Do Nothing and All Fail

I remember when I started my career in education in CA in the 90s as a teaching assistant in a 5^th grade classroom.  This was the first year that CA decided to implement a test called the CLAS (I believe that is the correct acronym, but it was a long time ago) to assess their reading, writing, problem solving and critical thinking abilities.  It had the students solving problems in science using the scientific method and writing their answers in paragraphs; it had them reading and analyzing poetry; and it had them solving math problems and explaining their reasoning, just to name a few.   It was truly a performance-based test that assessed the students’ skills and capabilities.  In the aftermath, upper and upper middle class families with political connections complained about the test: that it wasn’t what they had expected; that their kids weren’t prepared; and that their kids didn’t do well because they had changed the test so radically.  So, what happened?  Instead of having the will and strength to stand up to the high-powered and connected few in the hope of helping children, the superintendent of schools got rid of the test and went back to the old traditional, multiple choice one. 

Now we have another battle called NCLB.  It is a test of the same multiple choice variety as it has always been.  The only difference is that this assessment has even higher-stakes attached to it: schools can be shut down and teachers can lose their jobs.  In no way does this test help the problem-solving, critical thinking, reasoning, reading, or writing skills of children.  How can it?  How can a bubble-in test assess those things?  As a result, teachers teach those exact same skills—bubbling in multiple choice—to the detriment of everything else.  My daughter is in first grade and I’ve never seen so many worksheets that fill in the blank and bubble every day.  I’m totally convinced that the real-life skills that will aid her abilities to read, write, think, create and innovate (all the things that the President put forth as goals in his State of the Union speech) are now on my shoulders to teach, as she is not getting them at school.  The good news is that she does score well on the multiple choice tests so she won’t be Left Behind. 

What I have learned from past experience is that NCLB will remain; that Obama and his Education team won’t change the policy or its requirements because the students who do well on the test are those that come from highly educated families, with income levels that are middle class and above, and have the sociopolitical capital to excel with our without the assessment.  Since the tests don’t affect their children’s grades, scores, or their futures, they do nothing.  By doing nothing, they endorse a policy that does children no good. 

Advocating for your Child at School

One of the things that parents so often ask me if they are having a problem with their child's teacher is, "What can we do?" Many times parents believe that their child's education at school is out of their hands.  Well, that is not true.  First and foremost it is important to know that you are your children's biggest supporters and advocates.  Part of the reason some kids fall through the cracks is because parents trust the system too much.  It is our job, as parents, to ensure that our kids are getting the full attention, treatment, and services they need in school.  In other words, we must advocate on their behalf.  There are 4 things that are important to remember when advocating for your child that will make your life easier and make your child's experience at school better.  

1. Get to know your child.  While this may seem simplistic and redundant, it isn't.  It is important to understand what your child can and can't do in terms of their academic and social skills so that you can best advocate for her.  This means that you must observe your child while doing academic tasks, such as reading, writing, counting, math (depending on his age and grade level).  Gather evidence to share with the teacher about what your child can do and does at home.  Sometimes, a child will perform one way at home and another at school. For this reason, parents should bring in the books that their kids read, writing and art samples that they have created, and any math that they can do. This is important information to share with the teacher so that she can better meet your child's needs. Keep this evidence in a folder and bring it into school to share with the teacher. 

2. Make an appointment to talk to the teacher--you have the right to meet with your children's teachers at any point during the year.  You do not have to wait until conference time to talk to the teacher to let him know what he can do to help your child.  Remember, you know your child best, particularly if you have observed him in different situations and have the evidence, as discussed above, of what he can do academically at home.  If your kids are having problems at school, then this information will be very helpful to the teachers so that she can meet their needs. 

3. During the meeting with the teacher, base what you say on the evidence that you have.  One issue that teachers have with parents is that they can get emotional or defensive about their children.  A good way to battle this problem is to base what you know about her in her actual skills and accomplishments.  Use the work samples that you have gathered about your child as the basis of the meeting.  That way, you will have a common neutral ground from which to discuss your child's skills and needs.  After this type of discussion hopefully you will feel satisfied that the teacher understands your perspective and knows how to best meet your child's needs in the classroom. 

If not, then:

4.  Make an appointment to meet with the principal.  Bring the same evidence with you to use as a starting point in the discussion of your child's needs at the school and with her teacher.  It is very useful for the principal to see the same information about your child that you shared with the teacher.  State your concerns in relation to meeting your child's needs academically and emotionally at the school. Remember, the school faculty and administration do want the kids to succeed and be content with their learning experience, usually a win-win situation.

Most importantly, never forget that you, the parents, are the primary advocates and educators for your children.  Learning begins at home.  The most successful students have parents that are behind them and supporting them all along the way. 

Supporting Teachers is Supporting American Workers

The protests in WI reveal the power that this type of public demonstration is having all over the country, and, for that matter, all over the world.  For too long the debate in the media about the value and purpose of teachers' unions has been centered on the argument put forth by GOP governors (Chris Christie, in particular), senators, and representatives (who support big business) as the simple fix to state and federal budget crises and with the problems of poor test scores in schools.  For this reason, I applaud the teachers in WI taking back their voice and their power by bringing this topic to the fore. They should be commended for what they are doing. FINALLY, the media is covering the REAL workers, the ones paying taxpayer money, working hard to make a difference in their community and in society everyday, and making barely a middle class salary. Teachers and schools are not the ones who are spending too much or putting us in debt.  In fact, this dedicated group of people pay more state and federal taxes in proportion to their income than any corporation, business, or wealthy 2% do. 

Further, while the debates over teachers' unions unfolds, there is NO discussion about the NFL, NBA, or SAG unions. I guess it is OK to demonize teachers and hardworkin­g barely middle class people, but honor and value and approve of the unions that represent athletes and actors. Nobody is discussing limiting their ability to collective­ly bargain!

Practice Gratitude and Make your Home Happy

Do you have a grumpy kid at home?  One that complains that he is bored, tired, and has nothing to do?  Do you have a child that always wants new toys and things and nags you endlessly until she gets it?  Well, there is a solution to this kind of problem.  It is called gratitude.  Gratitude work can help make us more thankful for the people, places and things that are in our lives.  It puts our lives in perspective of a greater good.  There are many programs that discuss this kind of work for adults, but there are fewer that talk about it in regard to our children.  Like I've said before in my blog, we parents need to model and begin the desired behavior at home and it always starts with us.  WE need to be grateful for the people, places and things in our own lives first.  Then, our children will begin to emulate these new behaviors as well.  If we see the good, then they will see it too.  It begins with us.  There are a few tips on ways to begin to recognize and practice gratitude in our own homes:

1. At dinnertime, begin your gratitude practice.  State that each person in the family will share 1 thing that they are grateful for.  It could be something great that happened during the day, it could be your family, the weather, it can be anything, but it has to be shared together at dinnertime or a time when everyone is present during the day.  Once you all feel comfortable with sharing one thing, you can up the ante to 2 or 3 things, and just see how your children's perspective and attitude about this practice and their world blossoms in positive ways. 

2. Create a gratitude box.  This an actual box that you keep in the house in which you and your children place little slips of paper that say what they are thankful and grateful for in their lives.  Then, at the end of the week, sit as a family and read them. You will be surprised at how happy and proud it makes you all feel. 

3.  In your reactions and actions with your children, it is important that you also demonstrate a positive attitude (which I know isn't always easy).  You should also try to compliment before criticize.  One of the greatest things that I learned as a teacher is that the best way to change kids' behavior is to compliment and find things that they do well first.  Say three positives before a negative.  Try to catch your child in the behavior you like/want and make sure you acknowledge it so that the child knows that what he did was good and desired.  If all you do is cut him down, then he doesn't know what positive thing to do to get praise.  Praise and gratitude are miracles, use them!

If you practice these things you will see the gratitude shine and bring happiness in your home. 

It isn't about Federal Money in Education, It is about Failed Policies

The article in the Huffington Post regarding Obama's budget proposal for increased federal money in education totally misses the mark.  While Republicans oppose Obama's proposal for more money for certain programs, mostly for his policy of "Race to the Top," Democrats say that the money is desperately needed for states not to lay off teachers and significantly increase class sizes.  The most important point is completely missed in this article and isn't being discussed in the media or in education circles in the federal government, which is the failed, expensive, federal education policy that began all this mess: George W. Bush's NCLB. This was a policy that Republican­'s touted as the end-all to saving our educationa­l system to ensure that "no child (is) left behind."

Unfortunat­ely, the Obama administra­tion lead by Arne Duncan has done nothing to significan­tly change or reform this expensive policy. Now, they just call it by a new name: "Race to the Top;" yet another way to push the competitiv­e, market-driven model of education on our historical­ly democratic system of education that is supposed to teach ALL children in the country. These two diametrically different ways of educating our citizens can't co-exist.  We either only support those who are the best (or at the "Top") or we strive to teach all. 

The fact that the federal government enforces schools to meet nationally approved standards by scoring well on a test that is based on a normative curve is a joke. Anyone who knows statistics knows that it is impossible for all children to succeed (or score in the highest percentile­) on a normative test. 50% of the students have to score below the mean on the curve and 50% have to score above. That means that if one school's scores increase, another school's scores have to decrease to fill in the curve.  So even teaching to the test won't ensure that everyone scores well and finishes first in the big Race to the Top.

Let's get real. I don't agree that money should be cut, laying off teachers while needing to hire new ones is counterpro­ductive. However, there does need to be a substantiv­e conversati­on about how our federal money should be used--Race to the Top is no solution to Obama's Sputnik moment in education.

Michelle Rhee--Her Snakeoil Remedy for Education

This article written in the Huffington Post about Michelle Rhee misses the point entirely. The fact that it is an article about her personality just shows that corporate America is trying to boost her image, as a number of critical article have been written about her and her record lately.  The real point is that it doesn't matter that Michelle Rhee is a nice person or that she is fun to be with. The question that we should be addressing is: is she REALLY advocating for children (or as she claims and has coined "Students First"). Her proposed policy changes don't do anything to really address the problems that affect children in poor, urban schools, the very ones that she directed in DC. In fact, because she touts testing and making tests the panacea for helping children and improving teaching, policymake­rs, neoconserv­atives, and corporate America LOVE what she offers. She makes their lives easy and give them a scapegoat instead of looking at the part they play in the state of our educationa­l system today and why children really fail to score well on THEIR tests. The fact is, is that Corporate America, who owns the media that influences about what and who gets written, doesn't have to look at their own part in creating, sustaining­, and increasing poverty in this country. And it is poverty and the issues that surround it that keep and prevent children from doing well in school. What Michelle Rhee offers as the remedy for education is really just snakeoil and those that invest in her have nothing to lose and everything to win if her message succeeds.

Study Skills Start at Home

Why is it that our kids today have such a hard time sitting down and doing their homework?  They come home from school.  They get on the computer, call their friends, text their buddies, watch TV; they do anything but sit down to work quietly on things that actually matter--school work.  So, a third world war ensues at home each day that the kids come home.  The battle over HW begins. 

Well, fight no longer.  The problem isn't with the children or the gadgets that they like to use.  It is with us, the parents.  We aren't modeling the behaviors that we expect of our children, and, as a consequence, our children don't learn them.  If you want a child to read a book after school, then you read with them or read alongside them.  But READ, don't talk on the phone or read your email or tell them what to do while you do the opposite!  If you want your child to do her HW, then sit down with her and look at the work while she does it.  This type of modeling of correct behavior will not only show your young child or adolescent the correct way to do HW, but it will also teach them what you, the parent, prioritze and value.  So, turn off your phone, shut down your computer and spend the time with your kids.  They deserve it and you will both reap the benefits of the new behavior at home.

What is Wrong with "Basic" Education--Why go Back When we Should Move Forward?

It is sad that this country is so conservati­ve and so near-sight­ed that it can't see beyond the fact that the "basics" in education (the pedagogica­l focus solely on reading and math excluding all other subjects) will produce Americans that will only be able to perform at a basic level. All creativity­, innovation­, and critical thinking is lost with this focus and ideal that many still tout as the end-all for students, particular­ly those in poor, urban school districts.

This back-to-ba­sics curriculum originates in the standards movement that began in the early 90s. While the standard movement was based on good principles of wanting high expectatio­ns (or at least the same expectatio­ns) for all students in schools, the effect of this movement has been the exact opposite. Students now have a curriculum that is narrower and more "basic" than ever before in our history. PE, Art, Music, and, many times, Social Studies and Science are no longer provided in the daily curriculum so that students solely work on their reading and math skills. This curriculum is not helping our children become more balanced and well-round­ed.  In fact, it is limiting their understand­ing, their skills, and their capabiliti­es to integrate and to expand their knowledge, to think critically and creatively, and to problem solve. The conclusion­: innovation and creativity in this country will be left behind in the basics.

5 Educational Things to do for Valentine's Day--No It Isn't Too Hard to Do

Valentine's Day.  Not the day that we used to have as young adults with our significant others, spending time together, going out to dinner.  Now, as parents, we have to make sure that our kids have a happy valentine's day; that they get candy and cards and feel that they are special.  But what is it really?  Just another day (or excuse) to eat junk food at school.    Well, I've come up with 5 educational things to do with your kids so that your valentine's day isn't wasted in a vat of chocolate kisses.  There are things that you can do as parents that will help your kids' skills in literacy and math during this day:

1. Make your kids write their own valentine's cards.  By age 3, kids can start scribbling or writing their names (if you spend the time to show them) so that they are actually CREATING something for the day. 

2. Have your kids color the cards (if you have the time).  This will teach your kids that what they create is actually more special then a store bought item.

3. Have your kids count out how many cards they need for the friends at school.  This is a great way to use math in an activity at home. 

4.  Have your kids categorize the cards--how many girls get cards and how many boys; red and pink cards etc,  and then have them count how many in each pile.

5.  Last, if you decide to indulge in having your child give candy with his/her valentines, then have your child count how many pieces of candy you have, e.g how many kisses in the bag, and then have him/her divide up the candy equally so that each child in his/her class gets an equal amount.  This way, your child is actually working on his/her division skills. 

Remember learning happens when you are their to HELP your child and INTERACT with her as she makes/creates/count the valentines.  Let your child do the learning.  The more a child can do for himself, the more he learns. 

Enjoy!