poverty and education

In case you're just tuning in, it's no secret that I think that education can only do so much. It is a myth that we are the farthest country behind in education in the world. It is a reality that we have a lot more people living in poverty than other countries, that we do a poor job supporting said population, and that it translates to their educational success (or lack thereof).

This article makes three points:

1.  Governments have the power to reduce poverty, and reduce it a lot.  European governments do far more towards this goal than does the US government.

2.  It’s unlikely that Americans poor people are twice as lazy or unskilled or dissolute as their European counterparts.  Individual factors may explain differences between individuals, but these explanations have little relevance for the problem of overall poverty.  The focus on individual qualities also has little use as a basis for policy.  European countries have fewer people living in poverty, but not because those countries exhort the poor to lead more virtuous lives and punish them for their improvident ways.  European countries have lower poverty rates because the governments provide money and services to those who need them.

3.  The amount of welfare governments provide does not appear to have a dampening effect on the overall economy.

from my awesome teacher friend, mr. s

Five really important things to think about when thinking about education in the US.

1. Education reformers are attempting to privatize education to open a new market.

2. There is no education crisis sweeping the nation. Factor out poverty and US students are near the top of international standings. We need to address poverty issues that hold children back.

3. "Full-Service Community Schools" are a model for addressing poverty issues that affect education. "Community Schools NOT Charter Schools"

4. The charter school experiment is a failure. 20 years of data show that only 17% of charter schools perform better than the neighborhood school and nearly 40% perform worse. Giving 4 in 10 students a worse education is not going to close any gaps if you only give 2 in 10 a better education.

5. 50% of teachers quit before 5 years. This means most of the bad ones leave on their own before tenure. No other sector is as self-selecting as this.

"failing"

It is a well-known fact that American education is in crisis. Black and Hispanic children have lower test scores than white and Asian children. The performance of American students on international tests is mediocre.

Less well known are contrary facts. The black–white achievement gap, as a recent report put it, “is as old as the nation itself.” It was cut in half in the 1970s and 1980s, probably by desegregation, increased economic opportunities for black families, federal investment in early childhood education, and reductions in class size.¹

Another little-known fact is that American students have never performed well on international tests. When the first such tests were given in the mid-1960s, our students usually scored at or below the median, and sometimes at the bottom of the pack. This mediocre performance is nothing to boast about, but it is not an indicator of future economic decline.

-- Ravitch, School Reform

on privatization

The fact is Philadelphia is already the most privatised system in the US. In 2001, the state of Pennsylvania took over the city's school system and turned many of its schools over to private operators, even offering up 25 schools to for-profit companies. A study [PDF] by Vaughan Byrnes of Johns Hopkins University showed that, five years into this sweeping overhaul, the schools under private management were academically underperforming the public schools.

Liza Featherstone

painting a picture

A colleague sent me this article from a few months back, specifically noting that I might want to share it here. In the article, the author addresses the recent suicide of a CPS teacher. An excerpt:

Imagine you've had one of the worst weeks of your life. You haven't slept in months, you have money troubles building, your relationships are failing, you feel unheard and unappreciated at home and at work, you worry daily about your future and whether or not you will have a job next year or even next week, and the idea of getting up to go to work the next day is practically unbearable. You need a moment to catch your breath, a moment to clear the clutter of worry, failure and fear from your clouded mind. But you don't get it. There is too much to get done. And all the while, you think, if I don't get it done, I am failing these kids. I have no choice but to keep pushing.

If you do have a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it. However, you must also be aware that there are two camps in education reform (as I see it) and this article quite definitely comes from one of them. I agree with the article that corporate reform is taking over the teaching profession, because there are a lot of wealthy people who buy into the corporate mindset. On the other hand, I believe that there must be a middle ground. A place where it doesn't take accountability and fear to get teachers invested in their students' success and there are no excuses.

Sidenote: I got an email about my curriculum maps for next year. Something to the effect of, "You worked really hard on these. They're awesome. However, you forgot standards numbers x, y, and z. Please redo it." I find it absolutely laughable that we are more concerned with standards numbers than anything else. As if that will solve the achievement gap.

on charter schools

If you are unfamiliar with the nuances of charters, you are sorely behind in understanding education in the United States. When I tell people that I work at a charter, they sometimes ask me to explain what exactly a charter is. I usually answer with something like, "It's a public private school: students apply to go, but it's free." I usually use the word "choice." If there are more applicants than available seats, the school is required to hold a lottery.



Money
More specifically, charter schools operate on the idea that every child is eligible for a certain amount of federal money and families should be able to take that money and patronize whatever school they choose. The charter exchanges some money and benefits associated with the public school system in exchange for autonomy from rules as regulations imposed on regular public schools.

In the charter where I work, we are always short of money. Teachers are paid about $10K less than public school teachers, educational resources are sparse, and money for special services is hard to find. Yesterday, a mother came to the school to fill out an application for her son who is entering Kindergarten with some very serious needs. I talked to him for about a minute and all I could think was, we are not equipped to educate this child. For example, our speech therapist only comes in once every two weeks. She typically meets with students for 10-15 minutes. This young boy couldn't pronounce his name. Yet legally we are not allowed to turn him away, so he will be entered into the lottery.

Theory
When charter schools were first conceived in the late 1980s, the purpose was to set up laboratory schools outside of the regular education system. Superior veteran teachers would be recruited to work with students who were not successful in the regular system. Then, teachers would be able to come in and observe new ways of educating the most challenging students.

Reality
Since the first charter school laws were passed in the 1990s, the number of schools has rapidly increased, and the theory behind them has rapidly changed. Under No Child Left Behind, failing schools could convert to charters as one method of restructuring. Many of the big players in education are proponents of charter schools (Obama, Arne Duncan, Jean-Claude Brizard, Michelle Rhee, etc.).

However, the purpose of charters has changed drastically. Now, when community schools are failing they are often shut down. Charters move in as an alternative. Some districts, such as New Orleans, are almost entirely charter. Most advocates of charters believe that we should convert the entire education system over to charter schools to create a free market in which parents are the consumers.

In the words of Diane Ravitch:

Closing a school should be only a last resort and an admission of failure, not by the school or its staff, but by the educational authorities who failed to provide timely assistance.  

Our schools will not improve if we entrust them to the magical powers of the market. Markets have winners and losers. Choice may lead to better outcomes or worse outcomes. 

teacher fired for encouraging activism

What do you do with a teacher who provides students with authentic learning opportunities? A teacher who invests her own resources to support students? A teacher who was voted Teacher of the Year two of the last three years?

- Teaching Tolerance

This woman saw a beautifully rare teachable moment, some good that could come out of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, and she was punished for it. This woman worked in a non-unionized charter, much like the one where I am employed. This is why teachers need protection. 

with a heavy heart

I am appalled that there has still no decisive action being taken in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin. Why is there a question? George Zimmerman shot and killed a man for no reason. That's it.

Let's play the switching game. How would Mr. Zimmerman have reacted if Trayvon Martin was a white youth wearing a hoodie? How would the general public be reacting in the aftermath of a white teeenager's senseless murder? Answer those questions.

Trayvon could easily be one of my students. And whether or not they make good choices as they grow older, they will probably dress like their peers. Because that's what teenagers do. If this man is not arrested, then we are sending a message to the entire country that appearances and, nothing else, are grounds for death. We are telling our children of color that their life is not valued. That they are not safe because of the color of their skin.

My heart is heavy as I look around at my sleeping babies. We need more million hoodie marches -- more energy pushed against the system.

on nyc's recent data reveal

In case you haven't heard, New York recently published ratings for all teachers in the five boroughs of the city based entirely on test scores. Since each teacher is placed on a bell curve within their school, and then all teachers are presented as equal out of context, there is little value to the data. The message, however, is alarming. Is this where we are going with education?

Why would any sane person want to teach? Also explore the problem with humiliating teachers.

cps

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet the CEO of Chicago Public Schools in a small informal meeting with some other teachers.

I arrived at the main office at exactly the appointed time, but the security guard did not let me pass until I finally said, "...with TFA?"  "Aha, I've heard the magic word. Up the elevator and take a right." When I arrived in the CEO's office I was led through a labyrinth of white cubicles to the conference room, which was vaguely  reminiscent of a hospital waiting room.  Apparently, those first few minutes were critical because they had already launched into a full-fledged description of the new teacher evaluation tool that will be based on three different kinds of student test scores.

I tensed. Most of my questions were already negated. How could I ask anything about progressive ed reform when they opened with accountability?

Next, they talked about the announcement of the school closings from earlier in the fall. I was heartened by their explanation of the strategy they used to decide on the failing schools to be closed. According to them, they only chose schools in areas where another (decent) school was within walking distance.

They talked about developing principals into leaders. They believe that good leaders will be the answer to the need for better schools. 

Then, charter schools came up. I was shocked at how immediately defensive they became. "The point of a charter is that you don't want to see us." With that, all of my remaining questions were thrown out.

Overall, I am glad that I went. I gathered a lot of information about the culture and climate of public ed reform in Chicago. On the other hand, I left feeling that we will continue to get more of the same from education leaders until it gets so bad that we have hit something lower than were we are now. The current feeling is that we just have to work harder, smarter, more and these same things that other people have been doing with magically manipulate into a solution under our guidance.

reason #693 education is messed up

The people who make the rules are apparently ignorant of any actual classroom experience, and also have never spend a single hour with a child. 

How is it that I never noticed the tension between standards and developmentally appropriate practices before? How is it that I have taught Kindergarten for nearly four months and I'm just now getting really angry?

And all almighty, I am angry.

You know when my kids are happiest? When they're playing. You know when I have the fewest behavior problems? When they're playing. You know when I see the most enthusiasm for learning? When I'm lecturing at them while they sit still in their chairs. When they're playing.

We as a country are falling behind fast because we are FAILING at educating. So how do combat it? More standards. More tests. More of the same. Quantity over quality, America. That's your specialty.

chris marker

From the series Passengers, depicting people on the Paris Metro.

Tadej Znidarcic

“The bill will decide the future of gay people in Uganda. If the bill comes, we [the activists] will be the first ones to be arrested. They know us.”

“I used to be religious, but now I’m not anymore. I lost my religion because of all the hatred preached by the Christians here. I rather go to my room and pray for myself to God. I know that God is there.”

“I was arrested. The boda [motorcycle] guy asked me whether I was married. I said no, I love men, I don't love women. He was interested, we exchanged numbers. We met the day after and he took me on the boda. Then he said the fuel was finished, so I got off and there were policemen waiting. One slapped me. The one who was from my tribe said I was shaming them. He said he would call the media and put my picture in the newspaper. I got very scared. They took me to the police station. I had to write a statement that I wanted to sodomise the guy. I refused. They were humiliating and pushing me with the gun. They told me the guy wanted 1.5 million shillings. I had 15,000 in my wallet. They took it. I said I could raise only 300,000. It was money that I got to pay my brother's school fees. I hired a special [taxi] and went to my place with two policemen. The driver and one policeman stood outside. I entered inside with a policeman and gave him the money. I was released at 3am.”

inside out project

JR's work is an example of how art can be activism. He describes himself in the street, pasting away, when someone walks up and asks, "What are you doing?" "Art," he says. Silence.

His works are beautiful, compelling, and specifically linked to local culture. When he leaves, the only way to find out about the project is by talking to the residents who were involved. He used the project featured above, to create a bridge between the people of Provencia and the media who had silenced them.

His newest project aims to involve everyone in the movement of using art to change the world, by offering an interested party to submit a portrait and an idea. If they are selected, he will send back a poster size version of the portrait for pasting in the proposed location.

The Grand Egyptian Museum

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

JOB TITLE: Director, Conservation Center

LOCATION: The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Collections & Conservation Department, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt

DESCRIPTION of DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Director, Conservation Center would be responsible for the planning and management of all activities at the Conservation Center. The Director of the Conservation Center would oversee all aspects of the conservation, care and related research primarily for the collections of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) as well as provide leadership for collections care throughout the country. This would include close collaboration and planning with the Director, Museum Collections with regards to management and development of the GEM collections but with specific focus on preservation.


At first I thought this was a joke, but then I realized its not.

plaid

Associated with nature and the outdoors, plaid is often presented in opposition to society and technological progress. Today, it is hawked as a centerpiece in the heritage fashion trend. Popular since 2007, heritage fashion champions long-standing American brands like Pendleton, Woolwich, and L.L. Bean. It equates such labels with quality and simplicity, taking us back to a time when clothes were American-made, the Western frontier beckoned, and life was simpler. As modern society becomes faster paced and increasingly virtual, plaid shirts and heritage fashion become gateways to a less globalized, less digital world.

But heritage fashion’s promise is hollow. As tech workers wearing plaid and carrying canvas rucksacks walk purposefully down city streets, far away from the open frontier, their fashion ceases to evoke a rustic lifestyle; instead it expresses a disconnection from and longing for that lifestyle. All we see is their striving, and the clothes take on the opposite of their intended meaning.

Plaid is often a pattern of contradiction, particularly when it used to assert one’s identity as an outsider. Alienated teenagers of the ’90s wore plaid flannel to communicate their isolation; in the process, they joined together, and their alienation was relieved. Today, DIY hipsters don thrift-store plaid in a statement of iconoclasm, in the process creating a culture of sartorial conformity. In both cases, one effect cancels out the other.

-Read the whole article by Jeremy Sanders at Art:21 

presidential medal of freedom

Barack Obama presented Jasper Johns, a minimalist/conceptual artist, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday.

This is the first time since 1988 that an artist has received this award, whose recipients are usually politicians or military members. Georgia O'Keefe is the only female artist to have been honored. 

humor

at least

...someone is taking the arts seriously in government. Obviously, its more complicated than that, but its disheartening that our official stance on art in the US is that we don't have a stance. So, I appreciate this investment in young, talented people all the more.

Complicated? you ask. Remember this?

art education initiative

The website, OpenStudio is a resource for primary school educators looking to teach meaningful art lessons. Artists are invited to create lessons which are posted on the website along with a brief biography of the artist. Mark Bradford conceived the idea as a way to make contemporary art more available to young people, to help them engage with art in a way congruous to their everyday life.

My first favorite lesson was Color Walk by Amy Sillman, but the more I read the more I find that I really like. Each lesson encourages thoughtfulness and exploration without suggesting a linear path towards completion.