In a opinion piece by Tom Loveless of The New York Times he says maybe we are leaving children behind. The ones who are the high achievers. In Smart Child Left Behind Loveless outlines three points to consider:
First, under the federal law, state tests are supposed to measure whether students are meeting grade-level expectations — whether the average third grader knows the mathematics taught through third grade. But high achievers usually work above grade level, so the state tests are very poor instruments for measuring how well top students are learning.
Second, the way the study’s analysts depicted state trends creates a misleading national picture. They calculated “trend lines” in each state — for example, whether more fourth graders in Georgia reached the “advanced” level in math, whether they made gains in reading and so on for each grade and subject.
For their conclusions, they added together all the up, down and sideways trends to give a national snapshot, saying that 83 percent of trend lines showed gains, while 15 percent showed declines. The problem with this system is that it treats all states equally, regardless of size. So a gain among high-performing students in North Dakota has the same weight as one in California, which has more than 60 times as many students.
Third, the analysis does not compare today’s students with those of earlier eras. High-achieving students might be making incremental progress — but is this new? If they were making similar gains before 2002, then might recent progress have nothing to do with No Child Left Behind? And how did their progress compare with trends for lower-achieving students?
Loveless states there is a better report to consider, National Assessment of Educational Progress, which tracks achievement changes in 4th, 8th and 12th graders across the country. It found relatively little progress among our highest-achieving students (those in the top 10 percent) from 2000 to 2007, while the bottom 10 percent made phenomenal gains. For example, in eighth-grade math, the lowest-achieving students made 13 points of progress on the national-assessment scale from 2000 to 2007 — roughly the equivalent of a whole grade. Top students, however, gained just five points.
No Child Left Behind is a good start, but let's not leave our highest achieving students in the political policy wake.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Price for a Liberal Arts Degree
When I was at university (albeit a while ago), a liberal arts education was a good idea. It allowed the student time to understand who he/she was and what they wanted to do with their life personally and professionally.
Now, the cost of “figuring it out” can be around $40,000+ and many students and parents are re-evaluating the need for a liberal arts education.
The Washington Post provides an outlook on both sides of the divide concerning liberal arts degrees at what are known as Good Book institutes and profession specific colleges and universities. In Daniel de Vises’ An Education Debate for the Books, he provides a student view example for St. John’s College.
Liberal Arts in a Stringent Economy
» LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER
Wednesday was move-in day for freshmen at St. John's College in Annapolis, one of many liberal arts schools that have taken a hit in applications and enrollment because of the downturn. Freshman Graham Gallagher discusses why he chose to attend the estimable Great Books School.
For freshman Graham Gallagher, arriving at the historic Annapolis campus Wednesday, admission to St. John's is destiny fulfilled. Here, he said, learning "is a journey, instead of a competition."
Liberal arts colleges have had to defend the marketability of a philosophy major for as long as competing public and private institutions have offered degrees in engineering and business, often at a lower cost. But never, perhaps, have families weighed the value of a liberal education more carefully than in the 2009-10 admissions cycle, which found the nation mired in its worst recession since the 1930s.
"People all think that in a bad economy, they need skills for a job," said Christopher Nelson, president of St. John's. "What they don't realize is that a liberal arts education will give them skills for life, and that will get them a job."
Perhaps Mr. Nelson is correct, but with a price tag for college/university education running $40-50,000 on the low end, parent’s pocket books may be the factor most families take into consideration.
Personally I hope the liberal arts education stays firmly planted for quite some time. With our changing times; more and more people working in several careers throughout their professional life, entering and re-entering work forces and economic changes, having a better understanding of the arts and who we are as individuals, will ultimately make use better citizens and workers.
Now, the cost of “figuring it out” can be around $40,000+ and many students and parents are re-evaluating the need for a liberal arts education.
The Washington Post provides an outlook on both sides of the divide concerning liberal arts degrees at what are known as Good Book institutes and profession specific colleges and universities. In Daniel de Vises’ An Education Debate for the Books, he provides a student view example for St. John’s College.
Liberal Arts in a Stringent Economy
» LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER
Wednesday was move-in day for freshmen at St. John's College in Annapolis, one of many liberal arts schools that have taken a hit in applications and enrollment because of the downturn. Freshman Graham Gallagher discusses why he chose to attend the estimable Great Books School.
For freshman Graham Gallagher, arriving at the historic Annapolis campus Wednesday, admission to St. John's is destiny fulfilled. Here, he said, learning "is a journey, instead of a competition."
Liberal arts colleges have had to defend the marketability of a philosophy major for as long as competing public and private institutions have offered degrees in engineering and business, often at a lower cost. But never, perhaps, have families weighed the value of a liberal education more carefully than in the 2009-10 admissions cycle, which found the nation mired in its worst recession since the 1930s.
"People all think that in a bad economy, they need skills for a job," said Christopher Nelson, president of St. John's. "What they don't realize is that a liberal arts education will give them skills for life, and that will get them a job."
Perhaps Mr. Nelson is correct, but with a price tag for college/university education running $40-50,000 on the low end, parent’s pocket books may be the factor most families take into consideration.
Personally I hope the liberal arts education stays firmly planted for quite some time. With our changing times; more and more people working in several careers throughout their professional life, entering and re-entering work forces and economic changes, having a better understanding of the arts and who we are as individuals, will ultimately make use better citizens and workers.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Poll Gives Obama an A/B Grade for Education Policies
According to a recent PDK/Gallup Poll, the majority of Americans give their local public schools good grades, but they rate U.S. schools as a whole lower, expressing concerns about everything from paltry funding to high dropout rates.
Forty-five percent also give President Obama an "A" or "B" for his handling of school issues. "They support his positions on early-childhood education, merit pay for teachers, charter schools, and the use of stimulus money to save teachers' jobs," said William Bushaw, executive director of Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK). His group, a global association of educators, helped conduct the PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.
Here are the highlights:
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
Support for NCLB continues to decline. Only one out of four Americans believe NCLB has helped schools in their community. But, two to one Americans support annual testing of students in grades three through eight and using a single national test rather than letting each state use its own test.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Almost two out of three Americans support charter schools. But, they clearly don't understand exactly what they are, showing confusion about whether they’re public schools and whether they can charge tuition, teach religion, or select their own students.
TEACHER PAY
Almost three out of four Americans favor merit pay for teachers. Advanced degrees, student academic achievement, and administrator evaluations are the three most favored criteria for awarding merit pay.
Americans estimate that teacher salaries are lower than what they believe teachers should receive.
TENURE
Americans split on teacher tenure, depending on how the question is asked. They disapprove of teachers having a “lifetime contract” but agree that teachers should have a formal legal review before being terminated.
DROPOUTS
Almost nine out of 10 Americans believe the U.S. dropout rate is either the most important or one of the most important problems facing high schools today.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Americans strongly endorse making either half-day or full-day kindergarten compulsory for all children.
Having children start school at age four is too early — Americans split on whether they believe starting school earlier would improve a child's achievement. Five out of 10 Americans believe preschool programs should be housed in public schools, with parents even more supportive of that idea.
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Americans appear to be open to more innovation in their schools. The two issues that are most important for moving schools in the right direction: better teachers and more parental support. Lack of money was cited as the biggest obstacle.
ECONOMIC STIMULUS
Economic stimulus money should be used to retain teachers slated to be laid off, followed by support to the lowest performing schools.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF EDUCATION
Newspapers and school employees remain the top two sources of information about schools.
The 2009 PDK/Gallup Poll
Forty-five percent also give President Obama an "A" or "B" for his handling of school issues. "They support his positions on early-childhood education, merit pay for teachers, charter schools, and the use of stimulus money to save teachers' jobs," said William Bushaw, executive director of Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK). His group, a global association of educators, helped conduct the PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.
Here are the highlights:
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
Support for NCLB continues to decline. Only one out of four Americans believe NCLB has helped schools in their community. But, two to one Americans support annual testing of students in grades three through eight and using a single national test rather than letting each state use its own test.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Almost two out of three Americans support charter schools. But, they clearly don't understand exactly what they are, showing confusion about whether they’re public schools and whether they can charge tuition, teach religion, or select their own students.
TEACHER PAY
Almost three out of four Americans favor merit pay for teachers. Advanced degrees, student academic achievement, and administrator evaluations are the three most favored criteria for awarding merit pay.
Americans estimate that teacher salaries are lower than what they believe teachers should receive.
TENURE
Americans split on teacher tenure, depending on how the question is asked. They disapprove of teachers having a “lifetime contract” but agree that teachers should have a formal legal review before being terminated.
DROPOUTS
Almost nine out of 10 Americans believe the U.S. dropout rate is either the most important or one of the most important problems facing high schools today.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Americans strongly endorse making either half-day or full-day kindergarten compulsory for all children.
Having children start school at age four is too early — Americans split on whether they believe starting school earlier would improve a child's achievement. Five out of 10 Americans believe preschool programs should be housed in public schools, with parents even more supportive of that idea.
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Americans appear to be open to more innovation in their schools. The two issues that are most important for moving schools in the right direction: better teachers and more parental support. Lack of money was cited as the biggest obstacle.
ECONOMIC STIMULUS
Economic stimulus money should be used to retain teachers slated to be laid off, followed by support to the lowest performing schools.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF EDUCATION
Newspapers and school employees remain the top two sources of information about schools.
The 2009 PDK/Gallup Poll
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Technology can help during a health crisis at schools…or can it?
Today’s Washington Times reports on how the Flu could hit poor schools hardest and a federal guidelines for school districts regarding student participation during a flu crisis.
The article discusses how students that are ill can stay home but still be connected to their classes through web conferencing, podcast technology, etc. But what about the student that is too poor for a computer or Internet access?
The department of education provided a six-page guideline to schools suggesting closed-circuit television, DVDs and Internet usage, among other technology, to get information to students in anticipation of high absentee rates and temporary school shutdowns because of a flu outbreak. However, that would not be available to students without Internet access or tools.
"It would be very difficult," said William Lockridge, D.C. State Board of Education representative for Wards 7 and 8, areas of the city east of the Anacostia River that tend to have higher rates of poverty. "Living in an economically depressed community, a lot of kids and parents don't have access to computers. It would be very hard to get students information from the Internet or other methods through computers." "If you can't afford a computer, you can't afford the access to the Internet," he said.
Lisa Raymond, D.C. State Board of Education president, said it is important for those implementing the plans to bridge the "digital divide," a term commonly used to describe the gap between those who have access to information through technology and those who do not. "It's important for the District to meet the needs of all of their students," Mrs. Raymond said. "Some schools and some parents won't have access to that technology. Those schools should get the educational support they would need."
Virginia-based Association of Teacher Educators is a mentor program that prepares teachers for the classroom. Executive Director David Ritchey said schools are being proactive in providing all students access to technology. "Not only are costs coming down, but there's a lot more effort to provide electronic advantages to those who were missing them before in order to cross that digital divide," Mr. Ritchey said. "Some are going to have more access than others, but schools are doing as much as they can."
As flu season rapidly approaches it will be incumbent on school districts to provide several means of communication with students who are ill and unable to attend classes. Let’s hope with these new guidelines they (the school districts) can meet the challenge.
Read the full article here.
The article discusses how students that are ill can stay home but still be connected to their classes through web conferencing, podcast technology, etc. But what about the student that is too poor for a computer or Internet access?
The department of education provided a six-page guideline to schools suggesting closed-circuit television, DVDs and Internet usage, among other technology, to get information to students in anticipation of high absentee rates and temporary school shutdowns because of a flu outbreak. However, that would not be available to students without Internet access or tools.
"It would be very difficult," said William Lockridge, D.C. State Board of Education representative for Wards 7 and 8, areas of the city east of the Anacostia River that tend to have higher rates of poverty. "Living in an economically depressed community, a lot of kids and parents don't have access to computers. It would be very hard to get students information from the Internet or other methods through computers." "If you can't afford a computer, you can't afford the access to the Internet," he said.
Lisa Raymond, D.C. State Board of Education president, said it is important for those implementing the plans to bridge the "digital divide," a term commonly used to describe the gap between those who have access to information through technology and those who do not. "It's important for the District to meet the needs of all of their students," Mrs. Raymond said. "Some schools and some parents won't have access to that technology. Those schools should get the educational support they would need."
Virginia-based Association of Teacher Educators is a mentor program that prepares teachers for the classroom. Executive Director David Ritchey said schools are being proactive in providing all students access to technology. "Not only are costs coming down, but there's a lot more effort to provide electronic advantages to those who were missing them before in order to cross that digital divide," Mr. Ritchey said. "Some are going to have more access than others, but schools are doing as much as they can."
As flu season rapidly approaches it will be incumbent on school districts to provide several means of communication with students who are ill and unable to attend classes. Let’s hope with these new guidelines they (the school districts) can meet the challenge.
Read the full article here.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Making Education More Geek Friendly
That’s right. Making schools geekier is the way to reform education. In a recent article by Daniel Roth at Wired Magazine, Making Geeks Cool Could Reform Education. He sites an inner-city educator, Alex Grodd who says a teacher can’t just have a “digital culture” in the classroom.
"The driving force in the life of a child, starting much earlier than it used to be, is to be cool, to fit in," Grodd states. "And pretty universally, it's cool to rebel." In other words, prepare for you and your net book to be jeered out of the room. "The best schools are able to make learning cool, so the cool kids are the ones who get A's. That's an art."
Grodd’s formula is used at Roxbury Prep in Boston. “Almost 80 percent of its eighth graders—nearly all of whom come from families earning less than $28,000 a year—go to college. Their teachers work nonstop to stamp out youth culture: Kids eat lunch in the classroom, they're not allowed to talk in the halls, and they're disciplined for using the word nerd. But it's about the nerdiest school you can imagine; every week, the faculty awards one child a "spirit stick"—a bedpost painted a rainbow of colors—for good grades.”
Roth laments, “In the public school I attended, that would be a homing beacon for a beating: "There's the nerd with the stick. Jump him!" But in geeked-out schools, that wouldn't happen—because everyone would be a nerd. At the final spirit-stick ceremony last year, 220 kids erupted in applause as a teacher read aloud the 14-year-old honoree's thesis. It started by calling America an "unfair and superficial nation." Hey, kids are going to rebel; better to have them cheered for doing it with contentious ideas.”
I’m not sure this formula would work everywhere. I was never a geek, but I wasn’t one of the “cool” kids either. I think the concept is interesting and if it can keep kids interested in academics to ensure their further education, then it should be modeled in as many schools as possible.
"The driving force in the life of a child, starting much earlier than it used to be, is to be cool, to fit in," Grodd states. "And pretty universally, it's cool to rebel." In other words, prepare for you and your net book to be jeered out of the room. "The best schools are able to make learning cool, so the cool kids are the ones who get A's. That's an art."
Grodd’s formula is used at Roxbury Prep in Boston. “Almost 80 percent of its eighth graders—nearly all of whom come from families earning less than $28,000 a year—go to college. Their teachers work nonstop to stamp out youth culture: Kids eat lunch in the classroom, they're not allowed to talk in the halls, and they're disciplined for using the word nerd. But it's about the nerdiest school you can imagine; every week, the faculty awards one child a "spirit stick"—a bedpost painted a rainbow of colors—for good grades.”
Roth laments, “In the public school I attended, that would be a homing beacon for a beating: "There's the nerd with the stick. Jump him!" But in geeked-out schools, that wouldn't happen—because everyone would be a nerd. At the final spirit-stick ceremony last year, 220 kids erupted in applause as a teacher read aloud the 14-year-old honoree's thesis. It started by calling America an "unfair and superficial nation." Hey, kids are going to rebel; better to have them cheered for doing it with contentious ideas.”
I’m not sure this formula would work everywhere. I was never a geek, but I wasn’t one of the “cool” kids either. I think the concept is interesting and if it can keep kids interested in academics to ensure their further education, then it should be modeled in as many schools as possible.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Online Classrooms Edging Out In Person Learning
An Information Week article provides a good breakdown on a U.S. department of education research study detailing the differences in learning online versus classroom with online edging out person-to-person classroom teaching. The study focused on four questions:
1. How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction?
2. Does supplementing face-to-face instruction with online instruction enhance learning?
3. What practices are associated with more effective online learning?
4. What conditions influence the effectiveness of online learning?
Meta-data used 51 independent studies of online vs. classroom learning methods. The SRI study found that, on average, online students would rank in the 59th percentile of all college students, while average classroom students would be in the 50th percentile.
“The study’s major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing – it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction,” Barbara Means, the lead author of the study, told The New York Times.
1. How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction?
2. Does supplementing face-to-face instruction with online instruction enhance learning?
3. What practices are associated with more effective online learning?
4. What conditions influence the effectiveness of online learning?
Meta-data used 51 independent studies of online vs. classroom learning methods. The SRI study found that, on average, online students would rank in the 59th percentile of all college students, while average classroom students would be in the 50th percentile.
“The study’s major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing – it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction,” Barbara Means, the lead author of the study, told The New York Times.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Teaching with Technology - Is the Timing Right?
My thirteen year-old niece Sarah just started high school and if that was not bad enough, her family recently moved so now she has to take the bus with her 10 year-old brother, ugh! She doesn’t like her classes, the new students or the “stupid” teachers…just being a teenager right? Well, maybe, but perhaps there is a deeper issue.
As I was getting the low down from my sister, I heard something that caught my attention. It seems the class curriculum is not as advanced as her previous school. Even though the family moved into a much more upscale (at least in housing price) neighborhood. “But her teachers told me don’t worry about that, she won’t be bored,” my sister said. Really? Really? I think that is exactly what she will be. Why is it that from one school district to another, only divided by a few miles, the curriculum, teaching practices, administrators, etc. is so different?
I recently read an article in U.S. News & World Report Using Technology as Our Teacher, regarding the new Obama plan for educational funding that may or may not help the educational variances from school to school. Reporter Mortimer Zuckerman states, “Now, the Obama administration has announced a $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund—and it could be different this time around. It's the largest pot ever in the history of discretionary funding for education reform for grades K through 12.” Okay, but we’ve been throwing money at education for a long time, what makes this time different? Mr. Zuckerman says this time the difference is providing more good teachers as opposed to bad. Seems logical, but how do you determine the bad from the good.
Zuckerman says that through technology, “We could escape geography by using the technology to have the best teachers appear in hundreds of thousands of disparate classrooms. This is a force multiplier. The classrooms would be equipped with a large, flat-screen monitor with whiteboards on either side; the monitor would be connected to a school server that contains virtually all of the lessons for every subject taught in the school, from kindergarten through 12th grade. The contents would use animation, video, dramatization, and presentation options to deliver complete lessons, to convey ideas in unique ways that are now unavailable in conventional classrooms.”
He continues to quote, Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education by Terry M. Moe and John E. Chubb throughout his article.
All well and good, but does it address the issues of schools that would need years to incorporate the technology into their classrooms? What about teachers with tenure that aren’t so “good?” There are many more questions than answers at this point. It will be interesting to see how our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan administrates this increased fund to address the serious failings in the U.S. educational system.
I’m looking forward to keeping my eye on the administrations efforts. Now all I need to do is help my sister figure out how to keep my niece from killing her brother on the bus!
As I was getting the low down from my sister, I heard something that caught my attention. It seems the class curriculum is not as advanced as her previous school. Even though the family moved into a much more upscale (at least in housing price) neighborhood. “But her teachers told me don’t worry about that, she won’t be bored,” my sister said. Really? Really? I think that is exactly what she will be. Why is it that from one school district to another, only divided by a few miles, the curriculum, teaching practices, administrators, etc. is so different?
I recently read an article in U.S. News & World Report Using Technology as Our Teacher, regarding the new Obama plan for educational funding that may or may not help the educational variances from school to school. Reporter Mortimer Zuckerman states, “Now, the Obama administration has announced a $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund—and it could be different this time around. It's the largest pot ever in the history of discretionary funding for education reform for grades K through 12.” Okay, but we’ve been throwing money at education for a long time, what makes this time different? Mr. Zuckerman says this time the difference is providing more good teachers as opposed to bad. Seems logical, but how do you determine the bad from the good.
Zuckerman says that through technology, “We could escape geography by using the technology to have the best teachers appear in hundreds of thousands of disparate classrooms. This is a force multiplier. The classrooms would be equipped with a large, flat-screen monitor with whiteboards on either side; the monitor would be connected to a school server that contains virtually all of the lessons for every subject taught in the school, from kindergarten through 12th grade. The contents would use animation, video, dramatization, and presentation options to deliver complete lessons, to convey ideas in unique ways that are now unavailable in conventional classrooms.”
He continues to quote, Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education by Terry M. Moe and John E. Chubb throughout his article.
All well and good, but does it address the issues of schools that would need years to incorporate the technology into their classrooms? What about teachers with tenure that aren’t so “good?” There are many more questions than answers at this point. It will be interesting to see how our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan administrates this increased fund to address the serious failings in the U.S. educational system.
I’m looking forward to keeping my eye on the administrations efforts. Now all I need to do is help my sister figure out how to keep my niece from killing her brother on the bus!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Engaging Students Visually in the Classroom
In yesterday’s blog I talked about the need for faculty to provide students the ability to engage in their learning. Today, we have an example of using visualization in the classroom to do just that. Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VA has created a two-year degree program in modeling and simulation developed by Jody Strausser. Strausser states, "We created this laboratory for students who were new to basic programming and who were going to create virtual environments that could be experienced in the classroom." "The idea was to make it as real and hands-on as possible," he said. "When creating a virtual environment for training purposes, you need as much realism as possible. In order to train effectively, the visualization needs to be and act like a real-world environment."
Read the full article by Denise Harrison
Read the full article by Denise Harrison
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
John Hughes Lessons for Faculty
This is my maiden blog on Discover-ed. I wanted to start an educational blog not because I’m an educator, but because I believe there are such interesting articles and ideas concerning education in our culture today. I hope this blog will provide a one-stop place to see what is being said and hopefully done, regarding education and educational technologies in classrooms across the U.S. and globally. I welcome your feedback and hope we can participate in interesting discussions on the topic of education.
My first article post is a tribute to John Hughes, called John Hughes’s Lessons by Maureen O’Connell. O’Connell isn’t providing a critic of Mr. Hughes as a film maker but as a “seer” of high school student angst and how students view their education and want to be a part of the learning process. She particularly highlights Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (one of my personal favorites) and the pedagogical strategies all teachers are faced with in the classroom daily.
There is also a link in the article to Mr. Hughes’ films!
Robin McGuire
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/08/18/oconnell
My first article post is a tribute to John Hughes, called John Hughes’s Lessons by Maureen O’Connell. O’Connell isn’t providing a critic of Mr. Hughes as a film maker but as a “seer” of high school student angst and how students view their education and want to be a part of the learning process. She particularly highlights Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (one of my personal favorites) and the pedagogical strategies all teachers are faced with in the classroom daily.
There is also a link in the article to Mr. Hughes’ films!
Robin McGuire
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/08/18/oconnell
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