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Forget Future Shock - It's PRESENT Shock! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Every high school in America is being asked to redefine what the American high school should look like! Well, maybe we're not really being asked. Most often we're being told to redefine. Sometimes it's by business leaders. Where are their interests and ethics? Sometimes it's by the government. And you know what? The same question "where are their interests and ethics" applies! Schools have quite a challenge ahead in the next 25 years. Consider the following!The following is from "Shift Happens" on the blog Beyond School, by Clay Burell. You can find his blog at burell.blogspot.com!- If you are one in a million in China, there are 1300 people just like you. In India there are 1100 people like you.- The 25% of the population in China with the highest IQ's is greater than the total population of North America. In India it's the top 28%. Translation for teachers: they have more honors kids then we have kids.- China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the wor Read more:Future
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"...we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children...will be able to join hands and sing..." (That's MLK, not NCLB!) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 On this year's anniversary of Martin Luther King's birthday, Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post wrote the following:"In many schools across the country, teachers say social studies has taken a back seat under the federal No Child Left Behind law, which stresses math and reading. Squeezing history into the curriculum can be difficult, educators say, and taking time out of a scheduled lesson to use a federal holiday -- even King's -- as a teaching moment can be tough."And so Elliot Eisner's prophetic words from the 1982 publication, Cognition and Curriculum: A Basis for Deciding What to Teach, come to haunt American education - thanks to the shortsightedness of NCLB."...there are many significant educational goals that are not easily tested: the desire to continue to learn what one has been taught, for example. What is not easily tested is frequently neglected. What is easy to test...is more likely to be tested.One of the most effective ways to create an educational crisis is to
Better Teacher Training is where the focus of NCLB should be! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Most of the higher-achieving countries we consider peers or competitors now provide high-quality graduate-level teacher education designed to ensure that all teachers can effectively educate all their students. Preparation is usually fully subsidized for all entrants, and includes a year of practice teaching in a clinical school connected to the university. Schools receive funding to provide coaching, seminars, classroom visits, and joint planning time for beginners as well as veterans. Salaries are competitive with those in other professions and include additional stipends for hard-to-staff locations.From "A Marshall Plan For Teaching" by Linda Darling-Hammond, EdWeek, Vol. 6, No. 18.If the government is serious in its efforts to improve schools, they must be committed to improving the quality of teacher training programs. The job of the teacher is difficult and multi-dimensional. Teaching is a complex activity in an ever-changing world. Teacher
s must be masters of content, motivators Read more:Training
The Republicans feel left out! Too bad. They had their chance. 1970-01-01 00:59:59 According to the New York Times:House Democrats on Friday (1/12/07) unveiled a bill that would cut interest rates on federally subsidized loans to college students by half over the next five years. They said they would finance the $6 billion measure by increasing costs that lenders pay to the government and reducing the largest lenders' government-guaranteed profits. The bill, one of half a dozen that the new House majority had placed on its 100-hour agenda, underscores the Democrats' all-out effort to consolidate gains made in November among middle-class voters. "How to pay for a college education has become a primary concern for students and families across this country, a concern that Congress must urgently address as part of our goal of strengthening America's middle class," said Representative George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. The measure is expected to pass in the House, where it is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday. Its future in the Read more:chance
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No Child Left Behind - - Except by Congress! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 According to NewsLeader, congress left for their winter vacation having voted to "keep federal education programs running at their FY 2006 levels through February 15, 2007." It was also reported that while committing only to maintain level funding through February of 2007, the appropriations committee officials "intend to continue those funding levels until the end of the current fiscal year." The fact that millions are lost to educational programs is absolutely inexcusable, especially while the current administration continues to promote the flawed NCLB as a hallmark accomplishment. The absolute hypocrisy of this move cannot be ignored at a time when the President presses Congress
to reauthorize NCLB! According to NewsLeaders the list of the biggest losers in this move are:- Striving Readers, which would have received a $5.3 million increase from FY 2006 funding.- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which would have received almost $100 million more than in FY 2006
Inquiry and Creativity: Are they lost in an age of NCLB? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 These are difficult times for educators who believe that learning is worth pursuing for its own sake and that the chief purpose of school is the nurturing of students as whole human beings. Higher test scores seem to be the order of the day. To accomplish this aim, administrators strain to meet political agendas, teachers respond by teaching to the test, and students in turn react by cheating, taking "learning steroids" (legal and illegal pyschostimulants), or just not caring in order to cope with the demands placed on them in school. The adventure of learning, the wonder of nature and culture, the richness of human experience, and the delight in acquiring new abilities all seem to have been abandoned or severely curtailed in the classroom in this drive to meet quotas, deadlines, benchmarks, mandates, and targets.- - -The most destructive legacy of NCLB may turn out to be that it hijacks the dialogue in education away from talking about the education of human beings and toward a fo Read more:Creativity
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National Standards! Who should decide? Please don't tell me...Congress! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 According to Lynn Olson in EdWeek (Vol. 26, No.19), Senator Christopher Dodd, Democrat (of CT) and Representative Vernon Ehlers, Republican (of MI) introduced a bill that "would provide incentives for states to adopt voluntary 'American education content standards' in mathematics and science, to be developed by the governing board for the National
Assessment of Educational Progress...'Core American standards would set high goals for all students, allow for meaningful comparisons across states, and ensure that all of our students are prepared for higher education,' Sen. Dodd said at a Jan.8 event here to unveil his bill."Does anyone else get the sense that this a political move made by a Senator who just announced his candidacy for President? Does anyone truly believe that a single set of standards is logical for every school in every state in the country? Does anyone want to entrust Congress
to come up with those standards?Here are the two biggest problems:1. The tern "voluntary" s Read more:Please
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Life long learners - not limited learners! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 According to the Center for Public Outreach the following list represents "emerging careers for the next 25 years:"artificial intelligence technician automotive fuel cell battery techniciancomputational linguistinformation brokerleisure consultantmedical diagnostic imaging technicianretirement counselorshyness consultantcybrarian (organizing a library growing at more than a million pages a day)neuromarketer (advising on neural response - i.e., why people buy Coke instead of Pepsi)fusion engineerterrorism analyst / homeland security specialistimage consultantunderwater archaeologistwater quality specialistFascinating list! So what should schools do to train the next generation to be prepared for these jobs and others that do not even exist at this time? Schools should do the same thing that good schools have always been doing: encourage students to be lifelong learners. If you believe the reports, the next generation will have several different jobs during the course of their adult work Read more:limited
Business world warns that the future is bleak. Do they honestly think that they're doing well now? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In the February 2007 issue of District Administration, Zach Miners reports on results from a survey on education conducted by The Education and Workforce Development initiative at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Here are two of the findings: "A substantial number of U.S. business organizations think
the future is bleak for tomorrow's leaders… current K-12 curricula do not adequately prepare students for college and the workforce" "Respondents to the survey represented a variety of business categories including association, education, small business, and nonprofit, more than half of which indicated that school systems need a great degree of input from the business community to set the state standards for college and workforce readiness" It only took these two comments to drive me right over the edge! I didn't need to continue reading much more of their impressions before a couple of thoughts from this pretentious and hypocritical group came to mind. First, the fact that the Read more:Business
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Doesn't it strike you odd...Part 1. 1970-01-01 00:59:59 EdWeek (1/24/07) reports that the Barnstable, Massachusetts school system has instituted a change to prevent students from being traumatized or embarrassed. The change involves the method of informing parents as to whether their children are overweight or underweight. "Superintendent Patricia Grenier said last week that instead of sending the test results home with children, parents of students in grades K-8 will receive letters in the mail informing them whether their children's weight is above or below average for their height." I don't mind the school protecting the self-esteem of their children, but doesn't it strike
you odd that the schools now must be the guardians of proper proportion in our youth? Also, can't students tell just by looking at each who is overweight? Why does the school nurse have to inform Mrs. Jones that perhaps Johnny is eating too many chips at night? Don't schools have enough to do? And, don't even get me started on state legislation mandating healthy
The State of NCLB 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In his State
of the Union address, President Bush included the following paragraph referring to the No Child Left Behind Act: Now the task is to build on this success, without watering down standards ... without taking control from local communities ... and without backsliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools ... and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose something better. We must increase funds for students who struggle - and make sure these children get the special help they need. And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive, by strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children - and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law. Without taking control from local communities? Sorry, Mr. Bush, NCLB does not provide for local dec
NCLB - Now Citizens, Let's Blog! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 More than two-thirds of American children ages 6-17 lack the sustained support needed to put them on track for adult success, according to a report scheduled for release this week.- - - - -The (study), conducted in the fall of 2005, asked the adolescents and the parents about a set of indicators in five areas:- Caring relationships with adults both in and out of school.- Safe families, schools, and communities and the chance to engage in constructive activities, such as after-school clubs and teams.- A healthy start and health development, including regular medical checkups, good nutrition, and daily physical activities.- Effective education for marketable skills and lifelong learning, including a positive school climate, a school culture that emphasizes academic achievement, reading for pleasure, and friends who value being a good student.- Opportunities to make a difference through helping others.- - - - -The indicators, according to the report, are designed to supplement more tradi Read more:Citizens
Education reform: It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki refers to David Halberstam's insights into Olympic rowing:When most oarsmen talked about their perfect moments in a boat, they referred not so much to winning a race but to the feel of the boat, all eight oars in the water together, the synchronization almost perfect. In moments like that, the boat seemed to lift right out of the water. Oarsmen called that the moment of swing
. Surowiecki, relating rowers to groups and group decision making, believes:When a boat has swing, it's motion seems almost effortless. Although there are eight oarsmen in the boat, it's as if there's only one person - with perfect timing and perfect strength - rowing. Relating this idea to school reform, can we all agree that today's children deserve an educational reform movement with swing? It sounds logical, but to get all the stakeholders in education reform to act like a group of oarsmen in a single boat is certainly a challenge. In order to accomplish Read more:Education
School success = family + school! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 One of the most logical and simple explanations on student performance and school performance came by way of an article by Saul Cooperman, "Good Families Make Good Schools" in EdWeek, 1/24/07. His simple statement, which actually was focused on large cities (Newark, NJ in particular) reverberates truth for every size American city and town, large or small:Parents are their children's first teachers, and many...are failing in that responsibility. The institutions of the family and the school are inextricably linked. Good families make good schools, and where families fail, inevitably schools do also.Now, this is not meant to pass the buck on to the family. This is no indictment on parents. In fact, schools can be notorious for making parents feel less than welcome. Schools have a duty to always seek out best practices and improve the quality of teaching and learning. Any good school is always in "improvement mode," searching for ways to enhance education regardless of current success.
Whoever thought students would know! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Congratulations to officials in the state of Arizona, who put a group of 60 high school students in the same room with policymakers and educators to try to figure out how to make their high schools better. According to Laura Houston of The Arizona Republic, in a 2/1/07 article, "Students try solving high school problems": Dropout rates, drug and alcohol abuse and brainstorming ideas to improve high schools were some of the topics that students wrestled with at Arizona State University at the West campus. Modeled after the Arizona Town Hall meetings, this...forum allowed students...to engage in open-ended conversations about what bothers them with their schools. Two days of talking weren't intended to be a magic bullet to fix the state's problems in high school education but were designed to get people of all ages thinking in a solution-oriented manner. Much like the state town hall meetings, the plan is for this forum to spin off debate that influences policy making and affects Arizo Read more:thought
Let's try this. No, let's try this! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by Kevin Duffy outlined a proposal in the state of Georgia to shorten the school year: A new bill in the state Legislature would allow school systems to shorten the school year and give students and their families more summer leisure time. The Flexibility for Excellence in Education Act, sponsored by Reps. Charles Martin (R-Alpharetta) and Ron Stephens (R-Garden City), would permit school boards to cut the school year by as many as 10 days.State law now requires 180 days of instruction. But the two lawmakers said that's too long and summer vacation is too short. House Bill 262 "gives local control and local flexibility over calendars," said Martin, a former mayor of Alpharetta. Shortening the calendar would mean packing the same amount of instruction into fewer days, Martin said, and could result in reducing transportation and energy costs. The money saved could be spent on salaries and materials, he said. Many Georgia schools alre
Arrogance? It's not the word I would choose! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Even as a person who works every day with high school teenagers, they never cease to amaze me!This week the Associated Press reported that a Minnesota teenager, as part of a family tradition during the Super Bowl halftime, ran around outdoors - minus his shoes. According to the article:It was 17 below zero at halftime Sunday in this city about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis, and D.J. Brown's dad said it was too cold to continue the tradition. But the 18-year-old senior at Buffalo High School ran outside in his T-shirt and jeans, threw off his socks and shoes, and ran around the block. Brown said he was outside only five minutes, but his feet started swelling and blistering when he got back inside. The pain was excruciating. He was treated for second-degree frostbite on both feet at the burn center at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and was on crutches and pain medication Monday. Brown, who said he's a straight-A student, chalked up his actions to "teenage arrogance. Read more:choose
Just slow down! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In an article in NEA Today by Mary Ellen Flannery, "Advancing The Middle Ground," middle school stakes are raised as 8th grade is considered the new 10th grade. With that in mind, lawmakers across the country are moving to make sure that their eighth-graders are well on the road to college. In one of his final acts, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed a new law requiring middle schools to offer at least one high school level course. Even more novel, the new law also requires eighth-graders to choose a "major," or intended career, like landscape operations, theater arts, or even teaching assistant. In Arkansas, middle schools are going through the process of classifying all of their classes as either "regular" or "pre-AP," while high schools begin to offer only "pre-AP" and "AP." Does anyone else have a problem with this? It's time to slow down and focus on the real priorities of our youth. Of course rigor and high standards are important. The best thing for any middle school to a
A modest proposal? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Chauncey Veatch (2002 National Teacher of the Year) recently warned an audience in Boston, Massachusetts of a dangerous trend in middle schools. In order to boost standardized test scores in reading and math (the two areas that are measured for the purpose of NCLB comparisons), schools are doubling time in math and reading instruction at the expense of time for science and social studies! As a veteran and one who appreciates democracy, his outrage over limiting access to social studies was very clear to the audience.Narrowing students' education based may be the biggest error any school can make in the 21st century! In Connecticut, schools are pulling out students from such areas as arts instruction, technology instruction, and other related arts to remediate students who have low math and reading scores. These schools are actually being held up as models for improving education!These schools should be sited as schools that are narrowing their student's education!Now, don't get me w Read more:modest proposal
"Our kids are not numbers!" 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The statement, "Our kids are not numbers!" was made by Jacqueline M. Carlton, Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, at the annual New England Regional Forum in Boston, MA sponsored by the College Board. Her statement admonishes all of us in the business of education to beware the temptation to assume that a student's standardized test scores, whether state testing numbers, PSAT, SAT, or AP define who that student is - or what they are capable of accomplishing! We sell our students short - and indeed we sell our entire school systems short - if we fall into the trap of measuring school success based on a set of scores. Our students are unique human beings with talents, interests, passion, and potential beyond whatever standardized test scores they have accumulated.Colleges have fallen into the trap of measuring student success based on scores. Any college that uses SAT scores as an initial method of selecting applicants passes up a richness and diversity of stu
Stop NCS! (Narrowed Curriculum Syndrome) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 An article in EdWeek (2/14/07) by John Merrow, "A 'Surge' Strategy for No Child Left Behind?" gets to the heart of the choices schools are being forced to make:Because (NCLB) demands that students demonstrate rudimentary math and English skills, and because education does testing on the cheap, we're witnessing the narrowing of the curriculum and a dramatic increase in simplistic machine-scored, multiple-choice testing - precisely at a time when the world economy demands not only higher skills but different ones.Pressure on schools to make what the law calls "adequate yearly progress" and avoid sanctions has led to a narrowing of the curriculum. Science, art, music, history, and physical education are disappearing, while math and English have been "dumbed down." I used the word "narrowing" on this blog in a posting entitled, A modest proposal? A narrowed curriculum syndrome is affecting our schools and has resulted in an insidious chipping away of a varied curriculum and prevented ex Read more:Curriculum
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Play by the rules! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Peter Schworm of the Boston Globe reported on 2/20/07 that students at Walpole High School in Massachusetts are complaining that the rules of the school are being enforced!Some parents and students are up in arms after more than a dozen Walpole High School students were suspended from athletics and others were threatened with probation from the National Honor Society for allegedly attending a large, alcohol-fueled house party last month. Several parents complained that the police department was overzealous and had wrongly compiled a list of partygoers based on second hand accounts and hazy recollections from students, and that students were not given a chance to defend themselves. It was also unfair to discipline students who abstained from alcohol as harshly as students who drank excessively, they said.Some of the students are fighting the school's decision which includes suspension from the teams and probation and dismissal from the school's Honor Society. Please do not start argui
Massachusetts gets it! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Hey, all other states in the union - - pay close attention to Massachusetts
! An editorial in the Boston Globe on 2/2/07, described a bill that would compare schools' performance in something besides tests scores! Judging a school by its test scores isn't a bad idea, it's just a limited one. A bill in the state Legislature would create a new measuring stick -- one that charts the chances students have to engage in creative activities. That might mean acting in the school play or being in the science fair. And as this century dawns, it should also mean engaging in multidisciplinary activities that may combine math and art or science and economics. Filed by Representative Daniel Bosley, a North Adams Democrat, the bill would set up a commission of cultural and business people as well as educators and legislative representatives to devise an index of creative and innovative education. "The index would rate every public school in the Commonwealth on teaching, encouraging, and fostering
Obama: 1, Edwards: 0, Clinton: -1 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In order to survive the longest, most drawn out Presidential race in history, The Principal's Office (TPO - for real fans) is going to turn the "spin" into a real contest. The score sheet will be based on the candidates intelligent conversation about education and the future of education for the students of America.Bad news, though. We're off to a very slow start. This week's score is based on the information about the Democrats' view on education found at their official websites. This should have been an easy chance to score points. It wasn't!Barack scores 1 point. (http://www.barackobama.com/) Here's the extent of his comments on school improvement in his "Issues" section:We are failing too many of our children in public schools. Right now, six million middle and high school students read at levels significantly below their grade level. Unfortunately, the debate in Washington has been narrowed: either we need to pour more money into the system, or we need to reform it with more Read more:Obama
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Chris Dodd - longshot? Education-wise, he scores big! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 TPO recently was questioned by a reader who pointed out that Chris
Dodd wasn't included in the contest for Democratic nominees (See the posting - Obama: 1, Edwards: 0, Clinton: -1). Chris Dodd doesn't have the Hollywood dollars, the press, or the charisma - but he may just start to rise to the surface as the front runners sling mud at each other instead of addressing the real issues. So, while Dodd may be a longshot, anyone who truly supports education should watch his progress. Start by visiting his website. (http://www.chrisdodd.com/) Of the all the candidates, he had the most elaborate comments on education! Dodd has been an advocate for changes to NCLB:He has introduced legislation - called the No Child Left Behind Reform Act - to add fairness to the process by which student progress is measured, direct resources to where they are needed most, and add a greater degree of flexibility to the teacher certification process.Dodd has answers for early childhood education:For childr Read more:Education
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Heart and Soul 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Hold high expectations for them, teach them to hold high expectations for themselves, and always be sure to recognize and respect each of them for who they are. Only by connecting with the heart and soul of each child as an individual will we truly leave no child behind.- Dr. Betty J. Sternberg, former Connecticut Commissioner of EducationToo much conversation about reforming schools is focused in the wrong area. The conversation always focuses on a school's test scores and not on meeting the unique needs of each and every student. In the process of improving schools, we should never lose sight of the individual student and their hopes, their desires, and their dreams. Defining "high expectations" as meaning that every student meets a set of standards sells the term short. When a school boasts about having high expectations, it should be focused on assuring that every student:discovers and knows their strengths and talents, refines and enhances their strengths and talents, and graduat Read more:Heart
Meeting tomorrow's needs - today! 2007-03-01 21:53:00 Times and expectations have changed. College used to be an option for young people, but in the 21st century choices are limited for those without a college degree. Manufacturing jobs are going overseas, salaries for blue-collar jobs are low, and most white-collar jobs today require at least an undergraduate -- if not graduate -- degree. This, coupled with the rise in global competition and the demand for new jobs in the science, technology, and engineering industries, creates an urgent need for all students to strive to reach their full academic potential in school. Some children need a longer school day and a longer school year. Ten schools in five districts lengthened their school days this year, and another seven schools in five districts are planning to do the same next year. Already we see change: more time for enrichment activities like arts and music, project-based learning such as forensics and meteorology, more time for core academics, remediation for students who need extra h Read more:tomorrow
Doesn't it strike you odd...Part 2. 2007-03-03 18:56:00 Does it concern anyone that standardized test results have become the SOLE indicator of individual and school success?In EdWeek (2/28/07), Kathleen Kennedy Manzo wrote, "The proportion of high school students completing a challenging core curriculum rose significantly between 1990 and 2005 - from 31 percent to 51 percent - and students are doing better in their classes than their predecessors did." The article continues on and addresses the lower reading and math test scores of 12th grade students in the U.S. as reported by the NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress). Manzo quotes Darvin M. Winnick, the chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP. Because test scores are lower, he negates better student performance in classes and addresses only the lower test scores. "Kids are doing more of what we would like them to do, on the surface. But my question is...are we not doing what we need to do to raise student achievementPlease, Mr. Winnick, Read more:strike
Feetdragging by our governors - all of them! 2007-03-08 02:44:00 In EdWeek (3/7/07) Michele McNeil reports that our state Governors are getting ready to position themselves to influence the status of NCLB. Does anyone else think that our governors are just a little behind the times? McNeil writes:"The nation's governors, who were noticeably absent when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act more than five years ago, are vowing to take a front-row seat as the law comes up for renewal this year." After five years of abdicating local control of education, our governors are getting ready to make their "big" move. McNeil writes that Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington and Gov. Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island are urging "fellow governors to work with their chief state school officers to appoint one person from each state to coordinate policy efforts on NCLB reauthorization. Representatives from all interested states will convene in the next couple of months to nail down changes the governors would like to see."That is the "big" move? This is only
Live by the test, die by the test! 2007-03-10 21:43:00 Well now... the institutions of higher education, which for ages have selected high school students on the basis of standardized test scores (SAT exams, ACT exams, AP exams), are on the other end of the testing dilemma.Alex Kingsbury in an article entitled "The Measuring of Learning" in Newsweek (3/12/07) reports that U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings will announce a plan to "assess college learning through one or a number of standardized tests."Colleges, which for years have relied on standardized tests to determine which entering students will be successful in their programs, don't want these same students tested as they exit their institutions."...colleges abhor the idea of government-imposed testing, insisting that they are reforming themselves and that government oversight is not the answer in any case. A one-size-fits-all solution is grossly impractical, they argue, given the variety of American colleges, and it undermines the prized independence of the institution
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