President Obama’s Master Teacher Corps

                President Obama recently announced plans to create an elite master teacher corps program to help improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math.  Believing that a master teacher corps would aid in closing the achievement gap in the US and abroad, President Obama is encouraging “high-performing” teachers to apply for the corps.

                Teachers who are selected to the corps will be sharing their knowledge and skills with other teachers and educators over a several year period.  While additional information about the program is forthcoming, participants in the master teacher corps will receive an additional $20,000 a year for their service.  President Obama hopes that improving the quality of teachers will improve the quality of education for all students which will spur future economic growth[i].

                The idea of building a master teacher corps is not a new or innovative concept.  The idea was established in response to the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 when the US was behind in the “space” race.  The establishment of the National Science Foundation was founded to address the quality of our country’s space program and to ensure our educational system is providing the skills and knowledge for future scientist, mathematicians and engineers.  There are also other teacher quality programs in other divisions of the federal government.

                Investing in the overall quality of science, technology, engineering, and math is area where there is high need is necessary to the future of innovation and our economy.  However, equally important is improving the foundation of education: reading. 

                Often overlooked in our zeal to catch up with our international competitors, reading is underestimated in most of our educational initiatives/reform efforts.  Although there are benchmarks and standardized tests that track reading progress, a majority of children in the US read below their grade level.  Before a child can truly develop an aptitude for science, technology, engineering and math, they first should be able to read, comprehend, and synthesize information at their grade level. 

                President Obama should add reading teachers to the corps to help decrease the reading gap by helping children, their families and school districts emphasize reading.  Going beyond the 100 book reading challenges and general book reports, there is a need for classes that specifically focus on the foundational elements of reading, comprehension, and synthesis.  In the early grades, there is a focus on the elements of reading, comprehension and synthesis.  Unfortunately, the upper grades emphasize comprehension and synthesis which is covered under English and Literature.

                Our failure to focus on reading at all levels isolates children from fulfilling their academic potential because they cannot fully participate in the technical content of science, technology, engineering, and math.  Since they cannot fully participate, they doubt themselves and mentally check out or become disruptive.

                By getting more children to master reading, comprehension and synthesis, the achievement gap in the US and abroad should decrease significantly, increase the number of children interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and spur future economic growth.  Let’s provide our children with a solid reading foundation.

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[i] www.cbsnews.com/2102-250_162-57474469

Is School Too Easy

            Does your child think school is too easy?  According to a recent report, “Do Schools Challenge Our Students,“ a large number of students think school is too easy.  According to the report:

1.      More than one-third high school seniors reported they hardly ever write about what they read in class

2.      Three out of four (72%) eight grade science students reported they aren’t being taught engineering and technology

3.      Almost a third of eighth grade students reported reading fewer than five pages a day either in school or for homework[i]

Although the report’s findings are not new, their recommendations to “ratchet” up standards by endorsing the federal government’s Common Core program, is a rehashing of the failed standards movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.  The recommendations also continue the flawed ideology that the fault lies with the students and not with our approach to teaching and learning.

            Teaching and learning is the foundation of education.  The approach to teaching and learning is based on an industrial era model of the late 1800s to mid-1920s.  The approach was designed to train students to become cogs in the various levels of industry (upper management, mid manager, shop worker, etc).  Teachers were trained to follow a prescribed curriculum in a sequence that provides fragmented information that is loosely connected (or not connected) to the next prescribed sequenced course.  Instruction came from textbooks which focused on information that was necessary to the preparation of the industrial society; learning came from rote memorization which hindered natural learning and curiosity.

Over the years there have been minor adjustments, but the ideological approach remains the same.  The refusal to acknowledge our approach to teaching and learning is antiquated and out of touch with the needs of the global economy, has created a continuous loop of failure, which churns out unprepared graduates and places our country farther behind countries that understand teaching and learning is a state of constant flux. 

            The data obtained from students clearly demonstrates the problem exists in our educational ideology.  The student does not control the curriculum, does not control pedagogy and instruction, and does how much homework he/she receives.  However, there is no mention in the data about teacher effectiveness, lack of administrative accountability, or the failure of districts to monitor their schools.  It is easy to blame the victims/students for the failures of the adults.  What is needed is an overhaul of our approach to teaching and learning.

            If students are saying that school is too easy, the fault is not the students, it is the failure of uninformed educational leaders who continue to trust in an antiquated approach that teaching and learning that is fixed.  This ideological insanity does not fit the needs of a global economy.  School is too easy should be our new moniker for educational reform.

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[i] www.usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/10/12666787-report-students-say-school-is...

Students with Disabilities & Charter Schools

            The Charter School Movement is celebrating 20 years of service to children and families.  As an alternative to public schools, charter schools are independent entities that receive public funds, without many of the state and federal regulations as a public school district.  Charter schools are also not involved with unions, which give them autonomy over the hiring, firing, salary, and work day of staff[i]. 

            As charter schools aim to become a permanent fixture of the educational landscape, they will continue to come under scrutiny by their critics, and praised by their advocates.  One primary area of contention is student enrollment.  Critics argue that charter schools exclude certain students, whereas public schools are mandated to serve every child.  Charter school advocates argue, that as an independent entity, they are allowed to set the enrollment criteria for students interested in attending their school.  For a while these arguments gained very little traction or serious consideration from the federal government.  It wasn’t until a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), about the lack of enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools captured the attention of federal and state officials.

            The GAO Report, commissioned by Representative, George Miller from California found that charter schools don’t enroll students with disabilities at the same rate as traditional public schools, despite federal laws that require all publically funded schools to serve students with disabilities[ii].  The findings of GAO report have ignited a response from the US Education Department and the Office of Civil Rights. 

            According to the report, the US Education Department has developed new procedures to help charter schools meet federal standards for enrolling students with disabilities and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) conducted compliance reviews of charter schools who under serve students with disabilities.  With 23 percent of charter schools nationally serving students with disabilities, the compliance review concluded that some charter schools may be discouraging students with disabilities from enrolling[iii].

            The findings of the GAO report and the OCR compliance review support claims made by critics of the charter school movement.  At the same time, the report does acknowledge charter schools need more guidance on how to meet federal standards for enrolling students with disabilities.  This acknowledgement provides charter school advocates with a small victory.  The acknowledgement also places charter schools on notice that the federal government is monitoring the enrollment of students with disabilities. 

            The involvement of the federal government is a win for students with disabilities because it provides them choice and access to schools which pride themselves on instruction by non-traditional designs.  It is too bad the federal government had to get involved in the first place.

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[i] www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/charter-schools-disabilities-_n_1610744

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

Troops to Teachers

                Eighteen years ago, the federal government established the Troops to Teachers program.  The purpose of the program was to help military veterans become teachers[i].  Understanding that teachers are crucial to the success of future generations and the nation, the creation of Troops to Teachers fulfilled two needs.

                The first need was to aid the transition of military veterans to civilian life.  Providing recently discharged veteran support as they transition into civilian life has been a difficult task for the military.  While the federal government provides discharged veterans with opportunities to further their education, unemployment and underemployment remain high.  By providing discharged veterans with the resources to obtain their teaching credentials, veterans are able to work at a job with good benefits with an above average salary.

                The second need was to aid school districts with teacher shortage in critical needs areas.  Districts across the country are struggling to hire teachers with credentials in math and science.  Troops to Teachers helped to partially fill the need as approximately 18% of veterans in the program obtained certification in math and science[ii].  Districts were also struggling to retain younger teachers who left due to disillusionment with teaching while older teachers left for retirement.  Troops to Teachers provided districts with teachers who are experienced in motivation, setting expectations, and providing the environment for individuals to meet or exceed the expectations. 

Although Troops to Teachers is fulfilling a need for both the military and school districts, more investment and marketing is needed to help increase the number of veterans’ transition to teachers.  At a time when teachers have come under fire for the poor performance of students and scrutinized by the public for the refusal of their union to offer concessions of the collective bargaining, veterans are sorely needed to change the negative climate. 

Increasing Troops to Teachers numbers could reverse the negative perception of teachers and renew public confidence in teachers.  Veterans’ could model leadership skills for students to emulate, they can instill a sense of discipline and purpose which many feel is lacking among today’s students.  Having served in the defense of our country, who better than a Troop to Teacher to help students utilize their talents and understand their importance to the future prosperity of the country. 

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[i] www.philly.com/philly/insights/in)education/20120326_Program_recruits_troops_as_teachers

[ii] ibid