|
Click here to read printable version |
|
|
U.S. FOURTH-GRADERS STALEMATED ON INTERNATIONAL READING TEST |
| |
A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that, on average, United States fourth-graders scored higher than their international peers on the 2006 assessment of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). The assessment had previously been administered in 2001 and, in that year, the U.S. scored higher than 23 education systems, lower than three and not significantly different from eight. In 2006, the U.S. scored higher than 22 education systems, lower than 10 and not significantly different from 12 others. Additionally, the average score for U.S. students was not significantly different overall in 2006 than it was in 2001. Still, a greater percentage of U.S. students reached each achievement benchmark compared to the international median percentage: 12 percent of U.S. students were advanced, 47 percent met the high benchmark and 82 percent met the intermediate level. |
| |
Read Article |
|
REINVENTING THE BOOK BY MAKING IT DIGITAL TO ENCOURAGE READING |
| |
As the world becomes increasingly technology driven, with new gadgets coming out every season, it is easy to forget the book, an object which, thanks to Gutenberg, is superbly designed, completely functional and has thus far stood the test of time. In fact, books remain a more reliable storage device than any external hard drive, are easily "turned on" (just open it up) and unless it is one, require no instructional manual, reports Steven Levy in Newsweek. According to Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com, "books are the last bastion of analog," as long-form reading has failed to conform to digitization. To fill this market niche, Amazon has released the Kindle, an electronic device that has the dimensions of a paperback with a tapering of width to simulate binding, does not run hot or make electronic beeps, mimics the clarity of a printed book and allows for 30 hours of reading on a single charge. In addition, the Kindle enables users to change the font size and stores 200 books "onboard," with space for hundreds more on a memory card. Another added amenity is that the Kindle lets owners subscribe to newspapers, so when issues go to press the virtual publications are atomically beamed (thank you, Scotty) to their Kindle. As newspaper circulation numbers dwindle and Americans of every age are reading less and less for pleasure (as reported by Greg Toppo in USA Today -- second link), the Kindle just might be one way of increasing reading. |
| |
Read Article |
| |
Read Article |
|
HBO PROGRAM, "THE WIRE," TRIES TO SHOW HOW TO REACH THE UNREACHABLE |
| |
The fourth season of the HBO television series, "The Wire," which focused on trouble-making students who can derail entire classes, show tremendous gains for weeks then backtrack in an instant and everyday experience events that make academic problems seem minute in comparison. This aspect of the expansive show centers on West Baltimore’s "corner kids" who are defined by contrast to the "stoop kids," who grow up in the ghetto but are still cared for by family, writes Lisa Morehouse in Edutopia. While both stoop and corner kids grow up in the same neighborhood, corner kids are abandoned by families and left to fend for themselves in the inner city. If these kids attend school, they often create great disruptions which affect the stoop kids. "The Wire" attempts to answer the question of how best to deal with the children. In the show, the most disruptive corner kids are separated from the rest of the students and sent to their own classroom in the school’s basement. This division might not be the stretch it seems, as research has documented the great numbers of African American boys who are shuffled into special education classes even though they present no evidence of learning disabilities. The troublesome students attend classes led by multiple adults, including mental health professionals, who try to get at the causes of the disruptive behavior and the students’ subsequent disengagement from school. Of course, the show doesn't arrive at an answer -- just as the adults reach some level of understanding of the kid’s values and fears, the program is terminated because of standardized testing pressures. The show provides an interesting take on how best to work with the minority of the student population whose problems are so great that they can't be solved merely by tutors and computer access. |
| |
Read Article |
|
X, Y AND Z: THE STEPS THAT HELP STRUGGLING MATH STUDENTS ACHIEVE |
| |
Marilyn Burns was asked by Paul’s math teacher to work with him because he struggled with multiplication and typically worked slower than his peers. Burns, the founder of Math Solutions Professional Development, began by speaking with Paul and found that he could multiply correctly 6 x 8 but couldn't do the same for 6 x 9. He knew the right answer was 48 because "goin’ fishing, got no bait, 6 x 8 is 48" but couldn't figure out 6 x 9 because "[he] didn't learn it yet." This exchange reminded Burns of key issues intrinsically tied to teaching math, which include the need to help students make connections among mathematical ideas, to build student’s new understanding on the foundation of previous learning and to remember that correct answers, without accompanying explanations of how they were arrived at, are not sufficient for judging understanding. Through her work, Burns discovered several essential strategies necessary to help struggling math learners succeed, beginning by identifying the concepts and skills that students should learn and discarding the extraneous. At the same time, teachers need to build in a routine of support to reinforce concepts and skills before students are expected to perform independent work. In addition, when working with struggling kids, teachers need to help them build upon what they already know, which makes explicit connections between knowledge. |
| |
Read Article |
|
ROCK AND ROLL: IT CAN SAVE LIVES AND HELP SCHOOLS |
| |
Just when you thought music education was out of schools, Steven Van Zandt pulls it back in, reports Mary Beth Marklein in USA Today. Van Zandt, of E Street Band and "The Sopranos" fame, says rock ‘n’ roll saved his life and now he wants to pay homage to the art form as best as he is able. He recently unveiled his Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s first project, a middle- and high-school curriculum designed to introduce a new generation of teens to the music. The project was created in partnership with Scholastic’s InSchool division and, through this work, the materials have met national standards, allowing them to be used for both humanities and social studies courses in addition to music classes. The plan is to distribute a 40-chapter curriculum, a teachers’ guide, lesson plans, DVDs and CDs free beginning in the 2008-09 school year. And the effort is endorsed by the National Association for Music Education. Through his efforts, Van Zandt has joined the ever-increasing line of artists who are rallying to keep music education from disappearing as a result of budget cuts and a national focus on math and reading. However, Van Zandt is a bit different from fellow artists, as he wants to explore the cultural and historic impact of rock, beginning with the pioneers. "Only sports really equals [rock] in terms of the empowerment of the typical blue-collar, working-class kid," Van Zandt says. |
| |
Read Article |
|
10-YEAR-OLD WOULD (AND DOES) WALK 280 MILES TO HELP THE HOMELESS |
| |
When Zach Bonner was six, he collected water for the victims of Hurricane Charley. Now 10, he continued his altruistic nature by recently completing a 280 mile-walk from Tampa to Tallahassee, Fla. to draw attention to the estimated 20,000 to 40,000 kids who are homeless throughout Florida. When interviewed by Mike Vasilinda for WJHG News Channel 7 in Panama City, Fla., Zach said that the walk was "really tiring and exhausting. But whenever [he got] really tired [he] just thought of all the homeless kids that have to live through all the bad weather." Zach, perhaps showing wisdom beyond his years, thinks you can blame a lot of people for being homeless, but you can't blame children. Next on Zach’s altruistic agenda is planning a dinner for 1,000 families affected by Hurricane Katrina. And next year, he wants to build a house for the homeless. Wouldn't it be great if more kids walked a mile in Zach’s shoes? |
| |
Read Article |
|
INTEREST-BASED BARGAINING HELPS DISTRICTS AND UNIONS IMPROVE SCHOOLS |
| |
Sometimes groups with similar goals can find themselves diametrically opposed on an issue. To an education system’s detriment, this tends to be no different, as there often exists an adversarial relationship between district officials and the local teachers’ union and this poor relationship can only harm student progress. Yet there are exceptions to every rule. In Clark County, Nev. and Hamilton County, Tenn., school leaders have worked collaboratively with the local teachers’ unions to develop strategies to retain quality teachers and close achievement gaps, according to a recently released report. The report, funded by the NEA Foundation and released by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, shows that it is possible for unions and districts to coexist and work together toward improving instruction and student achievement. Both districts studied found that the best practice for bringing both diverse groups to the table was implementing the Interest-Based Bargaining negotiation strategy, whereby parties collaborate to reach a "win-win" solution to disputes. The partnerships collectively resulted in expedited hearing processes to resolve contract disputes, an enhanced support system for new teachers, principal networks and teaching teams across grade levels, to name a few. |
| |
Read Article |
| |
Read Article |
|
BIGGER THAN BAKE SALES...FUNDRAISERS CHASE HIGH STAKES DOLLARS |
| |
Long ago, it seems, sales of homemade brownies and cupcakes were the in vogue school fundraisers. Today, organizations are getting creative to lure the large dollars needed for programs and resources that have been cut from school budgets. For Newton North High School, in Newton Mass., this means inviting members of the New England Patriots to play parents in a football fundraising game. The event was organized to provide new exercise equipment for the school, and typically an event of this magnitude can raise $20,000, reports Megan Woolhouse in the Boston Globe. Fundraising efforts on this grand scale have become more of a norm than an outlier as communities continually ramp up efforts through parent teacher organizations and education foundations. Arnold Fege, the director of public engagement for Public Education Network, said that there is a serious need for outside dollars as funding has been increasingly redirected to core subjects and standardized testing, placing a greater onus on communities. These outside organizations and foundations provide necessary resources like computers, software, music programs, professional development opportunities and much more. In fact, the Newton city education foundation has a $1.6 million endowment that goes to these ends, which is all the more necessary as the city considers a tax override because of an anticipated budget shortfall. |
| |
Read Article |
|
INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS COMPARISONS NOT GOOD EITHER |
| |
The Making Opportunity Affordable initiative has been hard at work and this week posted state profiles of college access and attainment (first link) and also released "Good Policy, Good Practice" (second link), which highlights policies and programs that have made strides in increasing the numbers of students graduating from college. The profiles focus on several key indicators associated with post-secondary access and success and seem to indicate that most states face large gaps in degree attainment with top-performing nations. The worse news is that these gaps are expected to widen. In fact, only eight states are on track to reach the level of educational attainment needed by 2025 to compete with the best-performing nations. The second report could provide a piece to the puzzle for alleviating the concerns raised in the state profiles because it organizes state and institutional initiatives by key strategies aimed at increasing educational attainment. The document also allows one to identify model programs and serves as an indicator of improvement efforts throughout the country. |
| |
Read Article |
| |
Read Article |
|
NEW TOOL TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT & QUALITY OF REPORTING ON TEACHING |
| |
The Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media and the Costen Family Foundation launched a website for journalists that will help them cover one of the most important aspects of education: teaching and learning. The website, "Tools for Reporting on Teaching: What to Look for in Classrooms," provides classroom videos and commentaries from teaching and journalism experts in the hope of helping reporters ask better questions and increase their visits to classrooms. In addition, the site offers summaries of research on the importance of good teachers and how teachers improve their craft. Teaching and learning is perhaps the most challenging and complex issue in education, which makes it all the more difficult to capture in a news story. Hopefully this new tool can help media encapsulate what good teachers do and as a result increase the admiration society has for teachers. |
| |
Read Article |
|
DOING AS WE DO PROMOTES QUALITY CHARACTER EDUCATION |
| |
The Character Education Partnership has developed 11 principles to assist in planning and evaluating character education programs because young people have increasingly hurt themselves and society and have grown less concerned about the welfare of their communities and fellow human beings. Quality character education holds as a general principle that there are widely agreed upon core ethical values (caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility and respect) that form the basis of good character. When constructing education programs, character must be comprehensively defined to include the cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects of a moral life. Students are typically hands-on and constructive learners, so a good program needs to reside in the ethical domain but also in the intellectual one. Additionally, a school, which itself must embody good character, should be committed to continually looking at itself and growing since everything about a school affects student values and characters. Consequently, it is important to engage students on a variety of levels to promote good character, but a school and its staff cannot take the stance of "do as I say, not as I do." In fact, all staff must be involved in learning about, discussing and taking ownership of the character education effort. |
| |
Read Article |
|
SPICING UP NCLB WITH EARLY EDUCATION INITIATIVES |
| |
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to test children annually beginning in the third grade and then, based on the results, build systems of accountability and intervene in low-performing schools. While this may or may not be all well and good, research has shown that academic success or failure begins before students even enter the third grade. In addition, as much as half of the black-white achievement gap already exists before children become first graders. It follows that to narrow the pervasive achievement gaps, NCLB must support state and local efforts to improve education in the preschool and early elementary years. To ensure that NCLB is capable of increasing the rigor of early childhood education programs, Sara Mead, a senior research fellow at the Education Policy Program of the New America Foundation, has outlined several ideas to consider for re-authorization. These ideas include providing high-quality pre-kindergarten to children who live near low-performing schools, require pre-kindergarten programs operated in public schools or with Title I funds to employ "highly qualified early educators," creating a "Pathways to Pre-kindergarten Teaching" alternative certification program and many others. By incorporating these policies, Congress has the opportunity to make NCLB a catalyst for state, district and school level initiatives that build high-quality systems of pre-kindergarten through third grade. This should give children the best chance to succeed when NCLB accountability kicks in. |
| |
Read Article |
|
YOU PLAYED A LOT AS A KID? THAT’S PROBABLY WHY YOU ARE SO SUCCESSFUL |
| |
The education of young children has gained attention in recent years as new research on brain development suggests brain structure is powerfully shaped by early experiences. According to a policy brief from the Action Alliance for Children, there has been a consensus among early childhood professionals that play should be a vital part of any high-quality early education program, because play benefits cognitive, social, emotional, physical and moral development. While many associate play with a break from curriculum, the fact is that play-centered preschool curriculum is not a laissez-faire approach but actually a main conduit to reinforcing instruction. High-quality preschool programs do not only benefit children and families, as they potentially save taxpayers between $2.69 and $7.14 for every dollar invested by reducing special education, law enforcement and other costs. It is clear that when children play they have the opportunity to apply mental representation of the world to new situations, integrate all types of learning, and can become engaged in things that interested them, which fosters a natural motivation to learn. So go outside and play already. |
| |
Read Article |
|
IN SOME SCHOOLS, iPODS ARE REQUIRED LISTENING |
| |
Schools in New Jersey are buying into a new program that gives bilingual students with limited English ability iPods, reports Winnie Hu in the New York Times. The hope is that by singing along to popular English songs, students will sharpen their vocabulary and grammar skills. The program has already had an effect on Stephanie Rojas, who moved to New Jersey from Puerto Rico last year, as she now prefers to sing in English. Incorporating the devices into instruction began when Grace Poli, a media specialist, approached the district three years ago about buying 23 iPods for an after-school bilingual program. She then compiled an eclectic mix of music, typed out the lyrics and deleted the nouns -- and in turn the verbs and adjectives -- to force the students to fill in the missing words and thereby learn their meanings. Poli said her Spanish-speaking students were able to move out of bilingual classes after just a year of using the digital devices, compared to an average of four to six years for most bilingual students. After viewing the successes, the district plans to try iPods with students who have learning disabilities and behavioral problems. In addition, one of New Jersey’s poorest urban districts, Union City District, will give out 300 iPods as part of a $130,000 experiment. |
| |
Read Article |
|
BROOKLINE HIGH RACING TO CLOSE TESTING GAPS |
| |
With every positive educational announcement comes the inevitable negative: there is a persistent gap between white and minority student achievement, reports Dan Devine in the Boston Bay State Banner. Brookline (Mass.) High School Headmaster Dr. Robert Weintraub is sick of the "achievement gap," and he and his staff have created the African American Scholars program to help close it. In the program, 60 of the school’s highest-achieving black students meet frequently in peer groups and with the program’s director. This increased focus on the best and brightest is critical, serving to transform a school’s culture to one where kids are respected, not denigrated, for their intellect. The results are promising, as 74 percent of African American students scored advanced or proficient on the 2007 English exam and 67 percent scored in those categories in math, compared to 32 percent of black students who scored advanced or proficient in English and 36 percent in math just three years ago. Dr. Weintraub sees this program shifting a paradigm, to one where now "we're going to talk about African American scholars as exemplary citizens and leaders of our country." |
| |
Read Article |
|
PACKED CLASSES HINT AT POSSIBLE PEACE IN BATTERED IRAQ |
| |
Children, who had been too scared to attend classes, are now returning to al-Gazaly school in southern Baghdad, Iraq, reports David Smith in the Observer (United Kingdom). The school, located in a once murderous area where people moved away in droves because of violence, has seen incredible turmoil, including a physical education teacher shot dead while getting a haircut because he was a Christian in a predominantly Sunni area. Yet one by one, children and families are returning and have brought the school back from the brink of closure. Khaled Nuge, the determined head of the al-Gazaly school and the adjacent Shams al-Mahaba school, just three months ago faced a combined enrollment of 250, but now has seen attendance rise to 900 pupils. According to Nuge, "terrorists want to push education aside and go backwards, but now it is much better and the number of pupils is increasing." |
| |
Read Article |
|
HOW TO BEST IMPACT POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT |
| |
Recognizing that societal responses to youth problems have lacked comprehensive planning and have been disjointed and fragmented, policymakers across the country are looking to new research on how best to address the challenges associated with youth development. These new approaches are supported by an evolving body of research that indicate a positive correlation between youths who feel safe, valued and connected to caring adults and their feelings about life, emotional health and enjoyment in school. These children are also less likely to take part in risk behaviors, according to a research brief from the West Virginia-based Education Alliance. Consequently, adopting positive youth development models has a beneficial impact on youths, as they will perform better in school and demonstrate academic gains and improved personal and social development. |
| |
Read Article |
|
TUXEDO TUESDAYS RAISE THE BAR FOR SCHOOL FASHION |
| |
Andy Dey, assistant principal at Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore., started wearing a tuxedo to work after he grew concerned about the way some people dressed for school. Who would have thought he'd start a school fashion revolution? Now, more than 100 members of the school’s staff wear tuxedo T-shirts for "Tuxedo Tuesday." It’s worth clicking on the link to check out the photograph in the Register-Guard, printed in Eugene, Ore. |
| |
Read Article |
|
*******SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH A GIFT TO THE NEWSBLAST******* |
| |
Each week, the staff of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast works lovingly and diligently to bring you the latest information from around the nation and world as it affects public education. We decided many years ago to provide the NewsBlast to anyone, free-of-charge. However, each year we ask for your support. Thankfully, many of you respond with a donation. Your donations help keep NewsBlast, (which was named as one of the 10 most important sources of K-12 education news and commentary by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center) relevant, eminently readable, informative and hopefully enjoyable. Please show your appreciation for the NewsBlast and help us keep it available to all with a donation of $25 or more. Contributors who give $100 or more before December 14 will receive special mention in the December 21 issue, which will be our last issue before our traditional year-end publication break. On behalf of Public Education Network, we thank you for your readership and your kind support of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. Click below to make your gift today! |
| |
Read Article |
| |
|
NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
"2007 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education"
The 2007 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education raise awareness of the growing importance of international knowledge and skills for United States students. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: Any public or private elementary, middle or high school with a clear focus on raising American awareness of the world and bridging the international knowledge gap. Deadline: December 3, 2007.
"National Teachers Hall of Fame"
The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors exceptional career teachers, encourages excellence in teaching, and preserves the rich heritage of the teaching profession in the United States. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility: nominees must have a minimum of 20 years of full-time pre-K through grade 12 teaching experience, and hold a valid teaching certificate or license from the state in which he or she is teaching or has taught. Deadline: January 2, 2008.
"Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence"
The Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence recognizes extraordinary contributions by educators across the United States who are elevating the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation of students. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: full-time classroom teachers grades K-12 in public or private school whose major responsibilities include teaching science and who work in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island or Washington state. Deadline: January 31, 2008.
"National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Awards"
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Earth Science Teacher awards are given for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth Sciences at the secondary level. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: Middle and high-school teachers of earth science. Deadline: February 1, 2008.
"ING Unsung Heroes Awards Program"
The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive thinking in education through monetary awards. Maximum Award: $25,000 to Grand Prize Winner. Eligibility: full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals or classified staff members with effective projects that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private school. Deadline: April 30, 2008.
"To me, the sole hope of human salvation lies in teaching."
- George Bernard Shaw (playwright, author, critic)
http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/text-quotations.html
"Most people believe that it is education that will save us. But this bland, sweeping, and unexamined assertion reduces us into continuing to uncritically support and tinker with the current story of schooling. It is education that will save us, but not any kind of education -- only education of a certain kind: only education that is generative and life-affirming, that invites, engages, and integrates the fullness of our children’s capacities and ways of knowing, and that nurtures the creation of integral minds committed to the creation of a truly just and wise global civilization. Only education that develops our capacity to become more fully human is truly worthy of the human spirit. Only education that invites deep learning and reconnects us to life will light and sustain the fire within."
- Stephanie Pace Marshall (international education transformer)
http://www.stephaniepacemarshall.com/aboutbook.html
|
|