Standardized Testing

All three headlines presented today were very timely: We heard about the surge in autism diagnoses over the past 14 years and the challenges it presents for public education. We also heard about a school assignment/social experiment on "paying in forward" (apparently few students actually do it, but will take the money nevertheless). And finally, we heard about "college readiness" and how the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind is catering towards the upper grades. All three converge at the concept of "accountability" (which is also the buzzword that refers to high stakes testing under NCLB). The federal government essentially wants to insure that the funding earmarked for at-risk student populations reaches them. If not, then the government will withdraw funding and even take over the school or district. Serious business. But is standardized testing really that bad? In Noll (Issues 8 & 9) we get alternative perspectives on testing. You might pay particular attention to the section in Hurwitz & Hurwitz (p. 137) titled, "Making High-Stakes Testing Work." A balanced perspective is a healthy one, as is the understanding that standardized tests will not simply fade away any time soon. As a new teacher, you must learn to navigate the rough waters all around, as illustrated the video clip of our teacher explaining to an upset parent what her son's test scores really "mean."
As a "bonus feature," I've added 2 links in the margin to You Tube that extend our conversation about what it means to "prepare students for the 21st century." Enjoy.

School Choice

Another week of interesting headlines: Students need "twenty-first century" skills; they also need physical education (as evidenced by the statistics presented of the number of overweight children in schools). Don't they also need the Arts? So many "needs" and only a finite amount of time in the school day. There is a bit more flexibility with a charter school, as we learned about today. Although teachers in charter schools are not plagued with standardized test, there are trade-offs. As you saw in class (the video "tour" of a charter school) if you can tolerate ambiguity, enjoy administration, and can produce student performance results, then perhaps you will thrive working in a charter school. However, as one of our readings (Noll Issue 12) pointed out, you don't necessarily have the security of teacher unions as in a regular public school setting. Lastely, we discussed Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines—what is acceptable uses of various media forms and in what amounts (see the chart I distributed in class). It's important for you to know your individual legal responsibility as a teacher, as your principal or supervisor may not know or may not hold you accountable. . . unless there is a violation. And then it's too late.

School Law & Ethics

Our discussion today took some interesting turns, based on your field experiences (thus far) and the headlines presented. I am so pleased to see that your field experiences are generating for you some intriguing questions to try to have answered: How much time does my host teacher actually spend "teaching to the test?" and "What qualifies a school to be "urban?" just to name a few. Please write these questions down as they come to you, as they will supply you with rich content for your final project. For now, you are collecting data (through field observations) to use at a later time during the semester.

One of our headlines generated an engaging debate over the extent to which its appropriate for the school in Maine to supply students with birth control via their in-school clinic. Is it prevention? promotion? both? The conversation turned to one function of schools as a default mechanism in the case of sex education, which many of you argued should be the primary responsibility of the parent or guardians (Parents do have legal responsibility and liability for their children until the age of 18). We briefly discussed the case study of Julie Amero, who was arrested (and later convicted) on 4 counts of Risk of Injury to a Minor (which carries with it a prison sentence of up to 40 years). Although the case was later declared a mistrial (due to mistakes in the investigation), it brings to our attention a variety of issues: The legal rights (or lack thereof) for substitute teachers, the inaccuracy of internet filtering software, the power of parents, and even the widespread lack of technological proficiency among teachers. Many of you said that you'd simply turn the computer off. However, in Julie's case she was told not to (by whom?). It raises interesting questions for you all as (future) teachers: To what extent should you be technologically proficient? (See the NETS-T link in the margin for the answer).
To what extent are you responsible for students being exposed to harmful content, given that filtering software is inaccurate? At the very least, you should read thoroughly your school's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) so that you know the rights of students, the district and your role as the teacher. If the AUP is unclear, then you should ask your school or district technology coordinator to explain or clarify it. . . .We touched briefly on some of the legal precedents for firing teachers. Keep in mind, in many cases where a law or policy is not being violated, it then becomes a battle between the personal freedom of the teacher and what is acceptable standards within a particular community. We'll continue the discussion next week about issues related to dress code and Copyright Law.

Field Experience Reminders

Following our initial orientation session on Monday, I emailed everyone a "Field Experience Observation" packet that contains information about how to observe in your subsequent field visits. We will discuss these in class on Monday. Please know that the data you will collect during your next visits will provide you with material for your final project (the Ethnographic Field Study). I recommend that you practice filling out the set of Field Experience Observation Forms (FEOF) using your notes and/or recollection of Monday's orientation (you're going by memory at this point, so do the best you can).
Please take care when blogging about your field experience, to use pseudonyms for our school site and all employees.
We will talk more about that on Monday as well. In addition, prepare the case study write-up (on Julie Amero) for Monday as well.

Orientation Day Reminders

Travel directions and guidelines were distributed previously during the semester (yellow sheets). Although the area is very safe and the school is easy to locate, I do suggest that you travel in groups, as "two heads are better than one." Working together usually provides a richer learning experience as well.

Make sure to bring your schedule/calendar for the rest of the semester so that on Monday you can "book" your return visit with your assigned host teacher. Here are additional reminders (from the student guidelines handout):

1. Dress professionally. Do not wear: tank tops, flip flops, hats, shorts, short skirts, suit/tie. No bare midriffs.
Acceptable wear: slacks, mid-length skirts, shirt with a collar (i.e. Polo), nice jeans (no rips or holes),

2. Arrive a few minutes early
3. Sign in at the security desk and then check in at the school office
4. Be polite and attentive (bring something to take notes with). No cameras or phones, please.
5. Stay for the entire orientation (it is a mandatory requirement for this course)
6. Make careful notes of arrangements for your return visit with a host teacher
7. Make sure to sign attendance sheets provided by the school (I'll have more details on this later)
8. Say "Thank You."

School Governance and Funding

The news headlines presented today were all relevant to the topic of school governance and funding. In the area of governance, Steve presented a story about the accomplishments of one assertive and determined NYC district superintendent. Andrew presented a news item about the multi-billion dollar student loan industry and the burden that increasing debt places on college graduates. And Jade presented some interesting data on the academic success of students who are raised in foster care, and providing scholarships and funding to assist them. It is interesting to think about leadership and school finance: What is the wisest way to invest education dollars? And who should decide? We learned from the "Abbott" ruling that "adopting a reform idea, pursuing it fast and furiously, and then quickly discarding it is not unique to education policy or to New Jersey" (Erlichson). The challenge is that courts lack the authority to ensure that their decisions are actually implemented. Erlichson writes: "Often the vagueness of a decision, the lack of immediate resources, the lack of capacity of an administration agency to carry out the implementation, and perhaps even hostility to a decision can hinder the effective implementation of a court decision" (p. 12). Also, as control over political institutions changes over time, how politicians define issues and attempt to solve them also changes (p. 12). (Keep in mind that the average term for a superintendent in the United States is only 3 years).

So, where does the funding for public education come from? A mere 8 percent comes from federal source, 43 percent from local sources, and 49 percent from state sources. The question then emerges, if No Child Left Behind is a FEDERAL mandate, how much money is really a stake in exchange for educational accountability (high stakes testing)? A national survey of voters reveals that 60 percent think too little money is spent at the federal and state levels (Only 50 percent believe too little is spent locally on public education). Approximately 62 percent of school funding goes towards teachers salaries. Interested in becoming a high school principal? In 2005, the national average salary for a high school principal was $86,938. In New Jersey, salaries (as well as cost of living) are higher. For example, one of the superintendents in Essex County is paid more than $120,000.

We watched a video clip of part of a school board meeting, its members deliberating whether or not to grant charter school status to a group that had applied (and was rejected) 3 years earlier. It was interesting to note the power dynamics and how the issue was deliberated, moved upon, and voted on. When you complete your Field Experience #2 (attendance at 2 board meetings), consider the 7 questions I presented in class.

What is the Purpose of Schooling? (Part III)

We had some interesting news headlines presented today, including the college professor that is teaching science a la drug education (How exactly does cocaine effect the body?); some impoverished schools in Colorado dramatically increasing reading scores by making families and even lunch ladies(!) participate in tutoring. We watched a clip "Assimilating the Alien" and had a lively discussion about what "Americanization" and "Assimilation" mean to us today. Many of you shared stories of family members who were immersed in US culture and learned English because they "had" to. Others of us had the option (or were required) to learn a second language, but perhaps English is our native language. Whatever our background, becoming teachers in a diverse society requires that we be what Villegas and Lucas describe as "culturally responsive" practitioners. We talked in class about what that means, particularly as US Census data indicate that by the year 2020 at least 1/2 of the school-age population will be students of color. In some ways this means more diversity and yet also risks more "watering down" of the curriculum, since it is becoming increasingly difficult to address the needs of so many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Some questions to consider at this point in your education are: "To what extent does your race, ethnicity, social class and language influence your thinking and behaving? Your assumptions about teaching?" "What is the difference between 'equality' and 'equity?'" and "How can I enact my classroom curriculum in ways that are relevant to students' diverse lives outside the classroom?" We touched only briefly on the debate over civics education. . . particularly how the cognitive side (curriculum) is very difficult to put into practice within the community as "civic engagement." There is much to choose from to blog about from this rich discussion today.

Initial Orientation Scheduled for October 15th

Our school site orientation visit is officially scheduled for Monday, October 15th 11:30-3:00pm. Everyone is required to attend this session. Make sure to bring your semester calendar with you so that you can schedule your follow-up observations as well as your community service. You received in class today, information, information about the school and transportation directions. Please review the 2 handouts I distributed a couple of weeks ago that describe the General Requirements (for field experiences) as well as guidelines for dress and behavior. We will discuss more details as the date approaches.

What is the Purpose of Schooling? (Part II)

We started today's session with some interesting news stories about low-income students falling behind, school board rulings that prohibit teachers from resuscitating students, and a school-university experimentation of eliminating "C" grades from the scale. We also considered the case study of Melinda Grant (a first-year, second-career, third grade teacher) who is faced with the dilemma of creating a playful, experiential classroom environment OR teaching to the test, as her more seasoned colleague, Barbara, has done successfully in the past. Although the dilemma is artificial, isn't it? Melinda is excited about teaching, so why spoil all her creative fun at this point? Who cares what Barbara has to say? Some of you said for Melinda to go ahead as planned, and then perhaps consider how to alter her curriculum and teaching after test scores come out. But why scare the kids at this point? In fact, she doesn't even know her kids yet since the school year has not begun. Is all this test-taking anxiety a bit too premature? Afterall, it takes a seasoned teacher to balance experiential learning with teaching "to the test." And it's Melinda's first year.

In terms of Issue 2 (Should curriculum be standardized for all?), we had Adler and Holt in the ring this time. Adler essentially proposes a single curriculum for all students with no curricular electives except in the choice of a second language. In terms of educational philosophy, this is referred to as "perennialism." On the other hand, Holt reviles an imposed curriculum under the assumption that students should be allowed to decide what when, where and how they want to learn. This "free school" movement (existentialist in philosophy) serves as the basis for the current "unschooling" trend. (See the link in the margin)

Considerations for your field experience observation might include locating evidence for both types of educational philosophies. That is: To what extent do students “choose” what and how to learn? How is the learning environment constructed physically? and What does the formal curriculum look like? What is the hidden curriculum?

As our initial field visit approaches, we'll discuss more of the logistics as well as what to look for.

What is the Purpose of School (Part I)?

For John Dewey, the traditional model of schooling as cultural transmission is inadequate, since experience and education go hand in hand. Students must be active participants in their own learning and create knowledge from their own lived experiences. Dewey does note that not all experiences are genuinely or equally educative, however. "Planless improvisation" is not progressive education. Thus, one of the purposes of a teacher is to guide students in understanding their own lived experiences. On the other side is Hutchin's argument that the purpose of education is to improve humans and such improvement requires disciplined learning (i.e., math, science, history, foreign language, literature) or what we know today as the "core curriculum." From Hutchin's essentialist standpoint, the teacher serves as the intellectual role model for students and therefore little attention is paid to students' interests or participation. Are these two perspectives diametrically opposed? or is there a middle ground?

We watched 2 classroom observations (video clips): The game-show was essentialism in action and the court case was progressivism in action. We discussed the differences between the core curriculum and the hidden curriculum in each case. What do YOU think is important for those students to know and be able to do? What should be the role of the teacher? These are important questions to consider in moving forward.


You might also consider how Dewey's progressivism and/or Hutchins' essentialism manifest themselves in your past experiences as a student within the US educational system. Think about how these two different approaches might manifest themselves in the classroom context (i.e., your upcoming field experiences). Can you identify progressivist and essentialist characteristics within a classroom setting?

Welcome to the Course

In class today, we discussed course requirements, policies and assignments. If you cannot locate the book in the MSU Bookstore, there should be more copies arriving later this week. This course takes the place of CURR 400 (Teacher School & Society) and CURR 200 (Initial Field Experience) combined. There is a 30-hour field experience requirement that we will talk about later on in the semester.