Standardized testing is one of the necessary evils in our current educational system. I do agree that it needs to happen so that we have some means to compare schools and develop some level of accountability. But I also understand how misleading they can be. It is important to be aware of these positives and negatives.
I would love to see more specialization in our schools some day. There are certainly children who do not fit into the traditional mold and therefore are impossible to assess using standardized methods. Standardized testing only works well with students who fit well into the traditional mold of schooling. In these cases, standardized tests are an essential element to not only assessing student progress but also assessing the schools ability to educate children.
Assessing a schools ability to teach kids is not the same as an incentive based program that some politicians are pushing for today. I do not feel it is appropriate to base pay incentives for teachers or funding incentives for schools based on standardized test scores. I do not support that.
But as for testing. In our traditional outlook on education it is a necessary evil. If we developed a new system of educating that focused more on specialized education then I could see people arguing to abolish the current standardized testing system. However, I do not see that happening any time soon.
Monday, April 27, 2009
TARGET MPS
I just had to blog about this one. On the cover of the Shepard Express this week is a big bullseye with MPS in the middle and several darts being thrown at it. Naturally, I grabbed an issue before my daily ride on the bus and decided that I needed to bring this article with me to class to see what my 8th graders had to say about this.
The article focuses on the task of reforming MPS. Specifically it poses the question, "will reform come from insiders or outsiders?" There are many who believe that MPS is so dysfunctional and wasteful that it can't save itself. After reading this article and considering what I already know about the issue I would say that MPS can be saved but it is going to take a lot of sweat from a lot of dedicated people within the system already.
The burden on property tax payers in Milwaukee is huge. We pay an extra 130 million dollars in taxes here to support the voucher program--a program that has shown to do little in terms of improving student performance. The article also goes on to point out that a recent audit of MPS (the McKinsey audit) claims that MPS faces serious annual shortfalls in the next 5 years. According to the audit, "the district could save $42 million to $100 million a year by renegotiating employee benefits, centralizing purchases, decreasing work hours so that some employees qualify for BadgerCare and serving prepackaged box lunches to students."
Whoa! We all know MPS is a district in need of some serious help and dedicated teachers. And now you want to suggest cutting teacher benefits!? That sounds like a great way to attract good teachers to the district!! (HEAVY DOSE OF SARCASM!). I think these suggestions can be put to rest by the audit's own findings that said, "MPS's biggest financial challenges are caused by declining enrollements due to the voucher program and the high cost of health care benefits (health care costs in southeast Wisconsin are much higher than the national average)--challenges that are not controlled by the MPS board." NOT controlled by the MPS board! These are challenges created by our legislators! Affordable health care? How about nationalized health care? We are basically the only developed nation that does not guarantee CHILDREN the right to free health care. That's a whole other issue in itself...
And the voucher program. A lot of what I am reading about the voucher program is showing that there is little statistical data to support students are benefiting from the choice program. Yet it is not only costing tax payers more to keep this program going, but it is also depleting much needed funds from MPS. How can we save MPS!?
The article focuses on the task of reforming MPS. Specifically it poses the question, "will reform come from insiders or outsiders?" There are many who believe that MPS is so dysfunctional and wasteful that it can't save itself. After reading this article and considering what I already know about the issue I would say that MPS can be saved but it is going to take a lot of sweat from a lot of dedicated people within the system already.
The burden on property tax payers in Milwaukee is huge. We pay an extra 130 million dollars in taxes here to support the voucher program--a program that has shown to do little in terms of improving student performance. The article also goes on to point out that a recent audit of MPS (the McKinsey audit) claims that MPS faces serious annual shortfalls in the next 5 years. According to the audit, "the district could save $42 million to $100 million a year by renegotiating employee benefits, centralizing purchases, decreasing work hours so that some employees qualify for BadgerCare and serving prepackaged box lunches to students."
Whoa! We all know MPS is a district in need of some serious help and dedicated teachers. And now you want to suggest cutting teacher benefits!? That sounds like a great way to attract good teachers to the district!! (HEAVY DOSE OF SARCASM!). I think these suggestions can be put to rest by the audit's own findings that said, "MPS's biggest financial challenges are caused by declining enrollements due to the voucher program and the high cost of health care benefits (health care costs in southeast Wisconsin are much higher than the national average)--challenges that are not controlled by the MPS board." NOT controlled by the MPS board! These are challenges created by our legislators! Affordable health care? How about nationalized health care? We are basically the only developed nation that does not guarantee CHILDREN the right to free health care. That's a whole other issue in itself...
And the voucher program. A lot of what I am reading about the voucher program is showing that there is little statistical data to support students are benefiting from the choice program. Yet it is not only costing tax payers more to keep this program going, but it is also depleting much needed funds from MPS. How can we save MPS!?
Chp 18: Freedom for Some, Discipline for "Others"
I used to think that a lot of people who became police officers had a power issue. Either they did not get enough power as a child or they got too much and therefore ended up working a job where they could carry a gun all day and basically do whatever they wanted. (I know this is a generality and there are plenty of very good cops out there!!!). After spending a couple of months in MPS I'm starting to think that some people go into teaching because of the same power complex. I don't remember the saying exactly but I think it goes something like, "absolute power corrupts."
In chapter 18, Enora Brown is addressing some of these issues of power in the school. Her comparison between a school and a prison is not that far fetched either. At Roosevelt our students have to spend every other lunch in total silence. The bathrooms on EVERY floor are often locked and can not be used unless unlocked by a hall security guard. The school lunch is AWFUL. The three floors of the building are each assigned a security person who simply walks the hallways (they are dressed in all blue uniforms and carry a flashlight...I'm not sure why because the school is always well lit!). There is no playground at my school and no recess either.
This is nothing like the schools I attended growing up. We had playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields, decorated hallways with nobody patrolling them, noisey lunch rooms and two periods for recess. We didn't have any strict dress codes. We still had bad food for lunch but that didn't matter because my mom always packed my lunch anways! Why can't the kids at Roosevelt have these same luxuries as I had? I grew up only 75 miles from here. Yet it feels like a completely different world. What and who is to blame for this atmosphere in our schools here? Can we do anything to change it or are these kids not to be trusted with the same freedoms I enjoyed as a child?
In chapter 18, Enora Brown is addressing some of these issues of power in the school. Her comparison between a school and a prison is not that far fetched either. At Roosevelt our students have to spend every other lunch in total silence. The bathrooms on EVERY floor are often locked and can not be used unless unlocked by a hall security guard. The school lunch is AWFUL. The three floors of the building are each assigned a security person who simply walks the hallways (they are dressed in all blue uniforms and carry a flashlight...I'm not sure why because the school is always well lit!). There is no playground at my school and no recess either.
This is nothing like the schools I attended growing up. We had playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields, decorated hallways with nobody patrolling them, noisey lunch rooms and two periods for recess. We didn't have any strict dress codes. We still had bad food for lunch but that didn't matter because my mom always packed my lunch anways! Why can't the kids at Roosevelt have these same luxuries as I had? I grew up only 75 miles from here. Yet it feels like a completely different world. What and who is to blame for this atmosphere in our schools here? Can we do anything to change it or are these kids not to be trusted with the same freedoms I enjoyed as a child?
Chapter 22
This chapter really presents an interesting issue. One that I feel gets lot of attention but sees very little progress being made. In fact, it is difficult to tell young kids to be respectful towards homosexuals when it is one of the few issues we have referendum votes on. A well informed kid can just point to the most recent gay marriage bans around the country to confirm their prejudices towards homosexuals. Could you imagine a vote in Wisconsin on whether to make mixed marriages illegal?!? Or a vote to require people pass a literacy exam before being able to vote?
I really feel for the gay and lesbian community on this issue. I don't think the textbook or anyone else for that matter has a fix-all solution on this issue. It is very difficult in this society to create an environment where gay adolescents can feel totally accepted. The textbook only highlights the alienation experienced by adolescents who are self-recognizing their homosexuality.
The issue becomes even more complex when you consider that sexuality is not obvious like race or ethnicity is. Because of this, the teacher must somehow make students aware that they could be in the presence of a gay or lesbian at any moment and must therefore act in a respectful manner. It really comes down to classroom management. A classroom that is run effectively will undoubtedly create an atmosphere where students of all types feel safe and accepted. I have not had to tell any of my students to stop using words like "gay" or "fag."
I really feel for the gay and lesbian community on this issue. I don't think the textbook or anyone else for that matter has a fix-all solution on this issue. It is very difficult in this society to create an environment where gay adolescents can feel totally accepted. The textbook only highlights the alienation experienced by adolescents who are self-recognizing their homosexuality.
The issue becomes even more complex when you consider that sexuality is not obvious like race or ethnicity is. Because of this, the teacher must somehow make students aware that they could be in the presence of a gay or lesbian at any moment and must therefore act in a respectful manner. It really comes down to classroom management. A classroom that is run effectively will undoubtedly create an atmosphere where students of all types feel safe and accepted. I have not had to tell any of my students to stop using words like "gay" or "fag."
PBL in action!!
This weekend I developed 2 pbl's! One for this class! And another for my class at Roosevelt. Today was our first day of the pbl and I'm super excited to see where it goes. I get the feeling my kids are excited as well! Very cool.
We are studying the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. The problem I presented to the class was the same problem the United States faced in the aftermath of the Civil War--how do we reconstruct the South and bring the Southern states back into the Union? I gave students very little information to start and am hoping they use the entire Reconstruction chapter in our textbook to research the possible solutions. It worked out very nicely that we just started the Reconstruction period after I became familiar with how to do a pbl. This model fits very nicely to studying the many difficulties facing the Union during this period.
My only concern is giving students so much "power to learn." I do not want to see them use this power for evil! Meaning, instead of actually driving the lesson in the direction it needs to go, they will drive us into a ditch. It is a major concern of mine. Today things went pretty well but I spent over half the class lecturing before dividing the class into groups. I'm not really sure how they will use the next two days I have set aside to work on this project. We have done in class projects before with a pretty good amount of success but it did take a lot of work on my part to keep students on task. I guess we will have to wait and see where they take this!
We are studying the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. The problem I presented to the class was the same problem the United States faced in the aftermath of the Civil War--how do we reconstruct the South and bring the Southern states back into the Union? I gave students very little information to start and am hoping they use the entire Reconstruction chapter in our textbook to research the possible solutions. It worked out very nicely that we just started the Reconstruction period after I became familiar with how to do a pbl. This model fits very nicely to studying the many difficulties facing the Union during this period.
My only concern is giving students so much "power to learn." I do not want to see them use this power for evil! Meaning, instead of actually driving the lesson in the direction it needs to go, they will drive us into a ditch. It is a major concern of mine. Today things went pretty well but I spent over half the class lecturing before dividing the class into groups. I'm not really sure how they will use the next two days I have set aside to work on this project. We have done in class projects before with a pretty good amount of success but it did take a lot of work on my part to keep students on task. I guess we will have to wait and see where they take this!
School Clothing
The issue of school clothing is apparent in several chapters of the textbook and is also a daily issue at the school I am teaching in. At Roosevelt, we have a policy that has raised many concerns over the past week as the temperatures continue to rise. If girls want to wear skirts or shorts to school that is fine--so long as they extend to within 1 inch of the top of their knee. At first I glance I totally understand this policy. Unfortunately, a lot of girls feel the need to show the bottom of their tush whenever they are wearing shorts of a skirt. However, I have a few problems with this policy in my school...
* First of all, I think we can all agree that we live in a society that promotes the sexuality of girls 24/7. It does not take much channel surfing on your television to find loads of situations where women are exploited as sexual objects. Open any magazine and you will find countless ads of young, sexy women wearing scraps of fabric as "clothing." Does it not seem a bit hypocritical to create a society that places such an emphasis on physical appearance and then punishes girls who where shorts deemed "too short?"
* I have had several boys in my classes show up wearing just a basketball jersey. A basketball jersey does not cover much up. In fact, it covers up very little. However, none of these boys have ever been told to put a shirt on. This seems like a major double standard to me.
* Two girls in my class were removed last Friday for wearing skirts with leggings under them. Now, the skirts did not meet the schools 1 inch off the knee policy but in the girls defense, they were wearing leggings underneath the skirt as well. This is a very popular style not only here in the US but around the world. Personally, I thought the girls were very tastefully dressed and the fact that they wore leggings underneath (they were NOT see through either) was a classy touch. But the administration did not agree and decided it would be better to pull the kids from class and send them home!!!! (GREAT IDEA!!) *sarcasm!*
* For the most part my school is pretty good about making sure girls are not showing too much cleavage. However, I have seen lots more boobies bouncing around the halls than I have seen girls with their tail feathers out (see urban dictionary! he he). In all seriousness, the day that two girls were removed from my class while wearing skirts with leggings I had at least 3 other girls who were clearly showing the top halves of their breasts. Please tell me which is worse!!
Ok. I understand the need to regulate what students wear to school. Not only is it a distraction to everyone around them but it also only further objectifies women as sex objects. I agree that there needs to be regulations in place. However, I feel that this should be left to the discretion of the staff and not made into a formal policy (ie skirts must be 1 inch above the knee). This just feels like another way to exert power over kids who already feel a bit powerless. What are we doing here?!?
* First of all, I think we can all agree that we live in a society that promotes the sexuality of girls 24/7. It does not take much channel surfing on your television to find loads of situations where women are exploited as sexual objects. Open any magazine and you will find countless ads of young, sexy women wearing scraps of fabric as "clothing." Does it not seem a bit hypocritical to create a society that places such an emphasis on physical appearance and then punishes girls who where shorts deemed "too short?"
* I have had several boys in my classes show up wearing just a basketball jersey. A basketball jersey does not cover much up. In fact, it covers up very little. However, none of these boys have ever been told to put a shirt on. This seems like a major double standard to me.
* Two girls in my class were removed last Friday for wearing skirts with leggings under them. Now, the skirts did not meet the schools 1 inch off the knee policy but in the girls defense, they were wearing leggings underneath the skirt as well. This is a very popular style not only here in the US but around the world. Personally, I thought the girls were very tastefully dressed and the fact that they wore leggings underneath (they were NOT see through either) was a classy touch. But the administration did not agree and decided it would be better to pull the kids from class and send them home!!!! (GREAT IDEA!!) *sarcasm!*
* For the most part my school is pretty good about making sure girls are not showing too much cleavage. However, I have seen lots more boobies bouncing around the halls than I have seen girls with their tail feathers out (see urban dictionary! he he). In all seriousness, the day that two girls were removed from my class while wearing skirts with leggings I had at least 3 other girls who were clearly showing the top halves of their breasts. Please tell me which is worse!!
Ok. I understand the need to regulate what students wear to school. Not only is it a distraction to everyone around them but it also only further objectifies women as sex objects. I agree that there needs to be regulations in place. However, I feel that this should be left to the discretion of the staff and not made into a formal policy (ie skirts must be 1 inch above the knee). This just feels like another way to exert power over kids who already feel a bit powerless. What are we doing here?!?
Chp 20: Bad Boys
"Whether the emotional expressions of children are proper displays of feeling or punishable acts is a matter of adult interpretation." pg 315
In the closing weeks of my student teaching I am left to reflect on the behaviors exhibited by the students in my classroom. I often wonder why one day a student will very actively participate in discussion and activities, while the next day they are completely oblivious to the rules. As Ferguson discusses further in the chapter the attitude of students if often at the heart of their disciplinary troubles. But this display of attitude is often much more physical body language than it is any verbal dispute. The emotional display often witnessed in a predominantly African American school is with the body. Teachers often categorize this as a sign of disrespect to them.
Last Friday in class I had a girl who was not following directions and when I confronted her about it she started bobbing her head around and sticking her chin up in the air. She did not say anything particularly rude or troubling to me, but her physical demeanor was essentially telling me to "piss off." It took a lot for me to keep my cool but I did. And after class I made her stay after to let her know that it was not O.K. to to blow me off in front of the entire class like that. I took no further disciplinary action with her.
I have thought a lot about this issue while doing my student teaching. I hear other teachers in the building sometimes screaming at students and have also witnessed my cooperating teacher remove his coat and challenge a student to a physical altercation after he was acting defiantly and refused to leave the classroom. My teacher told the student, "you can either walk out of the classroom or I can take you out." I find this to be rather troubling as we are supposed to be showing students how to act in a respectful way and demanding that they show us (the teachers) respect. I can fully sympathize with my African American students who feel as though they live in a world that does not respect them so why should they give any respect back?
The relationship of power in the classroom is a slippery slope indeed. We always talk about "empowering" students to learn but as soon as they display any type of body language that seems to challenge the teachers power they are deemed "troublemakers." Ferguson argues that African American students express their emotions in a way very different from the dominant social norm. Does this mean they should be punished for doing so??
In the closing weeks of my student teaching I am left to reflect on the behaviors exhibited by the students in my classroom. I often wonder why one day a student will very actively participate in discussion and activities, while the next day they are completely oblivious to the rules. As Ferguson discusses further in the chapter the attitude of students if often at the heart of their disciplinary troubles. But this display of attitude is often much more physical body language than it is any verbal dispute. The emotional display often witnessed in a predominantly African American school is with the body. Teachers often categorize this as a sign of disrespect to them.
Last Friday in class I had a girl who was not following directions and when I confronted her about it she started bobbing her head around and sticking her chin up in the air. She did not say anything particularly rude or troubling to me, but her physical demeanor was essentially telling me to "piss off." It took a lot for me to keep my cool but I did. And after class I made her stay after to let her know that it was not O.K. to to blow me off in front of the entire class like that. I took no further disciplinary action with her.
I have thought a lot about this issue while doing my student teaching. I hear other teachers in the building sometimes screaming at students and have also witnessed my cooperating teacher remove his coat and challenge a student to a physical altercation after he was acting defiantly and refused to leave the classroom. My teacher told the student, "you can either walk out of the classroom or I can take you out." I find this to be rather troubling as we are supposed to be showing students how to act in a respectful way and demanding that they show us (the teachers) respect. I can fully sympathize with my African American students who feel as though they live in a world that does not respect them so why should they give any respect back?
The relationship of power in the classroom is a slippery slope indeed. We always talk about "empowering" students to learn but as soon as they display any type of body language that seems to challenge the teachers power they are deemed "troublemakers." Ferguson argues that African American students express their emotions in a way very different from the dominant social norm. Does this mean they should be punished for doing so??
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