ASCD Inservice

U.S. Department of Education Proposes New NCLB Regulations

The new regulations would affect assessment and accountability systems, supplemental educational services, and graduation rates.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that the Department of Education was proposing new regulations aimed at strengthening No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In the absence of a congressionally approved reauthorization of the law, she noted that the Department was taking action at the President's request.

Disentangling High Stakes from Accountability

I'm at the ED in '08 education blogging conference in D.C.--Roy Romer's gathering of ed bloggers--discussing what'll be the big ed agendas for the next president and Congress and the role blogs play in bringing ed issues to a broader audience.

In a room presumably full of education policy wonks and bloggers, it was interesting, in one of this morning's panel discussions, to hear the perspective of an actual teacher. Huffington Post contributor and author Dan Brown related his experience as a first-year teacher in a high-needs N.Y. elementary school and basically asked how we can disentangle high-stakes testing from accountability. Paraphrasing his remarks,

The testing environment is terrifying, and my students' scores did not reflect their ability. High-stakes testing and accountability have been conflated. Is there research and development looking at alternatives beyond the high-stakes test? 

Ed Trust's Amy Wilkins responded bluntly, "Why were you in that high-needs classroom?"--Implying that inexperienced first-year teachers shouldn't be working with challenging student populations

Was Wilkins just dodging Brown's question or refocusing the debate on a root cause of test anxiety (new teachers in over their heads)? And does this beg the question, if passionate teachers like Brown aren't in these high-needs classrooms, who will be? I think it's no coincidence that incentive pay has crept into the conference conversation all morning  . . .

My Back Pages: H.S. at a Crossroads

Everyone might agree that education reform is necessary, but how and why schools should change has always been the source of much debate. In the March 1984 issue of Educational Leadership, Daniel Tanner, professor of education at Rutgers University, reviews the history of high school reform, explores the role of general education in free society, and suggests a new direction forward.

Read the article: The American High School at the Crossroads (PDF)

Citing numerous examples, Tanner notes that "[t]he current flurry of reports calling for the reform of American secondary education reflects many conflicting and contradictory prescriptions." Unless educators sort out these competing visions, school reform will follow "whatever sociopolitical tide is dominant." Tanner sees this as problematic because many of these reports misunderstand what he considers to be the main function of secondary education—the democratic ideal of education for all. While many of the reports he reviews show "an appalling lack of understanding" regarding these concerns, he sees hope in the work of luminaries such as John Dewey.

Classrooms That Help Protect Our Planet

Given the heightened awareness of our impact on the environment and a growing drive to "go green," it was only a matter of time before the green movement hit classrooms. The National Environmental Education Foundation has launched its National High School Challenge to help teachers around the country innovatively introduce environmental education to the classroom. The foundation will award up to 25 grants, in amounts up to $10,000, to help teachers inspire students' passion to protect our environment.

High school teachers of any subject area and level of environmental expertise can apply, and proposals must be submitted by June 20, 2008.

Here at Inservice, we want to know what you're doing to raise your students' awareness and knowledge of environmental issues. How have you brought the environment into your classroom and integrated lessons on the environment into other subject areas? Have you discovered resources or supports that have helped you teach about the environment?

EdBlog Watch: The Faculty Room

The Faculty Room is a collaborative blog where educators and readers share their thoughts on a variety of issues related to schooling. Published by an education consulting firm (Authentic Learning) headed by ASCD author Grant Wiggins, the blog tackles a new question every other week. Wiggins and a group of contributors offer their insight and perspective on topics ranging from homework to student grouping.

Of the dozen or so bloggers, most are accomplished teachers and administrators and their posts reflect a wealth and diversity of experience. Readers are invited to join the fray by posting comments, submitting longer responses to the site's editor, or suggesting future questions for the group.

High Schools at the Tipping Point

Are U.S. high schools failing us?

In "High Schools at the Tipping Point," Bob Wise states that U.S. high schools are failing because they were "never designed to meet today's moral and economic demands of graduating all students." Despite these changing demands, Wise notes that the typical high school education has remained virtually unchanged since the current system was developed in the early 20th century.

The May issue of EL looks at Reshaping High Schools from several angles. Bob Wise points to three approaches to reform that have emerged from successful schools' experiences and calls for a "Sputnik-like" federal response to the dropout crisis and the challenges of job and college readiness.

Wise suggests that schools needs to align their expectations with those of college and the workplace, take a more individualized approach to education, and make better use of data and of technology. Do you believe these recommendations would make schools more effective? What other changes would you make to the current system?

Most-Clicked: Is Smaller Better?

Budget cuts in California will mean fewer teachers and bigger class sizes for many. Last weeks most-clicked SmartBrief news story asked whether smaller class sizes really make a difference in academic achievement and pointed to studies that showed mixed responses. While early research pointed to the effectiveness of a lower teacher-to-student ratio, later studies were less conclusive.

The benefits of smaller class sizes seem like a no-brainer, but critics contend that staffing smaller classes often means hiring uncredentialed teachers to work in the highest-need schools and that small classes benefit high achievers more than low-achieving students.

We've got a whole issue of Educational Leadership magazine debating class size, with most authors favoring smaller, but what's your take on this debate?

Perspectives: The High School Scene

Critics of traditional high school systems call for more relevance and rigor in how we prepare students for college and careers. And then there are the nearly one in three U.S. high school critics who vote with their feet--the students who drop out.

The May issue of EL looks at reform models, policy changes, and ways to improve high schools both systemically and incrementally. Throughout the month, we'll be talking about the articles in this issue and the questions they raise about how best to reshape high schools.

Listen to the full article, "Perspectives: The High School Scene" (MP3, 6 mins. 55 secs.)

We Need Your Vote!

Shameless Plug Alert: We've been nominated as one of the "best education blogs out there," and we need your vote to seal the deal. Please take less than a minute to vote for us in the ED in '08 Blogger's Choice Awards.

Then check out the trailer for the film Two Million Minutes (which ties in nicely with the May EL on Reshaping High Schools), set to screen at next week's ED in '08 Blogging Summit.

The Summit is free and will gather leaders in education policy and national politics to discuss how the Internet is changing the discourse of education reform and how those changes are affecting the 2008 presidential election. Stay tuned for our summit coverage . . .

Is Education Listless?

The venerable Time Magazine has just published its "Time 100: The Most Influential People in the World," and we couldn't wait to dive in. But a skim through the list finds only three figures associated with education: Teach for America founder Wendy Copp and two athletes, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa and tennis great Andre Agassi, both recognized for their charitable work in education.

Time has a lot of ground to cover, to be sure. But what if there was a "100" list just for education? Who would deserve to make the cut? Share your thoughts and debate the choices.

Most-Clicked: Study Shows No Effect of Reading First

Last week's most-clicked ASCD SmartBrief story announced that an interim report released by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences shows that students participating in the federal Reading First program do not read any better than peers not enrolled in the program.

One possible reason Reading First falls short is more emphasis on decoding skills and less emphasis on reading comprehension. Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, director of the Institute of Education Sciences, also noted that the program focuses more on building-block skills but does not actually "take children far enough along to have a significant impact on comprehension."

How could Reading First be improved?

Incentive Pay for Teachers Is an Option (Take 2)

An October 2007 post on this blog highlighted ASCD's support of optional incentive pay to get teachers and school leaders into hard-to-staff schools, a measure that has been proposed as part of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

The latest issue of ASCD Infobrief, titled "Rewarding Educators," continues that discussion.   

In particular, the brief addresses concerns about awarding bonuses based on a single test score, which could potentially lead teachers to teach to the test, as well as concerns about the evaluation process and the procedure for determining educator rewards.

My Back Pages: TV or Not TV

Ranging from questions about the best way to use computers in the classroom to the pros and cons of social networking and the use of cell phones in school, the use and misuse of technology is a perennial debate in education circles. In fact, similar questions were asked in generations past about another game-changing technological advance: the television.

In November 1970, Donald W. Nylin asked "TV or Not TV: What Is the Question?" (PDF) in the pages of Educational Leadership. In the article, educational television is described as being the potential cure for several problems, including teacher shortages, individual differences in students, and teacher quality.

EdBlog Watch: Savvy Technologist

The Savvy Technologist is a blog written by Tim Wilson, the director of technology for a school district in Buffalo, Minn. Wilson explains ed tech in a way that is accessible and interesting to both classroom teachers and school technology gurus.

In one post, Wilson discusses the ever-growing issue of teachers' excitement about using new software and Web tools in their classrooms but frustration with IT departments that restrict them. After acknowledging that both sides often have legitimate beefs, he makes the case for strong collaboration. "There has to be a wide open communication channel between IT and the teaching and learning department," he says. Other topics include tips for creating podcasts and "tricking administrators into using technology."

Sullo's Competence-Based Classroom

In a "competence-based classroom" (CBC), says veteran educator and author Bob Sullo, the teacher lets students know up front what's important for them to know and be able to do in a content area. Students are expected to achieve either a grade of A (superior) or B (competent), when they've fulfilled the unit or course requirements.

Challenging students to do their best and cultivating an internal locus of control, Sullo advocates for the CBC model (which operates in a framework of standards-based education) in his new book, Activating the Desire to Learn, and his recent ASCD Talks With an Author audio interview.

Have you used the CBC approach to learning in your classroom? Did it change the “internal motivation” of your students, as Sullo suggests?

Outstanding Young Educator Reflects on Grading

Deirdra Grode is a middle school social studies and language arts teacher at Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, N.J., and ASCD's 2008 Outstanding Young Educator Award recipient.

My experience at the 2008 ASCD Annual Conference was unlike any experience I have ever had. I am still on a high from the energy and enthusiasm of the thousands of educators who also attended. So many educators from around the world approached me after my speech at the first general session to share stories about what their students are doing to make change. That was so inspiring to me.

The following two days of sessions encouraged me to reflect deeply on my teaching. Two sessions in particular, "Ask the Experts About Formative Assessment" and "Structuring Programs to Support the Whole Child in Middle Grades," challenged me to think about the way I have been structuring my instruction and assessment for years. In both sessions, presenters discussed the elimination of zeros and the flaws with traditional weights given for schoolwork. I began to think about how much of my grading is dependent on work completed at home, rather than on work completed in school or on the mastery of skills.

Last Call for '09 Annual Conference Proposals

This Thursday (May 1) is the last day to submit your proposal to present at ASCD's 2009 Annual Conference in Orlando. The '09 theme, "Learning Beyond Boundaries," will further consider four underlying areas:

• Imagine: Challenging Minds to Engage and Learn More Deeply
• Imagine: Leading Beyond Accountability to Responsibility for Supporting the Whole Child
• Imagine: Advancing Beyond Valuing Diversity to Actions That Ensure Each Learner's Success
• Imagine: Connecting Learners in an E-World

Here at the blog, we're particularly interested in the fourth strand, and we hope there'll be a flood of proposals sharing details on your school and district technology plans, how you use technology to enhance professional development and connect with global learning communities, and how you integrate technology into curriculum and instruction.

Is Democracy at Risk?

Twenty-five years ago, the report A Nation at Risk, by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, called for an overhaul of the education system in the United States, with the federal government taking the lead in education reform. A new report, Democracy at Risk: The Need for a New Federal Policy in Education, released by the Forum for Education and Democracy, claims the United States's education system is even further behind where it was in 1983--which doesn't bode well for the nation's future as an informed, democratic society.

Is democracy really at risk? Cast your vote!

Nine Powerful Practices

Ruby Payne notes that, "Students from families with little formal education often learn rules about how to speak, behave, and acquire knowledge that conflict with how learning happens in school." To that end, she suggests "Nine Powerful Practices" for raising achievement for low-income students.

• Build relationships of respect
• Make beginning learning relational
• Teach students to speak in formal register
• Assess each student's resources
• Teach the hidden rules of the school
• Monitor progress and plan interventions
• Translate the concrete into the abstract
• Teach students how to ask questions
• Forge relationships with parents.

Do you think the rules and norms that help some of your students survive at home differ from those that help them advance at school?

Who Supported You Growing Up?

In his most recent Is It Good for the Kids? column, ASCD Executive Director Gene R. Carter invites you to think about the people who had a positive influence on your life growing up and asks: "Could you influence a child, teenager, or young adult in the same way?" 

Carter emphasizes that the whole community is responsible for creating a supportive environment for learning. He says:

To support students, educators need to work with community members, including business partners, health and social service providers, art professionals, recreation leaders, and policymakers at all levels. Partnerships between schools and communities must recognize that learning does not stop after the last class and that not everything learned can be tested. Often, true learning opportunities occur through meaningful experiences outside of the classroom that allow students to practice the skills, knowledge, and behaviors required for participation in society.

The Myth of the "Culture of Poverty"

Are we willing to tackle the classism in our own schools and classrooms?

In "The Myth of the 'Culture of Poverty'," author Paul Gorski takes on the damaging myth that people living in poverty share a consistent and observable "culture." The culture of poverty myth, claims Gorski, leads even the most well-intentioned teacher to have low expectations for low-income students and "fear their most powerless students." It "diverts attention from what people in poverty do have in common: inequitable access to basic human rights."

Gorski cites data that show, "Regardless of how much students in poverty value education, they must overcome tremendous inequities to learn." He suggests not only some comprehensive, wide-scale changes in social welfare and education, but also an agenda for what teachers and administrators can do in the meantime to thwart a culture of classism in their schools.

Do you agree with Gorski's stance? How do class biases play out in classrooms today?

Most-Clicked: Kindergarten Returns to Its Roots

Last week's most-clicked ASCD SmartBrief article told of Germany's Waldkindergarten, or forest kindergartens, that focus on learning from the natural world and children's play. Proponents argue that children are exposed to academic pressure early enough. Studies of such programs are in their early stages, but data suggests forest kindergarten students are healthier than traditional kindergarteners. However, students taught in classrooms show an advantage in writing and distinguishing colors, forms, and sizes.

U.S. policymakers are debating whether it would be beneficial to adopt more "open-ended" learning programs for young students. Should the Waldkindergarten model, or aspects of it, be adopted more widely?

EdBlog Watch: A Place at the Table

Are you searching for a cozy little corner of the blogosphere where you can listen to a veteran educator wax philosophic? Pull up a chair at A Place at the Table, where National Board–certified teacher Susan Graham offers insights on a wide range of issues related to teacher leadership and continuing professional development.

Graham gives her thoughts on college preparation, the influence of technology on children, and various other topics of interest. Injected with personal anecdotes, her posts are as sharp as they are conversational—making A Place at the Table both thoughtful and readable.

Conference Daily Delivered Digitally

We're still unpacking from last month's smash hit Annual Conference in New Orleans, and thought a few conference "souvenirs" might be worth sharing. Anybody who attends conference probably picks up a few copies of the Conference Daily newspaper to take home and share with colleagues. Along with our blog coverage, it's a great source for session write-ups, photos, and updates on ASCD initiatives.

Well, here's all three days' worth of the paper, minus the newsprint on your fingers:

• Saturday 3/15 (PDF, 1.56 MB)
• Sunday 3/16 (PDF, 1.80 MB)
• Monday 3/17 (PDF, 1.63 MB)

My Back Pages: Poverty, Education, and the Young Child

Do economically disadvantaged children benefit from preschool? Should the content of their curriculum differ from the curriculum of their more privileged counterparts? In the May 1965 issue of Educational Leadership, Bernard Spodek, an assistant professor of education, takes a close look at the research on poverty and early childhood education.

Read the article: Poverty, Education, and the Young Child (PDF)

Closing the Teacher Quality Gap

Teachers are "hugely important" in determining student achievement, say Kati Haycock and Candace Crawford in "Closing the Teacher Quality Gap." So, the authors ask, how do we address the fact that "no matter how you measure quality, good teachers are not evenly distributed across all kinds of schools and students"? How do schools get high-quality teachers to the students who need them most?

Read the article to see how schools in Chattanooga, New York City, Boston, Chicago, and two systems in Colorado are working to close the teacher quality gap, and let us know what you think:

If you were to switch to teaching in a high-poverty school, what might you gain or lose? What incentives would it take to get you to voluntarily make such a move? How does or how could teacher training better prepare candidates to teach in high-poverty schools?

Most-Clicked: Teen Takes On Biased Text

Last week, Matthew LaClair, a New Jersey high school senior, raised questions about political bias in his AP government textbook. LaClair took his concerns to the Center for Inquiry, which has since released a scathing report detailing the textbook's misleading and inaccurate information.

Thanks to LaClair's activism, the book American Government by conservatives James Wilson and John DiIulio is being reviewed by both the publisher and the College Board.

Would LaClair's critical inquiry be supported at your school? Have you perceived political agendas in school textbooks?

Whose Problem is Poverty?

Richard Rothstein ("Whose Problem is Poverty?") asserts that when we focus solely on school reforms as the cure for the achievement gap, we suppress discussion—and even awareness—of how the physical and social deprivations of poverty limit achievement. He notes:

"Teachers see for themselves how poor health or family economic stress impedes students' learning. Teachers may nowadays be intimidated from acknowledging these realities aloud and may, in groupthink obedience, repeat the mantra that 'all children can learn.' But nobody is fooled. Teachers still know that although all children can learn, some learn less well because of poorer health or less-secure homes."

Do you think closing the achievement gap is within teachers' and administrators' control—or is this a myth, as Rothstein believes? If you believe that educators can't completely close the gap even through stellar practice, what keeps you striving to do your best?

Where Have All My Students Gone?

A teacher in Charlotte, N.C., loses two-thirds of her class roster to mobility driven by socioeconomic factors. In "Where Have All My Students Gone?" Laura Hoeing relates

"As they repeatedly lose contact with the students to whom they dedicate themselves, teachers who work with our most vulnerable students may begin to view their job as a high-risk emotional investment. Frequent mobility can create a cycle of withdrawal, damaging the morale of students and teachers as well."

What has your school done to address the problem of student mobility? How do you personally cope with the problem?  To learn about one school district's successful efforts to reduce the harmful effects of student mobility, read "When Mobility Disrupts Learning," by Jean Louise M. Smith, Hank Fien, and Stan C. Paine, in the April 2008 issue of Educational Leadership.

Most-Clicked: Solving for X

Quality math teachers effect student achievement. What exactly makes a quality math teacher, concludes a recent federal report, is harder to nail down. The report could not identify essential college coursework, preservice training, or professional development that improves the quality and effectiveness of math instruction.

Read last week's most-clicked ASCD SmartBrief article.

While recommendations for improving math teaching remain tentative, the report advised that math teachers have a strong grasp of "mathematics for teaching" and that teacher candidates engage in "instructionally relevant" math content.