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Jill Hamilton

ABCNews - What Makes Great Teachers - 02-26-2010.ASF - YouTube - 5 views

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    A very simple video about what makes teachers great
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    That video is a nice reminder that there really are a lot of GREAT teachers out there. A lot of our articles and especially Kennedy's book have focused a lot on the negatives, which makes sense since we are studying reform and the reasons we need change, but it is nice to see a very positive side as well. Thanks for sharing, Jill!
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    I agree with Leah. This is a video that is uplifting, especially in a time where teachers get the brunt of the negativity in education. It is so easy to only see the negative, and there is a reason for that. There is a problem with our reform. However, videos like this shed light on how teachers are doing what they should be doing. It reminds us that the hard work and dedication that goes hand in hand with teaching is still alive. I think it is easy to have a warped view of education. I get it. I sometimes get this way too, but the reminder of great teaching is always reassuring and appreciated. We can do it!
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    I feel like this video is very inspiring to show how teachers really have to think outside the box to make sure all students are "getting it" It is so important to catch the kids are are falling through the cracks. What I really enjoyed about this video is how creative these teachers were to reach their students and keep them excited about education. Kids get bored and therefore don't stay on task. Great video!
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    This was a simple, yet enjoyable video. I love it when great teachers make the national news. It seems like teachers only make the news these days when its a negative. I agree with Leah, in reading Kennedy's book we are being reminded of how much change the education system needs. Its nice to hear that some things we are doing work. I love it that these teachers showed the class when something they worked on didnt work. I think it is important to show students that we make mistakes too. I think this makes us more approachable to students.
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    What's this? A reformer going into a classroom? After reading Kennedy, I proposed that closing the gap between teachers and reformers could begin with reformers going into failing classrooms for a semester at a time before making any proposals. Although these classrooms are far from failing, the idea remains the same. Now reformers can take what they learn in thriving classrooms and apply it to the others.
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    Wow, awesome video! It is so refreshing to see that great teachers don't need to have Masters Degrees or many years of experience to be the best educators for our nation's students. I especially liked watching how much the students enjoyed learning. Making learning engaging and fun, as well as setting high expectations and following through with them are what, in my opinion, makes teachers "great." After reading Kennedy's book, it put a lot into perspective about how school reform will take place. While great teaching is not the only piece of the puzzle, it is that much more of a help.
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    I think the strongest piece of the video is setting strong goals or setting high expectations. In my experience as an educator and the principal of a successul "A" rated school, students will rise to the expectations we set for them.
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    To me this video just shows that matter what your qualifications are (highly qualified, effective, ineffective, etc) when you are truly listening to your students, you are a great teacher. Very refreshing. I needed this.
Jenn Renner

Education Reform Consensus Grows on Fixing Urban Schools - US News and World Report - 4 views

  • In a land where education opportunity is supposed to be the great equalizer, the average black or Hispanic 12th grader in the United States today has the reading and math skills of a white eighth grader. White parents would be up in arms if their 17-yearold sons and daughters had the cognitive skills of 13-year-olds
  • Spellings and Duncan affirmed that they, too, believed closing the achievement gap was the nation's enduring civil rights challenge. Even in the face of poverty, great schools matter, Duncan suggested.
  • None of the speakers at the rally fell back on tired nostrums to excuse the poor performance of minority students or to justify the need for new spending. Not a single civil rights leader said that disadvantaged students are too burdened by poverty to perform well in school.
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  • They did not say that the solution to the achievement gap was to shower new money on urban schools.
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    This article makes a great point about an achievement gap statistic. A black or Hispanic 12th grader has reading and math skills comparable to a white 8th grader. I appreciate this article because there are no excuses, just a desire to fix what is broken.
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    The quote that stood out to me was Mayor Booker, who said, "I am no longer concerned with right and left. I just want to go forward!" Until we can set politics aside and focus on what really causes students growth, it's going to be hard to make much progress. I know that in Indiana, at least, any votes on education reform seem to be pretty split down party lines. Are these decisions being driven by experts in education, or by politics and finances?
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    I appreciate the reality of this article. Normally, I get upset when I read about educational reform; however, this article laid out a truth to reform. I agree that the decisions of our government went "the wrong way on education." But, I appreciate Booker's message: "I am no longer concerned with right and left. I just want to go forward!" This is what we all need to focus on. Our students. They need to be what we fight for.
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    Yet another article about school reform that completely leaves the role of parents out. Until parents have the ability to support their children at home and set high, achievable expectations, true reform will never be possible. Unfortunately, this is one aspect of that administrators cannot control, no matter how many reform plans they invent or enact.
Jill Hamilton

Urban Schools Aiming Higher Than Diploma - New York Times - 6 views

    • Jill Hamilton
       
      When a school doesn't offer AP classes, it's saying that there's no one there smart enough to take one. What does that communicate to students?
    • Jill Hamilton
       
      I think it's important that we don't BEGIN the process of talking to students about college when they're in high school. It has to start much earlier. It has to be something they see themselves doing for a long time.
    • Jill Hamilton
       
      When schools are "tracking" students, do these figures linger in the back of their minds? Do they lead to a type of educational racial profiling?
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    • Jill Hamilton
       
      My parents read over my college essays, and they encouraged me to have my teachers read over them, too. They didn't go to college, but they knew how to get me moving in the right direction. We can't assume that all parents have those skills, and we, as educators, might need to fill in the gaps.
    • Jill Hamilton
       
      That's a really familiar refrain amongst the parents of my ESL students! :)
    • Jill Hamilton
       
      Here's an Indianapolis non-profit that does this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-S5VteR36U
  • college tours for students as early as seventh grade
  • Fewer than 18 percent of African-Americans and just 11 percent of Hispanics earn a bachelor’s degree, compared with almost a third of whites, ages 25 to 29
  • opportunity to take college courses for credit, to devoting senior English classes to writing college application essays, and holding parties to celebrate students who complete them.
  • Advanced Placement classes to every high school,
  • “Parents are coming home every day and saying, ‘I’m working and sacrificing so that you can do better than me,’ ”
  • We believe that every kid can learn at a high level and that college is for every child.”
  • freshman
  • nonprofit programs where they get extra help with tutoring, and with their college applications.
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    Jill, I really enjoyed this article! It is an interesting perspective for me, an elementary teacher, who never gets a chance to witness the great things that are being done at the high school level. Like you, I think it's truly important for higher education discussions to begin earlier than high school...the earlier, the better. Students need to have the mentality that they CAN and WILL go to college because it is their educational right, despite any hardships they may have to face. Building excitement in school based on school spirit days (Represent Your Alma Mater Day) or field trips to see what is available can instill the excitement and motivation of higher education. Thanks for sharing!
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    I agree that talking about going to college needs to start much earlier. I teach second grade and I discuss with my students what college and why it is important. Students need to understand that they can all have they opportunity to attended and that it is an exciting thing!
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    I also enjoyed this article as it connects very well to the YouTube video I found last week--the video profiled a set of charter schools in California that emphasized and pushed "college for certain" upon its students. They begin in kindergarten by teaching students the importance of a college education and even have each classroom named after a college or university. They also take one day a week where every student and staff member wears college attire (they are normally in uniforms). I think it is very interesting to see the type of impact this practice can have in urban schools.
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    I work for an urban summer enrichment program for grades 1-6, and we take a field trip each of the six weeks we meet. One of them is always to a college campus, and we try to do a lot of build-up and reflection around that trip.
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    Wow! Jill what a great program to be a part of. How do your students react to this experience? Are they open to asking questions? Do they show genuine interest and intrigue? Also, I agree that there needs to be a "YES I CAN" attitude. This takes more than just a teacher though. It takes a the school as a community to instill these ideas into students. By teaching students the possibilities and starting their intrigue in higher education earlier, I think there can be a change in mind-set. At the high school level, I see many of my ELL students doubt their abilities or chances of attending college, so they never allow that dream to come into their minds. With the right encouragement and guidance, this can change.
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    Great article Jill. Pike started a really neat college initiative this year that involved the elementary, middle and high schools. It involved teachers discussing colleges during academic advisory times, decorating classrooms and wearing college gear on certain days. Although I do not have college bound students in my classroom, we still decorated my door and I had several students come in my classroom asking about IU. I was able to share my experience with them. This initiative was able to provide students with a chance to talk with teachers about real life experiences. I don't know what they were doing at the elementary level, but I would be interested to see what activities took place, as I think early exposure is necessary. It would be worthwhile to also have parents involved at an early age, especially for students whose parents did not attend college.
Julie Chambers

Suburban Schools Are Getting the Urban Experience - Finding Common Ground - Education Week - 7 views

  • Students walk in shaped by their parents' ideas and school is a place where those ideas converge. Given the right circumstances, schools can be a great experience for students.
  • During a time when one big initiative would be a lot for schools, many are the middle of three. Those three are adopting the Common Core State Standards, teacher and administrator evaluation and budget cuts. All three together could have devastating effects on the public school system and we seem to be surrounded by people who really don't care.
  • Many would agree that schools need to change, but the present situation is forcing schools to change for the worse, not the better. Public schools are in the midst of a perfect storm.
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  • As the political game is controlling the education students receive, it is time for suburban, urban and rural teachers, parents and administrators to show that they are the true lobbyists for children.
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    This article highlights some of the changes that suburban schools are just now facing, that urban schools have been facing for years. 
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    It's interesting to see how these suburban schools are handling what urban schools have been dealing with for many years. Residency has always been a huge issue where I teach. Students who live in the district move out, and continue to attend the same school without any type of notification to the teacher or school. In so many cases it is not discovered until there is a problem with a student's attendance.
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    Interesting article. It's a good debate. It is frustrating to see schools who have everything: 4 star rating, award winning sports, academics, and music teams, and all the best equipment, while others have holes in the ceiling and technology that is severly outdated. Is it fair, however, to take some of these things away from them in order to level the playing field? To stop having great and less than great schools and make them all equally mediocre.
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    The first paragraph in this article touches on "teachable moments". This was a key point that I disagreed with in Kennedy's book. She wrote so much about how distractions in the school setting take away from their learning time. That the time we have students should be focused completely on the academic content. Her stance doesn't take in account the valuable "teachable moment" times-sometimes the content instruction needs to stop in order to address an issue that just pops up. Our students are still learning from these moments, even though they are not tested over them.
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    "If you ever take the time to get on Twitter and see some of the comments going back and forth between educators, consultants and educational historians, you will notice that they are at their breaking point, which if done right can lead to a better place." In my most optimistic moments, I like to believe that all the chaos and change in education will eventually work out for the best. I like to believe that even though I disagree with most of the political discourse, there are too many good people in and around schools working too hard for us not to eventually be in "a better place".
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    Brain, I wish I could "like" your comment! I have the same thought and hope for education as well. So many people want to make schools better for students and are working towards that goal; unfortunately, it seems like most of them are working against each other (reformers, government, teachers, administration, etc.). I just have to think that everyone will eventually figure out what is best for the students and start working together...
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    I thought the first section you highlighted about kids and their parents perceptions is valuable. It is a 2 way street between home and school and it has to be united for student success. If parents are not supportive and can not help their students, clearly there is going to be decrease in student performance. I think families are the most important relationship to establish. There are so many different groups that need to come together in order to fix this crisis...the thought seems difficult...almost impossible.
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    One point that I thought Kennedy left out of her arguments was parent support. Oftentimes, students are coming to schools with their parents' view of school, both positive and negative. If parents had trouble in school or have negative feelings toward schooling, they are less likely to be positive about it with their kids. The amount of support at home can make or break a student. Furthermore, reforms can come and go, but parent support is often the determining factor of success. This trend may begin to exemplify that notion as both urban and suburban schools face the same issues. I will be interested to see if the parents of the students in suburban schools are much more supportive and the difference that will make when the playing field is evened.
Jessica Simon

Improve School Culture and Climate " - 10 views

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    High-performing urban schools have climates that nurture the commitment and engagement of teachers, parents, and students. This short video by Dr. Lynne Perez from the National Center for Urban School Transformation and Power Pont detail the perspectives/attitudes of parents, teachers, and students from successful urban schools.
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    I think one of the most important take-aways from this was the info regarding the climate for parents. I believe that parents have a huge role in the success of their student. The ideas presented in the PowerPoint would be great to share with any school system, not just urban.
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    I agree with you Julie. I also think that having an administrator who cares deeply about the students, as well as, the teachers is essential. Teachers want and need that support. If they do not have that security, it can be reflected in their teaching and be absorbed by students and student learning.
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    A few things stood out to me from this video/power point. Successful urban schools have students who are "eager to come to school," "believe that they are likely to succeed academically," and everyone feels "valued, respected, and appreciated." For that to be the case, individual cultures and learning styles must be explored, accepted, and appreciated. If students feel uncomfortable or out of place, they certainly won't feel eager to come to school. Likewise, we need to strive to make students aware of their success and give them role models with whom they can identify who have been successful. Another point that stood out to me was the collaboration and sharing between teachers. I hope that Indiana's new teacher evaluation system does not create competitiveness and animosity between teachers that diminishes sharing between teachers. It seems like it has already begun to do that in my school. Sometimes, I have special situations where I want to cross-team a student or have him/her take a class in a different grade level. Teachers are unwilling to take these "special case" kids next year if they feel are unlikely to make growth in their classes. Others who have found great techniques are not sharing them with other teachers in their department, because they know their growth scores will be compared. Is anyone else experiencing a similar situation in your school?
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    As a guy who teaches high school and does not consider himself a nurturer, I very much wanted to disagree with everything said and believe the "no excuses" tag line of the article that Lauren posted. But I do believe that a large part of the success in schools is students wanting to come to school (whether they'll admit or not) and parents believing the school has their childrens' best interest at heart. This is particularly difficult to do in an economically disadvantaged community where parents tend to be suspicious of schools.
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    I agree that students wanting to come to school is a big part of it's success. I really dislike hearing from students "I hate this school" etc. That is why nurturing them and making them feel wanted is important. If they feel wanted then they will want to be at school. When parents see this and hear from their child how much they enjoy being at school they will also be on board too. Thank you for sharing this!
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    I think the concept of this video is relevant. Brian you said you do not believe you are a nurturer; however, I think all educators are to some degree. I think nurturer is often translated to caudle, which is not the case. Teachers have an obligation to provide their students with the best possible education. This education does not just develop overnight. It takes a variety of components to bring it all together. We know students need to feel safe in their environment. We know that students need to feel accepted in order to collaborate and communicate to the best of their abilities. If students feel stifled, they lose to drive to achieve in a class. A big part of this develops within the social and emotional aspects of school. With this is mind, educators are nurturers. Doesn't mean you can't hold your students to high standards. Doesn't mean you let them make excuses for themselves. No matter traditional or progressive. Strict or lenient. Teachers by nature are nurturers because we help our students. I am a high school teacher too, and I still make sure that my students are comfortable and confident in their classroom because I know they will engage and learn more if I do.
Amanda McIntyre

Preschool Reform: 5 Ways to Fix Pre-K in the U.S. - TIME - 3 views

    • Amanda McIntyre
       
      Preschool/Kindergarten are the first steps in an education career.
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    Take two kids, one from a low-income family, the other middle class. Let them run around and do little-kid things in their respective homes and then, at age 5, enroll them in kindergarten.
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    "Research shows that when the first day of school rolls around, the child from the low-income household will be as many as 1.5 years behind grade level in terms of language and prereading and premath skills. The middle-class kid will be as many as 1.5 years ahead. This means that, by the time these two 5-year-olds start school, the achievement gap between them is already as great as three years." I used to teach a bilingual prekindergarten class. It was grant-funded and had only 12 children. It was incredible how much progress those children could make in a year. They were nearly all from impoverished families and nearly all spoke exclusively Spanish at home. I had seen many start kindergarten and be "behind" for years. Yet, my students all started well-prepared, most of them reading, counting, and doing simple addition and subtraction. Unfortunately, the organization I worked for did not sustain its finding. Now I work with middle school kids, and although I love working with them, I often feel like I'm cleaning up a mess that could have been prevented through quality pre-kindergarten.
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    You are right, Jill. This is one of the conclusive pieces of educational research out there. And, it's one of the initiatives that has growing support in Indy, yet they can't seem to convince policy-makers at the capitol. Yet another reason why we need to check ourselves when we throw around the phrase "achievement gap" given that there are many structural factors that contribute to differentiated tests scores.
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    I was not surprised at all by the research data of 5 year olds from low-income households compared to those from middle-class households. Lately, the number of students I have in first and second grades with delayed language development is increasing. I am now using teaching time to help catch those students up on basic language skills that their peers have already developed. Those students who have those basic skills are already ahead of the game...think of how much more ahead they will be in the years to come.
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    I feel this shows how important it is to start educating children at a young age.
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    This topic/article really strikes home for me. One of my dearest friends works in Mississippi in a Pre-K class. Her effervescent personality, dedication, and perservance would make any child want to come to school. She is in a very high poverty school system but overcomes this obstacle in her teaching and with her students. Preschool children are at an age where money and SES have no baring but influence and change do. Thanks for sharing this article!
Joanna Miller

Fostering Collaboration between Schools and Urban Communities - 4 views

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    I got ahead of myself and posted before I highlighted or captured...i'll have to experiment more closely with Diigo on my next post! I thought this article was interesting because it adds the community component to urban school reform. "Community-based organizations that deal with issues such as housing, health, and regeneration would profit from partnering with schools and working together to improve the lot and the education of children living in these areas as a means of benefiting both schools and the community." This intrigued me as it is a reminder if a child's basic needs are not being met (shelter, health, etc) then school is going to be on the back burner. This collaboration between school and community seems to be a piece to the reform puzzle.
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    Glad you brought this up, Joanna. Related to this, I have been trying to track down former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's plan for school reform in the early 80's. His planned notably elevated the role (and power) of Local School Councils (LSCs), formal committee that are constituted of mostly parents, but also community members and 1-2 teachers, and formally charged with overseeing the direction and administration of the school. It's definitely an under-employed model that challenges traditional top-down styles of management (e.g. Daley and now, Rahm Emanuel) that insinuate that parents and communities don't actually have valuable insights into how to make schools work for them. Remember, Chicago schools are run by the Mayor via a mayoral-appointed school board. This is what is being proposed in the Mind Trust proposal overhaul of IPS (but that I have heard David Harris, the architect of the plan, regrets including). Importantly, turning over control of Milwaukee Public Schools to the Mayor's office was recently voted down.
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    I think this article brings up some great ideas and points about urban school reform. Joanna, I think you are absolutely right that the collaboration between school and community seems to be a piece of the reform puzzle. It feels like a lot of the reform attempts are decided at the top and then simply pressed upon the bottom; there is no communication between parties about what would work and be best for the students. Getting the community involved could be a great step towards improving the education in these schools--the more people, groups, organizations, etc. that are on the same page, the better! Craig, the plan you are attempting to find from the 80s sounds quite interesting as well; was the plan actually implemented? If so, I wonder how it affected the schools.
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    Yes, it was implemented, but I am not sure how fully. Mayor Washington died while in office, and the plan was quite a radical departure from the way urban schools historically were - and still are - run. So, as you can imagine, it was maintained without fidelity (LSCs still exist, but to varying widely in their effectiveness and with much of their power stripped) and other critical parts of the plan were dismantled.
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    As a teacher in a Title I school, I often find it difficult to contact students' homes since so many students move around during the school year and some parents/guardians tend not to be very receptive. Nonetheless, some of the greatest successes I feel I have had during my two years of teaching have come from parent-teacher conferences that I have called and/or those informal phone calls I do when a student misses five days, begins to fail my class, or is disruptive. The article says "Engaging community groups with schools has the added benefit of helping teachers and other educators to better understand the communities and lifestyles of the children they teach, and thus to better adapt their style to meet their needs." I have formed positive working relationships with many of my students' families, which not only led to an improvement in the students' behavior, but also their academic performance. That old saying "It takes a village to raise a child" also applies to educating them as well.
Leah Burton

Why We Can't Fire Our Way to Urban School Reform - 8 views

shared by Leah Burton on 15 May 12 - No Cached
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    This article discusses the teacher turnover rate in one group of New York City schools; many of the teachers are either being fired or resigning for their own reasons. While it is definitely important to have the best teachers possible in the classrooms, it seems that schools might not be going about this in the best way possible for the teachers or the students.
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    During one of my undergraduate classes, we watched a documentary about New York City public schools. It was all about how students rely on a lottery to get into magnet schools. The documentary also covered the Rubber Room. The Rubber Room is the name for the places where New York City teachers who are under disciplinary investigation are sent to await their. For months, sometimes years, and sometimes decades, these teachers go to "work" - and get paid - to set in a bare room. There seems to be a huge discrepancy between teachers who would give their right arm to teach and have a classroom and yet there are teachers that are literally sitting around when they could be making a difference.
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    It would be interesting to hear from teachers in the school if they feel that the "at-will" method of employment affects how they approach their job - especially if they are friends or acquaintances with others teachers who resigned or were fired because of disagreements with administrators who were in a position to hire and fire teachers. Why a situation like The Rubber Room obviously isn't the solution, i would tend to think that teachers should feel reassured that they are able to teach their students in a way they deem most effective for them without pressure of being able to lose their jobs on a whim.
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    I agree Leah that schools don't go in to this the best way possible. As educators themselves, administrators need to be educating their teachers instead of this instant firing. It is not setting a good example for students to see that you can just "give up" on something and start over again with teachers who will likely end up fired too. It seems like a vicious circle that isn't helping anyone with constant inconsistency.
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    I have a hard time really understanding what is meant by a bad teacher. I'm surrounded by great teachers who really care and work hard at my high school. I know we don't get as good of results that we want all the time but I don't think if we fired the bottom third of our teachers and brought in new ones that anything would change. If anything we would have worse test results. My vision of what people are calling bad teachers is someone who gets to school right when the bell rings and leave right after the bell rings and hands out worksheets and just sits behind their desk telling kids to figure things out on their own. I'd like to see some video on what this "bad' teacher is that we are trying to get rid of so badly.
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    Edward, I completely agree with your image of a "bad" teacher and I honestly have never seen one myself either! I know some that might be a little burnt out, but they are still trying their best and doing everything they can to teach their students. I realize that this must not be the case in every school, or at least I am assuming there must be some really "bad" teachers out there since everyone seems to be so eager to get rid of them! And yes, your point about the bottom third is also important--even if every teacher in the school is working hard and doing their best, there still has to be a bottom third that will get fired...
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    Austin, I would also be interested in hearing from these teachers. If I were in a position like that I think I would feel like I have to keep looking over my shoulder and making sure that I am making administrators happy, rather than focusing on effective teaching strategies for my particular group of students. No two classrooms of students will ever be the same, and that should be taken into consideration accordingly.
Brian Murphy

Geoffrey Canada on Colbert Report discussing Education Reform - 5 views

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    Most of you have probably heard of the Halem Project or the Harlem Kid Zone. Most of the critics have cited its dependence on high levels of funding. In the interview Canada mentions the funding cutbacks and challenges. What I like about it is the comprehensive approach to reform. It's not a 7:30 - 3:00 job.
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    I just wanted to comment on Canada's last few lines of his interview. He discusses how growing up he felt like he was always waiting for some superhero to come and save him. Someone to come into his neighborhood and save them from everything. Canada gets it. He knows what it is like to be one of the few that "makes it" in his society. This should never be the case; however, it is. His last words in the interview were: "There should be no waiting for superman. We should be there for these kids right now." It made me think about the statement posed by Craig: Are urban schools in crisis? And it's yes. It has always been yes. These kids are still waiting. They will continue to wait until we do more to protect them and well, save them.
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    "So we're trying to make sure that we not only give kids and education, but we teach them how they can really grow up without using violence." This is just one example of how Canada's model of school reform is holistic, whereas Kennedy was talking about a very focused approach to curriculum. I do not think Kennedy adequately acknowledged the many other factors that affect school performance.
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    I don't understand how this reform is fiscally possible. Canada mentioned that they had around 10,000 kids in the program and that they had an original budget of 200,000,000 dollars. He then said that it was cut to 10,000,000 dollars. This may be a model that works but the costs seem to be astronomical and any sort of school reform that is going to be widespread will need to not be dependant on expensive programs. Kennedy mentions that reforms fail because teachers give up on them when they don't see results right away and in this case the programs will likely fold because the improvements will either not come right away or not be deemed significant enough to justify the budget required.
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    I had forgotten that this was a model that was sought to be replicated across the country because of some of its successes in being able to address some of the major issues facing students in the Harlem Children's Zone. An article from 2010 addresses some of the successes, but also points out that the efforts have seen their share of struggles too, including a class of students that was completely dismissed because of students' academic performance, something that public schools would not be able to do (Otterman, 2010). The article also criticizes the funding that is spent per student on average, which also does not include everything that the organization provides to students, and the community as well (Otterman, 2010). It was noteworthy that, at least when the article was written, most of the funding was attained through private donations, though the government was beginning to try to allocate more federal funding to such initiatives. I think the biggest thing I take away from this is the realization of a variety of factors that influence students' performances in the classroom. While people typically focus on how well students do on tests and papers, other areas of their life (such as long-term or short-term illnesses, home life, etc.) unquestionably impact how students do in schools. As many people suffering challenges in their life would see that affect their performance at work, so to it influences students. The organization has done a great job of trying to address a lot of these different areas in an effort to improve students' performances (and, for that matter, their lives). Otterman, S. (2010, October 12). "Lauded Harlem schools have their own problems." New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/education/13harlem.html?pagewanted=all
Jenn Renner

The Limits of School Reform - NYTimes.com - 10 views

  • Going back to the famous Coleman report in the 1960s, social scientists have contended — and unquestionably proved — that students’ socioeconomic backgrounds vastly outweigh what goes on in the school as factors in determining how much they learn.
  • Yet the reformers act as if a student’s home life is irrelevant. “There is no question that family engagement can matter,” said Klein when I spoke to him. “But they seem to be saying that poverty is destiny, so let’s go home.
  • Demonizing teachers for the failures of poor students, and pretending that reforming the schools is all that is needed, as the reformers tend to do, is both misguided and counterproductive.
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    The article, by Jonathan Mahler, was about the heroic efforts of Ramón González, the principal of M.S. 223, a public middle school in the South Bronx, to make his school a place where his young charges can get a decent education and thus, perhaps, a better life.
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    Before reading this article, I did not realize that reformers tend to avoid the issue of students' home lives when considering reform--now I understand why Kennedy only focuses on teachers and the classroom environment when discussing reform. However, with all of the research done that tells us how much impact a child's home life can play in their education, why isn't there more focus on this issue? I can only assume it is because it is easier to reach schools and teachers rather than the communities and families, but this method does not seem to be working, in my opinion.
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    "Demonizing teachers for the failures of poor students, and pretending that reforming the schools is all that is needed, as the reformers tend to do, is both misguided and counterproductive." I think this is a good point. Although good teaching is the most essential part of school reform, it's not the only factor that makes children successful. Like Gonzalez, there have been times that I have really worked with a particular student and gotten them started toward success, only to have them move back into a bad situation, drop out of school to work, or some similar situation that is largely beyond my control. I'm not trying to make excuses, but just as I get frustrated when a student does poorly on one test and is judged by a single measure, it can be frustrating as a teacher when one or two statistics are used to judge your entire career.
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    Jenn and Jill, I made a sticky note of the same quote: "Demonizing teachers for the failures of poor students, and pretending that reforming the schools is all that is needed, as the reformers tend to do, is both misguided and counterproductive." I think it is important for schools and reformers to see that school reform is all encompassing with many counterparts and players. I also liked how the article ended with that reform should be handled with a "dose of humility". Fingers shouldn't be pointed when school reform needs to be analyzed by what it has and doesn't have. Thanks for sharing this NYT article - I really enjoyed it.
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    I think this also brings up a good point about exactly where reform efforts can be best put to good use. It's obviously not intended to simply write off students given their socio-economic background or home life. Yet as Joe Nocera highlights from the article that affected him, a single teacher working closely with a student begins to yield results. It would be interesting to see if it's just considered to be from the academic-related help his teacher is giving him, or from the other support - mainly that there is now an adult taking interest in what he does with his life (texts in the mornings to encourage him to attend class, taking the time to show that he has someone to emotionally support him while his mother "comes across as indifferent to his schooling") that he is being shown. It is likely a tremendous combination of both the emotional and academic support, which I think would help to shed light on some ways that reform efforts would be most effective. This piece indicates that a positive influence providing stability could bring just as much (or more) results than anything done to renovate efforts in front of a class of students (which, as Kennedy pointed out, frequently don't get implemented as reformers envision).
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    I think Nocera has some very valid points about why present-day school reform doesn't lead to more immediate changes. It seems as though reformers have been focused on important issues, but ones that are not attacking the problem. While socioeconomic status has been proven capable of overcoming obstacles, it does play a huge factor in the success of students. With that being said, simply attacking the teachers or the instruction isn't the answer either. As Nocera states, "Demonizing teachers for the failures of poor students, and pretending that reforming the schools is all that is needed, as the reformers tend to do, is both misguided and counterproductive." I absolutely agree.
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    Educational reforms are rarely about students and while they typically boast the mission of "student success" the majority of teachers and educators I have come into contact with feel a great disconnect between those enacting reforms and the needs they have in the classroom. One of Abraham Lincoln's strongest leadership principles was to "ciculate among the troops" however, it is a very rare event for central office leaders in a school district and the legislators that pass reforms actually set foot in a school much less engage with the teachers who are "on the front lines" in order to learn what the struggles are in today's educational environments.
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    I think while us (teachers) are wanting reformers to take a "walk in our shoes" with what goes on a day-to-day basis, we teachers have to stop and think no matter what we judge, or want to believe, we have no idea what goes on from the time our students leave in the afternoon until the time they come back the next day. This article goes to show that "yes," 80% of a student's learning comes from school, but then there is that 20% that needs to come from the home.
kdamiano

Failing Grade - Oprah.com - 2 views

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    Located in a low-income community in Chicago, Harper High School graduates just 40 percent of its 1,500 students. Meanwhile, about 35 miles away in suburban Naperville, Illinois, Neuqua Valley High School-a $65 million facility-graduates 99 percent of its students. In an experiment Oprah says was inspired by Rev.
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    I know have been posting a little too much in the past day, but in undergrad, we watch this documentary by Oprah that showed the difference between the urban and suburban school. I think the video highlights the inequality of schools better; however, the article still gets the point across. Being from around the Chicago-area, I see the differences all the time. Urban schools are in crisis. And it makes it even harder for these failing students when these students see the schools right down the road spending millions of dollars on gymnasiums and libraries.
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    "Grace says she wishes her mother, also a dropout, had more forcefully explained how much of a struggle life can be without a diploma. Grace says she now feels trapped. "There's no right or left way to turn to get me out of it. It's just constant." she says." This quote from the article stands out to me. I believe that parents have to become involved in the educational process in order to truly accomplish urban reform. While a great teacher can be pretty influential, they cannot always undo what happens or is reinforced/believed at home.
kdamiano

Project-Based Learning: Real-World Issues Motivate Students | Edutopia - 0 views

  • engaging students by starting with the concrete and solving hands-on, real-world problems is a great motivator.
    • kdamiano
       
      We know that students learning through experience, which is why I think PBL can really help reshape and reform what education is and means to this nation. If we want to be the leading country in engineering or mathematics or reading, than we need to allow our students to experience and explore these fields. 
  • "Everybody is motivated by challenge and solving problems, and we don't make use of that in schools enough,"
    • kdamiano
       
      We must hold our students to high expectations. I think allowing them to explore their curiosities and struggles is one of the most useful and impacting ways to learn. 
    • kdamiano
       
      This is where I could see teachers currently seeing a problem because with the restraints schools are placed in with time, curriculum, etc this amount of time is filled to the brim with material. I could see this being a big issue because of what is "expected" of teachers today. 
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  • In project-based learning, students try to answer a question -- one that has relevance for them -- that is greater than the immediate task at hand.
  • "One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life,"
    • kdamiano
       
      When students have a vested interest in what they are learning, they are more apt to put forth the time. They are more likely try their best. 
  • "in-depth investigation of a real-world topic worthy of children's attention and effort." She advocates a three-phased approach: Phase 1 involves an initial discussion of a project topic, including children's firsthand experiences related to the topic. Phase 2 involves fieldwork, sessions with experts, and various aspects of gathering information, reading, writing, drawing, and computing. Phase 3 is the presentation of the project to an audience.
  • Kids who are excited about what they learn tend to dig more deeply and to expand their interest in learning to a wide array of subjects. They retain what they learn rather than forget it as soon as they disgorge it for a test. They make connections and apply their learning to other problems. They learn how to collaborate, and their social skills improve. They are more confident talking to groups of people, including adults. And, as a number of research reports suggest, project-based learning correlates positively with improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, and fewer disciplinary problems.
    • kdamiano
       
      Isn't it sad that we know this, yet reformer do little to acknowledge the impact of learning like this? 
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