tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170201072024-03-07T04:18:52.009-05:00Teaching MontessoriA Brief Blog about the day to day educational issues between three Small Learning Communities in one NYC High School.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-23233309979896875182009-11-23T11:43:00.000-05:002009-11-23T11:44:27.618-05:00THANKSGIVING<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CAdmin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:659237518; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:506252030 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Its Thanksgiving <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What am I thankful for?<span style=""> </span></p> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">My boys</b><span style=""> </span>Wally is healthy happy and 7 , Victor is happy hungry and 5 </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Garbage cans</b> .<span style=""> </span>The garbage is literally pilling up in the third floor common area. But a garbage can there would solve the problem. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">The train</b>. It <span style=""> </span>has become a symbol of what the school used to do right …<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately the once “Montessori “common area has become a staging area for cutting students .<span style=""> </span>Teachers and administration find it easier to turn a blind eye rather than confront student who are not in their community. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">The PIS</b>. We need one.. It empowers teachers with information. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Three small communities</b>. Lets get the small back… Each community should take control of their common area, and students without classes should only be allowed to be in their assigned common area.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Freshmen Team</b>.<span style=""> </span>We are still trying to shape our instruction, we constantly remind ourselves of our mission from the concept paper. And we value our team members. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Faye</b>. I don’t understand how the 307 suite ran without her.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">International Trip. </b>I can’t wait</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Our Schedule.</b><span style=""> </span>I am so happy that I get to be on the early schedule next year. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Copy Machines.</b> Sometimes I forget that I worked for 3 years in a school with no copy machines or working computers. </li></ol> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-26715162643607226032009-04-07T15:00:00.000-04:002009-04-07T10:06:30.624-04:00MIXED GRADE ADVISORIESWhile searching for our next advisory project I came across the following article written by a student from another High School.<br /><br /><br />MADDY KIEFER ‘08<br /><a href="http://www.anthony-thomas.com/store/images/FancyMixedNuts.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 206px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" alt="" src="http://www.anthony-thomas.com/store/images/FancyMixedNuts.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Most seniors remember the mixed grade advisories that were disbanded in September 2005. Upon our promotion to the upper school in 2004, we were put in advisories with upperclassmen, which, although daunting at first, was eventually an experience that many of us appreciated. Older students provided us with all sorts of advice for surviving high school, from choosing class to prioritizing our responsibilities. Mixed grade advisories gave us the chance to hear first-hand about the stress of junior year, the complicated college process that followed, and the ultimate decision of choosing which college to attend before we had to experience it ourselves. They weren’t trying to scare us, but, rather, to prepare us. When questioned about what it was like when multiple grades were represented in his advisory, Peter Gow, the Director of College Counseling, who has been working at Beaver for over twenty years, recalls, “I remember some great examples of good advice and important lore being passed down in those meetings from older students to younger ones.” He does believe, however, that “same-grade groups can be great ways for advisors to work together on issues related to grade-level concerns.”<br /><br />A year later, however, few were happy to hear that new advisories were separated by grade. Toph Tucker, a senior who was in a mixed-grade advisory until last year, says, “I know that the administration worries that older students will intimidate freshmen or some such thing, but having some representation from higher grades was one of the best things about my advisory.” Toph and I, who were both in Mr. Whitten’s advisory for three years, had such an amazing time in our mixed-grade advisory that we were furious that the incoming freshman didn’t get this opportunity. Instead, they were essentially being cut off. We knew that keeping all of the freshmen apart from upperclassmen was a mistake. The freshmen, however, considered themselves lucky. The idea of having to spend half an hour with the “big kids” every week wasn’t appealing, so there were no objections from them. When asked his opinion on being in an all freshmen advisory, Willy Tucker, Toph’s younger brother, states that he was “pretty happy” about being separated from the older students. As a reply to this comment, Toph remarks, “He just doesn’t know what he’s missing.”<br /><br /><br /><br />[<a href="http://beavernews.wordpress.com/2007/12/11/the-fall-of-the-mixed-grade-advisory/">ENTIRE BLOG</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-48418538021403704882009-04-03T10:14:00.002-04:002009-04-03T10:17:06.803-04:00WHICH THIRD?THIS COMMENT WAS LEFT IN RESPONSE TO THE LAST POST.<br /><br /><br />As a teacher who is attempting literature circles, I have many thoughts going through my mind. While the literature circles are reaching the lower level kids (sometimes!), my higher level kids are not getting a deeper analysis and understanding of the text (which is why I am compensating for that by torturing myself, by creating higher level thinking questions for EVERY GROUP. OY!) There is so much theory, and yet the practice is such a different story....it's exhausting. My lower level students are most often also the students who are the least motivated. Therefore, I spend so much time working with them, and yet many of them are still not even reading the text that is ON their level.<br /><br />The higher level students are having ON TASK conversations, but are not pushing their thinking. While I do sit in groups and push their thinking, you can only really do this with one or two groups per class and the rest are just doing "plot summaries".<br /><br /> I'm beginning to think that we need to be really careful with which books we choose for literature circles. Books are not just about "plot" which is really all they have been looking for. While we've discussed themes, and characterization, the deeper analysis still always only comes from me. The books I chose are so deep, and need to be analyzed, therefore I feel frustrated with the lack of analysis my kids are missing without my guidance.<br /><br /> There is also so much being gained (self-directed learning, holding each other accountable...).There is so much to teach in a book that is also being lost in literature circles (analysis, the bigger picture, guidance, class conversation). I think literature circles are like anything else, too much of anything is not good either. Especially in an English class, where our job is entirely skills based, we need to offer students a variety of skills, projects, options, etc.<br /><br />Everything we do is (unfortunately) aways geared towards one level or another. Literature circles (at least in my class) are better for the middle and lower level learners. Therefore, 1/3 of my class (the higher level) is still relatively bored, which was the same as before when I was teaching the whole class novel and the lower 1/3 was bored. They have on task conversations, and the literature is differentiated, but their brains are capable of so much more, and I don't know how to get them all there in every class. What to do?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-37432411880909069962009-03-29T22:24:00.010-04:002009-03-29T22:33:35.398-04:00Differentiated instruction vs. tracking<a href="http://www.mspmentor.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/open-vs-closed-source-managed-services-debate.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 248px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 157px" alt="" src="http://www.mspmentor.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/open-vs-closed-source-managed-services-debate.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />Mayo Writes:</div><div> </div><div>A conversation at lunch in 318 on Friday got me thinking. I need to clarify a few things in my mind, and perhaps others could help me in my thinking. Usually tracking is something that keeps kids locked in place for their entire academic experience. Those of us that went to school in NYC remember there was the top class, the bottom class, the middle class—and I, for one, know I had the same kids in my class from 1st grade to 5th grade. Same in tracked high schools—you’re in honors, AP, or regents track. There isn’t much movement among the tracks.<br /><br />When we all first started to work in this untracked school, we worked under the premise that mixed ability meant we grouped kids by putting one of the top level kids, one of the lower level kids, and two in the middle (or some such combination). And sometimes, for some work, that is a good way to group. And other times it is not. And we’ve all felt the frustration of trying to challenge the higher achievers while still meeting the needs of the struggling students, and trying not to forget the middle. Like everything else, there are arguments for and against tracking. I think the arguments against are stronger because mixed ability classrooms give us the flexibility to take advantage of what both tracked and untracked classes offer.<br /><br />When we talked about classroom structures like Literature Circles, people started questioning whether that isn’t a form of tracking. The funny thing is that I feel like some of the people that are questioning that are people that might actually favor tracking. It’s like a whole language vs. phonics argument—it’s not an either or. Mixed ability classes allow us to vary the way we structure groups according to our goals. Virtually, it’s an easy way to accomplish differentiated instruction AND allow for movement. So the kid in Dana’s class that’s reading Roll of Thunder rather than To Kill a Mockingbird might progress to the more difficult book in the next round of reading. But let’s be honest…the kid that can’t read To Kill A Mockingbird isn’t getting anything out of that book so why put it in his hands other than to reinforce the idea that reading is not for him? How many of us have read Cliff Notes (those of us too old for Spark Notes), gotten by on a test by taking notes during class discussion based on what the teacher thought was important in the text, cheated?<br /><br />As we are starting to assess our 9th graders, we are finding that even our strongest students are reading below grade level. And that affects their ability to succeed in other content areas. It’s a bit scary, but also a bit of a relief to admit that same old, same old isn’t going to work. Is it going to be easy? Hell no! The best line so far has been one from Mike Lieber when Jamie asked what he thought of literature circles. Mike, in his inimitable way, said “it sounds like an awful lot of work.” And it is. Like any good student-centered work—a lot of work ahead of time in setting up the structure, and then an easier type of facilitating groups, listening in, pushing them with deeper questions, taking notes, asking kids that are doing well to model what works.<br /><br />I’m reading a book by Nancie Atwell called The Reading Zone. In it, Atwell talks about kids that were avid readers in middle school and how they lost their love of reading. Some of us have kids that this is true of, some of us may have been kids like this. Atwell asks high school teachers to re-consider how they teach English, to think about what will make a true difference in the intellectual lives of their students. I think putting books in their hands that they can comprehend is one way to help them become better readers and have a love for reading. I will never forget the first time I attended an Open School Night at my own child’s school. Parents were asked to complete an interest inventory. Do you know how many were stumped when they were asked to name their favorite book? Do you know how many relied on answers like Catcher in the Rye or The Great Gatsby because they hadn’t read a book since they were assigned the classics in high school? Isn’t our goal to have some of what we do carry over into their adult lives?<br /><br />This is not to say that we will never do a whole class text. It’s just to say that if we want school to be more authentic we need to look at life. I’m in a book club with people that like the same type of books that I do. I don’t see the harm in providing that opportunity, that choice for our students. We can teach them what they “need” to know about literature through whatever they’re reading. It doesn’t need to be taken from the Uniform Lists, published in 1894, that teachers in NYC were already resisting in 1911 after they were persuaded that the differences in their diverse students should be valued over uniform requirements.<br /><br />And this isn’t only about English. It just may be easier than it is in a content driven area. However, I think moving between groups of mixed abilities and groups of similar abilities can work to the advantage of the students in front of us. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-46034171638436619492009-03-17T12:46:00.000-04:002009-03-17T12:47:45.227-04:00In a Part of Queens With Crowded Schools, Opposition to a New OneIn a Queens school district that is one of New York City’s most overcrowded, a plan to replace an old restaurant supply store with a gleaming $70 million high school for 1,100 students might seem irresistible.<br /><br />Not so fast.<br /><br />The proposal has instead become a flashpoint of contention over how public school enrollment should be determined, and if a compromise is not reached before a critical City Council vote that is expected later this month, it may be scuttled.<br /><br />Residents of one neighborhood in the district, Maspeth, a blue-collar area with a small-town feel in western Queens, have long lamented the lack of a high school there, and they want to give local children a leg up in getting into the new school. But that aspiration runs counter to a central tenet of the Bloomberg administration’s education philosophy: that giving certain students an advantage threatens to further splinter the sprawling system by class, leaving families lacking savvy and resources to attend some of the worst schools.<br />“We always try to respond to residents, but not to go counter to our beliefs,” said Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott, who oversees education and community development. “We don’t want students blocked out, which can lead to a have and have-not type of society. We want to build an inclusive society.”<br /><br />Seven years after Mayor <a title="More articles about Michael R. Bloomberg." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/michael_r_bloomberg/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Michael R. Bloomberg</a> took control of the city’s schools, the feud in Maspeth reveals the sometimes prickly neighborhood realities that education officials still face as they try to centralize admissions to give all 1.1 million students access to the best the system has to offer.<br /><br />Already, the city has agreed to give preference in admissions to students living in three of the seven Queens districts. But it has refused requests from Maspeth community leaders, including City Councilwoman <a title="Councilwoman’s Crowley’s page on the City Council Web site." href="http://council.nyc.gov/d30/html/members/home.shtml">Elizabeth Crowley</a>, to give first choice to students now attending five specific schools.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-62320467333281483942009-02-23T12:55:00.003-05:002009-02-23T12:56:49.442-05:00an interesting numberIn many circles, class size is considered as fundamental to education as the three R’s, with numbers watched so carefully that even a tiny increase can provoke outrage among parents, teachers and political leaders. Alarms went off in New York and California last week, as officials on both coasts warned that yawning budget gaps could soon mean more children in each classroom.<br /><br />But while state legislatures for decades have passed laws — and provided millions of dollars — to cap the size of classes, some academic researchers and education leaders say that small reductions in the number of students in a room often have little effect on their performance.<br />At recent legislative hearings on whether to renew mayoral control of the New York City schools, lawmakers and parents alike have asked, again and again, why Mayor <a title="More articles about Michael R. Bloomberg." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/michael_r_bloomberg/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Michael R. Bloomberg</a> and Chancellor <a title="More articles about Joel I. Klein." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/joel_i_klein/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Joel I. Klein</a> have not done more to reduce class size. On Tuesday, the Education Department issued <a title="The report." href="http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/DOEData/ClassSizeReport/classsize.htm">a report</a> that found the average number of children per class increased in nearly every grade this school year.<br /><br />“If you’re going to spend an extra dollar, personally, I would always rather spend it on the people that deliver the service,” Mr. Bloomberg said when asked about the report on Thursday, calling class size “an interesting number.”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/education/22class.html?ref=education&pagewanted=print">Entire Article</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-84718614382778585912009-02-23T12:55:00.000-05:002009-02-23T12:56:42.510-05:00an interesting numberIn many circles, class size is considered as fundamental to education as the three R’s, with numbers watched so carefully that even a tiny increase can provoke outrage among parents, teachers and political leaders. Alarms went off in New York and California last week, as officials on both coasts warned that yawning budget gaps could soon mean more children in each classroom.<br /><br />But while state legislatures for decades have passed laws — and provided millions of dollars — to cap the size of classes, some academic researchers and education leaders say that small reductions in the number of students in a room often have little effect on their performance.<br />At recent legislative hearings on whether to renew mayoral control of the New York City schools, lawmakers and parents alike have asked, again and again, why Mayor <a title="More articles about Michael R. Bloomberg." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/michael_r_bloomberg/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Michael R. Bloomberg</a> and Chancellor <a title="More articles about Joel I. Klein." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/joel_i_klein/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Joel I. Klein</a> have not done more to reduce class size. On Tuesday, the Education Department issued <a title="The report." href="http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/DOEData/ClassSizeReport/classsize.htm">a report</a> that found the average number of children per class increased in nearly every grade this school year.<br /><br />“If you’re going to spend an extra dollar, personally, I would always rather spend it on the people that deliver the service,” Mr. Bloomberg said when asked about the report on Thursday, calling class size “an interesting number.”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/education/22class.html?ref=education&pagewanted=print">Entire Article</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-7703376680804093032009-02-12T11:20:00.002-05:002009-02-12T11:25:49.629-05:00The problem of grade level team meetings.<a href="http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/images-signs/door.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" alt="" src="http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/images-signs/door.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />When I taught in MS202 in Ozone Park, I taught in isolation. When I had a “difficult class” I hid it from my colleagues. I wasn’t about to admit I was having trouble. I never asked for help, and I never shared anything that was happening in my class with anyone other than the students in front of me. I was a good teacher at least I thought.<br /><br />I mocked teachers who spoke about school on their lunch break. I felt that administration was the enemy. Basically I closed my door, did what I thought was right, then went home.<br /><br />I was never asked by colleagues or administration about why students were successful in one class and not another. What did I care if Johnny couldn’t read that was the English teacher’s job? What did I care if Debra had artistic talents beyond her peers? Wasn’t that the Art teacher’s job? And Math….lol I thought it was a waste of time.<br /><br />I worried only about my class, I was only concerned with my teaching history. Not my students. I was worried about my “teaching”. After all, it was the only thing I could control.<br /><br />Then I came to QHST. I really had to start thinking about much more. I was asked to participate in CFGs. I was nervous of being exposed as a fraud. That peers were just going to laugh at me. What the hell do I know? What the hell do they know? Why would they care about what happens in my history class? I was standing in front of math teachers, a music teacher and veteran English teacher explaining how I teach. I immediately thought this was crazy, against my union contract, and not what I went to school for. The uncomfortable feeling prompted my to call a teacher from my previous school and explain, “ugh…the meeting I had today was a waste of time.” (That was easier than sharing how uncomfortable I was)<br /><br />Now we have these “Grade Level Team Meetings.” I am put on the spot, asked to talk about students (something I cannot control) share successes, and failures. I’m no longer teaching in isolation. I know who the artists are in my class, I know who is better at math, and who loves to write or read. It is too much. Too much to think about. I’m held way too accountable by my peers. Where’s my union, this job is too tough!<br /><br />I want to go back to the isolation, to worrying only about history not the lives of students. I’m not paid enough to really deal with weekly parent calls, electronic grade books, holistic differentiated instruction, and educational philosophy.<br /><br />Leave that to the professionals, I’m a teacher.<br /><br />(wait a minute did I just type that?) </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-77819363324833995852009-02-09T10:11:00.002-05:002009-02-09T10:14:05.245-05:00SoHo’s new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex worth the trip for teachers, students.<a href="http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/feature/NYT20090205_36a.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 333px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/feature/NYT20090205_36a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Queens HS of Teaching teachers (from left) Maryann Sadera, Lori Mayo, Ann Marie Paparella and Walter Brown check out the Bob Dylan exhibit.</span></em><br /><div><br />You might not be able to take your students to see The Clash live these days, but New York now has the next best thing: a feature exhibit on the renowned English punk band at SoHo’s new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex. </div><br /><div><br />Featuring the original handwritten lyrics to “London Calling” and lead singer Joe Strummer’s Telecaster guitar, the aptly titled “Revolution Rock” tells the story of the band’s rise and demise, and of the many feathers its politicized lyrics and rebellious attitude ruffled along the way.<br />While The Clash may only appeal to a particular taste, the annex, which opened to the public on Dec. 2, has something for everybody, including lesson plans for teachers and plenty of educational fun for students. </div><br /><div><br />The New York City extension of Cleveland’s original Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the 25,000 square foot space at 76 Mercer St. is brimming with rock and roll memorabilia, from Chuck Berry’s leopard print vest and Elvis’ notated Bible to John Lennon’s glasses, Grandmaster Flash’s turntables, and Madonna’s white pointy bustier from the 1990 Blonde Ambition tour.<br />Teachers considering a trip to the annex should take a look at the host of pre- and post-visit lesson plans available online at www.rockhall.com, says Dr. Lauren Onkey, vice president of education and public programs at the flagship facility in Cleveland.</div><br /><div><br />These run the gamut from “‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll:’ The Building Blocks of Music,” which teaches students in grades K-4 about the basic elements of music, to “Keep on Pushing: Popular Music and the Civil Rights Movement,” a multisession social studies curriculum for high school students. English teachers will appreciate “Woody Guthrie and The Grapes of Wrath,” and science teachers should check out “The Cigar Box Guitar,” which teaches middle and high school students about the physics of sound. </div><br /><div><br />Onkey and Jason Hanley, the Cleveland museum’s director of education, were in town last month to promote the annex and discuss educational programming with 770 teachers who turned the space into a veritable “School of Rock” at a teachers-only event on Jan. 21.<br />“We’re teaching the history of the music, but we’re also teaching a language arts lesson to help students analyze lyrics,” said Onkey, a former English professor, between packed presentations in the annex’s VIP room. </div><br /><div><br />“Here at the annex, you’ve got Bruce Springsteen’s ’57 Chevy and copies of his handwritten lyrics to ‘Thunder Road.’ Before you come in you could talk to students about the imagery in that song and think about how they might imagine the car in relationship to the lyrics,” she suggested. </div><br /><div><br />Hanley, a musicologist, recommends teachers also explore the Cleveland facility’s distance learning program, which uses impressive live video conferencing technology to beam museum educational staff from Ohio directly into your classroom. </div><br /><div><br />“We’re hoping teachers will come here with their students, tour through the annex, and then take a distance learning interactive video conferencing class with us,” he said.</div><br /><div><br />There is also an on-site curator and an education coordinator who can help orient student groups visiting the annex, added Hall of Fame executive producer James Sanna.</div><br /><div><br />Judging from the reaction of teachers like Gary Moore, they will soon have plenty of school-age visitors to keep them busy. </div><br /><div><br />“It’s important for kids to know where the music that they love comes from,” Moore said. “This museum will help them learn that history.”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-79594451160093933432009-02-05T18:32:00.002-05:002009-02-05T18:39:39.653-05:00Blacks Less Likely to Take A.P. Exam<a href="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/04/09/a10stgeo2.jpeg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 197px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px" alt="" src="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/04/09/a10stgeo2.jpeg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>More than 15 percent of the three million students who graduated from public high schools last year passed at least one <a title="More articles about the Advanced Placement program." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/advanced_placement_program/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier">Advanced Placement exam</a>, the <a title="More articles about College Board" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/c/college_board/index.html?inline=nyt-org">College Board</a> said Wednesday, but African-American students were still far less likely to have passed, or to even have taken, an A.P. exam than white, Hispanic or Asian students.<br /><br />In its fifth <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/html/aprtn/pdf/ap_report_to_the_nation.pdf">annual report</a> on its A.P. program, the College Board said the program was growing steadily. More than 460,000 students, or 15.2 percent, passed an A.P. exam last year, compared with 14.1 percent in 2007 and 12.2 percent five years ago.<br /><br />But the program is not spreading evenly across the nation. In Mississippi and Louisiana, fewer than 4 percent of high school graduates passed an A.P. exam last year, and in 17 other states, fewer than 10 percent passed one.<br /><br />At the other end of the spectrum, in Maryland and New York, the states with the most active Advanced Placement programs, more than 23 percent of high school graduates passed an exam. And California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Virginia also had at least one in five graduates pass an A.P. exam last year.<br /><br />The A.P. program offers high school students the chance to do college-level work in dozens of subjects and, if they pass the exams, to receive college credit at many universities. The exams are marked on a scale of one to five, with a three needed to pass.<br /><br />But as in most aspects of American education, troubling ethnic gaps remain. African-Americans are seriously underrepresented in the A.P. program, and no state has yet closed that gap, said Gaston Caperton, the president of the College Board.<br /><br />While 14 percent of last year’s high school graduates were black, they made up only 8 percent of those taking A.P. exams — and only 4 percent of those with passing scores. White students, at 63 percent of graduates, and Hispanics, at 15 percent, were nearly proportionately represented in the A.P. population. Asian students were overrepresented, making up 5 percent of graduates, but 10 percent of those taking A.P. exams.<br /><br />Low-income students made up 17 percent of those who took A.P. exams last year, up from 16.2 percent in 2007, the report said.<br /><br />This year, given the recession, Mr. Caperton stressed the economic benefits of the program.<br />“In these times of economic distress, as family budgets are squeezed and financial aid resources are spread thin, rigorous courses like A.P. that prepare students for the demands of college and foster an increased likelihood of on-time graduation can be a very valuable resource for families,” he said.<br /><br />With a minority graduating from college in four years, A.P. credits can cut college costs by bolstering on-time graduation. For an out-of-state student at a public four-year university, the extra cost of taking six years to complete an undergraduate degree averages more than $58,000, the College Board said, while even five years for an in-state student costs an extra $18,000.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/education/05exam.html?_r=1&ref=education&pagewanted=print">NYTIMES ARTICLE LINK</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-21412799414223819152008-12-23T12:51:00.006-05:002008-12-23T13:12:26.168-05:00POST on a COMMENT<div><em><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:verdana;">Its always interesting to read this blog. I work for a very large, traditional, old fashioned high school in another city that is one of the top public schools in the nation.We have schools organized the old fashioned way- by department. We have numerous electives- too many to mention. We have tracked classes, and <a href="http://www.c3ilasvegas.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/puzzle_pieces_id150248_size500o.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 185px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 173px" alt="" src="http://www.c3ilasvegas.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/puzzle_pieces_id150248_size500o.jpg" border="0" /></a>both an amazing gifted track and vocational track where students graduate HIGH SCHOOL with an associates in nursing, electrical studies, mechanics- never go to college, and make much more than the starting salary teacher.</span></em><br /><br /><strong>Your idea for a high school always sound interesting- progressive, 'new', etc. </strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Is it the only way?</strong><br /><br /><br /><em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">I received the above comment in response to the last posting.</span></strong></em></span><br /><p></p><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This is always a big question. Is our philosophical bend the only way? The answer is a resounding, "NO'. But "our way" is a valid way to run an educational institution. In the grand market place of ideas the NYC school system, of which QHST is a part, has so many schools with different philosophies. Schools that track, schools that test test and test again, schools that have vocational training, schools that highlight the arts, sports, or new comers to the city. This is the biggest benefit to working the a large system. I am in no way saying all schools should be one way or another. I imagine smaller systems do not have the luxury to allow for such diversity of teaching philosophies.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Is it the only way?</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>"No"</strong></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Is it the only way for QHST?</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>"Yes"</strong></div><br /><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><strong></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">I hope the anonomous commenter rejoins the conversation.</span></em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-32939202723983869062008-12-02T13:57:00.005-05:002008-12-05T11:55:45.548-05:00Path of Least ResistanceI know change is ultimately good. It is what keeps us alive. Without change there would be no growth. There would be no progress.<br /><br />When I was younger I used to have these ideals in my head. I thought that world hunger could be <a href="http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/metsmerized/Misc%20Stuff/86mets7sq.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 203px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/metsmerized/Misc%20Stuff/86mets7sq.jpg" border="0" /></a>solved. I thought if you worked hard everything was going to be ok. I believed in a divine presence in my life. I thought everyone was truly equal. I watched the Berlin Wall fall and thought “wow world peace is right around the corner”. I watched the NY Mets win the World Series and thought “life is just amazin’”.<br /><br />But then life got hard. At age 30 I just got tired. I started to give up on some of my ideals because it was easier than dealing with them. It became easier in my head to coup with life just believing that there just isn’t enough food for everyone. I rationalized that just because you work hard, luck has much more to do with success. Watching BBC News clips of displaced war-torn families pushed me to question my faith. I came to believe that world peace isn’t always in the US’s best interest. After 20 years of ringless teams I also came to realize that the Mets are not that amazin’.<br /><br />When I came to QHST I entered a real culture that was full of idealism. School administrators encouraged teachers to be involved in school-wide decisions. Here there were classrooms of learners of different abilities all making progress. Here there was an encouragement of a reflective practice. Here students were placed in small dedicated learning communities. There were never going to be tracked classes. There were mixed grade advisories. The concept paper was understood by each incoming teacher and referred to regularly at SLC meetings.<br /><br />But life is hard. At age 6 our school is getting tired. Are we giving up on the ideals too? Are teacher voices still being heard during decision making meetings? Mixed ability classes? It is easier to differentiate instruction when all the kids are learning at the same standardized test score level. CFGs? It is easier to meet for a couple of minutes at a faculty meeting rather than critically working during one. Cross Communities Classes? I assume its easier to program cross community classes. Single grade advisories? Communication between content area teachers and advisors would be easier, but would communication skills between teachers be any better? Tracked classes? It might be easier if all the level 4s were in the same class. Are the common areas too much freedom for students? Is it just easier to lock bathrooms on alternating floors for students? Would bells and hall sweeps just make the halls a hell of a lot more like school should be?<br /><br />I hated turning 30 and losing some of my youth and idealism. Please don’t let QHST lose its youth at 6.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-67953158668846178042008-11-13T13:04:00.006-05:002008-11-13T15:19:13.848-05:00Helping Students or Hurting the Profession?<a href="http://epicurious.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/08/brown_bag_aarhus_universitet.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 152px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 173px" alt="" src="http://epicurious.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/08/brown_bag_aarhus_universitet.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This is an ugly side of teaching. Especially when being asked to differentiate instruction and target the needs of students. When or how do we find the time to help the group we targeted?<br /><br />In haste I opened a classroom up on the 5th floor during my lunch break. There, selected students, were afforded the opportunity to receive extra help. Lunch has evolved into something where upperclass students aid freshmen with math and writing.<br /><br />Today I realized this does not solve the problem. Sure it is a "band-aide" for those few students. But the system of over burdened teachers does not shift or change. Ironically I became a cog in a system of educational neglect. School budgets do not have to allocate funds for teachers to help students one-on-one, because teachers are doing it for free. Why buy a cow when they are getting the milk for free?<br /><br />Students who need more time, more one-on-one time to understand a concept, need the opportunity.<br /><br />My haste apparently caused undo stress for my fellow UFT colleagues. I hope they understand this was never a goal of mine. Rather working toward fixing the problem I facilitated a broken system.<br /><br />WHAT AM I TO DO NOW?<br /><br /><br /><ol><br /><li>Tell students the lunch time has been discontinued and sit in on the professional conversations in the faculty room?</li><br /><li>Continue to be of assistance to the peer mentors during lunch and ignore the discontent of my colleagues?</li></ol><br /><p>I'm genuinely distraught over this issue. I don't want to de-value the teaching profession. I also want to help the students I am currently charged with. I never thought these two would be at odds. </p><br /><p>I welcome any opinions or suggestions.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-51355026509429817542008-11-09T16:09:00.004-05:002008-11-09T16:25:04.399-05:00Hitting "The Wall" Early and HardHello, QHSTers: <br /><br />As always, my sincerest thanks for the chance to post to this forum. Your insight is always enlightening. <br /><br />It's three years that our "brand-new" school has been in existence. We're still trying to find our way, and I guess we will be for a while. But, for the last three years, I've noticed that around this time, I have hit the proverbial "wall" of exhaustion. <br /><br />I feel very overwhelmed. It just seems as if there is so much to do, and no time to do it. From creating portfolios, to the "assessment for learning," periodic assessment, gathering data, planning, grading, etc., there seems to be no time to get anything accomplished, and it's very frustrating. <br /><br />In a small school, I guess it's to be expected that you'll do a lot, but how do you handle it all? How do you do what's being asked of you, and still maintain your sanity, and some sense of "life" outside of school? <br /><br />Whatever insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps one element of training should be "how to handle the pressure of working in a small school."Mr Teslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111646706142380665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-66737011267014041512008-11-07T12:52:00.003-05:002008-11-07T13:10:01.238-05:00Differentiation<a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/sports/gif/shea-seating-chart.gif"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.nyc.gov/html/sports/gif/shea-seating-chart.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Today during our grade level team meeting a discussion over a disruptive class of students and their behavioral problems prompted the teachers to look more closely at seating arraignments int he classroom. The question which is something our school is looking more closely at now is how does the seating arraignment in a heterogeneously mixed group of students look in a general education class? Are top level students dispersed throughout the class or are they grouped together to offer them more stimulating content depth? Are lower performing students encouraged to sit with students of similar skill level for teachers to have better targeted access to them? </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>This is a real dilemma of differentiation in a mixed ability classroom.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>My question is this, are we providing enough ongoing assessment in the classroom to clearly articulate to our students that they are moving on a continuum of learning? Today they are here with this group working on this skill tomorrow they maybe moved. Or are we as educators from a traditional upbringing content with the validity of summative formal assessments that tracking students for semesters is more effective. Are the labels of High performer and low performer stagnate throughout the year? Does transitioning from ability group to ability group in a heterogeneous classroom help students and teachers see progress as ongoing? Does homogeneous grouping allow teachers to give targeted instruction easier?</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-3508436771941906672008-10-30T08:22:00.001-04:002008-10-30T08:25:00.803-04:00Fewer Children Entering Gifted ProgramsBy <a title="More Articles by Elissa Gootman" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/elissa_gootman/index.html?inline=nyt-per">ELISSA GOOTMAN</a> and ROBERT GEBELOFF<br /><br />The number of children entering New York City public school gifted programs dropped by half this year from last under a new policy intended to equalize access, with 28 schools lacking enough students to open planned gifted classes, and 13 others proceeding with fewer than a dozen children.<br /><br />The policy, which based admission on a citywide cutoff score on two standardized tests, also failed to diversify the historically coveted classes, according to a New York Times analysis of new Education Department data.<br /><br />In a school system in which 17 percent of kindergartners and first graders are white, 48 percent of this year’s new <a title="More articles about gifted students." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/gifted_students/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier">gifted students</a> are white, compared with 33 percent of elementary students admitted to the programs under previous entrance policies. The percentage of Asians is also higher, while those of blacks and Hispanics are lower.<br /><br />Parents, teachers and principals involved in the programs, already worried at reports this spring that the new system tilted programs for the gifted further toward rich neighborhoods, have complained since school began that they were wasteful and frustrating, with high-performing children in the smallest classes in a school system plagued by pockets of overcrowding.<br /><br />“They took the knees out of a program that was working,” complained Christopher Spinelli, president of the Community Education Council for District 22 in southeastern Brooklyn.<br /><br />[<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/nyregion/30gifted.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=print">Entire Article</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-8878543329925030782008-10-24T08:11:00.000-04:002008-10-24T08:13:10.930-04:00As Schools Face Cuts, Delays on Data System Bring More FrustrationApparently only teachers, and studnets are held accountable by Mr. Three Term. Outside contractors are held to lower standards. <br /><br /><br />By ELISSA GOOTMAN<br /><br />An elaborate $80 million data and information system that was supposed to be ready in September to allow New York City public school parents to see things like which courses their children need to graduate, or how their test scores compare with citywide averages, has been unavailable even to school principals so far this fall. In its absence, 21 principals have used up to $13,000 in school funds for a more bare-bones data-management program that was developed by staff members at a Brooklyn high school eager to track their own data in an age of accountability.<br /><br />The status of the information system — known as ARIS, for Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, developed by I.B.M. and a group of subcontractors — is touching a raw nerve as schools throughout the city brace for $185 million in budget cuts. <br /><br />Ernest A. Logan, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, the union that represents the city’s principals and assistant principals, said that he had had “major concerns” about the progress and cost of ARIS, and that this had been the topic of “ongoing conversations” with Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein.<br /><br />“For something that would supposedly be a resource for schools and school leaders, it really has not come through as it should have,” Mr. Logan said. “I can understand the desire to have something that is supposedly helping, but I’m now looking at the amount of money that we put into this thing, especially when we’re thinking about cutting back.”<br /><br />One Brooklyn elementary school principal — who, like a half dozen other principals interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from the Education Department, said in frustration: <br /><br />“Principals are held accountable for everything, as you well know, but I.B.M. isn’t held accountable for $80 million that they’ve been paid for a system that they haven’t been able to get working?” A March 2007 news release announcing the I.B.M. contract described ARIS as a “first-of-its-kind data management system” that would “make innovations at one school available” to others, and projected that data would be available to teachers and administrators that September and to parents a year later.<br /><br />James S. Liebman, the Education Department’s chief accountability officer, said on Thursday that the project was “proceeding in an appropriate manner” and “in the way we anticipated.” He said that parents would begin gaining access to the system in December, and noted that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, in his State of the City speech in January, said that ARIS would be online by the fall, not September specifically.<br /><br />Mr. Liebman said that 7,500 to 9,000 school employees, including principals, certain teachers and central Education Department staff, had access last year to ARIS, which at that point included basic demographic information, as well as data used to compile the city’s A through F report cards, like credit accumulation, attendance and scores on Regents exams and other state tests. <br /><br />He said that the system was shut down in July for an upgrade and that it would be back online for principals by the first week of November with more detailed student information as well as interactive functions like blogs that would allow educators to share information about reading curriculums or innovative ways to teach first-graders addition. <br /><br />He said teachers would gain access to the system in November as well, with enhanced capabilities allowing them to compare data for all their students.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-68657315374966644852008-10-03T14:55:00.003-04:002008-10-03T15:13:12.738-04:00Teachers to Be Measured Based on Students’ Standardized Test Scores<div>By <a title="More Articles by Jennifer Medina" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/jennifer_medina/index.html?inline=nyt-per">JENNIFER MEDINA</a><br /><br />New York City is beginning to measure the performance of thousands of elementary and middle school teachers based on how much their students improve on annual state math and reading tests.<br /><br />To avoid a contentious fight with the teachers’ union, the New York City Department of Education has agreed not to make public the reports — which described teachers as average, below average or above average with various types of students — nor let them influence formal job evaluations, pay and promotions. </div><div> </div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 415px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="156" alt="" src="http://media.arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.media/top-secret.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Rather, according to a memo to principals from Chancellor <a title="More articles about Joel I. Klein." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/joel_i_klein/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Joel I. Klein</a> and <a title="More articles about Randi Weingarten." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/randi_weingarten/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Randi Weingarten</a>, the president of the <a title="More articles about United Federation of Teachers" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/united_federation_of_teachers/index.html?inline=nyt-org">United Federation of Teachers</a>, sent on Wednesday night, the reports are designed to be guides for the teachers themselves to better understand their achievements and shortcomings.<br /><br />“They won’t be used in tenure determinations or the annual rating process,” the memo said. “Many of you have told us how useful it would be to better understand how your efforts are influencing student progress.”<br /><br />Still, even without formal consequences for teachers, the plan is likely to anger teachers and parents who are already critical of the increasing emphasis on standardized test scores as a substitute for judging school quality. It follows the city’s much-debated issuance of report cards labeling individual schools A through F largely on the basis of student improvement on state exams.<br /><br />The State Legislature this spring prohibited the use of student test scores in teacher <a title="The Times report on the legislation. " href="http:///www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/nyregion/09albany.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=tenure" st="'cse&oref=">tenure decisions.</a> The new measurement system — called “teacher data reports” — is an expansion of a pilot program that the city began in January involving about 2,500 teachers at <a title="The report about the pilot program." href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/nyregion/21teachers.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=measuring" st="'cse&oref=">140 schools</a>. The pilot program was so controversial that several participating principals did not tell teachers they were being monitored.<br /><br />Christopher Cerf, the deputy chancellor overseeing the program, said it was important to get teachers “comfortable with the data, in a positive, affirming way.”<br /><br />“The information in here is a really, really important way to foster change and improvement,” he said. “We don’t want people to be threatened by this.”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/education/02teachers.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=education&pagewanted=print">Entire Article</a><br /><br /><em><em>So let me get this straight, we are going to compare teachers using standardized test scores, scores are not going to be published, not going to be used in job performance evaluations, and not going to be rewarded with pay. Why are we spending money on this research if we are not going to use the results? Does three term mayor guy know someone with a compnay who has a contract in data crunching?</em><br /><br /></em><em></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-57073901674984911412008-09-26T12:53:00.002-04:002008-09-26T12:58:15.128-04:00Data driven mistakes?<div></div><br /><div><br />By <a title="More Articles by Javier C. Hernandez" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/javier_c_hernandez/index.html?inline=nyt-per">JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ</a><br />Roland G. Fryer Jr., a Harvard economist, has often complained that while pharmaceutical companies have poured billions of dollars each year into studying new drugs and Boeing devoted $3 billion to develop the 777 jet, there has been little spent on efforts to scientifically test educational theories.</div><a href="http://www.oldschoolblogging.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/mistake-711813.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 244px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 151px" height="111" alt="" src="http://www.oldschoolblogging.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/mistake-711813.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />Now <a title="Read a profile of Dr. Fryer." href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/nyregion/21fryer.html">Dr. Fryer</a> has quit his part-time post as chief equality officer of the New York City public schools to lead a $44 million effort, called the Educational Innovation Laboratory, to bring the rigor of research and development to education. The initiative will team economists, marketers and others interested in turning around struggling schools with educators in New York, Washington and Chicago.</div><br /><div><br />Backed by the Broad Foundation, founded by the billionaire philanthropist <a title="More articles about Eli Broad." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/eli_broad/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Eli Broad</a>, and other private groups, the research is intended to infuse education with the data-driven approach that is common in science and business, Dr. Fryer said. He compared the current methods of educational research to the prescriptions of an ineffective doctor.</div><br /><div><br />“If the doctor said to you, ‘You have a cold; here are three pills my buddy in Charlotte uses and he says they work,’ you would run out and find another doctor,” Dr. Fryer said. “Somehow, in education, that approach is O.K.”</div><br /><div><br />In its first year, the research group plans to focus on incentive programs, including controversial ideas like giving students cash for good test scores, an approach that Dr. Fryer has tested in New York since June 2007. </div><br /><div><br />Each of the three school districts working with the institute will use a different plan to encourage high achievement, with researchers tracking the effect of each on student performance.</div><br /><div><br />New York schools plan to continue Dr. Fryer’s experiment of paying students in the fourth and seventh grades up to $500 a year for <a title="Read a story about the experiment." href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/education/20cash.html">doing well on reading and math tests</a>. A separate Fryer initiative, which rewarded 3,000 New York middle school students with cellphone minutes for academic performance and classroom behavior, was discontinued because the city did not raise enough money from private donors to pay for it this fall.</div><br /><div><br />Conclusive evidence about the effectiveness of such programs has been scant, and Dr. Fryer said officials are still examining the data on last year’s cash incentives. He said he hoped that the cellphone idea would gain traction in other cities.</div><br /><div><br />Dr. Fryer said the new institute would be able to identify what works so that educators across the country could prioritize their spending.</div><br /><div><br />“We will have the willingness to try new things and be wrong — the type of humbleness to say, ‘I have no idea whether this will work, but I’m going to try,’ ” he said.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-42156247107461128982008-09-24T10:31:00.003-04:002008-09-24T10:36:38.551-04:00My Fellow Colleagues,<a href="http://www.wildlife.pro/snake/images/snake_on_a_phone.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 176px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 378px" height="432" alt="" src="http://www.wildlife.pro/snake/images/snake_on_a_phone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>WOOLSEY WRITES: </div><br /><div><br />It’s me, I did it MEA CULPA! MEA CULPA! I allowed students to use their cell phones in my class. Before your gasp of shock, please read my explanation below.<br /><br />My Senior Government class is engaged in a unit about democracy. The culminating activity is to put into practice what they have learned in the unit. Part of this is to lobby for real change in the school. In order to create their proposals they must contact all sorts of outside agencies, schools, and educational professionals. They are using their phones to contact and interview these individuals (who all keep educational hours and would not be available after school). The cell phones are being used for real AUTHENTIC work in a classroom; they are not calling friends chatting about after school plans.<br /><br />I apologize if this seems like a rant but it is not. I am using technology in the classroom and using it at a level in which today’s youth must learn to use effectively. Is this not college prepatory skills? Is this not prep for life as an adult? Don’t they need to learn how to communicate, not in only in our traditional method, but in the brave new world they are growing up in?<br /><br />“But Woolsey it’s against a Chancellor’s Regulation!!!!!” Yes, you are right it is. However, our former principal already set the precedent for using “taboo technology” in the classroom last year. He allowed my Global class to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge for a project on international trade. At the time he stated that if it is for academic use and limited to inside the classroom then it is ok to do so. Seriously, would Joel really drop the hammer on this type of educational experience? If so, what are we doing> Are we playing lip service to progressive education? Maybe so. I would try to find the answer for you but it has been filtered on our EDUCATIONAL computer network.<br /><br />Next time I will be sure to send out a Community wide email, notify the proper authorities. My kids have been warned and are held accountable to keeping it the classroom before we started the project. If there was an abuse there should be consequences. If other students are asking why them and not me now we can explain it to them.<br /><br />I would like to thank my AP for her support and understanding…you are my saving grace. Seriously, thank you!!!!!<br /><br />Either we can fear the snake in our Garden of Eden or we can remember that:<br /><br />“Do not limit a child’s knowledge to your own for they were born in a different time.” –Rabbinical saying<br /><br />Thank you for your time and hopefully your forgiveness.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-3168022129571767492008-09-23T22:19:00.002-04:002008-09-23T22:22:54.045-04:00City to Give $14.2 Million in Bonuses to Teachers at Schools With Improved Report Cards<div>Flawed report cards mean big bucks for some lucky teachers!!!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br />By <a title="More Articles by Jennifer Medina" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/jennifer_medina/index.html?inline=nyt-per">JENNIFER MEDINA</a></div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/27255.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand" height="171" alt="" src="http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/27255.jpg" border="0" /></a>Teachers at 89 elementary and middle schools will receive bonuses of several thousand dollars each, based on the progress their schools made on report cards released this week, Chancellor <a title="More articles about Joel I. Klein." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/joel_i_klein/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Joel I. Klein</a> announced on Thursday. The bonuses, which total $14.2 million and will go to slightly more than half the 160 high-poverty schools the city deemed eligible, are part of Mr. Klein’s efforts to boost pay-for-performance programs in the city’s schools. </div><br /><div><br />A dozen principals at those schools were awarded $25,000 bonuses — the largest ever given to school administrators by the city — for placing in the top 1 percent among the more than 1,000 schools receiving grades this week.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/education/19bonus.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=education&pagewanted=print">Entire ARTICLE</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-21243842489731325872008-09-11T15:34:00.003-04:002008-09-11T15:39:29.456-04:00CollegeBoard to Debut an Eighth-Grade PSAT Exam<div><br />Princeton Review's Kanarek, however, said eighth grade is too late to begin pulling together a college prep portfolio."Eighth grade is not the key year for college assessment. That's sixth grade," he said."</div><div><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">By Gale HollandLos Angeles Times Staff Writer<br />August 8, 2008<a href="http://www.kidquestunlimited.com/files/QuickSiteImages/Black_Women_Reading_op_800x532.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 193px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" height="100" alt="" src="http://www.kidquestunlimited.com/files/QuickSiteImages/Black_Women_Reading_op_800x532.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></em></div><div><br />High school students already face a battery of standardized tests on their way to college. Now, the college testing frenzy is reaching into middle school.</div><div><br />The College Board, which owns the SAT, PSAT and other tests, plans to introduce an eighth-grade college assessment exam in 2010, a topCollege Board official said this week.</div><br /><br /><div><br />The new test would be voluntary, said Wayne Camara, the vice president for research and analysis at the New York-based nonprofit, who spoke at a college enrollment conference at USC early this week. But critics noted that the PSAT, which also is voluntary, was taken last year by3.4 million students, and said the new test would just boost the pressures for students considering college.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://superfly42.blogspot.com/2008/08/collegeboard-to-debut-eighth-grade-psat.html"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">ENTIRE ARTICLE</span></strong></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-27728609853978387102008-09-04T18:28:00.003-04:002008-09-04T21:10:29.945-04:00In tough times for BREC, new principal looks for fresh start<a href="http://www.chelseanow.com/cn_101/rustinb.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand" height="207" alt="" src="http://www.chelseanow.com/cn_101/rustinb.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />By Patrick Hedlund</div><br /><div><br />When students return to school next week at the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex, a new face will greet them in the halls of Chelsea’s largest public high school.</div><br /><div><br />BREC’s newest principal, Nancy Amling, has been busy preparing for the 2008-’09 school year since it was announced at the end of June that she would be taking over at the beleaguered institution.</div><br /><div><br />Her appointment came following a difficult year for BREC, which has recently come under scrutiny for poor grades, violence involving students, and divisions among the administration, staff and the former principal.</div><br /><div><br />Amling, 51, formerly an assistant principal at the Queens High School of Teaching in Bellerose, was hired on an interim basis by the Department of a Education and will be subject to review by the DOE and a committee made up of Rustin staffers in October to determine if she’ll keep the job. But until then, Amling is focused on righting the ship at Rustin and helping guide the school into a new future. </div><br /><div><br />“I’m right where I’m supposed to be, and I’m the woman for this job,” Amling told Chelsea Now on Tuesday, a day before BREC’s freshmen orientation and a week before school officially starts.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.chelseanow.com/cn_101/intoughtimes.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>ENTIRE ARTICLE</strong></span></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-64592601413877106392008-09-04T08:25:00.002-04:002008-09-04T08:27:48.861-04:00Are Advanced Placement Courses Diminishing Liberal Arts Education?By<strong> Paul Von Blum </strong><br /><a class="snap_noshots" onmouseover="return addthis_onmouseover(this, event, 'http%3A%2F%2Flnk.edweek.org%2Fedweek%2Findex.html%3Furl%3D%2Few%2Farticles%2F2008%2F09%2F03%2F02vonblum_ep.h28.html%26tkn%3DY1fKD%252FZ5RBw7OlcjkwWs6r6T9j3KMYGR', 'Are%20Advanced%20Placement%20Courses%20Diminishing%20Liberal%20Arts%20Education%3F', 'edweek')" onclick="return addthis_to()" onmouseout="addthis_onmouseout()" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=12&winname=addthis&pub=edweek&s=&url=http%3A%2F%2Flnk.edweek.org%2Fedweek%2Findex.html%3Furl%3D%2Few%2Farticles%2F2008%2F09%2F03%2F02vonblum_ep.h28.html%26tkn%3DY1fKD%252FZ5RBw7OlcjkwWs6r6T9j3KMYGR&title=Are%20Advanced%20Placement%20Courses%20Diminishing%20Liberal%20Arts%20Education%3F"></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">At this time of year, thousands of academically accomplished students enter selective higher education institutions like mine, beginning their arduous journey toward bachelor’s degrees and beyond. They have stellar grade point averages, high SAT scores, and impressive records of community service. The vast majority also have completed Advanced Placement courses in high school, providing them with college credit and ostensibly preparing them for the rigorous academic work they will face as undergraduates. </span><br /><br />Yet, my 40 years of undergraduate teaching in the humanities and social sciences, currently at the University of California, Los Angeles, persuade me that Advanced Placement preparation is overrated and may, ironically, diminish rather than advance the deeper objectives of a liberal arts education.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/09/03/02vonblum_ep.h28.html?tmp=1101776561"><span style="font-size:130%;">ENTIRE ARTICLE</span></a></strong></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-61589211191058368002008-08-29T08:13:00.003-04:002008-08-29T08:19:46.216-04:00No Money and New Roles<a href="http://www.tortdeform.com/archives/no%20money.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: hand" height="155" alt="" src="http://www.tortdeform.com/archives/no%20money.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />The school year of 2008-09 will be very different. Our budget constraints will be felt this year. In the past teachers at QHST could go about their day either apathetic to the fiscal problems or we were sheltered from the outside world from creative administration of the budget. This will no longer be the case.<br /><br />The same year that “Teacher’s Choice” is reduced 40% we are told that the supply line in the budget has been cut in half.<br /><br />Another change is in the faces here at QHST. We have three new administrators. (actually the faces are the same)The principal and two APs have changed. </div><div></div><div>How will this effect our school year?<br /><br />What do you “as a stakeholder in education” need from an administrator?</div><div></div><div>What advice would you give these new leaders?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3