Questions

A COMMON OBJECTION to SMALL SCHOOLS: “Our schools are focusing on reducing class size, not schoolsize. We seek to provide a student-centered environment.”

RESPONSE: Let us emphasize the difference between being a student in a small school and being a student in a small class in a large school.

Bill Gates hammers the point of small schools, where kids feel safer and everyone knows your name. It doesn’t matter what size the “student-centered environment” is – when I walk out that classroom door, if I can merge into a sea of 800 or 1000 other bodies, then I’m not in a small school. I don’t get the small-school benefit that Dennis Littky writes about and that Bill Gates is pursuing with his foundation.

In short

1) Howard Gardner says that assessing actual understanding will cost a lot more that we currently spend on written tests (Intelligence Reframed, p. 167).

2) Littky says that mentors, exhibitions and learning through interests are needed to supplement the typical school textbook and testing

3) Robert Reich does not have much complimentary to say about standardized tests (see page 17 of this booklet).

How can this “Met Center” model be applied to middle schools? Or to traditional high schools?

n more hands-on learning

n more interaction with outside mentors

n introduce grading by narrative

n “one classroom schools” – one teacher for several subjects. (See WARNING below.)

n less emphasis on performance on a written test

n expand the standardized test to allow alternative ways of “performing understanding.”

Howard Gardner, developer of the Multiple Intelligences theory, makes it clear that there are many ways of learning, so there should be more than one way to assess a person’s mastery of a subject. Some people are inspired speakers and actors, but have a difficult time writing. Some people are good at building teams but do poorly when acting alone.

In the real world, these people are called “managers” (because they know how to delegate). They don’t have to know how to do everything well.

However, schools test students in a way that guarantees that most people who are good in one area are going to feel terrible about themselvesbecause they can’t perform up to a standard in another area. In the work place, employees don’t have to perform in a well-rounded way. That’s why there is division of labor in an organization.

As a math teacher, I’m impressed with the Big Picture’s philosophy and how the philosophy is put into action through the five pillars. The interview with National Public Radio (in April 2005) is particularly compelling and I recommend close listening to Dennis Littky. You can find this interview on the NPR web site, npr.org, and enter “Dennis Littky” in the search box. The links will take you to the April 25, 2005 interview. I used to “believe in” schools as large boxes that efficiently take in 1000 students and churn out young adults. Now I see that I learned because I was with an adult who spoke to me and a few other people who were also interested in what I was hooked on. As a tutor, I see students “get it” after three or four sessions because I take the time to find out what the student is interested in and we shift the tutoring sessions toward those interests.

What if schools were “places to explore my interests”? Dennis Littky describes one path to making a classroom that facilitates discovery. The Big Picture: Education is Everyone’s Business. I hope you will take time to connect with this remarkable organizationà (401) 752-3442

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The Secret Behind the Met Center in Rhode Island

Hmm. It sounds like any other school. “High Standards” for most of us means “We use expensive textbooks and expect our students to do onerous homework.” At the Met, the standards are for rigorous work in the student’s area of passion.

“Advisory” for most schools might mean “we have a guidance department” and “we help students find possible careers.” In the Met, the advisory is the class and the classroom. The advisory appears to be the heart of the program. The advisory system links one adult to 15 students and that adult (the “advisor,” but most of us would call that adult the “teacher”) builds a three- or four-year relationship with the student. There are other teachers, but one advisor guides the student through a mix of subjects. The students look at issues in the advisory, focusing on quantitative reasoning (math), empirical evidence (the scientific process) and communication (language arts).

Confused? I was when I first heard of this school’s system. I thought, “How can one teacher teach all subjects?” That’s the wrong question. We should be asking, “In my school, how can a student get a sense of direction when he or she has to deal with at least 5 different teachers each year, 20 teachers through high school? Where is the common thread binding all of these subjects in the student?”

That’s the secret behind the Met. One adult cares about (focuses on) one student at a time. I know at least one school district that claims to teach “one student at a time.” The Met Center actually practices this.

Five pillars of Big Picture Schools

(as interpreted by a math teacher who visited The Met in Providence, RI, part of the Big Picture schools association)

1 Multi-year relationships -- The teacher stays with the same students for three or four years. The teacher teaches more than one subject. In the case of the Met, a high school in Providence, RI, the teacher stays with the students for all four years of high school.

2 The teacher is a facilitator. Teacher = Advisor = “how can I help you?” The teacher coaches the student to choose activities to cover skill areas (language skills, quantitative reasoning, etc.) rather than special subjects, like trigonometry, algebra or chemistry. One of the teacher’s prime activities is finding suitable mentors for the students.

3 Tests are by exhibition. A “stand up” demonstration of understanding is valued above a written test. The students take the state’s standardized tests and other written tests, but the school focuses on the exhibition, which is the product of at least nine weeks of work.

4 Learning through interests – the internships (set up with the teacher) are selected by the student. Academic learning is filtered through the student’s interests.

5 “I’m more than a letter in the alphabet.” Evaluations are made by narratives, not by a letter grade. The teacher can afford time to write two pages of narrative about each student during the grading period because the teacher has only 15 to 20 students to meet with over a nine-week period. (I observed an “advisor” who met with students throughout the class day, asking for updates on on-going projects. This sort of focus can come from a narrow focus of one adult on a small group of students.)

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The Size of the School

Dear Parent:

Let’s think of an example of a small school that receives public money... Hmm... That middle school down the street has 700 or 1,000 students. Most public high schools are over 1,000 students (the big three in my city are all over 1,400 students).

Oh, how about charter schools? -- those hybrid entities that have an agreement with the state (a “charter”) to operate as a nonprofit organization with less of the constraints of a public school (no union, so it’s easier to hire and fire teachers).

There are scores of complaints about charters:
- "They don't have a football team"
- "They don't have enough students"
- "They have to eat lunch in the classroom."
- "They don't have a media center."
- "The principal of that charter school is from another country and he doesn't understand kids in the USA."
- "They have to take a bus to get to a playground or recess area."

- “They are underfunded because they don’t have enough students, so they don’t have enough money.”

- “They don’t have enough students so my child doesn’t have enough friends.”

- “They score lower than the public schools in the standardized tests. I want my kid to be in the big school where the test scores are higher.”
- "They ..." (add to the list)

Parents, you can find many reasons to stick with the large school that your child currently attends. People will give you many reasons to avoid underfunded and mismanaged small schools. However, if you agree with Gates, then join the charter school movement and “vote” for a smaller school -- where everyone knows your child's name.

I know of a charter school that needs 130 students to have enough funds to hire two extra assistants and afford buses for field trips. The school has just over 90 students. Each student is “worth” about $400 a month or $3,000 a year in public money (that would otherwise go to a large public school). With 35 more students, that's over $100,000 that the charter school could use for "additional resources." Would you like a school that has an expensive building and cafeteria? Or do you want a school that has fewer than 400 students (and the principal knows every student)?

Most parents at nearby large schools didn't hear Mr. Gates and his speech. They currently send their kids to one of the large schools in the area with over 1000 students. I wonder if the parents would change their minds if they knew what Bill Gates said....

If you’re looking for a way to have an impact, there’s nothing more remarkable or effective as the choice of school. Voting has a chance for changing the outcome of an election (if you join with 10,000 or so other voters). Writing a letter or attending a city commission meeting might make a difference, if you and another five hundred people show up.

Volunteering for a beach clean up might make you feel good, but your child could be one percent of a school. Your child, your “vote,” could shift funding to a small school and send a message to the school district: Gates is right. We need small schools.

What should happen to larger schools?

The Gates foundation has funded the division of large schools in New York, L.A. and Chicago into several smaller schools. Why not apply that same effort in large schools everywhere? For parents wanting to heed Mr. Gates’ advice, however, switching to a small school is immediate. While we petition our school boards to partition large schools, at least some students can be placed immediately in smaller learning environments.

In short, a charter school is an affordable way for your child to get rigor, relevance and relationships in a small school. To find a charter school in your area, go to your school district’s web site and search for “Charter.”

In Broward County, Florida: www.BrowardSchools.com and click on “School Info.” Then select Charters.

In Dade County, www.dadeschools.net, click on “Schools,” then “School Information” and select Charters.

In Palm Beach County,www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us, then click on the“School Info” button on the horizontal bar, then click on “Charter Schools.”

Good searching.

FindASmallSchool.com

Let’s be clear:

1. There are some charter schools that are struggling.

2. Struggling schools turn around when parents get involved.

3. The Power of One means that you (the One) have the power with other parents to make a school better.

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An Open Letter to Parents

The New Three “R”s By Steve McCrea, Independent Educator

http://www.IndependentEducator.com

I’m a tutor for middle school students, so I often get asked: “What should my child be studying?” “Can you recommend a good web site to help him get ahead?” “My child has difficulty reading—can you tutor him?” Parents could present other questions to a teacher: “What should parents be learning?” I would answer, “Did you catch that important speech given by Bill Gates?”

In February 2005, Bill Gates gave a landmark speech at a conference of governors praising small schools. I missed it, and chances are that you did, too, because the speech was overwhelmed by the media’s focus on the Michael Jackson trial and Terri Schiavo. Here’s the essence of what Gates said:

“Successful schools are built on principles that can be applied anywhere. These are the new three Rs, the basic building blocks of better high schools: The first R is Rigor – making sure all students are given a challenging curriculum that prepares them for college or work. The second R is Relevance– making sure kids have courses and projects that clearly relate to their lives and their goals. The third R is Relationships – making sure kids have a number of adults who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve.”

The three Rs are almost always easier to promote in smaller schools. The smaller size gives teachers and staff the chance to create an environment where students achieve at a higher level and rarely fall through the cracks. Students in smaller schools are more motivated, have higher attendance rates, feel safer, and graduate and attend college in higher numbers.”

Bill Gates February 26, 2005
National Education Summit on High Schools

Read more in the coming posts about how you, a taxpayer, can help reform our schools...

The Role of Adults in Schools

Mentors

If I were a parent, I would look around for adults to volunteer to come into my child’s school. What is Gates really saying? “Education is everyone’s business” (even his business).

If you want to help reshape education while getting more attention for your child, make an effort to become a mentor. You don’t have to be a parent to provide this valuable service (to yourself as well as to the community).

Guidelines

1. Stay focused. Yes, school administrators need volunteers to help with photocopying, newspaper recycling, reorganizing closets. Ask to work as a teacher’s assistant. Get in contact with students.

2. Listen. The usual use of a visitor in a school is to stand the adult at the front of the classroom and ask for a speech. Instead, the teacher could give you a small group of students and you could spend time in a corner of the room finding out if there’s any “click” or connection. Ask the students, “What is your passion? What do you like to read about?” Many kids just need a chance to talk in order to discover their interests.
3. Return. Often. Frequent contact makes a difference. It takes seven exposures for most people to learn a new concept and many kids need to see an adult several times before your “message” gets through. Promise to return, then follow through. Be anticipated.

4. You don’t need a speech or special talent. Your presence is a present to students who see the same adults in the same profession (teachers). If you aren’t a teacher, that’s good. Remember what Gates said: “Make sure kids have a number of adults who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve.”

If you’re curious about how a school engages mentors, visit BigPicture.org and watch the videos online. The Met, a Big Picture school in Providence, Rhode Island, is where the new three “R”s were developed. The formula mentioned by Gates appeared in Dennis Littky’s book, The Big Picture: Education Is Everyone’s Business.

Well, I could write more, but I’ve got to go. You see, I’m a mentor, too, and a student is waiting for me.

Steve McCrea is an independent educator in Fort Lauderdale.

954.646.8246 (954-OH MUCHO)

SteveEnglishTeacher@gmail.com

Why not take a moment, right now, and visit BigPicture.org?

Commentaries about Dan Pink (and others)

A middle school teacher called me last month to announce that his school had "discovered" Dan Pink. "There are dozens of us who want to get together and talk about Dan Pink," teacher Adam Rose told me. "I thought of you because you've been sending me articles by Pink."

Indeed I had. In 2005 I received a book by FedEx from Marshall Thurber, an entrepreneurial educator who conducts workshops about communication, real estate and business techniques. "Steve, would you like to join me next month exploring the ideas in Dan Pink's book?" After reading A Whole New Mind, I agreed. Marshall sent a book to 100 friends and former clients and 45 of us showed up for a three-day workshop in Park City, Utah. What a remarkable experience. Marshall presented his vision of a team of participants who, over several years, could meet and explore topics raised not only by Dan Pink, but by other authors, too: Malcolm Gladwell (Blink), Thomas Friedman (The World Is Flat),

So, I knew about Pink when Adam called me. I had looked through Free Agent Nation (written after the 2000 presidential election cycle -- Pink was a speechwriter for Al Gore) and agreed with Pink's thesis that:

a) more people will work as indepdnet contractors than as full-benefit employees

b) more people will need to develop entrepreneurial skills

c) we could start teaching these skills in schools

d) schools that taught these skills were generally more interesting to kids than "standard" schools with "standard" curricula.

So, this blog is the start of a series of commentaries about the interesting world outside the public school bubble.

To read more, search "Dan Pink school free agent nation"...

RECOMMENDED LISTING: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4618720 Dennis Littky's interview on NPR on April 25, 2005