Maine ASCD Weblog

Boy Crisis – Part II

It appears the discussions about the presence of a “Gender War” that I referred to back in April, has been ratcheted up another notch. 

The Washington Post reports another study by The Education Sector - a Washington based think tank - that attempts to put to rest the controversy.  According to the Post:

The "boy crisis," the report says, has been used by conservative authors who accuse "misguided feminists" of lavishing resources on female students at the expense of males and by liberal authors who say schools are "forcing all children into a teacher-led pedagogical box that is particularly ill-suited to boys' interests and learning styles."

"Yet there is not sufficient evidence -- or the right kind of evidence -- available to draw firm conclusions," the report says. "As a result, there is a sort of free market for theories about why boys are underperforming girls in school, with parents, educators, media, and the public choosing to give credence to the explanations that are the best marketed and that most appeal to their pre-existing preferences."

I must admit that I haven't yet read the Education Sector report - I'm doing that next . But apparently, the debate is, ...to be continued...

~John Brandt

What’s for Lunch? – Thumb Please

The buzz today was regarding the Lisbon School Department’s plan to use “biometric identification” in their food service system next year.

In a story in the Portland Press Herald (and follow-up comments on the Mainetoday.com website) it appears the idea of using students’ fingerprints is meeting with some opposition.

The PPH reports

"When you mention fingerprinting, (parents) just go off the wall," said Walter Beesley, an education specialist at Child Nutrition Services in the state Department of Education. "There's been a lot of noise about it."

The opinions on the website seem to be mixed and generally reflect the full range of sentiments from fears of privacy invasion, to enthusiasm, to that good old Yankee sentiment of “why can’t we just use a paper and pencil?”

Unfortunately, the article does not state the reasons why the system is being planned – or why it is being used by more and more institutions around the country. In fact there are a lot of good reasons for using this technology and some of them have to do with the fact that unfortunately, not everyone who work in school food service programs are “squeaky clean.” Sadly, there have been numerous stories of fraud reported nationally concerning food service programs. And, I am sure there are cases of kids using other kids meal cards.

From eSchool News:

By just about every measure, biometric forms of identification outpace other options for efficiency and ease. When a child presses a finger into a scanner, there's no doubt about his or her identity. There's no risk of lost ID cards or forgotten PIN numbers. There's no chance of fraudulent use of the child's meal account by someone else.

Privacy advocates should also reconsider the use of biometric systems. They may actually be safer in securing people’s privacy.

Again from eSchool News:

Biometric forms of identification also provide anonymity and eliminate any stigma for the children who receive free or reduced-price lunches. "Not long ago it was commonplace for schools to use different-colored lunch tickets or other noticeable means to identify free and reduced-price students," says Peterson. By moving to electronic point-of-service systems that use identification numbers, swipe cards, or biometrics, students no longer can easily identify who is receiving a free meal, he explains, adding: "That's one big reason for the increased participation in the National School Lunch Program." And increased participation in the program can translate into more funding for districts.

Bon appetite

~John Brandt

No More Nap Time

Perhaps it is fitting that at the end of another exhausting year in American public education, this story should make news.

It seems in the push to meet standards (i.e., NCLB) and increase physical fitness, a number of communities have made the decision to end “nap time” in kindergarten classes.

The Charlotte Observer reports:

“For decades, boys and girls have arrived at kindergarten with a must-have from the supply list: A comfy mat for nap time. Today, they can leave their tiny mats at home.

Across the nation, academic pressures in public schools are getting pushed down to kindergarten. Not even 5-year-olds have time for naps anymore.

The national move away from naptime and to making kindergarten a more studious environment can come at a price, some educators say. Young children can be hurried into academics too soon, they worry.

Today's on-the-go kindergarten is not the one that baby boomers, or even some boomers' children, remember.”

The decision is not without controversy with both educators of young children and parents questioning the decision.

One of the arguments supporting the need for MORE nap time is the fact that there is increased evidence that many of today’s school children are “sleep deprived.”

The whirl of today's family life sometimes interferes with sleep and with learning, says Sarah Lynn Hayes, director of curriculum support in the Rock Hill (NC) school district.

"Some children go from 6 in the morning until whenever at night," she said. "We're getting them to soccer, dance; we're grabbing meals. Research is finding so many of our kids are sleep-deprived."

I’m sure Ronald Reagan – who while President of the United States was known to be a big proponent of naps – is probably rolling over in his grave.

So, kiddies, catch up on your “zzz’s” this summer – you’re gonna need them. School starts again in just about two months!

~John Brandt

More About School Improvement

You may want to take a look at a new article from the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement. Written by The Center’s director Hugh Burkett, the article reflects on “mistakes made” over the past number of years in efforts to improve schools in the districts where the author was an administrator. The article is entitled, “Six Don’ts of School Improvement…and Their Solutions” and relates personal experiences where things did not go according to plan.

Two of the more telling “Don’ts” relate to the importance of caring and mentoring new teachers and the issue of spreading leadership and responsibility across the entire district.

Regarding the mentoring of teachers, Burkett states:

“I should have paid more attention to mentoring. Like most districts, we had a mentoring program, but it wasn’t very strong. We didn’t systematically identify outstanding mentors or pay attention to whether they believed in the core vision of the district. We didn’t give them time to mentor. New teachers often felt alone and overwhelmed. No wonder so many of them grew sour; we threw them in the deep end of the pool and yelled, ‘Good luck!’

“Induction, mentoring, and ongoing nurturing through support, feedback, and meaningful learning opportunities. They all need attention.”

He notes that previously he believed that a single principal could turn a struggling school around and has since learned that developing teacher leaders was an essential part.

“But I’ve come to realize that teachers who are involved in leadership roles are actually better teachers. They are more engaged in their profession, more likely to innovate and experiment, and more likely to feel responsible for the school’s success and for the success of its kids. There are all kinds of leadership roles for teachers, from speaking up at a faculty meeting to helping decide how the budget gets spent. Good principals don’t protect teachers from leadership; they encourage them to lead.”

As for responsibility, Burkett says, pass that accountability around. It not just about teachers, but everyone in the educational system from the teacher to the superintendent to the employees of the state department of education.

That’s a novel concept.

Read the article – it’s short and sweet.

~John Brandt