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IMPROVE EDUCATION: NURTURE CURIOSITY, IGNITE INNOVATION The additions to the latest version of "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman largely surround education and specifically answer the question Friedman was asked the most: "I accept the premise, but what do I tell my kids?" In an interview with author Daniel Pink for The School Administrator, Friedman answers that question by expounding on the importance of a liberal arts education. Math and science remain key subjects, but, more than ever, the ability to integrate art, science, music and literature with the hard sciences is what produces movements like the iPod revolution or Google. This means educators need to go beyond the "frog-march" of kids from math to science to English. Friedman thinks Rainforest Math is an example of a smarter approach. There is so much one can learn from the laws of nature -- as you drive environmentalism, you also can drive math. It is those kinds of intersections that produce the most innovative students. To Friedman, education should focus on "mashing" subjects together, something kids do naturally. Friedman posits this mantra: "he who mashes best will mash most and be wealthiest." Pink then asks if it is justified to focus so much on math and science while neglecting things like the arts or synthesis or empathy. Friedman answers with the example of Steve Jobs, who, at Stanford University’s 2005 commencement ceremonies said "I dropped out of Reed College and had nothing to do so I took a course in calligraphy. And it all went into the Mac keyboard." Apple needed both the algorithms (science) but also the style (innovation); the combination of which brought success and helped define the company’s niche. Moving from the abstract to more concrete, Friedman believes the education system can do a better job when it comes to putting kids in contexts that allow them to be curious and reap the rewards. His learning foundation is CQ + PQ > IQ, or curiosity quotient plus passion quotient is more important than intelligence quotient. He then says, "what does it tell you when two of our greatest innovators (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates) are both college dropouts? Something’s not quite right about the system." Friedman also thinks way too much is being asked of schools. When talking with his wife, a first-grade public school teacher, he notes that if she were to write a book about improving education, it would be a book on parenting. "We're not going to get better educators and better schools without better parents," Friedman adds. With Super Tuesday come and gone, Friedman ends with a nugget on the next president. He or she has to be "someone who inspires on the big issues, one who can...really stimulate education all the way down the line. The president’s got to be our chief education officer." Read Article CRAYONS, TINKERBELLEE, DR. KING AND A LESSON ON DIVERSITY Kim Troncone’s first graders recently took part in a lesson about diversity inspired by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., reports Chris Lundy in the Asbury Park Press. The lesson began when students opened their crayon boxes to find only one crayon. One six-year-old, stuck with orange, drew a tasty citrus fruit, noting that "an orange crayon doesn't really make a lot." A much luckier student got a green crayon, drawing, grass, grapes and even a crown with it. "I have a crown that’s green. It’s Tinkerbelle," she said. After the exercise, Troncone gave the students all the colors they were missing, and this allowed the orange crayon student to add a blue car, playground, monkey bars and a tree. Children this young are removed from the days of segregation, and they found the idea of separate water fountains or sections of the bus silly. In their own words, "the [crayons] all have a special thing about them," and "it’s special when you're different." Read Article THE NEW GENERATION GAP: AN INTERNET AWAY Before the Internet, Jessica Hunter was a shy awkward girl who struggled to make friends. Somewhat typical, right? On the Internet, at age 14, she took on the persona of Autumn Edows, a Goth artist and model because she wanted to be a completely different person. As Autumn, she posted provocative photos of herself and fast developed a cult following. Her parents found out by accident, and the knowledge, not surprisingly, came as quite a shock. In "Growing Up Online," a new series from PBS, viewers get an inside look into the worlds kids enter and create online, focusing on the important ways the Internet is transforming childhood and development. There has been much ballyhoo of the threat of online predators, but many children think these fears are misplaced. Most children have been online since second grade and "know how to avoid." Internet experts tend to agree with the kids, signifying the real concern should be the trouble kids can get into on their own. Through networking sites, kids with eating disorders can share tips about staying thin and depressed children can share information on suicide methods. The documentary also notes a profound generational disconnect, perhaps the greatest American generation gap since rock ‘n’ roll. Caitlin McNally, who graduated from college in 2003 and served as an associate producer, found that the only way to follow up with a kid was through a text message or social networking site. She would place call after call and send e-mail upon e-mail and receive no response, but with a text, a response would ping back within minutes. McNally sees writing an e-mail for this generation as akin to what a handwritten letter was for her generation, and she finished college not even five years ago. Another interesting aspect of the use of technology is the way educators respond to it. At school, teachers almost have to become entertainers, as it has grown near impossible to "expect a learner of today to be engrossed by someone who speaks in a monotone voice with a piece of chalk in their hand," says social studies teacher, Steve Maher. The documentary elicited a real difference of opinion between the teachers interviewed as to whether technology was good or bad for education and development. On the one hand, technology offers kids amazing opportunities that were unthinkable a decade previous -- classes are now multimedia experiences. Yet on the other hand, while technology can broaden a child’s knowledge, it has also made it much shallower than it was before. Kids seem to know a little about a lot, but have grown so impatient that they cannot handle the deep complex thinking that is the key to mastery. The documentary is informative, available for viewing online and provides teaching guides and a discussion forum. Tip of the hat to This Week in Education (second link) for tracking down this interesting information source! Read Article Read Article NO BOOKS FOR NOW, WE ARE OFF TO A VOLCANO For one special assignment, Brownsburg (Ind.) sixth graders traded in their textbooks and desks for laptops, calculators and compasses to go on a rescue mission to a small Caribbean island, reports Josh Duke in the Indianapolis Star. Though the mission was just a simulation of a volcano disaster that occurred 10 years ago on Montserrat, the students experienced the event in real time. The mission was hosted by the Brownsburg Challenger Learning Center and designed to give students real world experience in math, group communication and problem solving. In the days leading up to the project, teachers prepared students with lessons about the island, hurricanes and volcanoes. Students were then split into groups, with the hurricane team responsible for performing precise calculations to determine the category, speed and reaction of the storm. At the same time, the evacuation team studied population maps to determine the best place for people to go to be rescued, while the volcano team read air patterns and studied other data to ascertain when or if an eruption would occur. Students had fun while learning to work collaboratively, make careful calculations and take decisive action. Read Article SUPPLEMENTAL LITERACY PROGRAMS DO WORK Poor reading ability is a key indicator of academic disengagement and ultimately dropping out of school. Unfortunately, a majority of ninth graders in low-performing high schools begin freshman year with significant reading difficulties. A new report from MDRC presents the early findings from the Enhanced Reading Opportunities (ERO) study, which is an evaluation of two supplemental literacy programs (Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy and Xtreme Reading). The programs intend to improve the reading comprehension skills of students who read at two to five years below grade level when they enter high school. MDRC’s research suggests that the supplemental literacy programs had a statistically significant impact on improving student reading comprehension scores. The average student started the year reading at a grade level of 5.1, and those assigned to the ERO class were reading at a 6.1 grade level by the year’s end, compared to a 5.9 grade equivalent for students in the control group. Nevertheless, 76 percent of students enrolled in the ERO classes were still reading at two or more years below grade level. In addition, implementation of the program proved difficult. At some schools, classes did not start until six weeks into the school year and implementation fidelity was classified as poorly aligned with the program model for some participating schools. Still, when the program was run correctly, results followed. The impacts on reading comprehension were larger for the 15 participating schools where the program began within six weeks of the start of school and where implementation was classified as moderately or well aligned with the program model. Read Article KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, BUT YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER -- AND BELIEVE IN THEM Cindi Rigsbee writes in Teacher Magazine that she was a struggling teacher 20 years ago, but she also was in the same boat yesterday and a myriad of other times. As a rookie teacher, she considered herself a winner if she was able to drag her body out of school having only cried once. During that year, she learned something that affected the rest of her career. It was that if you make students the enemy, they will win. She implemented this new motto in a small way, and started out by throwing compliments here and there. She quickly found that if she told a girl she had pretty hair or a nice outfit, they were a little more attentive to her teaching. For the boys, if she told them they were athletic, they not only listened, but made sure their friends did as well. Even though it was difficult sometimes, she found one nice thing to say to every student, every single day. Soon, she wasn't only telling the boys that they were athletic, but attending their sporting events as well. While at sporting events, she found parents and made only positive remarks about their children, instead of saying "he never brings what he needs to class." Also, the next day in class, she made sure to comment on the students’ performance. In the midst of all the stress of high-strakes testing and instructional demands placed on teachers, Rigsbee actually feels her blood pressure drop when she sees her students in the hall. "Those goofy middle school kids are my family during the day, and they know we're in it together," writes Rigsbee. She learned that forming alliances with her students and making sure they know she believes in them is a major component to effective teaching. Read Article FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY TO ACHIEVE STUDENT SUCCESS In Chile, where education resists innovation, a small determined charter school is butting heads with the status quo by focusing on the individual, writes Laila Weir in Edutopia. Often at odds with the traditional Chilean education system, the school concentrates on thinking and the individual rather than just facts and memorization. When elementary students first arrive at Colegio San Luis Beltrán, they retrieve personal folders and settle down to work individually and they study what they like. They follow a work plan and learn by using hands-on materials as well as conventional schoolbooks. This period provides the cornerstone of a personalized education program and after each 45 minute session, the students form a circle and share how and what they learned. The process seems to be working, as Luis Beltrán students achieved the highest test scores in their school district on the country’s 2007 national assessments. The school combines its individualized attention strategy with strong parental involvement and family support programs (including evening classes for parents who never finished school). Through a partnership with a foundation, the school also is able to deliver food baskets to needy families and provide medicine for those who can't afford it. Read Article KIDS: STOP! CLAM DOWN! THINK! NOT QUITE "STOP, COLLABORATE AND LISTEN" "Let’s all sit crisscross applesauce," says guidance counselor Jennifer Hegerty as she instructs her children in the Second Step Violence Prevention curriculum, writes Dawn Friedman in Greater Good Magazine. While Second Step is one of many programs that teach students social and emotional skills, few have been as widely implemented as Second Step, now in its 21st year. The program has designed curriculum for preschool through eighth grade classrooms, all focused on helping kids work with others, control impulsive behavior and solve interpersonal problems. Unlike other programs, Second Step goes beyond mere conflict resolution by helping children understand their own emotions and the emotions of others. Hegerty teaches the early part of the program, which focuses on children’s reactions to various emotional scenarios. She spends a lot of time teaching kids three steps -- Stop! Calm down! Think! -- that help them compose themselves before reacting to an emotional situation. Through the exercises, children grow to understand effective communication techniques as well as listening skills. Along similar lines, in a recent interview with Senior Dad, Stan Goldberg (second link), Christine Carter, the director of the Greater Good Science Center, expounds on several techniques that, when implemented, can make children happier. Carter shares her expertise on happiness habits, learning how to correct mistakes without damaging the child, how to raise emotionally literate children and the benefits of altruism. Read Article Read Article CHARTER SCHOOLS: DESPITE ODDS, STILL POPULAR While charter schools have become a popular alternative for improving student learning, studies indicate that they are not increasing student achievement over traditional public schools. Still, legislative activity in the United States suggests that charter schools continue to gain support in the public agenda. A new paper written by Ramona McNeal, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield and Lisa Dotterweich, a professor of political science at Briar Cliff University, found that of the many forms of school choice available, charter schools have been the most successful at navigating the political process. Charter schools have been so successful because they have institutionalized their popularity by appealing to influential actors across the political spectrum. Nevertheless, the paper offers some counterintuitive results, namely that increased spending by the National Education Association is significantly associated with more charter school bills. Additionally, both liberal state governments and states with more conservative citizens support charter schools. The research implies that charter schools have achieved their stable position on the legislative agenda less through their educational appeal and more through their broad political appeal. Read Article PRESIDENT’S PROPOSED BUDGET: MORE SCHOOL VOUCHERS, FEWER PROGRAMS President Bush, in announcing his proposed budget this week, would freeze the U.S. Department of Education’s discretionary spending at $59.2 billion, while cutting or consolidating dozens of programs, reports Maria Glod for the Washington Post. At the same time, the budget would expand school vouchers by adding $300 million for Pell Grants for Kids, a new program aimed at giving low-income students in struggling schools aid to help them switch to private schools. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the budget cuts "ineffective" and duplicative programs to allow for a nearly three percent increase in funding for poor schools. Some Democrats and education groups contend that the budget shortchanges schools. Echoing some of these sentiments, Public Education Network said, in a statement issued on February 4 (second link) that "public education is the cornerstone of our democracy because we cannot hope to be both ignorant and free. As such, the president’s proposed fiscal year 2009 budget is embarrassingly inadequate. This budget is a disappointment that does little to provide the support our children need to attain the educational achievement they must have in order to ensure this country’s security and economic prosperity." Read Article Read Article HOW SHOULD WE SPEND MONEY TO HELP SCHOOLS? While no one doubts that public schools are vital to ensuring that children learn what they need to become self-supporting adults, the American method of financing education presents barriers to achieving that goal. According to a report from the School Finance Redesign Project (SFRP), it remains unclear as to how to effectively educate a growing number of poor and minority children while schools are financed and regulated as if that knowledge is apparent. In addition, schools are required to adapt to a fast-changing economy, even though financing systems can tie up funds for uses mandated decades in the past. Further, finance systems force schools to spend money on service delivery, but to be successful, schools need to experiment with technologies that change teacher and student work. From a series of approximately 30 studies, SFRP has discovered that effective schools across the globe use money in ways the U.S. public financing system typically prevents. The report also notes that school finance systems de-couple performance from pay and discourage many capable people from teaching. Even though the report maintains that barriers exist that prevent schools from properly focusing their funds, the research falls far short of explaining exactly how best to use funds. Similarly, the report notes that the current barriers to innovation and experimentation prevent anyone from knowing exactly the best way to use public funds. Read Article TURNS THE LIGHTS OFF AND HELP EDUCATION Believe it or not, a whopping 16 percent of a school’s controllable costs are spent on energy. To help lessen this burden for schools, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers has released a new book that instructs building teams on how best to use off-the-shelf technology to construct energy-smart schools. By utilizing these strategies, energy use can be cut by at least 30 percent. Some of the strategies include employing energy efficient lamps, ballasts and high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment. Many schools spend "more money on energy than they do on educational supplies. It’s like money just goes out the single-pane window," says Paul Torcellini, chair of the committee that wrote the book. Read Article PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VITAL TO ENSURING LITIGATION BENEFITS SCHOOLS Currently, 21 states are in litigation regarding their school finance systems and 45 have been in litigation at least once. Litigation can present a unique opportunity for communities to restructure the ways in which public education is financed, expanded and delivered. This makes public engagement vital to ensuring real improvements are made in community schools. Public Education Network (PEN) recently released "A Guide to Public Engagement and School Finance Litigation" to help organizations utilize public engagement strategies to ensure that the outcome of litigation reflects the interests of relevant constituencies. The guide was recently distributed at the Stanford University Law School's symposium on "Education as a Civil Right" where PEN President Wendy D. Puriefoy and Senior Vice President Amanda Broun presented (second link). Read Article Read Article NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION "Awards for Teaching of History" The American Historical Association Beveridge Family Teaching Prize recognizes excellence and innovation in elementary, middle school and secondary history teaching, including career contributions and specific initiatives. Maximum Award: $1,500. Eligibility: K-12 teachers in groups. Deadline: March 17, 2008. http://www.historians.org/teaching/Beveridge.htm "Nike Let Me Play Fund for Girls" The Nike Let Me Play Fund provides money for teams who face inequality in sports because they are girls. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 years or older as of September 17, 2007; entrants must be affiliated with a nonprofit team or organization. Deadline: March 31, 2008. http://letmeplay.com/category/usa/ "Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams" The Lemelson-MIT Program is dedicated to supporting and encouraging invention and seeks to inspire students and rising inventors. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: high school science, mathematics, and technology teachers at public, private, and vocational schools and their students. Deadline: April 25, 2008. http://web.mit.edu/inventeams/about.html "Scholarships for Prospective Secondary School Teachers of Math" National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and Texas Instruments Demana-Waits Fund Prospective Secondary Teacher Course Work Scholarships provide financial support to college students preparing for teaching secondary school mathematics. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: persons currently completing their sophomore year of college, scheduling for full-time study at a four- or five-year college or university in the next academic year, and pursuing a career goal of becoming a certified teacher of secondary school mathematics; applicants must be student members of NCTM. Deadline: May 9, 2008. http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=1338 "Classroom Grants for Excellence in Math, Science, Technology and Engineering" American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation Classroom Grants are awarded to encourage excellence in educating students about math, science, technology, and engineering. Eligibility: current AIAA Educator Associate or AIAA Professional members actively engaged as K-12 classroom educators. Maximum Award: $200. Deadline: N/A. http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=244 QUOTES OF THE WEEK "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." - Plutarch (historian/biographer/essayist/Platonist) http://dare-to-dream--classroom-technology.blogspot.com/2007/07/wonderful-thing-about-physically.html "Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted...but to weigh and consider." - Francis Bacon (philosopher/statesman/essayist) http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/859 ===========PEN NewsBlast========== The PEN Weekly NewsBlast is a free e-mail newsletter featuring school reform and school fundraising resources. The PEN NewsBlast is the property of the Public Education Network, a national association of 82 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities nationwide. There are currently 42,585 subscribers to the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. Please forward this e-mail to anyone who enjoys free updates on education news and grant alerts. Some links in the PEN Weekly NewsBlast change or expire on a daily or weekly basis. Some links may also require local website registration. Your e-mail address is safe with the NewsBlast. It is our firm policy never to rent, loan, or sell our subscriber list to any other organizations, groups, or individuals. **UPDATE OR ADD A NEWSBLAST SUBSCRIPTION** PEN wants you to get each weekly issue of the NewsBlast at your preferred e-mail address. We also welcome new subscribers. Please notify us if your e-mail address is about to change. Send your name and new e-mail address to PEN@PublicEducation.org. Be sure to let us know your old e-mail address so we can unsubscribe it. If you know anyone who is interested in receiving the NewsBlast, please forward this e-mail to them and ask them to e-mail us and put "subscribe" in the subject field or visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/subscribe.asp To view past issues of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_past.asp To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/subscribe.asp To read the NewsBlast submission policy, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_submission_policy.htm If you would like an article or news about your local education fund, public school, or school reform organization featured in a future issue of PEN Weekly NewsBlast, send a note to: PEN@PublicEducation.org Albert Lang Senior Associate, Communications & Editor, NewsBlast Public Education Network 601 Thirteenth Street, NW #710S Washington, DC 20005 PEN@PublicEducation.org Howard B. Schaffer, Founding Editor |
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