http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-boyle-lincoln-20140317,0,6894934.story#axzz2wSsIWznq
The above article discusses the issue of neighborhood schools being moved around and the issue of heavy gang activity in the L.A. area. The two schools being forced to combine are located 2 miles apart but students explain the two schools as completely different worlds. The move will put two bitter rival communities in one campus. Roosevelt Academy's enrollment has been declining and they are asking to recruit kids from other neighboring schools as an alternative to combing the two neighborhood schools. Many experts say children not from the area will have no knowledge of what streets to avoid due to gang activity or what areas to avoid. The article discusses the issue of the school officials making these types of decisions without input from the children attending the schools or the parents. East L.A. is very territorial and this decision to merge the schools rather quietly could leave children in real danger. Often times school bureaucrats make decisions for school systems without the input of those truly involved in the school and who have a better understanding of the issues and concerns in the education system.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Charter School Nightmare
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/12/charter-failure.html
This article may be dated, but I found it a couple months ago and it still really shocks me. One thing that jarred me when I stumbled upon this news was the fact that I had sat in countless meetings last year at the community center I interned at listening to representatives pushing academy's and charter schools such as this. And at the time I was sold. I thought they had great ideas and seemed like they really cared about their potential students. Some of these meetings were with the group of Mom's we worked with through the Family to Family program and it struck me that they could have really bought into this idea of charter schools as a viable option for their kids. And these families were already struggling, so it kind of gave me the feeling of taking advantage of a population of people who are looking for some sort of "answer" which could be a big selling point. These families saw violence and bullying in their schools, are having financial hardships and really just want their kids to have a better future than what they are able to give them. Really what parent doesn't? But in this area, with these families that are struggling someone coming in and offering a solution wrapped up in a bow during desperate times really feels like preying on a weakness to me. It may not be as drastic or malicious in intent but it could definitely be viewed that way. So what does everybody think, in terms of charter schools? With the public school system facing struggles are charter schools and academies the miracle cure? I think that some of these school really had good intentions and had the kids best interest at heart, but is our kids education and future worth the risk? and who takes responsibility for these failures?
This article may be dated, but I found it a couple months ago and it still really shocks me. One thing that jarred me when I stumbled upon this news was the fact that I had sat in countless meetings last year at the community center I interned at listening to representatives pushing academy's and charter schools such as this. And at the time I was sold. I thought they had great ideas and seemed like they really cared about their potential students. Some of these meetings were with the group of Mom's we worked with through the Family to Family program and it struck me that they could have really bought into this idea of charter schools as a viable option for their kids. And these families were already struggling, so it kind of gave me the feeling of taking advantage of a population of people who are looking for some sort of "answer" which could be a big selling point. These families saw violence and bullying in their schools, are having financial hardships and really just want their kids to have a better future than what they are able to give them. Really what parent doesn't? But in this area, with these families that are struggling someone coming in and offering a solution wrapped up in a bow during desperate times really feels like preying on a weakness to me. It may not be as drastic or malicious in intent but it could definitely be viewed that way. So what does everybody think, in terms of charter schools? With the public school system facing struggles are charter schools and academies the miracle cure? I think that some of these school really had good intentions and had the kids best interest at heart, but is our kids education and future worth the risk? and who takes responsibility for these failures?
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Reading, Writing and Renewal (the Urban Kind)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/arts/design/reading-writing-and-renewal-the-urban-kind.html?ref=education&_r=0
Henderson-Hopkins School in East Baltimore
Matt Roth for The New York Times
BALTIMORE — In many ways, public schools are gated communities, dead zones. They’re shuttered after dark and during the summer, open to parents and students while in session but not to the larger community.
A new public school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in East Baltimore wants to challenge the blueprint. Designed by Rob Rogers, of Rogers Partners in New York, Henderson-Hopkins, as it’s called, aspires to be a campus for the whole area — with a community center, library, auditorium and gym — as well as a hub for economic renewal.
This is the neighborhood where parts of “The Wire” were filmed. In 2000, when the city’s mayor convened local business leaders, the vacancy rate was 70 percent. Poverty was twice the city average. Crime, infant mortality and unemployment were all through the roof.
The idea that emerged — of making the school the centerpiece of a major redevelopment project — is a grand urban experiment. Operated by Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with Morgan State University, the school, which opened in January, belongs to a $1.8 billion plan that also includes new science and technology buildings, a park, retail development and mixed-income housing. While gentrification might threaten to displace the poor, the school is to be the glue that helps bind the district together.
Like any kindergartner, the concept is full of promise. Can it work?
Built for 720 children, the school occupies several linked, low-rise buildings with lofty communal spaces arranged around nesting courtyards and interior streets that mimic the fabric of the neighborhood. There’s an early-childhood center for infants and toddlers and a grade school that runs through eighth grade.
“Baltimore demolished many great old school buildings in the 1950s and ’60s and replaced them with incredibly depressing places,” recalled Christopher Shea, president of East Baltimore Development Inc., the nonprofit organization overseeing the plan. “We wanted to go in the opposite direction. We wanted Henderson-Hopkins to be an inspiration and magnet for the neighborhood.”
Recess vs Increased Instruction Time
http://www.npr.org/2013/11/07/243713419/trim-recess-some-schools-hold-on-to-childs-play
The article, "Trim Recess? Some Schools Hold On To Child's Play" by Eric Westervelt discusses the trend in schools to decrease or completely remove recess time. The article focuses on Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Alemeda, California. This school utilizes the non-profit program, Playworks, that works with low-income area schools. Playworks promotes a healthy lifestyle and focus on academics. The article states that Playworks "creates a physically and emotionally safe environment for kids to just be kids. That means trying new things. If they fail, it's OK. It's a setting where they're not going to be made fun of for trying new things, and there will be a lot of praise when they do succeed." This program costs about $30,000 per year.
Most schools can't afford to pay for this program let alone public, low-income area schools. It seems to be the trend to cut out extra curricular activities, physical activities, and the arts. The playground is where kids can put the knowledge they learn in the classroom into practice. The playground is where kids learn social skills that are need for everyday interactions. With the First Lady focusing on the "Let's Move" Campaign I believe that this sheds light on this deficit in our school systems and it's a step in the right direction. Since most schools can't afford a program like this maybe schools can just start out by having and sustaining recess time and then work towards more structured time like the program offers.
Does Teaching Kids To Get 'Gritty' Help Them Get Ahead?
http://www.npr.org/2014/03/17/290089998/does-teaching-kids-to-get-gritty-help-them-get-ahead?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=share&utm_medium=twitter
This article talks about "girt" which is perseverance and determination. Schools that teach grit change their way of thinking and teaching so that they are teaching their students to make mistakes and take chances even if they might be wrong. It teaches them to get back up and keep trying even when they fail. It challenges their thinking and keeps them trying instead of just giving up when things get hard. They are still working on getting data to show the effectiveness of this mindset being taught in the school, but it has already shown an improvement in test scores.
I think this is a really interesting way to teach students. In the article they talk about how they never use the words "smart," "gifted," or "brilliant." Instead the way teachers praise is by telling them that "they must have worked hard" or "To have performed this well, you must have put out a lot of effort." So it changes the positive reinforcement and praise to focus on the work they did and the effort they gave rather than the actual grade on the assignment. In fact, some schools even grade them on effort, not just the assignments. How do you think this would change kids? Would it take away the "entitlement" people talk about kids having these days? How would this affect school social workers' roles?
This article talks about "girt" which is perseverance and determination. Schools that teach grit change their way of thinking and teaching so that they are teaching their students to make mistakes and take chances even if they might be wrong. It teaches them to get back up and keep trying even when they fail. It challenges their thinking and keeps them trying instead of just giving up when things get hard. They are still working on getting data to show the effectiveness of this mindset being taught in the school, but it has already shown an improvement in test scores.
I think this is a really interesting way to teach students. In the article they talk about how they never use the words "smart," "gifted," or "brilliant." Instead the way teachers praise is by telling them that "they must have worked hard" or "To have performed this well, you must have put out a lot of effort." So it changes the positive reinforcement and praise to focus on the work they did and the effort they gave rather than the actual grade on the assignment. In fact, some schools even grade them on effort, not just the assignments. How do you think this would change kids? Would it take away the "entitlement" people talk about kids having these days? How would this affect school social workers' roles?
Closing the achievement gap for disadvantage students
http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/22_02_PolicyBrief.pdf
This article highlights the literacy gap in children who are disadvantage. Our economy is now requiring that literacy skills go beyond the third grade. This has been a major problem in the American school system. Years ago children could get away with graduating by simply recognizing words. Many worked at jobs requiring limited to no skills or post degree education and received decent pay. Today, however, a bachelor's degree is almost equivalent to a high school diploma. So literacy is required.
Additionally, the pattern for the high-poverty schools is qualified teacher transfer out for "better" opportunities leaving the schools with a high number of new and inexperience teachers. The NCLB Act provides standards that are mandated by each State. The goal of the standardize is to improve a child's learning and simply pass them along.
Do you believe the NCLB helps or hurts that students? Do you think the standards are unrealistic?
This article highlights the literacy gap in children who are disadvantage. Our economy is now requiring that literacy skills go beyond the third grade. This has been a major problem in the American school system. Years ago children could get away with graduating by simply recognizing words. Many worked at jobs requiring limited to no skills or post degree education and received decent pay. Today, however, a bachelor's degree is almost equivalent to a high school diploma. So literacy is required.
Additionally, the pattern for the high-poverty schools is qualified teacher transfer out for "better" opportunities leaving the schools with a high number of new and inexperience teachers. The NCLB Act provides standards that are mandated by each State. The goal of the standardize is to improve a child's learning and simply pass them along.
Do you believe the NCLB helps or hurts that students? Do you think the standards are unrealistic?
"Why school isn’t for children anymore"
Some of you may have already seen
this article that was published earlier this month in the Washington Post. The article discusses a letter written by a
teacher named Dawn Neely-Randall from Elyria, OH, advocating for change of the
way we test our students. This article
hits close to home, as Elyria is my hometown, and I also have a passion for
school social work. Dawn Neely-Randall
makes some excellent points about how these tests are labeling students for how
they perform on a test one day out of year, and parents are only given a score
of how well or poorly their child performed.
Parents and students never have the opportunity to review the test after
it has been scored. Students are not the
only ones who are labeled, however.
Teachers are labeled as well, based on how their students perform on
OAA tests. It is admirable to see
teachers advocating for their students. I think as social workers it is our job
to empower, and help encourage more teachers to do the same, as well as working
to empower and teach students to advocate for their educational rights.
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