Archive for April, 2008

I Apologize

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 16, 2008 in Education Practice and Parents. 1 Comment

Quick! Call the Guinness Book of World Records and find out the record for the most people insulted in a single paragraph! Courtesy of the cartoonishly lefty Village Voice a reminder of why the rest of the U.S. hates New York City:

“Say ‘homeschooling’ and what tends to come to mind are the whitest people you know, holding Sunday school every day of the week in their basements, producing kids who can declaim against Charles Darwin for hours on end, but who are so screwed up socially that you can’t imagine them getting a date, except years later as part of a group outing to Christian Day at Disney World.”

I didn’t write that, but on behalf of my fellow Manhattanites allow me to apologize for this paragraph from a story about black families in New York City who are homeschooling their kids (The horror!). The late Spalding Gray once noted that he didn’t live in America, but an island off the coast of America called New York City. Only here would anyone find it odd that parents of any color who don’t have $30K a year to spend on private school might consider homeschooling over a violent, underperforming neighborhood school.

So I apologize. Please know that not everyone who lives here is a moron. But we do have a Village idiot.

[Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs]

Unchartered Waters

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 16, 2008 in Assessment and Testing, Parents and School News. 0 Comments

“Supporters of a breakaway charter school in the high-achieving Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District have dropped the effort, at least for now,” the Los Angeles Times reports. The charter was supposedly proposed “as an alternative to the standardized-testing culture of district schools.”

Something about this story doesn’t quite sound right. First of all, charter schools are subject to testing too. It’s also baffling that the parents felt the only way they could make a statement about testing was to start their own charter. Testing is seldom the problem. The mischief is in the test prep and endlessly sweating children to perform. It strains my credulity to think that the principal of a “high-achieving” school wouldn’t feel accountable to parental pressure to back off if that was the problem. Push comes to shove, the parents could make an even more effective statement with a testing boycott.

Hysteria

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 16, 2008 in Assessment and Testing. 0 Comments

When you think of “hysteria,” what comes to mind? The Salem Witch trials, perhaps, or the Red Scare? Maybe even the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. But standardized testing?

“Children are passing out,” says a Miami school board member. “They are being rushed to the hospital. Children are not supposed to be under that type of stress.”

They Said It

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 15, 2008 in Educational Policy and Opinion. 0 Comments

“Stop defending NCLB. It has proven to be ineffective, harmful for kids, devoid of what matters most in education, hostile to knowledge-acquisition, and downright bad for the future of education.”

–Diane Ravitch

“Let’s stipulate that George Will is right that some liberals hold under-educated Americans in contempt. Isn’t it strange that many of these same liberals defend the very public education system that arguably created the “under-educated” masses? And that resist promising policies that might improve said education system, such as tough-minded accountability, high-quality charter schools, and a more limited role for teachers unions? If these liberals want more Americans to be “thinking people,” why don’t they jump on the education reform bandwagon?”

–Mike Petrilli

Both Ravitch and Petrilli are from Flypaper, an entertaining and extraordinarily energetic new blog from Fordham. Good stuff!

High End Problems

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 15, 2008 in Education Practice and Educational Policy. 2 Comments

New research confirms what seems obvious to many teachers in inner city schools: the students who are at the greatest disadvantage in U.S. public schools are the brightest African-American children.

“As black students move through elementary and middle school, these studies show, the test-score gaps that separate them from their better-performing white counterparts grow fastest among the most able students and the most slowly for those who start out with below-average academic skills,” Education Week reports.

The reasons why achievement gaps are wider at the upper end of the achievement scale are still unclear, says Ed Week. But it was crystal clear to me in my South Bronx elementary school: every live, twitching nerve ending was aimed at getting kids who scored below grade level over the hump. The kids who were already there were viewed as finished goods. Such potentially high-achieving children, I was pointedly told by my AP once, were “not your problem.”

The “not your problem” kids walk in smart and walk out smart, largely by accident of birth. While they’re in school, they are nearly completely neglected, and as a result achieve not nearly as much as they would have (while still testing at or above grade level on dumbed-down state tests) had they not been starved for oxygen in an underperforming school, where they were constantly praised for being bright, but had few demands placed upon them, and where opportunities for enrichment, in or out of school, were non-existent.

“Some experts believe the patterns have something to do with the fact that African-American children tend to be taught in predominantly black schools, where test scores are lower on average, teachers are less experienced, and high-achieving peers are harder to find,” says Ed Week.

Sure, that too. But mostly, its not-so-benign neglect.

In one of the studies, Stanford University professor Sean F. Reardon, looked at the test data for nearly 7,000 elementary students and found that the achievement gaps grew twice as fast among the students who started out performing above the mean than they did among lower-performing children. “The long-term implication of this is that, if these gaps continue to grow throughout their schooling career, even kids who enter kindergarten with high levels of readiness are going to end up falling below where they started,” said Mr. Reardon tells Ed Week.

Culture of Acceptance

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 15, 2008 in Opinion and Teaching. 1 Comment

“There is a culture of acceptance towards violence in the city’s public schools. Administrators, faculty, and staff shake their heads in disbelief, but do nothing to change the broader picture,” writes former Baltimore middle school teacher Julia A. Gumminger in a piece on the Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel’s web site. “Staff members look the other way when violent incidents such as rioting and fighting happen. ‘It’s just the way things are’ is a common phrase spoken in the hallways. Student-on-student fights happen daily, and now student-on-teacher assaults are happening more often.”

Gumminger writes about her experience in Baltimore, but it will sound familiar to any teacher at a failing city school. When I was punched by a 4th grade boy last year, the consequence was to be screamed at by the AP about the need to be more understanding. At least that was my consequence. The student was sent back to his classroom. Gumminger goes on at dispiriting length describing conditions in her school. It’s not pleasant reading, but it’s important.

“These are our schools, where our children go to learn. How can any child learn in an environment like this?!” she asks. “How can we sit by, and let an entire city’s population of children go uneducated? How can we accept this culture of violence as “just the way it is”? We need to collectively decide that enough is enough, and make a conscious effort to stop accepting this. Until we do, our city (and others) will continue to lose great teachers, and our children will continue to be on the receiving end of the biggest injustice in this nation.”

You’ve heard it before? You can’t hear it enough.

Hands On Learning

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 15, 2008 in School News. 0 Comments

An elementary school in England has won praise for an innovative program aimed at curbing bad behaviour in the classroom. “The Mab Lane Primary School in Liverpool has recently introduced 20-minute massage sessions for its pupils,” the Daily Mail reports.

Pupils at the Mab Lane Primary in Liverpool take part in the 20-minute massage sessions twice a week and these are now going to be stepped up ahead of exam preparations.

“Headteacher June Todd is now urging parents to make use of its special chillout room, called the Quiet Place, which has a supply of aromatic oils and music is piped in to relax users,” the Daily Mail reports.

Quite a contrast with what’s happening here in the colonies…

Shiny, Happy Elementary Schools

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 14, 2008 in Education Practice and Education Theory. 0 Comments

The Arizona RepublicWhen you hear the phrase “happiest place on Earth” chances are that you think of Disneyland. But why don’t you think of elementary school, asks Rick Miller, the founder of Kids at Hope, an Arizona-based nonprofit. After all, schools have three elements necessary for an ideal environment for children: they get to be with their friends, they learn about the world, and they’re surrounded by grownups who care about them. “So, did someone decide our schools shouldn’t be happy places?” Miller asks in a piece in the Arizona Republic. “Is the process of learning incompatible with happiness? Most importantly, do we even think about the term happy when it comes to our schools?”

“Some schools focus on a rigorous curriculum and pride themselves on high academic standards. Others experiment yearly with new disciplinary programs, trying to maintain a focus on academics while struggling with student behaviors,” Miller writes. “When you read the thousands of different mission statements schools define themselves by, it is unlikely you will find such words as ‘happy’ or ‘fun’ offered as descriptors. Why not? Shouldn’t our schools be places of ‘happiness’ and ‘fun,’ or should they be relegated to serious institutions where only an examination can effectively determine a child’s future?’

It’s a great point. I’ve observed classes at elite private schools where, to be frank, the teachers were perfectly ordinary. But what great schools almost always have is a first-rate environment. The kids love being there. Likewise, I’ve seen great teachers doing their best and struggling to be effective inside grim, mirthless dumps. It’s no surprise they struggle. Even hard-charging teachers, squarely focused on raising student achievement sometimes lose sight of kids’ simple need to have fun (I confess I did). Indeed, some of the worst offenders are the most earnest, well-intentioned, who try to transfer a laudable sense of urgency to their students. At many of our worst schools, concerned not just about test scores but discipline, fun is the first thing to go as teachers–especially new teachers–fret about keeping their kids under control. And if you’d like to visit the unhappiest place on Earth sometime, visit the faculty lounge at a lousy school. Cause and effect?

“Disney learned that to create the ‘happiest place on Earth,’ he needed to find happy people to work there,” says Miller. “Not just teachers and administrators but all people who are part of the campus culture. Interestingly, it’s also been discovered that happy people are hopeful people. Thus, creating learning institutions that are, indeed, a place to experience happiness and hopefulness for the future should be a top priority along with high academic standards in every one of this country’s schools. After all, the very roots of this nation were founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Lunch Line Economics

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 14, 2008 in School News. 0 Comments

The Washington Post“Sharp rises in the cost of milk, grain and fresh fruits and vegetables are hitting cafeterias across the country, forcing cash-strapped schools to raise prices or pinch pennies by serving more economical dishes,” the Washington Post reports. “Some school officials on a mission to help fight childhood obesity say it’s becoming harder to fill students’ plates with healthy, low-fat foods.”

In Other News…

Published by Robert Pondiscio on April 13, 2008 in Weekly Roundup. 2 Comments

So much news, so little time. Here are some of the stories I meant to blog about this week before the time conspired against me. Discuss among yourselves.

Can the Schools Be Fixed?
It’s been 25 years since “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform,” which diagnosed the ills of American education. So how are we doing? Richard Rothstein, a former national educational columnist for the New York Times and research associate of the Economic Policy Institute, weighs in at the Cato Institute. On deck: Sol Stern, Rick Hess, et. al.

Let Teachers “Grab” Pupils
Teachers will be encouraged to physically restrain disruptive pupils under controversial new plans unveiled by U.K. Conservative Partly leader David Cameron.

Can Teaching be a Prestige Profession?
Imagine if you created a parallel teaching track called the Urban Teaching Corps. Teachers in this group would have much higher salaries, could be more easily fired, and would be placed in underserved, urban areas.

Principal Minds the Achievement Gap
Many of Florida’s public schools are being demonized so much so that they are perceived as harming students more than helping them. The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a class-action lawsuit demanding one school district close the gap in graduation rates between racial and socioeconomic groups.

Florida Disciplines Teachers Who Cheat
50 Florida teachers, counselors and administrators have been disciplined in the past 10 years for cheating or making errors in giving the FCAT, as well as other exams, according to files obtained from the state Education Department by the Florida Sun-Sentinel through a public records request.

A Good Grade for Teach for America
High-schoolers taught by the program’s novice instructors scored better on year-end exams, study says.

Teacher, a Wheelchair User, Writes Book About Her Accident
Michelle White, a fourth-grade special ed teacher in Lebanon, PA, believes she is a much better teacher since her accident on a sunny afternoon in September 2001.

Abuse Warnings Ignored for Two Decades
Seattle Public Schools will pay $3 million for failing to act on dozens of warnings that a popular teacher was molesting some of his fifth-grade students, a pattern that lasted two decades.

Semicolonoscopy
Much hand-wringing in France over the fate of the semicolon. Its days are numbered; the growing influence of English is apparently to blame.