Educators lead effort to increase students’ interest in reading
The Chicago Tribune (10/20, Malone) reports, “The percent of 17-year-olds who do not read for pleasure has doubled in the past 20 years, according to a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts. Just 43 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds said they read literature in 2002, continuing a decline that began two decades earlier.” Meanwhile, “the drop in how much teens read outside of class has spurred changes in what they read inside it, teachers say.” For example, “many educators pair old novels with newer books or media” to keep students’ attention. Bookstore operator Becky Anderson has also joined the effort. Anderson’s bookshop “brings contemporary authors to schools and coordinates reading clubs in Naperville schools. In one of the programs, elementary age students read and react to manuscripts being considered by publisher HarperCollins.” Anderson said she hopes the program “will cultivate a love of reading before the teen years.”
In the Classroom
Tennessee elementary educator uses novels to teach all subjects.
Tennessee’s Commercial Appeal (10/20, Hanna) reports on fourth-grade teacher Brandy Gail Bailey, named an American No Child Left Behind Star Teacher in 2006, who “teaches reading, language arts, and spelling…through literature.” According to Bailey, she does not “teach the old ‘skill and drill’ method. We take a children’s book and use that to teach all the skills.” She also points out that the novels inspire her students. They “‘are more energized and excited when they walk into class. I had a class that wanted to give up recess so they could read the next chapter in a book. They wanted to know what happened next that much,’ she said.” In addition, “Using literature…helps students learn more than the skills they need in the classroom.” For instance, “a book the class read that centers on a divorce has helped a lot of students understand that everyone has times in their life when things are not perfect.”
Florida teacher conducts Latin class with students in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Post (10/19, Weizel) reported on the Latin program at Connecticut’s Stratford High School. The class is taught by Susan Youngquist, who teaches from her condominium in Fort Myers, Fla. “Youngquist came out of retirement two years ago to set up the Latin program at Stratford High School, but recently moved to Florida for the winter. … She wanted to keep teaching the students who started in the program and are now taking Latin 3, and since the school district didn’t have the money to hire a new teacher for just four students, the long-distance conference calling system was created.” Class is conducted “using state-of-the-art computer and telephone technology” that allows Youngquist to type “instructions and notes that simultaneously appear across each of the student’s computer screens.” According to Mike Camporiale, coordinator of World Languages and English as a Second Language, “the class represents a breakthrough that is likely to be common in the future.” He added, “I see this expanding at the high school level very soon.”
Increasing test scores not an indicator of overall improvement, author says.
Utah’s Salt Lake Tribune (10/19, Schencker) reported, “Rising test scores are no reason to celebrate, author Alfie Kohn told teachers at the Utah Education Association (UEA) convention [last] Friday.” The reason, he said, is because “schools that improve test scores do so at the expense of other subjects and ideas.” Kohn, the author of “11 books on human behavior, parenting and schools,” also “slammed merit pay for teachers, competition in schools, Advanced Placement classes, curriculum standards, and testing — including Utah’s standards and testing system — drawing mixed reactions from his audience.” He said that merit pay was “an ‘odious’ type of control imposed on teachers,” and that “competition in schools destroys their sense of community.” Kohn also told the crowd, “The best teachers spend every day of their lives strategically avoiding or subverting the Utah curriculum.”
On the Job
Proposal would require endorsements to teach middle school subjects.
The Chicago Tribune (10/20, Sadovi) reports, “As many as 5,000 middle school teachers in Chicago could be required to go back to school for additional training to continue teaching under a plan expected to be approved by the Board of Education this week.” The proposal would require all “6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade teachers…to gain an ‘endorsement’ noting they are qualified for specific subjects at those grade levels.” The Chicago Teachers Union supports the proposal, according to union official Mary McClure. “Studies have shown that the most important person in a child’s education is a teacher, and we would certainly want to provide the highest-quality education to the students in Chicago,” she said. “The district plans to make grants available to teachers to help them pay for the classes, and is looking at interest-free loans to help finance the course work.”
Law & Policy
Oregon voters to decide on proposal to base teachers’ pay on classroom performance.
Oregon’s Salem Statesman Journal (10/19) reported, “Oregon teachers’ pay would be based on ‘classroom performance’ rather than seniority if voters approve Measure 60 in the Nov. 4 general election.” Bill Sizemore, “a conservative anti-tax activist who sponsored the pay initiative,” said, “The current system does not allow schools to reward excellence or good performance in teachers. … Every collective bargaining contract for teachers in this state has 95 percent of the pay based on seniority…without regard to whether they’re doing a good job.” Sizemore also backed a 2000 teacher merit pay initiative that was rejected by voters. “This time, Sizemore said he purposely left the wording of the measure open-ended. If approved, the Oregon Legislature would need to decide how to carry out the measure.” Meanwhile, “critics of [the] proposal said it’s fundamentally flawed and unworkable because it fails to specify any criteria to define or gauge ‘classroom performance,’” and they say the measure could “result in costly negotiations and litigation.”
Judge rules against New York City teachers wearing campaign buttons in the classroom.
The AP (10/17) reported, “A judge has ruled that New York City can prevent teachers from wearing political campaign buttons in schools.” But, “Judge Lewis Kaplan says teachers may post political content on their union bulletin boards in areas that are closed to students.”
The ruling “came after the union, the United Federation of Teachers, sued over a city mandate that requires teachers to remain neutral about politics while on duty to avoid any sense of pressure among students to echo their views,” the New York Times (10/18, A20, Hernandez) added. “The union…argued that the longstanding regulation had never been enforced and that it curtailed teachers’ right of free speech.” Kaplan “said that it should be up to individual school districts to determine whether buttons in the classroom interfered with learning.” But he pointed out “that while a majority of students would probably understand that a button represented a teacher’s personal view, there would be ‘inevitable misperceptions on the part of a minority.’”
Safety & Security
Citing safety concerns, many school officials decide to keep students home on Election Day.
The New York Times (10/19, A19, Cullotta) reported, “School officials and parents across the nation are turning an increasingly critical eye on the time-honored tradition of voters’ casting ballots in the gymnasiums and hallways of neighborhood school buildings while classes go on as usual just a few yards away.” Due to “safety concerns, many officials are opting to keep youngsters home on Nov. 4, Election Day.” Kenneth Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, an advocacy group, explained the trend: “School districts across the country now spend millions of dollars each year on controlling access to buildings with locked doors and surveillance cameras to keep strangers out. … We shouldn’t be opening the doors at our schools on Election Day, and just hoping everything will be O.K.” But Kathy Christie, chief of staff at the Education Commission of the States, a nonpartisan organization, opposes closing schools on Election Day. “Keeping kids home on Election Day…creates an inconvenience and another worry about day care for their parents,” she said.
Florida schools must have anti-bullying policies in place by Dec. 1.
The Orlando Sentinel (10/19, Weber) reported, “Tough new policies being rushed into schools across Florida call for swift, sharp punishment for students who pick on others. They may be spending time in detention or even be expelled.” Last spring, the state Legislature passed a law requiring “every school district to have a strict bullying and harassment policy in place by Dec. 1 that meets state guidelines. The policies must spell out a process for students to report bullying, allow anonymous complaints, and require school officials to investigate immediately and report quickly.” Each district’s policy must also cover cyberbullying. “Employees, school volunteers, and anyone visiting a school will fall under the policies along with students.” Any district that does not have a bullying policy in place by Dec. 1 will not “receive Safe Schools funding that they use to pay for school-resource officers and other safety-related items.”
Facilities
Eco-friendly schools are a growing trend in the U.S.
USA Today (10/20, Koch) reports on eco-friendly schools, which “offer ways to save energy, improve air quality, and educate students about the environment.” Eight states now “require new schools to meet green-building standards,” and some “other states — including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California — offer financial incentives.” Although the concept of eco-friendly schools has been around for years, “the greening of America’s schools” has come as “part of a larger trend toward more energy-efficient construction, from homes to shopping malls, city halls and office buildings.” USA Today notes that “the U.S. Green Building Council…has certified or is considering certification for more than 1,000 schools around the country.” Criteria for schools seeking to be certified as eco-friendly “emphasize recyclable materials, large windows, water conservation, efficient heating and cooling systems, and natural light. Another hallmark of green building is well-insulated exterior walls, windows and doors.”
Also in the News
Parents campaign in two Virginia districts for grading scale overhaul.
The Washington Post (10/20, C6, Birnbaum) reports, “A parent-led campaign to overhaul Fairfax County’s [Va.] grading scale has sparked a similar effort in neighboring Loudoun County.” The group, Fairgrade seeks to “lower the Fairfax school system’s cutoff for an A from 94 points to 90 on a 100-point scale, arguing that the higher bar hurts competitiveness in college admissions and scholarships.” Fairgrade is trying “to make a similar change to the Loudoun school system’s 93-point A.” The Post notes that “there are financial benefits, beyond scholarships, to having higher grade-point averages. Student discounts on car insurance, for example, are often determined by GPAs, and the savings can be significant.” Although the Loudoun County “school board’s curriculum and instruction committee met [last] Wednesday with representatives from” Fairgrade, school board “members have adopted a wait-and-see attitude, figuring that the Fairfax report will be just as applicable to them.”
South Carolina district changes grading policy to prevent students from failing. South Carolina’s State (10/19) reported, “In an effort to boost its reputation, Lexington 4 officials have come up with a plan to change the grading scale, add more frequent feedback for parents, focus on how a student improves over time to determine grades, and to strategically focus on the weaknesses and strengths of each child.” The school has also changed the “lowest grade a student can receive” from a zero to 60 percent. School “officials say the new grading method runs counter to traditional practices that heavily reward or penalize students for interim work without paying enough attention to what a child knows at the end of course work.” According to Suzette Lee, director of the Office of Instructional Promising Practices at the state Department of Education, grading policies such as the one implemented at Lexington 4 are “designed to help students before they have a chance to fail.”
Teachers should be evaluated on instruction methods, not test scores, researcher says.
In an opinion piece for Education Week (10/20), Julie Sweetland, a senior research associate at the Center for Inspired Teaching, in Washington wrote, “Education policymakers are starting to act on what teachers have long known: No matter what policies, curricula, or governance structures are in place, they are only as effective as the teacher who translates them into the daily life of the classroom.” Instead of “equating good teaching with high student test scores,” Sweetland suggests that “a better alternative may be to…invest in a dramatically improved approach to teacher evaluation.” According to Sweetland, “districts placing a high priority on direct observations of classroom practice appear to be on the right track,” because “the observations used in these systems are” usually “carefully conducted qualitative assessments that meet research standards for clarity and transparency.” Furthermore, Sweetland wrote, evaluators should “look for specific indicators of excellent instruction such as questioning that promotes critical thinking, “the ability to foster a positive…classroom environment,” and “the use of engaging lessons.”
California teacher infuses creativity into math lessons.
California’s Riverside Press Enterprise (10/20, Perrrault) reported that in Yucaipa, Canyon Middle School teacher Zach More “pushes himself to find new ways to make sure his students are grasping often-abstract [math] concepts such as polynomials, factorization, and formulas.” The core of his “philosophy is challenging students to understand the ‘why’ and logic of how they arrived at an answer. It’s a passion for More, and one he hopes will help teenagers become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.” More explained, “Math isn’t a bunch of steps, it’s a thinking process. … I really want to push the creative thinking.” More sometimes incorporates technology into his lessons. “Recently, More’s classes have come alive with discussion and laughter as nervous students recite questions into a video camera. They’re making a movie to capture fundamentals of algebra.” After each lesson, More looks to his students for feedback, “‘If it’s the same old same old, if it’s boring, I want them to call me on it,’ More said.”
Elementary school students learn about engineering through STEM program.
The Detroit Free Press (10/20, Walsh-Sarnecki) reported, “Every third- and fifth-grade class in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools is partnering with Johnson Controls to give kids practice at working out real engineering problems similar to those pondered by the automotive engineers in the company’s Plymouth office.” The curriculum, “which is used in 500 to 1,000 schools nationwide each year,” was developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Matt Miller, SAE director of education programs, said that “the goal is to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering, and math as early as possible.” He added, “The future is going to call for a greater understanding of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in careers in general.” Students at Plymouth-Canton work on “real problems in force and motion the same way an engineer would, but at a smaller size than an automobile.” For instance, while fifth-graders build “paper cars powered by balloons,” third-graders engineer “sails on paper boats powered by portable fans.”
Kentucky study evaluates effectiveness of digital textbooks.
Education Week (10/20, Trotter) reported that researchers at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky “are learning important lessons about whether students with disabilities are benefiting from a digital math textbook that speaks words and equations aloud while highlighting those elements on a computer screen.” A group of students “from two middle schools in Clark County, Ky., participated in the research, which “is one of several federally funded projects to identify ways to deliver curriculum content that are more effective than printed books or the common forms of digital textbooks.” Debra K. Bauder, the lead analyst for the study and an assistant professor at the University of Louisville, said, “From the pilot, we can say that all the students did improve in their algebra and pre-algebra skills.” However, Education Week pointed out that “it is worth noting that the study was very small. Only 14 students were involved last school year, but the number will rise to 26 students this school year.”
On the Job
States determining how to assess teachers’ performance using testing data.
Education Week (10/20, Sawchuck) reported, “As states’ information-collection systems grow more sophisticated, officials are grappling with where to draw the line on how ‘value added’ data on teachers can be used.” Education Week points out that “since the adoption of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the task of establishing data systems for tracking students’ year-to-year achievement gains has fallen largely to the states.” Several states, including “Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming,” match “teachers to specific students’ course assignments and assessment data” using “a unique identification number.” Tennessee “permits the use of [value-added] data for teacher evaluation as long as the data meet certain technical requirements.” But “California serves as a counterpoint: A 2006 state law establishing a new teacher-identification database prevents such data from being used for teacher pay, evaluation, or personnel decisions.”
North Carolina gubernatorial candidates propose changes to teacher compensation.
The AP (10/20) reported, “North Carolina’s public school accountability program is showing signs of wear after a decade, as teacher bonuses were smaller this year and some want extra pay linked more closely to classroom performance.” Each of the “three candidates for North Carolina governor…have education backgrounds,” and all say that, “if elected, they would seek to change how student performance is evaluated or expand incentives to attract more teachers to the profession, according to surveys and interviews with The Associated Press.” The AP lists the major education issues that each candidate would take on, if elected. Their ideas include “giving higher pay to teachers in high-demand subjects such as math and science,” which “runs counter to the state’s teacher salary system which rewards seniority and doesn’t differentiate between subject areas.” Other ideas are to “do away with the bonus system…and replace it with a merit-based system,” and increase starting pay for teachers.
Special Needs
Some school personnel miss meetings with parents of special needs students, D.C. official says.
The Washington Post (10/21, B5, Turque) reports that Washington, D.C.’s “top special education official testified in federal court yesterday that some school personnel ignore scheduled meetings with parents, contributing to the city’s failure to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities or behavioral challenges.” According to Richard Nyankori, acting deputy chancellor for special education, the absence of teachers at such meetings leaves “cases unresolved and parents in the lurch.” At a hearing called by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman, “Nyankori said that many special education coordinators, teachers, and other service providers take their duties seriously and that sometimes ‘workload or not understanding what the procedures are’ can lead to meetings not occurring.” The Post notes that “Friedman called the hearing to quiz officials about the District’s lack of progress in complying with a 2006 consent decree that settled a class action brought by parents of children with learning problems.”
Safety & Security
Some U.K. cyber-bullies targeting teachers.
The U.K.’s Cornishman (10/21) reports, “Cornwall’s teachers are falling victim to the menace of ‘cyber-bullying’ as well as a growing number of physical attacks by pupils.” The classroom bullies “send abusive text messages or emails and post offensive clips on the Internet.” For instance, one “teacher’s family ‘was almost destroyed’ when a website was set up to repeat scurrilous and false allegations against him, even though he had been cleared of any wrongdoing.” In addition, some teachers fear that “derogatory remarks and images posted on sites such as RateMyTeachers, YouTube, and Bebo can damage their career.” Teachers’ union secretary Kathy Wallis “said ‘cyber-bullying’ was driving some teachers to the brink of despair.” But, while Wallis stresses that “the issue of assaults must be debated and addressed,” she also acknowledges that “only a minority of pupils assault teachers. … Schools remain relatively safe havens of peace and security,” she said.
Also in the News
About 20 percent of New York City elementary students “chronically absent” from school last year, report shows.
The New York Times (10/21, A21, Medina) reports, “More than 90,000 of New York City’s elementary school students — roughly 20 percent — missed at least a month of classes during the last school year, with attendance problems most acute in central Brooklyn, Harlem, and the South Bronx, according to a report scheduled for release on Tuesday.” In high school and middle school, 40 percent and 24 percent of “students were absent for at least a month,” respectively. Researchers examined “detailed attendance reports for the city’s nearly 1,500 public schools,” and also “found that in 124 elementary schools, 98 middle schools and 41 schools serving kindergarten through eighth grade, at least 30 percent of the students were chronically absent, defined as missing 20 days of the 185-day school year. … The report is a one-year snapshot and does not include comparable historical data.” The Times notes that “the city…employs attendance monitors, but the report said they were stretched thin — 392 people tracking nearly 200,000 students with serious attendance problems.”
Michigan governor urges action to address state’s “dropout crisis.”
The Detroit Free Press (10/20, Higgins) reported that at an education summit “organized by a cadre of organizations to tackle the state’s dropout crisis,” Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) urged participants to become ‘educational revolutionaries” by being “willing to ‘rewrite the rules, for those kids’ the current system is not working for.” Nevertheless, Granholm said that “she doesn’t want to see the state’s tough new graduation requirements, which some say could lead to more dropouts, softened in response” to Michigan’s high drop-out rate. According to the Free Press, “more than 20,000 high school students” in Michigan “abandon their education each year.” Summit attendees also “today heard from a panel of students, most of whom had dropped out of school at one point,” and economist Andrew Sum, who “pointed out the wide gap between lifetime earnings for high school dropouts and those who’ve received a diploma or college degree.”
NEA in the News
Number of male teachers in the U.S. at 40-year low.
ABC News (10/20, Pleshette-Murphy) reported on its website, “The number of male teachers in the United States is at a 40-year low. Out of the three million teachers in the United States, only one-quarter are men, according the National Education Association (NEA).” According to Bryan Nelson, the founder of MenTeach.org, “a nonprofit organization working to increase [the] number of” male educators, the main reason for the shrinking trend is stereotypes. “People believe men aren’t nurturing. The second reason is fear of accusations of abuse. People are afraid men are going to harm children. And the third reason is low status, low pay,” he said. But, research shows that “the presence of a male teacher in the classroom has an impact not only on boys’ self-esteem but also on their academic performance.” And, a “recent British study from the Training and Development Agency for Schools found that the presence of a male teacher in the classroom for a year closed the achievement gap significantly between boys and girls, especially in English and social studies, subjects that girls tend to do better in than boys.”
Schools in North Dakota district asked to clear Election Day of after-school events.
Education Week (10/20, Manzo) reported, “When schools in Bismarck, N.D., scheduled parent-teacher conferences this school year, some chose a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday to avoid competing with the customary ‘church night’ in the capital city, when local youths attend choir practice and other religious activities.” But, the “chosen Tuesday” happened to fall on Election Day. Consequently, school officials told administrators “to change the date for [the] meetings.” Bismarck Superintendent Paul Johnson said, “We think that given the predicted turnout in this election and the interest in this election, we’re much better off avoiding [any conflicts].” The North Dakota Education Association (NDEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association, agreed with the district’s decision. “‘There are a lot of obligations for school districts to follow and they are trying to juggle busy schedules, but it really should have been a day [without] anything going on after school,’ said NDEA President Dakota Draper.”