The Global Achievement Gap

Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap, why even our best schools don't teach the new survival skills our children need--and what we can do about it. Perseus Books Group.

Understanding By Design

McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2004). Understanding by design, professional development workbook. Assn for Supervision & Curriculum.Virginia: ASCD.

Letter from Suzy (and the response)

Dear School Reformer People,

I am a grade 9 student at Random Middle School in Heresville, B.C. and I took the time away from my home work to write a letter as I have been doing some reading on educational change and I have a few questions. I know you are always trying to make education better but it still feels the same. I was chillin’ with my peeps at recess the other day and all they were doing was complaining about school. Here are a few of our biggest peeves that I thought I would share with you.

First, school is Boring. Yup. Capital B. I go from Math to Science to English to PE. It is the same thing every class and every year. Teacher talks for a bit, we do some exercises and then we have time to do a worksheet or assignment that they created or I just talk to friends and take the work home. The exercises are simple and don’t allow for any of my creativity. Plus, when in life am I going to be given worksheets? Not at any job I want to do. Occasionally we get to do a project or watch a video but not very often. I want to get out in the community and see things and meet people other than my friends and boring old teacher (who seems really stressed these days and I am pretty sure he sleeps in the bookroom). The same thing in school over and over is sapping the life out of me. I used to be motivated to learn but so much information doesn’t seem relevant to me. Who cares about the British North America Act of 1867, conjunctions, or the difference between mitosis and meiosis? I asked my parents if they knew and they don’t and my Dad is like reeeeeally smart. I want to learn about things that matter to me. Not just Facebook privacy settings and Bieber rumours. I want to research why we spend 17 billion on the space program and why some people are great leaders and how people can still be suffering from poverty in this day and age.

In just over three years, I am going to graduate and enter the real world. Am I going to be prepared for jobs? For life? I keep hearing from my parents that the world is different now. But from what I can tell, education is basically the same so how can I be prepared for what the 21st Century holds for me? What if I – like – fail? Will I have the skills that employers want or just the meagre amount of knowledge that actually stayed in my head from all those worksheets? I don’t want to be some broke burger flipper. I want a job that interests me and where I can make a difference in society. I don’t even know if I am meeting the goals of school. What are the school goals? What is the purpose? I get good grades but what do they actually mean? Are the numbers for me to track my progress or are they merely to please parents and guide administrators? Plus, I think the percentage is more reflective of my effort and not my knowledge or skills.


I know I am only 14 (but I will be 15 in like 2 months) but I can tell that school is not designed by students. But it is all about us, isn’t it? I mean, we are supposed to be the learners who receive all the education. Right? How come we are never asked for input? Seems like the people who make all the changes are people who have gone through the system already and can’t see the forest for the trees (whatever that means – my teacher always used the expression and I think he means that we need fresh ideas to try to alter schooling). Why do we have 12 grades? I seem to learn the same things over and over each year. Plus, I find it easy and could finish school way faster than Billy Anderson (his friends call him Dial-up cuz he’s so slow). Why do we have to go at his pace? It bugs me that there are like 30 other kids in my class. I wish it was just Rachel, Sally, Betty, Veronica and me...oh and maybe Stevie ( so cute n’dreamy! OMG). Then the teacher would have time to help guide my individual learning needs rather than getting mad at Randy for talking during instructions or Brad for never doing his homework or bringing a pen for that matter. Why can’t we have smaller classes or even just give us time to learn on our own? Why are the dinosaurs designing our curriculum anyway? They can’t even use computers or multi-task like I can so why am I learning from them?

Then there is the prison...er...school. I feel like a sheep getting herded around at the sound of a bell. We are crammed into these tiny hallways like cattle ready for slaughter (which would be only slightly worse than Math). DING DONG! They don’t have bells in any jobs I know. How is this getting me ready for life? Plus, I see work places on TV and when I visited my Mom’s office one day during some Take Your Kid to Work Day and they are comfortable. I mean the chairs and desks in school are so 1900. How are we supposed to learn strapped to a desk in neat little rows? I feel restricted and I do not think well when I am restricted...or tired. Why do I have to go to school at 8:30? I perform best in the evenings just like my Dad – that is why he chose a profession where he can work later on. (Something about circadian rhythms he always says – I guess I will learn about that next year). Then there is the stress of being a teenager at school where everyone talks about everyone and you have to dress in the ‘proper’ clothes and bullying is a way of life. Boys are always ogling us girls – it feels like a meat market. Hah – meatmarket, slaughterhouse. Feel like they are just raising animals in a pen. Scheduled feeding times even – I can’t eat in several of my classes and I am a growing girl – I need food. How are we supposed to actually concentrate and learn in these conditions? Who decided this was the best way? What part of life exactly are they training us for? No wonder people commit crimes and go to jail. It just makes them feel like they are back in school!

Some things about school are good so don’t change things like gym and art. I like those classes as I get to use my hands and be active. I just really want to know why things are the way they are. WHY? I just want to know for sure why we learn in this way and where it is written that is has to be this way. Can we change? Can I help? Please.

Sincerely,
Suzy Q
<3


Dearest Suzy,

I can only guess where the Q comes from in your name. You ask a lot of questions and I had to ask several curriculum theorists to aid me in answering your queries. I sincerely hope that our response satisfies you. Please refer to the following articles to help you answer your questions.

(Holmes, M. (1998). The reformation of canada’s schools: breaking the barriers to parental choice. Montreal: McGill-Queens Univ. Press.) According to Holmes, your job prospects are not great as finding a ‘fulfilling’ job is difficult especially in Canada but you should work to finding satisfaction in other aspects of life such as leisure and family life.
Your concern about Billy Anderson is a valid one as equal educational outcomes are difficult in our ever-changing society. Perhaps his religion, social class, race, or genetic inheritance played a role as it often does on academic achievement. School is merely a mirror of society and as such, will always showcase the changes, positive or negative and it is unlikely that any grand change will result in your lifetime. Be receptive to the help and advice from your parents as the school cannot always provide guidance on values to you. You were right Suzy, your world is changing and I can’t say that it is always better so you will need to work hard to maintain your standard of life and those that follow you.

Sumara, D., Davis, B.& Laidlaw, L. (2001). Canadian identity and curriculum theory: ecological, postmodern perspective. Canadian Journal of Education 26, p. 144–163.
You describe a postmodernism school Suzy but you are seeking universal truths to some of your questions. Remember that although you can’t define everything around you or even yourself and your goals, you can define what you aren’t – Billy Anderson – hopefully that helps you sleep at night (or in your case, the morning). Perhaps the relevant knowledge that you crave is of an ecological nature. I sense a need for you to understand the relationships that surround you and you should ask your teacher about geoepistemology. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that you made reference to Justin Bieber. I find it interesting that you picked a Canadian artist. I should also point out that knowing the BNA Act helps you understand your culture as a Canadian and will lead you to developing your own purpose as to why schools run the way they do. You will likely notice as you read that the authors acknowledge various shareholders and members that collaborate to construct the educational process and they never mentioned students. Well, Suzy, you seem like the right type to step up and get involved. You deserve your say.

Radford, M. (2007). Passion and intelligibility in spiritual education. British journal of Educational studies. Vol. 55. No. 1, March 2007. P. 21-36.
Suzy, you are definitely involved in some serious pondering and searching. Radford may be what you really need to read to understand your purpose on a different level. One specific point I wanted to draw your attention to was the notion of character and how it might put your ‘future’ in perspective. Radford writes, “the ‘spirit’ of an individual may be associated with qualities of character, being honourable, decent, having sound motives, and good heartedness, generosity, pride and courage.” These might be the things that you find mean more to you than a job and it can help you toward Holmes’s ‘fulfillment.” The content that you find boring should be considered the avenue to study other dimensions of your educational experience. The informal curriculum, which includes the social and moral culture of the school, may be less obvious and less assessed in school but is still very important to consider. You may want to reflect on your friendships, relationships with your parents and also your thoughts on cute and dreamy Stevie. Radford also argues that spiritual education “is central in our understanding of the nature of human self-consciousness, our ability to reflect on our own being, our behaviour, and our lives in the context of the lives of others and in relation to the larger environment of which we find ourselves.” You may find that all those physical or visible elements of the school that you dislike so much could be solved or forgotten with a focus on the spiritual aspect.

I wish you luck in your future endeavours and urge you to continue your journey into understanding school, knowledge, education and your own identity and how they all interrelate. I hope these readings will shed some light on your serious concerns and you can work to solve them over time. Just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day but that numerous cities have crumbled in chaos and I hope you are there to build them back up.


Thank you for your interest,

Mr. Scuhl-Refourmir

The 'Business' of Teaching

I should preface this entry by stating that it comes across as a complaint but is merely a reflection on my feelings which like all human beings can sway across the negative-positive spectrum.

Are teachers effective? Can we improve their effectiveness? Can we assess their effectiveness? I made the mistake of reading the viewers comments on a recent post about the labour strike in an online paper. After my initial anger from the statements of incorrect facts subsided, I tried to take a step back and assess what teachers do in the classroom and make a decision on whether they can do more in (and out of) the classroom to increase student learning. This led into a glimpse of how education is like a business and how employees or teachers are pushed to the limit to increase productivity.

Some may say teachers have a relaxing occupation full of naptime, paints, field trips and assemblies. This is true to some extent so I wonder if the online comments are true about teachers being whiny greedy brats. However, Apple reaffirmed my thoughts on teachers work output with his notion of intensification. He describes it as sacrificing quality for quantity, isolating yourself, mistrusting your own expertise and quite simply just not having the time to do the job right (Apple, 1993, p. 124). Do teachers suffer from intensification? If so, does this intensification negatively affect the student’s learning? Apple goes on to state that this intensification leads to only the essential aspects of the task to get completed and things merely get done rather than done well (1993, p. 124). Is this one of the leading problems of our education system? Or are teachers just another hard done by group of employees complaining about work at their water cooler?

First of all, water cooler should be substituted by photocopier. I have never found conversations happening as employees sit by the water cooler killing time until 5 pm. Rather, teachers huddle around the sole copier at the school and curse leaving their photocopying to the last minute and wonder why Mr. Smith is taking so long. I have a hunch that the last minute photocopying is a combined result of individualizing or altering a lesson at the last moment to increase learning and that there is simply too much on the teacher’s plate. I know that teachers only work 9-3 and have summers off so how can there be too much on their plate? Are they merely lazy? I am sure some are. But the majority spend 9-3 focusing on helping the students. Most teachers help students before school, after school and on their lunch breaks. They make phone calls home to discuss learning with parents, plan engaging and differentiated lessons, photocopy resources, update websites, mark products and provide feedback to students all on their one hour preparation block. Coaching, committees, student meetings add on average a few minutes a day but that is still reasonable. Furthermore, teachers have to keep up with influx of new resources and technological equipment that has been added to their plate (Ungerleider, 1995, p. 120). The reason that some teachers may feel that there is too much work is because the task is never over and very rarely does anything get taken off the plate.

I fully believe that all teachers have the skills, knowledge and ability to teach every student to the highest level of achievement. So why are the students not all fully meeting expectations? I am getting the majority to this stage so why can’t I get all of them? Perhaps class sizes of 15, preparation time each day, one-on-one conversation time with students and parents, and collaboration time with teachers built into the timetable would help. Few would argue that these things would help so why don’t we do it? I great rapper one sang, “CREAM – Cash Rules Everything Around Me, Get the money, dolla dolla bills ya’ll.” I don’t remember who sang it as it dates back to my pimply face, backward hat and baggy jean wearing days of high school. But I always remember that lyric and I think he had a point in that money and resources are central to many scenarios and in this case could improve the education system greatly. More money won’t guarantee better results but should aid in helping the teacher and the student on a daily basis. Technology, more teachers, educational assistants, resources could be useful. Who decided the optimal number of students in a classroom was the magic number of 30? So why throughout all the cutbacks in schools, do teachers get blamed for the majority of the problems? Poor teachers and curricula have been blamed for putting the nation at risk and that teachers were seen as, “holding on to a curriculum that was ill-suited to modern technological and industrial needs (Apple, 1993, p. 119). Is it the teachers that are holding back the educational process or the lack of resources (time, money, skills) that is holding back the teachers?

Teachers spend a lot of time on continuing their own learning and refining, infusing, and reflecting on their practice. Most are up to date on the current research and latest innovations or strategies. So why are all teachers not practicing what they read? I can only say for one person that is very close to me but their reason is simple – not enough time. They know what to do and could be a master teacher but there isn’t enough time in the day. Furthermore, they are isolated and could pursue new and innovative techniques if they could increase collegiality by helping each other (Cuban, 1982, p.117). Ungerleider explained that most teachers’ philosophical preference is to follow a progressive model which includes collaborative interdependent relationships and professional/collegial relationships (1995. P. 94). Built in time for collaboration should be beneficial for teachers to further hone and share their skills with their colleagues. This could replace the standardized test as the accountability mechanism to ensure that teachers are teaching and students are learning. Of course, one would need to look at the cost to gauge its usefulness.

Every successful store, business and company utilizes Taylorism to cut costs and increase profit. Apple argues that Taylorism has entered the teaching profession by decreasing teacher autonomy, widespread standardized testing, and increased accountability systems (Apple, 1993, p. 121-122).
In the business world, you can monitor the effects that changes or modifications have on the business through the sales book. A cost benefit analysis should inform management where they can cut corners. How does this work in education? We can only measure student achievement to see how we are faring. Shouldn’t we then infuse the education profession with funding and resources to increase results (student achievement) rather than further cut funding? Can the teachers be held accountable for increasing this achievement? Cuban explains that, “the current organizational structure of the high school forces us to concentrate our attention on what teachers will probably do daily in their classrooms” (1982, p. 117). How much difference can the average teacher make on student achievement in our current system? I liken this to a Sandwich Artist employee at Subway as they are responsible for putting the sandwich together in front of the customer but can’t control the types of ingredients or products that Subway sells. As many times as you ask the Sandwich Artist to add caviar, fresh lobster and truffles, they can only direct you to the menu and say ‘I’m sorry.’ Of course, we all know who bears the complaints from the customers.

The education system is interesting in that it is a public domain controlled by society to instil values, knowledge and skills on our children but in a world that is increasingly run by economics and businesses. As a result, schools are caught in the middle as programs and resources are sacrificed due to funding shortfalls and not based on whether they are actually needed or not. Expectations on teachers are rising to meet the needs of the students as school funding is dropping. Can this intensification continue without catastrophic results? Can teachers rise up and become more effective and lead reform from the bottom up?

So can teachers.....or students....or parents....or government do more - that can only be answered by each individual. Can you?

References:

Apple, Michael. A. (1993). Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age. New York: Routledge.

Apple, Michael. A. (1995). The Politics of a National Curriculum. Eds. Cookson, Peter W. Jr. & Schneider, Barbara. Transforming Schools. New York: Garland.

Cuban, Larry. (1982). Persistent Instruction: The High School Classroom, 1900-1980. Phi Delta Kappan. P. 113-118.

Ungerleider, Charles. (1995). Failing Our Kids: How We Are Ruining Our Public Schools. M&S.