I created a new Poll. The results of my old poll leaned heavily towards parents and students followed by teachers. Of course students must be held the most accountable for their own learning but parents must establish the foundation that emphasizes the significance and importance of their child's education otherwise it won't really matter how good the teacher is.
This new poll is a bit sketchy since, to a teacher, this could be about ANY population of students in any part of the country. So I would have to clarify that the poll is asking about high school level students and the average student population in America. Meaning if you took a random sample of high school students in America and put them in those classes, which would they have the most difficulty with... And in terms of clarifying specific subjects (US history vs. global, or algebra vs. calculus, or biology vs. chemistry), I'm talking about the average performance overall in these general subject areas.
Good luck on your decision... I haven't made mine yet... :)
To New Readers...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mid-Year Cuts a Possibility...
The State Legislature reconvened in Albany today for an extraordinary session called by the governor to take up his plan to close a deficit of more than $3 billion for the remaining four and a half months of this fiscal year. On the table is a midyear $223 million cut to New York City schools.
Please call your local Senator and Assembly member NOW and tell them: Protect the classroom!
We understand that times are tough. We have proposed alternative strategies that will help us get us through the immediate crisis. But what we are not willing to do is let budget cuts hurt the schoolchildren in the classrooms of New York City.
City schools have already absorbed $400 million in cuts this fall; many principals have reduced after-school programs, academic intervention services, school supplies and staff. More cuts in the middle of the year would be particularly disruptive, since schools have already planned their spending for the rest of the year.
Call the State Assembly at 1-518-455-4100, between 8 a.m. and midnight, Monday through Friday, and ask to speak to your local Assembly Member.
Don’t know who your Assembly Member is? Look it up here.
Call the State Senate at 1-518-455-2800, between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed Veterans Day), and ask to speak to your local Senator.
Don’t know who your state Senator is? Look it up here.
Urge your state legislators to protect classrooms from midyear cuts today!
Sincerely,
Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
Monday, November 9, 2009
Oh boy...
Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday, voters reelected Mayor Bloomberg to a third term in office. In an election where education was a major focus, the outcome is truly a testament to your hard work and accomplishments—and what they have meant for our students. Over the past year especially, you brought about historic achievement gains despite the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. And you kept your focus even as our schools and our students’ progress were challenged during the loud debate over mayoral control and then, of course, the long campaign.
This third term provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to build on our success and take it to the next level. Many of you remember how things used to be. For decades, our schools were characterized by a revolving door of leadership and reforms that never had the support to produce any sustained results. That all changed in 2002. By the end of this four-year term, the city will have experienced 12 years of consistent and bold educational vision.
Mayor Bloomberg’s continuity of leadership has led to historic achievement gains and what I hope is a permanent culture shift—creating a school system that puts the interests of students above all else. Today, our students have many more good school options from which to choose. Our teaching force is more highly qualified. And principals have more authority than ever to make decisions that best meet the needs of their schools. But as proud as I am of what we’ve accomplished—raising our graduation rate by 15 points (to 61 percent), for example—so far we are still a school system capable of graduating just six out of ten students in four years. We must do better than that for our kids and frankly, for the future of this city.
We’ll get there by building on what we know works and by being prepared to innovate. We will continue to be guided by the pillars of leadership, empowerment, and accountability. The best decision we made was to focus our reforms on individual schools and the talents of those who lead them. As you know, we demand more than ever from our schools—and that will not change. We must continually set higher standards to ensure our children are prepared to tackle real-world challenges. That’s why I support more rigorous assessments and graduation requirements for our students. To help you meet and exceed these expectations, we’ve given you more information than ever to help your students achieve. Tools like ARIS and inquiry teams, for example, help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses so you can better target instruction, and we will continue to expand these resources.
But it’s also time to take a fresh look at how we organize our schools and deliver instruction: for too long, public education has been immune to innovation and that cannot continue. We already are piloting several models that reorganize our classrooms, redistribute our teacher talent, and take advantage of technology. Several other ideas are in the planning stages, and we need even more of them. We’re redefining Career and Technical Education so that our curriculum is tied to college standards and prepares students for jobs that are currently in demand. Indeed, for the first time, working with CUNY, we’ve created an integrated 9-14 CTE school where students get a high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree. And Mayor Bloomberg has vowed to open 100 more charter schools if Albany raises—or lifts altogether—the current cap on their creation. As always, I encourage you to e-mail me with your ideas and share your experiences.
With school improvement both a local and, now, a national priority, there has never been a more exciting time to be working in public education. The expectations for this third term are high and the debates will be noisy, but after more than seven years, we’re used to that. I’m confident New York City will once again lead the way.
Sincerely,
Joel I. Klein
Yesterday, voters reelected Mayor Bloomberg to a third term in office. In an election where education was a major focus, the outcome is truly a testament to your hard work and accomplishments—and what they have meant for our students. Over the past year especially, you brought about historic achievement gains despite the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. And you kept your focus even as our schools and our students’ progress were challenged during the loud debate over mayoral control and then, of course, the long campaign.
This third term provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to build on our success and take it to the next level. Many of you remember how things used to be. For decades, our schools were characterized by a revolving door of leadership and reforms that never had the support to produce any sustained results. That all changed in 2002. By the end of this four-year term, the city will have experienced 12 years of consistent and bold educational vision.
Mayor Bloomberg’s continuity of leadership has led to historic achievement gains and what I hope is a permanent culture shift—creating a school system that puts the interests of students above all else. Today, our students have many more good school options from which to choose. Our teaching force is more highly qualified. And principals have more authority than ever to make decisions that best meet the needs of their schools. But as proud as I am of what we’ve accomplished—raising our graduation rate by 15 points (to 61 percent), for example—so far we are still a school system capable of graduating just six out of ten students in four years. We must do better than that for our kids and frankly, for the future of this city.
We’ll get there by building on what we know works and by being prepared to innovate. We will continue to be guided by the pillars of leadership, empowerment, and accountability. The best decision we made was to focus our reforms on individual schools and the talents of those who lead them. As you know, we demand more than ever from our schools—and that will not change. We must continually set higher standards to ensure our children are prepared to tackle real-world challenges. That’s why I support more rigorous assessments and graduation requirements for our students. To help you meet and exceed these expectations, we’ve given you more information than ever to help your students achieve. Tools like ARIS and inquiry teams, for example, help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses so you can better target instruction, and we will continue to expand these resources.
But it’s also time to take a fresh look at how we organize our schools and deliver instruction: for too long, public education has been immune to innovation and that cannot continue. We already are piloting several models that reorganize our classrooms, redistribute our teacher talent, and take advantage of technology. Several other ideas are in the planning stages, and we need even more of them. We’re redefining Career and Technical Education so that our curriculum is tied to college standards and prepares students for jobs that are currently in demand. Indeed, for the first time, working with CUNY, we’ve created an integrated 9-14 CTE school where students get a high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree. And Mayor Bloomberg has vowed to open 100 more charter schools if Albany raises—or lifts altogether—the current cap on their creation. As always, I encourage you to e-mail me with your ideas and share your experiences.
With school improvement both a local and, now, a national priority, there has never been a more exciting time to be working in public education. The expectations for this third term are high and the debates will be noisy, but after more than seven years, we’re used to that. I’m confident New York City will once again lead the way.
Sincerely,
Joel I. Klein
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Larry Gonick: The Cartoon Guides to Science
Larry Gonick is a cartoonist who has created a series of wonderful cartoon books that illustrate the various sciences. He has The Cartoon Guide to Genetics, The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry, The Cartoon Guide to Physics, The Cartoon Guide to the Environment, The Cartoon History of the Universe, and The Cartoon Guide to Statistics. I recently acquired a class set of his genetics books through DonorsChoose.org.
These books are amazing at illustrating tough concepts. I'd highly recommend getting a copy or a class set of these to help students get a grip on what you talk about in class. It's a great supplement to notes and classwork.
Here's a sample of what the genetics cartoons look like through Google books (No embedded preview, but they have a link).
These books are amazing at illustrating tough concepts. I'd highly recommend getting a copy or a class set of these to help students get a grip on what you talk about in class. It's a great supplement to notes and classwork.
Here's a sample of what the genetics cartoons look like through Google books (No embedded preview, but they have a link).
Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy
Robert M. Hazen and James Trefil have a book called Science Matters. From what I have read it's a really well put together book on explaining the Layman's side of scientific aspects of the abstract nature of science
There are a lot of confusing aspects of science that we have to address during the course of a year so this book seems to cover a lot of different subjects in a language that is not overwhelming, even to lower reading levels. I'm thinking about using the explanation of Newton's Laws in class. :)
Below is a sample through Google books:
There are a lot of confusing aspects of science that we have to address during the course of a year so this book seems to cover a lot of different subjects in a language that is not overwhelming, even to lower reading levels. I'm thinking about using the explanation of Newton's Laws in class. :)
Below is a sample through Google books:
Saturday, November 7, 2009
8 Reasons Not to Tie Teacher Pay to Standardized Tests
Gordon MacInnes has a paper out on 8 reasons against tying teacher compensation to students test scores. Please read and distribute as needed. :)
As much as we like change in the White House and a possible change in educational policy, the direction this administration is taking is dangerous. Let's turn education into the business model that we've recently seen fail on a catastrophic level. Maybe in about 5-10 years, we'll get a massive government bail-out and have to surrender our bonuses like AIG executives.
Doesn't history repeat itself in the strangest of ways?
As much as we like change in the White House and a possible change in educational policy, the direction this administration is taking is dangerous. Let's turn education into the business model that we've recently seen fail on a catastrophic level. Maybe in about 5-10 years, we'll get a massive government bail-out and have to surrender our bonuses like AIG executives.
Doesn't history repeat itself in the strangest of ways?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Violence... What if...
What if you were in school instead of wandering around the Bronx? What if you were in your classes rather than cutting? You wouldn't be stuck in a hospital in intensive care now would you?
When I first heard, I thought it was a joke. I thought it was some sort of silly gag. But alas you are in fact at risk of losing your life from your injuries. I suppose I still feel that at this age, students are entitled to an irrational sense of invincibility.
When students fall victim to senseless violence outside of school it's always tragic. No matter who it is. I mean it's one thing for students to end up in jail, they screwed up and they're paying the consequences, but to fall victim to vicious violence is different.
This kid's life is hanging in the balance now. I hope a full and complete recovery is forthcoming...
When I first heard, I thought it was a joke. I thought it was some sort of silly gag. But alas you are in fact at risk of losing your life from your injuries. I suppose I still feel that at this age, students are entitled to an irrational sense of invincibility.
When students fall victim to senseless violence outside of school it's always tragic. No matter who it is. I mean it's one thing for students to end up in jail, they screwed up and they're paying the consequences, but to fall victim to vicious violence is different.
This kid's life is hanging in the balance now. I hope a full and complete recovery is forthcoming...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NatGeo: Disease, Disease Information, Yada yada...
As you already know, I'm obsessed with NatGeo.
If you haven't checked out their website thoroughly for resources, there is a site dedicated to human diseases. They've got their trademark photographs, decent articles about historical epidemics you can use, and maps on distributions of where infections take place.
The link has been added to Biology as National Geographic - Diseases.
If you haven't checked out their website thoroughly for resources, there is a site dedicated to human diseases. They've got their trademark photographs, decent articles about historical epidemics you can use, and maps on distributions of where infections take place.
The link has been added to Biology as National Geographic - Diseases.
The Complete National Geographic on DVD
This is by far, the best purchase I've ever made (about $70). I'd highly recommend it if you need articles or pictures of stuff. I randomly search for articles on cloning, DNA, space, plants, planets, and so on. You can pretty much find an article about each of these topics in some capacity.
Also, they have issues dating back to 1888 or something like that. There aren't any pictures, but you could definitely look into the academic interests of the time period that these were published. It's like having the entire collection without having them all printed out and collecting dust on a shelf.
Sure beats reading the Daily News...
Also, they have issues dating back to 1888 or something like that. There aren't any pictures, but you could definitely look into the academic interests of the time period that these were published. It's like having the entire collection without having them all printed out and collecting dust on a shelf.
Sure beats reading the Daily News...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
School Pride
I'm watching an ESPN360 replay of a football game that was blacked out. And I'm listening to the crowd boo-ing my team onto the field.
The thought just occurred to me how little school pride that our students have. I remember my first days going to school, I didn't have much school pride either, but I at least understood its significance and it's impact on my life by the time I graduated.
I think there are moments when you have to recognize that students are naturally entitled. Their feelings are more important than their school work. Their reputation and their name is more significant than their grades.
It's a natural choice they make. It's a compromise that we as grown adults can only mock while reminiscing on similar life experience.
And my team just scored a TD on the opening kick-off... 98 yards. Nice.
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