Transparent Christina

An ED-centric collection from an active Christina School Board member who reminds (been on my "about" page from day 1) all: ALL VIEWS AND LINKS ON THIS BOARD ARE MINE AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE CHRISTINA SCHOOL BOARD’S VIEWS.

What if teachers were really treated like professionals..would RttT be diffeent? Thompson: Learning from Others I

Posted by John Young on December 28, 2009

Wouldn’t it be great to read in the New York Times Magazine that the education reformer’s “approach obviously involves some realpolitik. Since his fellow doctors teachers have so much clinical
autonomy in the classroom, (the reformer) has little choice but to woo
them. … ‘He knows that the minute he says “I’m right, and you must do
this” he loses everybody but the true believers.’ (He) is appealing to
the idealistic side of doctorsmedical teaching and
learning questions still have no data-proven answer. Many never will
… Sometimes, intuition is the only good tool a doctor teacher has.” teachers – the flame,
he calls it – that helped persuade their predecessors to adopt
scientific methods [or their educational equivalent] a century ago. …
It would be a mistake, however, to see the deferential approach as
solely political. …

Full Post: HERE.

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The Jib Jabbers are at it again….bye bye ‘09!

Posted by John Young on December 28, 2009

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From Sea to Shining Sea…..Venture Philanthropy takes hold…at what expense though?

Posted by John Young on December 28, 2009

The essential question is: does it help at all? LAUSD is a disaster, so are many other of Eli’s pet projects….. is the privatization of public education helping or hurting us? Unfunded mandates like NCLB and 100% untested,  poorly reviewed, zero proof solutions like school turnarounds as prescribed by RttT threaten the future of public education in America. When will earnest collaboration from all stakeholders become the norm again rather than onerous agendas peppered with politics? When will dynamic leadership step up and demand that collaboration be used as the the leading strategy to get outstanding performance? Results matter and in education, unlike the business world, so do the means. That is why I ran to be on the board: to make our schools better and do it the right way.

Private money is paying for key senior staff positions in the Los
Angeles Unified School District — providing needed expertise at a
bargain rate, but also raising questions about transparency and the
direction of reforms in the nation’s second-largest school system.

The highest-level outside-funded position belongs to Matt Hill, whose
salary is covered by the foundation of billionaire philanthropist Eli
Broad…..

Full Article: HERE.

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Study: Schools face shortfalls after stimulus ends

Posted by John Young on December 27, 2009

ALBANY, N.Y. – Using federal stimulus money to avoid layoffs at
schools is going to create a shortfall even more difficult for states
and schools to contend with when that money runs out, according to a
first-of-its-kind study released Monday.

New York
alone will see a $2 billion shortfall after stimulus money ends in
2011-12, and that could drive up some of the nation’s highest local
property taxes another 8 percent, according to the analysis by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

“This isn’t just a New York problem,” DiNapoli said in an early and detailed analysis of school aid
after federal stimulus funds run out in 2011-12. “Other states across
the country will face a similar dilemma if they used stimulus money to
plug budget holes instead of paying for one-time expenses.

Full article: HERE.

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Delaware’s Race To The Top 10/27/2009 at University of Delaware: Ensuring Highly Effective Teachers for All Delaware Students

Posted by John Young on December 27, 2009

The University of Delaware, founded in 1743, offers over 100 academic majors; its distinguished faculty includes internationally known scientists, authors and teachers.

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Delaware’s Race To The Top 10/27/2009 at University of Delaware: Turnarounds

Posted by John Young on December 27, 2009

Turnaround strategies….packaged to sound pretty smooth…it’s like magic!The University of Delaware, founded in 1743, offers over 100 academic majors; its distinguished faculty includes internationally known scientists, authors and teachers.

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What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools A Focus on Students with Disabilities

Posted by John Young on December 27, 2009

In an earlier CCSR report entitled What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public High Schools, Allensworth and Easton
provided evidence that four indicators of freshman course performance could be used to identify students at risk of dropping out: GPA, course failures, absences, and on-track status.31 Results of the study described here confirm that these same indicators can be used to identify ninth grade students with disabilities who are at risk of dropping out in order to target timely support.
A strong relationship between freshman year indicators and graduation rates exists for all students; however, students with learning disabilities, students with mild cognitive disabilities, students with emotional disturbances, and students who enter high school two or more years below grade level graduate at lower rates than their non-disabled peers. In large part, these low graduation rates result from the fact that these students have lower GPAs, more course failures, and more frequent absences. Therefore, although freshman year indicators are similarly predictive for students with and without identified disabilities, many students with disabilities—especially students with emotional disturbances—remain at risk for dropping out even if they are on-track at the end of ninth grade.

In the United States, students who are identified as having a disability receive individualized services based on their strengths, weaknesses, and educational goals. Despite this individualized approach to supporting students, many students in special education continue to perform below their non-disabled peers. In an earlier Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) report, What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public High Schools, Elaine Allensworth and John Easton found that course performance during the freshman year—including grades, course failures, absences, and on-track status—could be used to identify students at risk of dropping out of high school.1 These findings provide educators with tools to identify at-risk students at an early stage in their high school career, potentially
reducing the risk of students dropping out. This is a promising approach, but questions remained after the first report about whether the early-warning indicators could be used in the same way for students with disabilities as for other students.
In this report, we look at the freshman year course performance of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students who receive special education services and ask whether grades, course failures, absences, and on-track status are useful for identifying students who are at risk of dropping out. We also examine how academic behaviors, such as attendance and study habits, affect course failures and grades of students with disabilities.
Students receiving special education services are a diverse group.

Full Report: HERE.

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A Nation at Risk, the birthplace of modern #edreform

Posted by John Young on December 26, 2009

The paper that started it all……

It is our conviction that the essential raw materials needed to reform
our educational system are waiting to be mobilized through effective
leadership:

  • the natural abilities of the young that cry out to be developed and
    the undiminished concern of parents for the well-being of their
    children;
  • the commitment of the Nation to high retention rates in schools and colleges and to full access to education for all;
  • the persistent and authentic American dream that superior performance can raise one’s state in life and shape one’s own future;
  • the dedication, against all odds, that keeps teachers serving in schools and colleges, even as the rewards diminish;
  • our better understanding of learning and teaching and the implications of
    this knowledge for school practice, and the numerous examples of local
    success as a result of superior effort and effective dissemination;
  • the ingenuity of our policymakers, scientists, State and local educators,
    and scholars in formulating solutions once problems are better
    understood;
  • the traditional belief that paying for education is an
    investment in ever-renewable human resources that are more durable and
    flexible than capital plant and equipment, and the availability in this
    country of sufficient financial means to invest in education;
  • the equally sound tradition, from the Northwest Ordinance
    of 1787 until today, that the Federal Government should supplement
    State, local, and other resources to foster key national educational
    goals; and
  • the voluntary efforts of individuals, businesses, and
    parent and civic groups to cooperate in strengthening educational
    programs.

Recommendations

In light of the urgent need for improvement,
both immediate and long term, this Commission has agreed on a set of
recommendations that the American people can begin to act on now, that
can be implemented over the next several years, and that promise
lasting reform. The topics are familiar; there is little mystery about
what we believe must be done. Many schools, districts, and States are
already giving serious and constructive attention to these matters,
even though their plans may differ from our recommendations in some
details.

We wish to note that we refer to public, private, and parochial schools
and colleges alike. All are valuable national resources. Examples of
actions similar to those recommended below can be found in each of
them.
We must emphasize that the variety of student aspirations, abilities,
and preparation requires that appropriate content be available to
satisfy diverse needs. Attention must be directed to both the nature of
the content available and to the needs of particular learners. The most
gifted students, for example, may need a curriculum enriched and
accelerated beyond even the needs of other students of high ability.
Similarly, educationally disadvantaged students may require special
curriculum materials, smaller classes, or individual tutoring to help
them master the material presented. Nevertheless, there remains a
common expectation: We must demand the best effort and performance from
all students, whether they are gifted or less able, affluent or
disadvantaged, whether destined for college, the farm, or industry.


Our recommendations are based on the beliefs that everyone can learn,
that everyone is born with an urge to learn which can be nurtured, that
a solid high school education is within the reach of virtually all, and
that life-long learning will equip people with the skills required for
new careers and for citizenship.

Recommendation A: Content


We recommend that State and local high school
graduation requirements be strengthened and that, at a minimum, all
students seeking a diploma be required to lay the foundations in the
Five New Basics by taking the following curriculum during their 4 years
of high school: (a) 4 years of English; (b) 3 years of mathematics;
(c) 3 years of science; (d) 3 years of social studies; and (e) one-half
year of computer science. For the college-bound, 2 years of foreign
language in high school are strongly recommended in addition to those
taken earlier
.



Whatever the student’s educational or work objectives, knowledge of the
New Basics is the foundation of success for the after-school years and,
therefore, forms the core of the modern curriculum. A high level of
shared education in these Basics, together with work in the fine and
performing arts and foreign languages, constitutes the mind and spirit
of our culture. The following Implementing Recommendations are intended
as illustrative descriptions. They are included here to clarify what we
mean by the essentials of a strong curriculum.

Implementing Recommendations

  1. The teaching of English in high school should equip
    graduates to: (a) comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and use what they
    read; (b) write well-organized, effective papers; (c) listen
    effectively and discuss ideas intelligently; and (d) know our literary
    heritage and how it enhances imagination and ethical understanding, and
    how it relates to the customs, ideas, and values of today’s life and
    culture.
  2. The teaching of mathematics in high school should
    equip graduates to: (a) understand geometric and algebraic concepts;
    (b) understand elementary probability and statistics; (c) apply
    mathematics in everyday situations; and (d) estimate, approximate,
    measure, and test the accuracy of their calculations. In addition to
    the traditional sequence of studies available for college-bound
    students, new, equally demanding mathematics curricula need to be
    developed for those who do not plan to continue their formal education
    immediately.
  3. The teaching of science in high school should
    provide graduates with an introduction to: (a) the concepts, laws, and
    processes of the physical and biological sciences; (b) the methods of
    scientific inquiry and reasoning; (c) the application of scientific
    knowledge to everyday life; and (d) the social and environmental
    implications of scientific and technological development. Science
    courses must be revised and updated for both the college-bound and
    those not intending to go to college. An example of such work is the
    American Chemical Society’s “Chemistry in the Community” program.
  4. The teaching of social studies in high school
    should be designed to: (a) enable students to fix their places and
    possibilities within the larger social and cultural structure;
    (b) understand the broad sweep of both ancient and contemporary ideas
    that have shaped our world; and (c) understand the fundamentals of how
    our economic system works and how our political system functions; and
    (d) grasp the difference between free and repressive societies. An
    understanding of each of these areas is requisite to the informed and
    committed exercise of citizenship in our free society.
  5. The teaching of computer science in high school
    should equip graduates to: (a) understand the computer as an
    information, computation, and communication device; (b) use the
    computer in the study of the other Basics and for personal and
    work-related purposes; and (c) understand the world of computers,
    electronics, and related technologies.

    In addition to the New Basics, other important curriculum matters must be addressed.
  6. Achieving proficiency in a foreign language
    ordinarily requires from 4 to 6 years of study and should, therefore,
    be started in the elementary grades. We believe it is desirable that
    students achieve such proficiency because study of a foreign language
    introduces students to non-English-speaking cultures, heightens
    awareness and comprehension of one’s native tongue, and serves the
    Nation’s needs in commerce, diplomacy, defense, and education.
  7. The high school curriculum should also provide students
    with programs requiring rigorous effort in subjects that advance
    students’ personal, educational, and occupational goals, such as the
    fine and performing arts and vocational education. These areas
    complement the New Basics, and they should demand the same level of
    performance as the Basics.
  8. The curriculum in the crucial eight grades leading to the
    high school years should be specifically designed to provide a sound
    base for study in those and later years in such areas as English
    language development and writing, computational and problem solving
    skills, science, social studies, foreign language, and the arts. These
    years should foster an enthusiasm for learning and the development of
    the individual’s gifts and talents.
  9. We encourage the continuation of efforts by groups such as
    the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the
    Advancement of Science, the Modern Language Association, and the
    National Councils of Teachers of English and Teachers of Mathematics,
    to revise, update, improve, and make available new and more diverse
    curricular materials. We applaud the consortia of educators and
    scientific, industrial, and scholarly societies that cooperate to
    improve the school curriculum.

Recommendation B: Standards and Expectations


We recommend that schools, colleges, and
universities adopt more rigorous and measurable standards, and higher
expectations, for academic performance and student conduct, and that
4-year colleges and universities raise their requirements for
admission. This will help students do their best educationally with
challenging materials in an environment that supports learning and
authentic accomplishment
.


Implementing Recommendations

  1. Grades should be indicators of academic achievement so they can be
    relied on as evidence of a student’s readiness for further study.
  2. Four-year colleges and universities should raise their
    admissions requirements and advise all potential applicants of the
    standards for admission in terms of specific courses required,
    performance in these areas, and levels of achievement on standardized
    achievement tests in each of the five Basics and, where applicable,
    foreign languages.
  3. Standardized tests of achievement (not to be confused with
    aptitude tests) should be administered at major transition points from
    one level of schooling to another and particularly from high school to
    college or work. The purposes of these tests would be to: (a) certify
    the student’s credentials; (b) identify the need for remedial
    intervention; and (c) identify the opportunity for advanced or
    accelerated work. The tests should be administered as part of a
    nationwide (but not Federal) system of State and local standardized
    tests. This system should include other diagnostic procedures that
    assist teachers and students to evaluate student progress.
  4. Textbooks and other tools of learning and teaching should
    be upgraded and updated to assure more rigorous content. We call upon
    university scientists, scholars, and members of professional societies,
    in collaboration with master teachers, to help in this task, as they
    did in the post-Sputnik era. They should assist willing publishers in
    developing the products or publish their own alternatives where there
    are persistent inadequacies.
  5. In considering textbooks for adoption, States and school
    districts should: (a) evaluate texts and other materials on their
    ability to present rigorous and challenging material clearly; and
    (b) require publishers to furnish evaluation data on the material’s
    effectiveness.
  6. Because no textbook in any subject can be geared to the
    needs of all students, funds should be made available to support text
    development in “thin-market” areas, such as those for disadvantaged
    students, the learning disabled, and the gifted and talented.
  7. To assure quality, all publishers should furnish evidence
    of the quality and appropriateness of textbooks, based on results from
    field trials and credible evaluation. In view of the enormous numbers
    and varieties of texts available, more widespread consumer information
    services for purchasers are badly needed.
  8. New instructional materials should reflect the most
    current applications of technology in appropriate curriculum areas, the
    best scholarship in each discipline, and research in learning and
    teaching.

Recommendation C: Time


We recommend that significantly more time be
devoted to learning the New Basics. This will require more effective
use of the existing school day, a longer school day, or a lengthened
school year
.


Implementing Recommendations

  1. Students in high schools should be assigned far more homework than is now the case.
  2. Instruction in effective study and work skills, which are
    essential if school and independent time is to be used efficiently,
    should be introduced in the early grades and continued throughout the
    student’s schooling.
  3. School districts and State legislatures should strongly consider 7-hour school days, as well as a 200- to 220-day school year.
  4. The time available for learning should be expanded through
    better classroom management and organization of the school day. If
    necessary, additional time should be found to meet the special needs of
    slow learners, the gifted, and others who need more instructional
    diversity than can be accommodated during a conventional school day or
    school year.
  5. The burden on teachers for maintaining discipline should
    be reduced through the development of firm and fair codes of student
    conduct that are enforced consistently, and by considering alternative
    classrooms, programs, and schools to meet the needs of continually
    disruptive students.
  6. Attendance policies with
    clear incentives and sanctions should be used to reduce the amount of
    time lost through student absenteeism and tardiness.
  7. Administrative
    burdens on the teacher and related intrusions into the school day
    should be reduced to add time for teaching and learning.
  8. Placement and grouping of students, as well as promotion
    and graduation policies, should be guided by the academic progress of
    students and their instructional needs, rather than by rigid adherence
    to age.

Recommendation D: Teaching


This recommendation consists of seven parts. Each
is intended to improve the preparation of teachers or to make teaching
a more rewarding and respected profession. Each of the seven stands on
its own and should not be considered solely as an implementing
recommendation
.


  1. Persons preparing to teach should be required to meet high
    educational standards, to demonstrate an aptitude for teaching, and to
    demonstrate competence in an academic discipline. Colleges and
    universities offering teacher preparation programs should be judged by
    how well their graduates meet these criteria.
  2. Salaries
    for the teaching profession should be increased and should be
    professionally competitive, market-sensitive, and performance-based.
    Salary, promotion, tenure, and retention decisions should be tied to an
    effective evaluation system that includes peer review so that superior
    teachers can be rewarded, average ones encouraged, and poor ones either
    improved or terminated.
  3. School boards should adopt an 11-month contract for
    teachers. This would ensure time for curriculum and professional
    development, programs for students with special needs, and a more
    adequate level of teacher compensation.
  4. School boards, administrators, and teachers should
    cooperate to develop career ladders for teachers that distinguish among
    the beginning instructor, the experienced teacher, and the master
    teacher.
  5. Substantial nonschool personnel resources should be
    employed to help solve the immediate problem of the shortage of
    mathematics and science teachers. Qualified individuals, including
    recent graduates with mathematics and science degrees, graduate
    students, and industrial and retired scientists could, with appropriate
    preparation, immediately begin teaching in these fields. A number of
    our leading science centers have the capacity to begin educating and
    retraining teachers immediately. Other areas of critical teacher need,
    such as English, must also be addressed.
  6. Incentives, such as grants and loans, should be made
    available to attract outstanding students to the teaching profession,
    particularly in those areas of critical shortage.
  7. Master teachers should be involved in designing teacher
    preparation programs and in supervising teachers during their
    probationary years.

Recommendation E: Leadership and Fiscal Support


We recommend that citizens across the
Nation hold educators and elected officials responsible for providing
the leadership necessary to achieve these reforms, and that citizens
provide the fiscal support and stability required to bring about the
reforms we propose
.


Implementing Recommendations

  1. Principals and superintendents must play a crucial
    leadership role in developing school and community support for the
    reforms we propose, and school boards must provide them with the
    professional development and other support required to carry out their
    leadership role effectively. The Commission stresses the distinction
    between leadership skills involving persuasion, setting goals and
    developing community consensus behind them, and managerial and
    supervisory skills. Although the latter are necessary, we believe that
    school boards must consciously develop leadership skills at the school
    and district levels if the reforms we propose are to be achieved.
  2. State and local officials, including school board members, governors, and legislators, have the primary responsibility
    for financing and governing the schools, and should incorporate the
    reforms we propose in their educational policies and fiscal planning.
  3. The Federal Government, in cooperation with States and
    localities, should help meet the needs of key groups of students such
    as the gifted and talented, the socioeconomically disadvantaged,
    minority and language minority students, and the handicapped. In
    combination these groups include both national resources and the
    Nation’s youth who are most at risk.
  4. In addition, we believe the Federal Government’s role
    includes several functions of national consequence that States and
    localities alone are unlikely to be able to meet: protecting
    constitutional and civil rights for students and school personnel;
    collecting data, statistics, and information about education generally;
    supporting curriculum improvement and research on teaching, learning,
    and the management of schools; supporting teacher training in areas of
    critical shortage or key national needs; and providing student
    financial assistance and research and graduate training. We believe the
    assistance of the Federal Government should be provided with a minimum
    of administrative burden and intrusiveness.
  5. The Federal Government has the primary responsibility
    to identify the national interest in education. It should also help
    fund and support efforts to protect and promote that interest. It must
    provide the national leadership to ensure that the Nation’s public and
    private resources are marshaled to address the issues discussed in this
    report.
  6. This Commission calls upon educators, parents, and public
    officials at all levels to assist in bringing about the educational
    reform proposed in this report. We also call upon citizens to provide
    the financial support necessary to accomplish these purposes.
    Excellence costs. But in the long run mediocrity costs far more.

America Can Do It

Despite the obstacles and difficulties that
inhibit the pursuit of superior educational attainment, we are
confident, with history as our guide, that we can meet our goal. The
American educational system has responded to previous challenges with
remarkable success. In the 19th century our land-grant colleges and
universities provided the research and training that developed our
Nation’s natural resources and the rich agricultural bounty of the
American farm. From the late 1800s through mid-20th century, American
schools provided the educated workforce needed to seal the success of
the Industrial Revolution and to provide the margin of victory in two
world wars. In the early part of this century and continuing to this
very day, our schools have absorbed vast waves of immigrants and
educated them and their children to productive citizenship. Similarly,
the Nation’s Black colleges have provided opportunity and undergraduate
education to the vast majority of college-educated Black Americans.


More recently, our institutions of higher education have provided the
scientists and skilled technicians who helped us transcend the
boundaries of our planet. In the last 30 years, the schools have been a
major vehicle for expanded social opportunity, and now graduate 75
percent of our young people from high school. Indeed, the proportion of
Americans of college age enrolled in higher education is nearly twice
that of Japan and far exceeds other nations such as France, West
Germany, and the Soviet Union. Moreover, when international comparisons
were last made a decade ago, the top 9 percent of American students
compared favorably in achievement with their peers in other countries.


In addition, many large urban areas in recent years report that average
student achievement in elementary schools is improving. More and more
schools are also offering advanced placement programs and programs for
gifted and talented students, and more and more students are enrolling
in them.


We are the inheritors of a past that gives us every reason to believe that we will succeed.

A Word to Parents and Students

The task of assuring the
success of our recommendations does not fall to the schools and
colleges alone. Obviously, faculty members and administrators, along
with policymakers and the mass media, will play a crucial role in the
reform of the educational system. But even more important is the role
of parents and students, and to them we speak directly.

To Parents


You know that you cannot confidently launch your children into today’s
world unless they are of strong character and well-educated in the use
of language, science, and mathematics. They must possess a deep respect
for intelligence, achievement, and learning, and the skills needed to
use them; for setting goals; and for disciplined work. That respect
must be accompanied by an intolerance for the shoddy and second-rate
masquerading as “good enough.”


You have the right to demand for your children the best our schools and
colleges can provide. Your vigilance and your refusal to be satisfied
with less than the best are the imperative first step. But your right
to a proper education for your children carries a double
responsibility. As surely as you are your child’s first and most
influential teacher, your child’s ideas about education and its
significance begin with you. You must be a living

example of what you expect your children to honor and to emulate.
Moreover, you bear a responsibility to participate actively in your
child’s education. You should encourage more diligent study and
discourage satisfaction with mediocrity and the attitude that says “let
it slide”; monitor your child’s study; encourage good study habits;
encourage your child to take more demanding rather than less demanding
courses; nurture your child’s curiosity, creativity, and confidence;
and be an active participant in the work of the schools. Above all,
exhibit a commitment to continued learning in your own life. Finally,
help your children understand that excellence in education cannot be
achieved without intellectual and moral integrity coupled with hard
work and commitment. Children will look to their parents and teachers
as models of such virtues.

To Students


You forfeit your chance for life at its fullest when you withhold your
best effort in learning. When you give only the minimum to learning,
you receive only the minimum in return. Even with your parents’ best
example and your teachers’ best efforts, in the end it is your
work that determines how much and how well you learn. When you work to
your full capacity, you can hope to attain the knowledge and skills
that will enable you to create your future and control your destiny. If
you do not, you will have your future thrust upon you by others. Take
hold of your life, apply your gifts and talents, work with dedication
and self-discipline. Have high expectations for yourself and convert
every challenge into an opportunity.

A Final Word


This is not the first or only commission on education, and some of our
findings are surely not new, but old business that now at last must be
done. For no one can doubt that the United States is under challenge
from many quarters.


Children born today can expect to graduate from high school in the year
2000. We dedicate our report not only to these children, but also to
those now in school and others to come. We firmly believe that a
movement of America’s schools in the direction called for by our
recommendations will prepare these children for far more effective
lives in a far stronger America.


Our final word, perhaps better characterized as a plea, is that all
segments of our population give attention to the implementation of our
recommendations. Our present plight did not appear overnight, and the
responsibility for our current situation is widespread. Reform of our
educational system will take time and unwavering commitment. It will
require equally widespread, energetic, and dedicated action. For
example, we call upon the National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, Science Service,
National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, American
Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities,
National Endowment for the Arts, and other scholarly, scientific, and
learned societies for their help in this effort. Help should come from
students themselves; from parents, teachers, and school boards; from
colleges and universities; from local, State, and Federal officials;
from teachers’ and administrators’ organizations; from industrial and
labor councils; and from other groups with interest in and
responsibility for educational reform.

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The Decade in Seven Minutes – Newsweek 2010

Posted by John Young on December 26, 2009

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Merry Christmas: Ziggy Style!

Posted by John Young on December 25, 2009

...

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RttT? How about basic blocking and tackling?

Posted by John Young on December 25, 2009

FREDERICKTOWN — As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the Reading Recovery community in North America has honored the outstanding success of the program in Fredericktown Elementary
School.


The school’s Reading Recovery program was one of the first of its kind
in the nation, as well as in Ohio, and, since the 1986-87 school year, has been
helping struggling first-graders improve in fluency, comprehension, alphabetic
skills and general reading achievement.


There are documented long-term benefits from the program. For example, on the
most recent third-grade Ohio Achievement reading test, 24 of the 26 pupils who
participated in Reading Recovery in first grade achieved a passing score on the
test; six were rated proficient and 18 placed in the advanced or accelerated
ranges.


“The fact that the district has made a commitment to have three full-time
reading teachers, has a huge impact on our really excellent, excellent reading
scores in the district,” said elementary principal Emily Funston. “It
starts in primary school, and because the children are reading well when they
leave primary school, the reading scores are high all across the district.”


Fredericktown’s Reading Recovery instructors are Mary Jo Cull, Barb Hawkins
and Chris Well. On a daily basis, they each provide 30 minutes of one-on-one
instruction to first-graders who are having difficulty with reading. The short-term
program supplements regular classroom instruction, and lasts a maximum of 20
weeks for each student. The goal is to help the young readers improve literacy
skills so they meet grade-level standards and no longer need Reading Recovery.
One reason for the national recognition is that Fredericktown, with an 86 percent
graduation rate, exceeds the national average of 75 percent. Fredericktown students “graduate” in
15 weeks, on average.


Full article: HERE.

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Homework Q&A

Posted by John Young on December 25, 2009

Perhaps a part of the DE problem?

You don’t believe that homework instills discipline in
children; in fact, you stress that homework can negatively affect
students’ attitudes, their college admissions’ test scores, even their
admission to college itself. How does this happen?

When students are repeatedly given homework tasks that are too hard for
them, frustrations build and students can start to hate learning. When
kids are that frustrated, they basically just shut down. We’ve learned
about that from brain research. We’ve known that frustration shuts down
kids’ learning. And we know psychologically that’s what they do to
protect themselves.

You’ve got kids who were fine in school and all of a sudden they start getting a lot of homework in the
3rd or 4th grade and all of a sudden they’re starting to say they hate
school and that’s a little scary. What if what we’re doing here—the
overloading of kids or the giving kids things they can’t do—is causing
them to hate to school?

No one wants to do something that repeatedly makes them feel stupid. Students may decide it’s less
painful not to do the homework. When we give students failing grades
for not completing homework, it further de-motivates them
and
may make them feel like they are a failure in school. Failing grades in
homework often lead to failing course grades which lead to a lower GPA
which can make students less competitive for college admissions.
Students who give up and stop doing homework may be shortchanging their
own development of knowledge and skills, which in turn can cause them
to do poorly on college admissions tests.

Full article: HERE.

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Turnaround Schools That Work By Richard D. Kahlenberg

Posted by John Young on December 25, 2009

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has courageously taken on
the most important—and most difficult—problem in American education:
turning around the country’s lowest-performing schools. Duncan has
noted that for years districts allowed failing schools to slide, and
has called, instead, for  “far-reaching reforms” that fundamentally change the culture in the country’s worst 5,000 schools. Ironically, his preferred approach, which focuses primarily on
changing the faculty and school governance, is itself too timid.


In a June 17
Education Week Commentary, Duncan wrote that, in Chicago, “we moved the adults out of the
building, kept the children there, and brought in new adults.” (“Start Over,”June, 17 2009.) But an exclusive focus on changing the principal and teachers misses two-thirds of the larger school community, which also includes students and parents. This partial-turnaround approach in
Chicago was met with “mixed” results, the education consultant Bryan Hassel told The New York Times
. The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago noted in a recent report Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
that “most students in the Chicago Public Schools continue to fail.”

Rest of Post: HERE.

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What does Arne really think the priority method is for fixing a broken school?

Posted by John Young on December 25, 2009

Surprise!



Start Over


Turnarounds should be the first option for low-performing schools.


My top priority as U.S. secretary of education is to make sure our
K-12 students are prepared to succeed in college and the workforce. If
we can do this, we’ll be able to meet President Barack Obama’s
ambitious but reachable goal that by 2020, America will once again have
the highest proportion of college graduates in the world….


Rest of Article: HERE.



Not…..

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I was wrong: DCAS contract awarded to A.I.R.

Posted by John Young on December 24, 2009

Today the DOE announced that AIR won the DCAS bid.

For those of you that follow my blog, I had long predicted that NWEA and their Board Member, former Superintendent Joe Wise would be the beneficiary of the contract. While this may not make those districts using NWEA’s MAP testing happy per se, the overall selection by DEDOE seems to be enlightened as AIR has an outstanding track record for providing some of the best assessments in education. Most importantly, when NWEA was awarded the contract in earlier in 2009 prior to it being pulled, the news release noted that AIR was the preferred testing company of the users and the educators. It also appears to have the most special needs friendly accommodations.

Dr. Lowery and team: I am impressed with your willingness to re-bid and get it right!

American Institutes for Research won a $24.6 million, five-year contract with the Delaware Department of Education to begin the immediate development and piloting of a new statewide assessment system for students in grades two to 10. The new assessment, called the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System, is a computer-adaptive growth-model test that will replace the 12-year-old Delaware Student Testing Program by the 2010-2011 school year.

Full article: HERE.

AIR INFO: http://assessment.air.org/Test_Development.aspx

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Principal Performance: How to guide.

Posted by John Young on December 24, 2009

An examination of how to size up the performance of principals has
found that one evaluation method is best suited for judging the
effectiveness of school leaders: the Vanderbilt Assessment of
Leadership in Education….

Mr. Clifford said the impetus for

the review

Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader

was the growing recognition that principals, second only to classroom
teachers, affect student learning. Districts need as much information
as possible to make high-stakes decisions about whom they hire as
principals, how or whether they should invest in their improvement, and
how to…

Full article: HERE.

QSLBrief2
qslbrief2.pdf

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TommyClaus!!!!!

Posted by John Young on December 23, 2009

Tommyclaus says if this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will.

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Happy Holidays!

Posted by John Young on December 23, 2009

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A Charlie Brown Heavy Metal Christmas

Posted by John Young on December 22, 2009

A Charlie Brown Heavy Metal Christmas

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5 Superintendents describe how they fixed problems in their districts

Posted by John Young on December 22, 2009


“Don’t carry on with your own stubborn thing if it isn’t working,”
suggests Jeanné Collins, superintendent of Burlington (VT) School District.
“Listen to the people—the parents in the community—who can help you.

“We wanted to work on socioeconomic integration within the district. We
have 48 percent poverty in our district. Two of our six elementary
schools had over 90 percent poverty, while another two were in the 45
to 48 percent range, and two more had around 30 percent poverty. We
asked the question, Is it OK to have two schools with high poverty if
we don’t have to? We wanted to take this question to the community and
engage them in the conversation. We did some things wrong in this
process, but we learned a lot along the way.

“One of the big lessons was our language. We were talking about students in poverty,
and that immediately generated a flurry of questions about the
definition of poverty. For schools, the definition is free and reduced
lunch. What we learned from the community is that we had people who
chose to be in poverty, people in situations of poverty, and people in
generational poverty. That led to a very ugly public discussion, with
some parents saying, ‘I don’t want my kids going to school with those
kids.’ In addition to conducting community conversations in person, we
attempted to run a blog on the integration, but people could post
anonymously and that’s where the really ugly comments were made. The
blog was also just not as informative as it could have been.

“Meanwhile, two parents in the community had set up their own website, and they had
successfully renamed the conversation Excellence and Equity. They
focused on building excellence in all the schools and for all the
students. The socioeconomic- integration piece became a subset of that
topic. They knew that we, as a district, had been too focused on our
poor students, and therefore sending the message to the community that
we weren’t going to do anything for all our students.

“I immediately called these parents and invited them on board. They
basically changed the entire direction of the conversation. Today the
whole initiative is called Excellence and Equity in the Burlington
Schools. They have provided a vision that the entire district and
community can really rally around, and it’s working. We are opening two
magnet schools in the fall, and the themes for those schools are
carried out throughout all of the elementary schools. I can’t speak
enough about how important it is to work with parents.”

FULL ARTICLE: HERE.

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Originally Posted on 7/14/2009: Today I take my Oath.

Posted by John Young on December 22, 2009

For those new to the blog, a quick idea about why I do what I do and my background…..

I have led a mostly comfortable life thus far. I grew up in both the Deep South and New England. I have lived in 10 states and been exposed to public education in Illinois, Alabama, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Delaware. My father is a retired academic librarian and my mother a retired public school educator, special educator, and librarian. Together they hold 6 graduate degrees and their academic commitment inspires me to this day. I am an active student pursuing my MBA at the University of Delaware. You could say that education has been the most constant force in my life from Mrs. Boston in Kindergarten to my professors at UD and the persistent push from inside my family.

Only later in life have I begun to experience any real discomfort: my son has special needs, I was recently laid off from my job in March 2008 and the economy has hit my family like so many others in Delaware. I have reacted by shrinking spending and matriculating in school to pursue my graduate degree. Along with the decision to return to school, I have decided to make a difference in the community in which I live. In February I decided to run for the Christina School Board. After a two month campaign, I was fortunate enough to win the election on May 12th, 2009.

All of that brings us to today: July 14th 2009. A fortuitous day in the annals of history, it will hopefully be seen as a good day for the students of the Christina School District. I enter this job with an extreme political naïveté rooted in a lack of desire to play politics. It could be my ultimate failing in this new responsibility, but also my sincerest strength…however, I know this most: Christina Schools need help. We need to improve. We need success and leadership.

I come to the board knowing the one pure truth of education: that there is only one transaction that matters in a school and that is the one that occurs between a pupil and a teacher. This transaction must take place in a safe place. The physical plant must be stable and in good repair. The administration must support the educators. There must be no retaliation in our culture.  We must never pit one group of children against another. All means all, not some, not a few, not the majority, but all children. When we fight for our children, we fight for the purity of students and teachers making progress together.

I look forward to the challenges ahead; I expect some rough seas too. I’m ready because my life has prepared me well to be an advocate and decision maker. I do not know everything about running a district, but I do know how to respectfully articulate a system of beliefs and a purity of motive that will help Christina get better. For those that voted for me, I promise to be strong in the face of any institution that seeks only to protect itself, I promise to fight against bloat and cronyism should I encounter it, and I promise to ask that Christina become a leader in both transparency and accessibility. I have already launched this blog so that I may more directly interface with all the constituencies in Christina.

Today in 1971, my family welcomed my brother into the world. Happy Birthday Bro!

Today seven political prisoners held by a tyrant King were freed half a world away 220 years ago starting a revolution that changed a country and a continent. The task before the Christina Board may not change a nation, but is it any less important work? Our country and state are counting on us to make Christina better. We are accountable to the taxpayers of Delaware and it’s time to deliver results.

Tonight at 7:30PM, On July 14th, at Kirk Middle school in Newark, DE, I take my oath to make follow the law, make good decisions, and help the children of Christina succeed in life.

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Miracles: A great 70s tune!

Posted by John Young on December 22, 2009

Miracles – Jefferson Starship

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What Will New York State’s Race to the Top Application Look Like?….Here it is…..

Posted by John Young on December 22, 2009

Recently, the New York State Department of Education  (NYSED) circulated a Public Communication and Policy Recommendations Summary
for its Race to the Top (RttT) grant proposal to the nearly 700 school
districts throughout New York State. In order to participate, each
district is required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in support
of the application. Key to all of the is that the RttT funds would be
split 50-50 between NYSED and the districts. I started receiving copies
of this last week from various colleagues as it made its way across
school districts in New York State.

Full Article and M.O.U.: HERE.

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Caesar Rodney RttT thoughts.

Posted by John Young on December 21, 2009

Discussions about Race to the Top indicated school board members had a
number of reservations about the program, including being bound by new
rules and procedures long after the district’s share of the proposed
$75 million allocated for Delaware has run out.

“If we don’t approve this, we won’t get the money,” district
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald told the group. “This will help
offset some of the education money that goes away with the stimulus
dollars.”

Board member Clifton Coleman was concerned that districts with
so-called turnaround schools — schools not meeting standards — will get
the bulk of the money. The CR district currently has no schools in that
category.

Board members scheduled a separate meeting for Jan. 12 to discuss the
matter further after Fitzgerald receives additional information about
the district’s participation in Race to the Top.

Full Article: HERE.

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When Schools Close: Effects on Displaced Students in Chicago Public Schools

Posted by John Young on December 21, 2009

In summary, we found few effects—either positive or negative—of school closings on the achievement of displaced students. Although reading and math gains were lower than expected once students found out their schools would soon close, these short-lived deficits were no longer evident after displaced students’ first year in new schools. Changing schools neither resulted in additional negative effects on student achievement nor substantially improved the achievement of displaced students.

Full Report: HERE.

In other words: Chicago spends the money, disrupts lives, fires teachers and admin to make things better for their students and nothing gets better…..by all means lets roll this plan out nationally. It’s such a great idea, we should include this as part of a comprehensive reform strategy….but how do we sell it if it doesn’t work? Oooh, I know, let’s give it a really cool name that sounds inspirational and benign…. Race to the Top! That will get people to support it…If only I could become Secretary of Education for President Obama and roll it out……with a massive injection of money that will run out before all the work gets done. Education folks fall for that one every time…. NCLB is the model we should use: Extreme ideas and accountability with zero support from research in education or social science.

My master plan is almost set……just a few items left on the checklist and RttT will be irreversibly in place!

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Schools shortchange special needs kids, sending them home early (Daily News, NYC)

Posted by John Young on December 21, 2009

The city has cheated some special needs kids out of valuable time in
school, pulling them from class early to catch their ride home.

Across the city, the Daily News found scores of students boarding
school buses as much as 40 minutes before the official end of the day.

“It’s not right. They’re not helping the kids learn more or get better in school,” said Jacqueline Peralta, 35, mother of two students, Luis Diaz, 16, and Carla Diaz, 14, who attend Public School 79 in East Harlem because they use wheelchairs and have learning disabilities.

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Sometimes I need the Lowdown.

Posted by John Young on December 20, 2009

Not on the lowdown mind you, just need the 411...old school. Boz would be proud, the WaWa pedal is workin’ hard…..

Daryl Hall and Chromeo – Lowdown (Live from Daryl’s House)

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Truer words never spoken.

Posted by John Young on December 20, 2009

Sweet and Soulful…..

Episode 19: Our Day Will Come

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Working Together to Tackle Classroom Management: In the Classroom with Deirdra Grode

Posted by John Young on December 20, 2009

For many passionate, knowledgeable, and creative
educators, classroom management is the missing element that prevents
them from being wholly effective. A chaotic or unruly environment is
not conducive to student learning. To address this challenge, teachers
and administrators must collaborate and communicate, forming strong
partnerships to set and enforce classroom management policies.

Discipline and classroom management have been at the forefront of my mind as I
have switched from the role of classroom teacher to administrator. Over
the summer, I taught school one day and returned the next day as the
summer school principal. One experience that caused me to reflect a
great deal occurred on my first day as principal. A student I had
taught previously came to me in tears because his teacher had sent him
to my office for behaving inappropriately.

The student apologized and asked what he could do to make it up to me and
the teacher. He expressed his embarrassment for having misbehaved and
kept his head on the desk for a good 10 minutes. I spoke with him
firmly, sent him back to class, and patted myself on the back for a job
well done as a new principal. He had never expressed such remorse as my
student. Maybe I was better suited for administration, I began to think.

With great confidence, I asked the teacher at the end of the day if the
student had been on his best behavior upon his return. The teacher
said, “No, he came back and acted exactly the same way he was acting
before I sent him to you.”


Rest of Article: HERE.

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School officials pull story at Ill. student paper

Posted by John Young on December 20, 2009

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. –

Officials at a suburban Chicago high
school have pulled a story from the student newspaper over concerns
about an article on prescription drugs.

On Friday, the award-winning newspaper of Stevenson High School
in Lincolnshire will have a blank page and editor’s note instead of
a story quoting a student who was taking birth controls to control
her menstrual cycle.

The editor, 18-year-old Pamela Selman, says student journalists
felt bullied.


Full Article: HERE.


I am against censorship in all forms.

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