World issues on Education

Education headlines in America report on funding issues, political shifting, integration issues, charter school dominance, and union entitlements amongst still-declining budgets. These are noble issues to discuss but pales in comparison with happenings around the world. Perspective is sometimes necessary to understand how well students and teachers have in America.

In South Africa a recent study reported that as much as 70% of SA's public schools are dysfunctional. This is an education sector in crisis. Politicians long for a general society that were united on education issues as manifested at the end of Apartheid era. The South African Democratic Teachers Union declared that South Africa was running out of time  to improve the system that impacts the lives of 12 million students attending public schools.

The Philipines is trying to meet a shortfall of 70,000 classrooms while legislation is proposed to add two more years of basic education that will require another 55,000 classrooms. Imagine not having an option of even a dilapidated building to host students.

Sweden led the charge to inspire other countries to adopt the 'free schools' model that was developed two decades ago. Ten percent of the government funded schools are run by religious groups and several have been cited for misconduct. Turns out that at least one school received money from a group that is also funding the Taliban and al-Quida. And we thought the Tea Party was radical.

In Kenia a need was raised for major changes in Kenyan schools. A standardized test used to determine whether children should progress from eight grade to high school was dropped or changed. The government's response was that reforms ' must not be rushed'. In New Zealand teachers delayed a strike to continue bargaining for better benefits. Sounds familiar? As recently as last year Hawaii teachers opted to teach four days a week rather than take a small pay cut to teach a full week - costing Hawaii students almost 40 less days of school.

Students do not have a vote, cannot dictate policy, cannot enforce best practices or build classrooms. Adults are in charge and maybe, just maybe the wise can take a page from the young ones who so desperately want to learn.
Michael Cordier

Higher Education for Me?

It would be easy to report on a wonderful 5-acre urban garden project in Arlington, VA where inner city students get the experience to plant, care and grow vegetables in 19 plots as part of their community service work. Where one high school senior commented that she did not know that sweet potatoes grew underground until the garden project.

 

Equally noteworthy is the hard-core fitness program developed by PE teacher, Orlandus Thomas at Comer Preparatory School, a charter school in Chicago. There, music fills the air and students never stops from moving - except when they participate in a cooking class or have discussions about healthy nutrition.

 

But what caught the attention is a Canadian report this week concluding that many young students set their sights on university or college much earlier than believed - before they arrive in Grade 9! The Toronto Globe & Mail reports that  research shows that almost half of low-income students make their decision about post-secondary education before they even set foot in high school, regardless of the financial burden. 

 

As the USA and other countries try to curb drop-out rates amongst high schoolers, education agencies should be challenged to rethink their approach as attitudes about higher education is just as important as access to it. It seems that a strategy needs to be developed at elementary and middle school levels to encourage adolescents and teens to start choosing career paths with the possibility of attending college or university.

 

 In the study of 10,000 low-income secondary students it was found that for every teen influenced by parents or culture to obtain post-secondary education, others receive little input. Furthermore, it’s these late deciders who are much more likely to leave university or college without graduating.

 

Neither mom or dad attended university the household I grew up. Since I could remember there was no option for any of the kids. We were raised with the notion that we will go to university. We all did. The thought of the consequences if we did not weight far too heavy! Thank Mom. Thanks Dad.

Michael Cordier

Nutrition and Legislation

In the past we have reported that the government is not capable of telling parents what their children can or cannot eat, but can legislate what can be served in public institutions supported by tax dollars such as schools. The government can demand healthier burgers, limited or no sugary sodas, low-fat milk, wholewheat bread and so forth when they pay for it. In fact, health advocates have sought for more than ten years now to get legislation passed to such effect and made major overtures to major food and beverage companies to support this cause. Finally everyone is on the same page but there is one caveat: better food choices cost more and who is going to pay for it?

First Lady Michelle Obama has lobbied aggressively for the proposed Child Nutrition Bill as part of her "Let's Move" program. She installed a fresh vegetable garden at the White House and addressed the Senate and House on this issue. She 'made an extensive outreach' to the Speaker of the House to rally support for the Child Nutrition Bill but to no avail.

One hundred and six Democrats could not stomach the thought that money from the Food Stamps fund be taken to pay for part of the $4.5 billion cost of the Child Nutrition Bill and voted against the bill. As a result, the bill is back to the drawing board. Obviously legislators have being eyeing large pots of money for different usages.

Even if the bill is approved after the elections it is only the first step in revamping school lunches. No clear guidelines exist to determine what kinds of foods could be sold or what ingredients may be limited. The Agriculture Department will decide that. It is fair to say that we need to get ready for a real food fight!
Michael Cordier

PE and Concussions

Looking at my nephew recently it dawned on me how much taller and bigger today's teenagers and young men appear to be compared to my youth. Seems like they started hitting the weight room at a much younger age or they are consuming some strange substance containing growth hormones!

So it was fascinating to read in the media that the number of sports-related concussions reported by young athletes is on the rise, prompting awareness campaigns from athletic- and medical groups to set minimum standards for concussion management not unlike steps taken recently by the National Football League. Even politicians are getting into the fray as the House Education and Labor Committee is planning to introduce legislation in this regard.

A study published in September in the medical journal, Pediatrics, noted that visits to the emergency room for concussions for children ages 8 to 19 had doubled from 1997 to 2007. In came despite a decrease in participation in organized sport. Furthermore, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report on concussion in high school sports that said there was no mechanism to track overall estimate of occurrence, but the injuries may be under reported because of athletes not wanting to be removed from games (EdWeek, Sept, 2010).

This 'macho' image is understandable amongst teenagers but unacceptable from coaches. One cannot simply shake off a hard knock, or 'walk it off' as some coaches prefer to handle it. A coach can't be everywhere, can observe all parts of a play, or prevent students from hitting harder. But they can intervene immediately when having any doubts and that is where awareness education should be focused.

How does this relate to PE? Any PE professional will tell you that a proper PE program teaches anatomy and physiology in addition to practical applications: how to roll, fall, run, kick, dive, tackle, and so on. Practical skills to be applied anywhere and in any sport. Somehow this fact escapes the legislators, medical professionals,  and week-end coaches. It is one of the reasons that there are over 500 middle and high schools with the emphasis on sports in the U.K. called Sports Colleges: to produce better prepared sportsmen and women at club and national levels - and prevent injuries where possible.

As for my nephew, he beats me in arm wrestling. I am OK with it. Chess is a different matter.
Michael Cordier

3 million TX Students Can't Be Wrong

Recently the results of the Texas Youth Fitness Study was announced. It provided an in-depth analysis and evaluation of data collected through state-mandated health-related fitness testing of all public school children in Texas, from grades 3 through 12. James Martin and Scott Morrow from the University of North Texas co-authored the document and presents key findings and issues associated with fitness in Texas.

Key points include:

• Higher physical fitness test achievement is related to higher state academic test scores and higher attendance, fewer negative school incidents and overall school quality, as indicated by the state ranking system (exemplary, recognized, acceptable, or unacceptable);
• Teachers work hard to conduct important and quality testing and do a good job of testing despite often challenging school settings;
• Teachers share their positive and negative experiences and provide ways to improve testing in challenging school settings and for large-scale testing across a state;
• Reliability and validity of large-scale testing is good; and suggestions for testing in challenging school settings and in large-scale testing for regional, state, and national settings are provided.

The study funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation was coordinated by the Cooper Institute. The study's focused on the relation between fitness test achievement and academic achievement; the reliability and validity of fitness testing with large samples; teacher interviews regarding large-scale fitness testing; psychosocial variables related to cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index, and school and teacher characteristics associated with fitness test achievement.

Clearly, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and any doubts about the impact of physical activity on academic performance can be put to bed. Student behavior modification as a result of physical activity was an interesting component. Obviously, healthy students as a whole perform better and behave better. If 3 million Texas students can't be wrong, why are physical education not a bigger part of every school, every day?
Michael Cordier

Our Priorities Backward?

Over the years billions of dollars have been spent on ELL programs in schools and rightly so. These programs help students who have a different home language than English to get up to speeed in regular schooling. In addition, billions are spent on Title 1 programs to provide day care, after school programs, and school meals to students from under-priviledged communities. This spending is equally neccesary to improve scholastic performance and create safe environments for children to function properly. Add to that the discretionary spending of $5 billion dollars by the Secretary of Education in the Race to the Top money (to improve schools, student assessment, and teacher development), and it is clear that education speding is doing well.

Obviously a lot of tax payer money goes to the upliftment of our student population so it is with trepedation to learn about federal funding for gifted education being on the verge of elimination. Christina Samuels from Education Week reports that the ONLY funding at federal level for gifted education (Jacob Javits Gifted  and Talented Education Act) might be cut. If it was to the amount of billions one could emphasize with such a decision but it is a measly $7.5 million - a drop in the education-spending bucket. To blame the current administration will not be fair as the program was repeatedly dropped during the previous administration.

Two issues comes to mind:
1) How can we afford not to support the one segment of our student population that will guarantee academic performance;
2) Why is the amount so small to develop the gifted in our society who has the best potential to become leaders in any field they choose?

It is unimaginable that China or India place such a small premium on their best and brightest. It is equally unimaginable to assume that gifted students will excell without any help. But the most scary part is the fact that there is no federal mandate to provide gifted education. This means local districts dictates the services provided and a lot of the Javits program money goes to teacher training to accommodate gifted students in some shape or form.

I was not a gifted student but I grew up with a few. One committed suicide in our junior year because he hated school and was bored out of his mind. The system failed him. How many others with such potential has suffered as well?
Michael Cordier

Online Making Headlines

More and more rumblings about online teaching or online applications are being heard in education circles. Just this week the following healines made the news:

• Free Online Tool Help Teachers to Track Student Progress (T.H.E. Jornal) reports on a new tool to help teachers monitor student progress towards classroom and state goals. This free online grade book records comments and student grades compared to state standards. Washington and Oregon standards are completed, California, Alaska, and Idaho will be added next.
• Texas Students, Teachers to Share Materials on iTunes Channel (The Dallas Morning News) explains how students and parents in Texas now have free access to multimedia educational materials that are uploaded by teachers through the Texas iTunes U Channel. It allows teachers to share and comment on each other's videotaped lessons. (This is new to me!);
• Chicago Pilot Program to Extend School Day with Online Instruction (Chicago Tribune) reports on a proposal to extend schooling for 15 elementary schools by adding 90-minutes to the end of each day. The block would be used for math and reading using a combination of online instruction and nonteacher supervision. Union leaders are naturally upset.
• Early Elementary iPad Use Sign of Things to Come? (Converge Magazine) informs us that more than 20 city public schools are testing the new tablet computing device this year to run applications that help early elementary students answer abstract questions, refining their handwriting, take audio notes, and produce their own multimedia projects. The reference is not to fist and second year college students, but early elementary students!

These headlines are mentioned as our family embarked on an interesting experiment this year: total virtual school for our daughter. Instead of a 180 school days, she is enrolled year round. Instead of access to teachers for six hours a day, she has access to teachers 12 hours a day. Instead of a heavy carry bag full of books, everything (literally) is delivered online. Instead of having a close circle of friends (clique), she has met tons of new friends at the local home school group and home school sports clubs. Together with a councilor and teachers, we as parents dictate the pace and schedule. We reward or discipline. We have a choice of a regular pace or accelerated pace, regular curricula or accelerated content.

Come to learn that last year 24,000 students were enrolled full-time in virtual school in our state. These students were supported by over 1,000 full-time teachers. Online schooling (virtual school) are no longer an experiment. It is the fastest growing sector in the education market and soon to be mainstream. Question is, when do you embrace it?
Michael Cordier

The Learning Process

Someone once said that when we stop learning we might as well die. It is for this reason that two sciences developed in the field of learning: Pedagogy - the teaching of children; and Andragogy - the training of adults. Both groups of students set out to absorb new content but is motivated by different outcomes. We can agree that any learning should develop critical thinking and problem-solving in our modern society. Or should it?

The London-based Institute of Education just published a study under the direction of Chris Watkins in the Research Matters journal that ties the current discussion over how to teach modern critical thinking and problem-solving skills back to the decades-old discussion of students' motivation in the classroom. They found that two parallel motivations drive student achievement:

1) "Learning Orientation" - the drive to improve knowledge and competency;
2) "Performance Orientation" - the drive to prove that competency to others.

Guess which orientation is being developed under the current US-style assessment accountability system?

Watkins found the highest-achieving students had a healthy dose of both types of motivation, but students who focused too heavily on performance ironically performed less well academically, thought less critically, and had a harder time overcoming failure. Improving meta-cognition (exercises such as journaling or class discussions) does not always take place in a Learning Orientation environment which robs a student from showing or proving competency. On the flip side, a Performance Orientation emphasis does drive up competition in a classroom (which I personally don't think is a bad thing).

Education Week (Aug 17, 2010) which highlighted this study reports that the likelihood of U.S. or British schools moving away from high-stakes accountability is low, and the Research Matters review suggests educators should stop thinking of learning and performance as diametrically opposed. What educators should be aware of is that both motivators exists for optimal learning and to incorporate it in their teaching strategy.
Michael Cordier

Teacher Takes a Stance

Kate Quarfordt is a mother, teacher, artist, and writer. But she is not a policy wonk who scrutinizes education proposals for legislation. That is until she was asked to appear at a briefing on Capitol Hill representing practitioners to discuss policy recommendations for the Well-rounded Education in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The act itself sounds great after years of hearing about math, science, reading and writing being highlighted in the 'No Child Left Behind' education policy. The budget request for ESEA in 2011 does reflect an increase of 38.9 million in funding to support teaching and learning in arts, history, civics, foreign languages, geography, and economics. But it seems as if this increase is achieved by combining eight subject-specific grant programs into a single competitive grant program.

Kate realized that disciplines other than math and science will have to compete against each other, "with some of them undoubtedly getting the short end of the stick". She further recognized the fact that pitting subjects against each other will undermine or eliminate the spirit of collaboration among disciplines in schools aiming to provide a well-rounded education.

My problem in addition to those stated by Kate lies in the small increase to cover so many important disciplines. $38.9 million dollars in the overall education budget is a proverbial drop in a bucket and will not have any impact on our 100,000 public schools. Neither will it lead to a truly comprehensive, well-rounded education program. A small comparison would be to look at the fully fledged foreign language schools in India and Pakistan to prepare their youth for the global markets. Or China focusing on world history and economics for the next generation to be the new world power.

The argument for more funding for the so called 'core subjects' is a mute point by now. It is well funded and fully integrated. The challenge now is to position our students to be competitive against students from the rest of the world. Somehow that critical point is lost in translation.

Michael Cordier

Nutrition Becomes a Strategic Issue

The House Committee on Education and Labor passed the "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act". This will now go to the House floor for financing - probably from the "Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee funded at $4.5 billion over 10 years.

A major push for this legislation comes from the military. Finally it is being acknowledged that obesity impacts the strategic balance of the country. For years, the fight of obesity was waged on micro level but now it is being fought at macro level because the increase of obesity threatens the very safety of the country. The 15,000 military recruiters found that 1 in 4, or 27% of all young adults between 17 and 24 cannot enlist. They are too overweight. As a result, hundreds of otherwise excellent recruits are being turned away.

The statistics are well known: Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years. According to the CDC, in 10 years the number of states reporting 40% or more young adults as overweight or obese jumped from one to thirty nine!

A group of 150 retired generals and admirals released a report called "To Fat to Fight" to raise public awareness about a national security implications of the childhood obesity. The consensus is that parent choices cannot be legislated but food provided in school can be regulated. The price tag of $4.5 billion over ten years is far less than the $75 billion spent each year on health care costs related to obesity.

Finally, obesity is every one's problem.
Michael Cordier