Peabloggy

For the past several days, I have been listening to professors from universities in the European Union and the United States discuss issues of race, ethnicity and migration in our respective cultural settings. It has been fascinating to see the paradigms we all bring to the table, and the ways in which these ways of thinking interact. In particular, it has been interesting to consider the loaded terms we use to describe these issues, and how our definitions conflict.

Yesterday, several Dutch professors explained the term “black schools” as it is used here in the Netherlands. The term does not refer to schools who primarily serve students of a dark skin color. Rather, it is used to describe schools that are performing poorly and that frequently educate students of Moroccan or Turkish origin (the two most prominent immigrant groups in the Netherlands).

Dutch professors also explained how a person is defined as “Dutch.” For people in the Netherlands, someone is Dutch only when BOTH of their parents were born in the Netherlands. Contrast that to US policy that allows some first-generation immigrants to become citizens.

The way we name things and people has a powerful impact on the way we think about and treat them, both at the policy and personal level. Much of what I’ve heard here has me thinking about the way these labels affect students in public schools, in particular.

- Rachel Bowers

Previous: Coming Soon: Blogging from Utrecht, Netherlands

What qualifies someone to be president? Historically, its seems to be a combination of Military Career, MBA or JD plus prior political experience. Add some winning charm, charisma, a bit of machismo and you’re in. I realize that not everyone is completely dissatisfied with our current president to the degree which I am, but my opinion of the value placed on a Harvard MBA has taken a severe beating in the last seven years. Not that I blame the Ivy Leagues for the personal shortcomings of the students they graduate (my older brother recently graduated from grad school at Harvard). I am simply questioning the notion that a knowledge of business and economic machinations, or our country’s legal and governmental system are, in and of themselves, accurate predictors of whether someone is qualified to be president.

For the record: Hillary Clinton has her B.A from Wellesley and her J.D. from Yale. Barack Obama has his B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D. from Harvard. John McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis (894 of 899 in his class…for the record).

While I believe that all three have qualifications to act effectively as president, to varying degrees, I want to know when we will have a president who lists an M.Ed or Ed.D. on their vitae? Various researchers have estimated that the average teacher makes between 1000 and 1500 decisions a day that take into account dozens of complex variables. Excellent teachers have to be familiar with the intricacies of all the different cultural variables present within their classrooms, and how those variables affect teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and the most effective teaching strategies to employ to attain the desired goals for each student. Teachers need to be able to manage all the skills and personalities of the students in their room as well as those of other teachers and administrators. Teachers have to learn to accomplish a lot with relatively little in the way of resources, support, or cooperation. Teachers have to evolve a complex set of legal and diplomatic skills in dealing with different portions of the school-going population and their families.

This is the worst thinly veiled metaphor, ever. Can I stop now? Have I made a point?

A highly educated, very successful teacher with the right personality and perhaps some political experience is just as, if not a more viable presidential candidate than most (see Ross Perot and his %19 percent of the popular vote in 1992). Consider the remarkable percentage of work and decision making that presidents delegate to others anyway. How many decisions has our current administration made that the President seems to be completely unaware of? A superintendent or principal spend their entire day delegating work and reserving the decisions that are made public for themselves.

Most importantly, though, the quality that we admire most in our best teachers is a genuine sense of compassion and caring for each and every student. A teacher has to want every student to succeed by meeting their full potential. I need a lawyer who can protect my rights. I need an economist who can monitor and regulate our capitalist markets wisely. I need an army that is intelligently and effectively led. But more than any of those things, I want someone guided by a sincerity and compassion that informs their decisions; and the intelligence to delegate those other jobs based upon that larger understanding of striving for ideals both fair and just.

–Luke Webb

Today, I had my first experience with Tennessee’s annual state mandated assessment, the TCAP. I proctored the Language Arts section of the test for a seventh grade class of 27 students, and I watched them diligently read and bubble. Most of the students seemed to fare well - this school has historically positive TCAP results. And while I have often questioned the validity of tests such as these, I am surprised (in spite of myself) to find that a school can teach to the test and also ensure a good deal of useful learning for students. After the test, the kids were incredibly fidgety for the rest of the day (and I would argue that TCAP week should come with an abbreviated schedule of half-days), and they certainly did not enjoy the test, but it seems like the opportunity for this kind of assessment provides a sense of accomplishment for students and teachers alike.

I don’t think test scores should be used to punish teachers or schools or blame anyone in particular for the ills of a school or district, but I am coming to the conclusion that standardized tests aren’t all bad. I may yet change my mind, though. I still have three more days of testing to proctor.

- Rachel Bowers

I was reading the Village Voice (I will warn the reader here that some content in the Voice is not child friendly) today because the cover story caught my eye. I like to read the Voice because I think the Social and Political writing is usually very good. The honesty of the voice and the transparency of the research involved generally make for an interesting read. That said, I started reading because the article was about home-schooling in New York City in the African-American community.  I was a little disappointed, though, that the article didn’t really delve into complexities of home-schooling, both in terms of its affect on the students and the commentary on the public school system.  Draw your own conclusions.

Yes, parents home school their kids because of religious views, concerns about quality and safety, and personal convictions about how their children are to be raised, I’m well aware.  Home schooling is not a solution, though.  It may work well for educated parents with time and resources to provide their students with a base of learning that will prepare them for the professional and social world outside their doors.  But, to be honest, I don’t trust any parent I don’t personally know to be able to do that, and I don’t trust a lot of them that I do know to be able to do it. Sorry friends.  The one thing I’ve learned at Peabody is that teaching is a complex profession, and doing it well is hard for the professionals.  To teach my own future children everything I think they should know about everything would require more time than I could ever give them.

As an M.Ed student I can understand how I might seem probably somewhat biased in my views.  I do want to be a teacher at an evil, corrupting Public School (wringing hands maniacally).  Let me explain away why I’m not.  I’ve had a lot of terrible teachers in my life.  Terrible.  Lots of them.  I was bullied in school.  I consider myself Christian (and I hope others do too). I think there is a lot wrong with public schools.  Yet, here I am, with a bachelor’s degree and honors from a major university and getting a master’s degree from a prestigious ed. program.  I have four brothers and sisters who would all be excellent poster children for surviving in spite of the system.  I attribute all that success to our parents and our upbringing.  All five of us have been in school since we were old enough to be sent to daycare/pre-school because my parent’s were relatively young and working long hours to support us.  Home schooling was never an option, and even when they had the resources to offer my youngest brother private school he turned the offer down, much to their consternation.

Why all the rambling, I hear those of you still reading asking yourselves?  I believe public schools are dying for the very same reason our politicians rush into things like wars or the open arms of lobbyists, because we are letting them.   What is the largest factor determining a student’s success and the improvement of neighborhood schools?  Parental and community involvement.   Everything else like funding, spending, and environment depend on what the taxpayers and voters of our democracy demand.  Lacking the funds to chose the best schools for my siblings and I, my parents taught us to love knowledge and be responsible independent people.  Lacking the parents to guide and raise their children with all the money in the world we get citizens like the Spears family or the Jacksons (of Michael, Latoya, Jermaine etc…).  There are exceptions. There are shades of gray.  There are no rules.  There is only motivation, understanding, and kindness.

Teach your own children if you want, that’s your prerogative. I don’t think there are enough lifeboats for all of us.  Maybe we should fix the whole instead.

–Luke Webb

One of the major problems I’ve had with No Child Left Behind from the very beginning, before the law even had a chance to prove its inadequacies, was its reliance on numbers; numbers that could be manipulated with remarkable ease by administrators looking to mask their school’s shortcomings.

Case in point, when NCLB was instituted in Texas, while W. was governor there, principals disguised the number of daily student absences by reporting that chronically absent students had transferred to other schools or districts.  NCLB requires a daily attendance percentage in 90’s, and for schools in high poverty areas with high levels of transience and student turnover that number was a bad joke and nightmare all rolled up into one.  The principals did what they had to in order to survive.  I don’t blame them for that.  I also can’t fault NCLB for wanting to enforce what data shows to be a highly determinate factor in student success.  Both were, however, treating the symptoms and not the disease.

The New York Times website ran an excellent article today reporting on the ridiculous amount of manipulation that states do when compiling graduation rates.  One more example of how NCLB uses flowery language to fill stump speeches, while leaving real world implementation of those mandates up to politicians and administrators who will act with their own best interest in mind.

The solution?  Exactly what NCLB asks for.  Implementation of scientifically based teaching methods by highly qualified teachers.  I am writing this blog entry from an education library filled with thousands of ways, stated in theory and proven by practice, to motivate and involve students of every type and persuasion; and help them graduate with an education that prepares them for a competitive global job market.

And this is the moment at which this polemic comes full circle.  Better results need better students need better teachers need better education requires money teachers/schools need more money government needs to give more money government spends money on fruitless tactics (a war maybe?) cuts budgets schools lose teachers/resources students get left behind graduation rates plummet to 60’s public demands better results government demands better results…

I have a headache

–Luke Webb

Anyone would agree: outstanding teachers also need solid interpersonal skills. Teacher colleges have an obligation, then, to graduate students who know how to appropriately handle the thousands of interactions teachers face each day and who have the disposition to cope with the stress and demands of teaching.

The controversy of this situation lies in the defining of “disposition.” How do you objectively evaluate teacher candidate “dispositions” without bringing in psychologists and analysts? NCATE, the organization responsible for accrediting teacher colleges across the nation, added this area of evaluation in 2000, and the debates have continued ever since. The latest development in this discussion can be found in the most recent issue of Education Week.

–Katie Harris

During his campaign, Dean stressed improving Nashville’s public schools. It appears he may be keeping his word, unlike many politicians paying lip service to the importance of education. Dean has created an education task force of parents, students, teachers, educational experts, college administrators, and political pundits committed to improving Metro schools. (A full listing can be found here.)

During a faculty meeting at one of my student teaching placements, three members from Mayor Karl Dean’s education task force came to visit. These members requested candid feedback from the teachers on parental involvement, communication between school and parents, and Metro’s troubling drop-out rate, among other topics. Earlier in the day, the task force engaged students in the same conversation.

I am very excited to see Dean making initial efforts to understand the deep-seated issues within Nashville public schools, but I hope that this valuable feedback actually results in positive changes for students, families, and teachers.

–Katie Harris

While running at Percy Warner Park the other day, my husband and a teacher friend of his discussed how new teachers must devote excessive amounts of time to their jobs while earning comparatively low salaries. The friend noted that this situation was much like that of lawyers practicing for the first time. However, practicing law can result in triple-digit salaries over time, while teaching in the classroom never does, regardless of achievement or higher education degrees.

The other difference, of course, would be that lawyers have the potential to earn these higher salaries based on merit and job success. Teaching salaries are often based on years of experience within the same district and certifications/higher education degrees. One can easily determine the problems with this situation. On the other hand, while I love the idea of teachers receiving merit-based pay, how can one determine the merit and success of a teacher?

A lawyer clearly wins or loses a case, but teachers must try to win students in the classroom everyday. Sometimes the results of effective teaching aren’t revealed in students until several years later. Sometimes a teacher’s victory falls outside the realm of student test scores. So, while I support teachers earning raises and higher salaries based on performance, how could such a principle be implemented in our school systems? Does anyone have any ideas?

–Katie Harris

I had not truly pondered the lack of discussion on educational issues, particularly in the K-12 arena, in this year’s presidential debates until reading an opinion piece in the USAToday, in which the author admonishes the candidates for not addressing them.

For one thing, the war in Iraq, health care, and a possible recession seem to absorb all the candidates’ air time. In addition, I work in higher education, so I had taken note of a couple of connections between the presidential race and college. I saw a commercial, before the Tennessee primary, on behalf of one candidate suggesting that she/he would fight “predatory” loan companies. Regarding that same person, a news program aired a web video made by college students in favor of her/him. Though I do not recall any mention of K-12 education in such ads and programs.

Unfortunately, this election year, it seems the candidates are too focused on other, admittedly important, issues to discuss education as part of their campaigns. Interested voters will need to engage in independent research to discover how the hopefuls stand on that issue. In the candidates’ defense, I admit, I have not tuned-in to all 50 (or how ever many) debates. Perhaps, let us hope, education will make more headlines and sound-bytes closer to November.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

When I first saw the headline in The Washington Post that read, “Anne Arundel Looking Overseas for Teachers,” I thought, “How exciting! An exchange program for teachers. I would have found it so exotic to have a teacher from a different country when I was in school.” Oh how naive I can be.

The district is looking to hire teachers from the Philippines because Maryland colleges don’t “produce” enough teachers to fill open positions, and many professionals are not willing to work for what the districts pay. But this problem is not isolated to Anne Arundel county schools alone - low pay is a concern of many new teachers across the country, and a frequently cited reason for young professionals to choose a different career track. As someone who benefited from great teachers in Northern Virginia public schools, this is disheartening.

But according to The New York Times, higher numbers of conventionally “smart” people are becoming teachers in spite of the compelling financial reasons to do something else. The Times cites a December 2007 report by the Educational Testing Service (the company that administers state tests for teacher licensure) indicating that new teachers from 2002 - 2005 scored higher on the SAT’s and earned better grades in college than teachers entering the profession in the mid-1990’s.

One question the Times article fails to answer is, why? What has attracted these individuals to the profession of teaching? I don’t have any official answers (other than my own), but in considering the possibilities, I find a great deal of hope.

- Rachel Bowers