Do Kids Need A Summer Break?

                Last week (5/12/11), there was an interesting article by LZ Granderson entitled “We Need Year-Round School to Complete Globally.”  Granderson argues that while US students continue to fall behind globally in reading, math and science, our countries attitude is not reflective of the seriousness of the continuous decline.

                Granderson cites a 2009 report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support his argument for year-round school.  The report which occurs every three years assesses students (age 15) in 34 nations in math and science.  Currently US students age 15 rank 14^th in reading, 17^th in science, and 25^th in math.  The reports estimates that if US scores increased in reading, math, and science increased by 20 points over the next 20 years, the US economy would gain $41 trillion dollars over the lifetime of the generation born in 2010[i].  The data also showed that even though US students have fallen behind, their perception of their academic skills is higher than students in other countries.  Granderson believes the students high perception of their academic skills is due to praise given for mediocre work.  It is for these reasons Granderson argues that our country needs to consider converting to year-round schooling.

                On average, US students have a shorter school year (180 days) than students in countries such as Korea (220 days, ranks # 2 in math) and Finland (190 days, ranks # 1in math and science).  Having such a lengthy summer break, Granderson argues students, especially low income students’ are losing the academic knowledge acquired during the school year.  Citing the research of a summer-learning expert, Granderson claims that over the past century:

                                “each summer, our kids lose about a month of progress

                                in math and low income students lose as month as three

                                months worth of reading comprehension[ii]”

 Granderson reminds the readers the primary reason for summer break was for youth to help their family in the fields during growing season.  Since farming is less prevalent in a global economy, and more people live in cities than rural areas, US students are at home watching tv, playing video games, and losing valuable instruction time that could keep them competitive in the global market.

                There are a number of districts, both large and small that have converted to year-round schools.  While Granderson did not discuss or provide data on districts currently operating year-round schools, he argues:

                                “The world is getting smaller, the world is getting smarter and

                                if you look around you’ll see when it comes to education, we’re

                                no longer basking in the glow of superiority…We are wallowing

                                in mediocrity.  And our kids don’t even know it[iii].

With the economy still in recovery and some economist claiming that by 2016 China will over take the US as the leader of the global economy, our educational system is the main impetus to ensure the US remains the leader of the global economy.  Our nation must understand that students who receive poor to mediocre education present a threat to democracy, national security, and future economic leadership.

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[i] www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/10/granderson.yearround.school

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

Should School Districts Go To A Four-Day School Week?

                School Districts across the country are trying to find ways to fill gaps in their budgets from loss State allocations and the end of Federal Stimulus dollars.  Many of the strategies that are being considered or implemented are: 1) school closures and consolidation, 2) staff layoffs, 3) cuts to extracurricular activities, and 4) reduction in transportation.  However, one school district has gained national attention for considering a different strategy.

                The Coatesville School District in Pennsylvania is considering going to a four-day school week in order to prevent budget cuts and staff layoffs.  While the idea of a four-day school week is not new, the eyes of the nation are watching the Coatesville School District.  If Coatesville decides to approve a four-day school week and the change provides minimal or neutral academic gains, other school districts may follow their lead.

The Coatesville plan is to lengthen the school day by 80 minutes for elementary schools and 45 minutes for middle and high schools.  This would allow the district to utilize the exception to the Pennsylvania School Code which allows a district to measure a student’s time in class by hours instead of days[i].  While this would provide logistical problems for students involved in extracurricular activities, parents plans on what to do with children on off days, and will schools be able to provide enough instruction in four days.  However, Coatesville can look for guidance from over 125 school districts that are currently operating on a four-day school week. 

             There are many advantages to having a four day school week.  First is the savings gained from having unused buildings and buses.  Districts are able to reduce the costs of utilities, fuel, and payroll for non-instructional staff[ii].  Second, is the reduction of teacher burnout and staff turnover.  A four-day school week would also provide teachers the opportunity to recover from the demands of teaching.  Teachers would  be able to have more time to develop lesson plans, grade papers, spend time with their family, and they may remain in the field.

Lastly a four-day week could be beneficial to students who work or are looking for work.  A four-day school week would give students the opportunity to make more money and make them attractive to employers.  Due to the economic recession, many students are having to contribute to the household expenses or pay for their personal expenses to alleviate further strain to the household income.  Additionally, a four-day school week would also give students more time to work on their academic assignments.

           The disadvantages of a four-day school week mainly create concerns for parents.  Concerns such as making arrangements and paying for child care for younger children, how to prevent older children from becoming involved in high risk behavior s, and how to make sure children are learning and retaining the academic information needed to be promoted or graduate.

         The concept of a four-day school week could work for a small district like Coatesville, because a majority of the 125 districts utilizing a four-day school week are small.  There is not data that a larger district would be able to transition to a four-day school week due to the size of staff and student enrollment.

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[i] McLaughin, Danielle (4/19/2011).  Schools Consider 4-Day Week (www.msnbc.com)

[ii] Hardy, Dan & Lu, Adrienne (5/5/2011).  Two Pennsylvania School Districts Weigh Four-Day Week (www.philly.com)

Teacher Appreciation Week

                This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  This week is dedicated to celebrating the teaching profession, highlighting the vital role teachers play in shaping the lives of youth, and providing the public the opportunity to express their appreciation and gratitude to the teachers who played an important role in their lives.

                Unfortunately, when Teacher Appreciation Week is over, teachers will go back to being underpaid, underappreciated, overly scrutinized, and mostly likely laid off.  Not since the start of the 20^th century when the educational system was transformed from an agrarian to an industrial system have teachers and the teaching profession received so much negative attention (see David Tyack 2005, The One Best System).

                With all the negative attention teachers and the teaching profession has been receiving, lost in the discourse is that teachers are more than just teachers.  Teachers are parents who have children and have the same concerns about the education of their children, they are husbands/wives who work late grading papers, creating lesson plans, and sponsors for student clubs, and they are highly educated professionals who chose a career in teaching knowing they will underpaid and undervalued.  Teachers also understand they will bear the brunt of the blame for problems plaguing education.

                Compared to other countries, teachers are a highly valued commodity.  In China teachers are considered Nation Builders and in Sweden and Germany teachers are viewed as an integral part of National Security.  In the US, teachers are “just teachers.”  It is no surprise that the US is trailing the aforementioned countries in educational categories such as math and science. 

                It is time our country begins to value teachers the same way as other countries.  Our country needs to understand that other countries are using teachers to build the next generation of competitors to compete against the US in the global economy. 

Other countries heavily invest in teachers, the US has not.  Other countries have adjusted their teacher pedagogy to reflect the needs of a global economy.  The US has not clearly defined teacher pedagogy in a global economy.  Lastly, other countries compensate their teachers in a manner that demonstrates their value to the country.  Other countries do not appear to have the same teacher turnover or vacancies as in the US.

                As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, contact your State and Federal representatives and ask them to vote against teacher layoffs and invest in teachers.  Remind them that teachers are a crucial component to a successful educational system and remind them that teachers placed us on the path to being productive citizens because they inspired and empowered us to pursue our dreams.  Lastly, honor teachers by sharing with your child(ren) stories about your favorite teacher(s) and the impact they had on your life.

For all the teachers who have made a difference in our lives by motivating, challenging, and believing in us.  THANK YOU!

Youth Unemployment: Are Parents to Blame?

                Yesterday (4/25/11) a Blog (Entry-Level Rebel) by Jessica Stillman entitled: “Are Helicopter Parents to Blame for Youth Unemployment” claimed that one of the causes of youth unemployment (which included recent college graduates) is “indulgent parents who produce demanding and difficult to employ kids[i].”

                The premise of the blog goes against current research because it is implied by the author that youth who have had all the advantages, who likely lived with both parents who work and are college educated, attend good schools, live in good neighborhoods, and were provided with the skills, knowledge, and expectations to be hired, are having problems getting hired because they have unrealistic expectations. 

                The idea that over-demanding parents are one of the causes for youth unemployment adds a fresh perspective to the field.  A majority of the research on the causes of youth unemployment deal with issues of education, social capital, discrimination, and poverty.  Primarily focusing on minorities and gender, the research on youth unemployment examines the challenges as a deficit of the individual and downplays the institutional barriers and bias among employers. 

                Discussions about parents in youth unemployment research typically examine the impact of the single, female-headed family home due to the absence of the father, the lack of education of the parent, and childcare.  Due to these barriers, the research claims that when youth apply for jobs, they do not have the skills (social and interpersonal), knowledge, or expectations to be hired.  Compounding the problem are the failing schools and high poverty and crime neighborhoods where they live.

                The addition of this unchartered perspective on youth unemployment may potentially change the current individual deficit model research to a research model that examines how to make youth employable.  In doing this, research will be targeting parents and how to provide resources to them to make their child employable. 

Lastly, taking this research perspective also lessens the blame placed on public schools for not producing employable students.  Public Schools have bore the brunt of the blame in the research on youth unemployment.  While public schools have their part in preparing youth to be employable, youth learn the nuances and intangibles about employment from their parents.

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[i] www.bnet.com/blog/entry-level/are-helicopter-parents-to-blame-for-youth-unemployment

How To Fix American Education by PBS

                On April 15th PBS did a segment called: “Need to Know: How to Fix American Education.”  The premise of the segment was to highlight the conference on the Celebration of Teaching and Learning that was held in New York.  PBS touted this conference as a meeting of the “best minds of Education and Policy makers.”

                In the beginning narrative of the segment which presented the discussants, I immediately noticed there is a segment of people missing from the discussion and an expertise that was also missing.  The discussants, which ranged from prominent (Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond) to up and coming (Timothy Daily) briefly discussed their ideas on how to fix American Education.  While the discussants had some good ideas on how to fix American Education, there was no new or innovative ideas given that would begin the process of getting our educational system on the right track.

                Missing from the discussants were educators who actually have created successful educational environments.  Educators such as Marva Collins who founded the Westside Preparatory School in Chicago and gained notoriety for taking failing students, increasing their academic achievement, and getting them into college.  Also missing from the discussants was Geoffrey Canada, the founder, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone which serves 10,000 students over 100 blocks, with 90% of those students going onto post-secondary educational programs.  The absence of veteran, grassroots educators who have demonstrated the ability to educate children who previously struggled in the public education system and turn them into college bound students are virtually absent from the discussion.  The PBS segment showed that the country remains interested in theorizing the fixing of education in America instead of providing solutions to transform public education. 

It is time the country begins to take a solutions oriented approach to public education and develop an educational policy that transforms public education into a viable entity that provides students with a world class education.  Our leadership has to move past excluding proven educators, superintendents, teachers, students, and parents from the discussions about how to fix public education.  The individuals who deal with the problems plaguing education on a daily basis have a wealth of resources that are underutilized.  Public education can no longer afford to have its policies developed by individuals whose children have never attended public schools, who base their opinions about public education on statistics and research, and are not familiar with the daily challenges facing schools, teachers, and students.

The How to Fix American Education segment by PBS unfortunately added to the theoretical approach to the problems facing public education at a time when public education in a recession economy needs solutions.

School Voucher Programs: What You Are Not Being Told

                As the debate on public education grows, there is renewed effort from school choice advocates to provide taxpayer funded school vouchers to families of students who attend failing public schools.  

In theory, school voucher programs seem like a viable alternative to enrollment in neighborhood public schools that are failing or unsafe.  Voucher programs provide families the opportunity to enroll their children in private or parochial schools which are perceived as superior to public schools.  However, in practice, voucher programs have not made the significant educational impact to garner more support.

One of the problems with voucher programs was that several studies found no evidence that voucher program participants improved academic achievement.  The studies found that the lack of academic gains were due to “too many other factors at play [i].” 

Voucher program advocates would have the public believe that placing a child who has academic, social, and behavioral challenges in a private or parochial school would effectively eliminate those challenges.  Advocates would also have the public believe that all of the social service challenges that a child faced due to abuse and neglect would not impact the child in a private or parochial school.  Lastly, voucher advocates would have the public believe that private and parochial schools will begin to level the playing field causing public schools to become stronger.

Voucher program advocates do not tell you is that vouchers are for tuition only.  Vouchers are not used to purchase school uniforms, transportation (ie: bus passes), or extracurricular activities.  This means that an additional monetary burden may be placed on the family if the voucher school is not near the home.  Some private and parochial schools do not provide transportation, whereas public schools provide free transportation for children who live 1.5 miles or more from their school.  Additionally, if the voucher school is not near the home, it may prohibit the child from fully being able to participate in the school community.

Second, voucher program advocates do not tell you that private and parochial schools are not required to accept children with vouchers.  By not requiring private or parochial schools to accept a certain percentage of voucher students who apply, nullifies the arguments made by voucher advocates. 

Finally, voucher program advocates do not tell you that private and parochial schools are not accountable to State or Federal educational requirements as public schools.  Private and Parochial schools are not required to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Therefore, a voucher child who has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) from their public school and they are accepted to a private or parochial school, the school does not have to follow the child’s IEP.  Additionally, the compliance protections the child had at their public school under IDEA does not apply to private and parochial schools.

The story on school vouchers has not been fully disclosed, as a tax payer it is important that you remain informed on this issue, educate others, and find out where your elected officials stands on schools vouchers. 

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[i] Feinberg, Lawrence, A., Pa’s Unaccountable Voucher Bill., www.philly.com (2/21/11)

Wish List for Reforming No Child Left Behind

                A few weeks ago, President Obama asked Congress to rewrite the No Child Left Behind Law.  Although President Obama did not fully articulate his vision for the rewrite, I would like to humbly offer some suggestions:

School Readiness Program

One of the major problems in public education is the lack of school readiness of some youth entering elementary school.  The lack of school readiness automatically places these youth academically, socially, and behaviorally behind their peers.  The rewrite should include a mandatory summer school readiness program for all youth who have not attended a pre-kindergarten or kindergarten program prior to entering the first grade.  A school readiness program could prepare youth for the academic, social and behavioral expectations of school and give youth an early start on areas of academic weaknesses.  Lastly, a school readiness program could develop an enthusiasm for learning.

Integration of Applied Subjects

                Compared to students in other countries, students in the United States take more elective courses and less academic courses.  The rewrite should include the incorporation of applied classes that would be a requirement for graduation.  Courses such as applied math, chemistry, biology, and technology would demonstrate to students how relevant these subjects are to everyday life situations.  Taking applied courses could also strengthen the core academic subjects and advances subjects. 

Benchmarks to Adulthood

                With rise of school violence on students and staff, it is time to develop benchmarks to adulthood.  The rewrite should include a creation of benchmarks to adulthood that would provide students in K-8 with skills such as character education, etiquette, civics, technology, and peer mediation.  High school students would be provided with career development, independent living, restorative justice, public speaking, technology, and community service.  The Benchmarks to Adulthood could be measured by creating a series of oral or written (essay or multiple choice).

                If public education is expected to educate youth however they arrive to the school door, they have to be given the tools to develop students who are well rounded, productive citizens. By rewriting No Child Left Behind, the country can ensure that youth are being educated and prepared to access the American Dream in a global economy.