Taking EML 585 this semester was what will hopefully turn out to be, the first of many experiences taking courses in middle level education. Throughout this course, I was forced to reflect on my own practice but, also did a lot of learning, thinking, and commentating on education in America today. However, the best part of this course was meeting and connecting with other middle level educators who really are as dedicated to their students and the future of education as I am.
I outlined a few of the major things that really stuck with me throughout the semester and reflected a little bit on each.
1. Integrative Curriculum
I have been "using" integrative curriculum since my first moment in my own classroom but, I have always been frustrated by the number of things that need to be in place within a school to make integrative curriculum work. It was really wonderful to read so much on student-centered curriculum, talk to Mark Springer, re-explore Maranacook Middle, and hear from Ed, Caitlyn, and Lindsey about their forays into integrative curriculum. I got some good ideas but, more importantly, feel like I now have more connections and resources to learn from.
2. Trying New Things: What Works in Education
"Waiting For Superman" and the resulting debate opened my eyes to the whole discussion about what really does work in the classroom. Single gender classrooms, creating motivation within the curriculum, project-based learning, and tech driven curriculum are all things that truly "work" in education. We hear about all of the programs initiated in inner cities that aren't working or, we hear about corporate driven charter schools that follow the strict "sit, watch me, and memorize what we're teaching you" model. It is so important to remember the number of things that are happening in education that are good for kids and have shown to be effective learning strategies.
3. Leadership
This class really got me thinking about middle level best practices and the need for strong leadership at all levels in order for proper implementation. Changing education cannot effectively happen with just a teacher. That teacher needs to get other teachers, administration, parents, community members, and policy makers on board too. Even when there is strong administrative leadership in a school, there is still so much work that needs to be done to make sure things can continue to progress and become better. I think about Maranacook a lot. I love what they're doing but, I worry about what could happen if just a few community members or teachers or somebody started getting upset about the "non-traditional" things they do. I heard that their high school is much more traditional and it is just concerning that there could be a time when their wonderful and highly respected practices get put under conservative lens. My point is that leadership, at all levels, is so important to truly making a change in the way we educate our young adolescents. I hope that I can be an effective leader in this way.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
More Good News for Education in America
As I was driving home from school today, I heard yet one more intriguing interview about the state of education in America today. According to the most recent results of an international test, American students are once again lagging behind their peers in various countries around the world. The NPR Story (linked here) focused on the latest findings from PISA (The Programme for International Student Assessment) that had US students finishing anywhere from 15th to 35th in the world in a 2009 assessment of their reading, math, and science skills. It also showed that students from social backgrounds that would likely impact educational opportunities are less likely to succeed in The United States than their fellow socioeconomically depressed students abroad.
Although I haven't found anything else on this story yet, apparently Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called these results appalling and Melissa Block in her interview of Michael Davidson (PISA) on NPR implied that these results really couldn't be read as anything less than a verdict on our destiny to fail and implode as an industrialized, prosperous nation (maybe I read into that one a bit).
But, I have different thoughts on this news. One of the things Davidson did mention was that countries that did well do certain things differently than the US. They have national standards, goals, and recruit teachers from the highest levels of academic achievement. I would agree that we can work on those things as a nation. However, I just am not sure that our student's inability to perform well on a standardized test should really dictate how we view education or even the direction of our country. The United States, for all of its faults and failings, and even acknowledging the growing and sickening disparity between educational opportunities for rich and poor, is still doing quite well as a country. We are in debt, yes, but we are also in an economic recession that the rest of the world is also very acutely experiencing. If we look at other countries with limited government control of the economy and industry (regardless of what the Tea Party says, the United States is ranked about 5th in economic freedom in the world behind such countries as Hong King, Singapore, New Zealand, and Switzerland. None of which are anywhere close to world powers . . .) we really are doing alright.
I guess my biggest problem with this kind of test is that we are not necessarily testing anything that is of use to kids or even to society. By holding these results in such high regards, we aren't just saying that basic math, reading, and science skills are important, but that they are the most important things. I know that these skills matter but is that really all that matters? What about resoning, collaborative work, problem solving, creativity? Aren't these, not math facts, what have helped the US to succeed in becoming the world's (close to) largest economy, biggest military power, and leader in world wide diplomacy and aid? Yes George Bush and many other Presidents went to Ivy League schools but, how would they have measured up on one of these tests (That wasn't even meant to be a Bush bashing thing! I mean it, Reagan, Clinton, even Obama! How would they have fared?). Look at our vast wealth of capitalists and entrepreneurs who have become amazing benefactors and philanthropists. Were they all math, science, and reading whiz kids? I don't know but, I think that a fair number of these types didn't actually always fair well in a traditional academic setting.
So, what I am getting at is this: it's bad enough we compare our children to others in such a public way, it's even worse that we then label them as failures when they don't measure up, do we really need to also damn the entire nation to a bleak and depressing future based on the results of one test that doesn't measure a whole lot? I just don't think we do.
Sources:
NPR Story: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/131884477/Study-Confirms-U-S-Falling-Behind-In-Education
PISA/OECD Internaitonal Test: http://www.oecd.org/document/2/0,3343,en_2649_35845621_46609794_1_1_1_1,00.html
2010 Index for Economic Freedom: http://www.heritage.org/index/
CATO Institute Economic Freedom of the World: http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/index.html
Although I haven't found anything else on this story yet, apparently Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called these results appalling and Melissa Block in her interview of Michael Davidson (PISA) on NPR implied that these results really couldn't be read as anything less than a verdict on our destiny to fail and implode as an industrialized, prosperous nation (maybe I read into that one a bit).
But, I have different thoughts on this news. One of the things Davidson did mention was that countries that did well do certain things differently than the US. They have national standards, goals, and recruit teachers from the highest levels of academic achievement. I would agree that we can work on those things as a nation. However, I just am not sure that our student's inability to perform well on a standardized test should really dictate how we view education or even the direction of our country. The United States, for all of its faults and failings, and even acknowledging the growing and sickening disparity between educational opportunities for rich and poor, is still doing quite well as a country. We are in debt, yes, but we are also in an economic recession that the rest of the world is also very acutely experiencing. If we look at other countries with limited government control of the economy and industry (regardless of what the Tea Party says, the United States is ranked about 5th in economic freedom in the world behind such countries as Hong King, Singapore, New Zealand, and Switzerland. None of which are anywhere close to world powers . . .) we really are doing alright.
I guess my biggest problem with this kind of test is that we are not necessarily testing anything that is of use to kids or even to society. By holding these results in such high regards, we aren't just saying that basic math, reading, and science skills are important, but that they are the most important things. I know that these skills matter but is that really all that matters? What about resoning, collaborative work, problem solving, creativity? Aren't these, not math facts, what have helped the US to succeed in becoming the world's (close to) largest economy, biggest military power, and leader in world wide diplomacy and aid? Yes George Bush and many other Presidents went to Ivy League schools but, how would they have measured up on one of these tests (That wasn't even meant to be a Bush bashing thing! I mean it, Reagan, Clinton, even Obama! How would they have fared?). Look at our vast wealth of capitalists and entrepreneurs who have become amazing benefactors and philanthropists. Were they all math, science, and reading whiz kids? I don't know but, I think that a fair number of these types didn't actually always fair well in a traditional academic setting.
So, what I am getting at is this: it's bad enough we compare our children to others in such a public way, it's even worse that we then label them as failures when they don't measure up, do we really need to also damn the entire nation to a bleak and depressing future based on the results of one test that doesn't measure a whole lot? I just don't think we do.
Sources:
NPR Story: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/131884477/Study-Confirms-U-S-Falling-Behind-In-Education
PISA/OECD Internaitonal Test: http://www.oecd.org/document/2/0,3343,en_2649_35845621_46609794_1_1_1_1,00.html
2010 Index for Economic Freedom: http://www.heritage.org/index/
CATO Institute Economic Freedom of the World: http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/index.html
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