School Partnering

8 Jul

In the discussions on how to improve low-performing public schools—and, in fact, whether to try to improve them at all or to close them and open new schools—one idea that is interesting to examine more closely is that of school partnering. Now obviously each school must be examined on an individual basis, as the reasons for low performance are varied, and it’s possible closure is a solution for some schools. But the idea of pairing schools is a very empowering one.

By partnering a low-performing school with a nearby high-performing one, a school district is encouraging collaboration and confidence on both sides. It is placing the responsibility with the high-performing school to share its knowledge and with the low-performing school to seek out solutions. This is a venture that recognizes the capabilities of teachers and school leaders to improve when given the resources and time to learn how. Again, this is not a solution that will work for all schools, but could be a great one for some.

In the Eduwonk blog, Betheny Gross and Christine Campbell have shared a map from the Chicago school district which shows a cluster of low-performing schools with a high-performing one right in the middle. Their post, “Forward Mapping,” points out that the district should consider asking:

“Could it [the high-performing school] help them figure out what to do next? Can its program be expanded? Can it be replicated? Are there aspiring leaders in this school who can move into one or more of the neighboring low-performing schools?”

And this is not just a solution finding its place in this country. In England, while the Department for Education continues to encourage outstanding public schools to become academies (which allows the individual school greater freedom and autonomy in decision-making and utilization of resources), it is now also allowing all schools to seek out academy status:

“For schools that are performing well, an essential part of converting to academy status is agreeing in principle to support another school to raise standards.”

The finding seems to be that when schools collaborate and work together in partnership, everyone benefits. Both the low-performing and high-performing schools achieve better results for their students.

Homework Debates and the Purpose of School

6 Jul

As we discussed in our recent post, “The Homework Debate” continues in schools across the country, with parents, teachers, and children passionately defending their beliefs. Larry Cuban—former teacher, district superintendent, and university professor; current researcher and author—has written an interesting piece about the history of these homework debates and their reflection of broader disagreements on the purposes of school in “Parent Pushback on Homework: Not in Big Cities or from Tiger Moms:”

“The media-amplified protests mirror real disagreements over the purposes of school in a democracy–sometimes distilled into traditional vs. progressive struggles–as they have ebbed and flowed in school reform over decades…“Homework wars,” then and now, are value-driven battles over the goals of schooling; they are not over factual evidence that doing assignments at home will lead to higher grades and better test scores. If anything has been in plain sight for decades it is the weak evidence that the amount and frequency of homework hardly makes a difference in academic achievement.”

Be sure to read the full article for an informative look at historical homework debates and the reasoning behind them.

Lesson Planning

1 Jul

With the extra time over the summer, many teachers like to get a head start on lesson planning for the fall. What system(s) do you use for lesson planning?

Over at the TeachPaperless blog, they’ve thrown this question out there to everyone with a post on “Collaboration and Lesson Planning,” but have also provided a great resource called Common Curriculum. This new tool will allow you to put your curricula online and then either publish it globally for anyone to use or share it internally within a school district or network of schools.

Other resources, provided by commenters, include Planbook.edu and Microsoft OneNote.

Summer Learning Loss

29 Jun

As we get into the swing of summer, it’s important that children get a break from academics and have some time to unwind. But, as we hear every summer, it’s equally important that they continue to engage in activities that challenge them to avoid summer learning loss.

One easy way to keep learning is to keep reading! Check out this article from one of our Fusion Academy teachers, “Summer Reading: Use It or Lose It!,” which includes a link to the California Department of Education’s searchable list of recommended literature for grades 6-12. Or get some advice from Principal Eric Sheninger who has gathered a variety of resources together on his blog including “Boredom Busters” from MindShift. And check out what’s happening in your local city. In San Francisco, the whole city is rallying to prevent summer learning loss!

Are Low Test Scores a Crisis?

24 Jun

In an interesting post by Liam Julian on the Flypaper blog, he argues that while “crisis rhetoric has become the de facto response to education-related news items,” it doesn’t need to be so. In fact, perhaps the recently released low NAEP history scores should be cause for celebration.

The article he references, “Fact Is, Students Have Never Known History,” provides an insightful history into our lack of historical knowledge…or at least what is captured through testing.

More Problems with Standardized Tests

22 Jun

Cheating on standardized tests. Has it always been a problem? Does it now just seem more prevalent with all of the news coverage?

As Valerie Strauss writes in her Washington Post column, “The Answer Sheet: And now a new standardized testing scandal,”

“The only thing I can take away from the confluence of my vacation and the Florida testing allegations is that cheating scandals are so commonplace in this era of high-stakes standardized testing that there’s a new one every time you turn around.

Yes, I know: Kids have been cheating on tests forever.

But now we have teachers (and even principals) who are allegedly helping them cheat because of the new trend to evaluate educators on the basis of how well their students do on these tests.”

Could this be true? Recently there has been an investigation into testing irregularities at Washington D.C. public schools, an examination of a surge in scores in Ohio public schools, and allegations of a “cheating ring” on Long Island, New York.

But now, Discover Magazine reveals that researchers from Princeton have discovered a way of identifying test-takers purely from the way they fill in the bubbles! Read more in “Handwriting Analysis Can Tell Who Filled in Bubbles on Tests, Ballots.”

It seems there are two ways to go here: address the root of the problem (why do students (or teachers) feel compelled to cheat on standardized tests?) or create a business around test investigations.

The Charter School Controversy Continues

17 Jun

Around the country, charter schools are coming under closer scrutiny and facing greater pressures from outside parties. Many are having difficulties opening new schools, in part due to the inability to generalize about them—charter schools range from among the best schools to among the worst.

In his Time.com column, Andrew Rotherham asks, “(Backlash:) Are These End Times for Charter Schools?” He identifies two lessons we can take from the current controversy, one of them about quality:

“…the quality issue has more potency than many charter advocates seem to realize. The education marketplace is not an economic one, with the best ideas winning out. Rather, it’s a political marketplace, with the loudest or most organized voices usually carrying the day and the most compelling examples winning the public debate. So one spectacular charter screwup counts for more than 100 quiet successes, and the good and great schools can’t overcome the headwind created by the laggards.”

College Degrees and Their Earning Potential

16 Jun

Which college majors have the greatest potential for financial reward? “The 20 Best- and Worst-Paid College Majors” list gives us an idea of what our current college students will be looking at earning over the next few years.

Sadly, our Early-Childhood Educators have the second lowest median earnings. It’s difficult getting the best and brightest to educate our future leaders when salaries are so incomparable to the top-earning fields!

ADD/ADHD Child Struggling in School?

15 Jun

Did your child with ADD/ADHD struggle in the classroom last year? What are you thinking of doing differently for the next school year?

If you’re not sure, check out these tips from ADDitude Magazine. Often requesting classroom accommodations or even changing schools to find a teacher who suits your child’s learning style can be just the change your child needs to really shine at school.

Should Private Tutoring Go Hand-in-Hand with Private Schooling?

10 Jun

As the New York Times reports in “Push for A’s at Private Schools is Keeping Costly Tutors Busy“:

Private SAT tutors have been de rigueur at elite New York private schools for a generation, but the proliferation of subject-matter tutors for students angling for A’s is a newer phenomenon that is beginning to incite a backlash. Interviews with parents, students, teachers, administrators, tutors and consultants suggest that more than half of the students at the city’s top-tier schools hire tutors, an open secret that the schools seem unable to stop.

Many debate the fairness, as only those who can afford the tutors can use them (although some offer free tutoring for low-income students). But more than an issue of equality or justice, it’s also a question of what we are teaching children and how we are preparing them for the future. Again from the article:

Wendy Mogel, a clinical psychologist and the author of “The Blessing of a B-,” said excessive tutoring, stealth or declared, can damage a child’s intrinsic motivation and self-esteem. “The tutoring is saying, ‘You have to perform at a high level in every subject and we don’t believe you can solve your problems on your own,’ ” Dr. Mogel said.

Another negative effect of excessive tutoring is the pressure it puts on the student, particularly due to the large amounts of money the parents are outlaying. And what happened to learning from mistakes? If children are coached around making any mistakes, how will they ever learn to succeed in life?

What do you think about this type of private tutoring? Does it simply go hand-in-hand with the elite private school life?

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