There are multiple opinions about the theory of multiple intelligences, as two sparring panelists demonstrated at a Saturday breakout session, but they did agree on one thing. It was “a masterstroke” for Howard Gardner to label his theory of different strengths in how to learn as “intelligences.”
For Daniel Willingham of the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, Gardner’s use of “intelligences” rather than “abilities” is a rhetorical plus. That is, if the goal for schooling is self-actualization. However, if the goal is to use Multiple Intelligences theory to prepare students for the workforce, “it likely seems a disaster.” Willingham said it had added little to scientific knowledge about the functioning of the mind, although it actually is a theory of the mind rather than educational practice, he noted. He agrees with Gardner that Multiple Intelligences should not be taught in schools. Rather, schools need to set goals, according to Gardner, then use Multiple Intelligences to guide the curriculum.
Branton Shearer, on the other hand, supports the use of Multiple Intelligences theory in schools as a tool to offer more diverse learning opportunities for students. “It can change schools from a factory model to “inspired places for learning,” he said. Shearer is a lecturer at Kent State University and chair of the American Educational Research Association special interest group on Multiple Intelligences. He also has developed a self-assessment tool for students and parents to help them create students’ multiple intelligences profiles. He has edited a forthcoming book on the global view of the theory of Multiple Intelligences to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Gardner’s work on the theory.
The two panelists also agreed that using abilities or Multiple Intelligences t o help students learn is good practice. “It is good to play to students’ strengths and appeal to their interests,” Willingham said, “but the instruction needs to know when and how to shift to larger learning goals.”
Asked about a new mandate in New Jersey to develop “personalized instructional programs” for all students, Willingham said that teachers say they like them, but research shows they hardly ever use them. Shearer does not believe such a top-down mandate will work because it takes time and training to change the culture of a school, which can only happen from the bottom up.
Gardner has set criteria for what has grown to eight “intelligences” in his theory, including linguistic, spatial, musical, logical-math, kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal and intrapersonal.
-- Anne Lewis
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Early Childhood
Support for early childhood education efforts might be at an all-time high. But Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, early childhood expert Joan Lombardi and Rhode Island KIDS Count director Elizabeth Burke Bryant lamented to a group of education reporters that the programs still haven’t expanded fast enough.
“The good news is that the battle is over,” said Kaine, who noted that Virgina politicians who battled him over the issue a couple of years ago now tout the benefits of pre-kindergarten programs.
But the bad news for Kaine, as well as Bryant and Lombardi, is that advocates have not been able to capitalize on the new momentum as quickly as they would like-- partly because of the economic downturn.
There’s “flat funding and Head Start is only serving half of the eligible children,” said Lombardi. “Although preK is growing, there’s a significant number of children who still don’t have access.”
Since Kaine took over as governor in 2006, the state has expanded access to pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, created a unified office of early childhood education, and devised a voluntary rating system for private and public pre-kindergarten programs in an effort to create a “consumer mentality” among parents.
President Barack Obama has pledged billions of dollars for early childhood efforts, so some of the funding woes will likely diminish. Yet the panelists said more strident efforts must be paid to shore up quality and stability of early childhood education programs. Specifically, they mentioned simplifying the complicated and “hobbled together” funding streams in some cities and states, and ensuring that all early childhood educators are qualified.
Bryant said hopes that someday pre-kindergarten is so much a part of the American education fabric that kindergarten teachers will automatically ask families which pre-school program their children attended.
“We are missing whole generations…of kids the longer we wait before we scale up,” she said.
-- Sarah Carr
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thinking about how to improve math outcomes
One of my more interesting sessions at the Education Writers Association conference was on how to improve math outcomes. It was moderated by a Washington Post reporter who has actually spent the past year taking an Algebra II course at a high school in Fairfax County. But most of the workshop was spent debating whether states and school districts should focus on creating new and higher standards or improving the quality of math instruction through better recruitment and training of math teachers. The panelists agreed that both are necessary, and it's clear that states focus on the standards more because it's easier and considerably cheaper. But it was also clear that raising standards requires considerable buy-in from math teachers, and maybe a new way of doing business for them. Also, there was a big debate on whether Algebra II is really necessary for life/college success. The guy from Achieve Inc. trotted out all his statistics that showed people who take Algebra II and beyond in high school are far more likely to succeed in college. I asked whether that might be because those kids are smarter in general, so it's more a correlation than causation. He said nobody's really studied that question. Oh. (Of course, I say this as a person who never went beyond high school geometry.)
Arne Duncan's vision
Here's a roundup of the points made by Arne Duncan during his talk last week at the Education Writers Association conference:
-- While it's important have research-based reform, "the unproven program is absolutely worth trying. If we never try new things, we'll never find new things that work." -- Charter schools have been demonized by unions and lionized by the right, when the reality is that "some charters are good and some charters are bad." He said he is "fundamentally for choice and competition," and the number of charters should be expanded. He called for states such as Michigan to lift their caps on the number of charters. He also said that underperforming charters need to be shut down. -- Big proponent of basing teaching pay on performance to reward the best teachers. But he also said it's very important to work with unions in developing how that would happen. -- Also is pushing for much better teacher-evaluation systems, such as videotaping teachers in the classroom to review and analyze what they do right and wrong. He said that when he played basketball, his coach would rerun the tape of his mistakes "15 times and, trust me, you really learn from that." -- Says his department has hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on reform efforts. "Those districts and nonprofits making a different in student achievement, you want to partner with you and scale up those efforts." -- On the stimulus money for schools, "this is a real test of states' ability and creativity. There's a huge opportunity at the back end for more money, if you are creative with your stimulus dollars." -- Also suggested districts should spend their special-ed stimulus dollars on a "massive investment" in professional development for all teachers to help with work with all kinds of students. On Title I stimulus dollars, "I'd invest in time, time, time. I believe our school day is too short, our school week is too short, our school year is too short. I'd be investing in time and I'd be doing that this summer." -- Wants to focus on high school graduation rates to measure school district performance, but says he wants to back off four-year graduation rates because than schools don't want to help struggling students who take longer. -- Says he's a "big believer in value-added education," which is looking at growth in test scores versus just the scores themselves. Incidentally, the audience at Duncan's speech was standing-room-only and the crowd seemed very impressed. He is an impressive guy.
Under-covered Stories in Higher Education
From Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed:
1) Take a critical look at so-called across-the-board state budget cuts to higher education. The schools in the public system share the state budget, but each type of school has a radically different share. So flagship universities, for example, have a lot more flexibility on tuition than the community colleges. Even if states make proportional cuts, are the cuts really fair?
2) Question the assumption that tuition freezes are a good thing. A number of governors and President Obama have suggested tuition freezes or low tuition hikes are a good idea. Scott says enrollment will go up at many public institutions – but money will go down. With less money, universities will make concessions like cutting sections and increasing class size. Scott predicts these things will disproportionately affect the ability of low income students to succeed – especially their ability to graduate in four years rather than 6.
3) Watch what the economy means for liberal arts disciplines. Scott says a lot of community colleges and urban publics are gutting liberal arts. He suggests watching for programs that get protected in its place – like allied health or business.
4) Look at what happens to second tier private colleges when the admissions numbers come out. Scott says small reductions in enrollments at these colleges can make a big difference for tuition-dependent schools.
5) Follow the Pell entitlement debate. Although this is a Washington-based story, Scott suggests looking for local angles. Not all colleges are rallying around the idea that Pell Grants should be an entitlement, as President Obama’s suggested. The student aid association is lobbying against it. So what are your local college presidents and financial directors saying about the plan?
6) Report on outsourcing academics. Schools are starting to outsource classes, not unlike outsourcing a school bookstore to Barnes and Noble or food services to Marriott. Higher Ed Holdings in Texas is providing schools with exam graders. Another company, Straighter Line, offers general education courses for $99 a pop. The company negotiates with colleges and universities to take transfer credit for these courses. The controversy? Outsourcing raises questions about efficiency, quality and what it means to say you have a college degree.
7) Watch for shifting ideas in the testing movement. The SAT-optional trend is growing. Schools like NYU and Colby College have made the SAT I test optional if students take SAT II, those subject matter exams in topics like biology, physics and French. This is a shift in the anti-test debate. Before it was all about getting rid of tests altogether; now there's discussion about simply limiting the kinds of tests applicants must take.
8) Track remedial education at community colleges. Huge numbers of entering students need to catch up with remedial ed. But how much they need to catch up depends on the institution, where standards (known as “cut scores”) vary. So applicants have started to shop for schools based on whether they can avoid remedial ed. This has prompted a debate over the standardization of cut scores.
9) Report on campus race issues. Scott says there was a flurry of racial incidents on college campuses recently, right around Election Day. Ten schools have a new student group called Youth for Western Civilization, and it's bringing anti-immigration advocate Tom Tancredo to college campuses.
10) Take a look at university anti-bias rules. Scott suspects this issue might come up at the Supreme Court soon. Public universities sometimes go beyond state and federal law when it comes to anti bias rules. But some religious groups on campus have been refusing to comply, saying admitting homosexual members, for example, could conflict with their first amendment rights. Scott says to look to the Christian Legal Society and the Alliance Defense Fund for leads.
11) Research whether the Israeli-Palestinian debate is heating up at your local colleges and universities. Since the Gaza invasion, the political left has been more vocal about this issue on campus. Scott cites movements to cut off academic ties to Israeli universities and academic freedom cases where tenure is delayed for professors critical of Israel.
12) Watch for the unionization of graduate students. Currently it’s illegal for private university graduate students to unionize, but Scott says this may be about to change. If it does, universities are in a bad position to negotiate on pay and benefits for TAs, since finances are already tight.
13) Investigate the rise of certificate programs. President Obama has talked a lot about Americans getting at least one year of post-secondary education. This call should bring people into the higher ed system who weren’t there before. Certificate programs take just one year, compared to associates degrees over two years and bachelors over four years. Scott says this is a shift in education, that a degree isn't all that matters.
During the discussion following his presentation, Scott suggested angles on college and university sports. If a school cuts sports, he says to watch whether a school gets challenged on Title IX. He suggests skepticism when groups connect sports cutbacks to a drop in giving, unless the school’s a big sports hub. There was also some talk about schools adding sports – like Georgia State’s new football team. Scott says this move is usually due to a school trying to change its image – to increase male enrollment, for example. Georgia State is transforming from a commuter college to one with a resident body, so that factors in as well. But Scott says, sports are rarely a moneymaker for a school.
To close out, Scott suggested some community college stories: Reverse transfer trends from 4-year to 2-year colleges; accelerated Associates Degrees; undocumented students landing at community colleges. North Carolina is the focal point, but there’s a big case in California as well; four-day week and one-day week; schools experimenting having students on campus fewer days; the community college inability to keep up with demand in health fields. Nursing and allied health programs are highly competitive. Look for how many qualified applicants nursing schools say no to.
-- Kristina Tabor
Monday, May 4, 2009
Paul Tough, Charter Capacity Sessions On Video
Who needs writeups from me when there's these helpful NAPC videos that can show you what you missed?
Paul Tough NAPC
New York Times Magazine editor and author Paul Tough addresses a luncheon at the Education Writers Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 2, 2009
Paul Tough NAPC
New York Times Magazine editor and author Paul Tough addresses a luncheon at the Education Writers Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 2, 2009
Charter Schools Panel at Education Writers Assoc. May 3, 2009 NAPC
Panel discussion on public charter schools at the annual Education Writers Association meeting May 3, 2009 in Washington DC.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Education Writers Conference: My Reality Check
For a new education writer like me the conference was definitely a “Reality Check.” From the new media sessions at the Washington Post to opening remarks by Secretary Arne Duncan, to the incredible workshops, the exhibits and the wealth of information from the speakers and attendees it was well worth the time.
There’s a saying that the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. Well, I second that emotion. While I learned how much I didn’t know about the field of education (reality check) here’s some highlights of what I did learn.
Blogs allow readers to get involved with the story. “Let them in the reporting process,” said Emily Alpert of the Voice of San Diego, “Have a personal relationship with readers.”
Non-profit news outlets are successfully making their mark in the industry. Elizabeth Green of gothamschools.org explained that the site was developed by a philanthropist and it’s innovating new models on how to pay for journalism.
Facebook can be used for reporting. Pat Thornton, chief editor of beatblogging.org said, “The easier you make it for people to reach you, the more they will.” Twitter is also a good place for research. Lots of news is broken on Twitter. “
“It’s a great way to start a conversation, ask questions and get quotes,” said Mr. Thorton. “Put your blog entry on Twitter and Facebook. Use a tiny URL. Twitter and Facebook can be connected.”
Facebook is a news source he explained. It’s great for education writers because it was started for students. Be social. People get news from Facebook and they give news. Journalism is now a two-way conversation. People are willing to ask questions. Organize a weekly chat. The biggest thing is the interaction between people.
The research about high school dropouts goes all the way back to the 1870’s. Today 1.2 million youth drop out each year. Near 50 percent of Black, Latino and Native American students drop out. It’s called the “Million Dollar Mistake”.
Two thousand schools account for 66 percent of dropouts. By the third grade a student’s attendance, behavior and academic performance can predict whether or not they will drop out.
Denisse Levano, 23, an immigrant who came to this country in 2006 spoke about why she dropped out of sch
ool and returned. She will graduate next month. “I left to work. I came back because I don’t want to be a waitress all my life. I want to do something different. I don’t have my dad encouraging me. It’s just me and my sister.” She’s going to college in the fall.
John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises spoke of the power of a caring adult in the life of a child. Ms. Levano’s counselor was instrumental in getting her back to school.
One size education doesn’t fit all. Some students need early morning classes, night school, and web based. Real life events can cause dropouts. So can boredom in the classroom. Young people start dropping out a year or two before they actually drop out.
The war of words between Marty Nemko, a college consultant and Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust about alternative education versus college readiness programs was an eye opener. Is college for everyone? Ninety seven percent of Black parents think so. But too many Black students are dropping out. Give them another option before they give up, drop out or get pregnant explained Mr. Nemko.
Options are what education writing is all about, so many stories, so little time. That’s my reality check. Tell me yours. Email me at nisaislam@mac.com, tweet me @nisaislam or hit me up on Facebook. I’m being social.
Denisse Levano speaks at the workshop Dropping Out: Why Kids Leave and What Brings Them Back. The workshop panel included Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises, and Danielle Mezer from the Mayor’s office in Nashville.
There’s a saying that the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. Well, I second that emotion. While I learned how much I didn’t know about the field of education (reality check) here’s some highlights of what I did learn.
Blogs allow readers to get involved with the story. “Let them in the reporting process,” said Emily Alpert of the Voice of San Diego, “Have a personal relationship with readers.”
Non-profit news outlets are successfully making their mark in the industry. Elizabeth Green of gothamschools.org explained that the site was developed by a philanthropist and it’s innovating new models on how to pay for journalism.
Facebook can be used for reporting. Pat Thornton, chief editor of beatblogging.org said, “The easier you make it for people to reach you, the more they will.” Twitter is also a good place for research. Lots of news is broken on Twitter. “
“It’s a great way to start a conversation, ask questions and get quotes,” said Mr. Thorton. “Put your blog entry on Twitter and Facebook. Use a tiny URL. Twitter and Facebook can be connected.”
Facebook is a news source he explained. It’s great for education writers because it was started for students. Be social. People get news from Facebook and they give news. Journalism is now a two-way conversation. People are willing to ask questions. Organize a weekly chat. The biggest thing is the interaction between people.
The research about high school dropouts goes all the way back to the 1870’s. Today 1.2 million youth drop out each year. Near 50 percent of Black, Latino and Native American students drop out. It’s called the “Million Dollar Mistake”.
Two thousand schools account for 66 percent of dropouts. By the third grade a student’s attendance, behavior and academic performance can predict whether or not they will drop out.
Denisse Levano, 23, an immigrant who came to this country in 2006 spoke about why she dropped out of sch
ool and returned. She will graduate next month. “I left to work. I came back because I don’t want to be a waitress all my life. I want to do something different. I don’t have my dad encouraging me. It’s just me and my sister.” She’s going to college in the fall.John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises spoke of the power of a caring adult in the life of a child. Ms. Levano’s counselor was instrumental in getting her back to school.
One size education doesn’t fit all. Some students need early morning classes, night school, and web based. Real life events can cause dropouts. So can boredom in the classroom. Young people start dropping out a year or two before they actually drop out.
The war of words between Marty Nemko, a college consultant and Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust about alternative education versus college readiness programs was an eye opener. Is college for everyone? Ninety seven percent of Black parents think so. But too many Black students are dropping out. Give them another option before they give up, drop out or get pregnant explained Mr. Nemko.
Options are what education writing is all about, so many stories, so little time. That’s my reality check. Tell me yours. Email me at nisaislam@mac.com, tweet me @nisaislam or hit me up on Facebook. I’m being social.
Denisse Levano speaks at the workshop Dropping Out: Why Kids Leave and What Brings Them Back. The workshop panel included Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises, and Danielle Mezer from the Mayor’s office in Nashville.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
For Profit Colleges: For Better or For Worse
An executive from the famous University of Phoenix shuttered when his business was called an empire and defended its growth by saying that it was student driven. Some 400,000 students attend.
In a panel discussion at the Education Writers Association conference, Jorge Klor de Alva, vice president for the massive online college, said that his enterprise started as a way to fill a niche for working adults who needed to finish a degree. It’s been able to continue to attract students because classes are small and curriculum is standardized.
Tom Snydner from the National Center on Education Statistics said that for profit colleges serve disproportionate numbers of women and black students, suggesting that some of this could be contributed to the fact that many of them are operated in urban centers.
He also presented a chart that showed that for profit colleges spend less on instruction than do public or not-for-profit institutions. Some of that could be attributed to fewer overhead costs as most for profits don’t provide room and board, he said.
Contrary to their reputation, Snydner said these colleges are not way more expensive than public and for-profit universities and that the same proportion of students get financial aid and loans.
Kevin Kinser, a researcher from SUNY-Albany, added that for profit colleges tend to spend a lot of money on marketing and recruitment, noting that every web page he goes to has an ad for the University of Phoenix.
Klor de Alva, however, insisted that students come to his college because of its word of mouth reputation and not because of the aggressive marketing.
There was little discussion in the session about what are some of the problems reporters could look for in for-profit colleges.
In a panel discussion at the Education Writers Association conference, Jorge Klor de Alva, vice president for the massive online college, said that his enterprise started as a way to fill a niche for working adults who needed to finish a degree. It’s been able to continue to attract students because classes are small and curriculum is standardized.
Tom Snydner from the National Center on Education Statistics said that for profit colleges serve disproportionate numbers of women and black students, suggesting that some of this could be contributed to the fact that many of them are operated in urban centers.
He also presented a chart that showed that for profit colleges spend less on instruction than do public or not-for-profit institutions. Some of that could be attributed to fewer overhead costs as most for profits don’t provide room and board, he said.
Contrary to their reputation, Snydner said these colleges are not way more expensive than public and for-profit universities and that the same proportion of students get financial aid and loans.
Kevin Kinser, a researcher from SUNY-Albany, added that for profit colleges tend to spend a lot of money on marketing and recruitment, noting that every web page he goes to has an ad for the University of Phoenix.
Klor de Alva, however, insisted that students come to his college because of its word of mouth reputation and not because of the aggressive marketing.
There was little discussion in the session about what are some of the problems reporters could look for in for-profit colleges.
Latino College Crisis
Only nine percent of young Latino adults have a college education, a figure that has stagnated since the 1970s as every other racial and ethnic group has seen increases.
Patricia Gandara, a University of California-Los Angeles education professor and a director at the Civil Rights Project, told reporters at the Education Writers Association that this was a critical issue, especially as the population of Latinos in the United States grows.
Gandara was joined on a panel by Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, and Diana Natalicio, who is the president of the University of Texas-El Paso. Brown and Natalicio talked about solutions to the problem.
But first Gandara walked reporters through some of the facts, using her recently published book The Latino Education Crisis as a point of reference. Gandara said that the lack of Latinos getting a college education is adding to the United States falling behind other countries in the number of college graduates. The average education level of Latinos is rising, but with college “there is an absolute ceiling,” she said.
Gandara said that in order to reverse the trend, colleges must realize that generally Latino college students work and go to school part time. She also urged the audience not to frame the situation as one about immigrants, though they are part of the story. Second and third generation Latinos are actually struggling to get college degrees also. She called this backsliding.
“This population is not incorporating and integrating as other immigrant populations have,” she said. “I think it has a lot to do with changes in society. Today the same individuals who would have gotten jobs in the past and sent their children to college, are having a problem getting a foothold in the economy.”
That being said, there are some shining examples of programs and colleges that are making strides in reaching out to Latinos and helping them graduate. Brown’s newly formed organization profiles some of those programs on their website. She said high school counselors and colleges need to be more deliberate in making sure that students get information to help them navigate into and through college.
“These are first generation college goers and they are not going to get the savvy advice that goes on in middle class households around dining room tables,” she said.
Brown, who worked in the Clinton administration, also is interested in making sure that the Obama administration makes college more affordable for Latinos.
Natalicio’s university has taken many specific steps to help Latino students. Two thirds of the school’s students are Mexican and most of them grew up within 50 miles of the university and are working their way through college. One thing the university realized is that at the beginning of a semester students are really stretched between paying tuition and buying books.
“Because of cash flow issues, sometimes they just stop there,” she said.
To combat that, the university allows students to pay over five installments and also has a revolving emergency book loan fund.
Patricia Gandara, a University of California-Los Angeles education professor and a director at the Civil Rights Project, told reporters at the Education Writers Association that this was a critical issue, especially as the population of Latinos in the United States grows.
Gandara was joined on a panel by Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, and Diana Natalicio, who is the president of the University of Texas-El Paso. Brown and Natalicio talked about solutions to the problem.
But first Gandara walked reporters through some of the facts, using her recently published book The Latino Education Crisis as a point of reference. Gandara said that the lack of Latinos getting a college education is adding to the United States falling behind other countries in the number of college graduates. The average education level of Latinos is rising, but with college “there is an absolute ceiling,” she said.
Gandara said that in order to reverse the trend, colleges must realize that generally Latino college students work and go to school part time. She also urged the audience not to frame the situation as one about immigrants, though they are part of the story. Second and third generation Latinos are actually struggling to get college degrees also. She called this backsliding.
“This population is not incorporating and integrating as other immigrant populations have,” she said. “I think it has a lot to do with changes in society. Today the same individuals who would have gotten jobs in the past and sent their children to college, are having a problem getting a foothold in the economy.”
That being said, there are some shining examples of programs and colleges that are making strides in reaching out to Latinos and helping them graduate. Brown’s newly formed organization profiles some of those programs on their website. She said high school counselors and colleges need to be more deliberate in making sure that students get information to help them navigate into and through college.
“These are first generation college goers and they are not going to get the savvy advice that goes on in middle class households around dining room tables,” she said.
Brown, who worked in the Clinton administration, also is interested in making sure that the Obama administration makes college more affordable for Latinos.
Natalicio’s university has taken many specific steps to help Latino students. Two thirds of the school’s students are Mexican and most of them grew up within 50 miles of the university and are working their way through college. One thing the university realized is that at the beginning of a semester students are really stretched between paying tuition and buying books.
“Because of cash flow issues, sometimes they just stop there,” she said.
To combat that, the university allows students to pay over five installments and also has a revolving emergency book loan fund.
Merging Higher Ed and K-12 Beats
Newspapers are cutting staff, so more reporters are on a combined K-12 and higher ed beat. This session turned into an informal discussion about ways to avoid compromising coverage at both ends of the education spectrum. Jennifer Jordan of the Providence Journal led the discussion.
An informal survey of reporters on the EWA listserv revealed the diminished coverage hits the higher ed hard. We discussed ways to wrap higher ed coverage into the K-12 discussion. A few ideas: Sometimes higher ed can be covered on another beat, like business. Pass along good K-12 stories too; for example if a school has a good theater program, offer the story to the arts desk. Write about things like teacher prep; how well are local colleges training teachers? Dual enrollment programs and early enrollment are also ways higher ed and K-12 topics overlap. Do more stories on STEM, since science and math are critical in every state. Look at pathways to college programs, joint agreements, and moving kids from community colleges into a 4-year program.
We also talked about ways to get higher ed into the paper while maximizing limited time. For example, other beats can cite university professors as sources. You also can grab wire stories about education and to it off with local information.
What a College Dropout Can Tell You About Changing the Odds
Author Paul Tough just gave a fascinating speech about his book, which takes on a startlingly simple question: Why is it that poor kids tend to do so badly in school and in life? And more importantly, what can we do to change that?
The book, Whatever It Takes, chronicled the ups and downs of the Harlem Children’s Zone, a groundbreaking effort by nonprofit guru Geoffrey Canada to “flood the zone” in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods with both social services and tougher schooling to close the achievement gap. Families go through a “conveyor belt” of services from prenatal parenting boot camp -- dubbed Baby College – to a stellar preschool to a system of charter schools.
“He didn’t want to keep helping a few kids beat the odds,” Tough said of Canada and his quest. “He wanted to change the odds for children in Harlem -- and in big numbers.”
The project has had some remarkable successes. And the book is no slouch, either. It is phenomenally written, full of human detail and scholarly depth from neuroscience to sociology, and an amazing tale to boot -- I read the entirety of the book on a sunny February afternoon on the beach. (I live in San Diego. Go ahead and hate me.)
And the Zone could be coming soon to a city near you. Obama and Arne Duncan have talked about the idea of replicating the project by fostering “Promise Neighborhoods” in 20 cities, run jointly by the federal government and local businesses and nonprofits.
Tough has some worries about cloning the Zone, including that local nonprofits may lack the strict accountability that characterized Canada and his programs, but he sounded largely excited about seeing the plan go forward in an era when big questions such as what makes a good teacher are dominating the education debate.
“This is really the first new big anti-poverty strategy since welfare reform and in many ways the first comprehensive one since the war on poverty, and its apparently going to be run not by the housing department or the health and human services department but by the education department,” Tough said, cautioning that he was unsure if it would work. But he added, “If we can all manage to hang on to our jobs, we’re going to have front row seats.”
Here are a few other tidbits you might have missed from the speech:
Whatever it Takes -- A Harlem Story
Paul Tough, a New York Times Magazine editor and author of "Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Save Harlem and America," thought he was writing about poverty when he began following Geoffrey Canada, who founded the Harlem Children's Zone. The ambitious project is trying to reshape children's lives by enveloping residents of an area of nearly 100 blocks with a variety of social services. In 2004, that vision expanded to center around a charter school, the Promise Academy.
When the school opened, the founders gave standardized tests to the new sixth-graders and found they were mostly at least two grade levels behind in reading and three grade levels behind in math.
Tough realized what essential question his story would be organized around, he told EWA members: "Why is it that poor kids do so badly in school and life? And what can be done?" He said that the debates about education and poverty are beginning to merge, and for the better. Reformers are now focusing on directly helping children instead of just their parents.
"Unless there's a really high-performing school in the center, it can't be done," Tough said.
Canada's zone is all-encompassing. It starts with educating parents in parenting skills, moves on to preschool and K-12 and includes other social services.
The program has had false starts, but President Obama has expressed interest in trying to create other similar zones, called "Promise Neighborhoods," in 20 cities around the country. Tough said that there are several pitfalls that need to be avoided: too much local control and organizational disarray. There has to be an overarching vision and a power structure that will allow for failing programs to be discontinued, he said. They should also be rolled out gradually in a few cities at a time, he said.
"I am optimistic that there are leaders who can do it. They could be run better than the Harlem Children's Zone," where the idea is better than the execution," he said. "They took lots of wrong turns," including trying to work through the local public schools, he said.
If public schools can be adapted to be open longer hours and be more flexible, a public school could make similar reforms.
When the school opened, the founders gave standardized tests to the new sixth-graders and found they were mostly at least two grade levels behind in reading and three grade levels behind in math.
Tough realized what essential question his story would be organized around, he told EWA members: "Why is it that poor kids do so badly in school and life? And what can be done?" He said that the debates about education and poverty are beginning to merge, and for the better. Reformers are now focusing on directly helping children instead of just their parents.
"Unless there's a really high-performing school in the center, it can't be done," Tough said.
Canada's zone is all-encompassing. It starts with educating parents in parenting skills, moves on to preschool and K-12 and includes other social services.
The program has had false starts, but President Obama has expressed interest in trying to create other similar zones, called "Promise Neighborhoods," in 20 cities around the country. Tough said that there are several pitfalls that need to be avoided: too much local control and organizational disarray. There has to be an overarching vision and a power structure that will allow for failing programs to be discontinued, he said. They should also be rolled out gradually in a few cities at a time, he said.
"I am optimistic that there are leaders who can do it. They could be run better than the Harlem Children's Zone," where the idea is better than the execution," he said. "They took lots of wrong turns," including trying to work through the local public schools, he said.
If public schools can be adapted to be open longer hours and be more flexible, a public school could make similar reforms.
Does Math Matter? (or, Why Math Matters)
Math matters, and it will take clear standards, inspiring teachers, and attention to our international neighbors to get at "the right math," according to the practitioners and reformers who addressed reporters at this session.
The three men -- Michael Cohen, president of Achieve; John Ewing, president of Math for America; and Mike Lindstrom, director of SciMathMinnesota -- agreed that academic standards and quality teachers are both important to increasing math achievement.
"If all (schools) do is raise the bar ... all you get is more frustration and more failure," said Cohen, of Achieve, a governors- and business-led nonprofit at the front end of the standards movement.
The key to success comes in translating those standards into the classroom, which requires teachers who are able to convey concepts as well as facts, and who inspire kids to see the oft-feared subject as key to their future -- and the country's.
"Not every teacher has to be Mr. Chips," said Ewing, referring to the fictional British boarding-school teacher. But respect for a profession that sees a high turnover rate, and a willingness to invest in bringing in good teachers who are in it for the long haul, are "foundational."
Ewing's program pays teachers $20,000 a year on top of their salaries as an incentive to go through their program, which emphasizes training and mentorship. To scale that up would take billions of dollars, but billions of dollars well spent, he said. "You could transform education."
Ewing derided any notion that standards are "a kind of secret formula that's supposed to be solving the crisis."
Still, the example of Minnesota shows that paying close attention to what's expected of kids -- and when -- can be a catalyst for getting out of the rut of routine, said Lindstrom, who said the key for his state was in looking overseas. "We can learn a lot from other countries."
Minnesota has seen its rankings on the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) test surpass the United States average and near that of powerhouses like Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong. It has done it by looking at how high-scoring countries lay out their math expectations, Lindstrom said.
In 1995, when his group first looked at the issue, other countries focused on a very narrow set of math skills at each grade level, while American schools crammed everything in, every year. "You never gained mastery."
Today, Minnesota's standards more reflect the international approach. But the tougher work remains, Lindstrom said. "The low-hanging fruit has been picked."
The common thread to each speaker's comments was that math is more than an algorithm -- it is central to building up high school graduates (and beyond) who can do more than calculate a restaurant server's tip. "Mathematics becomes a way of thinking," Lindstrom said.
The three men -- Michael Cohen, president of Achieve; John Ewing, president of Math for America; and Mike Lindstrom, director of SciMathMinnesota -- agreed that academic standards and quality teachers are both important to increasing math achievement.
"If all (schools) do is raise the bar ... all you get is more frustration and more failure," said Cohen, of Achieve, a governors- and business-led nonprofit at the front end of the standards movement.
The key to success comes in translating those standards into the classroom, which requires teachers who are able to convey concepts as well as facts, and who inspire kids to see the oft-feared subject as key to their future -- and the country's.
"Not every teacher has to be Mr. Chips," said Ewing, referring to the fictional British boarding-school teacher. But respect for a profession that sees a high turnover rate, and a willingness to invest in bringing in good teachers who are in it for the long haul, are "foundational."
Ewing's program pays teachers $20,000 a year on top of their salaries as an incentive to go through their program, which emphasizes training and mentorship. To scale that up would take billions of dollars, but billions of dollars well spent, he said. "You could transform education."
Ewing derided any notion that standards are "a kind of secret formula that's supposed to be solving the crisis."
Still, the example of Minnesota shows that paying close attention to what's expected of kids -- and when -- can be a catalyst for getting out of the rut of routine, said Lindstrom, who said the key for his state was in looking overseas. "We can learn a lot from other countries."
Minnesota has seen its rankings on the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) test surpass the United States average and near that of powerhouses like Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong. It has done it by looking at how high-scoring countries lay out their math expectations, Lindstrom said.
In 1995, when his group first looked at the issue, other countries focused on a very narrow set of math skills at each grade level, while American schools crammed everything in, every year. "You never gained mastery."
Today, Minnesota's standards more reflect the international approach. But the tougher work remains, Lindstrom said. "The low-hanging fruit has been picked."
The common thread to each speaker's comments was that math is more than an algorithm -- it is central to building up high school graduates (and beyond) who can do more than calculate a restaurant server's tip. "Mathematics becomes a way of thinking," Lindstrom said.
What states shouldn't do in tough economic times
One size fits all: good for clothing, bad for higher-education policy. But states are still heading down the one-size path as the economy tanks, two panelists told EWA attendees Saturday.
Micromanaging legislators are among colleges' top enemies, said Alan Merten, president of George Mason University in Virginia. Although the university receives less state money per student than ever before, lawmakers are becoming more meddlesome in areas such as tuition policies and how many out-of-state students a campus can accept, he said.
"We say, 'Everybody in the Legislature is an expert on education and transportation because they all went to school and they all drive a car," Merten said.
A better way to ensure accountability is for governors to appoint strong and knowledgeable governing boards, said Patrick Callan, director of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Virginia has been successful in that regard, he said.
Disturbingly few universities have tuition policies, Callan said, making it difficult for parents to know how much college will cost their children years down the line. Although federal financial aid has started rising, those increases appear to be leading some universities to hike tuition to rake in more of those federal dollars, he said.
With many eligible students, particularly in relatively low-cost states such as California, failing to apply for financial aid, the country needs to find a balance, he said.
"We need to both control the cost trajectory in higher education and fix financial aid," Callan said. "Don't leave money on the table, but don't raise tuition just to capture more financial aid money."
But state legislatures should leave tuition policies to the schools, he said. Otherwise, he said, states risk coming up with standardized policies that will hurt some campuses.
Both men raised concerns about the continuing prevalence of merit-based scholarships, particularly at private schools. Although the economy has led to struggles at nearly all colleges, wealthier private schools are able to dip into endowments and are essentially "buying students," Merten said.
It appears Americans could come out of the economic crisis significantly more debt-averse, Callan said. With much of the country's higher-education model based on borrowing, people already asking more questions about the value of a particular school, he said.
The nation's colleges and universities may need to go back to the drawing board to answer fundamental financing questions, Callan said.
"There's some real landmines out there some of us probably should be thinking more about," he said.
Although federal stimulus money could provide needed higher-education resources, some states are using the extra money as an excuse to lower their own higher-education appropriations, Merten said. George Mason, for example, is scheduled to receive $140 million from the state in each of the next two years, but $10 million of this year's allocation is coming from federal money.
"Our states are now building long-term budgets based on short-term stimulus money," he said.
Universities and colleges should be responding to the economic problems by implementing politically touchy solutions, Callan said. For example, schools should consider increasing teaching loads before cutting enrollment, he suggested, and cut graduate enrollment before limiting undergraduates.
Both panelists offered story ideas:
- State policies are often based on the stereotype that college students are 18 and living on campus, Merten said. The truth is that just 20 percent of student fit that profile, he said.
- How are community college students being affected by the economy? Are those colleges able to help their students, who tend to be particularly vulnerable to economic problems?
- How are states using stimulus money for higher education?
- Are debt levels affecting job vs. graduate school decisions for this year's college graduates?
Micromanaging legislators are among colleges' top enemies, said Alan Merten, president of George Mason University in Virginia. Although the university receives less state money per student than ever before, lawmakers are becoming more meddlesome in areas such as tuition policies and how many out-of-state students a campus can accept, he said.
"We say, 'Everybody in the Legislature is an expert on education and transportation because they all went to school and they all drive a car," Merten said.
A better way to ensure accountability is for governors to appoint strong and knowledgeable governing boards, said Patrick Callan, director of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Virginia has been successful in that regard, he said.
Disturbingly few universities have tuition policies, Callan said, making it difficult for parents to know how much college will cost their children years down the line. Although federal financial aid has started rising, those increases appear to be leading some universities to hike tuition to rake in more of those federal dollars, he said.
With many eligible students, particularly in relatively low-cost states such as California, failing to apply for financial aid, the country needs to find a balance, he said.
"We need to both control the cost trajectory in higher education and fix financial aid," Callan said. "Don't leave money on the table, but don't raise tuition just to capture more financial aid money."
But state legislatures should leave tuition policies to the schools, he said. Otherwise, he said, states risk coming up with standardized policies that will hurt some campuses.
Both men raised concerns about the continuing prevalence of merit-based scholarships, particularly at private schools. Although the economy has led to struggles at nearly all colleges, wealthier private schools are able to dip into endowments and are essentially "buying students," Merten said.
It appears Americans could come out of the economic crisis significantly more debt-averse, Callan said. With much of the country's higher-education model based on borrowing, people already asking more questions about the value of a particular school, he said.
The nation's colleges and universities may need to go back to the drawing board to answer fundamental financing questions, Callan said.
"There's some real landmines out there some of us probably should be thinking more about," he said.
Although federal stimulus money could provide needed higher-education resources, some states are using the extra money as an excuse to lower their own higher-education appropriations, Merten said. George Mason, for example, is scheduled to receive $140 million from the state in each of the next two years, but $10 million of this year's allocation is coming from federal money.
"Our states are now building long-term budgets based on short-term stimulus money," he said.
Universities and colleges should be responding to the economic problems by implementing politically touchy solutions, Callan said. For example, schools should consider increasing teaching loads before cutting enrollment, he suggested, and cut graduate enrollment before limiting undergraduates.
Both panelists offered story ideas:
- State policies are often based on the stereotype that college students are 18 and living on campus, Merten said. The truth is that just 20 percent of student fit that profile, he said.
- How are community college students being affected by the economy? Are those colleges able to help their students, who tend to be particularly vulnerable to economic problems?
- How are states using stimulus money for higher education?
- Are debt levels affecting job vs. graduate school decisions for this year's college graduates?
Tracking the Stimulus - Part I
The $98 billion education stimulus package represents an unprecedented opportunity for both riches and risk for the nation’s public schools.
That was the message from three members of the “Washington Education Mafia,” as moderator and USA Today education reporter Greg Toppo affectionately described the panelists at this morning’s session.
The public – as well as educators – is looking to the media for clarity, said Michael Casserly executive director of the Council of Great City Schools.
“At the local level, school districts are receiving all kinds of very confusing and frankly erroneous information,” Casserly said.
His office is doing its best to stamp out the rumors, such as false limitations on how some of the Title I funds can be spent, “But they’re popping up even more frequently than we’re able to deal with.”
For Amy Wilkins, vice president for government affairs and communications at the Education Trust, the potential for backlash has her losing sleep.
Her “Big nightmare?” That at the end of the two-year funding cycle, schools, districts and states won’t be able to demonstrate improvement.
If that happens, it’s going to be “Very hard for those of us in education to go back to Congress and say, ‘give us more money,’” Wilkins said. “If the education community cannot stand and deliver here, we will have a problem.”
Education reporters need help tracking the stimulus money, and Wilkins hoped EWA would offer technical support and resources to assist with forensic accounting.
“The potential for this money to disappear into the mire is enormous,” Wilkins said.
And while there will likely be plenty of opportunities for journalists write about misuse of stimulus funds, panelist Scott Palmer co-founder and managing partner of EducationCounsel, urged balance.
Even though more positive stories “aren’t as sexy,” said Palmer, “I would implore you to also write about the examples of superior use (of stimulus funds) and true reform.”
That was the message from three members of the “Washington Education Mafia,” as moderator and USA Today education reporter Greg Toppo affectionately described the panelists at this morning’s session.
The public – as well as educators – is looking to the media for clarity, said Michael Casserly executive director of the Council of Great City Schools.
“At the local level, school districts are receiving all kinds of very confusing and frankly erroneous information,” Casserly said.
His office is doing its best to stamp out the rumors, such as false limitations on how some of the Title I funds can be spent, “But they’re popping up even more frequently than we’re able to deal with.”
For Amy Wilkins, vice president for government affairs and communications at the Education Trust, the potential for backlash has her losing sleep.
Her “Big nightmare?” That at the end of the two-year funding cycle, schools, districts and states won’t be able to demonstrate improvement.
If that happens, it’s going to be “Very hard for those of us in education to go back to Congress and say, ‘give us more money,’” Wilkins said. “If the education community cannot stand and deliver here, we will have a problem.”
Education reporters need help tracking the stimulus money, and Wilkins hoped EWA would offer technical support and resources to assist with forensic accounting.
“The potential for this money to disappear into the mire is enormous,” Wilkins said.
And while there will likely be plenty of opportunities for journalists write about misuse of stimulus funds, panelist Scott Palmer co-founder and managing partner of EducationCounsel, urged balance.
Even though more positive stories “aren’t as sexy,” said Palmer, “I would implore you to also write about the examples of superior use (of stimulus funds) and true reform.”
Millennials - potential for great storytelling
You may have heard of Baby Boomers and Generation X but a new term has been coined for the group born in and after 1982 – the millennials. Millennials were discussed in a Saturday morning session at the EWA conference.
Speakers for the session were Susan May, who works with a consulting firm that handles higher education strategies and Ian Shapira of the Washington Post. Shapira is making the millennial generation a new beat at his paper. Both advise caution when referring to the term millennials. People born during that generation don’t easily fit into a category like the G.I. generation of World War II or the baby boomers.
Instead, someone from the millennial generation, or the post-X generation, doesn’t accept labels or generalizations well.
The term was coined by authors Neil Howe and William Strauss to describe a generation of people defined as special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, pressured and achieving. While several positives have been strapped on the backs of millennials, Shapira asks journalists to look at the group in a different way. Because there are different subcultures in the group of millennials there’s a treasure trove of stories that haven’t been told.
Shapira said these stories won’t be a part of the big government exposés. Instead, the beat offers great feature stories. He said a journalist could have a real opportunity to “tap into a world where people who are very discreet in life.”
He used the Washington, D.C. young gay scene as an example. A group that believes older gay men are “too discriminatory, too white and too homogenous.”
“We never really write about these people,” Shapira said.
Shapira was higher education reporter for the Washington Post before starting the millennials beat.
Speakers for the session were Susan May, who works with a consulting firm that handles higher education strategies and Ian Shapira of the Washington Post. Shapira is making the millennial generation a new beat at his paper. Both advise caution when referring to the term millennials. People born during that generation don’t easily fit into a category like the G.I. generation of World War II or the baby boomers.
Instead, someone from the millennial generation, or the post-X generation, doesn’t accept labels or generalizations well.
The term was coined by authors Neil Howe and William Strauss to describe a generation of people defined as special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, pressured and achieving. While several positives have been strapped on the backs of millennials, Shapira asks journalists to look at the group in a different way. Because there are different subcultures in the group of millennials there’s a treasure trove of stories that haven’t been told.
Shapira said these stories won’t be a part of the big government exposés. Instead, the beat offers great feature stories. He said a journalist could have a real opportunity to “tap into a world where people who are very discreet in life.”
He used the Washington, D.C. young gay scene as an example. A group that believes older gay men are “too discriminatory, too white and too homogenous.”
“We never really write about these people,” Shapira said.
Shapira was higher education reporter for the Washington Post before starting the millennials beat.
New Models of Ed School
In this session, instead of looking at how to improve all teacher colleges, we looked at new models.
David Steiner talked about the Hunter College School of Education, which he is head of. Hunter has formed partnership with KIPP, other charter school organizations, and DOE to provide training to charter school teachers.
In the absence of substantial research on what makes a good teacher, Steiner says they turned to the best performing schools for guidance on how to best prepare future teachers. The partners are helping the Hunter faculty choose the best practices for teacher training, that is, the skills that make a difference in the classroom.
Every time an hour instruction is taught at Hunter, that hour is divided into 10 or 15 minute segments. Everything is well thought out and planned: each exercise, assessment, as well as what is the aim in that class.
The educators teach their student teachers the way they want them to later teach in the classroom. They are evaluated immediately electronically and a lot of videotaping is done during the course of teaching. “We video tape all our student teachers and give feedback. We now have a library of 600 clips and entire Hunter faculty uses them as case studies”, Steiner said.
What assurance does Hunter have it is choosing the right things to focus on?
“We do not have the whole research yet. But what I know is that when you look at various taxonomies, what is striking is that it is beginning to get more and more fine grained”, Steiner says. It turns out, he continues, that being an effective teacher is being in charge of the repertoire of skills, and at Hunter teachers insist on practice of these skills.
“This is a work-in-progress, but we are very excited, because we think we just began to break down walls between the ed school and the school”, Steiner concluded.
Another speaker - Andre Cowling, principal of
Jim Cibulka, president of National Association for the Accreditation of Teachers Colleges, put everything in perspective.
He said he was very optimistic about the potential for reform and change at ed schools, because of:
- Developments instrumental in driving change: a move from regulations of Ed Schools around curriculum and libraries to candidate performance.
- Shift in driving reform being from outside the profession, i.e. the emergence in the 1980s of the market of mixed providers, which spurred competition between colleges of education and alternative providers. The strongest of the alternative providers have done strong clinical preparation, which is the future of strong models.
Considering clinical model for ed schools, Cibulka said that there is need for two things:
1) much stronger ties between schools of education and the schools, and traditionally universities and colleges of education have had tenuous ties with schools.
2) stronger knowledge on best practices. “Not only do we have a weak research based on teaching learning, we also have weak research based on what effective practices are in the preparation of educators”, he said.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan
If Education Secretary Arne Duncan can change, he reasons anybody can.
Speaking at the conference Thursday night, Duncan pledged not to use three words he's become known for in his brief tenure: extraordinary, dramatic and incent. (We just had to get them into this piece more than once, however. Happy hunting.)
He slipped but once (on incent), but took the opportunity to outline the possible dramatic changes that may be coming, soon, to the American education landscape.
Duncan said while policy makers and the general public have been astonished by some parts of the Democratic administration's education agenda, including the expansion of charter schools and a push for performance-based pay for teachers, honest discussion about the topics is necessary.
In the meantime, he pledged to do whatever he can to incent educators to be extraordinarily more open and honest about their students and schools.
"That lack of willingness to open up actually impedes progress," he said in response to a question by EWA Public Editor Linda Perlstein.
He noted that while the press may sometimes be too quick to discredit a potential education reform initiative, its collective power can also highlight severe failures.
"We don't ask that you go easy on us," he said.
Don't worry, Secretary Duncan. That's probably not something us education reporters would consider changing for a second.
Speaking at the conference Thursday night, Duncan pledged not to use three words he's become known for in his brief tenure: extraordinary, dramatic and incent. (We just had to get them into this piece more than once, however. Happy hunting.)
He slipped but once (on incent), but took the opportunity to outline the possible dramatic changes that may be coming, soon, to the American education landscape.
Duncan said while policy makers and the general public have been astonished by some parts of the Democratic administration's education agenda, including the expansion of charter schools and a push for performance-based pay for teachers, honest discussion about the topics is necessary.
In the meantime, he pledged to do whatever he can to incent educators to be extraordinarily more open and honest about their students and schools.
"That lack of willingness to open up actually impedes progress," he said in response to a question by EWA Public Editor Linda Perlstein.
He noted that while the press may sometimes be too quick to discredit a potential education reform initiative, its collective power can also highlight severe failures.
"We don't ask that you go easy on us," he said.
Don't worry, Secretary Duncan. That's probably not something us education reporters would consider changing for a second.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Arne Duncan, Sun God
Notes and impressions of dubious value from Thursday's Arne Duncan appearance at the education writers conference. (For straight news coverage of the event go here):
The guy looks confident, clear, in stride -- like someone who's had a very good first 100 days. And it's true. Prepared text is below -- the best part is where he praises journalists and makes it sound like we're all in this together. (Oh, and the part at the start where he promises not to use words like "incent" and "dramatically" - I think Politics K12 was first to note that, right?). Chicago Tribune star and introducer Stephanie Banchero mocked the fawning coverage and suck-up commentary that the EdSec has gotten. Then the love-fest began.
First hug went to the Chicago Sun Times' Rosalind Rossi, who just published a piece showing that Chicago charter schools haven't performed very well compared to those in LA and NYC. (Seems like no one cares about Arne's record any more, however. It's all about the present and the fu$ure.) Most common question I heard in the hall during Duncan's long remarks was "Which one's Peter Cunningham?" Got to meet new arrival Massie Ritsch, who arrived two weeks ago and is the lead swine flu guy.
Meanwhile, word is that Margot Rogers, the Gates program officer from Chicago, will end up serving as Chief of Staff. (Way back in January Fritz had her as Senior Counsel but that was way back in January.) Makes me wonder who is going to get the Gates jobs that have been vacated by folks going into the administration. Good excuse to bug Marie Groark, who hates seeing her name in print.
Justin Pope highlighted the lack of accountability and performance measures on the postsecondary front and got a "transparency cures all" responses from the EdSec. Weak and inconsistent with K12. Ditto for Arne's mumbo jumbo response on national standards. Surprise mention of Locke High School at the end -- a first to my knowledge. Good quote for my book proposal and a good introduction to Locke for folks who are going to be reading a story about the school in the New Yorker as soon as next week.
At the reception: Jim Kohlmoos patted by Buddha belly and tugged on my goatee. Libby Quaid (AP) and Amy Fagan (Fordham) talked trash (in a good way). The Exxon sponsors gave away goodies like Flip videos but I forgot to enter the raffle.
Read the prepared remarks here.
Schnur
It seems like I spent all day trying to sort out conflicting versions of the "what happened to Jon Schnur?" story, which has been a question of some interest at the EWA conference this year.
First came the story that he had been asked to be Chief of Staff but had withdrawn. This from a reliable source who didn't want to be named. Then another version came through saying that Schnur was actually never offered the job. Also from a knowledgeable insider who wouldn't talk without anonymity. Drama! Last but not least -- who cares? I know -- came the compromise / consensus version: Schnur was asked to do the job, vetted and cleared, but then withdrew before he was formally offered the job, which is the last step in this particular dance.
Yes, being "asked" to do the job is different from "offered" the job. Gotta love Washington.
Yes, being "asked" to do the job is different from "offered" the job. Gotta love Washington.
Reporting test scores
The annual struggle to make sense of test scores may be even quirkier this year, with the recession potentially shifting the playing field, a national testing expert told reporters at the EWA national conference.
As most of us know, year-to-year changes in proficiency rates can be affected by factors such as normal fluctuations, changes in cut scores and shifts in demographics for a school or district. Keep an eye on that last one, said researcher David Silver, with the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing.
"With the recession, we know there is an influx of people from private school to public school because they can't afford private schools. I would assume they will tend to be higher-achieving students," Silver said.
Paula Brown, who oversees data for the Hampton (Va.) City Schools, and EWA public editor Linda Perlstein urged reporters to go beyond reporting how schools stack up at the end of the year and look at what tests really mean for helping kids learn better.
Virginia provides student-by-student reports on who got which questions right. Smart schools break out results on students who failed to see which skills need to be taught better, Brown said. They should also look at what would help successful students advance.
Reporters may not get -- or want -- such detailed information. But Perlstein suggested sitting in on a session where teachers and administrators review their test data and figure out what should happen next.
She also urged reporters to look at the tests themselves, whether it's a high-school exit exam or the DIBELS used to size up pre-reading skills for young children: "Any assessment that you can see what it looks like, you should."
As most of us know, year-to-year changes in proficiency rates can be affected by factors such as normal fluctuations, changes in cut scores and shifts in demographics for a school or district. Keep an eye on that last one, said researcher David Silver, with the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing.
"With the recession, we know there is an influx of people from private school to public school because they can't afford private schools. I would assume they will tend to be higher-achieving students," Silver said.
Paula Brown, who oversees data for the Hampton (Va.) City Schools, and EWA public editor Linda Perlstein urged reporters to go beyond reporting how schools stack up at the end of the year and look at what tests really mean for helping kids learn better.
Virginia provides student-by-student reports on who got which questions right. Smart schools break out results on students who failed to see which skills need to be taught better, Brown said. They should also look at what would help successful students advance.
Reporters may not get -- or want -- such detailed information. But Perlstein suggested sitting in on a session where teachers and administrators review their test data and figure out what should happen next.
She also urged reporters to look at the tests themselves, whether it's a high-school exit exam or the DIBELS used to size up pre-reading skills for young children: "Any assessment that you can see what it looks like, you should."
College for All?
It's rare that a conference session gets heated, but Education Trust President Kati Haycock and college consultant Marty Nemko apparently didn't get the memo. The two went head-to-head in a talk on whether college is meant for every student.
Haycock says that every student should get a college prep high school education, no matter if they want to be a car mechanic or a brain surgeon. Students aren't challenged enough and are sectioned off into college-bound and hopeless far too early in their educational careers, which robs children of their potential, she said. Students will rise to the challenge if they are told they can go to college rather than being ignored and shoved into vo-tech curriculum, she said. She went as far as to call Nemko's belief that college just isn't for some students "racist" and "un-American."
But Nemko countered that not every student is meant for a four-year college, and schools need to offer options rather than simply forcing every child into a college prep class. Students who aren't interested in Shakespeare or calculus get frustrated and ultimately drop out because they are being taught material that isn't relevant to what they want to do with their lives, he said. The people who are racist and elitist are the ones who are "insisting everybody should be the same," Nemko said, responding to Haycock. He also passed out literature questioning the data produced by the Education Trust.
The two did agree on one thing: the American education system isn't do an adequate job of producing workers ready to take on the challenges that plague our country. The solution? Depends on where you're sitting.
You can't spell 'reformer' without the reform
It’s always interesting to hear Michelle Rhee talk about the work she’s doing in DC, especially because since last time I heard her talk at EWA 2008 she’s become a rock star in the ed world.
She’s been on the cover of Time and Newsweek. Even my friend Susan who doesn’t have school-aged children and isn’t a teacher knows who she is.
Yep. It appears Rhee has officially worked her way into the national lexicon.
Her message this year felt a little softer than last year. It’s not that she’s backed away from her impassioned plea for reform; she’s just more immersed in it.
Her message this time centered around the idea that America’s schools aren’t suffering from bad ideas, they’re suffering from bad implementation.
“The fidelity of implementation is so poor across the board,” she said of DC schools.
She also talked about the need to build trust with staff when introducing new initiatives.
“With teachers, we have to be able to explain why we ask them to do things,” she said. “If you can’t give teachers a good reason, you can’t ask them to do it.”
Not to be outshone, Charles Payne, a University of Chicago professor and author of “So much reform, so little change,” explored the relationship between trust and achievement. He argues that social capitol should be considered when introducing reform, both with parents and students.
“The relationship piece is key,” he said.
Early childhood ed and the federal government
The nation's economic recovery package doesn't neglect its littlest citizens.
So far, $5 billion has been earmarked to support child care and child development grants, Head Start, Early Head Start and special needs children through the U.S. Department of Education.
Some may also use portions of the $13 billion meant for Title I to aid early childhood education programs. Money expected for home visitation for parents and education challenge grants could help, as well. Here's some background from Ed Week.
President Obama's actions so far are giving hope to advocates, such as Joan Lombardi, director of The Children's Project in Washington.
She pointed out that significant numbers of children -- including about half of those eligible for Head Start and many more eligible for Early Head Start -- don't have access to education programs before 5.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine outlined progress in his state thus far, including an expansion of the state prekindergarten program, a quality rating system and a centralized state office to oversee early childhood-related programs.
Elizabeth Burke Bryant of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has been working on a blueprint of what children need to be ready for school. It goes behind education to other needs, such as health insurance and affordable housing.
With the new funding and policy priorities on a national level, it's "an exciting moment to really try to move the ball down the field a lot more quickly than we have," she said.
So far, $5 billion has been earmarked to support child care and child development grants, Head Start, Early Head Start and special needs children through the U.S. Department of Education.
Some may also use portions of the $13 billion meant for Title I to aid early childhood education programs. Money expected for home visitation for parents and education challenge grants could help, as well. Here's some background from Ed Week.
President Obama's actions so far are giving hope to advocates, such as Joan Lombardi, director of The Children's Project in Washington.
She pointed out that significant numbers of children -- including about half of those eligible for Head Start and many more eligible for Early Head Start -- don't have access to education programs before 5.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine outlined progress in his state thus far, including an expansion of the state prekindergarten program, a quality rating system and a centralized state office to oversee early childhood-related programs.
Elizabeth Burke Bryant of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has been working on a blueprint of what children need to be ready for school. It goes behind education to other needs, such as health insurance and affordable housing.
With the new funding and policy priorities on a national level, it's "an exciting moment to really try to move the ball down the field a lot more quickly than we have," she said.
What causes students to drop out of high school?
At a session I'm attending this morning on why kids leave, John Bridgeland of Civic Enterprises said the No. 1 cause is boredom. There's a disconnect between what they're learning in the classroom and what they want to do or what they see is relevant in their lives. Bridgeland, whose organization has studied the issue extensively, said most dropouts were spending an hour or less a night on homework and wanted to be challenged more. About a third of dropouts leave because of personal conflicts such as needing to hold a job, he said, so flexible scheduling would also help.
I also posted this entry on The Sun's education blog, InsideEd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
