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Joellen Kriss

Report shows wide disparity in college achievement - washingtonpost.com - 0 views

  • 45 percent of low-income and underrepresented minority students entering as freshmen in 1999 had received bachelor's degrees six years later at the colleges studied, compared with 57 percent of other students
  • Fewer than one-third of all freshmen entering two-year institutions nationwide attained completion -- either through a certificate, an associate's degree or transfer to a four-year college -- within four years
  • The success rate was lower, 24 percent, for underrepresented minorities, identified as blacks, Latinos and Native Americans; it was higher, 38 percent, for other students.
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    • Joellen Kriss
       
      This is the issue we delt with at McKinley: the kids go to college, but they don't usually make it all the way through.
  • Only 7 percent of minority students who entered community colleges received bachelor's degrees within 10 years.
  • report found a 51 percent graduation rate among low-income students and a 46 percent rate among underrepresented minorities, compared with a graduation rate of about 64 percent for higher-income students and 67 percent for whites and Asians.
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    So this article from the Washington Post talks about a report that examines college graduation rates. The findings are illustrative of the situation Lindsay and I encountered at McKinley this semester and I found it interesting that there's data that supports this. The advice I'd give people who want to decrease the gap (and I'm sure Lindsay would agree): schools need to be preparing these students for rigorous college work loads instead of coddling them and focusing on just getting them into college.
Lindsay Andreas

Students Skip Classes to Protest D.C. Teacher Layoffs - washingtonpost.com - 0 views

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    Video of the McKinley student protest outside Rhee's office building. Notice that they are chanting, "No teachers, no peace"--a play on words from a popular civil rights era chant "No justice, no peace." Tomorrow is going to be utter chaos, my cooperating teacher is there but no more Mr. Hawkins who was a wonderful man. :(
Maria Mahon

The Washington Teacher - 2 views

  • Two days of protests by DC students in response to unfair teacher layoffs. Students held protests on September 28 at the DCPS central office and at Duke Ellington High School for the arts on September 29 at lunch time. These videos say it all. Our students are following the lead of the rank and file teacher rally held on last Thursday, September 24. What a tribute to DC teachers. You have taught them well !
    • Maria Mahon
       
      The teachers at Takoma Education Center told me about the protests and I think it really emphasizes how much of an impact the lay-offs have on the students themselves and the level of personal investment they must feel in their education.
  • McKinley Technology Senior High School located in NE DC was disrupted today as students unexpectedly protested teacher layoffs at the DCPS central headquarters near the Capitol today.
    • Maria Mahon
       
      I thought our classmates doing their placements at McKinley would be interested in this!
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    I thought this might be interesting to share in light of what is happening with DCPS. Yesterday was my first day at my practicum placement and during lunch a few teachers were talking about the "buzz on the blogs" and the firings. All of them mentioned the students protestes by the students at the Duke Ellington School.
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    The kids protesting in the videos, most of them were my kids! They are so wonderful. :)
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    THis is fantastic! Thanks for posting it. Interesting that Fenty says no teachers will be taken out of classrooms . . . John, maybe you should call him . . . ;-)
Laura Wood

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - 5 views

  • History & Soc Studies
    • Laura Wood
       
      Okay so there isn't quite as much information on this site as I was hoping there would be. You CAN search by time period within the United States History. So if you're working through a US History text, this might be a great one stop shop to hit up and see what sorts of primary documents are available in a wealth of federal sites. For example, 1607-1763 has links to colonial documents from: the National Park Service; the Smithsonian; the National Endowment for the Humanities; History Matters; the National Archives, etc You can also search by US History topics (Government, Famous People, Wars, or Ethnic Groups . . . hmmm) or by World Studies. Each of these branch out into more subtopics. It's worth checking out.
    • Laura Wood
       
      Haha. My new web browser hates Diigo. This is supposed to say "Animations" So the animations page is super science heavy. They do have a couple of links to global warming and environmental issues and a link to a Napolean Game where you can wage wars and see how well you do at Waterloo . . .
    • Laura Wood
       
      There are 135 Primary documents. I would recommend searching for these in a different way.
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    • Laura Wood
       
      The video section is also worth checking out. 30 links to videos, some are about science but some are clips of Roosevelt or McKinley. Again, US History stuff. The only place I've found World History stuff is specifically under the Social Studies, World History links.
    • Laura Wood
       
      This lists all of the topics contained on the site in each of the subheadings (Of particular interest: World History, US History, US Time Periods. Check it out!
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    FREE is a website pool of teaching and learning resources from various branches of the federal government. From the website: "More than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources are included from dozens of federal agencies. New sites are added regularly. . . . FREE is maintained by Peter Kickbush and Kirk Winters, Office of Communications and Outreach, with support from the Development Services Team in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Education."
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    This site is amazing, I was just playing around with it and I am definitely using some of the resources for my unit. :)
Lindsay Andreas

National Governors Association - 0 views

  • increase student participation in rigorous college preparatory courses, better align expectations between high school and postsecondary education, hold these systems accountable, and ensure students graduate from high school ready for college or the workplace in the global economy.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      An important part of our mission as secondary educators is to prepare students for either post-secondary work and the workplace.
  • While states invest significant resources in education programs, governors also recognize and appreciate the federal government’s contribution to provide additional resources or assistance for those most in need.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      It is important to remember the break-down in financing, and therefore, where real power lies. If we want policy change, we need to know the most effective avenues for lobbying. We may think Obama sets the education policy agenda but the reality is, governors have a lot of power and persuasion in the field. For example, it always amazes me how different public higher education systems are, and this is because certain states have made it a priority to fund higher education greatly.
  • In this new economy and era of education reform, now is the time to reform postsecondary education by increasing relevance and rigor, accountability, and linkages with kindergarten-12th grade (K-12) education and the workplace, and by expanding financial aid to students of all ages.
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  • Provide capacity-building incentives to states to increase teacher supply and retention, as well as education research.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      On the national level, you only seem to hear about accountability but it is refreshing to see that the NGA takes a lot more into account. I really feel like they are better in touch with the realities of education policy.
  • Authorize states to provide diverse learning options and assessment options, including the option for growth models, determined at the state level.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      Again, they are concerned with other models of assessment for accountability. I think it is safe to say no one disagrees that there should be accountability but the approach varies greatly and I am more aligned with NGA approaches.
  • Congress should refrain from establishing any federal mandates to ensure maximum state and local flexibility to create aligned systems.
  • A one-size-fits all approach to high school learning is outdated and does not support the diverse needs of students. Governors encourage Congress to support state and local policies and programs that expand the availability of learning opportunities for students of all ages including, but not limited to, virtual school options, service learning, internships, apprenticeships, programs addressing out-of-school-youth, alternative learning programs, and the availability of financial aid.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      Thank you! School choices and meeting diverse needs. I really like their recommendations, they want to leave room for discretion.
  • Maximum flexibility in designing state accountability systems, including testing and other indicators of achievement, is critical to preserve the unique balance involving federal funding, local control of education, and state responsibility for system-wide reform. Maximum flexibility in state testing will help improve how students are assessed for academic proficiency and postsecondary readiness. Flexibility should include the option for states to utilize growth measures to assess student performance.
  • Teachers and school leaders must receive the professional support and training needed to provide students with the skills necessary to compete in a global society, particularly in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), literacy, and international and language studies.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      I think the support issue is very relevant because of my experience at McKinley. They are in the process of introducing AP and a STEM program but the teachers are confused about how it should work, I think if they were given more support and guidance, things would run much more smoothly.
  • High schools must compete with other more highly compensated professions for teachers and school leaders, especially in the areas of mathematics and science. Congress should continue to support and expand state-administered pilot projects on performance pay, especially in critical shortage areas or hard-to-staff schools.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      There are a lot of bright young people that don't think about getting into the education profession because it doesn't pay enough and doesn't get enough respect. I really do believe we must make the profession more attractive in order to get the best pool of professionals.
  • Federal policies should encourage—not discourage—promising state efforts in dual enrollment programs that permit students to obtain high quality college-level credits or provide the opportunity to earn an industry-recognized credential while still in secondary school.
  • Congress also should support state efforts that encourage more students to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) coursework and pay for student AP testing.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      I don't necessarily know if I believe in these programs, I'm undecided. I did AP in H.S. and I don't know if I get the point exactly, however, if you are going to do these programs, make sure it is clear the goal of having such programs.
  • The use of a high school graduation rate in any accountability framework must serve as an incentive to promote state and local innovation to better engage and educate every student, and count all students who graduate from high school. Congress and the Administration should work closely with governors to ensure the proper use and application of the NGA Voluntary High School Graduation Rate.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      I think this is so on point, sometimes we do all this testing and numbers/stats but don't even know why we are using them. If we use them to better innovate, that seems like a good thing to me.
  • Governors believe that career and technical education programs and career and technical education teacher certification requirements should reflect the need to better integrate career and academic curriculum and integrate career professionals into the career and technical education teaching corps.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      Amen! I believe in a balance between theory and practice, you need both! Let's invest in prep, it's not the most popular thing because it takes time to see the results but I think it is important and worth the wait.
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    This is the National Governors Association, education policy website, specifically, I have selected the policy position on High School Reform, as it is most pertinent to us, the end goes into higher education but that is for another time. The NGA is one of the best education policy sites. As we know, the states are the primary forces in setting education agendas and it is important to see what bi-partisan work they are doing. Governors are usually very influential in education politics.
Lindsay Andreas

Summer Books - National Geographic Traveler - 2 views

  • Whatever your plans, we have a book for you, selected from our online Ultimate Travel Library of classic and new reads with a great sense of place. Each of these books will illuminate your destination, give you unexpected tips on what to see and do, and keep you turning pages during that long flight or that sunny poolside afternoon.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      So for the first half of my time at McKinley we had a class called Global Perspectives and nobody knew what we were supposed to teach because it was brand new. My teacher thought it was a pain but I thought it was such a cool opportunity to have a lot of teacher freedom. They had a book that taught them about different contemporary issues around the world but it was really negative. So in order to balance out some of that negativity, particularly regarding developing countries, I think it would be cool to choose a cool travel book about some of the places. Especially if you were in a school that had a English/Social Studies department relationship. Some of the books wouldn't be very good to use but out of 50 titles, there were a few that sparked my interest.
  • The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time, by Simon Winchester (1996). Historian Winchester seems to know everything, but he's such an engaging raconteur you can hardly begrudge him his smarts. Here he travels the 3,434-mile (5,526-kilometer)Yangtze River, reflecting on the historic importance of the river and the social straits in which the Chinese now find themselves.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      This is one that sparked my interest because it is written by a historian. I think what he did was so cool. He journeyed down the Yangtze river and tied the past and present, which is the only way to truly understand a sense of place and cultures.
Lindsay Andreas

Comedian urges Hispanic students to stay in school - washingtonpost.com - 0 views

  • One in five Hispanic teens drops out of high school, according to U.S. Education Department statistics. That's about twice the rate for black students and more than three times the rate among white students.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      I found this statistic about hispanic drop-out rates really alarming. Considering that the Hispanic population is quickly growing, education policy makers should be moving this to the forefront of their concerns.
  • . "A lot of Latino students look at the sticker price and think, if my family makes $18-20,000 a year, I can't afford it," said Deborah Santiago, vice president of policy and research for Excelencia in Education, a Washington-based advocacy organization.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      This was something that I personally ran into in my practicum. Better information needs to be distributed regarding college financing. There is a stigma in lower-income areas about taking out college loans and a lot of misinformation. When I taught a lesson on saving and investment for an Economics class, I spent the majority of the lesson answering questions regarding this and reminding students that college is an investment and that it will pay-off in the end. An example that worked really well was the game of Life, since many students have played it. In the board game if you go to college in the beginning, you will end up in the better retirement home in the end.
  • He told Wheaton students about a guidance counselor who encouraged him to go to college, and about his time at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, where he became disillusioned, started partying and stopped studying. "I went from being the first in my family to go to college to becoming another Latino statistic: a dropout," he said.
    • Lindsay Andreas
       
      Both parts struck me. Encouragement is so important, because if your teacher doesn't encourage you, who will after all? Second, a problem we have at McKinley is that students that go to college get distracted and overwhelmed by college and dropout the first year. This is important on two fronts, we need better college prep programs in high school and also the colleges and universities need better support systems for first generation college students.
jbdrury

Capital Gains FAQs - DC Public Schools, Washington, DC - 1 views

    • jbdrury
       
      Emery Educational Campus is one of these fifteen participating schools.
    • jbdrury
       
      I feel this website could have gone into greater detail explaining exactly how much money these students might be earning.
    • jbdrury
       
      The assessments done at our school are created by the teachers. The students are also judged considerably based on their classroom behavior. A sort of giveaway is the awards for wearing the proper uniform.
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  • The Capital Gains program is a partnership between DCPS and Dr. Roland Fryer, economics professor at Harvard University and the founder of Harvard’s Education Innovation Laboratory (EdLabs). In addition to Washington, DC, EdLabs and Dr. Fryer work with school districts in Chicago and New York City on similar incentive initiatives.
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    I know we've all heard about the rather controversial Capital Gains program - where DCPS is paying students cash awards for good academic performance and behavior - but I wasn't certain how much anyone really knew about the specifics of the program. I just recently learned that my own school - Emery Educational Campus - is participating in Capital Gains. I can say that my own students do not seem to take the program very seriously, or at the very least not enough to study more to make certain they perform well on the mandatory assessments (said one student: "I don't really care about the extra money").
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    They have "Tech Tickets" at McKinley, it's just a huge joke because the rewards are like breakfast with Mr. Pinder the principal, who they hate. Last Wednesday, they started joking around about starting a black market for tech tickets, at least they are inventive about it. But it doesn't motivate them.
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