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EDITORIAL DERIDES LACK OF FOCUS ON EDUCATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY In a recent USA Today opinion piece, Wendy Puriefoy, president of Public Education Network, focused on the almost complete absence of public education discussion and substance in the 2008 presidential campaign. In fact, in the GOP debate on Jan. 30 in Simi Valley, Calif., the word "education" was heard twice and the phrase No Child Left Behind was mentioned only once. In the Democratic debate between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Austin, Texas, "education" was uttered just five times. In the piece, Puriefoy asks the candidates, and indeed, all elected officials, five key questions regarding the need for education reform so that every child may benefit from a quality public education. Apparently Puriefoy is not alone in her sentiments, as many Ohio educators would assign the presidential hopefuls an incomplete when it comes to education, reports Scott Stephens in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. According to substitute teacher Julie Crudele, "I don't hear anything about education, and that really scares me." This also scares the powerful National Education Association (NEA), which has pointedly withheld an endorsement of any candidate. While the remaining Democratic candidates have quietly vied for the union’s support, neither has received the blessing from the NEA and its 3.2 million members that potentially account for six million votes. Reg Weaver, NEA president, says that before the NEA endorses any candidate they "want to know how America’s public schools fit into this culture of change that [the candidates] talk about so much." Another mounting concern is that, at the National Governors’ Association winter meeting, little time was spent on education, reports Michelle McNeil for Education Week (third link). After all, if the governors aren't talking about schools, while about half of their state budget is earmarked for K-12 and higher education, then who will? Regardless, education must be a top priority if America is to have any hope of solving the critical problems facing the country. To help make education the issue it needs to be, contact the candidates and the television network debate sponsors (fourth and fifth links). Read Article Read Article Read Article Read Article Read Article MAN STIFF-ARMS THE NFL, BECOMES GREAT AFRICAN AMERICAN BIBLIOPHILE As an African American child growing up in the 1940s, Charles Blockson was told by a white teacher that black people had made no contributions to history, reports the Associated Press. Even as a fourth grader, Blockson knew better. So -- as any intrepid youngster would do -- he proved her wrong by accumulating pieces of African American history (like "Up from Slavery" by Booker T. Washington and a biography of George Washington Carver). As Blockson grew older, his searches led to more rarefied shops. He recalls bookstores where he hid volumes he couldn't afford in hopes they would be there when he saved up the money. Today, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University contains more than 30,000 historical items, some dating all the way back to the 16th century. Scholars are quick to note how lucky they are that Blockson began collecting when he did, as many items he accumulated might not be available now, or, if so, would be prohibitively expensive. It sure turned out to be a great decision turning down the New York football Giants. Read Article MAKING SURE CHILDREN KNOW THEIR HISTORY Those who have no knowledge of history miss out on the inspiration that comes from the past, writes Marian Wright Edelman for the Children’s Defense Fund. These sentiments echo that of Dr. Carter Woodson, who founded Negro History Week in 1926 to give inspiration to other African Americans. Dr. Woodson saw the week as vital to ensuring everyone knew the great African American achievements because many people, including some African American history professors, couldn't name the myriad of contributions that community had made to history. Wright Edelman writes the list of great African Americans is numerous and children should learn their stories and be given the tools and motivation to emulate their actions. In addition, children should be taught as much as possible about the heroes in their own families. This is so important because family stories often provide the most memorable inspiration of all, as they bring history alive and reinforce the idea that anyone can make a difference. When looking back at historical accomplishments, people must be reminded of how much unfinished business there is and thus be motivated to write the next chapter. Read Article iTEACHERS? VIRTUAL/DIGITAL TEACHERS CAN OUTPERFORM FLESH AND BLOOD Never let schooling get in the way of your education, Mark Twain supposedly said. The latest advances in psychology and behavior science take this quote to a new dimension with the advent of virtual reality. Virtual characters and digital tutors are helping children and adults develop social and language skills that can be tough to learn using traditional methods, reports Robin Lloyd for LiveScience. Justine Cassell of Northwestern University has found that children with autism can develop advanced social skills by interacting with a "virtual child" that they might not have been able to develop through "normal" human contact. In fact, in some aspects, digital teachers work better than humans. Virtual reality allows participants to send only small amounts of non-verbal or facial expressions to the other person, which benefits autistics who often cannot deal with the intensity of face-to-face conversations. This makes virtual learning quite beneficial as it allows speakers to create renderings of themselves that are toned down or abstract. Still, despite the efficacy of digital approaches to education, there is reluctance in society for such tools to become widespread, owing to a general discomfort with the idea that human teachers might be replaced. Read Article FAULTY READING COMPREHENSION METHODS BLAMED FOR STAGNANT SCORES In a recent WestEd Policy Perspectives paper, E.D. Hirsch argues that United States students fail at math, science and reading partly because reading experts have overlooked the most important aspect of literacy. It is Hirsch’s contention that reading comprehension depends on learning factual background knowledge in a broad array of subjects, yet educators often mistakenly believe reading comprehension is a transferable skill, like typing. That approach, which assumes students can apply all-purpose cognitive skills and critical thinking strategies to unfamiliar texts on any subject, deprives students of the substance and intellectual structure they need to read successfully. It also can negatively affect student achievement in each subject area (not just reading). The resulting comprehension deficit has become apparent in fourth grade achievement scores nationwide and grows more acute as students advance through school. When student achievement remains low (despite every teacher’s good-faith effort), experts too often blame other factors rather than the true culprit: faulty reading comprehension methods. Read Article TEACHER-PAY MODEL NOT SEEN AS PROMISING AT SECONDARY LEVEL A leading model for professionalizing teaching and changing the way teachers are paid shows mixed capacity for raising student test scores, reports Bess Keller for Education Week. The findings, part of the first independent examination of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), note that TAP middle and high schools lag behind their non-TAP counterparts in test score gains. The research looked at annual gains in mathematics test scores during the course of four years for about 1,200 schools in two states. While TAP elementary schools raised test scores in grades 2-5 more than the comparison schools did, the same effect does not hold in grades 6-10, where non-TAP schools did better, sometimes markedly so, according to the research. Proponents of the program say they suspect divergence from the model cut into gains that might have been made in middle and high schools, especially as it is tougher to implement TAP at the secondary level. Read Article RELATIVE PARITY NOT A PHRASE VOUCHER PROPONENTS WANT TO HEAR The first report on Milwaukee’s groundbreaking school voucher program has found that students attending private schools through the program aren't doing much better or worse than students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), reports Alan Borsuk in the Milwaukee (Wis.) Journal Sentinel. The authors of the report caution that stronger conclusions will come only when trends over several years can be examined and suggest that not much should be read into this year’s results. But, let’s push that aside for the moment. The study found the performance of both MPS and voucher students to be fairly typical for low-income students nationally. This points to the broader dilemma of how to achieve widespread educational success among poor and minority students. At the nuts and bolts level, fourth grade voucher students scored "somewhat lower" than MPS students, while eighth grade voucher students scored "somewhat higher." In addition, at all grades, both MPS and voucher students had overall test scores well below the 50th percentile nationally, generally settling around the 33rd percentile. Researchers also found a wider variation in scores on tests among private schools than among MPS schools. This potentially means that the range of quality between voucher schools is much wider, while the range of MPS schools tends to stick closer to the mean. Read Article GLOBETROTTING TEDDY BEAR INSPIRES TEACHING, LEARNING AND LITERATURE As a teacher, Sloan Heermance used a globetrotting teddy bear to drive home geography, history and writing lessons, reports Karen McCowan for the Eugene Register-Guard (Ore.). Heermance outfitted a 12-inch stuffed bear with a backpack containing a journal and disposable camera. Over the next decade, she sent him packing with a series of volunteers who carried him to destinations as far as Holland and the Kremlin. After documenting his adventures in words and pictures, the participating world travelers helped him find his way home. Upon Heermance’s retirement, one would think the bear’s jet setting days were over. Not so. Heermance is planning to incorporate the teaching tool into a series of books on United States National Parks. Read Article NEW RESOURCE HIGHLIGHTS COMMUNITY’S ROLE IN EDUCATING ALL CHILDREN Across America, front-line educators are working with their communities to shape a fresh vision for the future of public schools. Publicschoolinsights.org, launched this week, shows how teachers, administrators, parents and others are finding common ground and crafting innovative, 21st-century solutions to help all students succeed. The site has a wealth of real stories that reveal an emerging vision for public schools in the 21st century. Additional features include a wide variety of success stories about U.S. schools and districts that have adopted successful strategies for addressing key challenges in education. The site’s ultimate goal: to build a sense of community among those who are working at the local level to strengthen their public schools, while showcasing proven strategies. The initial launch included a story (second link) about the Mobile County (Ala.) School District’s reform efforts, which centered on intensive public engagement conducted by the district and Public Education Network member, the Mobile Area Education Foundation. These efforts resulted in the school district making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in 2007 with 85 of 100 schools meeting AYP targets, amounting to a 215 percent jump. Read Article Read Article TAKING TANGIBLE STEPS TOWARD TOMORROW: GET COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has released a new report focused on the school readiness challenge. The report, Tangible Steps Toward Tomorrow, offers new solutions centered on the three major influences on a child's education: parents, teachers and schools. To develop these solutions, researches conducted observations in both classrooms and homes. The report notes that researchers repeatedly heard that an engaged parent is a major determinant of a child’s success. However, becoming involved in a child’s education is not a one-step process. To make this happen, parents need to be aware of their child’s learning needs and be prepared to participate in and feel in control during interactions with the school system. In writing the report, researchers also found that many teachers feel their creative freedom has been reduced in favor of structured learning tasks. This makes empowering teachers critically important to education. To do so, teachers require: a clear understanding of the tasks they are allowed to perform; support, inspiration and understanding from their peers; a collaborative environment; and, regular feedback and reinforcement. In turning to schools, the report explains that most often, by accident, schools are sending isolating signals. For example, the need for security has resulted in grim, jail-like buildings that actively exclude the community. While these protective measures serve a real purpose, they should also provide a launching point for better design solutions that build connections between the community and the school. It has become critical that parents, teachers and schools become a collective organism to ensure children receive a quality education. Read Article WITHOUT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, YOUR CAKE WON'T TASTE SO GOOD Parental involvement is to education what eggs are to a cake. You can make a cake without eggs, but it’s usually not nearly as good. Similarly, parental involvement is a key ingredient to not only the success of children, but the school and community as a whole. When parents are welcome in schools and consulted about decisions affecting their children, an atmosphere of trust and collaboration develops. The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC), a non-profit organization serving children and families in Edgecombe and Nash counties in Rocky Mount, N.C., believes that the quality of education shapes not only a child’s future, but a community’s as well. To ensure that children receive the assistance required to forge better futures, the DEPC has advocated and supported both high quality early care and a coordinated system of community resources focused on empowering parents to be active participants in decision making. Through their work, the DEPC has discovered that parents benefit from being engaged and connected to other parents and community resources well before their children enter school. In a survey of all parents of kindergartens in both counties, DEPC found that parents who are part of the DEPC Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) program rated their child’s transition to kindergarten and readiness significantly higher than those not involved. In addition, parents who completed the survey spent an average of 11 hours per week participating in educational activities with their children. It’s clear that parents remain the key to making delicious cakes as well as promising futures for children. Read Article IT’S NOT QUITE THE BATMOBILE, BUT IT DOES THE TRICK From a distance, the large red aluminum contraption parked on the frozen shore of Lake Superior looks like a small houseboat, yet, instead of rudders, it’s perched on skis. Up close, as schoolchildren pile in, it becomes clear that the mystery vehicle, with two large fans on the back, is something else entirely. For residents of a remote village on an ice-locked island off the tip of mainland Wisconsin, the boatmobile, known as a windsled, operates as a school bus, reports Susan Saulny for the New York Times. In perhaps the most unorthodox mode of student travel, the children of La Pointe (full-time population of 250) actually windsled to class several weeks out of the year. Quite simply, it is the required transportation for students separated from class by more than two miles of jigsaw ice blocks coming together to form a shallow floating road across a bay. Read Article INCREASE ELL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, CLOSE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS A new policy brief from the Great Lakes Center has analyzed the factors involved with generating effective parental involvement of English Language Learners (ELLs). Parents of ELLs face daunting barriers when they attempt to become informed and involved in their child’s school. This, in turn, limits communication and participation. Given the achievement gap between ELLs and English proficient students, it is critical to identify practices that improve ELL parental involvement and, in turn, student achievement. While diversity speaks to the need for both traditional and non-traditional models, with a dual-model approach variation in language proficiency is acknowledged, communication is facilitated and communities are recognized and integrated within the school culture. The center recommends that policymakers fund the implementation of non-traditional parental involvement programs that reflect a reciprocal involvement in the school/parent community. Read Article LET CHILDREN KNOW RACISM ISN'T ACCEPTABLE When a relative recently made a disparaging remark about African Americans in front of Arica Prejean’s children, she immediately repudiated it. Prejean considers speaking out against racism part of her job as a parent, reports Melissa Dutton for the Association Press. Still, many parents struggle with what to do when presented with a similar scenario. Lawrence Cohen, a psychologist, believes it is important to address the slur in a way that doesn't upset the child. If the parent is able to calmly ask the person to refrain from speaking in such a manner, then they should do so. One of the most important factors to creating open minded children is to expose them to people of all backgrounds. This means parents should start talking about race early on, as parents underestimate the likelihood of kids hearing racial slurs. For parents to adequately handle racist comments, they should forget trying to be colorblind and instead make conversations about race relaxed and frequent. Read Article MOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HELP ME LEARN? The goal of a new study from Vanderbilt University was to examine whether explaining to another person improves learning and transfer. In the study, four- and five-year olds solved multiple classification problems, received accuracy feedback and were prompted to explain the correct solutions to their moms, to themselves or to repeat the solutions. The study found that generating explanations improved problem-solving accuracy following the test, while explaining things to the mother led to the greatest problem-solving transfer. This indicates that explanation prompts can facilitate transfers in children as young as five years and reveals that it matters if the mother is listening. Even though it is possible that prompting children could be a substitute for the positive influences of a listener, there is reason to suspect that explaining to another person improves learning. People often produce more detailed and explicit explanations and justify their ideas more when they are doing so for other people rather than just for themselves. And young people adjust their speech based on the age of the listener. It follows that explaining to others may increase motivation and also support more complete and explicit knowledge. This improved knowledge could be more easily transferred to new situations and problems. The Vanderbilt study’s sentiments seem to be echoed in a new piece in Teacher Magazine written by Kathie Marshall (second link). Marshall begins by noting that a great deal of research has been conducted on the importance of student discussion and its prevalence in class. However, research from Martin Nystrand finds that eighth graders spend an average of 50 seconds per class in sustained conversation, with ninth graders spending only 30 seconds. So Marshall set out to see if discussion could help improve struggling students. After four weeks, Marshall was amazed at the results of this strategy. Many ‘C’ and ‘D’ students were suddenly performing at the top of the class and were highly engaged in their work. One student wrote in her notebooks that "I like this class because in our other classes, we get in trouble if we want to talk about what we are learning." Read Article Read Article AUSTRALIA PLEDGES TO SUPPORT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS The Australian government has pledged to provide $800,000 over four years to national parents' organizations to conduct on-the-ground research, encourage parents and schools to work together and spread best practices in family-school partnerships. The Australian Council of State School Organizations, which represents parents in public schools, sees this as a momentous occasion in the history of Australian public education. The decision could open the doors for improvements in the lives of young people, teachers and families and will promote the inherent value of parental involvement in the education of their children. Read Article NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION "Do Something Plum Youth Grants" Do Something Plum Youth Grants are available to young people who submit creative proposals to further the growth and success of their existing community action project. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: Applicant must be 25 or younger at the time of application. Deadline: weekly. http://www.dosomething.org/plum_youth_grant_application "MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award" The MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award recognizes teachers who have undertaken extraordinary and voluntary efforts to connect with their students' communities and to make themselves an active member of their community. Qualified nominees build partnerships and increase communication between the school, families, local businesses/nonprofits and local government. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: middle or high school teachers in one of 25 participating school districts (see website). Deadline: March 7, 2008. http://www.ncl.org/metlife/index.html "Motorola Lincoln Grants" The Motorola Foundation will partner with the Chicago History Museum to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth by identifying and funding projects developed by civic, educational and cultural organizations that actively engage the public in the lessons from Lincoln's life. Grants will be provided on the basis of three themes: Bringing History into the Future; Engaging in Current Events; and Leadership Skills. Eligibility: individuals or organizations, including civic, educational and cultural organizations nationwide. Deadline: March 30, 2008. Maximum Award: varies. http://www.cybergrants.com/motorola/lincolngrant "Grants for Programs that Benefit Youth and Scientific Education" The American Honda Foundation makes grants to K-12 schools, colleges, universities, trade schools and other youth-focused nonprofit organizations for programs that benefit youth and scientific education. Maximum Award: $100,000. Eligibility: Schools and youth-focused nonprofit organizations. Deadline: May 1, 2008. http://corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.aspx?id=ahf "2008 Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Awards" The Turnaround Management Association (TMA) is now accepting nominations for the 2008 Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Awards. The awards honor teachers who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and skill in shaping the lives of children and teens through education. Maximum Award: $5,000 cash and travel and lodging expenses to TMA’s 2008 Annual Convention and 20th anniversary celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 27-29, 2008. Eligibility: primary or secondary school teachers employed by accredited schools for at least five years. Deadline: May 1, 2008. http://www.turnaround.org/about/awards.aspx QUOTES OF THE WEEK "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically...Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King Jr. (civil rights activist/minister/spokesman) http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdecomm/com_eventMLK08.htm "Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X (minister/spokesman) http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr397.shtml ===========PEN NewsBlast========== The PEN Weekly NewsBlast is a free e-mail newsletter featuring school reform and school fundraising resources. 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