Most educational reforms, as most of us know, deal with testing and accountability. In many cases, this means several things: teachers lack control of their own curricula, academics take priority over everything else; and schools systematically find ways to deal with "bad kids" who inhibit learning.
To the first point: Curricula cannot be one-size-fits-all. All students, and all teachers, are different. But when one is teaching to a specific standardized test, this idea is often forgotten, and then teachers are stuck teaching things they themselves may not even care about. Thus, students become bored and disengaged, and no one can learn like that. Education needs to be relevant or you won't remember what you learned. That's basic learning theory. Additionally, as this article points out, racial makeup of schools (in regards to both students and staffing) does matter, especially in terms of how comfortable students and parents feel in their neighborhood schools. I believe that first and foremost, schools should feel like a community for all involved, not simply a place where one goes to learn stuff. When teachers can't control what they're teaching, it breaches basic theories about how students learn, and quashes the idea that schools act as safe communities who embrace their students' cultures. Perhaps more importantly, when teachers are not in control, their voices are not heard, and neither are their students'.
To the second point: We all know that there is not enough time in the day to do everything we want to do. This is even more problematic for teachers, especially when they must teach to the test. But is it really a bad thing when students don't have time for non-academic activities, like music, sports, and theater? Yes. The author here does an amazing job of advocating for the arts. I know from experience that the arts are vital. Especially for at-risk students. True, the arts are not tested. But we can still hold arts teachers accountable for what their students learn. Not all successes can be measured through numbers (and this is coming from someone who creates pivot tables for fun...).
And to the last point: Perhaps I am naive, but I don't understand why there is such a preponderance of expulsions and suspensions in the school system. First of all, if a child dislikes school, suspending him is not a punishment. Secondly, while I understand that teachers may not be able to manage a classroom with constant misbehavior (speaking from experience), taking a child out of school sends a message that the people in charge are giving up on helping her. This article alludes to the idea that expulsion rates correlate to drop out rates (and looking at this graph, you can see that "not being interested" -- i.e. the first and second points -- and "missing too many days" account for the most popular reasons for why students drop out (page 3)). We need to develop a culture that tells students school is important, but this goes back to making school relevant and interesting again.
Finally, to end on a good note, despite the fact that is so much wrong with education reform, the world needs passionate and caring teachers. This professor explains why beautifully.
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Showing posts with label at risk students. Show all posts
Showing posts with label at risk students. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Why Ferguson is an education issue
The big story in the news right now is the shooting of Michael Brown from Ferguson, MO, who was young and black. There are many similarities between this killing and that of Trayvon Martin, as well as the Rodney King riots. But why, you may ask, is an education blogger mentioning this?
To answer that question, it is necessary to first unpack the inherent racial profiling that occurred in all three of the above cases. There can be no question that each of these scenarios might have happened differently if the victims were white. Perhaps they still would have been killed, but the backlash about race would not have been so powerful. Many people have recently alluded to the white privilege that white people don't often realize they have. In the latter article, the writer mentions that even though she grew up dirt-poor, she still possesses white privilege simply due to her skin color. Another Huffington Post writer states that the media isn't helping with the perpetuation of stereotypes.
Additionally, in nearly every category that the government gathers statistics of -- people in jail, people in college, people on welfare -- people of color are disadvantaged. Is it because POC are genuinely more driven to commit crimes, not finish school, or not obtain living-wage jobs? Of course not. A great deal of the disadvantages occur because this country perpetuates white privilege, whether the people perpetuating it are aware of this or not. True, there is no longer slavery or legal segregation, but this is a culture dominated by white males, and it therefore can leave those who do not fall into this category feeling like outcasts.
But what does this have to do with education? First, as stated a remarkable piece written by Peggy McIntosh in 1988 (which all educators should familiarize themselves with, by the way), there are (at least) 50 reasons why white people can feel more comfortable in this culture. Because they fit in they may not be able to sympathize with POC in even their simplest struggles (like being followed while shopping). As a result, POC often feel marginalized or unwanted. If you possess these feelings (especially if they are coupled with worrying about whether you can eat today), school is most likely not your first priority.
Secondly, school systems were designed by this white culture. Therefore, there is often a disconnect not only in the curriculum for people of color (i.e. history being written by white men, required books by mostly white authors), but also in everyday scenarios similar to those McIntosh lists. White teachers may not be able to empathize with black students who feel like they can't walk around the school or community wearing jeans and a hoodie. This is why POC (especially black males) are especially vulnerable when it comes to dropping out of school. (Of course it's not the only reason, but if teenagers cannot relate to something or understand how it is relevant to their lives, they will not be invested.)
What's going on now in Ferguson is terrible, of course, but it can also open our eyes to the bigger issues -- there is still segregation in terms of society's perspectives of the races. We cannot hope to reform schools in the so-called inner cities until we reform these attitudes about race. For better or worse, they are intertwined.
To answer that question, it is necessary to first unpack the inherent racial profiling that occurred in all three of the above cases. There can be no question that each of these scenarios might have happened differently if the victims were white. Perhaps they still would have been killed, but the backlash about race would not have been so powerful. Many people have recently alluded to the white privilege that white people don't often realize they have. In the latter article, the writer mentions that even though she grew up dirt-poor, she still possesses white privilege simply due to her skin color. Another Huffington Post writer states that the media isn't helping with the perpetuation of stereotypes.
Additionally, in nearly every category that the government gathers statistics of -- people in jail, people in college, people on welfare -- people of color are disadvantaged. Is it because POC are genuinely more driven to commit crimes, not finish school, or not obtain living-wage jobs? Of course not. A great deal of the disadvantages occur because this country perpetuates white privilege, whether the people perpetuating it are aware of this or not. True, there is no longer slavery or legal segregation, but this is a culture dominated by white males, and it therefore can leave those who do not fall into this category feeling like outcasts.
But what does this have to do with education? First, as stated a remarkable piece written by Peggy McIntosh in 1988 (which all educators should familiarize themselves with, by the way), there are (at least) 50 reasons why white people can feel more comfortable in this culture. Because they fit in they may not be able to sympathize with POC in even their simplest struggles (like being followed while shopping). As a result, POC often feel marginalized or unwanted. If you possess these feelings (especially if they are coupled with worrying about whether you can eat today), school is most likely not your first priority.
Secondly, school systems were designed by this white culture. Therefore, there is often a disconnect not only in the curriculum for people of color (i.e. history being written by white men, required books by mostly white authors), but also in everyday scenarios similar to those McIntosh lists. White teachers may not be able to empathize with black students who feel like they can't walk around the school or community wearing jeans and a hoodie. This is why POC (especially black males) are especially vulnerable when it comes to dropping out of school. (Of course it's not the only reason, but if teenagers cannot relate to something or understand how it is relevant to their lives, they will not be invested.)
What's going on now in Ferguson is terrible, of course, but it can also open our eyes to the bigger issues -- there is still segregation in terms of society's perspectives of the races. We cannot hope to reform schools in the so-called inner cities until we reform these attitudes about race. For better or worse, they are intertwined.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
I'm back!
I really have no excuse for being gone this long. In August, I took a job teaching GED classes to adults and it's incredibly rewarding and far better (for me, at least) than teaching high school students. I guess maybe I was using that change in my life to justify not writing about K-12 education, but that's a stupid reason, especially since if K12 ed were better, there would be no need for GED classes.
And then after a couple more months, I figured "well, I've stopped for this long. Might as well stop entirely," but that's an even dumber reason because that's essentially quitting for no good reason. So I have wised up, and here I am again.
I'm sure you're not asking what the catalyst for my return is, but I'll tell you anyway. I read this feel-good article in WaPo today about a student from Anacostia High (probably the worst school in the District) getting a full ride to Georgetown and my initial reaction was, "Awesome! Good for her!" But then I stumbled upon this article and thought, "Oh yeah, good point. High schools (especially those in urban areas) really need to ramp it up."
Finally, I read this article from The New York Times, and the TL;DR version of it is is that students from lower-income families have a lower chance of graduating from college which often has more to do with the culture shock and motivation required in college, not finances. A professor at UT-Austin is trying to figure out ways to help them graduate.
It's no secret that schools in "poor" areas are not as good as schools from wealthy areas, but I thought all three of these articles did a great job of pointing out the psychological endeavors students must go through when they transition to college, which lower-income students struggle more with. These are things you cannot measure. But these are things that are critically important to be aware of, and then attempt to fix.
As Rashema points out in the first article, "[E]ducation is the only way out [of poverty]." If an 18 year old understands this, why don't the people who make the decisions?
And then after a couple more months, I figured "well, I've stopped for this long. Might as well stop entirely," but that's an even dumber reason because that's essentially quitting for no good reason. So I have wised up, and here I am again.
I'm sure you're not asking what the catalyst for my return is, but I'll tell you anyway. I read this feel-good article in WaPo today about a student from Anacostia High (probably the worst school in the District) getting a full ride to Georgetown and my initial reaction was, "Awesome! Good for her!" But then I stumbled upon this article and thought, "Oh yeah, good point. High schools (especially those in urban areas) really need to ramp it up."
Finally, I read this article from The New York Times, and the TL;DR version of it is is that students from lower-income families have a lower chance of graduating from college which often has more to do with the culture shock and motivation required in college, not finances. A professor at UT-Austin is trying to figure out ways to help them graduate.
It's no secret that schools in "poor" areas are not as good as schools from wealthy areas, but I thought all three of these articles did a great job of pointing out the psychological endeavors students must go through when they transition to college, which lower-income students struggle more with. These are things you cannot measure. But these are things that are critically important to be aware of, and then attempt to fix.
As Rashema points out in the first article, "[E]ducation is the only way out [of poverty]." If an 18 year old understands this, why don't the people who make the decisions?
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Common Core and Classroom Management
Two articles I've recently read discuss, respectively, how teachers are unprepared for the "Common Core," and how behavior management in high school can be a problem even for seasoned teachers, taking time away from teaching and learning.
Both articles are from Education Week, and I'm including them both because these issues are connected. First, if Common Core is implemented, it will require more teacher training, and there is a lack of time and money to provide it adequately. And if teachers are still struggling with classroom management, what makes administrators think they will have time to implement Common Core on top of the regular pressures of classroom teaching? If teachers are still learning how to implement the Common Core in addition to managing behavior, the classroom will be nothing but chaos. Policy makers should, at the very least, ask teachers what they want (or provide training) before putting anything else on their already overflowing plates.
The article discusses that, as usual, it is the at-risk students, such as those with disabilities, ELLs, and low-SES students, who will be the most affected by teachers' unpreparedness with implementation of the Common Core. Am I crazy, or shouldn't we close the achievement gap first before moving on to implementing a new policy? The Common Core, therefore, will probably have the opposite effect of its intention due to teachers' uncomfortableness with its implementation.
Again, seems to be a case of policy makers trying to do too much at once. Teachers are already doing too much at once. Trying, for example, to manage their classrooms basically on their own, and disciplining when they should be teaching, through no fault of their own, as the above article suggests. It's also noteworthy that most discipline problems come from at-risk students, and these students will be even more of a disruption under the Common Core, especially if teacher training is not provided.
It seems to me that most policies that are set on the state and federal levels seem to be detrimental to both students and teachers. Where do policy makers come up with these things? Do they ask students and teachers about them? Perhaps that should be their first step.
Both articles are from Education Week, and I'm including them both because these issues are connected. First, if Common Core is implemented, it will require more teacher training, and there is a lack of time and money to provide it adequately. And if teachers are still struggling with classroom management, what makes administrators think they will have time to implement Common Core on top of the regular pressures of classroom teaching? If teachers are still learning how to implement the Common Core in addition to managing behavior, the classroom will be nothing but chaos. Policy makers should, at the very least, ask teachers what they want (or provide training) before putting anything else on their already overflowing plates.
The article discusses that, as usual, it is the at-risk students, such as those with disabilities, ELLs, and low-SES students, who will be the most affected by teachers' unpreparedness with implementation of the Common Core. Am I crazy, or shouldn't we close the achievement gap first before moving on to implementing a new policy? The Common Core, therefore, will probably have the opposite effect of its intention due to teachers' uncomfortableness with its implementation.
Again, seems to be a case of policy makers trying to do too much at once. Teachers are already doing too much at once. Trying, for example, to manage their classrooms basically on their own, and disciplining when they should be teaching, through no fault of their own, as the above article suggests. It's also noteworthy that most discipline problems come from at-risk students, and these students will be even more of a disruption under the Common Core, especially if teacher training is not provided.
It seems to me that most policies that are set on the state and federal levels seem to be detrimental to both students and teachers. Where do policy makers come up with these things? Do they ask students and teachers about them? Perhaps that should be their first step.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
The good, the bad, and the CRAZY
Classes at the school at which I teach are on a block schedule, so I see students every other day. I have a crazy disruptive & rude 7th period, and a ridiculously docile and almost boring 6th period. Mind you, these classes meet at the exact same time every day, and the difference between them could not be more pronounced. A lot of it is the dynamic of the students in terms of how they interact with each other; almost half the students in my 7th period have ADHD or have animosity toward each other or are just generally giant jackasses. I am so exhausted after they leave, whereas after 6th period I am just frustrated because I can't tell if the information is getting to them.
There is so much to keep track of in teaching. It's usually not until after the fact that I realize there are other factors at work when a student sits in my class: are they wondering if they can eat tonight? If their mother will wander home drunk? If their father will hit them?.... The list goes on and on. VS says it well (as usual) in this article about poverty. She also has another one about standardization that is rather amusing yet also sad.
Yaaaaaaaaaay weekend.
There is so much to keep track of in teaching. It's usually not until after the fact that I realize there are other factors at work when a student sits in my class: are they wondering if they can eat tonight? If their mother will wander home drunk? If their father will hit them?.... The list goes on and on. VS says it well (as usual) in this article about poverty. She also has another one about standardization that is rather amusing yet also sad.
Yaaaaaaaaaay weekend.
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