Maine ASCD Weblog

New Age Schools

Almost ten years ago, I was invited to participate in a strategic planning activity at a private university located in southern Maine. At the time I was serving as the director of the new distance learning masters in education program. I recall that the planning meeting was open to all faculty, but a relatively small number attended the session I attended.

Through a set protocol of questions and conversation - I guess you might call it a "focus group"  -this handful of divergent faculty members fantasized what our institution might look like say, 10 - 15 - 25 years in the future.

I was saddened, but not surprised, when the responses from the other staff included "more buildings", "more dorm space," and "a bigger library." When it came my turn, I criticized my colleagues' lack of vision and professed that we should be building less buildings and more server silos, greater connectivity and more computing capacity.

My colleagues looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears.

The focus group leader quickly interrupted and, somewhat to my surprise, came to my aid, supported my observations, and described my futuristic view as a move from "bricks and mortar" to "clicks and mortar." My seemingly far-fetched idea apparently was not new to him and, in fact, was being embraced as very savvy by business entrepreneurs within what was to become the "dotcom" industry in just a few short years.

Long story short, the strategic plan was written. It made some reference to my ideas, but was heavy on the old bricks and mortar mindset. In fact, in the ten years that followed, the campus of that university has almost doubled the amount of buildings. I don't know about the technology.

A few years after this incident I happened to be attending a brunch with several friends most of whom were currently superintendents, and one, a principal of a private high school in southern Maine. The conversation centered around this private high school's building expansion plans and everyone - except me - was glowing over the news about the size of the new library that was being planned in the soon to be built addition. Once again I opened my mouth - now armed with the "clicks and mortar" metaphor. Once again I was looked at as though there were lobsters coming out of my ears. And once again, my perceptions of the educational needs of the future were ignored.

I contend that in both cases I was absolutely right.

Today, I read a wonderful editorial from yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer's on line news Philly.com. The editorial by Chris Satullo laments the fact that we are still building schools based upon 20th Century educational models (I might suggest 18th Century myself) and not designed with the future in mind. He describes these as places as "cells and bells ... insular, static classrooms..." that are "the wrong schools in the wrong places with the wrong designs to prepare our kids for the world they will inherit."

Satullo then describes briefly the work of the National Summit on School Design sponsored by the  American Architectural Foundation and the KnowledgeWorks Foundation in Washington earlier this month. Satullo provides details and rationale in a summary of findings condensed into these five headings:

• High school is so 20th century
• Small is beautiful.
• Moore's Law liberates.
• Centers of community, not prisons.
• Schools as textbooks; communities as laboratories.

His argument is compelling; the urgency real. This time, you really should pay attention and listen to me! At least one other person's got the message.

Please read the editorial: "New-age schools" - The one-size-fits-all building answer will not work if students are to learn better, think more globally - By Chris Satullo

~John Brandt

The Digital Divide in Maine

A new reseach article from the University of California - Santa Cruz suggests that access to computers at home increases the probability of graduating from high school. The reseach, conducted by Robert Fairlie, associate professor of economics at UCSC, documents the persistence of the digital divide and the impact on educational outcomes, even when factors like income and parental education are taken into consideration. The research points its finger at racial differences noting that blacks and latinos have significantly less access to computers at home compared to whites and asians.

"We are clearly not all a 'nation online'," said Fairlie. "Twenty million children in the United States, or 26 percent of children, have no computer access at home, and race is a key part of who's online and who isn't."

I wonder if this research has looked at rural/suburban/urban differences as well.

As we struggle with the "what to do next" question here in Maine regarding the next step following the MLTI project - a project based upon "leveling the playing field" and reducing the digital divide between and among Maine children, this may be some valuable ammo.

It is too early to show long term effect on graduation levels due to MLTI, or to extract the effect of MLTI from other programs and initiatives to keep kids in school and to graduate, but it is something to consider based upon this new data.

Here is the news release about the research by Fairlie

Read more about The Digital Divide

~John Brandt

Brain Research: A Call for Skepticism

This week PEN's Newsblast posted a reference to an ed-week article which grabbed my interest. Here is the lead-in:

"Brain research" is everywhere these days. Teachers are bombarded with claims about "brain-based learning" at conferences, where they are regularly invited to view photo imaging of cerebral blood flow. Gender differences in learning are explained by variations in the cortical activity of boys and girls. And typically this research, or so proponents claim, can lead to clear implications for teaching. It often seems a short step from blood-flow studies to single-sex schools, writes Thomas Newkirk.

Citing "brain research" can perhaps give researchers and advocates the veneer of science; it can make us feel we are in contact with something solid. But Newkirk suspects it only makes us look foolish in the eyes of actual scientists. At worst, it overstates differences and looks for causes in all the wrong places.

I have a little confession to make...Long before I started working at Maine ASCD I was a school psychologist and about ten years ago worked on a doctorate in child neuropsychology. As part of this training I took coursework in neurophysiology and studied about anatomical issues related to psychopathology and learning difficulties. Up until about five years ago, the time I came to Maine ASCD, I was pretty up-to-date on all of these issues.

Over the past five years, I have sat through numerous workshops and conference sessions where "brain-based research" was touted and held up as unequivocal truth. I always closed my eyes and shuttered.

In most cases what was being listed as the "newest research" was something I was taught in Intro to Psychology 35 years ago. Much of this was also basic educational psychology that I was teaching about 20 years ago. A lot of it, in my estimation, was simply absurd and easy to discredit.

Psychologists are trained to be constantly questioning; constantly seeking data to support or reject theory. In some ways we are professionally skeptical. We know that by nature, the human brain and the complexities of human behavior will ALWAYS be explained as a combination of biology and environment. We know that practically all congenital physiological differences in brain matter could be as much a result as a cause of behavioral differences.

I encourage you to read the whole article...perhaps you disagree? Are educators scientists or artisans? You decide.

- John Brandt

Education Week Article

Leadership and Student Achievement

The September 2005 newsletter by The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement provides a excellent synopsis and review of recent research funded by the Wallace Foundation. In it, the authors describe how the leadership role of the principal is a critical element in improving student achievement. They state:

"School and district leadership has been the focus of intense scrutiny in recent years as researchers try to define not only the qualities of effective leadership but the impact of leadership on the operation of schools, and even on student achievement. A recently published literature review titled How Leadership Influences Student Learning contributes to this growing body of knowledge by examining the links between student achievement and educational leadership practices.

Authors Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004) make two important claims. First, 'leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school' (p. 7). Second, 'leadership effects are usually largest where and when they are needed most' (p. 7). Without a powerful leader, troubled schools are unlikely to be turned around. The authors stress that 'many other factors may contribute to such turnarounds, but leadership is the catalyst' (p. 7)..."

"The authors warn that it is tempting to get caught up in defining the many adjectives often used to describe leadership in education literature (e.g., participative, instructional) but note that ultimately these descriptions focus on style, not substance. A more productive strategy, they contend, is to examine the following three sets of practices that make up the basic core of successful leadership:

• Setting direction.
• Developing people.
• Redesigning the organization. "

The newsletter report and the original research provide some powerful arguments for ensuring success in reform efforts by acquiring and supporting good school and district leaders. As the authors conclude: "How Leadership Influences Student Learning emphasizes that the most influential educational leaders remain the principal and superintendent, and that their leadership is inextricably linked to student performance. Having examined a host of factors that contribute to what students learn at school, the authors conclude that the contribution of leadership is second in strength only to classroom instruction. And, effective leadership has the greatest impact where it is most needed—in the nation’s challenged schools."

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement - 2005 September Newsletter

Wallace Foundation - "How Leadership Influences Student Learning"

- John Brandt