The Big Ideas in education: What’s on your list?
Scholastic sent out this list of the decade’s 10 big ideas in education. I thought it was a pretty good list.
(Since this is a list from a children’s publishing, education and media company, the big ideas have a lot to do with reading. )
Take a look and see what you think is missing. An emerging idea that is not on the list is overlapping high school and college by offering more joint enrollment programs and creating new opportunities for kids to get college credits.
1. Alternate Paths to Teaching—from Teach for America to Troops to Teachers to urban Teaching Fellows programs, schools of education are no longer the only place that teachers begin their careers.
2. Transformative Technology— From whiteboards to online education, 1-to-1 computing to eReaders, for the first time in the history of American education, classrooms are increasingly plugged in – and so are the students.
3. Accountability— No matter where you stood in the debate on No Child Left Behind, it’s impossible to deny that this decade marked a new era with a shift toward reporting the results for every child in every school.
4. Data-Driven Instruction—Once we have data on every student, it’s easier to reach them quickly and to teach them better. Data is the new currency of 21st century schools.
5. Charter Schools—While the jury remains out on their effectiveness, there is no doubt that charter schools are incubators of innovation in education and harbingers of parent involvement in schools.
6. The Rise of Digital Content—By 2020, 95 percent of all knowledge will be a search term away—marking a game-changing move from static pages to dynamic, digitized content.
7. A Focus on Adolescent Literacy— With 65 percent of American eighth graders reading below grade level, teaching reading is no longer a job just for elementary school teachers. Our middle and high schools are taking dramatic steps to tackle the job of teaching reading to older, struggling students—ensuring that every child learns to read in an era of global competitiveness.
8. Books Are the New Black — In the decade that gave us “Harry Potter,” “Twilight” and “The DaVinci Code,” the hottest accessory is definitely the book. And it’s impossible to deny the power that a single book can have on children’s feelings about reading. ”
9. It Takes A Village—More than ever, education is reaching beyond the walls of our schools to build strong communities that support learning both in and out-of-school. From the universal pre-K movement and burgeoning after-school programs, to summer reading initiatives and in-school community centers, we’re learning that it takes a combination of home, school and community to prepare kids for their futures.
10. The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act —Although it is the hallmark of only the last year of the decade, with its more than $100 billion dollar investment in America’s schools, ARRA represents an historic moment in American Education. While we cannot predict its impact, we can say with certainty that ARRA will leave an indelible mark on this decade of ideas in education.
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80 comments Add your comment
Ben
December 17th, 2009
6:58 am
What’s missing? Improvement in education is what’s missing. With every passing year results get worse and the US, and Georgia, slip further behind even some third world countries in educational quality despite spending more per child than 95% of the rest of the world. Good intentions don’t equal results. If you want to fix education start by taking it away from politicians and giving the responsibility back to counties, cities and parents where it belongs. The US department of education has never done one thing that has resulted in improved quality of education.
Old School
December 17th, 2009
7:02 am
Parenting classes and make them mandatory for teen parents. We’ve got a generation (or 2) of kids with kids and no clue as to how to effectively and responsibly parent them.
Bring back Industrial Arts. It was a great way to introduce students to the more specialized heavy shop classes like Construction, Metals, Automotives, Engineering Drawing, Graphic Arts, etc. We no longer have any way to teach the craftsmanship or even home maintainence that made IA such a wonderful course.
And while we at it, let’s bring the existing CTAE programs into the 21st century by funding renovations and updating equipment in the remaining existing labs. Creating charter vocational schools that offer career related academics (business communications with grammar instead of literature in a lab that can handle students from grades 10 through 12 at the same time for instance) along with intensive industry-guided shop classes. We might just keep kids in school and boost the local economies by producing truly job-ready workers.
Involve students in the school improvement process. Has anyone ASKED students how they might fix the problems? Has anyone LISTENED to their answers? We need to listen to students from AP classes and special needs; from student leaders to random discipline problem students; from musicians to athletes; from all walks of life. They know what they are doing that is either part of the problem or part of a possible solution. ASK them and LISTEN to them and try something different. They’ll buy into a solution if they have been a part of developing it.
AP Lit/Comp
December 17th, 2009
7:54 am
To Old School – I couldn’t agree with you more. Amen.
V for Vendetta
December 17th, 2009
8:05 am
Old School,
I completely agree with you in regards to the technical level classes. Nothing on the list mentioned the current (and completely insane) trend of preparing ALL students for college–regardless of ability. In my opinion, that’s one of the most damaging trends in education.
Has been CTAE teacher
December 17th, 2009
8:15 am
On target Old School and V! It is a shame how CTAE teachers are treated in our schools. CTAE courses are one of the few career choices that can’t be outsourced overseas, will prepare the student for a technical career that will benefit them regardless of the later choices they may make regarding post high school education and will bring in a paycheck when others can’t find a job.
high school teacher
December 17th, 2009
8:18 am
Number 3 is incorrect; it should read “Teacher Accountability.” Everyone else is currently excluded.
oldtimer
December 17th, 2009
8:27 am
I, too agree with Old School and V.
Toto: exposing the per*vert behind the curtain
December 17th, 2009
8:34 am
Enter your comments here
Dick
December 17th, 2009
8:47 am
Until you take Washington out of the school systems, you will always find failure. They fail to realize what works in New Yord will not work in Macon, Ga. We have too many want-a-be powers in the educational system today. They use teh system as a stepping stool. We must
(1) remove politics from class room; (2) turn class rooms back to the teaches, NOT administration. (3) Hold parents/guardians AND students accountable for their actions. Our local superintendent os allowing students to rretake test. If student and/or parent didn’t like grade on first test, they can retake and teacher must use the higher grade. Also if an assignment is given to students even though teacher gives them a deadline that doesn’t mean anything. If English Lit has a term paper due 12/18/09, students have until last day of school to turn in paper and teacher CANNOT deduct points. Really teaching responsibility, isn’t it. Teachers cannot give below a 60 on test or report cards. Super’s thinking here is a 60 if a F and a 15 is a F, why embarrass the student and hurt his self esteem by showing the 15, just show the 60. Sell foot ball tickets for studnets and parents/guardians at the weekly PTO Meetings. Parents can’t attened PTO but they sure can attend a parent teacher conference and deball the teacher. Teachers can only mold what they are given. If they have a smart butt student, there hands are tied. If they have a non supportative board and administration, the tachers are dead meat. I think supers need to be elected. Think about it super, only has to satisfy and keep 7 board members happy.
Teacher Supporter
December 17th, 2009
8:53 am
High School Teacher,
There are two groups of folks in education… teachers, those who support teachers. Those of us who support teachers are well aware that if we do not do our jobs, teachers can not do theirs. That makes all of us accountable.
James
December 17th, 2009
8:54 am
The kids that we prepare for college are often ill prepared. Something like 30% of students who maintained a “B” average in high school end up taking remedial classes in college.
Happy Teacher
December 17th, 2009
8:56 am
The posts here show why the charter movement is the most important aspect moving forward.
The ideas that old school have are great and could be addressed through rigorous investment in charters, and the complaints of HST and “d” (not putting the name back out there) are currently being addressed by the successful, well-run charters that are out there.
DeKalb Conservative
December 17th, 2009
9:15 am
Old School and I have agree on this in the past. Industrial Arts need to come back. I’ve got an MBA and the thought of changing a door knob, or replacing a “dog-chewed” step in the garage from the previous home owner scares the heck out of me. That’s just embarrassing and I’ll suffer and end up spending thousands over my lifetime for things I should be more capable of.
My father who is very skilled in a variety of trades also seems to agree and feels all students, male and female should be required to pass a basic home maintenance class as part of receiving a high school diploma.
dgroy
December 17th, 2009
9:16 am
Maureen, nothing in your article addresses the lack of parental guidance from a segment of our society that needs it most. You start education at home and the best schools in the world cannot make up for the lack of it. When one part of a class has the basics and the other part doesn’t, it slows down the learning process all over. We need to stop blaming learning problems on our schools and put the blame where it belongs…..parents who don’t care!!!!!
clueless
December 17th, 2009
9:19 am
Does Georgia fund remedial reading instruction at the middle and high school levels?
DeKalb Conservative
December 17th, 2009
9:30 am
“Accountability” and its focus on the late Senator Kennedy’s / G.W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind seems to receive as much criticism or praise depending upon who you ask and what the premise of the political environment is.
That said, “accountability” needs to shift focus from a focus on schools, teachers and testing and be brought directly into the intangible via the hearts and minds of the students. By students I mean “students” not parents, not parents and students, but just plain students”
Just like any company trying to implement new values and visions into their employees, it is essential to instill the value of personal accountability into students and from and early age.
Aside from environmental beliefs, students need to understand the difference between owning a car and owning a bike in their 20’s is as simple as having core adolescent literacy skills.
– Schools have drunk driving victims from M.A.D.D. speak all the time, maybe its time to get an illiterate person that regrets his decisions of his youth to speak to kids
Big hot air
December 17th, 2009
9:38 am
No mention of discipline? My mistake; I thought we were ready for an honest discussion of educational issues.
Toto: exposing the usurpers behind the curtain
December 17th, 2009
9:43 am
Here are my BIG IDEAS for school improvement:
1.Defund and delete the U.S. dept. of Education. Public Education is not an enumerated power of the Federal government according to the Constitution. Return the billions in tax money to the people.
2. Repeal the state compulsory schooling law. Sell off the existing infrastructure to pay off debt. With the huge tax drain eliminated, families could afford to privately fund their child’s education and could choose schools that serve their children rather than the State. Quality teachers would be in demand and would be paid accordingly. Pedophiles,perverts, and slackers could go dig ditches. Those who want freedom from religion can form their own schools and hire teachers accordingly. Those who want a religious school could do the same. Home schooling would continue as usual.
3. Shut down Unconstitutional government testing. It is a $billions a year industry with no oversight or regulation. Private schools would be responsible for their own testing. It is the burden of the colleges or employer to determine the educational fitness of the individual.
4. Shut down the State department of Education. Again, the billions saved would be returned to the tax payer. Any employee with skills that actually contribute to the education of the individual could find employment in the private education sector. All others could increase our own cheap labor pool so we wouldn’t have to go to China. It would once again become economically feasible to produce our own goods locally. Debt would decrease and our nation would have REAL VALUE, not Federal Reserve fiat dollars.
5. Restore our Constitutional form of government. We are not a democracy. Our Founding Fathers rejected this form of government with good reason.; it leads to tyranny. According to the Declaration of Independence, the people derive their rights and powers FROM THE CREATOR, not the Federal Reserve or the government. The Constitution is a contract between the governed to reflect and preserve the Creator given inalienable rights of the individual: life, liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness. Notice it didn’t say “guarantee”. As the people have become lazy and selfish and have refused to govern themselves, our glorious Constitution has been ignored TO OUR DETRIMENT! Why do you think we are now suffering from tyranny and economic depression? The people must always keep their elected officials in check. If you vote for a spendthrift who thinks his power is derived from the government and ignores the enumerated powers of the Constitution, then you DESERVE to lose your home to the creditor. Citizens, where in the Constitution does it say that the Federal Reserve, a private bank, has the power to print Fiat money? Only the Treasury has the power to COIN money. Now, Every Federal Reserve Note spent by our government is DEBT to be repaid WITH INTEREST to the Federal Reserve, A PRIVATE BANK! You have sold your great great grandchildren into debt SLAVERY for all of those “free” government lunches! Wake up and use your Constitutional Grand Jury power to throw out Unconstitutional law! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB5adDmAKYo&feature=related
jim d
December 17th, 2009
9:54 am
No need for a top ten list when 1 will fix most ailments with our educational system.
FREE MARKET!!
Happy Teacher
December 17th, 2009
10:12 am
Though improved family situations are a great goal, and would make things wonderful, let’s please not forget that when you focus only on blaming parents, you actually punish the children who were not born to their parents by their choice, it just happened. We have to do as much as we can for them, or else the situation will just keep perpetuating itself.
So yes, bad parenting causes a lot of problems in our schools, but sticking our head in the sand clearly won’t work. It just makes things worse…
Old School
December 17th, 2009
10:18 am
“4. Data-Driven Instruction—Once we have data on every student, it’s easier to reach them quickly and to teach them better. Data is the new currency of 21st century schools.”
How valid can data be when it is derived from test scores skewed by students who will never be able to learn, students who don’t give a fig and “Christmas Tree” their answer sheets, students burdened with baggage from lousy parents/homes/neighborhoods/choices of friends, students “taught” by ineffective teachers, students who attend school when the lunch offered is a favorite, students who can’t read the questions anyway. . . you get the picture.
Data can be valuable if it is valid data but to call it the “new currency of 21st century schools” is a bit much. I’m thinking much of the data is more like the new Confederate Money and is mostly an excuse to make sweeping changes that benefit the new kid with the great lesson plan that worked for him.
Find a way to collect consistently valid data and I’ll start doing the Max Thompson or whoever cure du jour. Until then, I’ll focus on job prepping individual students to the best of my ability and under the guidance of my Advisory Committee members who know what the workforce needs because they ARE the workforce. And I’ll keep in close contact with our area community & technical colleges to lay a solid foundation of knowlege and skills for my students who will be heading in that direction.
gamom
December 17th, 2009
10:46 am
Vouchers for Everyone .. enuff said!
jim d
December 17th, 2009
10:47 am
while we’re at it lets inplant chips so we can follow the data when a child relocates, wouldn’t want one falling thru the cracks
James
December 17th, 2009
11:01 am
Government teaching parents how to properly be parents? That sounds good in theory but given the governments track record I’m not so sure. Plus that just doesn’t sound like something the government should be doing. How about Civics, History, basic finances & economics, and home repair?
Just a teacher
December 17th, 2009
11:17 am
First and foremost, Fine and Performing Arts Education. The arts are fundamental to every civilized society, but funding for them in public education remains slim. This is primarily due to the data driven educational policies which Maureen mentioned. Since it is difficult to evaluate arts education using standardized testing, the arts tend to get swept under the table in a discussion of “serious” educational issues. Under NCLB, the fine and performing arts were classified as core curriculum classes because their value in a civilized society was recognized by the federal government, but their is little funding for these programs in many public school systems. I wish people would remember that getting back to the basics means learning to draw, sculpt, sing, play musical instruments and act. These skills preclude mathematics and written language in every developing society, but they are usually either ignored or considered frivilous by many people who have not taken the time or interest to develop an appreciation for them. All children need exposure to the arts in order to understand themselves, develop an empathetic understanding of those around them, and to become a fully functional member of the human race.
Ole Guy
December 17th, 2009
12:29 pm
Jim, your suggestion of the free market concept in adressing educational malaise is sound in theory, however, one factor renders the theory next to moot…irrational choices. If a child (and many adults) is offered a choice of well-balanced meals at lunchtime, or a box of candy, fee market forces, and the foibles of human nature, would, in all likelihood, result in empty candy boxes and good chow in the trash at the end of lunch period.
I realize many neither understand nor accept anything which smacks of military, however, I feel that the one factor, common to any military training evolution, which would translate nicely into the educational scheme is STANDARDIZATION. This, of course, would fly in the face of the failed initiative known as “No Child…”. However, that is precisely the point. This initiative, charitable in concept, probably holds more kids back than benefits. One would imagine high dropout rates are caused, primarily, by student boredom, an absence of classroom challenge. This void in challenge probably serves to render any teacher attempts in livened presentations moot at best.
Remember those days in chemistry and physics? For me, every day I felt that the train was getting further ahead, however, while I trailed in subject cognition, I could still, rhetorically speaking, “see the train”…at some point in time, catch-up will occur. The challenge, for the teacher, then, becomes one of modulating the speed of presentation so as to keep all students engaged. A class of so-called “slow learners” (and that is not meant to be a derogatory term, but rather an acknowledgement of reality) would receive the “No Child…” approach to class presentation of material. At each 6-week grading period, student performance would be evaluated, and equally-performing students would be re-grouped.
The only drawback, of course, would be the “perceived stigma”, perpetuated by irrational parents who would balk at the very notion that their kid just don’t get it. In the absence of this stigma, that is, if parents just supported the school system’s decisions, the kids would probably feel ok about the whole thing. The end result: KEEPING KIDS ENGAGED, AND MOTIVATED (and out of trouble), no matter the level of subject cognition.
learning style myths
December 17th, 2009
12:39 pm
It’s about time educators abandon the myths of “learning styles” and focus on teaching well.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/index.cfm?journal=pspi&content=pspi/9_3
Cobb County Parent
December 17th, 2009
2:16 pm
I know I’ll get some flack for saying this, but… how about bringing back ABILITY grouping? This differentiation methodology currently being “attempted” does not work. It puts too much emphasis on the teacher to come up with multiple lesson plans in the hope of meeting the needs of the many disparate cohorts within the classroom. Every child deserves to have their needs met… and that includes the gifted. Too often, I see them used as parapros. Move them out and meet their needs elsewhere. Tackle the remaining learning cohorts within clustered classrooms and then watch as each group progresses. This is how it was done when I was in school and it worked. What I see now is teachers fighting any type of cluster grouping due to a lack of confidence that the other teacher will be able to develop a child that THEY are tagged with regarding CRCT scores. Here’s an idea… why not make the 6 or 7 third grade teachers responsible for the ENTIRE third grade class and allow cluster groupings dependent upon teacher competency with subject or ability to reach certain populations of students.
James
December 17th, 2009
2:25 pm
The reason for data-driven education policies is very simple and obvious : You can not manage for improvement if you don’t measure to see what is getting better. If you can’t measure it then you can’t control it or manage it. You can’t determine if things are getting better or worse if you have no standardized way to measure. If the problem is that “the test can be gamed” then make a better test.
Funding for fine arts may be “slim” but I’d wager a bet that it’s increased steadily over the years with the exception of the recent downturn that all departments have faced. Fine arts tend to get swept under the table in a discussion of “serious” educational issues for an obvious reason; they are *not* on par with importance of math, language, civics / government, history, and economics. They are indeed important and every student should have at least some understanding of art, art history, and some level of appreciation of art.
James
December 17th, 2009
2:29 pm
That’s fascinating learning style. Thanks!
DeKalb Conservative
December 17th, 2009
2:43 pm
@ Just a teacher
Let’s focus on fine arts and performing arts education when our kids can beat Slovakia and Austria in math.
Personally I don’t care about any emotional growth, or character growth it produces unless the U.S. can be competent with other G20 countries in math.
Why is it that the U.S. has all the advantages for children, yet excepts the fact we are not a top power in education until the college / university level and does invoke any feeling of shame?
high school teacher
December 17th, 2009
2:50 pm
learning style,
The article you referenced doesn’t disprove the learning styles theory; rather, it points out the flaws of the research methods that they used. There is a difference.
For what it’s worth, I agree with you to an extent. I am a visual learner; if I don’t see it, I don’t get it. When I was in school, most teachers were visual teachers. However, there were a few who never wrote anything down or showed all the steps to the math problem. I adapted. Many kids today do not know how to adapt, and I don’t know how to teach that.
Just a teacher
December 17th, 2009
3:21 pm
@ Dekalb conservative
I would be willing to wager that students with a background in the arts do better than students without that exposure in almost every area of achievement. I can’t explain why, but the students I teach in my fine arts classes fail far fewer classes and get better standardized test scores than those who students who don’t participate in the arts. Perhaps it’s because they learn early on that in order to perform, you must be prepared. And finally, I take exception to the idea that everyone must be some sort of Math genius. I hold an advanced degree and have taught at the university level and never took a math class above plane geometry (which I passed with a C-).
math teacher
December 17th, 2009
3:26 pm
I’m a mat teacher, and I have no idea what type of teacher I am. I use diagrams, pictures, etc. when they are appropriate for teaching the topic I am dealing with at that moment. I don’t use diagrams, pictures, etc., if they are irrelevant to the concept at hand. I think learning styles are just irrelevant and useless ideas. Too many of my colleagues, and too many of curriculum specialists, etc., are infected with this disease to worship “learning styles” and “multiple intelligence.” We should just get rid of them.
The Big Ideas in education: What's on your list? | Get Schooled American Me
December 17th, 2009
5:26 pm
[...] the rest here: The Big Ideas in education: What's on your list? | Get Schooled By admin | category: american, american education | tags: first-time, history, [...]
live.love.eat.
December 17th, 2009
6:31 pm
@Just a Teacher and Dekalb Conservative
I do think that Fine Arts and Music is important granted so is math. I think we need a healthy dose of both. There are studies that show how music enhances the brain. One of the characteristics of a civilization is the Arts. Therefore, we just need to learn to balance (as always, easier said then done, but lets just try to be optimistic). I’m sorry that this comment doesn’t necessairly pertain to the article above.
catlady
December 17th, 2009
7:07 pm
1) Strict behavioral standards and funding of alternative education for troublemakers all the way down to the primary grades, 2) academic accountability for students and teachers at the same level of expectation, 3) accountability for parents, 4) discontinuing the cure du jour approach (taking away the incentives for Central Office staff to profit from their adoption) 5) immediate discontinuation of RTI, 6) evaluation by well conceived, independent research of all federal and local programs (ie, no more REading First debacles), 7) teaching to mastery instead of “exposing” students, and refusing to continue to promote children who have not mastered skills,
abandoning all academic coaches, including grade-level, reading, math, and graduation, 9) discontinuing inferior education programs at all levels, especially buy-a-diploma masters and doctoral programs, 10) reinstating and supporting vocational programs, 11) discontinuing excessive testing and the state-made tests, 12) requiring the state to fulfill its lawfully executed contracts with personnel, 13) requiring all candidates for leadership programs to have at least 15 years of direct classroom experience before being admitted to the programs, 14) immediate discontinuation of Class Keys, 15) requiring a balanced program for all students (in part, by discontinuing social promotions that require extensive remediation of students years behind in mastery), 16) fully funding an adequate opportunity for education for all students, including regular ed FAPE, 17) removing sped students with significant impairments from regular ed classes, 18) encouraging local BOEs to develop schools that provide choice and parent buy-in.
Well, these are the top 18 that occur to me here in my part of Georgia, off the top of my head.
Whistling in the wind.
Leigh
December 17th, 2009
10:14 pm
All these ideas, and our kids still cannot read, write, or add. Low expectations, mediocrity, and feel-good curriculum are all to blame.
ScienceTeacher671
December 17th, 2009
10:23 pm
CATLADY FOR STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT!!!!
Ole Guy
December 17th, 2009
10:53 pm
Leigh, I completely agree with your assessment. What with all the public monies and the legions of “experts” working on the education platform, one must wonder just exactly what goes on behind the closed doors of educational leadership. HOWEVER, while you have done an excellent job of illuminating the problem, I am hard-pressed to see any ideas…got any?
B. Killebrew
December 17th, 2009
10:53 pm
Catlady, overall good post.
I strongly agree with #’s 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13
I agree with #’s 4, 6, 15, 16, and 17
I somewhat agree with #’s 2, 7, 8, and 18
I don’t know much about #’s 5 and 14
Shannon, M.Div.
December 17th, 2009
11:09 pm
Anyone notice that US being at the bottom of developed countries for education is read by some as a mandate for demolishing government education (a truly bad idea if ever there was one), but the US being at the bottom of developed countries for standard healthcare measures is no mandate for changing anything? Hmmm…
N. Ga Teacher
December 17th, 2009
11:59 pm
Wow! Catlady is terrific! To her list I would add changing the K-12 curriculum to include an hour of exercise (gym class) daily, mandatory parental volunteering at school for 2 days a year, a return of study hall (because many kids do have terrible home situations that simply bar academic accomplishments), and diverse curriculum choices for kids to obtain a diploma in which they can pursue their interests and not be round pegs crammed into square holes. I would much rather have a fulfilled, 18 year old senior who took 4 years of automotive repair than a 18 year old disgruntled freshman class disruptor attempting Math I for the fourth time and and English 2 the third.
jim d
December 18th, 2009
7:17 am
WTG Cat, WELL SAID!!
it could however have been abridged by simply saying “SCRAP the existing system and start over”
Old School
December 18th, 2009
7:34 am
jimdear, the trouble with scrapping the existing system and starting over is the same boneheads would be in charge and we’d be no better off than we are now. Until they LISTEN to real people (real students, parents, teachers, business & industry folk) and stop with the blanket fix-all approach, we’ll still be in a mess. It’s a real world out there and even the department of labor says 80% of the jobs still require some technical training while 20% require college. So until we understand that and start customizing education to meet the true needs of both the students and their futures, it will be “same song, second verse, could get better but it’s gonna get worse.”
Students KNOW exactly what they are doing to deep six test scores, to interrupt learning, and generally run their schools aground. Talk to them. Listen to them. Make them a part of the solution. Afterall, they are a big part of the problem. Same thing with teachers. Ditto for parents. Just don’t hand-pick the ones you talk to because problems exist at every level.
William Casey
December 18th, 2009
10:27 am
Catlady… I am astounded by your list. Adoption of your suggestions would result in SIGNIFICANT improvements within five years.
I spent 31 years as a teacher, administrator and athletic coach in both public and private schools (now retired to blogging). Your comment on administrators needing classroom experience really hit home. I became an administrator in Fulton county’s Chattahoochee high school after 15 years of academic teaching, more than the other four administrators combined. I was absolutely stunned by our leadership’s lack of understanding. I’ll leave it at that.
I would add only a few items:
1. ABOLISH THE “EVERY KID NEEDS A TEXTBOOK” IDEA- This is simply a “we have always done it this way” practice and foolish in this digital age. Buy a few books for students who actually need them and use the millions of dollars saved to solve problems such as the need for teacher “furloughs.” Boards of Education are either simply or living in 1910.
2. BEGIN EDUCATING PARENTS ABOUT THE REALITIES OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION WHILE THEIR CILDREN ARE YOUNG- Students must be both willing and able to attain this. Parents need to get real about this early on. Even WITH the HOPE scholarship, sending a student to a Georgia college costs about $8,000 per year. We began saving $100 per month when our son was born and have this covered. If you can’t do this, forget it. A college education requires academic ability. If your child can’t handle academics in the 7th grade, he/she won’t be able to do it as a college freshman. Save your money.
3. RESTORE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING- Ties in with #2. Well covered by another blogger. As my dad used to say: “get a job they actually pay you for!”
William Casey
December 18th, 2009
10:29 am
You got it right too, OLD SCHOOL.
Parent
December 18th, 2009
10:55 am
William Casey,
Placing students on the “college track” before high school is a mistake. This leads to a number of problems: skipping basic skills for advanced classes, not giving late bloomers a chance, putting kids (who are smart) on the college track who may not want to be there.
Old School
December 18th, 2009
11:04 am
Well, my list has just been changed for me. Got word that to “fix” all our problems, we are going to a 7 period day. Extended day instructors will “be allowed” to continue teaching on extended day but will have our extended day pay reduced.
My list may very well be:
1. Retire
2. Take that 1/2 day position in a neighboring school system because I cannot afford NOT to work.
B. Killebrew
December 18th, 2009
11:26 am
Parent,
You are so right (about tracking).
dbow
December 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
Bring back principals that cared to discipline instead of running away from parents for fear of lawsuits. At my school it’s no grades lower than a 60 and retest until they pass. Threaten a teacher, no problem, it was probably the teachers fault anyway. Student didn’t do the homework, no problem, we’re not allowed to count it against him anyway. Beat up another kid and you’re SPED, no problem, it’s a manifestion of your disability even if it’s not. No problems here, everything’s fine and dandy.
high school teacher
December 18th, 2009
1:18 pm
Old School, the 7 period day stinks. Teaching 6 classes is just about enough to kill a person.
dbow
December 18th, 2009
1:19 pm
I teach 8 periods a day. I’m ready to kill myself.
dbow
December 18th, 2009
1:20 pm
8 periods per day. Reduced class time and now I have 30 plus kids in a class. Principal wonders why scores went down. HAHAHAHA
Happy Teacher
December 18th, 2009
2:33 pm
Cat Lady- Lots of good things on the list, but #13? C’mon. Experience isn’t everything in life.
Gwinnett Parent
December 18th, 2009
2:47 pm
Cobb Parent-Amen!!! Just discovered yesterday that they mainstream the learning disabled in with the rest of the class. Also, my child’s class has quite a few kids just learning English. Let’s bring back the LD(learning disabled) class. It is not fair that the average and above average, but not gifted have to waste their leaning time waiting on someone that is 2-3 standard deviations below the norm. In my days we had a class for the severely mentally retarded, learning disabled(dyslexia & ADHD), and regular class. We still need gifted classes. Perhaps we could pay the LD teacher an added bonus.
Gwinnett Parent
December 18th, 2009
2:57 pm
Would also like to see foreign language offered at the lower grades. If our future leaders have to compete in a global society, they must be able to communicate.
high school teacher
December 18th, 2009
3:06 pm
dbow, wow! 8 classes would kill me!
Echo
December 18th, 2009
4:24 pm
SPED kids are mainstreamed because of NCLB mandates that every teacher be “highly qualified”. That means a teacher certified to teach special ed. can’t teach self contained classes unless he/she is also certified in the content area too. So the solution was to stick kids with learning and/or behavior problems in regular education classes with teachers certified in the content area (but not in special education). And people wonder why teachers think politicians suck!
ScienceTeacher671
December 18th, 2009
6:15 pm
Gwinnett Parent, it’s also not fair to the kid who wants to learn but needs extra support and assistance to stick him or her in a classroom with 30 other kids and think the assistance will be available. It’s not fair to a kid with ADHD or behavior disorders, who would be fine in a small classroom with fewer distractions, to be stuck in a large class with 30 other kids. There’s a huge shortage of “qualified” special education teachers since the NCLB mandates Echo mentioned.
catlady
December 18th, 2009
6:47 pm
Experience isn’t everything in LIFE, but to lead teachers and students you need real world experience. Significant experience. On the level that you are planning to lead. I stand by the minimum of 15 years of active classroom experience. Until you do, you should not be admissible to a master’s leadership program. There are too many APs and principals with 5 years or less teaching experience who do not have any idea what they are doing. On top of that, many have gotten their degrees from diploma mills.
RTI is the newest attempt to deny services to children who need them, and show continued disrespect to the teachers. It requires endless individual and small group efforts to teach (drill) simple information to a child, who is then evaluated after weeks of this. If they have successfully learned, for example, the twos table for multiplication, then they are deemed successful, and no further testing is given. Regardless of the fact that the child is a 5th grader, and the child is two to three years behind in everything.
Class Keys is one of the newer outrages perpetrated on Georgia teachers. It adds hours of paperwork to “prove” that the teacher is doing what they are required to do and show evidence of every single thing, including daily evaluation of instruction. My point: ask me why I am doing something with a student. I can tell you. Treat teachers as professionals, absent evidence that they are not.
Another thing I would add to the 18: Trash the scripted texts. They are appropriate to a very small percentage of students and teachers, not every student in every grade.
Number 20: quit buying everything with the words “research based” on it. Some of it is just dog doo with the words stamped on it. And “research based” doesn’t mean GOOD, VALID research. Quite a bit of it is self-serving nonsense conducted to sell the product!
Number 21: Require every central office administrator to go back into the classroom for 3 years after every 5 in the central office.
ScienceTeacher671
December 18th, 2009
10:29 pm
@Catlady, if I may add…the problem with much of the “research-based” stuff that is being foisted on teachers and students is that even if the research is valid, it’s usually misapplied. For instance, a cure de jour that has been shown to work with one type of student is given as an inservice to teachers of a totally different type of student, or another method that research shows may work if teachers are given sufficient time and resources to implement it is presented as a half-day workshop with no followup and no extra time or resources provided.
In another example, research shows that RTI is effective – IF, and ONLY if, it’s used properly with children in early primary grades. Attempting to use RTI in other grades is a gross misapplication of all the research I have read, and as you have said, wastes the time of teachers and keeps children from getting the assistance they need.
catlady
December 19th, 2009
8:01 am
Science teacher: I am with you on this. When a child is unsuccessful in mastering first grade skills, the time is ripe to intervene and evaluate. After a child is in 4th or 5th grade and is still on first or second grade, only an idiot would think to put more barriers in the way of the child getting help. That a child might have an ineffective or inexperienced teacher one year is believeable; that they might have the same for 5 years in a row is an insult. Our county jumped into RTI prematurely, never established proper or appropriate procedures, and thus we have children who have been in school 7 years (prek-5) who have amassed only 3 years of accomplishments. They have no chance of being caught up and their 2-3 year or more deficit is evidence that something is lacking. Our county also has implemented it in the most restrictive way possible. We have kids on whom we’ve been doing 3 week plans for 3 years! I should be able to refer a child for help without the psychologist, who has never been in a classroom, expecting me to continue to prove the deficit.
Secondly, the research based lie: We built (and continue!) Reading First based on research lies! When I asked for the research showing the basic assumptions RF is built on are appropriate for the subgroup (ELLs) with whom I work, I was told RESEARCH WAS NOT DONE WITH THAT SUBGROUP! My county will buy anything with the words research based on it, and much of what they buy (via grants that require the county officials to take many junkets to conferences, I might add, and add many “coaches”) is a huge waste of money.
d
December 19th, 2009
11:00 am
Thank you for pointing that out ScienceTeacher. I teach seniors and the process as was described to us for RTI is a joke. By the time we can do anything for someone who somehow made it this far but needs help, they’re weeks away from graduating. I almost have to ask why bother? Something is going on in the lower grades though when the most common reason I’m collecting cell phones is because “I was checking the time and can’t read the clock on your wall,” or “I can’t read when you write in cursive,” or “I don’t know how to make a line graph” are comments I hear in the classroom.
That being said, I had a student come in who graduated 2 years ago to thank me because he aced his final in one of his classes based a lot upon the instruction I gave him when he was in my class. He told me many of his classmates this past semester struggled with the material, but he remembered what I taught him and succeeded. Makes me feel all warm and cozy inside — and better than any material gift I could have received from any student.
ScienceTeacher671
December 19th, 2009
5:53 pm
We have high school students who are working at a 3rd or 4th grade level, but we’re told they can’t be tested without first going through the RTI process, and even if there is a boatload of data showing that the student is several years behind and not successful at the high school level, they won’t test anyone because the school psychologist says that the teachers aren’t doing progress monitoring correctly and need more training.
ScienceTeacher671
December 19th, 2009
5:55 pm
I’m almost relieved to hear that people in other districts are having the same problem; we teachers thought it was simply incompetence at our central office.
Ole Guy
December 19th, 2009
11:35 pm
Science Teach, I guess the days of building fires under kids’ rear ends are no longer fashionable. Oh well…as long as they feel good about themselves…
d
December 20th, 2009
5:23 am
Rumor was these came from Bill Gates, I think Snopes said they didn’t. Nevertheless, these are the things that need to be taught in school. I personally keep a copy on my wall for the students to view:
RULE 1
Life is not fair – get used to it.
RULE 2
The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
Gwinnett Parent
December 20th, 2009
9:26 am
Mainstreaming issue- Last year there was a child in my daughter’s Kindergarten class that could not count to 5 by the end of the year. I tried to help him, but he would continuously forget what number he was on. Even the teacher more or less told me that it was useless. This child is in a normal class again this year. I volunteered the other day and tried to help him with a task. He has not progressed. Granted, he is pulled out for a special class each day. That still leaves the rest of the day. How can a teacher manage a class with students on this level mixed in with the average and above average students? Throw a few ESOL students into the mix and voila, you have a classroom where no one is learning. I don’t care whether or not the teacher has a wall full of advanced degrees or decades of experience, learning is almost impossible in this scenario. Highschool teachers-This is why the students are not ready. The average and above average are being robbed.
We want to prepare our children for the future. However, we are catering to the ones that will not get it and leaving the ones with true potential behind.
We need to bring back the full time LD class. These classes should be smaller and the teachers should receive a special bonus for teaching these special kids. This is how it was in the 70’s and 80’s. Why did we get away from this? I would like to see classes for the severely disabled, LD, average, and gifted.
ScienceTeacher671
December 20th, 2009
10:23 am
Gwinnett Parent, as far as I can tell, we got away from the specialized classes for a combination of reasons. Some people didn’t like their children “segregated” into little rooms; plus there is a shortage of special education teachers, and NCLB has exacerbated the shortage by saying that the special education teachers had to be qualified to deal with the particular disability and “highly qualified” in each particular subject, at least in upper grades.
On the other hand, some students have mobility issues, and need braces, crutches, and/or wheelchairs to get around. We wouldn’t think of trying to force those students to walk or run like other students do, unless and until their problem can be cured and they are able to do so — yet we refuse to diagnose our children who need academic “crutches” and refuse to provide them with those crutches even when it is totally obvious that they are needed.
We also wouldn’t forbid the children who are able to do so from walking or running simply because their peers are unable to do so, and we would recognize that it’s incredibly difficult for the teacher to supervise the children who are running ahead and the students who are lagging behind at the same time.
I suppose if I could implement just one really big idea in education, it would be a change in our apparent belief that all children must and should progress at the same rate academically. We don’t expect them all to have the same artistic or athletic talents, and we don’t expect them all to wear the same sizes. Babies don’t all learn to talk or sit up or walk at exactly the same ages. Why do we expect all our children to learn at the same rate, and get upset when they don’t?
Joy
December 20th, 2009
10:35 am
I tend to agree with “Gwinnett Parent’s” comments. In our desire to be “all inclusive”– to have our LD students and other, more severly challenged kids mainstreamed– we do a huge injustice to the entire student body. Most teachers are ill prepared (and already overworked) to teach at the ‘range’ of abilities found in a single classroom. Pararo’s, however diligent, do not replace the teacher. Frequently the more talented students are bored or ignored, while the LD students go nowhere fast and the teacher is frustrated through no fault of her/his own.
Additionally, the media reminds us daily of enormous increased numbers of children diagnosed with ADD, autism spectrum disorders, and other learning challenges. It’s ridiculous to think our public schools (already struggling against barebones budgets and population growth) can handle even more LD students with any success!
All parents of all students, and all public school administrators, need reconsider their priorities when ‘mainstreaming’ challenged students. They should first consciously think, “What would I want for MY child?” If public schools are ill prepared to provide special education beyond just budgeting for an office with that “name,” they need be more willing to transfer students where special ed services ARE being provided, purposefully and caringly, to that special population! Spending months on prerequisite testing, IEP meetings, and duplicative documentation serves only to keep the School Board and a select few attorneys busy. There ARE wonderful opportunities for learning challenged students of all ages in Atlanta. If the counties pooled their “special education” budgets, para pro salaries, and attorney fees, those dollars alone would surely fund the beginnings of decent Special Edcation classes for a number of challenged children.
Last but not least, there are State tax laws in place that now enable Georgia residents to DESIGNATE THEIR STATE TAX MONIES FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL EDUCATION! Instead of simply “paying State tax,” you can say, “I want my State taxes to go to (for example) Aurora Day School,” or whatever. The private schools can then provide SCHOLARSHIPS with YOUR tax money for the students who are going NOWHERE fast in public school!
It’s really real, and a great beginning that citizens can provide on their own! You can do this NOW or at tax time. And it does NOT COST anything, since you define how and where your Georgia Tax (for private education)is spent. Check it out!
Echo
December 20th, 2009
11:18 am
Gwinnett parent, read my post above about NCLB…that is why we have the kind of situation you are seeing in your school. Teachers HAVE been complianing about this for years, no one cares.
catlady
December 20th, 2009
3:24 pm
There ARE school systems where RTI works and is just another bump in the road to getting a child help (I hear it works in Hall County?) In our county it actively discourages any teacher from trying. Now, it doesn’t mean that the teacher isn’t working hard to provide appropriate instruction, remediation, and needs-based for the child–far from it! (We have kids who are on their 4th or 5th year of extra instruction through EIP, needs-based, or specialized plans (that pyramid!) but still get farther and farther behind.) But we know it will never result in the child being tested, that our CO will find yet another hurdle to put in front of us (like the kids who have been RTId for 3 years or more! because they keep moving the bar around) so most teachers just give up and don’t even refer. It’s just more work, more paperwork, for what you are already doing that won’t change a thing for the particular child. Meanwhile you are doing this for 4-5 kids out of a clas of 28 and the other kids are not getting what they need, either. On top of this you have your ELLS, BDs, and other children fortunate enough to have been identified before RTI. So the 12-15 average kids really do not get a FAPE.
In our county about the only way a kid will get sped designation is if they are obviously terribly, terribly handicapped or if they move in with an IEP in place.
I work in a system with 4000 students and I would doubt that 20 have been initially tested for sp ed in the last 3 years, and virtually none of them “made it” according to our psych. Looks like the state would be asking questions, doesn’t it? But RTI does as it is intended: it makes it very hard to get a child placed (because then the child would have to be served!), and just delays things until the child drops out. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Sounds downright illegal and immoral, doesn’t it? If not for the unidentified sp ed kid, for the others in the class who could better profit from the teacher’s time and efforts to meet their needs?Teachers can do nothing about this. Parents complaining loud and long are the only hope of getting classrooms back into shape so that the average kid has a chance. But the average parent doesn’t know, and the unidentified sp ed kids frequently have parents who don’t/can’t advocate for them. So the state gets by with it.
NCLB is not the root of all evil, but it might be the stem.
ScienceTeacher671
December 20th, 2009
7:35 pm
Enter your comments here
d
December 21st, 2009
11:52 am
A letter in today’s education letters says the Department of Education has ranked Georgia’s standards as the third worst in the nation. Anyone know where this study is?
Ole Guy
December 21st, 2009
5:40 pm
Shuffleboard, anyone?
ScienceTeacher671
December 21st, 2009
6:56 pm
My post from yesterday got eaten and still hasn’t shown up.
Also, I think we need an “edit” button here, so that when we do stupid stuff like where I mistyped Maureen’s name as “Marlene”, we can go back and fix it. Sorry, Mo! *blush*
jim d
December 24th, 2009
9:53 am
671,
an edit would destroy the blog—allowing people to change their lies is a bad idea. I like being able to document what they have said.
ScienceTeacher671
December 24th, 2009
10:35 am
jim d, that’s an excellent point. It would be nice to be able to fix typos, although I suppose more diligent proofreading would also be a good idea. Many websites allow you to “preview” what you are posting before it gets submitted; maybe that would suffice? Then, once you hit “submit”, whatever you’ve said, you’ve said for good….
jim d
December 24th, 2009
10:48 am
Tpyos
are part of blogging.