Federal Push For A Longer School Year

It seems incredibly ironic, but in the same May 16 Ed Week issue  that talks about California reducing the number of school days, there is a blog on the topic of extending the school year.  This blog reports that the bipartisan Time For Innovation Matters in Education Act was proposed in both Houses of Congress.  If this act  is passed, it would create a grant program for which states can compete in order to add 300 hours to the academic year in schools that are "underperforming".  This translates into 10 additional weeks of school! Please see my previous blog on California and shortening the school year.  If states are in such dire financial straits that they are considering reducing the number of school days, won't all of our schools end up becoming "underperforming" schools? By creating a grant competition, won't this then create a situation where some schools have extended school years and others disappearing school days?  Does this not just increase and promote inequity? If Arne Duncan estimates that as many as 82% of U.S. schools will not meet AYP this year (see my blog called "Thoughts on Testing"), is this bill really going to help? Which schools do the children of these Congress folks attend? Do they realize the difficulties that school districts, teachers, parents, and students are grappling with all around the country? I do not have all the answers.  I do not understand exactly how we as a country got to this place, but things like Race to the Top and competitive grants for extended school days are definitely not making things better.  All students need extended instructional time, and education needs stable, reliable funding.

California May Shorten School Year

According to this article in Ed Week, May 16, California may shorten the school year from 180 days by as much as 25 days or 5 weeks in 2011/2012 !  This translates into one-seventh of the school year.  My 11- year- old son's response to this when I told him was: "Can we move to California?" Due to budget cuts and furlough days in 2010/2011, many schools in California have already eliminated things like art, music, and science because there is simply not enough time to cover the material assessed on the state testing.  My nephew and his classmates in Davis, California had to give up their afternoon recess this year to create more instructional time. By reducing the school year even more, teachers fear they will not be able to cover the material to meet the state standards.  The article also raises the issue of inequity.  If some school districts hold classes 162 days and others 178 days, there will be a great disparity in education.  A parent from San Jose who was interviewed talked about the difficulties that working parents face finding childcare for the furlough days.  My whole extended family lives in California.  I know that my sister and her husband had to take turns this spring staying home from work to be there with my nephew during a Davis Unified School District furlough week.  For families with two working parents 5 additional weeks would present a huge problem.  The article also brings up the issue of teenagers.  Do we really want to have teenagers with too much time on their hands?  There seems to be much talk in Ed Week, on NPR, and in the NYT about how badly U.S. students fare on international assessments.  In a recent  dinner table discussion with my German-born and educated husband we tallied up the number of days that he attended school and discovered that first of all he went to school year-round.  School vacations included 10 days in Fall, 2 weeks at Christmas, 10 days in the Spring, and 6 weeks in the summer.  We estimated that he went to school between 195 to 248 days a year, give or take a few.  He also attended school 6 days a week 9 out of the 13 years of his schooling.  Many German states require 13 years of schooling, rather than 12. Many students in this country also seem to regress over the long summer vacation.  In the article they say if we want kids to learn, progress, and meet state standards we should be extending the school year, not erasing it.  Maybe we should also consider a year-round school model?  I know that many, my own 6th grader and third grader included, would disown me for voicing this thought--- but after the discussion with my husband I am wondering whether it is worth thinking about.

Ed Week, May 13,2011

California Teachers, Union Presidents Arrested in Protests at Capitol

Logging in to Ed Week I was shocked to see a photo of a teacher in California being led out of the state capitol in Sacramento in handcuffs!  California, like Oregon, is faced with tremendous budget cuts.  These teachers, after a week of protests, have bravely decided to take a stand.  Teachers are asking state lawmakers to increase taxes to stave off drastic cuts to education.  I was particularly touched by the dedication and comments of Beverly Gonzalez, one of the five 2011 California Teachers of the Year.  She described teachers as the "silent funders of education".  She described how she and other teachers purchase supplies like paper, pencils, and playground balls for recess with their own money.  Ms. Gonzalez also offers five hours of extra tutoring each week in order to help her fourth and fifth grade students. She also stated that teachers are asked to solve all kinds of problems from childhood obesity, to English language learning and meeting state standards.  She said she loves her job, but it is becoming a situation where she has to make a choice between paying her bills or teaching.  Many are calling the current funding crisis in California a "state of emergency".  Education needs stable, secure funding.  My impression from reading Ed Week is that there is not a state or school district in the entire country that is not in financial turmoil at the moment.  Having attended several school board meetings and a budget hearing, I can say first-hand that schools in Salem also seem to be in crisis.

Long Live the Humanities

Panel Launched to Study Humanities and Social Sciences
As I was digging through back issues of ED Week looking for an article I wanted to blog about I came across something I really feel passionate about... A commission has been formed to study the issue of saving the Humanities and Social Sciences.  Members of this panel include George Lucas (Film director), David Souter (former U.S. Supreme Court associate justice), Ken Burns (documentary producer), and Chuck Close (Photorealist) among others.  It will be the responsibility of the commission to save the humanities and social sciences at a time when federal policy-makers are focusing on the "hard sciences".  According to the article college humanities degrees have declined 46% over the past 30 years.  Humanities and Social Sciences have been under fire for years.  Dwindling financial resources mean classes such as foreign languages, drama, art, band, history, civics, creative writing,  etc. have been reduced or eliminated.   In the past few years many colleges or universities have, for example, eliminated German, Italian, and Russian programs.  Although math and science are important, Humanities and Social Sciences are in my opinion critical.  How can students grow into people who can meaningfully participate in a democratic society if they lack the critical thinking skills and writing ability to draft a concise, coherent argument in a letter to a representative?  You do not learn how to do this kind of writing in a math or chemistry class. How will U.S. business people be able to negotiate with bankers and business people from Germany or Japan if they cannot speak the language or do not understand these cultures?  How can U.S. scholars keep abreast with scholarship in their field if they lack the language skills to read scholarship in other languages?  I am happy that such a distinguished, creative panel will be studying ways we can shore up supports for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Links Between Reading problems and Dropout Rate

This article caught my eye because I, myself, had great difficulties learning to read in elementary school.  Early Reading Problems Flag Potential Dropouts in the April 20, 2011 Ed Week describes the connection between kids that are still struggling with reading in the 3rd grade and kids who drop out of high school.  Donald J. Hernandez, professor of sociology at Hunter College, analyzed the reading cores of 3,975 students born between 1979 and 1989.  He discovered that students who had trouble reading in elementary school grew up to become 88% of the students who dropped out of school.  The combination of poverty and not being able to read at grade level in 3rd grade is especially damaging:  these students are 13 times less likely to graduate on time than their reading proficient and economically stable peers.  At a meeting some years ago for Stand for Children a speaker said that the State of Oregon makes their long term plans for the state's prisons based on how many third graders do not pass the OAKS reading proficiency test.  I do know that many people who are incarcerated are not literate.  My own personal experiences as a struggling reader make me feel even more committed to doing all I can as an elementary teacher to make sure that my students learn to read.  At the Salem-Keizer Heart of Literacy Conference this year I heard a speaker say that we teach kids to read in the primary grades, so that later they can read to learn.  If I had the time and the financial means I would definitely be adding a reading endorsement on top of the MAT and ESOL endorsement.

'School Shooter' Web Video Game

A Screen Shot from the 'School Shooter" Video Game

In the April 27, 2011 Ed Week this article on a new video game immediately grabbed my attention:  "'School Shooter' Web Video Game Raises Concerns".  I am the mother of a video game obsessed 6th grade boy. We have had many discussions in our house about which games Alex is allowed to play and which ones he is not.  This video game definitely falls into the "absolutely not" category.  According to the article, the game is set in a school, and the player stalks and shoots fellow students and teachers.  The player collects points by killing students and teachers.  The player also has the option of committing suicide after each level.  This game is actually modeled after the Columbine school shootings, where 13 people were killed, and the shootings at Virginia Tech where 32 people were shot.  I cannot think of anything more appalling or tasteless.  I agree with the critics of this game when they say that violence and death are not a game. The article also mentions a research study of more than 130 students that found that regular participation in violent gaming can increase aggressive behavior.  This is something that I as a parent have long felt intuitively, but it is good to finally have a research study to back me up.  Glamorizing and aestheticizing violence in schools is disgusting and sick.  The complete lack of sensitivity and empathy for the families of the Columbine and Virginia Tech victims is shocking to me.  I feel like this is an abuse of the protection of Free Speech guaranteed by our constitution.

More thoughts on Testing

In the "News in Brief" section of the Ed Week edition from March 16, 2011 three small articles caught my eye.  "Test-Score Reviews Uncover Improbable Gains in 6 States", "Baltimore Adds Monitoring After Test-Cheating Scandal", and "Charter Schools Founder Fired" are all different articles having to do with cheating or fudging the results of standardized state tests.  It is perhaps not surprising when one considers how much money is at stake for states, schools, and teachers.  Pressure is mounting to meet federal benchmarks, and teacher pay is already linked to test results in some states.  The L.A. Charter school organization called Crescendo fired its founder for telling principals and teachers to break the seal on state standardized tests and use the questions to better prep their students!  In Baltimore, school officials are having to hire 157 monitors to make sure there is no hanky-panky during state testing, after cheating problems last year.  The additional monitors will cost in the neighborhood of $320,000!   One of the issues I have yet to read about, but did hear Diane Ravitch raise in an interview on NPR, is related to the cost of testing.  Ever since the advent of NCLB, the profits of the Educational Testing Service have ballooned.  Testing has become a multi-million dollar industry.  These folks are getting rich by telling schools, teachers, and students that they are failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress.  How many librarians, music teachers, coaches, and classroom teachers could keep their jobs if this money was dedicated to learning instead of testing?

Thoughts on Testing

In my last post on the commentary "Learning From Abroad" I mentioned that one feature of high performing schools in other countries is that assessment is used not so much as a way to hold teachers accountable for student learning, but as a diagnostic tool and information to shape instruction.  Assessments are also closely linked to the curriculum.  As the parent of two children in public schools, I am appalled by how much instructional time is devoted to state testing.  What I have been reading about testing in Ed Week is also disturbing.  In her article "Duncan's Alarm on 'Failing' Schools Raises Eyebrows", Michele McNiel reports that Arne Duncan reported to Congress that as many as 82% of the schools in this country may not meet AYP.  At the same time that state and federal governments are raising the bar by increasing the scores needed for students to pass the tests, school districts around the nation are cutting teachers, eliminating librarians, shrinking music and art programs, etc.  All of this will only serve to make it even more difficult for students to learn, teachers to teach, and schools to meet AYP.  Does this make sense?

Learning from Abroad, April 6, 2011

This commentary by Robert B. Schwartz, Ben Levin, and Adam Gamoran is the second in series of 7 articles that I will be reading closely.  "Learning from Abroad" is looking at the educational systems and practices in industrialized countries that are faring well in the big international studies such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).  The countries with higher-performing schools include Finland, Singapore, Japan, and Ontario, Canada.   The working group on the "Futures of School Reform" is looking at the question :  "What would a new state system in this country look like if it were redesigned based on the best international evidence and experience?"  I am so relieved to know that scholars and researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education are investigating this issue.  It makes a lot of sense to me to be looking at educational systems that are clearly successful and learning from them.  Some of the lessons mentioned in this article:  Successful education systems focus attention and energy on what is going on in the classroom between teachers and students.  Schools provide on-going support and training for teachers. I wonder if this is also paid for by the school districts.  I have seen many professional development workshops for teachers in this country, all with a rather steep participation fee! Time is also set aside during the school day for teachers to collaborate.  A school culture is created where teachers are expected to be continually learning and refining their teaching craft.  Assessments are used not so much to hold teachers accountable for student learning, but to diagnose and create more appropriate lessons.  Successful systems provide early intervention to struggling students.  All teachers are trained to diagnose learning disabilities.  Students and families in need of specialized help receive it.  Funding for education also is more stable and reliable.  These are just some of the factors leading to the success of the educational systems in high performing countries.  Education in the United States seems so political. One of the other things the working group identified as critical is the ability to focus on improvement and not blame.  Having attended school in the United States, Germany, and Austria, I see the value in looking at how other countries and cultures handle education and issues such as assessment, school violence, support for ELL students, inclusion of children with developmental disabilities, etc.  I am looking forward to reading the other commentaries in this series.

Ed Week, April 6, 2011: Zero Tolerance

Gara LaMarche raises many valid concerns about the Zero Tolerance policies that have taken over our schools in his opinion piece "The Time is Right To End 'Zero Tolerance'".  Here are just a few statistics:  Nationwide suspension and expulsion rates:  3.3 million students were suspended or expelled in 2006!  This amounts to 1 in 14 students.  Less than 1 in 10 of these suspensions or expulsions were for violent offenses.  Apparently most of these were for things like tardiness, disrespect, or violating dress codes.  It is even more alarming that in 2006 15% of black students, 7% of Hispanic students, and only 5% of white students were suspended or expelled. These numbers reveal that these suspensions are particularly unfair towards students of color.  In New York City, a recent study showed that there has been a 76% increase of suspensions of children 4-10 years old since 2003. Schools are increasingly calling on the police and juvenile courts to handle school-based misbehavior.  This leads to things like the anecdote reported in the article where two friends horsing around in a school in Colorado were charged with felony mischief and third-degree assault for denting a locker.  According to LaMarche many of these suspensions and excessive punishments reflect the tactics used in the adult criminal-justice system.  But haven't we been learning in our MAT courses that children and students are not developmentally the same as adults?  Shouldn't young people be given a chance to learn from their mistaken behavior before the police and courts get involved?  The Zero Tolerance policies have gone too far.  I would say it is time for some common sense and the pendulum to swing back towards reason.

Ed Week, April 6, 2011: Principals

In the April 6, 2011 Ed Week under Policy Briefs I found an article that should not be overlooked:  Principal's Role Vital, Groups Assert.  Apparently good principals also have a significant impact on student achievement.  Both the New York based Wallace Foundation and the Center For American Progress are calling for national guidelines for evaluation of principals and definitions of principal effectiveness.  Evaluations should assess a principal's leadership skills, including the ability to improve teacher effectiveness and retain teachers.  The Wallace Foundation also called for federal support to create leadership academies for principals.  Based on my experience as the parent of two children enrolled in public schools and my observations and volunteer work in different Salem-Keizer schools, I would agree with this article.  At Grant Elementary, in particular, I have been extremely impressed by the principal.  He is bilingual, which is important for a school with a Dual-Language Program and a large Hispanic population. He makes his expectations clear to the students.  I accompanied a group of 75 fourth graders on a field trip to the Oregon Garden recently.  The Principal actually assisted with loading the kids onto the bus and then got on the bus and went over his behavior expectations. He talked about being respectful, responsible Grant Grizzlies. He emphasized being respectful of both plants and people.  He also said he hoped everyone would have fun and learn something new.  He stood on the front steps of the school waving until the bus was out of sight!  As a chaperone on the field trip I can attest that his method of mentally rehearsing his behavior expectations with the students worked.  He took the time to get on the bus and see us off.  By taking the time, he showed that it mattered, the students mattered, and he cared.  In my observations at Grant I have seen many, many examples of this principal's commitment and strong, effective leadership. I agree with the article's statement that "Principal's are uniquely positioned to ensure that excellent teaching and learning spread beyond single classrooms".  I have seen that this principal has positively shaped and influenced the culture of the whole school.