dozens of other charters would be tempted to do the same? Should teachers trade off their union rights in exchange for working at higher-performing schools, or should they be “forced” to follow the same rules as other teachers, even when they don’t want to? Either way, the tensions resulting from these public altercations is, as the author notes, a blow to the budding relationships between teachers unions and the charter school movement, “one of the most robust developments in American education.”

Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2011/03/randi_weingarten_scolds_kipp.html

Teacher Effectiveness Drives Student Performance: How Do We Evaluate Our Teachers?

Teacher effectiveness is often thought of as the most important factor in student growth. This means that the teacher himself or herself is stronger than income, class size, race or family educational background. The million dollar question is, how do we define an “effective teacher?” Cities have struggled to find an effective system for evaluating teachers. Last year the National Center on Teacher Quality did a report on teacher evaluation and Human Capital in Baltimore City. Only half of the City Schools teachers were evaluated. Of this 50%, 97% were rated Satisfactory or higher which is two percent lower than the national average. This means that Baltimore City is becoming more progressive in teacher evaluation.

Certain programs such as the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) measures teaching against standards in three major categories, designing and planning instruction, the learning environment and instruction. TAP evaluates a teacher rigorously and provides information on what a teacher is doing well, struggles with and gives them feedback. Another system implemented in Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System where school systems follow and track student test scores between 4th and 8th grade in math, reading, social studies and science. Each student has a profile and their performance can be projected. Both of these systems contribute towards greater student performance. I tend believe that a system such as TAP is more effective. TAP is a way where teachers are not observed once a year and given a general unsatisfactory, satisfactory or proficient score. TAP consists of a rigorous method for evaluating teachers based on three important factors, designing and planning instruction, the learning environment and instruction. What do you think are the most important factors in evaluating teachers? Which system do you feel would be more effective in Baltimore City?

Teacher Buyouts? Budget Concerns vs. Losing Experienced Teachers

In an effort to offset budget shortfalls, Baltimore City Public Schools has offered a buy-out plan for up to 750 of its most experienced teachers. Teachers who have taught for more than 10 years can opt for an early-retirement package, which will pay 75% of a teacher’s current annual salary monthly, for a total of five years. Those who take the buyout will also get their regular pension at retirement age, but will not receive health benefits. BCPSS predicts a 73 million-budget deficit for next year, in addition to probably state budget cuts to education next year due to a change in the Thornton funding formula. BCPSS hopes to save 5-10 million from the buyout plan.

Andres Alonso, BCPSS CEO, defends the plan saying it will help avoid layoffs and also encourage expensive teachers, who may already have considered leaving the district, to do so, so the city can hire new teachers at a much cheaper price. He also says that by offering this plan, it will ensure there are more teachers who truly want to be teaching in the classroom, which insinuates that the teachers who accept the buyout are teachers who don’t really want to be there.

On the other hand, many parents are worried that BCPSS will lose many seasoned teachers, thus affecting their children’s education. Others have noted that spending for training and professional development for new, inexperienced teachers may mitigate the cost savings from the buyout and also may make it hard for schools to raise test scores with more inexperienced than experienced teachers in the classroom.

New Teacher Contract

The New Teacher Contract is a very progressive step for Baltimore City public schools. Whereas most aspects of the contract between Baltimore City Teacher's Union and Baltimore City Public Schools will remain the same, the main area of change will be in regard to compensation. In the new contract the compensation will be performance based. This means that the Teacher Evaluation will play a role in teacher salaries. Teachers will be compensated on how they teach, children learn and Achievement Units (AU). Teachers will receive Achievement Units not only for a Proficient Teacher Evaluation but also for approved collaborative site-based work as well as teacher professional development that is demonstrated to increase student learning.

While some believe that this is a huge step forward for Baltimore City, others are extremely hesitant. For the first time, compensation is linked to student achievement. Being able to control the amount of AUs may be dangerous. Certain teachers may attend professional development that may not correlate to their specific content simply to collect AUs. Teacher Evaluations are often based on test scores. While “cheating” becomes a bigger issue in City Schools, it may be risky for test scores to hold even greater importance. How do you think the new contract will play out in regard to standardized testing? Do you think teachers will abuse the AUs accumulation policy? If so, in which ways?

Cut or Not to Cut?...Changing the Thornton Education Funding Formula

As a result of budget shortfalls for the next fiscal year, Governor O’Malley has proposed altering the “Thornton” formula, which calculates per pupil spending, and thus how much money is allocated to each school district. The Thornton formula was established in 2002 and focused on allocated funding based on student needs. The original formula included an adjustment each year for inflation, but in 2008, the inflation component was removed to save money for the state, which in effect reduced the amount of education funding each year for the past three years already. Now by, by changing Thornton, per pupil funding will be reduced, which equates to even more cuts to the education budget in Maryland.

Baltimore City Schools anticipates the proposed change to the Thornton formula would equal a $15 million dollar cut to its budget. And because BCPSS has already made cuts to the central office in recent years, most of the budget cuts would be passed on to schools. This could mean almost a 10% cut to each schools budget, which could lead to teacher layoffs, increases in class size, the elimination of the arts and after school programs, and recent initiatives, such as pre-k expansion, to be halted or abandoned indefinitely.

Each state must have a balanced budget, unlike the federal government, who can run a deficit. Governor O’Malley must make cuts, but cutting anything in the state budget will incur criticism. Do you think in today’s economic recession that O’Malley is justified in the education cuts and that everyone must “feel the pain” or do you think K-12 education should be shielded from such cuts? If you think education should be shielded, where do you think O’Malley should cut in order to balance his budget?

Education leaders who are not educators.

There is a strong argument that smart, successful, and innovative leaders can be this type of leader in any setting. It is true that I belong to a program that touts this very idea. While I personally believe that leadership can be transferable, I also have personally experienced a severe lack of knowledge and skills. This deficit proved to be extremely challenging, if not disabling at times. Cathleen Black has been appointed the chancellor of schools in New York - a strong, successful leader in a leadership position. This seems like it will work, right?

I think Black could be a successful chancellor and I hope she is. I think the skills required of the chancellor of schools definitely overlap with other leadership skills. But I also think that the lack of knowledge of education and the NYC public schools could be a huge challenge. Having an understanding of a teacher's challenges would allow Black to make more realistic expectations. Understanding what good teaching requires and what good school leadership requires is necessary to leading a school system. Some say running a school is like running a business. I see the comparison and I think there are commonalities between the two, however I do not think it is this simple. As the Huffington Post reports Black is "cramming" to prepare. I think this is a good sign. Leadership skills are necessary and she has them (check!), but so is at least a fundamental knowledge of education and the system. Black needs to go to "institute" and learn the basics if she hopes to use her own skills to lead in such a high-stakes business as education.

Which Culture of Poverty?

So, the argument has been made that there is this "culture of poverty" that undermines student work ethic and scholarly habits. Apparently, the "culture of poverty" is not a racial issue, it is a class issue.

But even if it isn't a race issue, it seems to be one unique to America. We are actually talking about the "culture of American poverty" that seems to manifest differently than poverty elsewhere.

Consider the following blog/article written for the India journal "Learning the Indian Way":
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/09/01/india-journal-learning-the-indian-way/

Interestingly enough, the grossly underfunded Indian education system is producing some seriously impressive results. Even those who end up having to drop out of school because of money are not suffering from a lack of work ethic or desire to study.

So, what is it about the culture of poverty here? Why, in a country where there is somewhat of a social net to catch you before you fall all the way down, did we end up with a debilitating "culture of poverty"?

The Harlem Children Zone

I know this is old news, but perhaps my framing will provide some new light on just how awesome the Harlem Children Zone is, and why cities all over should be working to replicate it.

Quality teaching is hardly the only/most important obstacle that stands in the way of student achievement. Harlem Children Zone acknowledges the deficits in parenting and in the "culture of poverty" (we can call it), then addresses those things head on. It isn't a side bar, or checking a teacher's parent log. They have created a series of parent training programs to help create the educational partners teachers really need for success. It is not condemning. It is not condescending. It is spot on and we need more of it.

School Choice: Baltimore CIty All-School Fair

This weekend at Poly-Western was the great Baltimore Fair, and I’m glad I went early because I have never seen so many people interested in Baltimore City Public Schools in one place. It was quite a showing!

I really like the idea of this fair: students and parents can see presentations from all of Baltimore’s schools at once. Each school can showcase what they do best, and each school can compete for the most engaged students. Students and parents also get choice in their education (or the education of their children). This is the most important part of the fair. Instead of just going to the neighborhood school where their students are assigned, parents can have agency in the decision process. If the parents hear negative things about their neighborhood school, or if they hear positive things about other schools, parents can take actions to help their kids.

My high school is one of the schools that doesn’t have exciting or particularly innovative programs. It is a typical zone high school that claims having a certain theme, but doesn’t have any funding to allow the school to explore that theme, and it doesn’t have a particular mission to expound that theme. If fairs like this are successful, and if parents take ownership of their children’s schools, maybe high schools like the one at which I teach will be lost. I don’t think this is necessarily negative. If a school doesn’t serve the needs of the population living within the neighborhood, and if it is unable to engage students in learning, then maybe it means that it’s time for the school to close.

The challenge in Baltimore will be keeping the geographic diversity of high schools alive. If only the most popular high schools remain open, there must still be schools available to every student. These schools must be located throughout the city.

Rigor: You'll know it when you see It

RIGOR: You’ll know it when you see it

If you’ve had your fair share of Baltimore City Schools professional development this year, you’ve likely heard about the three big “do’s” from the office of Teaching and Learning this year: Rigor, Engagement, and Intervention.  These are the things that central office will be looking for on classroom visits.  And while professional development coordinators seem all too willing to address engagement through multiple intelligences and technology, or intervention, through data analysis, I seem to get nearly the same response from professional development coordinators when I ask what rigor is.  The answer is usually the same: “It looks different in every classroom” or – my personal favorite – “you’ll know when you see it.”

I do not disagree with either of these statements.  Rigor can look different depending on the content, the background knowledge of the students, and the repertoire of teaching strategies the teacher has at their disposal.  I also have seen the elusive rigor a handful of times, when my students begin answering – and asking – questions that are ten steps removed from where we started instruction.  But how can it be that the very thing that needs to be readily apparent in classrooms is so tough to even define?   And how can new teachers possibly develop the capabilities necessary to incorporate rigor into their classrooms with no measurable definition or goal?

In my attempt to define what rigor is and how to incorporate it into the classroom, I did a bit of research:

In Strong, Silver and Perini’s book Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement, the authors argue that rigor is getting students to “understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging.”  This means that what is important is what you teach rather than how you teach.

Others, including author of Teach Like a Champion, Doug Lemov, seems to believe the opposite – that rigor is in how you teach new material and the strategies that you use to engage students.  This includes getting students to answer questions using complete sentences or requiring the correct (“right is right”) answer one hundred percent of the time.

My own definition spans both of these: rigor is both in what you teach and how you get there.  Rigor can be enhancing the understanding the importance of concepts that you teach and how they manifest themselves in the real world.  Rigor is also in the approach to understanding – how you question students or lead them to the discovery. 

In their introduction of the 2010 Master Plan for “Rigor, Engagement, and Intervention”, Baltimore City included a power point slide for rigor, which included the following action plan:

“Develop a common set of expectation for what rigorous teaching and learning in all classrooms across the district through development of a deep understanding of the Common Core Standards”, and called for a realignment of curricular materials to the common core standards. It also called for:

1. Principal Development –training and support around leadership actions that transform principals from transactional leaders to strategic leaders

2. Teacher Development –training and support in the content areas and research-based teaching strategies

3. Re-Alignment of curriculum materials and assessments

(Source: BCPS Master Plan 2010)

I think that this is a sufficient start – but simply that: a start.  An even more aligned curriculum and some new teaching strategies.  A principal that is a pedagogical leader as well as a “transactional” one.  Good ideas, I think.  But not concrete enough to implement on the classroom level. 

So until I have a more refined definition of rigor, I’ll keep using my own, hoping that when central office steps into my classroom “they’ll know it when they see it.”

lower drop out rates and increased graduation rates for Baltimore City

The recent statistics for the increased graduation rate and lowered drop out rates in Baltimore city caught my attention. I was very impressed with the shear numbers. A 59% decrease in drop out for African American males is quite impressive. I was very excited and definitely shared in the pride of the city. However part of the article discusses that these higher rates are going to translate into more college going males and thus better job opportunities for African American males. While I believe that this is definitely a great first step, I am somewhat skeptical of reaching these goals immediately. While I do believe in the important steps being made I think there is often confusion with being in school and learning. I used to have a poster on my wall as a kid that jokingly had Garfield saying learning through osmosis. Unfortunately that is not actually how kids learn. Most of the students I teach are far behind grade level and it seems to me that even those that manage to graduate are not ready for college. I think we focus a lot on how kids learn (which is obviously important) but not as much on what kids learn. At a recent PD I went to we had a discussion about technology. One teacher pointed out that in the 4 years it takes to graduate high school most of the technology they will have learned will be outdated. That teacher continued to point out that our goal should be to make sure that students are equipped to learn on their own rather than just learning content. That has been an idea that stuck with me and something that I would really like to explore. Is it really important if a student knows the difference between a dictatorship and an oligarchy or is it more important if they can write a coherent letter to their congressman describing a problem they face. I guess I am asking us to think about what we teach our students and if it is the actual knowledge that will help them succeed in life or just a series of content that we are told we mus teach?

New BTU Contract - enough details?

A new contract. An extremely progressive contract. As you probably heard, the BTU released an updated version of this new contract late last night with key adjustments and substantial details added in the section regarding how teachers would actually move up this new four – tiered pay scale. However, the contract is still said to be a bit murky regarding teacher evaluations as the state’s Department of Education has not yet released specific information – just the phrase, “tied to student performance” – a phrase teachers often shy away from due to its ambiguity. The Baltimore Sun highlights the new contracts release, its additions and explanations, but says nothing related to the “AUs” – who will be keeping track of these?

As a young professional, I think the idea of a modern contract where teachers are forced to pursue additional professional development or go back to school once in a while to receive an increase in pay is a great idea. I also think it is awesome that our veteran teachers who have educated our children for more than 20 years are given the opportunity to increase their pay each year as well. But I think that the BTU needs to realize that until they specifically outline all of the “murky” details, a progressive contract like this will not realistically pass. Furthermore, when the BTU presents the tentative agreement to its members, they should be more prepared to explain and explain more. During the last vote, a young teacher paraded up and down the long lines holding a sign that said simply, “Please do not vote if you do not know the specifics.” As Baltimore City Teachers, it is our job to get the specifics.

The Importance of School Mission and Vision

The panelists from our class last Thursday (October 21) on Charter Schools in
Baltimore left me thinking about the impact of student investment in the school
mission on student achievement. In the final question, panelists were asked, “How
do you message your school vision to your students, or is it just implicit in
everything that your students do?”

The answers varied between charter schools. Green Street Academy prides itself
on its five core values, which every student knows and recites in the form of a daily
pledge. Every discipline issue is framed as a breach of one of these core values. The
same teacher, who had worked at The Crossroads School the year before, mentioned
that sixth graders entering the middle school picked up on the “Crossroads Way”
and knew how to conduct themselves appropriately. And there are, obviously,
plenty of other Charter Schools around the country that adopt and communicate
similar concrete visions for their students, with successful student achievement
outcomes, including KIPP schools.

Other panelists, including the representatives from City Neighbors Charter School,
responded that having nonnegotiable pledges did not fit succinctly into their vision
for their school. President of City Neighbors, Bobbi MacDonald, commented that
several years ago, when founders first sat down to write the mission statement,
there was disagreement about using the word “enlivened” within it because it
wasn’t something that could be measured. Despite the debate, they included it, and
were rewarded last year by feeling as if their graduating middle school students
were truly enlivened upon exiting the school. City Neighbors’ success was perhaps
the result of their mission and vision, yet theirs is messaged more implicitly than
that of the previously mentioned charter schools.

Personally, I appreciate the more implicit messaging of a school vision, which is
embodied by all members of the school community; however, I think that it is more
difficult to pull off successfully. In order for a mission and vision to be successful,
students should be able to describe their school by citing their mission statement,
not necessarily repeat it in a pledge or do something because the school values
say so. But at the same time, how can we teach our students this without telling
them the values outright, bringing them up in conversation, or having them repeat
them on a daily basis? It is a difficult task, but as City Neighbors has proven, not an
impossible one.

Whether implicit or explicit, a school mission and vision that is understood and
embodied by all members of a school seems to have some effect on the success of a
charter school. The questions remain: How strong does the school identity need to
be? And how should we message it to students?

Performance Pay: Coming to a City Near You!

A piece in the Baltimore Sun about a week ago stated that a state legislative committee had put a hold on "a regulation that would require student achievement be at least 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation in Maryland." This is because the committee feels the State Board of Education has started to place more specifics into the proposal than were initially proposed. According to Paul Pinsky, the law states that student achievement should be a "significant" portion of a teacher's evaluation but does not specify a percent. There is some concern that if this new teacher evaluation is not enacted, than Maryland may lose some of our Race to the Top money.

My point is not to discuss whether the legislature was justified in being surprised that the board of education had to put a numerical value to "significant." My point is to discuss performance pay. I have an aunt who is, as of last June, a retired veteran teacher. She once told my dad, regarding tenure, "I'm not sure I could go to work each day and know that I could be fired if I didn't do a good job." Obviously, that line is a little unpolished and probably doesn't completely reflect what my aunt actually thinks. However, I think there is a sentiment there that is shared by a lot of teachers.

Everyone agrees that we want good teachers teaching. However, we don't seem to want to fire bad teachers. At the same time we don't want to reward good teachers with more money. How is it fair for a teacher who consistently moves her students two years in reading gets the same pay as a teacher who pops in a video everyday and doesn't move their children much at all? I think we are sending the wrong message to teachers, you can work very hard or work very little and you'll make the same money.

Performance pay has many problems to work out to ensure that it is a fair and valid form of measurement. We need to make sure that regardless of how performance pay is awarded, it is sensitive to all the other factors that can influence students performance. However, teachers need to know that performance pay is going to happen. As a political issue its a no brainer. It is very hard for the public to accept that teachers should not be held accountable for their performance on the job, when nearly every other employed person in the world is accountable for their performance on the job. It is just a difficult argument to make and the public wants accountability from schools and that means teachers.

As I was typing this I just received an email saying another tentative contract has been reached. This brings us right back to where I began. Performance pay is going to happen, today, tomorrow, a year from now. The public supports the idea and teachers should too. Good teachers stand to make the kind of money that make teaching comparable with other bachelor level careers. Furthermore, it just makes sense, teachers should be held accountable for the job they do in the classroom. It is time for teachers to decide whether they want to be part of the process of shaping performance pay or have it forced upon them by a law. Either way, performance pay is coming to a city near you.

Charter School Proposal on Tuesday

The Baltimore Sun reported that Dr. Alonso will be a part of a meeting on Tuesday to hear the plans for new charter schools in the city. Amongst the 7 charter schools and 4 transformation schools, I am watching two of the schools most closely. There will be a proposal for an all boys high school and an all girls high school. We talked in class about the advantages and disadvantages of each, and I have been watching the way the two genders interact in my class. I have noticed that if I work with a group of girls or with a group boys separate from the opposite, they are different. The boys, especially, tend to calm down a lot when there are no girls looking.

Boys and girls learn in different ways. Girls mature more quickly, and boys need to be more hands on. Here in Baltimore, I have noticed too that students get sexual at an earlier age, sometimes unaware of the risks and repercussions of sex at a young age. The drawbacks, of course, include a lack of social interaction with the opposite sex, but it is important to consider that academically students may thrive in this situation.

As a product of single sex education, I believe that single sex education made a difference for me. I have not been able to find any examples of a public school with single gender, or to find their level of success. The research that I have found though states that if teachers are properly trained in how to teach a single sex classroom, they can capitalize on the situation and make the most out of it to raise student achievement. The research states that children will not become more gender restricted, but instead will be given more opportunities to explore and express their actual interests.

It will be interesting to see how the board votes on these two high schools, since there are so few charter high schools. If they are approved and can prove to be successful, they could change the way education is done on a much larger scale.

Dropout Rate Drops (along with expectations?)

You probably received the email from Alonso today highlighting the fact that our Baltimore City African American males are leading the pack in decreasing the dropout rate while increasing the graduation rate. In the past three years, Baltimore City's dropout rate has decreased by 56% while the graduation rate if up 10%. Our African American male students are breaking these statistics with 59% and 12.4%, respectively. While I could not be happier that more students are staying in school and receiving their diploma, these statistics make me question if Maryland's requirements are rigorous enough.

As educators, we debate about standardized testing endlessly. Personally, I feel that some sort of test to compare results between schools, districts, and states is necessary to ensure our students are learning what we need them to learn. The Baltimore Sun highlights the decrease in Baltimore City's dropout rate stating that state officials believe the HSAs to have increased the "standards for students and enabled more to get a diploma." Although I believe that statement to be true, I feel that the second half is a bit vague. If you check out the Maryland Report Card for Baltimore City, only 68% of our seniors have actually passed the Algebra / Data Analysis HSA. However, 100% have met the requirement for graduation. Within that gap comes Bridge Projects: the get out of jail free card for our students. Not surprisingly, most see it that way too.

This year I am teaching an Algebra / Data Analysis HSA Mastery class for junior non - passers that need to pass. All of my students already know the ins and outs of the Bridge Projects and most see no point in attempting to take and pass the HSA for the sixth time when they can just complete the projects and still meet the requirements.

With that all said, I love that Baltimore City's dropout rate is continually decreasing, but are we still holding our students to high expectations when we give them an easy alternative when they cannot pass the required examinations to graduate? Should we take away that option and fear that dropout rates once again increase? Obviously there is no right answer to this inevitable struggle of balance, but finding a way to ensure students are receiving the knowledge they need to succeed in the real world should be the main priority in all schools.

"Culture of Poverty" Times Article

In continuing with my earlier post’s theme of contextualizing the school system within a larger system of poverty, a recent New York Times article revisited an academic concept termed the “culture of poverty” that defines institutional limits of habits, beliefs, and opportunities for populations living under the poverty line. While initially attacked when the sociology was first introduced in the sixties, the article goes on to highlight the reemergence of an academic credence for the cultural analysis of populations stagnated by the forces of poverty. This is an interesting idea and, I believe, very applicable to our students and their demographic conditions.

The article mentions the original controversial research that sought to explore how ideas and behavioral trends among groups of people could ensnare urban black families through self-perpetuating moral deficiencies. Clearly, the moral character of an entire race is not a viable subject of debate (as it was in the original research), and the contemporary approach to the research of cultural systems within poverty is more accurate in the study of institutional racism and isolation. With an approach to culture as “shared understandings” among a population, there are interesting studies mentioned in the article that have to do with a neighborhood’s shared perceptions of community action and thought; a “broken window” syndrome that has to do with larger forces perpetuating habits, thoughts, and beliefs that isolate populations in a cycle of poverty. It is important to keep in mind that this is different from the previous (discredited) research that primarily attributed racial characteristics to a lack of self-improvement and mobility within impoverished communities.

With my students as my reference into the Baltimore school district and urban education in general – read: a limited perspective – I recognize demeaning cultural habits and beliefs that are not racial in origin, but representative of poverty and class. The willingness to analyze cultural ideologies that reinforce and at times even celebrate an acceptance of impoverished conditions deserves support while considering the place and role of education within that system. Studies of a “culture of poverty” do not imply a lack of possibility through abstract forces that work in tandem against the individual or family. Rather, studies of a “culture of poverty” represent the analysis of class ideology as a means of exploring increasing rates of poverty and the experiences of living, working, and learning in the studied environment. This has huge implications for educational reform when considering the environment and culture of our students in Baltimore City, and how best to serve their needs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/us/18poverty.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage

teach.gov

I was surfing the web this Sunday, looking at different articles about the recent movie Waiting for Superman that we have talked about so much. I found a website called Teach.gov. This is the first I’ve heard of this website, and I was amazed by what I found.

This website is attempting to change the image of teaching. Teaching is sometimes seen as an easy job, or a job for those who can’t do. It is seen as a temporary stepping stone, or a job for the less talented. For what it’s worth, the web site is trying to inspire our generation to consider becoming teachers. Among the many reasons to become a teacher listed on the website includes be a leader, shape tomorrow, help under-served communities, and build a career with chances for advancement.

Additionally, the website features video interviews with teachers, logically, and then less logically, stars like Oprah. Oprah talks about her favorite teacher and how she was inspired by her.

I find this website to be a bit underwhelming when you consider the conversation that is taking place across the country. We talk about how great the need is for more teachers, for enthusiastic teachers, dedicated to a mission. Although, I appreciate the web-site's attempt to reach out, it does not seem like enough to get more teachers.

As a country, our education system is in crisis and more needs to be done to recruit teachers capable of achieving big changes and believing that the change is possible. Perhaps the web site is a good first step, but it is not enough. The implications for Baltimore are pretty clear. The website seems friendly enough for inviting new teachers, but how many people are looking at this, realizing that their every dream is to become a teacher in Baltimore City? Probably not many. It is not enough of an attempt to attract the people that we need. It is not convincing nor is it appealing. More has to be done to recruit the kind of high-quality teachers that we need.

Charter Schools and Unions: An Unlikely Marriage?

In a recent article published in the New York Times, Despite Image, Union Leader Backs School Change, a different perspective is presented about Randi Weingarten. Weingarten, the new union leader of the American Federation of Teachers was depicted as "a foaming satanic beast" in Waiting For "Superman" according for Variety. It is almost an undisputed fact that Teacher's Unions were not portrayed in the most positive of lights in the film. Of course, Teacher's Unions and Randi Weingarten are presented in synonymous terms, and the uneducated viewer may have walked away from the film with skewed perspective of the intentions and desired outcomes of Ms. Weingarten.

The Times article emphasizes the following major points: recently Weingarten has been presented as diametrically opposed to charter schools; she wrote a written rebuttal to Waiting for "Superman;" earlier this year, Weingarten proposed that teacher's evaluations be partially tied to student achievement (aka test scores). What is not as readily acknowledged is that Weingarten has a responsibility to her union members - many of whom are concerned with job security more than they are concerned with educational reform.

As an educator it is difficult to imagine acting in your own interest rather than in the interest of your students; however, the waters are so murky around this issue that it is hard to say what is best for students. Is it a stronger Union? Is it more emphasis on test scores? Less emphasis on test scores? As suggestions and ideas are continually raised, it becomes difficult to choose which will be the best for our children. Can a solution, given the individual state's power over education, work on a national level? As these questions swirl in my mind it is almost impossible to choose a side to form an unwavering allegiance to.

Perhaps the most disappointing part of the article is the realization that Weingarten, like many others, was only partially shown in the film. Steve Barr, the founder of the Green Dot charter school, pointed out one of the major weaknesses of the film: it doesn't show any positive examples of charter schools and unions working together.

This is an interesting point. The way I see it there are two major groups of people who saw the film: those who understand charter schools and those who don't. Waiting for "Superman" addresses issues of educational inequity - this is a positive thing. However, did it really do it in a way that was most accessible to the general public and most honest to the people in the film? This is debatable. And that makes me nervous.

Given the recent push in Baltimore by our own union leaders to ratify a new contract, I find this article about union leadership particularly pertinent. Unions, especially in school districts like Baltimore City, serve the purpose of representing teachers, but are called to do so in a way that will allow teachers to best serve our students. Whether it's a film, a union representative, or a new contract, Baltimore teachers must be willing to stand up for what is best for the children that we teach. Their needs should take priority over ours.

Michelle Rhee Steps Down: The Future of Education Reform

Today, Michelle Rhee, the Chancellor of DC Public Schools stepped down. Rhee has long been a divisive figure in DCPS often clashing with the local union as a result of a new evaluation system and the firing of more than 200 DCPS teachers. The news on its face is a setback to all the reforms that Rhee instituted in her 3 year tenure as Chancellor.

However, her replacement, Kaya Henderson shares much in common with Rhee in terms of the new evaluation system. Rhee and Henderson also worked together at The New Teacher Project. They share the belief that the teacher is an important component to student success. Vincent Gray who defeated Adrian Fenty in the primaries and is thought to be the next Mayor of DC mentions in the Washington Post that ""We cannot and will not return to the days of incrementalism". This seems to indicate that the reforms of the last three years are here to stay, at least for the time being.

The majority of news coverage seems to suggest that Rhee's divisive nature and her association with a lame duck mayor are the reason for her departure. However, the New York Times casually slips in another possible reason for Rhee's transition "Replacing Ms. Rhee, who is Korean-American, with Ms. Henderson, who is black, is expected to ease racial tensions." It is interesting to note that the New York Times fails to elaborate on this point, nor does anyone else interviewed comment on this as a factor. To what extent does the race of the leader of a school system affect student achievement? I am not aware of any data that answers that question. I do think it has more to do with the political climate than anything else.

Does this mean that Rhee has failed or that she is out of the field of education reform? I don't believe so. I think that what Rhee has done is nothing less than bold and innovative. This is a turning point in her career as an education reformer. I predict that Rhee will continue in education reform at a more holistic and national scale. She seems to be at her best when she shakes up the status quo with her take charge attitude. The question is, can she build the political capital to be a staying force in the long run.

So what does this mean for Baltimore? It puts a little bit of pressure on Alonso and his tenure in Baltimore. Rhee's departure also narrows the lens of school reform to those at the top? Just how much of a difference does the school leader make? What has Alonso done in Baltimore and will he stay?

Community Uplift Important in Education Reform

There is an interesting article headlining yesterday's edition of the New York Times. It features a brief analysis of Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone and its community based approach to educational reform. The article also features briefs on the charter school place in education and recent presidential movements toward a more symbiotic uplift of depressed areas and schools. It’s an interesting read and I’ve included the link below.

Through practice, class, and observation I’ve come to believe that our educational system is certainly not an institution that functions in a bubble, insulated from larger outside forces. Rather, our schools are neighborhood landmarks and staples of the communities they exist within and serve. This can be wonderful for communities and schools that reflect achievement gap-type benefits, and punitive for those that continually suffer through their environment. The adage of our schools as a microcosm of society is relevant in this discussion, although not on the scale we typically associate it with. For the most part, schools exist as a microcosm of smaller, more community-representative societies – the neighborhoods where they draw their populations, the districts where they draw their support and resources, and the regions where they draw their emphasized place and funding.

I’ve often found myself frustrated in the classroom as I’ve come to associate classroom instruction as only a small piece of larger social issues that actively counter the efforts of teachers working in high poverty communities. A root issue of poverty defines our daily struggle and negatively impacts educational achievement more than what gets discussed. True, education plays a major role in that struggle, but the conditions with which cause our students to suffer on every level imaginable easily trump, counter, or at the very least work to impede the strides that could be made in a classroom every day. No less daunting of a task to overcome is a culture of social frustration and mistrust that often fails to recognize education as a viable option for improvement – perhaps rightly so considering the quality of and experiences associated with local public education.

Enter Geoffrey Canada and his experiment transforming the Harlem neighborhood through a blending of social services and high quality public education. Canada’s goals are lofty but right on. The uplift of our school system requires the transformation of the areas in which our worst-performing schools exist. These are not exclusive endeavors but mutually reinforcing movements – a full assault on poverty is necessary as the issues are so interwoven and complex that to address them in piecemeal fashion will fail through countering forces. Unfortunately, the applicability of such individual attention on a national scale, not to mention the dedicated effort and money required makes the experiment seem doomed to locality. Critiques brought up in the article are interesting: lack of real correlation between social services and student achievement (and therefore undeserving of federal dollars), funding (Canada relies on a significant portion of private support), and limited research supporting overall effectiveness.

Regardless of detractors, it’s my belief that the provision of basic services for families and students are necessary for the rates of success we need to see in the classroom. A solution must exist somewhere in an optimal blend of social service provision and charter school freedom with a dash of private sector support – basically an effort to address all from all. Lofty, naïve, inexperienced, check all the above. Still what we’re working so hard for in the classrooms won’t be fully realized until we are willing to recognize and provide for people in all types of conditions. Obama, Arne, Canada, KIPP, and other organizations realize the importance of community uplift as part of the school reform movement and are putting out grants and reform efforts to that effect (supported in the article). Even so, it gets stickier when trying to develop specific plans, allocate funds, and rally support.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/education/13harlem.html?_r=1&hp

Test Scores that Influence Reform May Be Inflated

Yesterday in the New York Times, there was a article called "On New York School Tests, Warning Signs Ignored." The article discusses that New York has placed a big focus on standarized testing in the schools. The test scores are used to determine whether or not policies are working and they are also used to determine which teachers receive tenure, which schools get funding, and which principals and teachers get bonuses. Although New York's scores have been increasing, there have been flaws in the process. "Evidence had been mounting for some time that the state's tests, which have formed the basis of almost every school reform effort of the past decade, has serious flaws." After years of having simlar tests and releasing the past test questions, the tests have become short and predictable. Teachers are now only focusing on the reading and math subjects and people are wondering if it is considered real learning if you know what is going to be on the tests. Some believe that authentic learning is not going on. There is evidence that the scores are now inflated and the scores do not truly reflect the proficiency level of New York's students.

This topic of standarized testing seems to always arise in conversation when discussing reform, measuring student's knowledge, and also measuring the effectiveness of teachers. I agree that some type of measurement is necessary, but it seems that so much focus on standardized tests can bring negative effects or even produce false information reflecting the academic levels of our students. If test scores are going to be a big factor in determining teacher effectiveness and student knowledge, the tests need to be accurately measure student understanding. We cannot just look at scores; we need to look at what they really mean. The questions on the tests need to meet national standards and we need to make sure that they hold our students to high standards. If we make the tests like the MSA and HSA easy to pass, then more students will be able to graduate, but the tests will hold no value. I do not know what the best way to measure students learning is, but if we are going to use standarized tests to do so, we need to make sure they are being using in a logical and meaningful way. I think that if we are truly going to improve education for our students in Baltimore, then we need to think about what the data from the MSA and HSA means. They should not just be a random number-I honestly do not know what getting a 412 on the Algebra HSA or a 400 on the Biology HSA means. I think that teachers have started to teach towards the tests and focus on HSA topics and problems to prepare our students. I think that doing so can take away from the educational experience. Recently I have heard that soon the MSA and HSA will not be used to measure our students' academic knowledge and that new tests will be implemented (and have heard that they are more aligned to the national standards). I think that we should hold our students in Baltimore to the same expectations as students all around the country.

Deflating the Value of a Baltimore City Diploma

This past Wednesday The Baltimore Sun published an article entitled “Md. high school graduation rate climbs.” The article explores the issue of bridge projects vs. actually passing the HSAs; which student groups perform well on the standardized tests and which don’t; and, perhaps most importantly, which whether the tests are a valid measure of student academic performance.

The article claims that “state officials believe that the High School Assessments have only raised the standards for students and enabled more to get a diploma.” However, the data shows that the number of students who did not graduate this year due to a failure to meet testing requirements tripled. In addition, the number of students completing Bridge projects increased from 5.8 to 8.1 percent this year.

While I don’t teach a course that is governed by an HSA exam, I do work at a school that serves high school students, and thus am dedicated to these children receiving a rigorous and competitive education. Matthew Joseph, of Advocates for Children and Youth, is quoted in the article stating that “they lowered the standard, basically … since nearly 100 percent of students are meeting the testing requirements, what is the value of having them at all?” I couldn’t agree more. If a test does not truly measure a student’s ability to perform in that content area, what purpose do they serve?

Can we as a teachers and a district celebrate if the value of the diploma we are sending our kids away with does not truly represent a meaningful level of skill?

I do not blame the test, the state officials, the teachers whose hands are tied by the rigidity of teaching a tested subject. Education is not the place for blame, rather it is the place for action. We must ask ourselves, as individuals committed to the cause of raising the bar for the children of Baltimore City, what needs to happen now? A more rigorous test, more extensive bridge projects, or do we abolish these removed forms of measurement altogether?

Most importantly, how do we ensure that children graduating from this school district, city, and state have more to show than a piece of paper that says Diploma?

Bullying in America

On CNN, Anderson Cooper held a town hall meeting to discuss bullying in America. CNN felt the conversation was appropriate with October being Bullying Awareness Month. The conversation included psychologists, students who were victims and bullies, and parents. The conversation touched on lack of teacher training to handle bullying, bullying through social media, communication between parents and the school about bullying and bystanders who witness bullying but do nothing about it.

The issue on how to train teachers to educate students about the impact of bullying stood out. As a teacher, I know I am sometimes not the best person to handle a situation that a student may be going through. Dr. Phil and other psychologists on the show support the idea of building bullying into the curriculum. The idea being, that by training teachers to handle and discuss issues with bullying and addressing the issue school-wide, will make students more aware of the effects that negative comments have on other individuals.

While this idea sounds great, what happens when students are out of school? With cell phones and the Internet, bullying now extends beyond the school walls. Some children now deal with bullying 24/7. So while, the schools may be able to fight against verbal harassment at school, it is going to take a broader approach to deal with bullying overall. It was very disheartening hearing parents talk about their children who felt that the only escape from bullying was suicide. Hopefully, during National Bullying Awareness Month, we can begin to have discussions with our students about bullying.

In my classroom, I plan to incorporate conversations on bullying into the weekly discussions I have on Fridays with my classes. I teach middle school, and bullying is very present with this age group of children and is detrimental to their self-image if not handled quickly.

The Solution Is Simple?

After seeing “Waiting for Superman,” I walked away with hopes, but also with new concerns for Baltimore City Schools. As the credits rolled and my eyes cleared, I read the final comments that scrolled across the screen. While I believe these words were meant to inspire, I was mostly concerned. One comment that caused my head to tilt in confusion and forced me to reread was “The solution is simple.” After almost 2 hours of watching and just over 1 year in the classroom, one of the last conclusions that I have come to is that “the solution is simple.” While there are a number of undeniable take-aways that I feel most of the audience would agree on, I do not think the simplicity of this injustice is one of them. In fact, one of the strengths of the film for me was that it addressed the complexity of the issue, as well as its urgency and importance.

I walked out of the theater thinking about one of the most touched upon topics of the film, charter schools. There is no question in my mind that charter schools have made a significant and undeniable contribution to Baltimore City and are critical to solving the education crisis in our city. However, I am deeply troubled that charter schools will become the solution to this complex problem. It is my fear that the public and those who work in education will latch onto charter schools as their “superman.”

As the film highlights, there are charter schools that are changing the lives of students. It also makes it heartbreakingly clear that there is not enough space for each student who deserves such an education. It also points out the fact that not all charter schools are fulfilling their promise of a great education. We cannot ignore these facts in search of a simple solution.

This injustice is huge. It affects millions of students, their families and our city and nation. One of the challenges to solving the problem is that we must solve this problem to scale. I believe charter schools will be a major contributor to the solution and should continue to grow to reach more and more students. However, we cannot rely solely on one approach. There is no one quick fix. Not every school will be, should be, or can be a charter school. It is necessary, as we work to provide every student with a quality education, that we do not forgot the other schools. As a teacher in a neighborhood school that is not succeeding as it should, I feel there is a lot to be learned from many charter schools and their successes. However, my students should not be pushed to the side because there were not the “lucky ones” or because they have not had the opportunity to attend a charter school. Many neighborhood schools are not succeeding, but rather than divert our focus, we must change these schools for the students that attend them. I firmly believe neighborhood schools can have success and I see it happening in our city. My students deserve the best and they can succeed. Our solution needs to reach all students, including those who will attend neighborhood schools. They deserve a “superman” too and we cannot forget them.

Take a Chance on Me (Tentative Agreement)

After reading the new BTU tentative agreement, I was reminded of a scene from The Office where Andy sings ABBA's single "Take a Chance on Me" in order to court Angela. The lyrics "...Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie/If you put me to the test, if you let me try..." are especially appropriate considering that the agreement is a form of merit pay.

In sum, the tentative agreement is huge change from the "traditional" step progression of the last few years. Under the step system, teachers receive incremental pay increases based on years of experience and their level of education determines the bracket in which their step falls. However, under the proposed system, teachers' pay is determined by Achievement Unites (AUs). AUs are earned by a scaled evaluation, professional development, graduate courses, and in some cases professional services. It also splits teachers into 4 categories, new hires, professional teachers, model teachers, and lead teachers, each with advancing pay scales.

The most tenuous of the terms is the vaugness of the actual evaluation system. Under Maryland's application for Race to the Top and new state law, 50% of a teacher's evaluation is based on "student achievement". The biggest problem is that there is no clear way to measure student achievement as outlined in the proposal. The tentative agreement also grants that evaluations are to be determined. I can only speak for the climate of my school but this seems to be the biggest sticking point of the entire agreement.

The trend in school reform does indeed seem to point towards merit pay and student achievement based evaluations. That said, it is my position that we take a chance on this contract for several reasons. First, there are protections in place for those worried about the evaluations including 50% BTU representation on the team that develops the system of evaluations. Second, the agreement outlines 3 years of implementation that includes a review at the end. If this system does not positively affect student achievement then we will revert to the step system with no loss of any salary increases. Third, those who do evaluations are required to be trained int he new system to ensure consistency. Finally, the agreement outlines system called the School Based Option, which allows teachers more autonomy and decision making at the school level.

Baltimore could really benefit from this contract as it is progressive and a major city of interest when it comes to reform. If Baltimore passes this contract, many other cities would watch in anticipation as to the positive effects of the reform. Baltimore may see a wider selection of teacher candidates and the return of veterans who left the field because of lower pay.

Overall, the tentative agreement empowers teachers while focusing on student achievement. Both are things that most educators would agree are important to a healthy school system. Sometimes you just have to take a chance.

Cult of Personality

Prior to my entry into teaching I was a political science major and studied this idea of a cult of personality. Basically it is the phenomenon where a person's accomplishments are out paced by their reputation. In other words the myth is greater than the person.

I find this an interesting part of Michelle Rhee. I was listening to an interview with her conducted by the Washington Post's Jo-Ann Armao. The first part of the interview discusses whether she is staying, she does not stay firmly either way. However, a quote from this first segment caught my attention. Rhee stated that some in the city feel like "If Vincent Gray really cares about school reform, then he'll keep Michelle Rhee." Rhee goes on to say that this is not her feelings on the subject and she actually states she wants to set it up so good things will continue even if she's not there.

With that said, I think there are some people who feel D.C. Public Schools will slide back without Michelle Rhee. This is where the cult of personality comes in. Michelle Rhee has accomplished a great many things as Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, however she is just one person. Of course, reform will go on whether she is there or not. Michelle Rhee is not the only person who can make school reform happen and I think often we pin our hopes too much to one single person. I think about this fact when I here people talk about Dr. Alonso. I have often heard people say that if Dr. Alonso was ever to leave all the progress BCPSS has made would be lost. While Dr. Alonso has done a great deal, he is not the only person working for school reform and improvement. School reform is a movement. It requires millions of people; teachers and administrators, school district leaders and parents, and of course, students. Much as the film Waiting for "Superman" states there is no one person or "superman" who can save us, we're all in this together.

Baltimore City Wins National Award

On Thursday, September 30, Baltimore City Schools was announced as the 2010 winner of the Council of Urban Boards of Education Annual Award for Urban School Board Excellence. The award recognizes Baltimore City for the hard work that board members, staff, principals, and teachers have put in to improve student achievement. The award also acknowledges that significant achievement gains have been made, enrollment has been increased, and the city has people rallying around the cause.
I agree that much talk and effort has been focused on closing achievement gaps and increasing student attendance, engagement, and success. I know that from my personal experience at my school, I am surrounded by many talented and effective teachers and faculty members who are deicated to holding students to high standards and closing the achievement gap. People are invested in transforming schools and helping our stdents reach high levels of academic achievement.
In the press release it states that "Baltimore City Public Schools are now thriving." Although I see examples of people committed to making improvements, I do not agree with this statement. When I hear the word "thriving," I think of schools where almost all students are fully invested in their classes and their actions relfect this mindset; I see high test scores and students who have been able to grow academically so that they are on grade level. I hear stories of others' schools, and even in my own school, the situation is not perfect. Fights are still taking place, students are still cutting class, and student are still struggling to meet their full potential and are behind academically. I have only been teaching in Baltimore City for about a year and do not know how conditions were like in the past, so I cannot say that large improvements have not been made. However, I do not think we are where we want to be. I believe that our system can continue to improve and I think that we are starting to move in that direction as Baltimore City employees continue to do great things for their students.