September 2008 Archives

A fresh report in the journal Science confirms what many of us have been saying for years. California schools are on a collision course with NCLB targets.

The Science Daily tells us

The researchers report in the Sept. 26 issue of Science that mathematical models they used in their analysis predict that nearly all elementary schools in California will fail to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements for proficiency by 2014, the year when all students in the nation need to be proficient in ELA and mathematics, per the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (NCLB).

In January of this year, I published an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee that raised this same red flag. I wrote:

A few years back there were some who warned about the trouble we were headed for in the home mortgage industry, but we still have had to wait until millions are facing foreclosure to act. California schools are heading for a similar fate, and once again, we seem to be waiting for calamity rather than looking ahead to avert it.

This calamity is the full impact of No Child Left Behind on our schools. Up until now, the brunt has been felt largely by schools attended by poor folks and immigrants, so few have objected to them being labeled “failing schools”. But there is a big shift about to begin. NCLB demands that all students be proficient in English and mathematics by 2014. Currently, only 43 percent of the state’s six million students are scoring as proficient in reading, and 41 percent as proficient or better in math.

Student performance has improved slightly over the past six years, according to state test data, but most schools are about to start hitting a wall. That’s because California’s NCLB targets require proficiency levels to increase substantially in each of the next six years, in order for all students to reach proficiency.

Another article in the San Francisco Chronicle this week reveals a second facet of this looming crisis. The process of restructuring which is imposed on schools that fail to hit their targets simply is not working, according to a study published by the Center on Educational Progress.

The study, released today, found that the number of schools failing to meet achievement goals nationwide under No Child Left Behind jumped by 50 percent since last year - with California leading the way.

California now has more than 1,000 persistently failing schools forced to undergo drastic restructuring, the study found. That's more than any other state, yet few are being helped by the mandated process.

Schools that fail to meet targets two years in a row enter “Program Improvement.” The study discovered that few schools ever move out of this purgatory, and state funds have declined so there are few resources to help them do so.

My column touched on this as well:

In Oakland, we are in the second generation of reconstituted schools. The first round of schools opened to replace those closed five years ago has hit the fourth year of missing achievement targets, and a number of them have closed. Some of the new schools are innovative and meeting the needs of their students, but even these are likely to crash into the NCLB wall soon.

I concluded:

There is little doubt that California schools are on a collision course with NCLB mandates. We can wait until we crash into the wall ahead and then deal with the wreckage. But our students will be much better off if we take a deep breath and realize there might be a better way.

What would that better way look like? First of all, we will need to put standardized assessments in their proper place as one of a number of indicators of school performance. Other indicators such as classroom-based assessments should be used as well. Second, we need to shift the emphasis away from punishment and the removal of resources, and look to bring a broader range of resources to bear to get schools on track. As the Broader and Bolder initiative suggests, we cannot treat schools as if they can shoulder this burden alone.

It does not look like much will be happening regarding NCLB in the next few months. Let's hope that we can pick up the pieces once a new administration is in place next spring.

What do you think? Are schools in your state hitting the NCLB wall as well? Is restructuring resulting in success – or merely giving the schools a few years before they fail once more? What steps do you think a new administration should take to support education reform?

Posted by Anthony Cody at 10:05 AM | Permalink | 5 Comments | Recommend

Marco Iaboconi’s recent book, “Mirroring People: the new science of how we connect with others”, suggests we are wired to connect with people we find to be similar to ourselves. When we meet people, we look for commonalities, and try to see if they are “like” us. When we want to make a good impression, we unconsciously (or consciously) mimic those we want to impress.

This explains a lot of the social conformity we see. We do not NEED someone telling us we must dress the same way. We do it because the drive to be accepted is so strong. And if someone “looks different,” whether adult or child, they are likely to be ostracized. I remember when I was in the fifth grade a new child entered the school after the year had begun. She dressed shabbily and could not make any friends. Her crime was that she looked different.

So as we watch this presidential campaign, we can see both sides trying to make the opposing candidate “different” from the majority of voters. Obama is described as “different” because his skin is a different color, he grew up in Hawaii, his father was an African, and he spent several years in Indonesia as a child. None of these things should, on a rational level, disqualify him from consideration. In fact, I would think that they would enhance his stature as someone comfortable on the world stage – a powerful thing for a presidential aspirant.

But when we listen to the voters ponder Obama, in person and in various media, we find echoes of fears rooted in his differentness. “He might be a Muslim.” In spite of the controversy over his Christian pastor, some 15% of Americans still think Obama might be a Muslim. Fox News contributed to this misconception early on, but there was a well of suspicion already available to be tapped.

Of course Obama is not “different” from everyone, and many find they can readily identify with him and his story. He has, after all, written two books describing his past and his approach to politics, allowing us to enter his world and understand it. Many African American voters certainly identify with him, and in my work in Oakland I frequently see evidence of support for his candidacy in the homegrown t-shirts being sold in the neighborhoods.

On the other side, Senator Obama’s supporters also try to highlight the ways in which John McCain is different from the rest of us. He owns seven homes from coast to coast, and 13 cars – clearly he does not share our problems and cannot understand them, they insinuate. This was not a problem four years ago when John Kerry was the Democratic candidate, with his weathy wife and multi-millionaire running mate.

The truth is we tend to like people with whom we can identify. As teachers, this leaves me wondering about how we relate to our students. I try not to “like” one student more than another, or to allow my affection for any of them to affect how they are treated. But I know there are some students that remind me of the bullies who picked on me in elementary school. There are others who remind me of myself in those days, and I feel myself coming to their defense.

As I reflect on this natural tendency, I think the answer is not to stop identifying with some of my students, because I think my empathy comes from this identification. Rather, my goal is to empathize, understand, and identify with each of them, regardless of their background or behavior. This is much more easily done with those who share my background, but I have found I can understand, empathize and identify with others as well, -- even the bullies. That does not mean I tolerate bad behavior or cruelty. It means that when I correct those behaviors, I do so with some understanding of the insecurity that drives it, and in ways that help the students understand that I am trying to help them all learn and be successful. This is especially important when we seek to reach students with an ethnic background or gender different from our own.

This phenomenon also works in the other direction. Our students can relate to us much better when they can identify with us. I have found my students fascinated when I share experiences I had when growing up, or when I talk about my own teenage sons. They need some commonalities to build on as well. This underscores the value of a diverse teaching force. It is possible for students to build strong relationships with teachers from different backgrounds, but I think it is important that when students look at the faculty of a school, they see themselves represented. This makes it possible to bridge the tendency towards alienation.

I think we need to be conscious of the inclination to prefer those the same as ourselves, in our political decisions and in our classrooms. We should be judging candidates on their how well their policies will serve our country, and get beyond how similar to us they happen to be. In our classrooms, we can find ways to identify and empathize with all our students. It will take more work with some than others, but the best teaching occurs when we can make strong connections with all of our students, even -- perhaps especially -- those most “different” from us.

What do you think? Are voters influenced by factors that make them “different” from the candidates? As teachers, are we influenced by how “different” our students are from ourselves? How can we bridge these differences?

Posted by Anthony Cody at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

I get the feeling sometimes that the rest of the country sees California from afar as some sort of Bohemian enclave, with grapes on the vine and iPods in the vending machines. So as we head into the fall, I am here to give you a bit of an update from the land of milk and sunshine.

California schools improved their scores on the state’s reading, writing and math tests, but the achievement gap persists for African American and Latino students. Furthermore, even though more schools raised their scores on the state’s Academic Performance Index, more of them FAILED to meet increasingly demanding federal targets, which are ratcheting up as we approach 2014, when, according to NCLB, all students are expected to be proficient.

Nearly ten percent of the state’s high school seniors – almost 46,000 students -- did not receive diplomas last year because they failed the high school exit exam. That was a big jump from the six percent that failed to graduate the year before, because for the first time, the numbers included special education students, who are required to pass the test as well. Among this group, 46% failed. Our State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell, insists that these students should be held to the same high standard, stating "Special-education students deserve a diploma that has real value and real meaning." Unless, of course, they fail the test, in which case they apparently deserve no diploma at all.

California schools, we are told, have the “highest standards in the nation.” That’s why the state Board of Education, at the behest of Governor Schwarzenegger, recently decided to require all 8th graders to take Algebra. The State Superintendent Jack O’Connell responded by submitting a $3.1 billion request to the governor to pay for smaller class sizes, teacher training and summer programs that such a shift would require. Not that any such money will be actually provided – this is jousting, you see.

Meanwhile, due to a $15 billion deficit, our state legislators and governor have failed to meet a July deadline to pass a budget, and the schools are receiving only about 70% of the funds they are due, causing severe hardships, including crowded classrooms.

As an educator in this state, I have to admit that these conflicting mandates and divergent indicators make it difficult to know if we are on the right track. State tests show we are improving, but the Feds say we are losing ground. One board says everybody should get Algebra in the 8th grade, but clearly many of our students are not ready. Meanwhile, the state has no budget, and the schools are getting less money than ever. How can we reconcile this confusion? I think many teachers look around and see chaos, and rather than getting involved, they simply hunker down and try to weather the storms. This is a big loss, in my view, because classroom educators have an important voice on all of these issues. Teachers should be involved in setting coherent and achievable goals, at the federal, state and school district levels. Middle and high school math teachers should be consulted before Algebra is mandated for all 8th graders, and a serious plan should be developed to improve instruction and build the scaffolding needed to reach such a goal.

Policymakers have become accustomed to issuing mandates from on high, and teachers and students subjected to these mandates have not raised our voices loud enough to be heard on those lofty heights. Reform policies will not succeed if they are not grounded in the realities of the classroom, and if they do not engage the active and enthusiastic participation of teachers and students. Barack Obama suggests that change comes from the bottom up, and I think he is right. Our schools will improve when teachers and students are inspired by a vision of their own capacity to make them change.

What do you think? Is California unique? Is there any direction emerging from current efforts to reform schools at the state or federal level? How can we get some clarity and unity of purpose?

Posted by Anthony Cody at 7:52 PM | Permalink | 11 Comments | Recommend

Last week I summarized the education policies of Republican candidate John McCain. This week, let’s take a look at Barack Obama. Please share your response below. After reading both posts, who will win your support this November?

Obama’s official site lays out his policies in detail. It states:

Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

As a senator, Obama voted in favor of increased funding for after-school and special education programs. He also voted to increase funding to support Title I programs.

When he spoke to the National Education Association in July, he spelled out his views:

We don’t have to accept an America where we do nothing about 6 million students who are reading below grade level. Or only where 20% of our students are prepared to take college level literature class and English, math and science. This kind of America is morally unacceptable to our children, it is economically untenable, and it is not who we are as a nation. And I am running for president of the United States to guarantee that every child has the best possible chance in life. I am tired of hearing teachers blamed for our problems. I want to lead a new era of mutual responsibility in education. One where we all come together, parents and educators and the NEA and the leaders in Washington, citizens all across America united for the sake of our children’s success. Bringing about that future begins with fixing the broken promises of No Child Left Behind. I got some applause here on that. Now I believe that the goals of this laws, or the rights, making the promise to educate every child with an excellent teacher is right. Closing the achievement gap that exists in too many cities and rural areas is right. More accountability is right. Higher standards are right. But forcing our educators, our principles and our schools to accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong.

My sister is a teacher, I know how hard she works, you are the people who stay past the last bell, spend your own money on books and supplies and go beyond the call of duty because you believe that’s what makes the extra difference and it does. That is why we need to recruit a new generation of teachers and principles to replace the generation that is retiring and those that are leaving. My plan includes service scholarships to recruit top teachers and residency programs to prepare them to serve in high needs schools. And because too often undergraduate debt discourages our young people from choosing education as a professional. I will make this pledge to all those who sign up, if you commit your life to teaching, America will commit to paying for your college education.

In that speech, Obama took a controversial stance on pay for performance:

Under my plan districts will be able to design programs to give educators who serve as mentors to new teachers the salaries that they have earned. We will be able to reward those who teach in under served areas, they take on that added responsibility. And if teachers learn new skills that serve their students better or they consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well. In some places we have already seen that it is possible to find new ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on teachers.

He has also taken irresponsible fathers to task. Speaking on Father’s Day at an African American church in Chicago, he said, “They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it. ” He said parents who are proud of a child with B grade should push for more. “All Bs? Is that the highest grade?” Obama said. “It’s great that you can get a B, but you can get a better grade. It’s great that you’ve got a job, but you can get a better job.

And in Texas, in February, he told his audience:

It's not good enough for you to say to your child, 'Do good in school,' and then when that child comes home, you got the TV set on, you got the radio on, you don't check their homework, there is not a book in the house, you've got the video game playing.

So turn off the TV set, put the video game away. Buy a little desk or put that child by the kitchen table. Watch them do their homework. If they don't know how to do it, give them help. If you don't know how to do it, call the teacher. Make them go to bed at a reasonable time. Keep them off the streets. Give ' em some breakfast. Come on. ... You know I am right.

If poverty is a disease that infects an entire community in the form of unemployment and violence, failing schools and broken homes, then we can’t just treat those symptoms in isolation. We have to heal that entire community. And we have to focus on what actually works.

Posted by Anthony Cody at 8:35 PM | Permalink | 6 Comments | Recommend

We have seen the tremendous effect our president can have on education policy over the past seven years. Education may not be the number one issue on most voter's minds, but there are approximately four million teachers in this nation, and that is a lot of votes, so let’s take a look at the stance each of the two leading candidates are taking on education issues. This week I am going to focus on the views and record of John McCain. Next week I will review Barack Obama’s positions. Please read, and share your own views below.

John McCain’s official site states that NCLB has revealed “dismal facts” about our schools. He says this means we must “seek and find solutions.” To that end, he calls for more competition, meaning schools should be competing for the best teachers, and for students as well. That means parents should be able to choose the school their children attend. He and his wife sent their child to a parochial school, and believe other parents should have support for that choice as well. His site states: “He believes all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing schools.” When he addressed the NAACP in July, he stated:

When a public system fails repeatedly to meet these minimal objectives, parents ask only for a choice in the education of their children. Some parents -- some parents may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private school. Many will choose a charter school. No entrenched bureaucracy or union should deny parents that choice and children that opportunity.

His site also says

As president, John McCain will pursue reforms that address the underlying cultural problems in our education system - a system that still seeks to avoid genuine accountability and responsibility for producing well-educated children.

In terms of specific proposals, McCain states that he will shift 5% of Title II funds to states to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25% of their class or participate in alternative recruitment programs such as Teach For America. He calls for bonuses for “high performing” teachers who locate in challenging settings, and for teachers who boost student test scores and “enhance the school-wide environment,” with principals determining who should be rewarded. He also proposes several initiatives promoting virtual learning such as online tutors and online courses.

When asked if evolution should be taught alongside creationism, he replied that local school boards should be allowed to make that choice.

He voted against spending $52 million for “21st century community learning centers,” and against shifting $11 billion from corporate tax loopholes to education. He voted for memorial prayers and religious symbols in schools, for school vouchers in the Washington, DC, public schools, and to allocate $75 million for abstinence education. In 2006, McCain voted against restoring $7 billion in President Bush’s tax cuts to education. McCain voted against increasing funding for HeadStart and for special education programs.

McCain credits one teacher, William B. Ravenel, from his days at Episcopal High School, with having had a profound influence. He described this influence, and concluded:

Every child should be blessed with a teacher like I had, and to learn at institutions with high academic standards and codes of conduct that reinforce the values their parents try to impart to them. Many students do have that opportunity. But too many do not. And government should be concerned with their fate. I supported the No Child Left Behind Act because it recognizes that we can no longer accept high standards for some students and low standards for others. With honest reporting of student progress we begin to see what is happening to students who were previously invisible to us. That is progress on its own, but we can and we must do better.

He goes on to say:

Theirs is an underpaid profession, dedicated to the service of others, which offers little in the way of the rewards that much of popular culture encourages us to crave -- wealth and celebrity. But though it might lack much in the way of creature comforts and renown, teaching offers a reward far more valuable: the profound satisfaction that comes from knowing you have made a difference for the better in someone else's life. Good teachers occupy a place in our memory that accords them a reverence we give few others. We should be wise enough to understand that those who work diligently and lovingly to educate the children we entrust to their care, deserve the gratitude and support many of us wish we had given those of our own teachers, who once made such a difference in our own lives.

We should reward the best of them with merit pay, and encourage teachers who have lost their focus on the children they teach to find another line of work. Schools should compete to be innovative, flexible and student-centered institutions, not safe havens for the uninspired and unaccountable.

What do you think about John McCain’s stands on education? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? Should educators reward him with our votes?

Posted by Anthony Cody at 12:24 PM | Permalink | 1 Comment | Recommend