Interesting Findings in Recent Gallup Poll About Education

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #63 – August 27, 2010


I belong to Phi Delta Kappa, a national professional educators’ association. Each year, PDK solicits the Gallup Organization to conduct a poll concerning the public’s opinion regarding a myriad of educational issues. Here are three major issues addressed in the recently published poll I would like to share with you:

1.The Importance of Professional Development and Training
The annual poll, administered for the Phi Delta Kappa professional association by the Gallup organization, indicates that parents view teacher learning as a critical factor in improving outcomes for students.
"The findings of the PDK/Gallup poll demonstrate that the public recognizes professional development is key to offering quality teaching and improving student performance," said Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director of the National Staff Development Council.
"Education stakeholders from classroom teachers to superintendents and elected officials can use these findings as incentives to shift professional development from an occasional event to a cycle of continuous improvement that is grounded in research, addresses student performance data and is incorporated seamlessly into every school day," Hirsh added.
Nearly half of the respondents – 44 percent – ranked "having teachers spend more time learning new ways to teach" as the tactic that would have the greatest impact on improving student learning. Respondents also routinely selected "improving teacher quality" as the single most important need for our nation's schools.

I totally concur with the above finding. Not only is it research based, but I have witnessed firsthand on many campuses the positive impact correct teacher training can have on student learning and achievement. This is the area where school districts can really get the “most bang for their buck!”

2. Performance-based Pay
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The large majority of parents with children in the public K-12 school system would like to see teacher pay revolve around teacher performance, not the standard scale of pay. Seventy-two percent of public school parents say teachers' salaries should be tied to the quality of their work. Additionally, 75% say teachers' salaries should be somewhat or very closely tied to their own students' academic achievement.

In theory, this sounds good. However, I would want to see this proposal include a way to measure actual improvement from baseline data in September up to the end of the school year in May. It’s not as difficult for children of college educated parents, living comfortably with three meals a day to do well in school as it is for students living below the poverty level, with virtually no parental supervision or support.

3.What About Charter Schools?
The annual PDK/Gallup poll on public education shows a significant jump in public support for public charter schools—from 51 percent in 2008 to 64 percent this year. While almost two out of three Americans support public charter schools, they continue to admit confusion about whether they are public schools and whether they can charge tuition, teach religion, or select their own students.

To answer the three confusions above: no, no, and no. Charter Schools are public schools, supported by our tax dollars, so “No” they can’t and don’t charge tuition. “No,” as a public school they can’t teach religion. Finally, “no,” they can’t select their own students. Every student that applies will be accepted, except in cases where the charter school cannot offer specific services for the child. For example, if a student is severely autistic, and the school can’t afford and doesn’t have a special teacher to meet that student’s needs, the child may have to attend a different school. In addition, since most charter schools have a fairly tight budget, they tend to have fewer non-essential personnel, such as nurse, school psychologist, etc. Nonetheless, parents don’t seem to mind. Go figure.

“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” ~Edward Everett

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What About Charter Schools?

Dr. Wendy Ghiora

Posting #62 – August 21, 2010


After a long career as a public school teacher and principal, I decided to leave the “traditional” school system in 2004 and join a public Charter School. Many former colleagues joked and said, “Oh, so you’re going over to the dark side?” I took this in good humor.


Joining a charter school was the best career decision I ever made. As an educator and school principal, it was like a breath of fresh air. I saw school leaders working together with their teachers not to find the easiest, fastest way to raise State Test Scores, but to find the best methods to really get through to the kids so they could understand and use the tools and the information being taught. After retiring, I continue to work in the education arena as an author and consultant.


Currently, I am keeping my eye on the nation-wide growth of the Charter School Movement. As an educator I attend numerous professional events. As I do so, I notice a lot of “bad mouthing” of Charter Schools by administrators and teachers employed by traditional schools. One example I hear a lot is: “Charter Schools steal the cream of the crop students from our schools.” I have to hold myself back from laughing out loud when I hear this one. I know for a fact that most charter schools are besieged with parents wanting to enroll their children, who have been suspended or even expelled from the traditional school system. Although most folks wouldn’t consider these kids the “cream of the crop,” they seem to thrive in charter schools and become some of the best students you could ever want to meet.


I attended the 2009 National Annual Meeting of the NEA (National Education Association) in San Diego, California. It was difficult for me to believe that so many of the resolutions being voted on had virtually nothing to do with education. It was also quite disconcerting to discover several “anti-charter school” resolutions being voted on and passed. Being the idealist that I am, I assumed all teachers and teacher organizations would want “what is best for the student,” and support those endeavors unconditionally. It was a rude awakening to realize, the NEA (which, by the way, is the largest labor union in the country) does not like charter schools for the simple fact that charter schools do not mandate their teachers to belong to the teacher’s unions and pay annual dues. Could it be? No, that’s impossible. Is the NEA trying everything possible to stop the Charter School Movement and try to insult the integrity of teachers and staff of charter schools solely for political and financial reasons? Aw, come on.


That said, I recently encountered the following article I would like to share with you:


Charter schools don't work? Results say differently
By: Gregory Kane
Examiner Staff Writer
June 21, 2010
There's bad news on the charter school front. All 107 seniors at Chicago's Urban Prep Charter Academy have been accepted to college.
That's only bad news for opponents of charter schools who've been railing against them for years, claiming that such schools "don't work."
In mid-May, I attended a symposium sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies, which is located on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University in Greensboro. The subject was the racial achievement gap in education and what can be done to eliminate it.
(Full disclosure: I'm a fellow at the institute, which has sent me on several assignments over the years. The most recent: a visit to Canada in mid-March to investigate and write about Toronto's achievement gap.)


Attending the symposium were Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, former National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Kweisi Mfume and National Action Network chief Al Sharpton, among others. Even after IFAJS founder and Director DeWayne Wickham urged those attending to "think outside the box" when it came to solutions to close the achievement gap, I still heard the same refrain:
Charter schools don't work.


The implication is that because charter schools don't work, then we shouldn't have them. What the charter school bashers don't realize is that if this logic applies to charter schools, then it applies to failing public schools that aren't charter schools as well. They clearly aren't working; that's why proponents of charter schools support charter schools in the first place.


It would be more accurate to say "not all charter schools work." Chicago's Urban Prep Charter Academy is clearly one that does.
Its students have eight-hour school days, not six-hour days. They wear uniforms that consist of tan slacks, white shirts, red ties and dark blue blazers. When a senior is accepted to college, he then sports a tie that's red with gold stripes.
And that "he" is, in this case, gender-specific: The Urban Prep Charter Academy is all-male. Students are selected by lottery and most of them are black, reflecting the Chicago neighborhood where the school is located. When Tim King founded the school in 2006, news reports say, only 4 percent of the current graduating class was able to read at grade level.
Chicago's Urban Prep Charter Academy isn't just working, it's absolutely rocking. Geoffrey Canada's Promise Academy charter school in Harlem isn't doing too badly either.


Canada is the guy who started the Harlem Children's Zone as a way to combat poverty and poor education. Promise Academy is the middle school in the HCZ. According to several news reports, students there have shown fantastic gains. One study showed that the achievement gap in math separating Promise Academy's students and white students in New York has been eliminated.


Lesser known than Canada's Promise Academy or Chicago's Urban Prep Charter Academy is Baltimore's KIPP Ujima Village Academy, a charter school for students in grades five through eight. In the 2008-2009 school year, KIPP had 343 students: 334 black, three white, three Asian, two Hispanic and one American Indian.


It's a predominantly black school in a poor, crime-ridden section of Baltimore. But in 2009, 78.6 percent of KIPP's students scored at the advanced or proficient level in math on state assessments. That compares to 63.5 percent for Baltimore City and 77.9 percent for the state. (In reading, 83.2 percent of KIPP's students were advanced or proficient, compared to 72.4 percent for the city and 84.4 percent for the state.)


When will critics of charter schools just be honest and admit that they just don't want them to work?

In my opinion, many of these critics have been fed distorted data or outright lies by supporters of the traditional public school system. Don’t’ get me wrong, there is a myriad of great traditional schools with awesome teachers working their assets off to give their students the best education they can. However, there are also “traditionalists” who are afraid that if charter schools start outshining traditional schools, some of the gravy train of funding which mostly goes to traditional schools will be re-examined, and a portion of it will go to charter schools; not that money has anything to do with decision-making about children’s’ futures . . .


Charter Schools and Traditional Schools both offer free education. Both are capable of getting outstanding results, but many don’t. Isn’t it fair to allow parents to have alternatives and choices in the type of education their children receive? Couldn’t the Charter School Movement be viewed as the impetus to get traditional schools to try whatever it is that is working in Charter Schools instead of as the villain, luring teachers and students over to the "Dark Side"?

Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right. ~Isaac Asimov

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SELF-CONTROL?

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #61 August 14, 2010

"Steven Slater, JetBlue Flight Attendant, Curses Passengers, Jumps Down Emergency Chute, Becomes Folk Hero" and "Rage at McDonalds Drive Thru over Lack of McNuggets".
How can we expect our children to exhibit self-control, when adults (who will probably soon be appearing on the Jay Leno Show), aren’t modeling civility as illustrated in the recent news headlines above.

We can only hope there are enough adults to serve as good role models out there to far outnumber the poor role models. As every good parent and pre-school teacher knows, teaching a child self-control involves helping them to:

• Think before acting
• Control impulses
• Weigh consequences
• Make safe and acceptable choices

It is important to be a good model of self-control for your child. Controlling the urge to yell when in a frustrating situation will show your child it can be done. Considering consequences by thinking aloud will give your child a living example of thinking before acting. Your everyday display of kindness, patience, consideration, tolerance, and thoughtfulness will go farther than anything else!
How many times have I seen an adult, with a teen in the passenger seat, driving a car like a wild person, yelling at the car ahead of them? Not exactly the best example setter.

Letting children know that everyone loses control sometimes allows them to view themselves and others with compassion. Frustrations and disappointments are universal experiences. We can encourage self-control by pointing out the times and ways our children are successful at demonstrating good manners and self-control. This will encourage them as they grow older and face new challenges. As children become more able to exercise self-control, they develop confidence in their ability to make good choices, an awareness of what is fair and right, and a working knowledge of how to use their personal power appropriately. Helping your child learn self-control is not an easy job, but may be the greatest gift you have to offer. I wonder what role models Steve Slater and the McDonald’s customer learned from.

Here are a few ways all adults can demonstrate good manners and self-control for children.

1. When the child hands you something, say “thank you.”
2. Rather than yank an item from the child, politely ask for it.
3. If you don't get your way in any situation, let your child see a mature, respectful manner rather than ranting. He will also be less likely to misbehave when he doesn't get his way.
4. When your child shows respect and good manners, praise him by telling him. Mention the specific good behavior he exhibited.
5. If he appears to have forgotten what he's supposed to do, gently and discreetly remind him in a way that won't embarrass him in front of peers or family. By doing this, you'll be showing respect for his feelings, which should be another example of how to handle uncomfortable situations.
6. If he is calm, allow him to return to the setting to show that he can use good manners.

When a toddler is angry he lashes out. When the adult is angry, she realizes that if she lashes out she may suffer undesirable consequences. As a result, she controls her impulse, sacrificing immediate gratification in the interest of a more satisfactory long-term solution. The mature person has a sense of the future, and thinks in terms of it as well as the present. Rational control of our emotions and impulses depends on the ability to wait and see. We must be able to take into account all of the likely consequences of our actions for us and for others.

Mature adults seeking to promote and continue our civilized way of life, usually have an internal sort of check list they follow when confronted with a very annoying and possibly explosive situation. It may include some of the following:

1.Take a personal time out.
2.Put the shoe on the other foot. Chances are you don't have all the facts.
3.Look before you leap. Consider the consequences. Will you have regret?
4.He who plans to take revenge could have to dig two graves.
5.Make your decision a win-win.

Well, Mr. Slater may or may not be a Folk Hero. He did wind up having a ballad written for him by Jimmy Fallon. Perhaps the next time one is “as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore,” rather than blurting out profanities on the speaker system, grabbing some beers and then exiting the scene on the Emergency Slide, one can try one of the above to help revive some self-control. I’m just sayin’.

Our actions and reactions to people and situations are the true tale of our maturity and ability to behave and be successful in a civilized society. We all have our daily challenges, some which are extremely difficult and aggravating. Ultimately, it is our choice to handle these challenges in a way that sets a bad example or a good example. What will your choice be?

He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior. Confucius

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES: FOUR AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #60 – August 7, 2010

Last week I introduced a growing movement in the educational arena known as, “Professional Learning Communities” (PLC). As a seasoned educator, I am wary of new “improvement methods,” as I have witnessed so many of them come in with a myriad of promises and then go down in flames. Therefore, I am studying this one closely and value your feedback.


In Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work, DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many (2006), begins by examining four areas of engagement for the Professional Learning Teams, school staff teams that unite to provide solutions to help their school turn around.


1. Collective Inquiry Into Best Practice and Current Reality
2. Action Orientation: Learning by Doing
3. A Commitment to Continuous Improvement
4. Results Orientation


Collective Inquiry Into Best Practice and Current Reality


Professional Learning Teams engage in collaborative inquiry into both best practices in teaching and in learning. They are avid learners full of curiosity and openness to new possibilities. Gradually, a heightened awareness through collective inquiry and success as new strategies are tested (learning by doing). This transforms into fundamental shifts in attitudes, beliefs, and habits which, gradually transform the culture of the school.
“Working together to build shared knowledge on the best way to achieve goals and meet the needs of clients is exactly what professionals in any field are expected to do, whether it is curing the patient, winning the lawsuit, or helping all students learn. Members of a professional learning community are expected to work and learn together.” R. DuFour


Action Orientation: Learning by Doing


Professional Learning Community team members understand that the most powerful learning always occurs in a context of taking action. They understand the value of engagement and experience as the most effective teachers. “Members of PLCs recognize that learning by doing develops a deeper and more profound knowledge and greater commitment than learning by reading, listening, planning, or thinking. “ R. DuFour


Traditional schools often use a variety of strategies to resist taking meaningful actions, preferring the comfort of the familiar. Professional learning communities recognize that until members of the organization "do" things differently, there is no reason to expect different results. (PLC's take schools out of their comfort zones to show them the possibilities.)


A Commitment to Continuous Improvement


Learning Teams are continually evolving organisms, always reaching for excellence and searching for a better way. They believe anything can be improved. Here is the systematic process used to ensure continuous improvement:


1. Gathering evidence of current levels of student learning
2. Developing strategies and ideas to build on strengths and address weaknesses in that learning
3. Implementing those strategies and ideas
4. Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover what was effective and what was not
5. Applying new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement


This is where PLCs differ from most traditional Professional Development methods used in schools. “The goal is not simply to learn a new strategy, but instead to create conditions for perpetual learning—an environment in which innovation and experimentation are viewed not as tasks to be accomplished or projects to be completed but as ways of conducting day-to-day business—forever. In other words, the goal is to change the culture into a learning community where everyone is involved in the process of improvement. Participation in this process is not reserved for those designated as leaders; rather, it is a responsibility of every member of the organization.”


Last week, I mentioned that according to Richard DuFour, pioneer of PLCs, the answer to this question is what separates learning communities from traditional schools:


Accountability for results


Because the school develops its own plans for improvement, it takes full responsibility for the results. To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results.


As stated in the previous paragraph, “participation in this process is not reserved for those designated as leaders; rather, it is a responsibility of every member of the organization. The willingness, indeed the zeal of all members of the PLC to participate, put in the extra time and effort it takes to create the conditions for perpetual learning, is what separates PLCs from traditional schools. No action = no results.


Results Orientation


Members of a PLC realize the culmination of their efforts in these areas—a focus on learning, collaborative teams, collective inquiry, action orientation, and continuous improvement—must be assessed on the basis of results rather than intentions. Assessments must be done on the basis of tangible results, otherwise they represent random floundering in the dark rather than purposeful improvement. As Peter Senge and colleagues conclude, "The rationale for any strategy for building a learning organization revolves around the premise that such organizations will produce dramatically improved results."


Measurable improvement goals that are aligned to school and district goals for learning are vital to knowing true results are occurring. Teams are eager to create a series of common formative assessments that are administered to students multiple times throughout the year to gather ongoing evidence of student learning.


Team members review the results from these assessments in an effort to identify and address program concerns (areas of learning where many students are experiencing difficulty). They also examine the results to discover strengths and weaknesses in their individual teaching in order to learn from one another. Most importantly, the assessments are used to identify students who need additional time and support for learning. Frequent common formative assessments represent one of the most powerful tools in the PLC arsenal.

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. Andrew Carnegie