No Child Left Behind Finally Rounds Up Final Child–Irony in Education

I am a big advocate of using humor to take the edge off of bad situations that are out of my control.  Don’t get me wrong, I say take action whenever possible, but sometimes you’re just helpless.  A good joke is good therapy.  We’re all no doubt familiar with Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and its lampooning of our social and political maladies.  I was heretofore, however, unaware of anyone doing the same thing for public education until I came across a headline on blogspot.com about NYC public schools hiring Blackwater Worldwide, the mercenary for hire company made notorious for their actions in Iraq, to provide school security.

The blog, nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com, is run by concerned NYC parents trying to keep the community up to speed on all things school related, focusing mostly on the controversial decisions being made by school boards and school superintendents.  On top of providing real news, the blog features occasional fake news posts intended to lighten the overall tone of the blog. One can only take so much bad news, afterall.  Or real bad news anyway.  The bogus stories are generated by a local social worker/parent.

I can hear the imaginary parents in my head, who I find useful for determining worst-case-scenario outcomes when devising lesson plans, ranting about trivialising the serious problems affecting their children’s education.  But speaking for myself, off the record, and the millions of people who like to get their news from John Stewart, I say ‘lighten up.’  Sometimes it takes time, like, I don’t know, eight years or so for unpleasant situations to change and all you can do is sit back, make the best of it and not let it ruin your day.

–Luke Webb

Do you know what “Left Behind” means?

I moved out of a “Program Improvement” district (not a good rating to have) in California. Now California only had 50% of fourth graders proficient in Language Arts according to the posting on the US Department of Education website. (http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/ca.htm) You can go to this site and check out your own state.

Anyway, I moved to a district doing very well in Tennessee. Now, Tennessee had 88% of fourth graders rated proficient according to the same site. Wow!

Did you know that Tennessee only requires a student to get between 32% and 38% of the answers correct on the state test to be rated “Proficient”? California requires between 68% and 72% on its state test to get the same rating. Did you know that kind of discrepancy existed? I didn’t.

This begs the question, how can we say that one state, which has very few districts and schools in “School Improvement” and “Corrective Action”, its version of Program Improvement, is performing better than California, which is overwhelmed by “under-performing” schools. With proficiency levels so far apart from each other, how does Spellings decide who needs sanctions and who doesn’t? I am not saying one is better than the other, I am just surprised by the differences and the questions those differences bring to mind.

Who is being left behind? How many? Are there more discrepancies between other states? I don’t know the answers yet, but I am interested in looking into that. If others have you have information to share, please comment here. Together we might be able to bring more to the surface, so we all know more fully what No Child Left Behind means.

-Ted Murcray

Sorting Through Memory Lane

My husband and I cleaned out our study on Sunday, which mostly involved sorting through piles of papers and correctly filing them, throwing them out, or placing them in the “shred box.” Besides a ton of mailings from TIAA-CREF, we had managed to accumulate several Vanderbilt papers. Most of them dealt with financial and registration, but we ran across a few sentimental items. I know it’s only been four semesters, but it seems like a long time has passed since we first found out Peabody accepted us.

Landon found his acceptance letter, and we decided we should have long ago framed both of ours and mounted them on the wall. We may still do this.I found my health form, which provided both joy and lament, as I realized that for the most part I am healthier now than when I submitted this form. That is, aside from my back injury, which I cannot forget from the ice pack behind me as I type. The lament arose from my weight, as I was further reminded I have experienced a second round of the “freshman 15.”

We also sorted through maps of campus, course schedules, random articles loose from their binders, and a few graded papers. Now, all of these things have found their proper place, mostly in the filing cabinet. We have organized one room since our summer break began, so that’s a start.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

Conversation Starter and Stopper

When you begin your doctorate you will find, or if you have already started then you probably know, that your conversations with everyone from your boss to your family change. No matter what time of year, almost everyone wants to talk about how school is going. It’s great, because you always have an instant discussion topic. People are interested in the program, from when your next class starts to what your professors are like and your progress on papers. There is always something to talk about. Even when you may not feel like talking about school, it is good to know people are interested and care about how you are doing.

If you are like my husband and I, the Ed. D. program also serves as an automatic end to the baby question. As soon as we started our doctorates, our family and friends put the “so, when you are going to have kids?” question on hold. At least this is what we thought, but after almost a year and a half, the topic of grandchildren has resurfaced. Hey, we had a good run.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

The End of an Era

Today was the last class of our first semester.  We had a difficult time getting up and leaving the class when it was over.  Not only were our classes intensely rewarding because of the instructors, but we found that we genuinely enjoyed our fellow members.  We’ve had tough discussions with serious disagreement, and at the same time a great deal of respect for each other.  The quality of our fellows in conjunction with the top-notch instruction have made me a better thinker and a better educator.

-Ted Murcray

A Good Investment

Student loans have become necessary for many students in order to attend college and earn their degrees. Thankfully, I only have a small undergraduate loan through a family foundation that I am working on and no loans from my master’s degree. My doctorate is a little different, but I recognize the value of the degree I am earning and how it should benefit me in the future. My father raised me to be very frugal (my husband knows he’s lucky), but taking out loans for a doctorate is an important investment with realistic hopes that the payback from possessing the degree will greatly outweigh the price. I feel confident that the sacrifice of taking out loans for my Ed. D.–and paying them back–is worth it. However, if a university wants to pay off my loans in exchange for a few years of service, call me.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

Gas Woes

I’ve seen some articles lately related to high gasoline prices and how this might affect colleges and universities. From I’ve read, most of the impact has been seen in an increase in on-line class enrollment, both in traditional college settings and in proprietary institutions. Since I am a very vocal advocate of the traditional “brick and mortar” aspect of higher education, this troubles me.

On-line classes can be more expensive, and entire degree programs at proprietary institutions can cost as much as going to a traditional private college or university. In the long run, is it really more cost effective to seek out learning opportunities on-line? Call me old fashioned, but I’d rather pay for the gas…and I drive a pickup!

-Landon C. Clark

The moment of truth: Summer days are almost over

My papers are in, my course requirements are fulfilled, and I have a teaching contract signed and on file at a local middle school. My degree will be conferred in August, at which point I will go from full-time student to full-time teacher. That is not to say that I will stop learning, but it IS to say that I will be standing in front of a small crowd of early-adolescents with the hope of teaching them something, feeding their curiosity, promoting critical thought, and stoking the fires of their creativity. Without: falling down, stuttering, boring them, boring myself, or getting fired.

I know that my anxieties are normal; several of my good friends are new teachers as well, and they feel the same way. We are all eager to have the first week behind us and to actually know the names and faces of our students.

In the meantime, I wonder if anyone out there who might be reading this has insight to offer a first-year teacher. What do you think a 7th grade English teacher needs to know before her first day in front of the kids?

- Rachel Bowers

A Short Period of Rest

I haven’t posted on here in a while, mainly because of a number of projects coming due at the same time. This is to be expected in a doctoral program, so I will attempt to make up for lost time over the next few days. July 21st marked the first day in what will probably be the longest period of rest for the 2010 Ed.D. cohort. We don’t begin the fall semester until after Labor Day (I think?), but I can speak for the entire cohort when I say we will appreciate the time off.

Although I am enjoying the rest period, I’ll take a moment to reflect back on a few key learning points from my most recent classes. For the Summer 2008 term, these are as follows: 1.) Academic research is difficult, and I highly respect those individuals that make this effort their life’s work (I’m glad I’m a practitioner), 2.) College and university management is the most interesting field of study in the universe (LPO 3705 reinforced my current study and occupation), and 3.) Dr. Caboni has ridiculously cool clothes (I need to go to Brooks Brothers).

Enjoy the summer, 2010 cohort. Labor Day will be here soon.

-Landon Clark

Ebb and Flow

Lest you fear you will never get a break from school when you start your work at Peabody, rest assured, you will. There is ebb and flow. The past seven months constituted a waterfall, ocean, or some other huge amount of moving water. Since 10:45 p.m. Sunday night, though, the waters have receded. The tide has gone back out to sea. The storm has settled. Sometimes, we all just need a break to breathe, definitely to sleep, and to get stirred up to swim again–eventually.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark