SAFE AND SECURE SCHOOLS
In the United States like many other countries students by law must attend school. Students cannot legally drop out until they complete the high school academic year in which they turned 16. Unfortunately, more and more of our students drop out of high school. It is a baffling situation because successful completion of high school and actually graduating is the minimum necessary in this country for future success. One cannot even join the military without completing high school or getting one's GED and the military limits the number of GED applicants it will accept. GED stands for General Educational Development and it is viewed as an equivalent document to a high school diploma.
There are countless reasons for students to drop out of high school. These reasons might include: family problems, socio-economic issues, poor grades, substance abuse, behavior problems and a failure to recognize the value of an education. Recently another factor may be accountable for not only students dropping out of high school; but even the increasingly poor attendance of more and more elementary and junior high school students. That factor is school safety. Violence both in and around our schools is increasing. The killings at Columbine was the wake-up call and there seems to be more and more incidences of students fighting, stabbing and shooting one another in and around schools across the country.
If attending school is compulsory then it is school system's responsibility to see that students are safe and secure in a situation where their attendance is mandatory. One can only wonder if the truancy on the elementary level and the accelerating dropout rate in high schools are the results of the increasing incidences of school violence. The school environment is fast changing and unfortunately those responsible for administering our schools are out of step. While school boards argue over the political correctness of social studies books and site administrators focus on gum chewing and clothing styles, other more serious problems need attention. Educators seem to be packed in a slow moving school bus in the commuter lane while students are speeding along in the fast lane.
I viewed a presentation recently in which the speaker offered that by the time kids get to school their brains have been rewired to be digital because they have spent so much time with digital activities, http://www.wimp.com/secretpowers/. Unfortunately the school environment is analog in that students are expected to focus on lectures, books, paper assignments and tests. In the classroom students cannot use the pause or delete key. Obviously, some will not be able to handle this foreign and unfamiliar situation. Lacking self-control, poor behavior is inevitable.
During my years of teaching I encountered poorly behaved students who enjoyed their attempts to be disruptive in the classroom. Ironically these same students rarely missed a day of school. Some actually bragged that they came to school not to learn but to socialize, hassle their fellow students, annoy teachers and see how much they could get away with. It is long past the time when the vast majority of students who attend regularly, participate in class, do their assignments and stay out of trouble once again become the focus of attention. This taken for granted, unappreciated and basically ignored student population needs to become the main attraction and receive top billing. The misfits, trouble makers, occasional attendees, novice gang members, and all those who just don't give a damn about their education need to be dealt with in a manner and location that does not detract from those students who appreciate and want an education.
Our schools are not an extension of the juvenile justice system or the mental health system. For too long the schools and their staffs have been used as the untrained extensions of the courts, law enforcement, health services and on occasion neglectful parents. The business of education is education. Current conditions make it difficult enough for schools to fulfill their primary responsibility without having to be burdened by all of society's other problems. When schools once again focus on those who want to learn and allow teachers to teach without being part time cops, social workers, mental health professionals and truant officers a more safe environment will be established and school violence will no doubt decrease. This is not rocket science just plain old common sense ... something that seems to be in short supply.
Next Post: Dangerous, Disruptive and Disobedient Students
Monday, June 14, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES-VI
Return to Student Tracking
If you are like me, a baby boomer, then you probably remember the small groups in which we were placed in grade school, especially for reading. These groups were identified by various names such as "Bluebirds" and "Redbirds" allowing the teacher to group students according to reading ability. Years later in my high school there was only one class that was different from the other classes and that class was known by us as the "Brain Class". At Loyola High School this class was made up of the best and brightest students and the guys in this class were guaranteed admission to college as sophomores as a result of their advanced work .
Today we have students in what are now called "gifted and talented" programs at one end of the educational spectrum and the special education classes at the other end. In the middle is everyone else regardless of achievement, skills mastery and actual performance. It is this middle group that makes up the vast majority of all classes in which most students are placed and most teachers teach. These classes will have students who will be reading three to four years above and below grade level. Some students in these classes will be disappointed if they do not earn "A" grades and others will celebrate if they achieve a "D-".
For some reason the practice of grouping by ability or tracking fell out of favor and became educationally incorrect. Whereas homogeneous grouping is desirable for the gifted and the educationally handicapped it is not a placement process for everyone else. As a result teachers are forced to modify their instructional delivery by offering differentiated instruction; that is, teaching to multiple groups with varying ability levels. Furthermore teachers must accommodate many individual students with specific learning difficulties that require individualized instruction. This is to be accomplished in a class with 30 or more students with no other adult assistance. You see, administrators know that "redbirds" and "bluebirds" still exist; but refuse to divide students into manageable groups. Instead teachers are now required to set up subgroups in their classes to effectively deal with these vast differences in ability.
The result of this departure from tracking is that now most teachers spend more time dealing with issues of how to teach and classroom management issues rather than what to teach. Teachers must be aware of and recognize the cultural diversity, socio-economic background as well as the level of skills mastery of their students. It is understood and accepted that the educationally handicapped need to be isolated in special education classes to succeed. Additionally, the gifted and talented also allegedly achieve more when placed in homogeneous classes; but its baffling that these same placement considerations are denied to the vast majority of regular students. Consequently the end results, namely the achievement levels, actual grades and of course standardized test scores of the regular students are all over the place.
It is generally believed that nothing in education is ever really new; but a repackaging of something that has previously been done. If this be true, then why not bring back the "Redbirds" and "Bluebirds"? Let us begin to place regular students in classes by achievement or ability just like the gifted and talented and the educationally handicapped are now placed. Let us begin to give the regular students the same educational advantage that these other two groups of students now enjoy. Let us give the teachers of these regular students the same teaching advantage that the teachers of the other two groups of students now experience. Tracking once worked and still works for a few so why not allow tracking to work for everyone? We really have nothing to lose.
Next Post: Safe and Secure Schools
If you are like me, a baby boomer, then you probably remember the small groups in which we were placed in grade school, especially for reading. These groups were identified by various names such as "Bluebirds" and "Redbirds" allowing the teacher to group students according to reading ability. Years later in my high school there was only one class that was different from the other classes and that class was known by us as the "Brain Class". At Loyola High School this class was made up of the best and brightest students and the guys in this class were guaranteed admission to college as sophomores as a result of their advanced work .
Today we have students in what are now called "gifted and talented" programs at one end of the educational spectrum and the special education classes at the other end. In the middle is everyone else regardless of achievement, skills mastery and actual performance. It is this middle group that makes up the vast majority of all classes in which most students are placed and most teachers teach. These classes will have students who will be reading three to four years above and below grade level. Some students in these classes will be disappointed if they do not earn "A" grades and others will celebrate if they achieve a "D-".
For some reason the practice of grouping by ability or tracking fell out of favor and became educationally incorrect. Whereas homogeneous grouping is desirable for the gifted and the educationally handicapped it is not a placement process for everyone else. As a result teachers are forced to modify their instructional delivery by offering differentiated instruction; that is, teaching to multiple groups with varying ability levels. Furthermore teachers must accommodate many individual students with specific learning difficulties that require individualized instruction. This is to be accomplished in a class with 30 or more students with no other adult assistance. You see, administrators know that "redbirds" and "bluebirds" still exist; but refuse to divide students into manageable groups. Instead teachers are now required to set up subgroups in their classes to effectively deal with these vast differences in ability.
The result of this departure from tracking is that now most teachers spend more time dealing with issues of how to teach and classroom management issues rather than what to teach. Teachers must be aware of and recognize the cultural diversity, socio-economic background as well as the level of skills mastery of their students. It is understood and accepted that the educationally handicapped need to be isolated in special education classes to succeed. Additionally, the gifted and talented also allegedly achieve more when placed in homogeneous classes; but its baffling that these same placement considerations are denied to the vast majority of regular students. Consequently the end results, namely the achievement levels, actual grades and of course standardized test scores of the regular students are all over the place.
It is generally believed that nothing in education is ever really new; but a repackaging of something that has previously been done. If this be true, then why not bring back the "Redbirds" and "Bluebirds"? Let us begin to place regular students in classes by achievement or ability just like the gifted and talented and the educationally handicapped are now placed. Let us begin to give the regular students the same educational advantage that these other two groups of students now enjoy. Let us give the teachers of these regular students the same teaching advantage that the teachers of the other two groups of students now experience. Tracking once worked and still works for a few so why not allow tracking to work for everyone? We really have nothing to lose.
Next Post: Safe and Secure Schools
Thursday, May 13, 2010
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES - V
Focus on Subject Matter
There has been a steady shift or slide by educators from spending professional time on their particular subject matter to spending professional time on classroom management, cultural diversity, fostering self-esteem, parent and student rights, educational standards and of course the now all important and almighty standardized testing. While all these topics and concerns have varying degrees of relevance and possibly importance, the business of education remains education. As such, curriculum is all important. Professional time should be spent on what is being taught in the core subjects: English, Mathematics, History and Science. Teachers need to be able to meet as colleagues and discuss subject matter concerns. Teachers must have the time to discuss particular subject matter units and how these units are being presented to students. Over the years teachers' meetings have been usurped by administration to cover, discuss, debate and promote everything; except the business of education. This trend must be reversed.
What teachers teach and what students learn in each grade as students progress through public school has become pretty much standardized and predictable. Yes, there have been some unfortunate changes like the mandate that all eighth graders must be taught algebra regardless of their mastery of basic math skills. But in general, there is for the most part a somewhat logical progression of skills acquisition and subject matter exposure. Unfortunately, for many teachers they teach in a collegial vacuum and professional isolation. Many novice teachers have little time to be mentored by their more experienced colleagues and veteran teachers have little or no time to "talk shop" with their peers. Once that bell rings and the door closes its is show time and all teachers are on their own, even the novice first year teacher with no experience.
During the last years of my teaching career most meetings, both full faculty and departmental, were taken up with the new concerns of education. Topping this list was of course standardized testing; but many other non-education topics consumed precious time under the alleged importance of staff development, in-service training and school improvement. Countless school improvement plan requests drifted down from the non-teaching administrators in the district office that required many precious hours to process and complete. To add insult to injury in some instances these plans would be filed away having never been reviewed or read. If by chance someone had discovered a new resource to explain the plot of The Call of the Wild or a new web site that provided more detailed back ground information for The Diary of Anne Frank little formal meeting time was available for sharing this information.
As a result of universal education in that all children regardless of school readiness, mastery of skills, attitude, behavior, attendance and socialization occupy seats in this country's classrooms; the classroom teacher now faces many challenges. Teachers are expected to wear many hats. They are expected to be social workers, counselors, crisis intervention specialists, surrogate parents, nutritionists, behavior modification specialists, attendance monitors and security cops in their overcrowded classrooms with far too many students needing special services. These special needs students are in addition to the educationally handicapped students that were once taught in special education classes; but now include the growing number of delinquent, chronically truant, frequently suspended, disinterested, out of control, parentally neglected children who are a constant source of disruption in the classroom.
No doubt if school administrators would handle the problems that these feral students bring to the classroom maybe, just maybe teachers could devote more time to improving their subject matter presentation and less time on all the various facets of classroom management. Could this result in even test scores going up ? Now that is a carrot to wave in front of school administrators.
Next Post: RETURN TO STUDENT TRACKING
There has been a steady shift or slide by educators from spending professional time on their particular subject matter to spending professional time on classroom management, cultural diversity, fostering self-esteem, parent and student rights, educational standards and of course the now all important and almighty standardized testing. While all these topics and concerns have varying degrees of relevance and possibly importance, the business of education remains education. As such, curriculum is all important. Professional time should be spent on what is being taught in the core subjects: English, Mathematics, History and Science. Teachers need to be able to meet as colleagues and discuss subject matter concerns. Teachers must have the time to discuss particular subject matter units and how these units are being presented to students. Over the years teachers' meetings have been usurped by administration to cover, discuss, debate and promote everything; except the business of education. This trend must be reversed.
What teachers teach and what students learn in each grade as students progress through public school has become pretty much standardized and predictable. Yes, there have been some unfortunate changes like the mandate that all eighth graders must be taught algebra regardless of their mastery of basic math skills. But in general, there is for the most part a somewhat logical progression of skills acquisition and subject matter exposure. Unfortunately, for many teachers they teach in a collegial vacuum and professional isolation. Many novice teachers have little time to be mentored by their more experienced colleagues and veteran teachers have little or no time to "talk shop" with their peers. Once that bell rings and the door closes its is show time and all teachers are on their own, even the novice first year teacher with no experience.
During the last years of my teaching career most meetings, both full faculty and departmental, were taken up with the new concerns of education. Topping this list was of course standardized testing; but many other non-education topics consumed precious time under the alleged importance of staff development, in-service training and school improvement. Countless school improvement plan requests drifted down from the non-teaching administrators in the district office that required many precious hours to process and complete. To add insult to injury in some instances these plans would be filed away having never been reviewed or read. If by chance someone had discovered a new resource to explain the plot of The Call of the Wild or a new web site that provided more detailed back ground information for The Diary of Anne Frank little formal meeting time was available for sharing this information.
As a result of universal education in that all children regardless of school readiness, mastery of skills, attitude, behavior, attendance and socialization occupy seats in this country's classrooms; the classroom teacher now faces many challenges. Teachers are expected to wear many hats. They are expected to be social workers, counselors, crisis intervention specialists, surrogate parents, nutritionists, behavior modification specialists, attendance monitors and security cops in their overcrowded classrooms with far too many students needing special services. These special needs students are in addition to the educationally handicapped students that were once taught in special education classes; but now include the growing number of delinquent, chronically truant, frequently suspended, disinterested, out of control, parentally neglected children who are a constant source of disruption in the classroom.
No doubt if school administrators would handle the problems that these feral students bring to the classroom maybe, just maybe teachers could devote more time to improving their subject matter presentation and less time on all the various facets of classroom management. Could this result in even test scores going up ? Now that is a carrot to wave in front of school administrators.
Next Post: RETURN TO STUDENT TRACKING
Sunday, April 11, 2010
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES -IV
REALITY BASED CURRICULUM
A school's curriculum is a school's course of study and for students it is the education and training they receive. I attended a college preparatory high school in Baltimore, Loyola High School, which is a Jesuit institution. There were no shop classes or art and music classes. All classes were academic with one goal in mind and that was to prepare students for college. There were schools that were even more specialized in their course offerings, like Baltimore's Polytechnic High School which prepared its students for continuing education and careers in engineering. Eastern High School offered business and secretarial skills to its female student body and Mergenthaler Vocational and Technical High School prepared it students for immediate employment in the trades. Yes, I suppose this was a form of institutional tracking; but it was also an understanding and acceptance that one size did not fit all. The reality was that not all students were college bound. It is that narrow minded one size will fit all concept which now manifests itself in the current educational philosophy that all students will be college bound and is in fact so out of step with reality.
This country's high school student drop-out rates are alarmingly high. Over the last decade roughly 70% of all high school seniors graduated and of that number roughly 34% possess the skills and qualifications necessary to enter college. With these statistics smacking us in the face why then are so many schools modifying their curricula in deference to the college bound and at the expense of all other students? Many years ago I attended one of the few in-service/staff development training sessions that was not a mind numbing experience. The guest lecturer offered that America's schools are set up so that all students are expected to be kindergarten ready at around age 5 and ready to graduate from high school at age 18. Yet every year tens of thousands of students demonstrate that they are not ready to begin at age 5 and not ready to leave at age 18. This guest lecturer also offered that the two American institutions that are very much alike in the manner in which they operate are the educational system and the prison system. However; unlike this country's educational system the prison system is slowly changing. It seems this country's prison population fares better than its student population.
Just as the five year olds and the 18year olds continually demonstrate that readiness to begin school and readiness to exit is somewhat fluid, so does a significant part of our student population continue to demonstrate that they are not college bound and that what is currently be offered in the form of course work and career training is not relevant to their lives and their futures.
I have a friend who is a plumber by trade. After high school he joined the US Navy and specialized in being a pipefitter/steamfitter. After his tour of duty he gained employment with a bay area plumbing contractor. After several years he got his own plumbing contractor's license and now operates his own plumbing business. His earnings are excellent. He is married and owns a home and he is not a college graduate.
On a recent visit to my home the subject of schools came up and he expressed some rather strong negative opinions about his son's education. Apparently the boy would someday like to follow in his father's footsteps and become a plumber. What my friend objected to was the fact that his son's education was devoid of any exposure to the trades. Regardless of his son's interests his education is structured on the college preparatory track. My friend feels that his son is being blatantly discriminated against because the schools have decided that it is best for everyone to be educated as if they are going to college. To paraphrase my friend, some students should be learning how to read a tape measure and instead are being taught algebra. He pointed out that he doesn't use algebra as a plumber but being able to correctly read a tape measure is crucial.
If schools are to ever see a decrease in the drop-out rate and an increase in the graduation rate than schools must once again offer a reality-base curriculum. Students who plan on joining the family restaurant business, retail store, various trades and service jobs must have meaningful courses from which to choose. It is a disservice to these students and their families to force all of them into the college preparatory track when so many have plans that do not include college. Not all students are interested in Racing to the Top. Some have been Left Behind because their destination was different and just as Failure is Not an Option to the educational decision makers, college is not an option for those with other plans and interests.
Next Post: FOCUS ON SUBJECT MATTER
A school's curriculum is a school's course of study and for students it is the education and training they receive. I attended a college preparatory high school in Baltimore, Loyola High School, which is a Jesuit institution. There were no shop classes or art and music classes. All classes were academic with one goal in mind and that was to prepare students for college. There were schools that were even more specialized in their course offerings, like Baltimore's Polytechnic High School which prepared its students for continuing education and careers in engineering. Eastern High School offered business and secretarial skills to its female student body and Mergenthaler Vocational and Technical High School prepared it students for immediate employment in the trades. Yes, I suppose this was a form of institutional tracking; but it was also an understanding and acceptance that one size did not fit all. The reality was that not all students were college bound. It is that narrow minded one size will fit all concept which now manifests itself in the current educational philosophy that all students will be college bound and is in fact so out of step with reality.
This country's high school student drop-out rates are alarmingly high. Over the last decade roughly 70% of all high school seniors graduated and of that number roughly 34% possess the skills and qualifications necessary to enter college. With these statistics smacking us in the face why then are so many schools modifying their curricula in deference to the college bound and at the expense of all other students? Many years ago I attended one of the few in-service/staff development training sessions that was not a mind numbing experience. The guest lecturer offered that America's schools are set up so that all students are expected to be kindergarten ready at around age 5 and ready to graduate from high school at age 18. Yet every year tens of thousands of students demonstrate that they are not ready to begin at age 5 and not ready to leave at age 18. This guest lecturer also offered that the two American institutions that are very much alike in the manner in which they operate are the educational system and the prison system. However; unlike this country's educational system the prison system is slowly changing. It seems this country's prison population fares better than its student population.
Just as the five year olds and the 18year olds continually demonstrate that readiness to begin school and readiness to exit is somewhat fluid, so does a significant part of our student population continue to demonstrate that they are not college bound and that what is currently be offered in the form of course work and career training is not relevant to their lives and their futures.
I have a friend who is a plumber by trade. After high school he joined the US Navy and specialized in being a pipefitter/steamfitter. After his tour of duty he gained employment with a bay area plumbing contractor. After several years he got his own plumbing contractor's license and now operates his own plumbing business. His earnings are excellent. He is married and owns a home and he is not a college graduate.
On a recent visit to my home the subject of schools came up and he expressed some rather strong negative opinions about his son's education. Apparently the boy would someday like to follow in his father's footsteps and become a plumber. What my friend objected to was the fact that his son's education was devoid of any exposure to the trades. Regardless of his son's interests his education is structured on the college preparatory track. My friend feels that his son is being blatantly discriminated against because the schools have decided that it is best for everyone to be educated as if they are going to college. To paraphrase my friend, some students should be learning how to read a tape measure and instead are being taught algebra. He pointed out that he doesn't use algebra as a plumber but being able to correctly read a tape measure is crucial.
If schools are to ever see a decrease in the drop-out rate and an increase in the graduation rate than schools must once again offer a reality-base curriculum. Students who plan on joining the family restaurant business, retail store, various trades and service jobs must have meaningful courses from which to choose. It is a disservice to these students and their families to force all of them into the college preparatory track when so many have plans that do not include college. Not all students are interested in Racing to the Top. Some have been Left Behind because their destination was different and just as Failure is Not an Option to the educational decision makers, college is not an option for those with other plans and interests.
Next Post: FOCUS ON SUBJECT MATTER
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES - III
TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Using a model that would offer scholarships or reduction of student loans we need to attract college graduates into education and keep them. Unfortunately, today's future teachers not only need a degree in their subject area; but they also must have the equivalent of a Master's Degree to satisfy the numerous course requirements dealing methodology, teaching techniques, strategies and countless other courses to become credentialed. Not long ago California required all its credentialed teachers to obtain the CLAD (Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development) credential and then the B-CLAD. I have yet to find one teacher who feels the credential was needed or worthwhile for success in the classroom. Acquiring that CLAD credential however was necessary to keep ones teaching job. With California's diverse population it seems the CLAD was more politically motivated than educationally necessary.
Once a college graduate has been recruited it would be very beneficial if that new hire got meaningful guidance and support in the classroom. Unfortunately classroom management skills have become increasing more important for teacher survival and retention. What we teach has taken a back seat to how we teach, whom we teach and more importantly the test scores of those being taught. Schools with students from poor families, with limited financial means, and missing the family and community support that more well off families and communities enjoy must compete against these schools and are judged with these schools. Neither the players nor the playing field is level. In this Race to the Top where No Child is supposed to be Left Behind the teachers are under tremendous pressure to see that their students achieve and become winners. If students do not achieve then the teachers are to blame and become the losers. Some of this countries educational leaders now proclaim that Failure is Not an Option ! And these are the same political and educational leaders who mandate programs and expect results; but provide little if any financial support.
Of course even though the classroom teacher has no control over attendance, frequency of absenteeism, homework completion and parental cooperation he/she is still held accountable for all students' successes and failures. In most schools new teachers get as much assistance and guidance as a non swimmer who is thrown into the deep end of the pool and told to swim! Of course there are programs where a posse of educational experts will suddenly appear in a new teachers room and offer constructive criticism on everything from the content of the bulletin boards to the way the desks are arranged. New teachers I have talked to find these classroom visits by the alleged mentoring experts most disturbing and not the least bit helpful. Is it any wonder that so many new teachers leave before reaching their fifth year of teaching?
I would recommend that new teachers be given assignments where they would be teaching the best and the brightest students in any school. Unfortunately new teachers (like the non-swimmer being thrown into the deep end of the pool) are usually given the worst classes containing the most difficult students. Teaching these classes with difficult students requires the skills of experienced teachers possessing not only a command of the subject matter; but also expert classroom management skills.
Fresh out of college I worked as an intake counselor at the Maryland Reception Classification & Diagnostic Center housed at the maximum security Maryland Penitentiary. Later I worked as a classroom teacher for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services at both the Maryland Children's Center and the Maryland Training School for Boys. During this time I attended Loyola College Evening Graduate School and earned my Masters in Education in the area of the Emotionally Disturbed Child. Concurrently, I earned my Maryland Standard Teaching Credential. Before relocating to California I taught for two years for the Methodist Board of Child Care at their residential treatment facility for emotionally disturbed teenagers. I believe the years I spent teaching in the institutional setting allowed me to hone my classroom management skills that allowed me to survive the next 35 years of teaching in the public school system. I survived the deep end of the pool.
New teachers may be skilled in their respective subject matter; but in today's classroom where concern for student self-esteem is more important than any expectation of student self-control these new teachers are at a very serious disadvantage. Maybe veteran teachers should be offered bonus or incentive (I am not talking about merit pay) pay to voluntarily take the more difficult or challenging classes and students and allow the new teachers to hone their skills with the more well behaved and academically interested students. Becoming an excellent classroom teacher should be a process not a trial by fire or a situation where the new teacher either sinks or swims as his administrators and colleagues stand by and watch.
Next Post:REALITY BASED CURRICULUM
Using a model that would offer scholarships or reduction of student loans we need to attract college graduates into education and keep them. Unfortunately, today's future teachers not only need a degree in their subject area; but they also must have the equivalent of a Master's Degree to satisfy the numerous course requirements dealing methodology, teaching techniques, strategies and countless other courses to become credentialed. Not long ago California required all its credentialed teachers to obtain the CLAD (Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development) credential and then the B-CLAD. I have yet to find one teacher who feels the credential was needed or worthwhile for success in the classroom. Acquiring that CLAD credential however was necessary to keep ones teaching job. With California's diverse population it seems the CLAD was more politically motivated than educationally necessary.
Once a college graduate has been recruited it would be very beneficial if that new hire got meaningful guidance and support in the classroom. Unfortunately classroom management skills have become increasing more important for teacher survival and retention. What we teach has taken a back seat to how we teach, whom we teach and more importantly the test scores of those being taught. Schools with students from poor families, with limited financial means, and missing the family and community support that more well off families and communities enjoy must compete against these schools and are judged with these schools. Neither the players nor the playing field is level. In this Race to the Top where No Child is supposed to be Left Behind the teachers are under tremendous pressure to see that their students achieve and become winners. If students do not achieve then the teachers are to blame and become the losers. Some of this countries educational leaders now proclaim that Failure is Not an Option ! And these are the same political and educational leaders who mandate programs and expect results; but provide little if any financial support.
Of course even though the classroom teacher has no control over attendance, frequency of absenteeism, homework completion and parental cooperation he/she is still held accountable for all students' successes and failures. In most schools new teachers get as much assistance and guidance as a non swimmer who is thrown into the deep end of the pool and told to swim! Of course there are programs where a posse of educational experts will suddenly appear in a new teachers room and offer constructive criticism on everything from the content of the bulletin boards to the way the desks are arranged. New teachers I have talked to find these classroom visits by the alleged mentoring experts most disturbing and not the least bit helpful. Is it any wonder that so many new teachers leave before reaching their fifth year of teaching?
I would recommend that new teachers be given assignments where they would be teaching the best and the brightest students in any school. Unfortunately new teachers (like the non-swimmer being thrown into the deep end of the pool) are usually given the worst classes containing the most difficult students. Teaching these classes with difficult students requires the skills of experienced teachers possessing not only a command of the subject matter; but also expert classroom management skills.
Fresh out of college I worked as an intake counselor at the Maryland Reception Classification & Diagnostic Center housed at the maximum security Maryland Penitentiary. Later I worked as a classroom teacher for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services at both the Maryland Children's Center and the Maryland Training School for Boys. During this time I attended Loyola College Evening Graduate School and earned my Masters in Education in the area of the Emotionally Disturbed Child. Concurrently, I earned my Maryland Standard Teaching Credential. Before relocating to California I taught for two years for the Methodist Board of Child Care at their residential treatment facility for emotionally disturbed teenagers. I believe the years I spent teaching in the institutional setting allowed me to hone my classroom management skills that allowed me to survive the next 35 years of teaching in the public school system. I survived the deep end of the pool.
New teachers may be skilled in their respective subject matter; but in today's classroom where concern for student self-esteem is more important than any expectation of student self-control these new teachers are at a very serious disadvantage. Maybe veteran teachers should be offered bonus or incentive (I am not talking about merit pay) pay to voluntarily take the more difficult or challenging classes and students and allow the new teachers to hone their skills with the more well behaved and academically interested students. Becoming an excellent classroom teacher should be a process not a trial by fire or a situation where the new teacher either sinks or swims as his administrators and colleagues stand by and watch.
Next Post:REALITY BASED CURRICULUM
Monday, March 29, 2010
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES - II
SECURE and CONSISTENT FUNDING
If indeed our schools and the students who are in attendance are this country's greatest natural resource then it is time to put our money where our mouth is. There seems to be money for sports stadiums, mass transit, first time home buyers, cash for clunkers and a host of other seemingly vital items and programs. Education needs to be at the top of this list. The financial experts need to decide how education will be consistently funded. Be it sales, property, income or whatever tax this tax must be fair, equitable and appropriate. At the same time services now being provided in the school setting that are non educational must be reconsidered and if these programs do not support the educational process then they are expendable.
Presently the school district where I reside, Cabrillo Unified School District, needs more money because like other districts it is getting less from the state. Supposedly, every teacher hired after 1999 (last hired, first fired) has been given a pink slip. To keep these teachers employed we will be voting on a parcel tax. The tax will be for a couple of hundred dollars assessed on every property owner for three to four year period of time. To pass, the measure must be approved by 66% of those voting. It may not sound like much money; but there is a rub.
I spoke with a dink couple recently (dual income no kids) and they purchased a house for $1,200,000. Yes, this is a lot of money; but not that unusual in San Mateo County, California. This couple currently pays $12,000 a year in property taxes! Our sales tax is now at 9.25% in San Mateo County and the vehicle licensing fees have increased this year from .65% to 1.15% of the vehicle's purchase price. This couple's feeling is that enough is enough. They and many other Californians want to know how all the collected tax money is being spent? What is the state doing with its money? Considering the economic climate I doubt very seriously that this parcel tax measure will pass.
As California approaches another gubernatorial election we already have candidates spouting off about their alleged success in the business world and how they will translate that success into running the state. On occasion this same spiel is offered as the definitive answer to improve our schools. Unfortunately what these candidates fail to realize is that schools do not produce a product. Schools teach, train and prepare individuals for life in an ever changing world. There is no tangible product. There is a process.
Rather than re-invent the wheel it would seem that each state could set up study groups to find school districts that are both financially solvent and academically successful. Discover what their best practices are and what they do right. Learn from both their mistakes and successes. Examine and report on every aspect of what these successful school districts are doing and replicate where possible. I am not advocating a one size fits all approach; but the sharing of information so that schools that need to change have a model by which to follow. At the same time school districts must think outside the box. Every aspect of what they do should be re-examined in the context of could it be done better and at less cost.
The absurd cycle of cutting services and jobs and at the same time raising taxes must be stopped. Our childrens education has to be viewed as just as vital to a community as a new foot ball stadium ... even more important.
Next Post: Teacher Recruitment and Retention
If indeed our schools and the students who are in attendance are this country's greatest natural resource then it is time to put our money where our mouth is. There seems to be money for sports stadiums, mass transit, first time home buyers, cash for clunkers and a host of other seemingly vital items and programs. Education needs to be at the top of this list. The financial experts need to decide how education will be consistently funded. Be it sales, property, income or whatever tax this tax must be fair, equitable and appropriate. At the same time services now being provided in the school setting that are non educational must be reconsidered and if these programs do not support the educational process then they are expendable.
Presently the school district where I reside, Cabrillo Unified School District, needs more money because like other districts it is getting less from the state. Supposedly, every teacher hired after 1999 (last hired, first fired) has been given a pink slip. To keep these teachers employed we will be voting on a parcel tax. The tax will be for a couple of hundred dollars assessed on every property owner for three to four year period of time. To pass, the measure must be approved by 66% of those voting. It may not sound like much money; but there is a rub.
I spoke with a dink couple recently (dual income no kids) and they purchased a house for $1,200,000. Yes, this is a lot of money; but not that unusual in San Mateo County, California. This couple currently pays $12,000 a year in property taxes! Our sales tax is now at 9.25% in San Mateo County and the vehicle licensing fees have increased this year from .65% to 1.15% of the vehicle's purchase price. This couple's feeling is that enough is enough. They and many other Californians want to know how all the collected tax money is being spent? What is the state doing with its money? Considering the economic climate I doubt very seriously that this parcel tax measure will pass.
As California approaches another gubernatorial election we already have candidates spouting off about their alleged success in the business world and how they will translate that success into running the state. On occasion this same spiel is offered as the definitive answer to improve our schools. Unfortunately what these candidates fail to realize is that schools do not produce a product. Schools teach, train and prepare individuals for life in an ever changing world. There is no tangible product. There is a process.
Rather than re-invent the wheel it would seem that each state could set up study groups to find school districts that are both financially solvent and academically successful. Discover what their best practices are and what they do right. Learn from both their mistakes and successes. Examine and report on every aspect of what these successful school districts are doing and replicate where possible. I am not advocating a one size fits all approach; but the sharing of information so that schools that need to change have a model by which to follow. At the same time school districts must think outside the box. Every aspect of what they do should be re-examined in the context of could it be done better and at less cost.
The absurd cycle of cutting services and jobs and at the same time raising taxes must be stopped. Our childrens education has to be viewed as just as vital to a community as a new foot ball stadium ... even more important.
Next Post: Teacher Recruitment and Retention
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES -I
Much, maybe too much, has been written about what is wrong with our educational system. Blame has been placed on: schools, teachers, students, parents, administrators and numerous other aspects of this country's educational system. Unfortunately far too little has been offered in the form of real, practical and achievable solutions to these complex problems. Having taught for almost 40 years and having witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly I feel I am somewhat qualified to offer some observations and possible solutions. Let me stress that I am not a traveling educational expert with a pre-packaged power point presentation offering the quick fix. I was a classroom teacher in a suburban junior high school. I taught language arts to a culturally and ethnically diverse middle class population in the once golden state of California. Currently California's education system, much like the rest of the state's institutions have lost their golden shine and are in fact now quite tarnished.
Before making some observations and offering some solutions to the state's educational difficulties it seems identification of the existing problems is necessary. Hopefully I will avoid the usual process of "ready, fire aim" in my attempt to problem solve. Based purely on past experiences and first hand observations I would list California's, if not most states, problems as follows:
1. secure and consistent funding
2. teacher recruitment and retention
3. reality based curriculum
4. emphasis on subject content
5. return to student tracking
6. return to safe & secure schools
7. dangerous, disruptive & disobedient students
8. over emphasis on testing
Now I would imagine that a list of educational problems would vary depending on whether one is a parent, student, teacher, administrator or elected official. However; one needs a starting point and my list of eight problems is where I will start.
As a preface to this exercise it is noteworthy to recognize that this country's educational system is truly remarkable. The goal is to provide a free public education to all children from kindergarten through twelfth grade and in some states even into community college. This commitment is crucial to the well being of our country. Unfortunately public education has not kept up with the times. It is symbolic that in this post industrial age most of America's schools still follow the even older agrarian calendar. Our children are no longer needed to help out on the family farm; yet schools still close up shop during the summer months. It is important then to recognize that this country's educational system is entrenched in tradition and past practices yet will occasionally embrace programs and strategies of little merit or value in misguided attempts to appear to be cutting edge. I think that if this country's educational decision makers adopt the simple philosophy that the business of education is education there may be hope.
I had originally planned to make this blog entry a single posting. However; once I got started I soon realized that it would be better to start with an introduction and then discuss each of the eight problems in separate postings. As I have already stated my list of eight problems is my list and the observations and possible solutions are also mine. Obviously, anyone reading this Blog may differ not only with the problems but also the proposed solutions. Regardless of whether or not you agree with me I think we can all agree that the situation with our public educational system is not only bad; but more importantly getting worse. We are running out of time and our children are the losers.
Next Post: SECURE AND CONSISTENT FUNDING
Before making some observations and offering some solutions to the state's educational difficulties it seems identification of the existing problems is necessary. Hopefully I will avoid the usual process of "ready, fire aim" in my attempt to problem solve. Based purely on past experiences and first hand observations I would list California's, if not most states, problems as follows:
1. secure and consistent funding
2. teacher recruitment and retention
3. reality based curriculum
4. emphasis on subject content
5. return to student tracking
6. return to safe & secure schools
7. dangerous, disruptive & disobedient students
8. over emphasis on testing
Now I would imagine that a list of educational problems would vary depending on whether one is a parent, student, teacher, administrator or elected official. However; one needs a starting point and my list of eight problems is where I will start.
As a preface to this exercise it is noteworthy to recognize that this country's educational system is truly remarkable. The goal is to provide a free public education to all children from kindergarten through twelfth grade and in some states even into community college. This commitment is crucial to the well being of our country. Unfortunately public education has not kept up with the times. It is symbolic that in this post industrial age most of America's schools still follow the even older agrarian calendar. Our children are no longer needed to help out on the family farm; yet schools still close up shop during the summer months. It is important then to recognize that this country's educational system is entrenched in tradition and past practices yet will occasionally embrace programs and strategies of little merit or value in misguided attempts to appear to be cutting edge. I think that if this country's educational decision makers adopt the simple philosophy that the business of education is education there may be hope.
I had originally planned to make this blog entry a single posting. However; once I got started I soon realized that it would be better to start with an introduction and then discuss each of the eight problems in separate postings. As I have already stated my list of eight problems is my list and the observations and possible solutions are also mine. Obviously, anyone reading this Blog may differ not only with the problems but also the proposed solutions. Regardless of whether or not you agree with me I think we can all agree that the situation with our public educational system is not only bad; but more importantly getting worse. We are running out of time and our children are the losers.
Next Post: SECURE AND CONSISTENT FUNDING
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