Schools Matter: Now Black Total Compliance Means Hair, Too

Schools Matter: Now Black Total Compliance Means Hair, Too

Schools Matter: Now Black Total Compliance Means Hair, Too

The name of the school is Narvie J. Harris Theme School.  The principal's name is Lisa Watkins, and her email address is lisa_f_watkins@dekalbschoolsga.org. Phone #: 678.676.9202

From New Age box fades to braids, a display on the wall of a suburban Atlanta elementary school tried to illustrate a variety of “inappropriate” haircuts and hairstyles. But there was one thing the children who were photographed had in common: They were all black.

The display by the Narvie J. Harris Theme School in Decatur, Ga., was taken down on Thursday — the same day it had been put up — after being widely criticized as racially insensitive. The episode happened at a time when cities and states across the United States have adopted legislation making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of a person’s hairstyle. 

The faces of the children in the photographs were covered with Post-it notes. It was unclear if they were students at the school, which is 95 percent African-American, according to the state’s Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. 

The display went viral after Danay Wadlington, the owner of a beauty parlor in the nearby city of Duluth, posted a photograph of it on Facebook after her client, whose child goes to the school, gave it to her. That woman did not want to be identified.

Schools Matter: Now Black Total Compliance Means Hair, Too

Schools Matter: KIPP Model Unfair to Teachers and Students, Alike - http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2016/02/unfair-to-teachers-and-students-alike.html

All Things Education: Final Report: Understanding Racial Inequity in School Discipline Across the Richmond Region

All Things Education: Final Report: Understanding Racial Inequity in School Discipline Across the Richmond Region

Final Report: Understanding Racial Inequity in School Discipline Across the Richmond Region

As described in this initial post, I was on the research team of a study of disparate disciplinary practices in Richmond, Virginia, area K-12 public schools being conducted by MERC (Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium ) at my graduate school institution, Virginia Commonwealth University.

I participated in this podcast on the topic and was a third author on this policy brief, entitled, Why do racial disparities in school discipline exist? The role of policies, processes, people, and places. In May 2018, we published another policy brief, which I was first author on, entitled, A Review of Disciplinary Interventions in K12 Public Education.

Well, at long last the final report is out, Understanding Racial Inequity in School Discipline Across the Richmond Region. It is long but well worth the read--very well done. Here is the abstract:

This report comes from the MERC Achieving Racial Equity in School Disciplinary Policies and Practices study. Launched in the spring of 2015, the purpose of this mixed- method study was to understand the factors related to disproportionate school discipline outcomes in MERC division schools. The study had two phases. Phase one (quantitative) used primary and secondary data to explore racial disparities in school discipline in the MERC region as well as discipline programs schools use to address them. Phase two (qualitative) explored the implementation of discipline programs in three MERC region schools, as well as educator and student perceptions of school discipline and racial disproportionality. This report shares findings from both phases of our study and offers numerous implications and recommendations for research, policy, and practice.

I encourage you to read the whole thing. In the meantime Justin Mattingly of the Richmond Times-Dispatch has published this good synopsis of it: CONTINUE READING: All Things Education: Final Report: Understanding Racial Inequity in School Discipline Across the Richmond Region

3 Simple Things You Can Do This Summer to Make Next School Year Easier - Teacher Habits

3 Simple Things You Can Do This Summer to Make Next School Year Easier - Teacher Habits

3 Simple Things You Can Do This Summer to Make Next School Year Easier

Regular readers of this blog know what I think about teachers working over the summer. For those late to the party, allow me to summarize:

Most teachers shouldn’t and they shouldn’t feel an ounce of guilt over the number of days they don’t even think about their job.

Read: Teachers Should Not Feel Guilty About Taking the Summer Off

However, like many things in life, there are exceptions to the rule. One of those exceptions is this:

If the work you do over the summer saves you a bunch of time/energy/aggravation during the school year, then it may be worth doing, even if you are working for free. 

So, if you’re sick and tired of the beach, or if it’s a rainy day, your cable is out, and the wifi is down, or if you just can’t stop thinking about next school year, here are three things you might consider doing now so you have less to do later.

Purge and Organize

A lot of teachers have a lot of crap. That’s not a good thing. Neuroscientists at Princeton University found that subjects in a disorganized environment had a harder time maintaining attention than those working in an organized environment. The study showed CONTINUE READING: 3 Simple Things You Can Do This Summer to Make Next School Year Easier - Teacher Habits

Behind The Lens episode 43: ‘It’s not fair that to get your children basic educational services in this city that that’s what it has to come to’ | The Lens

Behind The Lens episode 43: ‘It’s not fair that to get your children basic educational services in this city that that’s what it has to come to’ | The Lens
Behind The Lens episode 43: ‘It’s not fair that to get your children basic educational services in this city that that’s what it has to come to’

This week on Behind The Lens:

A city contractor that authored a new report on short term rentals has ties to AirBnB. Michael Isaac Stein has the story.

And Marta Jewson talks to a mother who spent over a year waiting to have her child tested for special education, and learned from the Louisiana Department of Education that New Orleans’ charter schools aren’t required to provide programs for gifted students.

Also, we talk to Marguerite Green – a progressive Democrat who’s hoping to be Louisiana’s next Commissioner of Agriculture.

Behind The Lens is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher.

Help us report this story     Report an error  

Behind The Lens episode 43: ‘It’s not fair that to get your children basic educational services in this city that that’s what it has to come to’ | The Lens

An Open Letter to Donald Trump from the Camden Education Association… | Blue Jersey

An Open Letter to Donald Trump from the Camden Education Association… | Blue Jersey

An Open Letter to Donald Trump from the Camden Education Association…

To Donald Trump:

As a force of 1100 public school educators consisting of guidance counselors, social workers, clerks, paraprofessionals, early childhood staff, attendance officers, security officers, and teachers comprising the Camden Education Association, I am writing this open letter to you to communicate our thorough disapproval for the direction you are currently taking this country and our children.

While it is generally believed that school staff is not supposed to communicate their personal politics within our schools, we are also at the same time held to a standard of being protectors and examples for children. For the better part of three years, we Camden City School District educators have watched in unrelenting horror as the supposed “leader of the free world” mocks the disabled, calls countries inhabited with Black and Latino people “s-hole countries” https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/11/politics/immigrants-shithole-countries-trump/index.html , refers to some Nazis and members of the KKK as “fine people” ( https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-defends-both-sides-charlottesville-comments-with-a-new-falsehood_n_5cc30c9de4b08846403d585d ) , calls people practicing their Constitutional right to free speech “SoBs” ( https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/22/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests ), encourages violence among rally attendees, and brags about sexually assaulting women – and these are only examples of things you’ve verbalized.

Pertaining to your actions which matters much more, your pardoning a convicted felon in Joe Arpaio ( https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/25/donald-trump-joe-arpaio-pardon-arizona-sheriff ) who was held in contempt for refusing to comply with laws barring racial profiling, your apparent and obvious obstructing of justice throughout the Mueller Investigation, and your refusal to be transparent with what you are plainly hiding in your tax returns, are simply just the tip of the corrupt and empty iceberg your presidency embodies. While ignoring a litany of instances that should rightfully leave this nation’s public alarmed and deeply troubled, it is your recent decisions to ramp up mass deportations of our Latino neighbors and their families by ICE ( https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/14/politics/ice-raids-undocumented-immigrants/index.html ), the latest proposal to cut SNAP benefits (food stamps) for families and school lunches for children ( https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-plan-failed-note-it-could-jeopardize-free-school-lunches-n1035281 ) is where we educators finally say “enough”, and wish to go on the record in doing so.

Camden is a city that roughly 50% Black, and 50% Latino, and despite the politically-oriented narrative citing the perceived successes of Camden Rising, our city is still one of the poorest in the nation. The recent policies you Donald Trump, along with your sycophants, are championing are harming Camden’s children – our children. Our students who themselves may be immigrants, or have family members who are immigrants – that contribute to making Camden the special place that it is, have lived in fear since the November 2016. Because of you. Our students’ and their families who rely on food stamp benefits and the school lunches our schools provide for them risk long-term harm with the policies you Donald Trump, along with your sycophants, are championing that will literally take food off their tables and out of their mouths.

These students are ours, and we care for them deeply which is why we collectively must finally say to publicly: Enough! One value, of which there are many, we CEA educators try to model for our young people, is to always treat one another with dignity and respect and that bullying is never acceptable. Over the years we’ve watched, appalled, as you’ve bullied women, gay people, Muslims, Black people, Hispanic people, Jewish people, poor people, and people with disabilities, but not just through hateful speech, but predatory policies as well. And while it would be nice for educators in our schools to be able to point to the President as an example for how we ought to conduct ourselves and treat our neighbors, you sadly are no such example for our children. But in this moment of your hate-filled presidency, you’ve given us Camden educators this opportunity to reaffirm our care for this community and our students, while standing up to a bully. You.

Keith E. Benson, Ed. D
President
Camden Education Association

An Open Letter to Donald Trump from the Camden Education Association… | Blue Jersey

Did Public Schools Elect Trump? Will They Re-elect Him? | The Merrow Report

Did Public Schools Elect Trump? Will They Re-elect Him? | The Merrow Report

Did Public Schools Elect Trump? Will They Re-elect Him?

Our democratic republic is at risk, and I think our public schools are partially responsible.  Its elaborate sorting system has turned out too many adults who resent rather than value our nation and our struggle to create a more perfect union. 

While many of these adults voted for Donald Trump in 2016, I believe that many more did not bother to vote at all….and may in fact not even be registered to vote.

This is not new.  If “Not Voting” were looked upon as a choice (candidate), it would have won the popular vote in every Presidential election since at least 1916.  Only three times in the 15 Presidential elections since 1960 have more than 60% of the voting age population gone to the polls.  The turnout in what we like to believe is the world’s greatest democracy generally hovers around 53-54%. It has dipped below 50% three times since 1916, most recently in 1996, when only 49.1% of the voting age population bothered to vote.

Who are these non-voters? Should we scorn them for their indifference? Don’t they understand how many of their fellow Americans have died protecting their freedom and their right to vote?  Surely we can agree that not voting is deplorable behavior?

Not so fast.  I have come to believe that most non-voters are behaving rationally. They do not feel that they have a stake in our government, so why should they vote? They were schooled to see themselves as insignificant, and so, as adults, they keep CONTINUE READING: Did Public Schools Elect Trump? Will They Re-elect Him? | The Merrow Report

2019 Medley #14: Early Learning, Play, and Preschool | Live Long and Prosper

2019 Medley #14: Early Learning, Play, and Preschool | Live Long and Prosper

2019 Medley #14: Early Learning, Play, and Preschool

PUT PLAY FIRST

Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive
By Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle, Oxford University Press

Full disclosure: I haven’t finished reading this book, yet…

…but I’m far enough along to know academic kindergartens and virtual preschools aren’t the best way to build academic success for our children. In fact, I learned the same thing forty-five years ago, when I was a preservice education student. Current research supports previous research. Play is children’s work. Children learn through play. Worksheets in preschool and kindergarten, whether they’re made of paper or on a computer screen, are inappropriate. Cooking stations, dress-up boxes, and building toys are what we need for our littlest learners. We should bring back recess, blocks, and doll buggies. Teach young children through read-aloud, finger play, and singing. Give our youngest children time to play without adult interference.

Despite this strong medical and scientific consensus that play is a foundation of children’s lives and education, play is an increasingly endangered experience for many of the world’s children.

Why is play dying in our schools? There are many social and cultural factors, and one major political reason is “GERM,” or the “Global Education Reform Movement,” a term that co-author Pasi Sahlberg has coined to describe an intellectual school reform paradigm that places academic performance as measured by standardized tests before children’s  CONTINUE READING: 2019 Medley #14: Early Learning, Play, and Preschool | Live Long and Prosper

It’s My Birthday! Please Send Me to NPE! | deutsch29

It’s My Birthday! Please Send Me to NPE! | deutsch29

It’s My Birthday! Please Send Me to NPE!

Hello, all! Today is my 52nd birthday, and I am asking readers to help fund my trip to the Network for Public Education (NPE) conference in Philadelphia, PA (March 28 and 29, 2020).

Even though the conference officially begins on Saturday, March 28, 2020, I will be one of a few authors slated to present on new books on Friday evening, March 27.

This summer, I wrote my fourth book (as in, I just finished the manuscript on July 5, 2019), which is a practical guide on how I conduct my research. The thought for this book came as I was planning my part in a research presentation with colleagues Andrea Gabor and Darcie Cimarusti for the last NPE conference in Indianapolis.

When Darcie asked about the content I planned to use in our presentation, my first thought was, “It would take a book.”

And so, now there is a manuscript, which is on its way to becoming a book. (I am working with a publisher to have the book ready for the March 2020 NPE conference. More details to come.)

As to the fiscal logistics of my presence at the conference:

• NPE will help partially fund my attendance (one night at the hotel and a $30-reduced rate for conference fee).
• In this birthday fundraiser, I am asking for assistance with airfare and airport parking, which will come to approximately $600 (including GoFundMe fees).
• Assistance with airfare and airport parking will leave me paying for one night in the hotel (approx. $200) and the remaining $130 for the conference fee.

I thank you for considering this request. Most of my research and writing is available to the public for free on my blog, which I am happy to offer. If you have found my work helpful and are both willing and able to support me in this fundraiser, I sincerely appreciate it.

Click here to view my GoFundMe campaign.

It’s My Birthday! Please Send Me to NPE! | deutsch29

NPE Action 2020 Conference: Save the Date! - Network For Public Education - https://networkforpubliceducation.org/npe-action-2020-conference-save-the-date/ via @Network4pubEd

NPE Action 2020 Conference: Save the Date! - Network For Public Education - https://networkforpubliceducation.org/npe-action-2020-conference-save-the-date/ via @Network4pubEd

Tenth Anniversary of Blog | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Tenth Anniversary of Blog | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Tenth Anniversary of Blog

Hard to believe that I began this blog in 2009. I have enjoyed writing about school reform and classroom practice because both have consequences, anticipated and unanticipated for children, teachers, parents, citizens, and society. I also look forward to writing more posts during my eleventh year because I know that there are a lot of fiercely smart practitioners, policymakers, parents, academics and graduate students out there who read them. They think about what I write, agree or disagree with the points I make, and on occasion, take the time to comment. For those readers, I thank you.

As with all things, there is a history to writing this blog. My daughter Janice who is a writer in marketing communication urged me to begin a blog in August 2009. She guided me through the fits-and-starts of working on this platform. After 10 years, I tip my hat to her.

***************************************

From time to time readers and friends will ask me what I believe should be done about teaching, learning, and school reform. They usually preface their request with words such as: “Hey, Larry, you have been a constant critic of existing reforms. You have written about schools not being businesses and have pointed out the flaws in policymaker assumptions and thinking about reform. And you have been skeptical about the worth of new computer devices, software, and online instruction in promoting better teaching and faster learning. So instead of always being a critic just tell us what you think ought to be done.”

Trained as a historian of education and knowledgeable about each surge of school reform to improve teaching and learning over the past century, I cannot offer specific programs for school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, and voters to consider. Why? Because context is all-important. I know of no reform, no program, no technology that is context-free. The setting matters.

So suggesting this program or that reform for all math classes or urban districts or elementary schools is impossible. But there are principles I embrace that CONTINUE READING: Tenth Anniversary of Blog | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 

Education Research Report

Urban Adolescents’ Engagement and Disengagement in School

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

This study examines influences on urban adolescents’ engagement and disengagement in school by first interviewing 22 middle and high school students who varied in their level of engagement and disengagement. Support from adults and peers, opportunities to make choices, and external incentives aligned with greater engagement. In contrast, a strict disciplinary structure, an irrelevant and boring c

YESTERDAY

Head Start Teachers’ Professional Development, Well‐being, Attitudes, and Practices

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h

Early care and education (ECE) teachers shape children's daily experiences in many ways. Specifically, teachers’ well‐being, attitudes about child development, and teaching practices are central influences on children's learning. One crucial way ECE programs support teachers to enhance children's learning environments is through the provision of professional development (PD), but little research

Easing Fears About Shift to Middle School Can Pay Off in Behavior, Grades

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 23h

New sixth grade students who participate in a social intervention designed to relieve their transition-related fears are more likely to have better grades and attendance and fewer behavioral problems throughout middle school, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The interventions, taught in the form of reading and writing exercises, are targeted to ease sixth graders

AUG 01

Black male educators sound alarm regarding lack of diversity in P-12 classrooms

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

A diverse and inclusive education workforce can play a critical role in ensuring that students receive a robust, quality educational experience. While students of color comprise more than half of P-12 classroom populations in the United States, overcoming the shortage of educators of color has been a decades-long dilemma for U.S. schools. The shortage is especially alarming among Black male educa

School Segregation Worsens for Latino Children Compared with a Generation Ago

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

At the Same Time, Economic Integration of Poor Students across Races Improves Unexpectedly Latino children are likely to enter elementary schools this year with fewer white peers than a generation ago, judging by data reported in a new study published today in Educational Researcher , a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. However, as racial segregation has inte

Perry Preschool Project Outcomes in the Next Generation

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

Children of the low-income African Americans who participated in the 1960s program are more likely to have a high school degree and to be employed, and less likely to have been arrested. For several years in the 1960s, 58 low-income, African-American three- and four-year-old children attended a high-quality, free preschool program in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The children were randomly assigned to tre

JUL 31

Teachers Report Widespread Student Behavioral Disruptions but Sharply Diverge on Whether Consequences Demonstrate Racial Bias

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Complete report American schools are undergoing a dramatic shift in their approaches to school discipline, as states and districts have worked over the past few years to reduce student suspensions under federal guidance issued by the Obama administration. The results of a new survey released today show that teacher perceptions of the transformation are mixed. According to the survey most teachers

JUL 30

Study: Black students receive fewer warnings from teachers about misbehavior U

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

A new study of racial and ethnic disparities in school discipline found that black middle school students were significantly less likely than their white peers to receive verbal or written warnings from their teachers about behavioral infractions. "While at first glance, disparities in teacher warnings seem less concerning than being expelled or sent to the principal's office, warnings represent

Study shows power of refocusing student stress in middle school transition

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

A new study by education researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that proactively addressing students' anxieties with clear and cost-effective messaging early in the school year can lead to a lasting record of higher grades, better attendance, and fewer behavioral problems for sixth graders embarking on their stressful first year of middle school. Published this week in Proceedin

Stressed at school? Reducing teenage girls' headaches

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

IMAGE: During one of the sessions, the researchers asked the students to work together to create mandalas before (left, A and C) and after (right, B and D) participating in a... view more Credit: University of Washington Teenagers report higher levels of stress than adults, and cite school as the highest contributing factor, according to the American Psychological Association's annual report. A s

School segregation worsens for Latino children compared with a generation ago

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

American Educational Research Association Latino children are likely to enter elementary schools this year with fewer white peers than a generation ago, judging by data reported in a new study published today in Educational Researcher , a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. However, as racial segregation has intensified, low-income students of all racial groups

Students with a greater sense of school belonging are less likely to become bullies

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Research has shown that, despite great efforts, one in three children continue to experience bullying in school. However, research also has indicated that environmental and psychological factors might play an important role in minimizing bullying behaviors. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that students who feel a greater sense of belonging with their peers, family and sc

Vocational education in U.S. high schools

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Since the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, policymakers and politicians have worked to stave off a perceived decline in the academic preparation of American students. Stubbornly low scores on international exams and signs that many U.S. graduates are ill-equipped for college and the workforce have lent urgency to this perception, and many states have made high-school graduation requiremen

Focus School reforms emphasized school-needs assessments and aligned technical assistance had no measurable impact on school performance.

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

States that receive federal waivers to the No Child Left Behind Act were required to implement reforms in designated “Focus Schools” that contribute to achievement gaps. We examine the performance effects of such “differentiated accountability” reforms in Louisiana. These Focus School reforms emphasized school-needs assessments and aligned technical assistance. These reforms may have also been un

Corequisite Mathematics Remediation Works Better

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Traditional mathematics remediation is based on the theory that traditional mathematics remedial courses increase students’ subsequent academic performance. However, most students assigned to these courses do not pass them and thus cannot graduate. An alternative approach, corequisite remediation, assigns students instead to college-level quantitative courses with additional academic support, oft

What works best in STEM K-12 professional development

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

This study is a meta-analysis of 95 experimental and quasi-experimental pre-K–12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professional development and curriculum programs, seeking to understand what content, activities, and formats relate to stronger student outcomes. Across rigorously conducted studies, theauthors found an average weighted impact estimate of +0.21 standard deviat

Enhancing Engagement With Faculty and Staff to Facilitate Student Success: An Evaluation of a Parent Intervention

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Many low-income and first-generation students who enroll in college experience less desirable outcomes during their first year. Researchers have increasingly investigated the important role of college knowledge and engagement with faculty and staff for student success. Through a randomized controlled trial intervention, this study leverages the relationship between parents and students to encoura

JUL 29

Racial Differences in Student Borrowing

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 5d

Recent trends in higher education financing have increased students’ need to borrow to afford college. This brief examines how federal student loan borrowing has changed from 2000 to 2016 by student race/ethnicity using logistic regression analysis and data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). The authors find that the odds of borrowing have diverged over time across racial

JUL 26

Comparing effects of educational interventions on literacy skills in Grade 1

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

Two large-scale studies examined the effects of policy and educational interventions on literacy skills in children schooled in zones with specific educational needs. To calculate the potential effects of such interventions, treatment-effects estimators with nearest neighbor matching were used. In Study 1 with policy intervention ( N = 1095), children in experimental group (Exp) were assigned to

Education Research Report