Excited About Education, After all these years

Even after all these years, I am still excited to talk about education. I am still always thinking about ways to empower teachers to reach all students.

In a recent interview, I realized my existence in the space of education is to promote easy to implement strategies and resources that will help teachers in their classroom. I just can't seem to get away from that desire.

ScienceDaily: mindfulness and learning

ScienceDaily: Your source for the latest research news.

Another post about more research with 10-11 yr olds. Thy were trained to be mindful: pause, be present, and not be judgmental.

Further research suggested for kids with adhd.

Yoga for High Schoolers

Huffington Post posts almost daily on the benefits of yoga and meditation. Here is another report which states the benefits of yoga for high schoolers, especially for increasing positive emotions and self-confidence.

Mindfulness based therapy

http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-teachers-special-needs-children-0320123/

Reading Interventions

Working as a Reading Teacher has helped me to hone my reading intervention strategies. IES claims that when reviewing 50 years of research, their aren't any clear agreements on a specific way to help students who struggle the most with reading.


From The Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read  (NICHD 2000) which recommends that reading instruction be based on four components: fluency, word study, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. In addition, we have added the component of writing for learning. This work has been heavily influenced and guided by CORE Teaching Reading Sourcebook for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade (2000).

Reading intervntions based on tiers from IES What Works Clearninghouse :
Tier 1: Everyone does in the general classroom

• Screen all students at the beginning, middle and end of the year. Regularly monitor students at risk for a problem in reading. 
• Provide time for differentiated reading instruction for all students based on assessments of students’ current reading level.

Tier 2: More specific interventions done in small group:

• Provide intensive, systematic instruction on up to three foundational reading skills in small groups to students who score below the benchmark score on universal screening.Typically, these groups meet between three and five times a week, for 20 to 40 minutes. (Strongest level of results)
• Monitor the progress of tier 2 students at least once a month. Use these data to determine whether students still require intervention. For those students still making insufficient progress, schoolwide teams should design a tier 3 intervention plan.

Tier 3: Even more specific interventions done one-on-one or very small group:

• Provide intensive instruction on a daily basis that promotes the development of the various components of reading proficiency to students who show minimal progress after reasonable time in tier 2 small group instruction

A very good manual for reading interventions was developed by Jim Wright at interventioncentral.org. 

Foundational reading skills K-2

Kindergarten

Phonemic awareness

Letter sounds

Listening comprehension

Vocabulary development

Grade 1 

Phonemic awareness

Phonics

Fluency (high frequency words)

Fluency with connected text (second half of the year)

Vocabulary

Comprehension

Grade 2 

Phonics

Fluency with connected text

Vocabulary

Comprehension

New Book on Mindfullness Meditation

A new book called The Now Effect: How this moment can change the rest of your life by Elisha Goldstein reports more information on how mindfullness training can treat ADHD symptoms. "As mindfulness meditation is seen to be an effective treatment for ADHD (when included in a multimodal approach), I decided to speak with Goldstein to find out if his latest book has something to offer those of us with ADHD." This blog shares questions and answers with the book's author in a two part series. 

Teaching Your Child Self-Discipline

My friend and I have already discussed the two books mentioned in this article as we actively work with our toddlers to learn patience. We both want our son and daughter to learn to wait for dinner, or to sit at the table and wait for us all to finish. But I love what this author says about truly teaching self-discipline, "Effective approaches for building self-control combine fun with progressively increasing challenges. Rather than force activities onto an unwilling child, take advantage of his or her individual tendencies." Very Vygotsky. This is using a child's strengths rather than his weaknesses. They also suggest other ways to learn self-discipline, self-control and patience by learning another language, exercise like yoga and meditation, and helping children recognize their emotions when they are upset. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/opinion/sunday/building-self-control-the-american-way.html

More Meditation in schools!

http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/health/story.html?id=6159558

Personal Biases

This came to me via Teaching Tolerance, a great resource from the Southern Poverty Law Center. It works best for teachers currently in the classroom. 


How Fair Are You? Find Out With Our Teacher Perception Tool
Life experiences and personal biases all contribute to how we perceive others. But does that perception influence our expectations about students? The Teacher Perception Tool is a survey containing scenarios that get you thinking about perception and influence. Registration is required. Once you've completed the survey, we offer further resources and research. This tool can help you create a more equitable school environment.

"Small is Beautiful"

Just stumbled on a great book by E F Schumacher called "Small is Beautiful".

"The less toil there is, the more time and strength is left for artistic creativity."

To me, this quote reminds us that as teachers, busy work isn't always best and children can be more creative thinkers when given the time. So often in my classroom I feel pressed for time, whether it be in the hour, day, weekly plans. Gotta get it all done! My students are not receptacles. They are clever and creative geniuses. Give their brains space to roam.

Professional learning communities

Good post on how PLCs help teachers guide there practice towards thinking about what the student is learning instead of what is taught. There is a difference. Are your students receptacles or are they actively engaged in learning the content?
http://blogs.plsweb.com/2012/01/developng-professional-learning.html?m=1

Hopefully I will be able to present something similar using critical friends groups(CFGs), which are similar to PLCs, at the inclusion institute at Region 13 here in Austin.

More on Meditation in Schools

Great bit about meditation in schools. Just when I think I am coming up with something novel, someone writes an article summing up the way meditation has been and is used in schools. It also talks about three pitfalls: training, research, and fads.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/ramaa-reddy-raghavan/thoughts-on-mindful-aware_b_1165305.html

Staying Engaged in Local Education

As part of this series I will be posting stories I read or hear about where students, parents, teachers, principals and other members of the community participate in improving the local public school education.

Here is the first awesome story from Teaching Tolerance:

Bringing the Civil Rights Movement to Students

When faculty members at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., saw that their state received a grade of "F" in the Teaching Tolerance report "Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education 2011," they decided to take action. With student leaders, they launched a pilot program called Whitman Teaches the Movement. Whitman College students volunteered to teach lessons about the civil rights movement to students from grades 2 to 11—and the Walla Walla School District took them up on it.

Subjective Research: Indepth Look at Integration

In an earlier post, I said I would look at the Greene and Mellow Study from 1998 about private schools providing more of an integrated setting than public schools. I have read the study and it has major flaws. First, I don't even want to link to the study because it is ridiculous how they performed the study and how they form their conclusion. But here it is so you too can find it flawed. I am remembering more and more about how ANYTHING can be published on the internet...and it doesn't make the author credible. I remember drilling this into my students' heads as they did their research on Wikipedia! I promise to deliver more sound advice through better research in future posts.

The problems that I see in this study are bulleted here:

• The authors don't disclose the location, but they claim it could be Anytown, USA. I find this hard to accept because I know how segregated schools are because of the neighborhood that one lives in. Where they rural, suburban, urban? I am reminded about the Race maps of America graphics.
• The authors only studied two public schools and two private schools.
• The authors looked at the faces of the child to determine what race they were. This is problematic since the authors didn't have actual evidence of ethnic identity. 
• They stated that private school student's may be more willing to integrate because of their higher class status. 

 Again, my apologies for getting people excited about this study. I promise to do better research next time.

"We Must Stay Engaged"

"If we want good schools we have to stay engaged."


Sean said this in the post below reminding me that it is important for the community to stay engaged in the local public schools for them to be successful. Based on this study by Lubienski, Lubienski and Crane (2008), local public schools offer the best education because they have more certified teachers and reform-based mathematics programs that require students to think critically about math. They also stress the effect of small class size to achievement for students of the minority. It makes me cringe to think that people's response to the debt crisis in public schools is to increase class size!


In the next few weeks I will be posting some great examples of public schools and their communities working together to create sustainable education for all who attend there. Principals, teachers, parents and students have been in an uproar about the recent school closings, budget cuts, and teacher shortages, among other things. I am so impressed with everyone who fights for their local school.


On another note: Read Sean's warning in his email with the link about the "boondoggled" tax-payer scholarship in Florida called the "McKay Scholarship" - designed for students with learning disabilities to receive support while in private schools. I have posted that private schools do not legally have to support these students and most counsel the family out to public school. But this Florida politician thought it was unfair that his child would have to receive services outside the private school he was paying so much for. I really believe his heart was in the right place! Here we are again with a situation where someone was trying to do some good, but it turned out a huge mess. It is most likely his daughter and all the other students receiving funds from this voucher program would have benefited more in a public school setting where Special Education teachers must be certified to teach these students with research-based strategies. Oh, and they are not allowed to use corporeal punishment unlike these voucher supported teachers.

Comments From an Inspired Reader

I guess I inspired Sean to comment about my recent post on Private vs. Public Schooling. Hereis the email he sent me with some great links to follow up on.

Thank you Sean!


From: Sean Andrews ;sean.johnson.andrews@gmail.com;

Date: Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 9:02 AM
Subject: private schools

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2011-12-08/news/new-times-mckay-scholarship-expose-prompts-reform-of-a-billion-dollar-educational-catastrophe/

Program above where private company provided services to disabled students. $1 billion boondoggle.

Here's a few GAO reports on public vs. private.  Note that the terminology in this one

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-04-62

not "private" but "privately managed."  Many of our conceptions of private schools are wrapped up in ideas about them being little Ivy league academies, when the reality on the ground at the moment is that many of the schools we refer to as private (and that politicians refer to as private) are more like McDonald's franchises you pay for with tax dollars. 

It's been almost ten years since this report was released, but my sense is that, on the whole, there is not a lot more improvement in either the schools themselves or the methods for comparing them with public schools.  Since public schools are being starved by this process, it is also not quite a fair fight: comparing insufficiently funded public schools with insufficiently experienced private schools is useful as a metric for making decisions today, but it is not a good index for the path public policy should take in the future. 

 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-03-11

When it comes down to it, the question of public vs. private is a red herring.  As in doing things like choosing a doctor or buying investment, we feel uncomfortable making decisions about complicated matters, decisions that require a lot of research and education in order to make an informed choice.  It is tiring to have to think about these things, and especially so when they are so politically and culturally charged.  It is easier when we can fall back on commonplace stereotypes.  In every case, our ultimate decision is made on a particular doctor or school or investment.  And in each case--but especially in the case of schools--your job is not (and in some ways cannot) be over once you make that decision.  If we want good schools, we have to stay engaged, help teachers, students, and administrators create positive learning environments for everyone, and offer help and support when needed.  This will be true whether you spend thousands of extra dollars on private school or opt to find a decent public school in your neighborhood. 

The idea that private schools are naturally better than public has been honed by years of class-based propaganda. And now, after years of attacking and defunding the public system (using supposedly objective testing standards as an index), there is a flourishing market that uses public government money - citizen tax dollars - to fund private schools with little oversight in terms of curriculum and without mandates to serve students with disabilities.  Putting our eggs in that basket is a perverse form of hubris that assumes our kid will never have learning problems or require special attention; our kid will never be one who gets forced out for having low test scores, behavioral problems, or any of the number of arbitrary reasons the mutant private system declares them invalid.  Then you either have to pay even more for some specialized academy (if that's available) or you have to rely on the public system you starved for resources, but which is the only one forced by law to help your kid. 

I know you know this, but I see this as the best answer to the question the blog poses.  Namely, the issue isn't public vs. private per se, but researching the best forms of teaching and learning and creating institutions with that as their main goal.  This means wrenching the system of public education from the thriving industry of testing, giving educators the respect and autonomy they deserve, and creating environments that will actually produce positive results for all students and, thus, for society at large.  In the current environment, the draw of private schools and charters (at their best) is that they allow for alternative models. I don't know how to scale this so that you can allow for experimentation without opening the door for dilettante startups merely looking to make a quick buck on the backs of our children.  But I think engaged, educated parents and student advocates will be an essential part of the mix.

Public School vs. Private School

The birth of my son in June 2010 brought the public versus private school debate to the forefront in my family. "Where will you put Owen if you had all the money in the world?" "My son will go to a prep school so he can sing in a glee choir and wear a cute uniform!" I get a laugh or a raised eyebrow, but seriously my husband went to public school in the suburbs of Dallas and has attained a PhD in Cultural Studies at George Mason University (his blog is here), and I went to private school in Fort Worth and have attained an MEd in Social Foundations of Education at the University of Virginia.  So does the greater level of education that my husband attained mean public schools are better than private schools? And if you count all of our current friends, most went to public schools and they are doing very well and enjoy their lives. (more on this to come!)

I never realized how difficult and emotional the debate can get, although in high school my father threatened I might have to go to public school if I didn't pick up my grades and I literally broke down in tears: I feared the public school students because of the rumors I had heard about them.  Similarly for many people, public vs. private is a matter of opinion - they hear "through the grapevine" that  public schools as wastelands where children aren't taught cursive handwriting (I found out this is really important to some people) - but there isn't really a great deal of research on the subject because it is hard to quantify the results with actual data.

After reviewing scholarly articles and websites, I have found there really isn't a way to quantify data from public and private schools for many reasons; one being that private schools don't have to report their data. Also, private schools admit only who they deem fit for their school whereas public schools take any and all. Likewise, private schools also can counsel out, or "push out" students whose performance is low or whose behavior is distracting others. In my career teaching in public education, I have seen many parents move their child from private schools once they were found to have a disability because the private school warned they weren't legally required to give the student specialized services.

However, most of the qualitative data comes is from National Assessment of Educational Progress. They look at the scores of students on their 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics assessments. They also take into account the backgrounds of each student and their socio-economic status (SES). The data in 2000 indicated that public schools out-performed the private school students in mathematics, but in 2006, private schools out-performed the public schools in both areas.

My sister asked me to research the differences in social development, "how well-rounded kids are" at each. The research is just not out there. If you know of any, please send it my way.

So, as of today, here is my bare bones research round-up:

Public schools:

• Have become increasingly more segregated (Kozol 2011) especially in the urban areas
• Are seen as a common experience that unites Americans regardless of race, color, ethnicity or religion (Elizabeth from Education Bug 2011)
• Admit all students from the neighborhood who want to come to the school
• Are required to service students with disabilities, therefor other students learn the value of inclusion
• Have more resources to help with interventions and student support
• Offer programs and support for students who speak English as a second language
• Are bound by the mandates of No Child Left Behind or Race to the Top (Do well on the test or we close your school down!)

 Private schools:

• Admit who they deem fit (Gardner 2011) and counsel out who aren't conforming to the mold
• Seem to create an class of the elite
• Have more control over class size, school size and curriculum
• Have funds to create a more inviting space architecturally
• Sometimes have a more diverse teaching staff who aren't necessarily certified to teach but might be from other countries
• Are more conducive to integration (Greene, Mellow 1998) (see below)
• Help students develop critical thinking skills, which lend to better scores on SAT (SES factored in) (TIME 2007)

Overall, researchers state that their conclusions need to be viewed with caution because all schools are different. It is best to go to the school and observe a school day, talk to the teachers, the principal and find out their philosophy on education, curriculum, testing and discipline. I know I didn't answer my sister's questions so will continue my research. 

Also stay tuned to a more in depth look at Greene and Mellow's 1998 paper on integration in public and private schools. It struck a nerve...

Reverb 11

To reverb is to reflect. I am reflecting with a writing prompt a day for the next 30 days. My friend and yoga teacher, Michelle, is sending prompts via Facebook. I am keeping a journal and am free writing on each prompt which will assist me in reflecting on 2011 and manifesting thoughts for 2012. I am tweeting a phrase from each journal too! What a fantastic way to end a year that has truly flown by with so many changes. I know it will surely speed up when I go back to teaching next year! Here we go!

More Meditation Research

"The scientists predicted that the square root of 1 percent of the world population (about 7,000 people) meditating together would create a worldwide positive effect."


My research continues to find more recent research about the benefits of meditation. This morning I read a post from Elaine Gavalas discussing the recent use of meditation and yoga at Occupy Wall Street. By the way people, meditation is much quieter than drumming and seems to have a far greater impact on the humanity (Although I enjoy a good drum circle to wake up the spirit!), and Gavalas mentions a few places doing research on this very effect. The Maharishi University of Management asked 2000 volunteers to meditate and noticed that violent crime decreased nationwide. While this might be a coincidence, it is interesting. Similarly, the others have found that large numbers of people meditating can actually prevent acts of terrorism. "Scientists [at Rand Corporation] predicted that the square root of 1 percent of the world population (about 7,000 people) meditating together would create a worldwide positive effect. The researchers found a 72 percent decrease in worldwide terrorism during the combined three assemblies." Fascinating. This reminds me that we are ALL connected. 


Lastly, Gavalas reinforces that meditation can positively effect the brain, specifically the limbic brain region which effect emotions, long-term memory, behavior and olfactory sense. Interestingly, in the old days, this was the area of the brain that doctors would surgically cut when people had severe emotional problems. This area is also associated with pleasure. No wonder I see so many smiles from my peers at Dharma yoga after practice that includes a blissful meditation. (I didn't see this much in my yoga experience in Chicago.) Consequently, the researchers found that these seasoned meditators were much more compassionate when listening to sounds that might draw emotional reactions. 


I am currently reading an article by Bronwyn Robertson titled "The adaptation and application of mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic practices for individuals with intellectual disabilities" from the journal Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities. Robertson says that there is little research on MBPPs for this population however they are the most needy because of the effects meditation can have on the brain and how meditation effects behavior and anxiety. 


I want to research these approaches and find out ways to implement in the educational or self-contained setting. 


TBC...

It isn't about the salary!

"Last week, the Education Week Teacher online site reported on a new study that used federal wage, benefit, and job-security data, along with measures of cognitive ability, to argue that teachers are overpaid compared to what they would earn in the private sector." - Fredrick Hess reports and continues to say that teachers are getting paid too much, but that it isn't that simple. He promotes that some teachers get over paid, while some teachers are underpaid. Do I agree with him about this statement? Yes. I have worked with teachers who don't prepare lessons with differentiation and other best practices, but they pay with an unruly class and frustrated parents. Do I feel that I should get paid more than that teacher? Yes...However, that teacher shouldn't be teaching anymore. This is the problem with school districts. While charters can target these teachers and kick them out after a system of warnings and write-ups, school districts can do the same, but with much more paperwork during a longer time frame. Recently, I heard of a teacher finally getting fired for sleeping in the school at night. She was a terrible teacher; no one wanted to work with her or have her at their school. It took 2-3 years to get her out after switching her around to different schools and wasting her students' education forever.

So I wouldn't go as far as supporting merit pay like Hess, but I would like schools to make other things a priority. The teacher pay issue is just an easy issue for the media and public to grasp because people are attracted to comparing salaries. The larger debate right now should be surrounding the lack of money in the districts, especially Texas because  of budget cuts. A source from Austin ISD says that her school had good teachers that were cut while others took extra roles within the school to support the lack of teacher or specialist support, i.e. social worker (another disaster to discuss later). The debate should be how to use the money that we have to ensure that students are getting what they need. For instance, Texas teachers are very frustrated that there is a new standardized test (STAAR) this year that cost the district a lot of money rather than decrease the amount of teacher layoffs.

But despite this, I have also heard that what is happening within districts is just what I am suggesting: Administrators are coming down hard with observation protocols to determine if teachers are truly teaching students well and using best practices to provide a sound education. For example, Georgetown ISD has been monitoring their teachers closely and will make decisions based on teaching rather than test scores and seniority. With well developed measurable observation protocols, I hope others public school districts will follow suit.