The Promise Neighborhood

                With the success of the Harlem Children’s Zone, the federal government awarded 21 planning grants of $500,000 across the country.  The grants were part of the government’s Promise Neighborhood initiative.   The purpose of the grant was to bring together the resources of all the agencies and organizations that provide services for children and families in order to make services more efficient and to close procedural gaps which delay services to children and families.  The grant is supposed to be the conduit for collaboration, coordination, better communication and identifying areas of need to develop better “wraparound services[i]”

                Promise Neighborhoods seek to replicate the “cradle-through-college-career” approach that was first developed by the Harlem Children’s Zone.  The approach was to aggressively address and dismantle the barriers in a child’s life that affected learning.  By removing or greatly diminishing barriers, it allowed families to focus on their child’s education.  The Promise Neighborhood belief is

“when families spend so much time trying to make ends meet,

they rarely focus on improving their situation[ii].”

By supporting families from the time of conception, barriers such as the access to health care are removed and the child is less likely to suffer from lack of prenatal care.  As the child grows, having the supports in place to address potential educational and social service needs could lessen the impact on learning when the need occurs.

The Promise Neighborhood initiative is attempting to implement the idea that it “takes a whole village to raise a child.”  While the end product is to help children graduate from high school, enroll and graduate from a post-secondary education program and become adults that contribute to society, the family unit is stabilized and strengthened.  By focusing on children, the whole family is helped.

We know the needs of families in economically distressed neighborhoods.  If the Promise Neighborhood grants can replicate what the Harlem Children’s Zone has done to stabilize and strengthen families, children across the country will be able to focus on being children and their education.  If a family is struggling with stable employment, the resources of the Promise Neighborhood would connect the parent(s) with an agency that assists adults with training and finding stable employment.  If a family is struggling with childcare for younger non-school age siblings, Promise Neighborhood resources would assists the family with finding affordable childcare. 

Whatever the need of a family are, healthcare, housing, GED, etc, Promise Neighborhood resources will be at a family’s disposal to support and remove barriers that affect a child’s learning. Hopefully this will be the initiative that transforms income distressed neighborhoods and stabilizes families.

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[i] Relph, Azriel, Lui, Richard (10/25/11). An Outside-In Effort to Help the Poor Achieve. www.msnbc.com/id/45022229/ns/today-education_nation

[ii] ibid

Putting an End to the IQ Debate

                There has been a recent breakthrough in IQ research.  For a long time, the accepted and controversial belief that IQ was fixed and could never change has dominated the fields of neuroscience, child development, assessment, and the education of minorities.  However, a recent study at University College in London found that significant changes in IQ can occur in the adolescence and teenage years[i].

                The University College study tested 33 British adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 years old.  The students were tested and four years later were given the same test.  The results of the study found that some teens improved their IQ scores by as much as 20 points. This was a surprise to the research team because they expected a change of a few points they were not expecting a significant rise in scores among some of the participants.  According to Lead Researcher Cathy Price:

                                “We were very surprised…we had individuals that changed

                                from being on the 50^th percentile with an IQ of 100 all the way

                                up to being in the top 3^rd percentile, with an IQ of 127[ii]

                To confirm their findings, researchers used brain scans to confirm the significant rise in scores was not a mistake.  Comparing brain scans from age 12 and age 16, the researchers were able to see which different parts of the brain changed as a result of the changes in IQ.

                Although the study did not explain the causes for the increase in IQ score, its results have re-affirmed a long dismissed idea that IQ is not fixed.  Proponents of this belief argue that a child’s home and educational environment influences IQ.  They further argue that changes to those environments could lead to increased scores. 

                The University College study provides a compelling argument for reform in public school educational assessment.  The ideology of fixed IQ is woven in the fabric of public education.  This ideology has been used by school psychologist, teachers and administrators to permanently label and direct the educational path of students whose IQ score falls below a certain number.  Once the student has been labeled with a disability and placed on the educational path, the expectation level among school staff is based on a deficit model and a generalized biased that ignores a student’s individuality.  The student becomes viewed in by the lens of their disability.  The findings of the University College study should finally put an end to the IQ debate and begin the discussion on how to reform the educational assessment of students in public education. 

Now that we know IQ can be increased, there needs to be a change in the ideology in public education that reflects a student-centered approach whereby school staff focus educational programming on increasing IQ scores among students’ with low IQ.  By changing the expectation level, and generalized biased among school staff, the lens of their disability becomes a lens of availability that provides greater inclusion, opportunity and access that was once never considered.

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[i] www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/10/20/141511314/iq-isnt-set-in-stone-suggests-stud....

[ii] ibid

Diversity and its Impact on the SAT

            A recent report by the College Board found that scores on the critical reading section on the SAT exam fell by 3 points to its lowest point on record, while combined reading and math scores fell to its lowest point since 1995[i].

            The report claims the reason for the drop in scores is due to the growing diversity of the test taking pool.  According to the College Board, the growing diversity in the test taking pool primarily by Latinos whose native language is not English and an increase among African-American students due outreach efforts has led to the decrease in scores. 

            Increased diversity cannot be completely blamed on low test scores.  While it is convenient to blame increased participation of minorities and English Language Learners for the decline in overall scores, there are other reasons to consider. 

            Critics of the SAT have long claimed the test is biased against minorities.  They argue the test content was developed for students who come from upper and middle class backgrounds.  Critics argue that knowing there is a great chasm between affluent and poor districts, the test places students from poorer districts at a disadvantage because they may not have been exposed or properly prepared by their schools.  Since colleges and universities place a heavy emphasis on SAT scores, students from poorer districts are limited to where they can apply. 

            Critics also claimed the ability of upper and middle class families to pay for test preparation services, provides an unfair advantage over families who cannot afford to pay for test preparation services.  Providing students who can afford it with strategies on how to do well on the test provides a false portrayal to colleges and universities of a student’s academic ability because their scores are inflated. 

If the College Board is going to stick with their poorly construed explanation for the drop in overall test scores, then the solution for the College Board is to make the test more accessible to the increasing minority pool.  The College Board has not adapted test to address the needs of English Language Learners and other minorities.  The test does not consider language adaptations or cultural situations when test questions and scenarios are being developed. 

By not acting on the results of their study, the College Board has acknowledged minorities will be used as the scapegoat for the shortcomings of the SAT.  Scapegoating minorities deflects the attention away from a test that is considered by many to be culturally biased and unfair because for a fee, a student can be taught how to do well on the test.

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[i] www.cbsnews.com/2102-201_162-20106069 . SAT Reading Scores Fall to record low

The Rise of Disabilities and the Impact on School Districts & Schools

                According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), since the late 1990s, there has been a rise in the number of children and teenagers diagnosed with autism, ADHD and other learning and developmental disabilities[i]. 

While it is not clear what has caused the increase in diagnosis, researchers have speculated the increased diagnosis may be due to a growing awareness, the availability of early and effective treatments, better reporting, and increased overall acceptance of disabilities.  Researchers further speculate the increase in diagnosis may also be due to having children later in life, premature births, and use of fertility treatments.  All of these factors increase the risk of a child being diagnosed with a disability[ii].

The CDC study was based on a national health surveys that included interviews with 120,000 and parents across socio-economic, ethnic, and gender lines.  The results of the study found that twice as many boys than girls were diagnosed with a disability, children from low-income families and children on Medicaid had a higher rate of diagnosis, and Hispanic children had a lower rate of diagnosis which may be due to lack of access to healthcare and language barriers[iii].

The implications of the CDC study will have a tremendous impact on education.  First, school districts will need to hire more special education teachers.  The hiring of more special education teaches will alter the dynamics of a school.  Schools will have to add additional special education classes in order to meet the increased need for special education programs.  Since special education classes in most states average a maximum of 8 students for a Autistic Support classroom and 15 students for Learning Support and Emotional Support classrooms, a number of students in general/regular education classrooms may have to be moved to other schools to accommodate the increased need.

Second, the hiring of additional special education teachers and the creation of additional of special education classrooms may also alter how a district and school order curriculum and instructional materials and supplies.  Some special educational classes will have students that require assistive technology such as specially designed chairs, desks, manipulative, and technology such as iPads, iPods, text-to-speech, devices.  With increased assistive technology purchases, districts and schools will have to provide professional development training for teachers and classroom assistants in order to effectively support the students’ utilization of the assistive technology.

Third and last, the budget implications due to supporting a significant influx of newly diagnosed children may destroy any chance school districts may have to operate a balanced budget.  School Districts will have to consider the costs of inclusion as some of the children will need to be enrolled/rostered in general/regular education classrooms, which means school districts will require teachers with “dual” certifications of general/regular education and special education, or school district may have to transition to a co-teaching model. 

The CDC study has provided school district across the country with an opportunity to get ahead and prepare for an emerging trend. There is a great opportunity for school districts to develop innovative programs to support the emerging influx of children who require special education programming.  Hopefully, school districts can break away from past practices and fall behind a trend and scramble to catch up. 

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[i] www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/23/autism.adhd.increase.cdc

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

Can A Newborn Test Predict School Success?

                A recent study conducted by researchers in Sweden claimed to have found a correlation between newborn APGAR (Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, Respiration) test scores and the school success in teenage/high school years[i]. 

The study examined 877,000 Swedish children comparing their post-birth APGAR scores, their academic grades and graduation rate.  The study found a relationship between having an APGAR score below 7 and having cognitive deficits later in life.  The researchers believe this is an important finding because gaining a better understanding of the relationship may provide insight into what early problems may cause those deficits.  They argue that understanding why the APGAR score is low may aid them with understanding how future brain function may be impacted[ii]

The study found that children with an APGAR score of 7 or below were less likely to attend the special admissions/elite academic schools and more likely to receive special education services than students who have a APGAR Score of 8 or higher[iii].  The researchers noted that parents should not panic since most infants with APGAR scores 7 or below did “fine” with 1 in 44 infants requiring special education services.

The Swedish study could provide some helpful information that could be used to develop a system that connects families of infants with APGAR scores 7 or below with the formal education system.  Currently, infants who do not have severe deficits are not involved with the formal education system until they become close to school age.  When a child with deficits nears formal school age, the child is eligible for Early Intervention services as part of State and Federal Child Find mandate. 

Child Find mandates that a school district notify parents of children who have been identified with deficits as infants can receive an evaluation and services to support school readiness when they turn 4 years old and are nearing the age of entrance into formal schooling.  Early Intervention services evaluate students, develops and implements school readiness supports plans to decrease any physical, psychological and social deficits that may provide a barrier to learning.  Early Intervention services also assist children with how to manage their disability when they enter the formal school setting and they also provide the child with basic advocacy tools.

The Swedish APGAR study has provided some promising data that still needs further examination.  The study has however, created a renewed discourse into how infants with deficits can be helped to decrease barriers to learning that will help them become successful in their teenage/high school years and beyond. 

The study may also be beneficial to the advocates who are leading the efforts to decrease the achievement gap among poor children.  With the health and socio-economic disparities in poor communities, poor children are more likely to have some physical, psychological, and social deficits that impede learning.  This study may provide the break through these advocates need to increase the APGAR scores and close the achievement gap among poor children.

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[i] Brownstein, Joseph (7/21/11), Newborn APGAR Test May Predict Teens’ School Success www.today.msnbc.msn.com

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

Celebrating World Teachers Day

                Last week on October 5^th, the world celebrated World Teachers Day.  World Teachers Day was established in 1994 to celebrate the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels.  The day also commemorates the United Nations formation of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)[i].

                While this day went practically un-noticed here in the US, around the world teachers were celebrated.  In the Philippines, the Aquino government publically acknowledged the “thousands of men and women who have made it their life’s work to educate, our children, youth and adults[ii].”  In Taiwan, teachers received congratulations and small gifts from students and parents. 

                World Teachers Day is a reminder of the crucial role teachers’ play in the educational lives of children and future prosperity of nations.  The day is also a reminder of the ongoing work that needs to be done to ensure children in the US and around the world are provided with a quality education that affords them the opportunity to become productive members of society.  In the US, we are familiar with the areas of need in our educational system.  However, we are less familiar with the areas of need in educational systems in other nations, especially in developing nations. 

                According to a UNESCO report, the world is in need of 6.1 million teachers by 2015.  The majority of those teachers, 2 million are needed in sub-Saharan Africa, 243,000 teachers are needed in Arab States, 292,000 teachers are needed in South and West Asia, and 155,000 are needed in North American and Western Europe[iii]. 

The UNESCO report also called for more gender equality in the teaching profession.  Being concerned that 62 percent of the worlds teachers are women, with 90 percent being at the primary/elementary school level, the report calls for policies and strategies that attract more males to the field of teaching.  The report argues that attracting more males would create gender-equal learning environments that would benefit children and the teaching profession[iv].

                World Teachers Day is a reminder of how appreciative we should be of the people who dedicate their lives to the education of children and the work that needs to be done to ensure children around the world have highly skilled teachers in the classroom. 

In this world-wide economic recession and high unemployment, the consequences of those who receive a quality education and those who do not receive a quality education will dramatically impact their economic opportunities and quality of life.  Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but it is producing a wider chasm based on the quality of education an individual receives.  Therefore, teacher quality should become a national priority

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[i] www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2011/10/05/palace-joins-celebration-world-teac...

[ii] ibid

[iii] www.un.org/apps/news

[iv] ibid

What Parents Really Want to Tell Teachers

            Recently there was an article in titled “What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents.”  The article was supposed to provide insight from an inner-city teachers’ perspective concerning the parent/teacher relationship[i].  However, after reading the article and its condescending tone towards parents, I thought there should be a response from parents.

Leave the Stereotypes and Labels at Home

            Teachers are supposed to believe that all children can learn.  While many teachers claim to believe this, their actions contradict their belief.  Don’t generalize that all inner-city children come from single parent homes that don’t place a value on education.  Also, don’t be so quick to label minority boys and seek to place them in special education, understand their learning style and adjust your instruction to meet their needs.

Get Rid of the “Messiah” Complex

            Teachers are educators, not saviors of inner-city youth.  Just because you have degree in education and were taught about the “poor plight of inner-city youth and how they need help,” it does not mean you should develop a Messiah complex.  Students need teachers who are serious about providing the core academic skills (reading, writing, math, science) and higher level skills (critical thinking, and problem solving), not a person who thinks they can fix “these” kids. 

Respect Me as a Parent, as and an Adult, and as a Partner

            Teachers and parents should be partners in the education of the child.  Don’t generalize all parents as not being interested in their child’s education based on a few negative experiences with parents who don’t care about their child’s education.  Each parent should be treated as an individual and should be treated with respect. 

            Do not talk down to me as an inferior person just because you assume you might have more education than me.  You should strive to talk to all parents as you would like to be talked to if you were in our shoes.  When talking about my children, talk from a child-centered perspective that opens up opportunities to collaborate on how to enhance strengths and improve areas of need.  Do not become upset or defensive when you are questioned about a low grade or incident that occurred in school. 

As a parent who knows their child, I will listen to what he/she has to say and talk to you about it.  This does not necessarily mean that I am questioning your authority or that I am making excuses for my child, it simply means that I need to have all the facts before taking action.  It is important for you to understand that teachers are human beings and there are some who when having a bad day take it out on their students.  There are teachers who have become disgruntled, disillusioned or burned out with their job and instead of having the courage to quit and pursue another career; they continue to make students educational lives miserable.  Unfortunately, you know who those teachers are and do nothing to protect those children.  That is why I question and appear to make excuses for my child. 

            As a teacher, you are entrusted with my most valuable possession, my child.  Please do not underestimate the critical role you play in the educational development of this impressionable human being.  A teacher has the power to create a life-long learner or a disengaged learner.  It is easy for a parent to keep a child engaged if they are taught to love learning when they trust their teacher. It is hard for a parent to undo the damage and rebuild a child’s trust in learning when they have experienced a bad teacher.

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[i] www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents