Education in the News This Week

Teachers Swap Lesson Plans for Cold, Hard Cash
"Thousands of teachers are cashing in on a commodity they used to give away," reports the New York Times. But selling lesson plans appears to be diminishing the isolation that teachers feel in the classroom and increasing their cooperation:

Lauren Perreca, 24, used a $10 lesson on the Vietnam War novel 'Fallen Angels' as a reference last year while creating her own lesson for her classes at Weston High School in Connecticut. She also revised her reading questions about 'Lord of the Flies' after comparing them with two other lesson plans.

"At first I was self-conscious I had bought something, because what did that say about me?" she said. "But I realized I wasn’t just taking it and using it, I was adapting it to fill in the gaps of my knowledge."

Unfortunately, legal and ethical concerns are brewing. NYU professor Joseph McDonald fears that "the online selling cheapens what teachers do and undermines efforts to build sites where educators freely exchange ideas and lesson plans." Though education blogger Joanne Jacobs responds by asking, "So teachers who create value are obliged to give it away?"

A Calculated Risk
At a low-performing high school packed with students still struggling to learn English, you might not expect an AP Calculus course to be the one filling seats. But as the Voice of San Diego tells us, "This isn't your typical calculus class. [...] It is a different way of teaching math, deeply personal and tailored to English learners who struggle with problems loaded with words." If that doesn't inspire you, check out the high school's honors math fraternity!

Changes in Chicago Magnet School Admissions
Income and other socioeconomic factors will now come into play when reviewing student applications for Chicago magnet and selective enrollment schools. "It's a departure from the last 30 years," Chicago Public Radio explains, "when race had been the deciding factor." But Catalyst Chicago asks, "Can the district achieve [racial diversity], especially in the most sought-after magnets, which have already become less diverse in recent years?"

What's Needed to Make Sure Innovation Is Working?

Originally posted at the National Journal's Education Experts blog, responding to the questions: What are the essential components of an effective innovation, research, development, and dissemination infrastructure in education? How can we tap into the collective expertise of practitioners when designing and refining new school programs?

This is such a big topic. I'll offer a few thoughts related to what I think the Federal Government should do in relation to this issue.

Who is responsible for what?
Jim Shelton and John Eston ask: "What are the capabilities that need to exist at the local, state, and national levels and how should organizations that provide them fit together into a coherent whole?"

I think there is danger that the current flurry of activity at the Federal level could lead people to (mistakenly) believe that the Federal government and states are responsible for education success in America, not parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and (gasp!) local school boards.

I suggest that the Federal government clarify its intended relationship to K-12 education. People need to hear: "Hey everyone, we know it is you folks out there who make education successful. Our goal is to support you. You know better than us exactly what will work for your child/classroom/school/community. We’re here to help but you're not off the hook!"

In this way, we can counter a trend that I see cropping up in the trenches: a sense of resignation that all of us out here beyond the beltway are just pawns in a grand scheme being run from Washington. I don't think that's what the folks in Washington have in mind; we need to nip this in the bud.

Education system design
Second, I think the Federal government needs to use its leverage to remove local system barriers that prevent innovation from taking hold.

I give it an 'A' for this so far this year!

Upping the ante in research & development
The "Kress-Ravitch Principle" makes sense to me. More good research conducted by people with direct experience of the problems. Three fertile areas:

• Defining effective teaching: I spent a fascinating day at the New Schools Venture Fund Community of Practice last week learning about recent R&D in this area conducted by the New Teacher Project, DC Public Schools, Teach for America and PUC Schools, among others. There is growing R&D activity in this area. The Federal government could lead.
• English language learners: Educators need lots of help here.
• Assessments: If "what gets measured gets done," then let’s get better at measuring what’s most important. (Great to see positive movement on this front at the Federal level.)

And there are many other areas.

The purposes of education in 21st century America
Finally, I’d suggest that there is a Big Topic that the Secretary and President need to weigh in on.

Chad Wick at KnowledgeWorks makes an interesting point. There is no 'shared vision' for education in America "...until we answer the deeper question about the core purpose of public education and establish a vision that aligns our efforts, innovation will never be 'organized, prioritized, or leveraged for maximum impact.'"

Well, I think that this is a good thing to a certain extent. If we’re going to invest "locals" with a lot of control, then we can expect them to make different choices about what they want. That’s good.

But I think we have a bit of a crisis of confidence at the national level that is being brought on by economic tough times and global shifts in the balance of power. Thomas Friedman is crying out that the World is Flat. China is standing up. Even college-educated kids are having a tough time getting jobs these days.

Given that the world is changing, exactly what kind of education do we need our children to get? To what level do they need to demonstrate competence on a multiple choice test? At what point should parents/ teachers/ principals/ school boards stop worrying primarily about driving those scores higher and start worrying about how to develop children’s minds and character in ways that will manifest results in other ways?

In other words, given that our kids are headed into a different world, how do we prepare them for it? And how do we know if we’re succeeding?

In my experience, the discussions on this topic beyond the beltway often get reduced to "more testing in English and math" vs "a more expansive view of education." I think that is a false choice and we need leaders in all sectors, including the Federal government, who can help parents answer this question in more sophisticated and compelling ways.

Bringing Parents Onto the Team: What the Research Shows

Note: this entry is part of a series called "The Making of College Bound". Click here to read the series-to-date.

November 19, 2009, is National Parent Involvement Day, so what better time to talk about what it means to be an involved parent. Everyone agrees that parents influence children’s learning, but what is it, exactly, that they do that matters so much for their children’s education? Back in September I wrote about the four key roles of parents:

1. Cultivate character traits that underlie success,
2. Support learning at home and at school,
3. Set high expectations, and
4. Guide children in planning for college.

Why did we choose these four roles? We chose them because — along with common sense — a wealth of research points to them as mattering most.

Many parents would agree that developing character is crucial to helping children grow into kind and productive adults. Research shows, however, that character is also at the heart of supporting academic success. In fact, character traits such as willpower, self-discipline, and the ability to delay gratification have all been shown to be more closely related to academic achievement and other measures of success than IQ. (Nisbett, 2009) One of the most important things parents can do is cultivate a belief in the importance of hard work. It turns out that emphasizing native talent actually de-motivates kids. When children are praised for effort, they’re more likely to try harder when faced with challenges, choose more difficult work and stay focused longer than children praised for intelligence (Muller & Dweck, 1998).

Other parental roles are more obviously linked to academics. Early exposure to literacy, both through complex language in conversation and reading together, can produce dramatically different IQ scores in children as young as three years old (Hart and Risley, 1995). Once a child is school-age, they’re more likely to complete homework and have a positive attitude toward its value when parents provide a structured routine and a quiet and organized workspace (Cooper et. al, 2001). Parents are the key to promoting learning either afterschool or over that long stretch of summer vacation which some studies have shown is largely responsible for the achievement gap (Alexander, 2001; Burkham, et. al., 2004).

At school, student achievement goes up when parents signal that school matters by getting involved, attending teacher conferences and school programs (Steinberg, 1996). Parents who communicate with teachers and get informed about school resources are also more likely to get necessary support for their children (Lareau, 2000 & 2003).

Some research has shown that parents’ expectations matter more than anything else. High expectations — and students’ perceptions of these expectations — substantially influence students’ academic decisions such as their choice of courses, as well as overall student performance (Steinberg, 1996).

Last — but not least — when parents discuss and encourage attending college starting from an early, pre-high school age and help investigate and apply for postsecondary options, their children are much more likely to attain a college degree (McCarron & Inkelas 2006; Catsambis, 1998).

It's the practical application of this research that is at the heart of College Bound — our new program for involved parents. Stay tuned for our next installment, when we delve into the practice of cultivating character traits in children.

What's in the Kindergarten Beta?

Note: this entry is part of a series called "The Making of College Bound". Click here to read the series-to-date.

Recently we shared a sample tip from College Bound — our new online program designed to help parents raise college-ready high school graduates. Since the start of the school year we've been testing a beta version of College Bound with parents of kindergartners, and this week we'd like to tell you a little bit more about what’s in the kindergarten beta. Research shows that when parents support their children's education, teach them to aim high, and help them develop success-oriented character traits, they boost their kids' chances of success. We’ve built six topics with that goal in mind:

Aim High
In The ABCs of kindergarten learning, we ask first-graders to demonstrate the skills they learned in kindergarten so parents can identify how well their children are progressing through the school year.

Build Character
A positive attitude toward school will support a kindergartner all year long. In Nurture a love of learning, we show parents three simple, but effective ways to talk to their children and help them want to learn.

Recently more and more has been written about self-discipline, self-control, and self-regulation — and how they are related to success in school. But did you know that self-control can be taught? And it can begin in early childhood. Learning self-control shows parents an easy, and perhaps surprising, way to foster self-control in their children.

Support Learning
A parent's most important ally at school is her child’s instructor. By completing Partnering with your child's teacher, our moms and dads will be better prepared to establish this relationship for their children's school success.

In The road to reading, we break down the five fundamental building blocks of reading and provide specific activities that parents can do with their children to incorporate them into every day play.

To teach parents the five building blocks of early math, Math every day outlines the key skills and standards that children should learn in kindergarten. Then we show parents some playful ways to teach these skills.

As you can see, parenting for education success doesn't have to be a chore! College Bound inspires and guides parents to turn normal, everyday activities into opportunities for their children to learn and grow. As one of our parents enrolled in our beta put it, "College Bound gives me things for me and my daughter to do together. And at the same time, I'm teaching her. Now I know how to do it, I do it more!"

Parents Matter

Part of a panel on improving schools with the Rev. Al Sharpton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Arne Duncan has been touring the country in an effort to look at school reform through non-partisan eyes. And on NBC's Meet the Press last night, he reported, "Parents matter tremendously. Parents are always going to be our students' first teachers, and they're always going to be our students' most important teachers." Referencing the way President Obama established expectations with his daughter Malia, David Gregory asked how we can change the way lower-income students imagine their futures — raising expectations from within. Sharpton, Gingrich, and Duncan agreed: parents make all the difference.

If you've only got time for a bit, start about 23 minutes in!

Education in the News This Week

Ratings Have Little to Do With Teaching
In Monday's Washington Post, education writer Jay Mathews quipped that with teacher ratings in most DC school districts "as discerning as peewee soccer award night, with everyone getting a trophy, why bother?" A recent New Teacher Project report stated that the teacher evaluation system "not only keeps schools from dismissing consistently poor performers, but also prevents them from recognizing excellence among top performers or supporting growth among the broad plurality of hard working teachers who operate in the middle of the performance spectrum." In Massachusetts, educators are asking similar questions about how to best hire, evaluate, pay, and assign teachers:

We base hiring decisions on certification credentials that don’t seem to correlate highly with teacher quality. Most teachers receive only cursory performance evaluations, with virtually every teacher graded highly. We use a one-size-for-all salary structure, in which the only factors used in raises are a teacher’s higher education credentials and number of years in the system, neither of which is strongly linked to teacher effectiveness. And we often let seniority, rather than merit, drive decisions about where a teacher is placed.

In an attempt to answer some of these questions, Texas has toughened up its standards for teacher certification.

$20 for 20 Test Points?
In a ploy to raise funds this year, a middle school in North Carolina tried peddling better test scores. Though Wayne County school administrators shut the fundraiser down on Wednesday after news of the campaign raised concerns among local parents. "Tight state and local budgets have put extra pressure on schools to raise their own money," reports the News & Observer. "But [Rebecca Garland, the chief academic officer for the state Department of Public Instruction,] said exchanging grades for money teaches children the wrong lessons. She also said it is bad testing practice and is unfair to students whose parents can't pay."

Map Your State's Education Innovation
The Center for American Progress took the findings from their Leaders & Laggards report and created an interactive map to visualize not "how states are performing today, but at what they are doing to prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead." Perhaps unsurprisingly, Texas is in the lead for teacher hiring and evaluation! But how does your state fare on the issues?

Building Consensus Behind ESEA Reauthorization

Originally posted at the National Journal's Education Experts blog, in response to the provocation: How can the Obama administration and Congress put together a winning majority for reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act? What should change, what should remain more or less the same, and why?

At the risk of over-simplification, here is how I see the landscape now:

Who likes NCLB:

• Business and education entrepreneurs like it because it puts the focus on results.
• Civil rights groups like it because it focuses attention on disparities in educational results (the achievement gap).
• Some parents like it because they associate it with greater performance transparency – they can see how their children’s schools are doing.

Who dislikes NCLB:

• Many parents are concerned because they are told by their teachers and principals that it reduces schools to test prep.
• Many affluent parents especially dislike it because they believe there is nothing in it for their children.
• Some conservatives dislike it because it represents an inappropriate Federal intrusion into matters that the Constitution reserved for the states.
• Some liberals (and liberal-minded) people dislike it because it seems to reduce public education to a focus on a relatively narrow set of basic skills.

(There are of course many more reasons that people like or dislike NCLB, I’m focusing on the big ones that might provide a clue as to how to build a new coalition.)

Based on these observations, here is my formula for renewing NCLB:

• Focus on making major leaps in the quality of standards and assessments. These new standards and assessments must be very carefully crafted to measure the skills that are the most important to the success of young people. This is primarily a technical challenge.
• Simultaneously focus on the potential of innovation in education and re-position NCLB as partly an ongoing “Innovation Fund” for LEAs and others who are prepared to demonstrate results. (And, as Sandy Kress suggested, focus more on secondary schools than the original NCLB did.)
• Then explain to parents and the public why these standards (and assessments) are valid measure of their children’s progress and their school’s quality. Explain why we need innovation to accelerate progress. It needs to be very clear how these news standards and assessments are strong measures of the skills that their children will need to succeed. This is primarily a communications challenge.
• Then, build the winning coalition from the bottom up by getting parents and the public to demand that their children get an education that provides them with these skills. Parents and others on the fence will also be attracted to the focus on innovation.

Finally, I agree with Tom Vander Ark that it may be wise to wait a little while to give time for Race to the Top and the Innovation Fund to begin to have impact and make the ground more fertile for this approach.

Education in the News This Week

Lowering Standards to Skirt Sanctions
According to a new federal study published this week, 15 states lowered their academic proficiency guidelines to stay ahead of the penalties under No Child Left Behind. "Under the No Child law, signed in 2002, all schools must bring 100 percent of students to the proficient level on states’ reading and math tests by 2014, and schools that fall short of rising annual targets face sanctions," writes New York Times reporter Sam Dillon. "Facing this challenge, the study found that some states had been redefining proficiency down, allowing a lower score on a state test to qualify as proficient." 48 states are now working cooperatively to establish a common core of academic standards, though it may be a long time before we can reach nationwide agreement on what curriculum constitutes proficiency.

Reforming Schools With Involved Parents
Under a new plan unveiled by the superintendent on Tuesday, Los Angeles Unified School District could face major reforms triggered by the parents of children attending any of their low-performing schools. "Ben Austin, [executive director of the Parent Revolution], has lobbied for the widest possible version of parent participation because, he said, improving a school can consume several years," reports Howard Blume of the Los Angeles Times. "The parent of a young child should have the right to set in motion changes to that child's future middle school."

Charter School Success Stories
From an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal:

Opponents of school choice are running out of excuses as evidence continues to roll in about the positive impact of charter schools. Stanford economist Caroline Hoxby recently found that poor urban children who attend a charter school from kindergarten through 8th grade can close the learning gap with affluent suburban kids by 86% in reading and 66% in math. And now Marcus Winters, who follows education for the Manhattan Institute, has released a paper showing that even students who don't attend a charter school benefit academically when their public school is exposed to charter competition.

Are you considering your local charter school? You may want to keep these facts and figures in mind when researching your child's educational options.

Obama Uses Malia’s Test Scores as a Teachable Moment

Campaigning for the renovation of the "No Child Left Behind Law" yesterday, President Obama shared a rare, candid story about how he's raising his daughters to love learning and achieve their best:

These aren't my prepared remarks but I think it's important to note... Malia and Sasha are just wonderful kids and Michelle is a wonderful mother but in our own household, with all the privileges and opportunities that we have, there are times when kids slack off. There are times when they'd rather be watching tv or playing a computer game than hitting the books. And part of our job as parents, Michelle's and my job, is not to just tell our kids what to do but to start instilling in them a sense that they want to do it for themselves.

So... Malia came home, the other day, she had gotten a 73% on her science test. Now, she's a sixth-grader. Now, there was a time a couple years ago when she came home with an 80-something and she said, "I did pretty well." And I said, "No, no, no... Our goal is 90% and up." [applause]

Here's the interesting thing! She started internalizing that, so she came [home] — she was depressed. Got a 73%. And I said, "Well, what happened?"

"Well, you know, the teacher... The study guide didn't match up with what was on the test and..."

"So, so what's your idea here?"

"Well, you know, I'm going to start... I've got to read the whole chapter. I'm going to change how I study, how I approach it."

So she came home yesterday... She was... Got a 95! So she was high-fiving. [applause]

But here's the point! She said, "I just like having knowledge." That's what she said! And what was happening was she had started wanting it more than us. Now, once you get to that point — our kids are on our way.

But the only way they get to that point is if we're helping them get to that point. So it's going to take that kind of effort from parents to set a high bar in the household. Don't just expect teachers to set a high bar. You've got to set a high bar in the household — all across America.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves, Mr. President! But what about you? Have you taken the pledge to support your child's education this year?

Photo credit: Obama-Biden Transition Project

Education in the News This Week

Make Schools, Not War
In a New York Times op-ed, Nicholas Kristof argues that "for roughly the same cost as stationing 40,000 troops in Afghanistan for one year, we could educate the great majority of the 75 million children worldwide who, according to Unicef, are not getting even a primary education." And over in a Forbes Magazine commentary, Mark Rice makes a similar case for budgeting education:

Imagine the possibilities if the U.S. spent even 1% more on education. With an annual federal budget of close to $3 trillion, a 1% increase would amount to $30 billion. An annual infusion of $30 billion directly into public K-12 education could go a long way toward rebuilding or rehabilitating crumbling school buildings, guaranteeing an adequate supply of up-to-date textbooks, supplying districts with computers and computer upgrades, installing smart boards for classrooms, stocking quality science labs and revitalizing programs in music, art and drama.

America's Dropout Crisis
"Every single school day, more than 7,200 kids, on average, drop out of high school — 1.3 million each year," reports The Daily Beast. "Just 15 percent of American high schools — known in the education world as 'dropout factories' — produce more than half of American dropouts, and three-quarters of black and Latino dropouts." Surveying school districts nationwide, TDB also compiled a list of the 10 Worst Dropout Cities, including Bakersfield, Calif.; McAllen, Texas; and Augusta, Ga.

Fixing Our Education System
The Wall Street Journal's Alan Murray asked a panel of education experts, "What will it take to get the American system up to the level of some of the other developed countries in terms of math and science education?" With answers ranging from better teacher recruitment and retention to fundamentally changing the competition between schools and school districts, the entire discussion is worth a read.