T531 Summer 2012

A very simple video about what makes teachers great

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Grand Prize Winner Says Charter Schools Should be Like Cancer Contact: Boulder, CO (May 31, 2012) -- The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), housed at the University of Colorado Boulder, has announced via online video the winners of the 2011 Bunkum Awards -presented for the most compellingly lousy educational research for the past year.

NEPC might be an organization you are interested in checking out. They provide a unique service to the education community: they arrange careful and timely reviews, by the nation's leading scholars, of foundations' and policy groups' (among other groups) research reports.As can be detected from this headline, they are strategically intervening in the faulty pipeline that puts shoddy "research" results in the hands of policy makers, who often times don't have the background to view these exceedingly complex issues with a nuanced perspective like that we are developing.

This article highlights some of the changes that suburban schools are just now facing, that urban schools have been facing for years. 

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.

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.

I am sure most of you have already seen this video. Although it does not make the distinction between urban schools or suburban schools, it is one of those videos that is funny because it is sadly so true. It focuses on testing, and well, I will let the video speak for itself.

I had never seen this before! Thanks for sharing. These lyrics caught my attention the most: "Remember your teachers, their jobs are at stake. Your score is their score, but don't get all stressed. They never teach anything not on the test." This reinforces my beliefs that teacher evaluations should not be based solely on student performance. For older students that may be aware if that were the case, I can picture some being so stressed because they really like the teacher, and I can picture some taking advantage of a way to get back at a teacher they don't like.

Love it! Scary, yet true. Arts are so important. In high school especially, these are the classes where students build the best relationships with the teacher. These relationship are so importnat and when the pressure is off because the students are in a class they enjoy then they are open to conversation with the teacher. Sometimes students just need someone to listen.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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

The traditional, patronizing view of teachers, that they are to be treated like saints and paid as if they'd taken a vow of poverty, has lately gone through a schizophrenic inversion. Open the newspaper most any day and you'll read about "bad teachers" who are holding children back and, through their unions, conspiring to remain well compensated.

I have to agree that school reform involves a lot of key players inside and outside of the classroom. Kennedy mentioned throughout her text this notion. I liked how she mentioned that teachers feel a lot pressure from within their own schools and by their teammates. During our professional development meetings, I can see the gears going amongst my colleagues as we are listening about RISE, SLO, and even the many other acronyms of RISE. They are feeling the pressure to develop realistic but achieveable objectives. Third-fifth grade teachers are beginning to look combative towards the primary grades as the younger grades don't have the pressure of ISTEP. However, K-2nd grade teachers have the pressure of preparing these students early so they CAN pass ISTEP. It seems like this could be a vicious cycle and it's only in the beginning stages. I think it would be more of a relief for teachers if they had that reassurance and support from districts, government, and other reformers - instead of feeling the pressures and responsibilities within the school walls.

When I read this article it reminds me of Mr. Kimberly from the Kennedy book. Here is a man who I think the public is percieving to be a "bad teacher" because he takes no accountability and still wants to be compensated for his work. I think when public perception is that most people are like him, then it is understandable why there would be anti union movement. If people feel like the union is the only reason why the Mr. Kimberlys are around then I see why they want to disband them. From the other side though, there are a lot of hard working teachers who hold themselves accountable and there is nothing wrong with trying to get as much compensation as they can. Like any profession there is a business aspect to everything. Another issue that builds animosity is that there is a large number of non-teachers who think they know what teaching is like and think it should be easy, but have never dealt with the daily issues that arise from a teacher standpoint. We all think that since we were once students we know what teaching is like, but being a student and being a teacher are two different worlds.

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.

I feel this shows how important it is to start educating children at a young age.

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!

You and Jenn must have been thinking alike when you choose this NYT article :) I liked the perspective and follow-up that the author provided. This article did tie into the Kennedy text and sparked some new ideas/perspectives. With the new RISE evaluation, it is hard to swallow that your students' performance of standardized tests can/will affect your teaching career/performance. My kids will never pass ISTEP but does that mean I'm a bad teacher? I know in my heart this is not the case. However, some people in their glass houses may think differently.

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.

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!

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.

Found this website while browsing. Thought I would share.

In case you have not heard of the Harlem Project or Geoffrey Canada, this New York Times article will give you a little background.

This is an article about how some Chicago schools are using a math software to give students a more individualized curriculum that they can work through at their own pace. We piloted a similar type program at our school for our lower level math classess and it seems to work well for them.

This sounds like a very promising and exciting program. It combines two very relevant topics to our current day and age and those are math and technology. It's also a very creative way to tailor education to each student, and hopefully, students would find it as entertaining or fun as playing a game on the computer.

Our school also uses ALEKS. I like it a lot as a supplement to the classroom. It helps differentiate instruction and allows students to work on the skills that they need. I become nervous, however, when classrooms use this exclusively and completely take the teacher out of the equation. Students can learn very easily how to manipulate programs in order to rush through them with very little knowledge gained.

This video explains why everything Education Reforms are currently doing is misguided.

Interesting not only in how motivation works for students but also as you noted, the way reformers are "motivating" teachers with promises of monetary reward for performance

Good stuff. Like many of you, I'm sure, I tend to think about about this at the level of the student. Curriculum is becoming increasingly restrictive, providing less room for inquiry (mastery of self-selected topics) and arguably becoming less purposeful. But, this can be paralleled at the teacher level, the principal level, and the district level (with the increasing role the feds would like to play). Thanks for the solid social science lesson, Maggie, and your "two cents", Brian.

No single impediment to closing the nation's shameful achievement gap looms larger than the culture of excuse that now permeates our schools. Too many educators today excuse teachers, principals, and school superintendents who fail to substantially raise the performance of low-income minority students by claiming that schools cannot really be held accountable for student achievement because disadvantaged students bear multiple burdens of poverty.

I think a teacher's years of experience should matter because it carries over to how effective they are. A first year third grade teacher is not going to as effective as a ten-year third grade teacher.

Very convincing and persuasive......because we all want to believe that it's that easy. If we are good teachers, all the education problems are solved. Poverty will be eliminated and suffering will cease because we, as teachers, have that power. After all, most of us probably went in to education to help others and be an instrument of change in the world. But I have a hard time believing that it's really that simple. I would like to dig a little deeper into the statistical improvements that the stated charter schools have made. I don't want to give off the impression that i don't think there is a solution to the problems of educating the economically challenged. I believe education is the answer to a better world. But I don't believe the answer education's woes is as simple as "no excuses".

This article discusses how many urban schools struggle with the plague of inexperienced and/or ineffective teachers because teachers with experience, as well as those who have proven to be effective, are often drawn away from urban schools and into suburban/private schools. Additionally, this article states the if the goal is to give each student an equal opportunity to succeed in the classroom and in life, then teachers need to be evaluated based on their students' scores and not on years of experience so that each school can have effective teachers. 

It seems like most schools always want the teachers that have experience, but how are new teachers to gain experience if they are not given any opportunities? Schools need to work with new teachers that are unexperienced and help them gain the knowledge and insights they need to become a successful teacher in an urban school.

I can't help but wonder why teachers are drawn away from urban schools to suburban/private schools. Why did they teach in urban schools in the first place? While there is surely a wide range of reasons, I am reminded of an article I recently read about the "missionary" mentality, where a sub-group of teachers (as the result of their lived experiences) naively think that Black and Brown students need to be saved from themselves and their communities. As you can see, this mindset is the product of deficit orientations to what students know and are able to do. I continue to want to know what solidarity looks like between students and teachers, and how to develop that. It should be noted, too, that this is not just a White teacher thing. Though less attention has been given to it, I have seen Black and Latina/o teachers "other" their students of color. I'll save my explanation for why I think this happens, but the point is that we grow up and are socialized to strive for and attain a certain standard, based on a certain value system. When this doesn't align with others' values, we tend to make judgements about what is "right" and "best". Obviously, this is bigger than teacher preparation programs, but teacher ed. programs can offer different kinds of experiences that afford candidates opportuntites to see students, families and communities in a different light. Same with practicing teachers - I'm reminded of the Funds of Knowledge work our of Tucson, AZ (Norma Gonzalez, Luis Moll et al.) Definitely raised some good points, Randy and Jordan.

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.

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...

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.