KIPP Schools: Do They Make The Cut?

In my previous post, I examined how the economic stimulus bill passed by President Obama will affect the current education problem in America. With the huge budget cuts during the economic crisis, schools have been hit the hardest. Teachers are being laid off, children are not able to learn to their fullest potential, and many schools are closing. President Obama budgeted $100 billion towards education. While this seems like a large sum of money, it will not even put a dent in the current problem. The first blog that I read by Jim Horn, Ph. D discussed how KIPP schools (Knowledge Is Power Program) are cutting out recess from their daily schedules. There is strong evidence linking this decision to be problematic because physical exercise and being out in nature typically increases a child’s ability to focus in the classroom. People are unable to focus to their maximum potential if they do not have a break during the day. The article also argued that not having recess takes a toll on the teachers by not giving them a break during the day. The second article that I read by Clay Burell again addressed KIPP schools, but looked at the pros and cons of charter schools. President Obama is putting millions of dollars towards renovations and reforms, but how much of this money will actually help and make a change. The public school system is working its hardest to stay afloat during these tough times. Instead of just temporarily slowing down the problem, lawmakers need to look to make a greater change because the children are the future. Every child needs to be put in a situation where they have a chance to succeed. Right now, it seems as though, the youth in America are being set up to fail because people are not willing to stand up and fight for them. Education is one of the essential pillars in a person’s life. Lawmakers need to step back and evaluate how to make schools more successful, especially schools in lower-income neighborhoods. While it seems a daunting task to try and change how the education system works, if it is broken down piece by piece, the cracks can be fixed and higher learning can be established.

"School Matter: Why Play Comes Naturally and KIPP Doesn't"
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In reading your article, I completely agree that taking out recess from a child’s daily routine is a detriment to their overall academic success. Is the removal of recess in KIPP schools because of lack of funding or desire for more control? Recess is the only time when children are freely allowed to socialize and I believe that the removal of this will stunt social development. Children are scolded when they socialize during class, so I think that taking away recess only further encourages them to act out during class. Do you think that the manipulation of recess is successful for teachers such as removing recess privileges when a child misbehaves? As an educator, do you believe there are more useful methods available? What long-term effects could you see occurring if schools removed recess altogether? It is interesting to note that in all major studies recess and physical activity have been helpful to student learning, yet schools are so quick to cut out recess and cut back on physical education programs. With the current increase of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it seems as though it would be crucial for recess programs to remain. The Journal of School Health reported that, “The more physical tests children passed, the better they did on academic tests. The study of 1,800 middle school students, suggests that children can benefit academically from physical activity during gym class and recess.” With all of the evidence found supporting recess and physical activity it is disturbing that the government and school districts can so quickly disregard all of this information. According to Tara Parker-Pope in your blog, “Direct attention is a limited resource. Long hours in front of a computer or studying fro a test can leave us feeling fatigued. But spending time in natural settings appears to activate involuntary attention giving the brain’s directed attention time to rest.” After reading your blog and the New York Times article I am a firm believer that recess is crucial to a child’s overall development and future success. It is of the utmost importance to let a child remain a child.

"WaPo Urges Caution re: Matthews' KIPP Book"
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Thank you for this in-depth look at issues regarding KIPP charter schools. In recent years, KIPP charter schools have become a popular choice in public schooling. While I was mainly aware of more popular programs such as Teach For America, it was interesting to read about other teaching options for low-income communities. With the economic crisis at hand, it is unfortunate that the education system in America is suffering. I believe that the longer school days and longer school years will definitely have a negative impact on the children. With KIPP schools having an application process, do you think that it “weeds out” children who might need the program more because their parents are unaware or unable to complete this task? What implications come with having a child apply to the KIPP schools? Will they be more successful? In the article it discussed how many KIPP schools have more middle class than lower class students. Do you think that KIPP schools have unintentionally furthered segregation between social classes? While the KIPP schools have been flourishing in recent years, I found it disturbing that 60% of the children leave the program. Why do you believe the drop out rate of the program is so high? Does the accountability of the charter schools have an impact on the type of education a child receives and the type of teacher that is hired? Teachers are playing a larger role now more than ever with overpopulated classrooms. I feel that it is extremely important for the teachers in the KIPP schools to be well educated and properly trained to overcome the huge deficit in the student to teacher ratio. Hopefully, the KIPP schools will be able to provide this type of teacher to the students so that they can ultimately thrive in society and in life. Education in low-income communities has been a constant problem in American society. With the new economic stimulus package, it will be interesting to see if the money will make any impact in the lower tiers of the education system.

What is Ahead for No Child Left Behind: The New Economic Stimulus and Education

President Obama's recently passed stimulus package includes $25 billion for special education and the No Child Left Behind program. NCLB funds will be especially important to California schools, now that the new state budget will be reducing spending for K-12 public education by $8.4 billion over the next two years. But NCLB funding will not be a quick or easy fix for school budget problems.  NCLB was originally established to create more standardization in the U.S. to allow  students to be able to compete with their foreign counterparts.  Many studies have shown that the U.S. education system ranks lower than almost every other industrialized country. Other countries have had more success in education because they distribute the wealth better within the system than the United States. With all the money that is directed towards education, the standards should be raised. Higher education standards will ultimately allow Americans the ability to compete at an international level. While the recent stimulus package is intended to help the education system in the U.S., if we are not able to breakdown the flaws and compete with our foreign peers at a higher level then the money is useless.

NCLB has been controversial since President George W. Bush signed the act back in 2001. It was intended to make schools accountable for teaching poor children basic skills in math and reading. Schools that instruct low income children receive educational assistance funds based on how well students perform. Students are measured by standardized tests that vary from state to state. As stated by a Gallop poll, public opinion of NCLB grew more and more unfavorable between 2003 and 2007. At the same time, an increase of money has been spent on the program. Groups that have been critical of standardized tests have attacked NCLB because they believe that students spend too much time preparing for the tests instead of learning. Opponents of standardized testing in general, and NCLB in particular, call this "teaching to the test." These critics believe that preparing students for the NCLB tests takes time away from other subjects, such as art and social studies. Some critics maintain that standardized tests can't provide a fair and unbiased way to measure a student's abilities. But according to a 2003 Pew/Kaiser opinion poll, Americans believe that standardized tests are important for measuring students and teachers. And, last week, the president of the American Federation of Teachers published an editorial in the Washington Post calling for national standards. Standardized tests may have their drawbacks but they are here to stay. So is No Child Left Behind.

Recently Arne Duncan, the U.S. Education Secretary, has called for doubling NCLB funding. But just spending more money will not solve the problem. When Barack Obama talked about NCLB during his presidential campaign, he stressed that it was important to improve how students are assessed. He also said that the government should to support schools that need improvement, instead of punishing them. But no one has defined exactly how the government can support those schools. And no one has made any decisions about how to change the ways in which students are measured. It does not make sense to spend more money on NCLB until we have plans in place to ensure that we are going to make the program better.  The first thing that Arne Duncan and President Obama can do to support schools that are struggling is to change the program's deadline. Right now, all students are supposed to be proficient at reading and math by 2014. That is not a realistic goal. The program has not been able to make enough progress in its first seven years and the deadline is now only five years away. Currently, NCLB focuses on subgroups of students within a school, rather than the overall performance of the school as a whole. This means that one or two underperforming students could prevent an entire school from qualifying for funding. And that would hurt all students at the school. So it would make more sense to focus on measuring individual improvement.

For NCLB to shift its focus on individual improvement, it needs to ensure that there are enough teachers in the schools. This is where the economic stimulus funds can make a difference. If students get more individual attention from their teachers, they will not need to spend as much time focusing on the skills that the tests measure. They will be able to learn faster. Having more teachers equals smaller class sizes. Having smaller classes means that teachers will have the time to create lesson plans that not only prepare students for the tests but also teach reading and math skills in ways that will be useful in life, not just for passing the tests. NLCB should also provide training for teachers so they know how to teach the skills to be tested and how to make time in the classroom for other subjects. NCLB should also focus on helping states to strengthen their standards for grades K through 3. According to the New America Foundation, research by the American Federation of Teachers shows that state standards are weakest in early elementary years. But these important years give students a strong start in the basics they need to succeed in upper grades. The Foundation for Child Development advises that NCLB could have an impact on students even earlier. In a 2007 report, they recommended using NCLB funds to give disadvantaged children more access to pre-K programs such as Head Start.

We need to remember why NCLB was established in the first place. It was created because children in poor school districts were at a disadvantage when it came to education. Education Secretary Duncan recently admitted that NCLB hasn't made good on its promises yet. Duncan stated, "I think we are lying to children and families when we tell children that they are meeting standards and, in fact, they are woefully unprepared to be successful in high school and have almost no chance of going to a good university and being successful."Shortly before President Obama's economic stimulus package passed, Secretary Duncan announced that he would be talking to teacher's unions and asking school officials and parents around the country for input about how to improve No Child Left Behind. While it will not be easy, the investment and commitment towards education is well worth it. Schools should have to pass tests to make sure that they are teaching their students the necessary skills to be productive members of society. But NCLB has more homework to do before it makes the grade.

Hand in Hand : Money and Education

President Obama’s economic stimulus bill passed providing funding for two years for education.
Basically here’s how the money is allocated to K-12 schools and higher education. The Detroit Free Press summarizes the education allocations within the stimulus package:
$53.6 billion in direct aid to states, including $40.6 billion for local school districts, $5 billion in bonus grants for meeting key education performance measures and $8 billion for public safety and other critical services.
$2,500 annual tax credit for higher education expenses.
$500 increase in the maximum Pell Grant for low-income college students to $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in 2010.
$13 billion for Title I grants for schools in low-income areas.
$12.2 billion for special education.
$2 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant program to help low-income parents.
$1.1 billion for Early Head Start and $1 billion for Head Start.

Will the economic stimulus bill bolster education so it is no longer a national
shame? Probably it will be years before we know the correct answer to that question.
However, I’m optimistic that $100 billion earmarked for education will at the least draw more attention to the sad state that our education system is in. I guess I’d like to have a say in how to spend that money for education.

Not to say that the money won’t be useful, but perhaps the focus should be on other aspects of reform for education and alternative ways to spend that money. One such area is the role of technology in the classroom. The economic stimulus package has $1 billion is funding available for Title II-D (Enhancing Education Through Technology) of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on top of the $275 million already available. Another $13 billion is available for Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which can be used for technology as well.

A creative use of technology in the classroom is the use of smart phones. At a lower cost than that of laptops many in the mobile learning industry are suggesting that using cell phones in schools will make kids smarter. Since kids are already familiar with the device and most enjoy using them it makes sense that it would be easy to take advantage of this in the educational setting. Qualcomm recently granted $1million to Digital Millennial Consulting to conduct research on the use of smart phones in the classroom.

The findings of the research done at four North Carolina schools in low income neighborhoods is promising. Ninth and tenth grade math students were given cell phones which ran Microsoft Windows and programs to help with algebra. Students with the phones did 25%better on the algebra final than students without the phones in their algebra classes. The teachers who administered this technology commented that it really excited their students and made them collaborate and focus on their studies outside of school.


As well, last year in New York public schools partnered with Samsung and 2500 free cell phones were used as a reward for good behavior with prepaid minutes for high-test scores. The use of texting to remind students of assignments and deadlines was also successfully used until the project was dropped because of lack of finances. These creative uses of technology may improve the academic performance and behavior in the classroom making it a “yes “for my wish list for spending.

The next item would be pay-for-merit salaries for teachers. A recent study done on Los Angeles demonstrated that “four consecutive years of having a teacher from the top 25 percent of the pool would erase the black-white testing gap." This means that good teachers are the most important factor in a good education. More important than small class size, good school or neighborhood. Having a good teacher overcomes all other deficits. So we need to reward these teachers who are actually educating students as evidenced by test scores, grades and behavior. We need to improve how we determine which teachers are the most effective since especially at the lower grades a teacher with a graduate degree, high SATs or Ivy league college degree doesn’t always mean that they are a good teacher. Our present educational system rewards complacency for teachers- don’t be creative, or strive for excellence- just don’t make waves seems to be the mantra. A huge part of the fix will be in establishing better teachers who will go into the disadvantaged schools- at present there is no reward for accepting this type of challenge.

Another important item on my spending list is to provide better professional development for teachers. This is crucial in helping to narrow the gap in functional education that our teachers have in the areas of use of technology as well as how to work with children with learning differences who are in main stream classrooms. The lack of specialists and the funding for them requires that classroom teachers take on these additional skills to better serve their students.

We continually must ask why the U.S. spends more per student than any other industrialized country to get the worst results? The economic stimulus plan and its $100 billion for education is certainly an attempt to change these results. We must stop throwing money away and examine what has and hasn’t worked. Certainly, national testing or statewide testing hasn’t worked. We have teachers instructing for the test rather than testing to measure instruction. Since these testing mandates scores have gone down.“We do know that the existing national school system is broken and that we aren’t trying hard enough to fix it.”In short, thinking about the influx of $100billion for education has stimulated many into thinking about the importance of education in America.

Welcome!

Welcome! After countless hours researching early childhood education and the different practices and techniques used worldwide, I have come to some realizations.  The internet is full of amazing information- some good and highly useful and some completely irrelevant and very often incorrect.  If you are anything like me, you will realize that it can be a difficult and somewhat daunting task separating the credible sources from the inaccurate ones.  In an effort to help those of you out there like me looking for good, credible, and relevant information I have taken a step to enter the blogosphere, which is a completely new realm for me.  But I am sure that there are others out there that share my passion for childhood education and I welcome your input.  Through my searching I have found sites that were relevant and credible to my field of interest and added them to my linkroll.  And as the world (and web) change rapidly as time goes on, I am sure that more site will be discovered and added to my linkroll.  I found many helpful search engines such as the Internet Public Library and USA.gov.  The websites I selected were based on the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria.  I applied the Webby Awards criteria by analyzing each site to see if it has " content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience."  Once the site passed all of the criteria I added it to my linkroll and found it appropriate to incorporate it into my blog.  Additionally, I applied the IMSA criteria to my blog when posting other's blogs.  It is important to me to make sure that the blogs that I chose were from credible bloggers that have a high degree of knowledge in the field of education before I chose to share what they had to offer with you- my readers.  Additionally, any blogs that I have selected to support or initiate a topic were blogs known to be influential in the educational field.  I do hope that you will be bookmarking this blog as one of your favorites and that you will stop by again soon for more updates into the educational world.