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OH BOY, THE TEACHER IS OUT AGAIN TODAY |
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From kindergarten through high school, students can expect to spend a total of one year’s time with substitute teachers, time that is all but lost for learning, reports Nancy Zuckerbrod for the Associated Press. Despite the tremendous pressures on schools to increase instructional time and student achievement, the vacuum created by teacher absenteeism has been all but ignored. In fact, the number of schools nationwide reporting that they used substitutes to fill teaching vacancies (not simply teachers taking a sick day) doubled between 1994 and 2004. The latest data show that more than one-fifth of schools use subs in this way, which research suggests leads to lower tests scores. Reagen Miller, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, examined the impact of teacher absences on fourth grade tests scores in an unidentified large, urban district, finding that 10 absences within a year can cause a significant loss in math achievement. Further, a regular teacher missing two weeks can set students back at least that amount of time. The situation is worse for low-income and minority students, as principals in schools serving those populations are more likely to say teacher absenteeism is a problem. Subs: good for the prevalence of spit balls, bad for educational achievement. |
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QUALITY TEACHING: NEITHER ART NOR ACCIDENT |
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It is no secret that quality teaching is one of the most significant contributors to student achievement. This makes it absolutely vital to define quality teaching in such a way that it can be both quantified and taught. In a recent Harvard Education Letter interview, Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, discussed the Classroom Assessing Scoring System (CLASS), which measures the quality of instruction in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. CLASS is able to provide a familiar framework for recording classroom events and focuses on three broad domains of supportive teacher-pupil interactions: emotional, organizational and instructional. CLASS further enables researchers to look into 1,000 different classrooms across the county that use the system with the same lens. Those researchers have found that students in classrooms rated highly by CLASS are achieving more. This is incredibly important as it goes beyond the idea that good teaching is an unquantifiable art to something focused on replicable skills. In addition, CLASS provides educators with a tool for describing and discussing what good teachers do. This in turn can be applied year to year, allowing for a consistent experience for students. A consistent approach is invariably valuable because research has shown that for struggling students, having an effective teacher several years in a row plays a key role in stabilizing achievement gains. |
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NO NAME CALLING WEEK MAKES OLDER BROTHERS SHUDDER |
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Thousands of schools next week will take part in the fifth annual No Name-Calling Week, a project sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing. The week focuses on students in grades five through eight, with the ultimate goal of ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the necessary resources to launch ongoing initiatives designed to eliminate bullying. The week also highlights the problems students face everyday at school, as 47 percent of junior/middle high school students identified bullying, name-calling or harassment as a somewhat serious or very serious problem. Additionally, 69 percent of junior/middle high school students reported being assaulted or harassed, and only 41 percent said they felt very safe at school. Unfortunately, those sentiments are echoed by school employees in West Virginia. According to the Associated Press (second link), more than half of school employees felt intimidated by a classroom bully last year. In addition, more than a third of teachers say they lose about one day per week of instructional time to disruptive behavior. |
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HIP HOP CAFÉ SERVES CREAMY CHEESECAKE AND VALUABLE LIFE SKILLS |
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Hip Hop Café, a new restaurant in Iowa, had a very successful opening, reports Nicholas Bergin for the Burlington (Iowa) Hawk Eye. What makes it all the more impressive is that the entire wait staff (every bus boy, waiter and even the maitre d’) are eighth graders at Oak Street Middle School in Burlington, Iowa. Despite their ages, the lasagna was hot, the lettuce crisp and the cheesecake deliciously creamy. The restaurant will be open twice a quarter and is intended to provide students with valuable life skills. Students (who apply and then need to be accepted) learn teamwork, leadership strategies and the importance of responsibility. In addition, they gain valuable experience filling out job applications, understanding how to dress properly for work and how to treat customers. At the very least, the food was much better than the sandwiches administrators and teachers typically eat. |
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MASSIVE FEDERAL CUTS TO READING FIRST WORRIES STRUGGLING SCHOOLS |
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Reading First, which has been credited with improving instruction in struggling schools, may be severely hampered by a deep cut in the 2008 federal budget, reports Kathleen Kennedy Manzo in Education Week. The reduction of more than 60 percent will probably inhibit further improvements to the program and significantly test the sustainability of any positive outcomes. At the same time, the cuts do not release Reading First grantees from any of the program’s strict regulatory guidelines. According to Amanda Farris, a deputy assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, it is up to states to implement the cuts, "but it will probably mean 60 percent fewer schools and 60 percent fewer children," who take part in the program. The controversies surrounding Reading First’s implementation may have played a major hand, along with federal budget politics, in dooming the program. According to Jack Jennings, the president and CEO of the Center on Education Policy, "when the president vetoed the appropriations bill that would have increased funding for education,...Congress put the money where they wanted, rather than in Bush’s priorities." Reading First isn't the only program missing out due to budget cuts, as the president’s proposal for a similar program to promote scientifically based math instruction did not receive any of the $250 million the administration had asked for. The initiative, Math Now, was approved with bipartisan support in Congress in August, 2007. As Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.) put it, "ultimately, the result of these cuts will be fewer resources to help children." |
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHERS ARE ILL-PREPARED |
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A National Science Foundation (NSF) study has found that middle school math teachers in the United States are not as well prepared as their peers in five other countries (South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Bulgaria and Mexico). In comparison to the other countries, future U.S. teachers ranked from the middle to the bottom on measures of mathematics knowledge. One potential reason is that during training in Taiwan and South Korea, future teachers typically cover at least 80 percent of advanced math topics, while those in the U.S. cover less than 50 percent. The best subject area for future U.S. teachers was statistics knowledge, in which they performed near the international average. Unfortunately, future U.S. teachers struggled the most with algebra, which is at the heart of middle school math. According to William Schmidt, who directed the study, "the real issue is the courses [teachers] take...it’s not just the amount of formal mathematics training they get. It also involves training in the practical aspects of teaching middle school math and of teaching in general." |
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IF YOU STUDY MORE MATH, YOU'LL PROBABLY DO BETTER AT IT TOO |
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Recent research has shown American students lagging behind their international peers in problem solving and mathematics literacy, which makes improving the quantitative and analytical skills of American youth a key concern for policymakers. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, the National Center for Education Statistics has released a new report examining the relationship between the number and types of math courses taken in the 11th and 12th grade as well as growth in math proficiency during the same time period. The study found that by the end of their senior year, students gave an average of 51.2 correct answers out of 81, compared to an average of 46.7 correct answers during their sophomore year. In addition, the percentage of students with an understanding of simple problem solving skills grew from 53 to 65 percentage points. The largest gains in intermediate-level skills (simple operations and problem solving) within specific content areas were made by those who followed the geometry-algebra II sequence, while the largest gains in advanced skills (derivations and making inferences from algebraic expressions) were made by students who took precalculus paired with another course. Not surprisingly, the smallest gains were made by students who took one or no mathematics courses during their last two years. The findings seem to echo the premise of a nine-state coalition that came together in May, 2007 to launch a common student assessment in Algebra II (second link). |
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U.S DOMINANCE IN SCIENCE AT RISK |
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The United States remains the world leader in scientific and technological innovation, but its dominance is threatened by economic development elsewhere, reports Cornelia Dean in the New York Times. This revelation is included in the National Science Board’s biennial report on science and engineering, which also suggests that the country’s position is especially delicate given its reliance on foreign-born workers. To remedy these issues, the board recommends increased financing for basic research and greater "intellectual interchange" between researchers in academia and industry. On the knowledge front, the report notes that American students have shown both promise and disappointment when it comes to math and science achievement and that many Americans remain ignorant about much of science, but in general, are not noticeably more ignorant than people in other developed countries. These findings should come as no surprise to the Hispanic community, as according to a recent poll (second link), 96 percent of Hispanics think that it is "very or somewhat important" that the U.S. should be a global leader in medical, health and scientific research. In addition, the poll, conducted by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and Research!America, indicates that 93 percent of Hispanics identified education as a "very important" U.S. priority. |
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A MOTHER’S WORDS PROVIDE EUREKA MOMENT FOR SUPERINTENDENT |
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In talking with a group of parents, William Mathis, Rutland (Vt.) Northeast Supervisory Union superintendent of schools, fell into the stock phrase that high test scores are necessary to be economically competitive in the 21st century. As Mathis writes in the Rutland Herald, a mother answered that she didn't want her son to be globally competitive, but rather a good man, one who holds a job, puts more into the community than he takes out, gets along with others and is, quite simply, happy. This produced a moment akin to Newton’s apple for Mathis, as he realized the mother’s words formed a brilliant definition of the true purposes of education. As the number of people voting dwindles every year, all levels of government continue to build walls against civic participation in the forms of incomprehensible funding formulas and pages of costly mandates (the No Child Left Behind Act is over 1,000 pages). At the same time parents raise the importance of well-being and happiness for their children, bureaucrats talk of global competitiveness. Parents and communities have grown distressed over an educational system that is squeezing out the arts, social studies and recess in favor of test preparation. Instead of measuring success by test scores, it might be advantageous to think of success in terms of what our children do to improve a world threatened by warming, diminishing resources and factional wars, concludes Mathis. |
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LEAVE IT TO BEAVER TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES |
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What do the fictitious Huxtables, Cleavers and Cunninghams all have in common? Their creators instilled characteristics in the families that researchers have found to be fundamental for successful children and youth. These include: loving nurturing relationships; financial stability; and positive connections to people, organizations and opportunities. In the United States, too few policies and practices reflect the value of a family. A research brief from the Family Strengthening Policy Center identifies strategies to effect change in the hopes of producing long-lasting gains in child and youth wellbeing. To truly shape society as a whole, the shift in dynamics must invariably include all sectors of a community. By working individually and collectively and in partnership with low-income families, communities can help make these important family fundamentals a reality. After all, not every parent can be a doctor, lawyer or business owner. |
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AUSTRALIA EXPERIENCES PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE STRUGGLES |
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Overwhelming support has emerged among Australia’s teachers for merit-based pay, with a majority believing wages should be pegged to competence and qualifications, reports Justine Ferrari in the Australian. A national survey of 13,000 teachers found that two in three believe schools have difficulty retaining staff, and of that group, 70 percent believe paying more to the most competent would help stem the exodus. As in the United States, Australian teachers’ unions have argued strenuously against pay-for-performance. However, the survey reveals that one in four teachers support higher pay for those whose students achieve specific goals. The biggest shortage for Australian high schools (as is also true in much of the U.S.) is among math and science teachers, while six percent of schools couldn't find an English teacher. The survey indicates that the lack of a competitive pay structure has become a major problem, as three-quarters of principals reported that teachers are paid according to an incremental scale, with progression largely based on years of service, not skill. According to a different survey conducted by the Australian Education Union, more than four in five Australians believe an education revolution can only happen if the federal government invests substantially more in public education, in particular for recruiting and retaining the best teachers, lowering class sizes and giving more attention to individual students. Sound familiar? |
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STARS SUPPORT TURNS LAGGING STUDENTS INTO "STARS" |
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The Montclair (N.J.) School District’s special enrichment program for underperforming students in danger of falling behind has made school officials proud, reports George Wirt in the Montclair (N.J.) Times. The program provides teaching support to students during the regular school day, after-school tutoring and help with homework assignments and, during the summer, a half-day program. School officials are happy to report that STARS students are responding so well that a significant number have been able to move up and out of the program. In fact, more than half of the students in the program exit after one year, and nearly 80 percent exit within two years. Additionally, recent test results show that students receiving STARS support achieved higher scores in state proficiency tests throughout tested grade levels. The program received funding support from the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence, along with several other partners. These combined efforts resulted in dramatic turnarounds in the performance of many students who were once lagging behind. |
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PARENTS ARE FROM MARS, TEACHERS ARE FROM VENUS |
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All teachers, at least once a year, are mystified by the actions of parents, and the same holds true for the other side, writes Bill Ferriter in Teacher Magazine. According to Ferriter, parents rarely intend to be the red-eyed flame-breathing characters they occasionally play during parent-teacher meetings and teachers are rarely the incompetent, bumbling scatterbrains parents see in their nightmares. So, to build a positive relationship with parents and avoid the fire-breathing, teachers must recognize that parents are powerful resources for information on how best to reach their kids, making them invaluable partners. In addition, it is important for teachers to communicate early and often, as parents want to know their children’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they can solidify learning at home. On the flip side, parents need to acknowledge that teachers are professionals, who are generally highly trained with a deep understanding of the content they teach. It also would help communication if parents give teachers the benefit of the doubt, as sometimes a child’s version of events is not the objective view parents take it to be. Through open dialogue and communication, the relationship between parents and teachers should strengthen, which in turn should bolster achievement. |
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URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYS "NO TRESPASS" SIGNS TO CURB VIOLENCE |
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In Joliet and other urban schools outside Chicago, school officials have reported increases in the number of students carrying toy guns, knives and even electric Taser-like devices on school grounds. For help with their mounting problem, educators have engaged the authorities, reports Joel Hood in the Chicago Tribune. To curb these dangerous acts, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow instructed three districts to post "no trespassing" signs in their buildings that specifically outlaw air rifles, BB or pellet guns, paintball guns and any "look alike" weapons that could be mistaken for the real thing. In so doing, schools ratchet up possible punishment because the signs allow violators to be charged with misdemeanor trespassing. If convicted, students 16 and younger face up to a year in juvenile detention, while those 17 and older could land in jail. However, students often receive only probation and community service. The "plan" is only five months old, yet it has already sparked interest among educators in other counties. |
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CHILDREN ARE NOT REALLY FANS OF CLOWNS |
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Children, no matter what past tastes may dictate, are impossible to peg. A new poll conducted by the University of Sheffield in England finds that children don't like clowns, and some older kids are even scared of them, reports Reuters. The study, which was released in the Nursing Standard magazine, was designed to elicit suggestions on how to improve the aesthetics of children’s hospital wings. All 250 children surveyed, aged 4 to 16, said they disliked the use of clowns. Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer on research at Sheffield, said, "as adults we make assumptions about what works for children," and everyone knows what happens when you make assumptions. |
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NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
"Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Award"
The Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Award recognizes exemplary partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions that build on each other's strengths to improve higher education, civic engagement and the overall health of communities. Maximum Award: public recognition. Eligibility: "community partner" -- individual, organization or agency; "higher education partner" -- community college, college, university or residency program, including affiliated administrators, faculty, staff and students. Deadline: February 12, 2008.
"Arts Education Award"
The Americans for the Arts Education Award is presented to a local arts agency that can demonstrate systemic and sustainable results in support of learning in the arts, or through the arts, for public school students for a minimum of five years. Other important criteria include the integration of work into school or district infrastructure, involvement of public school and discipline-based arts educators, effective partnerships, industry-recognized work, success in building capacity for the organization itself and for the community, and conscientious efforts to build the scale of the work. Maximum Award: recognition. Eligibility: professionals, administrators, educators, and community arts leaders who plan, implement, and fund arts education. Deadline: February 15, 2008.
"Fiskars Project Orange Thumb"
Fiskars Project Orange ThumbSM grants give Fiskars Garden Tools and materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc. to eligible gardening groups. Maximum Award: $1,500 in implements and materials. Eligibility: gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, horticultural education and/or sustainable agriculture. Deadline: February 15, 2008.
"YSA American Young Ambassadors Program"
The American Young Ambassadors Program, Ltd. global leadership program recognizes the significant accomplishments academically, athletically or through public service efforts of U.S. high school students. The youth selected for this program will represent the United States as Young Ambassadors-at-large at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Maximum Award: Four days in Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics. While at the Olympics, the Young Ambassadors will be volunteering at various venues; hosting a youth summit; and hosting several leadership receptions including an International Sports Leadership Reception with world-accomplished athletes and a World Leaders Reception with heads of state and leaders of corporations. Eligibility: youth ages 15-18. Deadline: March 3, 2008.
"NCSS Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award"
Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Awards recognize exceptional classroom social studies teachers for grades K-6, 5-8, and 7-12 who teach social studies regularly and systematically in elementary, and at least half time in middle or junior high, and high school settings. Maximum Award: $2,500. Eligibility: Anyone may nominate. Self-nominations will be accepted. NCSS Membership is required. Social studies teachers for grades K-6, 5-8, and 7-12 who teach social studies regularly and systematically in elementary school settings, and at least half time in middle/junior high and high school settings. Deadline: April 1, 2008.
For a detailed listing of numerous EXISTING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES (updated each week), visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind."
- Winston Churchill
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24929.html
"In the U.S., we already see growing proportions of our working-age populations in low-reward jobs. Our social compact teaches that if you play by the rules and work hard, you can get into the middle class, pay for college, healthcare, and have a reasonable retirement. If we tolerate the growing concentrations of compound disadvantage, we make a dangerous mockery of that notion."
- Susan V. Berresford (former president, Ford Foundation)
http://www.fordfound.org/newsroom/speeches/215
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