Changing the Nature of Parent Engagement

                I was talking to a colleague of mine whose child attends a private school.  We were talking about how her child’s teacher has already been in contact with parents about the new school year.  My colleague also talked about how her child had received assignments in preparation for the new school year. 

                When I asked my colleague how she received this information, she stated, the teacher contacted her via Skype and e-mailed a link to a web page specifically for her child on the schools website.  This made me think about why we are not doing this for parents/caregivers of students in public schools?

As we approached the start of the new school year, I thought about how many public schools will likely struggle again with parent engagement.  I also thought about how many public schools will likely take the same approach to parent engagement and then wonder why they continue to have poor results.

It is time to for public schools to bring parent engagement into the technological age.  There are a number of free tools (many of which are on most phones and computers) that could be used to reach out to parents and increase parent engagement.  Schools no longer need to only think of parent engagement as parents coming into the school building, schools need to consider parents engagment in a virtual context.

Schools can purchase Go to Meeting and send links to parent/caregivers to have virtual conferences, or utilize free software such as Face Time, Skype and other virtual meeting programs.  Teachers can create webinars that inform parents on how their child is doing in their classes.  Teachers can also create a class list serve with parent e-mails to update them on the progress or areas of improvement, discuss a behavioral concern or give praise for an act of kindness to a fellow peer or overcoming an obstacle.  Teachers can also send work assignments to students who are sick and miss school by sending the work via an attachment or webinar.  Finally, teachers can also have “chat” conferences.

These are a few suggestions of how public schools can increase parent engagement.  With a solid plan and utilization to some of the tools previously mentioned, public schools may find themselves with greater access to parents through virtual means then by antiquated methods of trying to get parents into the building.

Preparing African-American Males for the New Jim Crow

                There are some things schools are no longer capable of teaching.  One of the things schools can no longer teach is how to prepare African-American males deal with racism and profiling.

In this post Civil Rights, desegregation era, schools have lost the ability to teach young African-American males how to handle and navigate racism and profiling.  Racial profiling has become this generations “Jim Crow.”  Unfortunately, unlike their Civil Rights elders, many of today’s administrators, teachers and other school based staff do not have the skill set or the desire to become involved in teaching beyond the classroom. 

Since most administrators and teachers do not share the life experiences of their students on a daily basis as it was during the Civil Rights era, many cannot relate to plight of young African-American males.  Additionally, the absence of a strong community, inconsistent parent engagement and a fragmented faith-based community also contributes to the lack of preparation of young African-American males.  If young African-American males cannot count on community, family and faith-based institutions to prepare them to deal with the new Jim Crow, why would they look to school for help?  The question becomes:  what can be done to prepare young African-American males to deal with the new Jim Crow?

There is no easy solution to this question.  However, a crucial piece to the solution are parents, schools, the community and schools coming together to determine how to prepare young African-American males.  Once our communities have to come together, the process of preparing young African-American males can begin.  Parents, schools and faith-based institutions must educate, model, and be on watch for threats that could trip up young African-American males.  At the same time, parents, schools and faith-based institutions need to work on the local and federal level to develop legislation that protects young African-American males from racial profiling and eliminate legislation that directly and indirectly supports racial profiling. 

If our communities come together, we can prevent young African-American males from being victims of new Jim Crow legislation that allows for the sanctioned murder of young African-American males without punishment.

Making College Affordable: Pay it Forward

            The rising costs of tuition is a concern that has threatened our core belief in education being the bridge to the American Dream.  As the number of college graduates and those applying to college has decreased over past couple of years, we now have to consider how to make college an attractive investment in the attainment of the American Dream. 

Unfortunately, the slow recovery from the global economic recession, the high unemployment rate of college graduates and fear of excessive debt from student loans has also contributed to the apprehension to apply or to attend college. 

While it appears the costs of attending college will widen the educational divide and earnings potential between college and non-college graduates, the fear that the earning potential of college graduates will be nullified due to the paying off of student loans.  At a time when a college degree is essential to entrance into the global workforce and to our future leadership in the global economy, we need solutions to make college attractive and affordable.  A potential solution may be found in Oregon.

The Oregon state legislature has unanimously approved a bill that would allow future philosophy and art history majors to attend the State’s Public Universities tuition free.  The pilot program called “Pay it Forward” would begin in 2015.  Students who participate in the Pay it Forward would upon graduation have a certain percentage of their paycheck deducted and placed in a fund for future Pay it Forward participants[i].

What is attractive about Pay it Forward is that graduates are not burdened with deductions they cannot afford.  Pay it Forward graduates will have a 1.5% to 3% deduction from their paycheck based on their gross income.  If a student does not graduate, they will have pro-rated deductions from their paychecks.  Finally, if a Pay it Forward graduate does not earn enough, no deductions will be taken from their check[ii].

If Oregon can successfully develop their Pay it Forward program, many other states will look to develop similar programs.  It has been reported that legislators from Washington, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have expressed interest exploring a Pay it Forward program.  One of the main obstacles facing Oregon’s program is the initial cost to start up the program which is estimated at 9 billion dollars[iii]. 

It is this type of out of the box thinking that could get many high school graduates to reconsider attending college.  More importantly, for minorities and youth living in economically distressed communities, a Pay it Forward type of program could make college a viable option and remove the fear exorbitant debt in a recovering global economy.  Lastly, generations of students will be able to benefit from a Pay it Forward program as the number of Pay it Forward alumni grow, the program will pay for itself.

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[i] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/pay-it-forward-oregon-tuition-free_n_3543827.html?utm_hp_ref=@education123

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

Promising News for Next School Year

           There is some good news for the upcoming school year that could impact instruction and student engagement.  The first announcement came from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).  On June 19^th, LAUSD announced that it would give every student an iPad.  As the second largest school district in the country with over 640,000 students in K-12, LAUSD will utilize electronic textbooks through an app provided by Pearson, a publishing company[i].

            The second announcement came from Microsoft.  Today (June 25^th), Microsoft announced it has developed “Bing for Schools.”  Bing for Schools is a free search engine specifically designed for K-12 students.  Bing for Schools will filter out all adult content, beef up privacy protection, remove all advertisements, and add learning features that promote digital literacy.  Additionally, Bing for Schools will offer students’ hotspots to help students explore investigate and explore new topics and provide short lesson plans to encourage students to use Bing to find answers to different questions[ii]. 

            The announcement of these new educational initiatives could be the foundation to bringing public education into the digital age.  If LAUSD is successful in their move from paper textbooks to digital textbooks and they are to able to prove through data, their digital textbook program has shown gains in academic achievement, student engagement (graduation) and decreases in suspensions and school leavers, districts across the country will follow the lead of LAUSD.  Also, the barrier of costs will be removed in favor of the positive data.

            As for Bing for Schools, this search engine could revolutionize this search engine could revolutionize instruction and the motivation to complete homework.  Bing for Schools gives teachers the opportunity to provide instruction in “real” time.  Teachers would be able to discuss curriculum topics by providing web links which provide visual, auditory information via a tactile process of an electronic device.  Additionally, the additions to Bing for Schools will allow students to explore beyond the curriculum topic in a safe environment free of inappropriate content.

            It will be very interesting what the next school year will hold for these two new educational initiatives.  If these initiatives meet or exceed their potential, school districts across the country may have the blueprint to moving into the digital textbook age.

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[i] http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130619_ap_latogiveeverystudentanipad30morder.html

[ii] http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57590713-75/microsoft-to-send-bing-to-school-this-year/

When Schools Close

            There have been a number of people who have asked me my opinion about all of the school closings across the country.  As an eternal optimist, I always look at the “silver lining” in things, be it good or bad.  However, when it comes to school closings, my opinions are split down the middle.

            The pessimist side does not like the loss for tradition.  There are some schools that are a century old.  There are some schools that have unique traditions; some who have famous alumni, while some are noted for the number of students who served their country in two world wars.  Even though these schools are far from what they used to be, the educational historian in me hates to see the loss of historical memory when schools closed. Once these schools close, they are forgotten, erased from our collective memory.  With the exception of a few souls who understand that closing a school is the loss of historical memory that can never be regained, many keep their school alive through oral tradition by recalling stories with classmates and school rivals.

            The pessimist side also believes, the closing of school is the final nail in the coffin that is public education.  As schools are closing, many are being cannibalized by charter schools and for profit schools.  These schools are allowed to create their own admissions criteria and they do not have to follow state and federal mandates that public schools are required to follow as it pertains to students with disabilities and English language learners.  Therefore, unlike public schools, these non public entities do not have to accept anyone who comes to their door.  These non-public entities also siphon off the talented students from public schools while sending back the students they don’t want back to public schools.  What we are witnessing is the creation of a multi-tiered that potentially widen the achievement gap between the “have and have not’s.”

            The optimist side believes this is an opportunity for districts to become for efficient and fiscally responsible.  The closing of schools would allow districts to consolidate buildings with low enrollment, and rid itself of dilapidated/antiquated properties.  The savings from the consolidation and sale of closing properties should put a dent and possibly alleviate debt and provide additional resources to the remaining schools.

            The optimist side also believes that this unprecedented event of school closings on a national level has garnered national attention.  Since it appears that every district in the country is considering or implementing school closings, people are paying attention to which schools are being closed, the decision process that led to specific schools being closed and which neighborhoods and groups are being affected by the closing of schools.  Evidence of this is seen in the rise of litigation by parents, teachers and civil rights groups and the involvement of young people who are exercising their right through protest.

            With the attention public education is receiving, this opportunity should be used to address the short comings of the curriculum and address the engagement problem by students, teachers, parents and administrators.

As an optimist, I hope the closing of schools creates a renaissance in our schools.

Please Bring Rodrigo Home

I came across a wonderful story about a bright and well liked fourth grader who along with his family was recently deported.  What is wonderful about this story is that the student’s classmates have taken action to bring him back.  This is the story of Rodrigo.

Rodrigo was a student at Jefferson Elementary in Berkeley, California.  Before the start of his fourth grade school year, the family was deported due to his parents expired tourist visa.  Rodrigo had been enrolled at Jefferson Elementary since kindergarten and has been with the same group of classmates with each grade promotion.  Rodrigo was well liked by his classmates and he reads above his grade level.  When the fourth grade teacher broke the news to Rodrigo’s classmates that Rodrigo and his family had been deported, his classmates decided this was not fair and they began to campaign to bring “ bring Rodrigo home[i].”

The idea to bring Rodrigo home was conceived by two of his classmates.  The twin brothers and the rest of the class took their case to the Berkeley City Council, started a grassroots campaign and they wrote a letter to President Obama.  This summer, several of the fourth graders hope to travel to DC to lobby for bringing Rodrigo home[ii].

This wonderful story demonstrates that no matter what age you are, it is never too early or too late to get involved with helping your neighbor.  These young children have taken the purest form of protest by fighting for what they feel is right.  These young children have not been tainted by racial bias or unfounded fear of what will happen if “too many of those people” come here to experience the American Dream.  These young children do not care about political affiliations and power brokers who seek to influence their beliefs, these young children care about a friend who was taken from them. A friend who they believe:

“shouldn’t have to wait five years…because that’s

 a long time to be away from your friends[iii].”

Sadly, this story did not garner national attention.  The lessons these young children are teaching everyone about friendship and inclusiveness is something to be admired.  I hope the voices of these young children will invigorate the stale dialogue that surrounds the debate on immigration by reminding us there are innocent children whose only memory of a home has been in the US are paying the cost for the fear and hatred of adults. 

Please Bring Rodrigo Home

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[i] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57588412/fourth-graders-rally-to-bring-deported-classmate-home/

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

Getting Beyond Chips and Sugary Drinks

            Each morning I see young people coming out of the corner stores, gas stations, and from street vendors with a bag of chips and a sugary drink in their hand on their way to school. 

            My first thought when I see this is where is the adult who is supposed to make sure the child has something to eat before they leave for school.  Reality reminds me there are some young people who are raising themselves due to a working parent or absent parent.  I am also reminded that grandparents are not what they used to be. 

            My second thought is with the healthy initiative campaign from our First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Why isn’t the message reaching the young people?  Mrs. Obama has toured the country and has been on all of the popular young adults shows speaking about making healthy food choices.  I understand the 50 cent bag of chips and $1.00 sugary drink is cheaper than purchasing fruit or yogurt, especially if a young person has a little bit of money to spend on lunch and possibly dinner.

            My final thought was how can our schools help young people make healthy choices?  How can schools help young people get the nutritional value they need in order to focus and not crash from the sugar high of breakfast?  Although most schools have a school breakfast and lunch program, a majority of the time the food is not good, holds little nutritional value and there still remains a stigma attached to those who receive school meals.

            I believe schools should get back in the business of teaching young people Home Economics.  We should use Home Economics to show young adults how make healthy choices, understanding the nutritional value of food, how to eat healthy on a small budget, and how to cook meals that can be eaten over several days.  Additionally, young people will learn valuable skills that will be useful in their adult lives.

If done correctly, schools can partner with national grocery store chains to have food donated, partner with hospitals to have nutritionist do workshops on making king health choices, developing a healthy lifestyle and discuss diabetes, obesity and other aliments that result from poor eating habits.  Schools can also partner with advocacy organizations to develop urban gardens on school grounds and in the community.  By bringing back Home Economics, schools are developing the next generation of advocates to continue the fight for making healthy choices.

If we want young adults to move beyond choosing chips and sugary drinks, we have to provide them with a setting where they can learn alternatives and make healthier choices.