Monday, August 29, 2011

Debunking the Myth: Schools Are Failing Our Students



Is summer setting American students behind?  According to Karl Alexander, yes.  Summer is a time for fun in the sun, but it is hurting low-income students more than children of middle and upper-income statuses,  John Hopkins University's research (Karl Alexander) follows the progress of 650 first graders in Baltimore.  They scored low, middle, and upper income students in math and reading skills from the beginning of the school year to the end, then from summer to the following September.

When looking at the data, the students do not have significant score differences, with the high income students having a 32 point advantage over the low-income 1st grade students.  When the students are in 5th grade the gap more than doubled (low-income = 461, high-income = 534).  Alexander's research confirms what other research shows; that high income children are not smarter, but have circumstantial advantages.  Because of these advantages, his research proves it is not the schools that are failing children.

Alexander gave the students the test in September, then June, then September again.  What he found was low-income children actually outperformed high-income children by 5 points during the school year.  So, all children are learning while in school.  Then there is the data from after students were on their summer vacation.  This is where the "achievement gap" shows itself.  The high-income children return to school in September scoring 15 more points, compared to the previous June's score.  The low-income children dropped 4 points.  In summary, "(P)oor kids learn nothing when school is not in session."

So why is this happening?  It comes down to culture of parenting (See The Outliers).  High-income children are put in educational settings and conversations throughout the summer, whereas low-income children do not have access to such settings.  Their parents may not afford a caretaker to take them to special summer programs.  They may not have access to find such programs, nor transportation to get the child to and from them.  Additionally, research (i.e. 3,000 Word Gap and others) shows low-income parents typically talk at their students rather than having a conversation with them.  High-income children are taught to converse and question, resulting in higher-order thinking.

So what can we do to decrease this summer achievement gap?  There is the conversation of year-round schools and/or extending the school day.  Yet there is more to it, we need to intersect the cycle where it really matters.  First, we need to address the culture of young parents.  Often, men in low-income cultures are proud to have multiple children from multiple mothers.  This leaves children without a male role model.  It also means many young females are playing the role of a parent without knowing the extent of their responsibilities.  If we can reach these young parents while the child is in the womb, we can begin to positively affect the next generation.  We may never reverse the idea that it's acceptable to have children while in high school and continued education is not needed, or not an option.  But we can try by intervening with the generation still in the womb and the mothers who carry them.  We need to stop the cycle of passivity and teach these mothers how to advocate for their child, read to them, feed them properly, and mentally engage them when they are outside of school.  Many programs currently exist with these goals in mind.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Interrupters

I shook hands with a murderer tonight.  That was just an after-thought  after I had a powerful conversation with Eddie Bocanegra from The Interrupters.  The Interrupters is a year-long documentary about violence-interrupters in Chicago.  The movie was inspired by a 2008 New York Times Magazine article by Alex Kotlowitz, confronting Chicago's violence.  

The Interrupters is a group of ex gang members and felons, including Eddie Bocanegra.  As 1 member says in the movie, "We have at least 500 years of prison time in this room."  Fortunately for these men, they have turned their lives around.  Fortunately for those they touch, they are changing the lives of others.

I cannot put into words all the messages which play in this documentary other than the reality of inner-city lives.  At one point I found myself tired of the "drama" and wanted to walk out, until I remembered these are my students' lives and they don't have the choice to walk out.

Ultimately, it is my hope that so many will see this movie they will face the reality of what our nation's children are facing and that failing schools are more than just failing teachers.  In these communities violence is trigged by the smallest form of disrespect.  The Interrupters exploits a gun situation over $5.  But it is more about violence.  It is about the need to belong, to stand up for your territory, to belong to something, anything, and to protect what little you have, including your pride.

On my way to my car I had a rare opportunity.  I looked up to see a familiar face walking toward me.  I wondered if this man in a purple shirt and handsome black suit could really be Eddie from The Interrupters.  After a 2nd look I knew this friendly face was the man who spends each day of his life "doing good" to make up for the many wrongs he did in his past.  I approached him as though I knew him, "Eddie!".  I quickly explained I was an inner-city teacher and just had the pleasure of seeing his movie.  I profusely thanked him for going on out on the streets each day and, as I touched my fist to my heart, explained what strength it took.  His response was, "No, thank YOU.  You teachers are the ones with 25+ kids in the classroom each day.  You are the ones dealing with this every day." 

As the saying goes, there is power in numbers, and I hope to have The Interrupters on my team.  It is also my hope many more people take a few hours out of their day to see the reality of what OUR children live with each day of their lives.

To read a full review, click HERE.