Returning to "The Race"

This week I had the pleasure of viewing "Race to Nowhere" for a second time.  It was part of a sixteen-independent school project. After the movie a panel discussion took place based on the theme " Should Success Be Redefined?" Two of the panel participants were Vicki Abeles, producer and co-director of "Race to Nowhere" and Alfie Kohn, writer and speaker on topics such as; human behavior, education, and parenting.

Several of the areas discussed in relationship to how student success is viewed were; grades and test scores, AP classes, homework, and their value on success and learning. The following are points made by Alfie Kohn and Vicki Abeles.

Alfie Kohn: Research has shown that homework has ZERO value before High School.  Even in HS a school day should be enough . . . no need for a 2^ND work shift. “Why should the school have a say in what my child does after the school day is over?”

AP classes represent worst form of instruction; accelerated presentation of material based on lectures and textbooks. High School students have less to say about their education than lower elementary students.

He often opens up talks with following question: “ How do you want your child to turn out? As we hear over and over again; to be life long learners; then why are we giving homework? Students hate homework! It extinguishes curiosity."

What makes kids successful in college = a desire to learn. 

Difference between intrinsic and internal:  Intrinsic what you want to feed in to that simulates the student’s curiosity, it is student centered – comes from within

Internal incorporated in student because of outside pressures – comes from outside influence

Vicki Abeles:  We need to get away from the blame game and recognize we all want the same thing for our children. CHANGE not BLAME; The viewing of “Race to Nowhere” is a start. It is a kick off point for dialogue, reflection, and change. It is important for parents to be aware of all the pressures their children experience from school and activities outside of the school setting. Keep the conversation going with students and teachers. Homework is a place to start exploring possibilities for change.

Alfie Kohn provided the following site: www.independentcurriculum.org

Here are two quotes:

“Our classes are not so much about the transfer of knowledge, but about students constructing knowledge for themselves.”

Mark Salkind, Head of School
The Urban School of San Francisco

After several years of planning and anxiety, replacing AP was a non-event at Crossroads School. “One year we had AP and the next year we didn’t. The sky didn’t fall. College admissions didn’t change. Families didn’t leave the school. No one would have known except for the fact that our teachers were more motivated,” said David Olds of Crossroads. 

So . . . are we ready to start?       And which road will we take?       On your mark .  . . get set . . . GO!

Couldn't Resist . . .

It’s Not a 21^st Century Skill

     Writing using a pen or pencil on paper appears to be fading, as students move up through the grades.

                         

                        Communication is done in an electronic format:

“I’ll text, email, Blog, Facebook, or twitter . . . but write a letter . . . too 20^th century.”

     Steve Graham, a professor at Vanderbilt University studies handwriting. He found that students write better in word processing. He goes on to say that there is still value in teaching cursive and focusing on handwriting skills. The legibility of work can influence how it is graded. Studies showed that neat manuscripts earned higher scores than messy ones, even if the quality of ideas were the same.

     The mechanics of writing can inhibit production if there is and issue in a student’s fine motor skills.  Some students experience success with cursive when they had difficulty with penmanship in printing. Then there are the students who are excited about reaching the grade where cursive is taught. 

     One reason given to teach cursive is so students are able to read historical documents and recognize script by a “low-tech generation”. 

     “The times they are a changing”. Whatever tool used to write students still need to be fluent.

Short and to the Point!

Thomas Friedman's recent piece describes his experience at a Primary School in a middle-class neighborhood of Singapore.  The principal challenges her teachers to connect "What world am I living in," and, therefore, "What should I teach in my fifth grade science class." Their school system is based on the German model with 40% of high school graduates headed for universities and the others polytechnics or vocational schools. They gain skills that are needed in the world they are living in to become a plumber or scientist.

The following is the final quote:

"There is real puzzlement here about America today," said the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, because we learned all about what it takes to build a well-functioning society from you. Many of our top officials are graduates of the Kennedy School or Harvard. They just came back home and applied its lessons vigorously." 

That is an interesting lesson.

And the TOP student performers are . . .

I recently read an article on the rise in the Chinese Education system. Students that performed on the top of the charts in math, science and reading world-wide . . . SURPRISE . . . were from Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Yes, of course we knew that. The interesting piece was that the Chinese were less impressed with their own school system. Statements were made such as; "the system kills independent thought and creativity, and they envy the American system for nurturing self-reliance and trying to make learning exciting and not a chore." At one of their high performing high schools teachers felt their schools should learn from American educators and also emphasize independent thought, clubs and the arts. They said, "Our programs are similar to training seals."

As we put emphasis on school reform, encouraging the development of critical thinking and not just regurgitating information we must also learn from the Chinese.  They place an extremely high regard on education.  Education is part of their culture, teachers are respected and the child that is admired is not always the athlete or class clown but often the brain.


The challenge in education in any school system around our globe when  evaluating academic programs, is to also keep in mind reinforcing the passion for learning, supporting creativity and independent thought.

Reform . . . Where to Start?

"Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform." Mark Twain

There is no doubt that our educational system is a topic of many a conversation and the need to make significant changes. We can't forget that education should focus on each and every student. The research supports that the key factor in student learning is the classroom teacher. Today's teachers are often drowning in mounds of paperwork directly dealing with accountability. Data compiled on each child is important, however let's not lose sight of maintaining a balance.

What about the new teachers and ones that are struggling? How do we find avenues to support them and use the talent in our school directly for this purpose?  This brings us back to the value of professional development. It should not be confined to several days in a school calendar. It is essential for it to happen every day. You see it in collaborative teams, the support of coaches in the classroom, constructive feedback from supervisors to help teachers improve their practice, and providing opportunities to have access to the latest research and best practices.

Meetings are often filled with the nuts and bolts of the school, teams often have issues mandated to cover, teachers need to input data, and we do want time in the classroom to teach. This is where reform can play a part in prioritizing and looking to see what can we change.

This is a huge task but it is a place to start.

Slow the RACE Down

I recently saw a screening of Race to Nowhere, a first time film by Vicki Abeles. The Washington Post covered a screening and stated, "the film has raised difficult questions about how to raise well-adjusted children at a time when schools seem test-obessed, advanced classes are the norm and parents worry that their children will not go as far in life as they have."

It paints the picture of children grades K - 12 who do not have the luxury to enjoy childhood. The demands they face on a daily basis would stress out any adult and many of these children are not equipped to handle them.  They are overworked, over programmed, and continually reminded that the competition is just getting tougher. So get on that treadmill and keep on running . . . but to where?

Children and young adults are arriving to a place of stress, low self-esteem, cheating, drugs, and as the movie so clearly shows death. This is not a place for anyone and we need to re-think where we want our schools to take them. However, in this case it is not the school alone that is responsible. Parents need to be educated on what they think the BEST school is, may not be the BEST school for their child.

Spitting out facts and scoring high on tests should not be the factor in determining a student's success or for that matter a successful teacher.  Successful learning should be looked at in many areas. What about creativity, compassion, individualism, critical thinking, and passionate learning?  How can we reform our educational practices and promote learning through student interest? A strong, well designed curriculum can be used as a road map, but why can't we also look at alternative routes.

There is not a one size fits all answer.  We need to look at creating a healthier environment in our schools through collaboration at all levels; administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

Remember not everyone gets to the finish line at the same time or in the same way or even crosses it. Let's look at how can we get our students on the right track and truly be successful at accomplishing their goals in a positive learning environment.