The Great Debate

Watch the debate HERE.

Charter schools or public schools?  Fire teachers as a solution?  Resources are the solution?  Today's post is about a fascinating debate between Diane Ravitch and Geoffrey Canada.  The two go at it and cover a plethora of education-related topics.  Ravitch, who worked for the Bush administration, openly admits the mistake supporting a heightened focus on testing.  She uses her knowledge of research and a recent visit to Finland to back up her opinion that firing teachers and opening charter schools is the answer.  Canada uses his hands-on experience leading a charter school to back up his opinion that firing teachers and opening private-funded charter schools is the answer. 

The bottom line?  Poverty needs to be taken into account.  Poverty-stricken families have less access to resources.  From my experience teaching in a poverty-stricken urban school, some (not all) families do not appreciate the resources, nor education.  Their children engaged in minimal 2-way conversation and are  neglected emotionally and physically.  The children are not read to every night, homework demands little concern, and when the parents come into the school they think it appropriate to cuss at both the children and adults in the school.  Obviously, there are many hard-working parents who value education.  Sadly though, there are not enough of them for me to be able to paint a prettier picture.  As Ravitch once said, "The education system in this country cannot alone solve poverty, and in many cases it will inherently reflect poverty."

How is Canada's solution of firing teachers or closing schools going to solve the issue?  The same children and families in the neighborhood will still be there, as will the poverty.  What exactly do standardized tests tell us?  We already know which kids are going to pass and which kids will fail...it's about poverty.  You can put 'great' teachers in impoverished schools and the kids will improve.  Great teachers will do that.  However, these teachers are not superheros and will not be able to close the education gap between the poverty-stricken and wealthy students.  As long as poverty exists, the gap will exists, and we have to stop blaming teachers for poverty!  America, including Geoffrey Canada, needs to advert our attention to the impact of poverty on education. 

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.

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.

Thank you, Mr. Ayers

The dominant neoliberal metaphor of the rich and powerful posits schools as businesses, teachers as workers, students as products and commodities. It also leads to thinking that school closings and privatizing the public space are natural events; relentless, standardized test-and-punish regimes are sensible; and zero tolerance is a reasonable proxy for justice. This is what the true-believers call “reform.”  -Bill Ayers

Bill Ayers may have led a controversial life, but his article in the Huffington Post is an abrupt dose of reality.  His Straight-to-the-point article blends metaphors on education to identify where our "reform" is taking us.  Such as when he refers school to a straight-jacket.  It is true, the public ought to be concerned about where education of the future is headed.  At this point, "reform" has pushed educators to create robots rather than independent thinkers and citizens.  Policymakers have turned Wisdom into test-taking abilities.  Education is not and cannot be a cookie-cutter business.  There are too many varying factors disallowing the ability to assess on a flat scale.  Such factors are native language, background knowledge and experience, culture, values, children read to/not read to, preschool and kindergarten experience, student mobility rates, neglect, abuse, and the list goes on.

The continued privatization of schools widens the gap between economic statuses.  Rather than creating a country of unity, which the United States is founded upon, privatization forges a wedge between citizens.  The privatization of schools is teaching children to look down on those in an unfair disadvantage.  This is the beginning of a split, crumbling society rather than a unity celebrating the ability for humans to create a community.  As Ayers suggests, "In schools we need...reconstruction of society around basic principles of equality and justice and recognition."

Ayers suggests educators shift their daily being.  "Educators who are today truly oriented...capable of controlling and transforming their own lives; citizens and residents who can participate actively in public life; people who can open their eyes and awaken themselves and others as they think and act ethically in a complex and ever-changing world. This kind of teaching encourages students to develop initiative and imagination, the capacity to name and constantly interrogate the world, the wisdom to identify the obstacles to their full humanity and to the humanity of others, and the courage to act on whatever the known demands."  This is an inspiring concept.  To teach, we must be what we teach. 

Educator Involvement in Policy Making

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-merrow/what-do-teachers-want_b_859979.html

Ms. Moore continues: "By every means we currently have for measuring teacher performance, I am considered an excellent teacher; yet, when it comes time to decide what should be taught and how my students' learning should be measured, I have little or no say. This is also true for teachers as a group."

True.  My school just went through a voting for our administration.  Teachers know good administrators and good administrators know good teachers.  So why is it that our vote does not count, yet a team of non-educational adults carry all the weight?  Teachers requested the Local School Council meet before or after school hours, allowing teachers to attend (they had been meeting during school hours).  The request was denied.  When teachers did voice their opinions on their choice for a new administrator, they were accused of harassment.  Fortunate, the staff was resilient.  The staff continued to push for their input to be taken into account.  Teachers are are in fact on the front lines.  A change in administration means at least 1-2 years of transition while the new administrator gets to know his/her staff and community.  By then, opportunity for growth could have occurred.  But the LSC did not see this.  They were blinded by power.  After 8 months they finally offered teachers 2 minutes each to say their piece.  Over 25 teachers spoke.  Afterward, they were told the vote would be postponed once again. 

The ideal that educators' professional experience and knowledge is undermined has moved from the local setting to the national.  Changes, such as No Child Left Behind, included little educator input the first time around.  The revamping of NCLB holds more weight in the opinions of politicians rather than the educational professionals.  Politicians fill the the water with muddy information.  Society will benefit from listening to educator input; those who are on the front lines and experience NCLB daily.  Do not place us in a box, but allow the flexibility to do our job, without constant hovering.  With current NCLB, as stated in the article, innovation has been brushed under the rug.  Teachers are being forced to teach strategically, some even with scripts.  The children are suffering.

Year Round Schools



Is the grass greener on the other side?  With year round schools, students still get the allotted summer vacation, but spread throughout the year.  Year round schools prevent significant knowledge loss that often occurs over the summer months.  They also reduce amount time spent reviewing prior year's information.  It seems these breaks throughout the year prevent burnout by both students and educators. 

But what do parents say?  Is it harder to find sitters during the random weeks off throughout the year?  What if a family has students in multiple tracks on vacation at different times throughout the year?  For the teachers who take the offer to continue working during their allotted breaks, are they compensated? What are they doing?  Can students come to the school  for classes or activities during their breaks? 

I wonder, if, since the breaks occur during colder months rather than the heat of spring & summer, when crime rates increases, if this would have an over-all impact in reducing crime? These are all questions which I will research.  In  the mean time, if you have experience or opinions about year round schools, I would like to hear other points of view.

UPDATE:
I did some research and found a pattern amongst the articles; currently there may be some, but not statistically enough, results that students perform academically better.  However, improvement in student/teacher attendance and student confidence has improved.  On the other hand, administrator burn-out is being observed.

The link below is research that I chose because it defines the different types of year-round schools as well as explains the historical concepts. 

http://www.cehd.umn.edu/CAREI/Reports/docs/Year-round.pdf

Do Larger Class Sizes Make A Difference?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/education/27oneducation.html?_r=1

When districts and states lack funds, cutting teachers one of the first priorities.  Today's article holds research supporting smaller class sizes.  Ask any teacher and they will say they prefer smaller class sizes so they can give individualized attention.  In a class of 15 students, each child will get 1-on-1 attention multiple times a day.  In a class of 30 students, each child will be lucky if they get a 1-on-1 with their teacher each day.  Low-income schools face the challenge of students entering school lacking respect for education and authority.  Classroom management becomes a priority before academic teaching. 

The research in the article supports smaller class sizes in earlier grades, so I am going on a hunt to find research about later grades.  In older grades, increased behavior issues and physical space are a few of the challenges that accompany larger class sizes.  Many parents prefer their child to receive individualized support throughout ALL grades, not just primary.  Since many policy makers attended private schools with small class sizes, they are unable to compare the situations, therefore eager to vote to increase class size.  It is up to educators and parents to stand our ground and fight for student rights to be treated as the special individuals that they are.