Persistent Pondering http://persistentpondering.posterous.com Where do social action, art, music, technology, media, pop culture, and most importantly, student needs intersect? posterous.com Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:47:00 -0800 Poised for Much Needed Transformation:A Response to Saving Black and Latino Boys by Pedro Noguera | NWP Connect http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/poised-for-much-needed-transformationa-respon http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/poised-for-much-needed-transformationa-respon

This article teaches us that there is no magic formula to successfully serving our Black and Latino male students. In some cases, separating by ethnicity and gender worked. In some cases, it did not. There are arguments for and against any type of school.

 

The difficulty arises when considering all the elements that need to exist in a school that is effective with these populations, as well as all other populations. These schools focus on community, culture, individual learning networks, mentoring, relevant curriculum, rigor, character, ethics, and a respect for learning. That's a tall order.

 

The situation becomes even more complicated when attempting to transform a campus. My campus received a $6 million TTIPS grant to transform our campus. We are focusing on creating academies to make education more relevant and responsive to student interests. Along with that since we are an urban campus with many who are considered "at-risk" students, there comes the charge of keeping students engaged---many of our students aren't aware of their interests in an educational setting. And if they are aware, they have had little to no occasion to speak or act on these interests. We are needing to create contexts that invite discussion, ignite curiosity, boost inquiry into possibilities. We are also dealing with shrinking enrollment due to feeder pattern changes and changes in demographics. We need not only to recruit new students to our academies but also having to re-recruit, in a sense, our current students for them to realize that education can be different and more meaningful to them.

 

This change isn't limited to our students. There is a need for a philosophical shift for the teachers. Clearly, it's not a completely new mindset, but rather, a return to the original educational values that drove teachers to education in the first place. Many of us have become so accustomed to the climate of high-stakes testing, the pressures from the powers that be to deliver test results, that we have felt forced to sacrifice or hide our meaningful literacy instruction because it was so at odds with the assessment world. In response to this, we began the transformation process by attempting to empower our educators to believe that it's time to return to what we know works. It's time to return to putting students first by having high expectations, rigorous and relevant lessons, and focusing on what works. It takes courage to confront those above us still saying that the test results are our top priority.

 

Because no matter what we do, the testing climate continues to exist. We are deemed worthy or unworthy of future grant funding based on data that in part is assessment-based. So will the transformation be successful? Will we be able to strike the fine balance between what we know is right and effective for all of our learners with the increasing demands of high-stakes testing?

 

Only time will tell. I remain optimistic not because I am naive or idealistic but because I know it has to happen. We have to provide a quality education for all of our students. One thing for sure, I am more motivated than ever to find ways to reach not only our Black and Latino males but all of our students.  Reading this article bolsters the notion that the entire school community contributes to the success of these critical groups.

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Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:02:00 -0800 "Have I done enough?" Questions from a Well-Intentioned Educator http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/have-i-done-enough-questions-from-a-well-inte http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/have-i-done-enough-questions-from-a-well-inte

I am a teacher. I am passionate about what I do. I want to be able to empower my students to believe in themselves, believe in their education, believe they can achieve their goals.

I try my best to do the right thing. I seek out professional development to better serve my urban students. I read articles and follow discussions to continue to learn how my English language learners learn best. I focus on technology as a means of providing a more equitable education for my 80% low SES kids. I advocate for reform to encourage rigor not just relationships with my students. I search for additional resources to provide for them. I am dedicated to the transformation of my campus.

Still, I wonder, "When will it be enough? Will it ever be?" Will it be okay to admit my shortcomings? Maybe, I am not the most effective educator with all student groups. Maybe, as suggested in research, certain students perform better for certain types of teachers. How, then, can I transform education for these groups I may not be able to reach? If I cannot, is that okay? Should I continue to strive for what I cannot achieve? Or, maybe, there's another way around it?

I do believe that students and teachers have affinity groups. Especially at a young age, people self-organize into groups where there are others who are similar to them. It just seems to be human nature. Later in life, people who do embrace diversity find themselves in groups with various cultures, but, in a high school setting, what can I do to support my students in feeling more comfortable with diverse learners and teachers? Yes, read multicultural texts. Yes, model the behavior. Yes, openly discuss the importance of a global society. I just wonder how to speed this along; is it possible? If not, will my students ever be able to learn at maximum capacity?

The notion of voice to empower students is critical. One thing I can do is provide a learning context where students and teachers feel safe and encouraged to speak about what they need. I can not only invite suggestions but also respond to these recommendations in a quick and effective manner. And still, I wonder if this is enough?

There's no magic pill. There's no program to be purchased. There's no assessment to measure it, but the idea of having teachers who certain students do not respond to is at odds with effective learning. I offer my experiences as counter examples for I know I could have done many things better, but I would like to hear more on what people are doing that works.

What can educators do? What can policy makers do? What can parents do? What can students do? What can we all do to transform the educational system to one where all learners have access to a rigorous and meaningful education?

Big questions. Answers will begin to form with dicussions like these. Honest reflection will help tease out the issues and hopefully, get us closer to possible solutions.

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Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:35:00 -0700 Matt Damon Speaks at Save Our Schools March, 7/30/2011 http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/matt-damon-speaks-at-save-our-schools-march-7 http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/matt-damon-speaks-at-save-our-schools-march-7

Isn't it a shame that instead of listening to educators, we need celebrities to champion our cause? Maybe this is what will work, what will be the catalyst for much needed reform. Thank you, Mr. Damon for your encouraging words. We need more actors like you who honor education. Who else will speak up and support us?  

 

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Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:19:00 -0700 The greatest teacher incentive: The freedom to teach - The Washington Post http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/the-greatest-teacher-incentive-the-freedom-to http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/the-greatest-teacher-incentive-the-freedom-to
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