Cyber High School Option for the Inner City?

As the school year approaches a commercial for Connections Academy has been getting a lot of air play. What I have noticed of course is that all of the students being used as "props" are either white or Asian and all apparently middle or upper class. Freed of drama, exposed to the innovation available on the internet, these students have been liberated from the tribulations inherent in a high school community.

Personally, I am not big fan of cyber schools, but my own feelings really aren't important. The issue is whether these "schools" can produce value for inner city students, and my gut feeling is yes. Aspiring inner city students face innumerable roadblocks on their path to graduation and then college or a trade. I spent a split second contemplating whether these schools should be utilized to get "trouble" students out of school, but then I realized that these students might not fully avail themselves of the opportunity these schools provide and that they may not have the family support to succeed, and, most importantly. But on the other hand research into "disruptive" students suggests that the reasons for their behavior are complex, and that many such students are disruptive because they have been turned off to school and are in fact academically strong once you scrape away the exterior.

There are many variables working against aspiring students, and high among the list are cultural and peer pressures devaluing academic achievement. To learn more about this I recommend everyone read "Code of the Streets," a 1994 Atlantic essay by Professor Elijah Anderson; he wrote this while at Penn but I believe is now at Yale.

With so many factors working against certain individual students, I do believe that cyber school might be a valuable remedy. The main issue is of course cost. Many inner city families do not own their residence and thus do not have the collateral to support a home loan to pay for the needed resources. Since it is incumbent on stakeholders in the business, non-profit, and philanthropic communities to support inner city education by helping provide difficult to attain role models and resources, creating a fund to underwrite the cost of a cyber education would be a wonderful undertaking. Broadening the community of cyber students into the inner city might also lead to a new class of entrepreneurial educators providing tutoring and mentoring to these students.

Having a new "class" of cyber students would also provide relief to classroom teachers that are overwhelmed with large classes and substandard resources, and give students greater opportunity to succeed.

Cyber schools are an option that I believe must be extended to the inner city. It would be a "project" requiring enormous organization and financial support, but as I've pointed out time and again in this blog, our inner city schools are failing. Graduation rates of 50% are simply unacceptable. If our political leaders and stakeholders truly care about the future of our cities, then they must at least explore this option.

Bravo to Frank Breslin for His Attack on State Testing

Bravo to Frank Breslin for his recent Op-Ed in the Trenton Times decrying the State’s obsession with testing, an obsession that is turning our inner city schools into vast wastelands of learning. As Breslin notes, “Children need inspiration and excitement to come alive, not the ceaseless drills of a Prussian parade ground.” He goes on to state: “Only schools that offer a rich assortment of learning experiences can inspire children’s belief in themselves, for this is the alchemy that changes their view of the world and its limitless possibilities.”

I refer to Mr. Breslin’s piece because it beautifully reflects my disdain for what passes as education in our inner cities, and, more to the point, how the long reach of the State and its mandates has actually caused a digression in student achievement, as reflected in perpetually low test scores and the subsequent ranking of our inner city high schools as the poorest performing hundred schools in New Jersey.

I of course believe I have the solution by essentially transforming EVERY public high school into charter schools, by liberating these schools from the corrupted policies of the State and giving these schools and its teachers the freedom to design innovative courses where teachers can communicate and transfer their personal passion and knowledge into the young minds they are responsible for educating. Basic skills can be taught regardless of the instructional content. My anger is not directed at the new 21^st Century Skills curriculum being adopted nationwide, but rather with the way in which our “experts” at the State level mandate that they be taught.

By turning our educators into entrepreneurs, by giving them the respect they generally deserve while holding them to a legitimate level of accountability, we can create schools with cultures of learning that will inspire, educate, and create classes of lifelong learners.

State policies do little to motivate or inspire teachers to aspire towards greatness in their own practices, so how can we expect those teachers to do all they can to reach our students. We need a new generation of entrepreneurial teachers in our classrooms, but we also need to do more to get our existing classroom professionals to excite our students about the wonders of the world. Once again, our government has proven that  it has no idea what to do when it comes to educating the next generation of young adults.

 

The Entrepreneurial Approach to Education

The key to understanding my approach to education reform is to focus on that symbol of American independence, innovation, and strength, the entrepreneur. Since our founding, entrepreneurs like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Steven Jobs have helped define "who we are" as a nation. Entrepreneurism is the great catalyst of America's economy, and it has always perplexed me why entrepreneurial spirit is so absent from our schools and the classroom. We hear teachers defined as many things, but never as entrepreneurs. I want to change that. I also believe that by defining teachers as entrepreneurs, we will attract a whole new breed of college educated specialists into the classroom, bringing greater knowledge, passion, and innovation into learning. In order to bring about this transformation, wholesale changes will need to be made, including changes to how teachers are paid, where we find our teachers, what we mandate to be taught, and how we reshape the culture of learning within the school.

If I were running a school, my first dictate would be that no future hire would have a degree in education. That is, frankly, the last place I want to find our next generation of teachers. Teaching is the ultimate "learn on the job, and learn by doing" occupation, and with proper, intense clinical supervision- every school should have at least one supervisor whose ONLY job is clinical supervision- I am convinced that we will not see the level of turnover we currently see among new teachers with STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) degrees for example. Teachers with specialized degrees, whether it is in economics, kinesiology, astronomy, or computer science, to cite but a few, will bring that aforementioned knowledge and passion into the classroom, qualities that to me are requisites for the innovation and risk taking we need among our faculties. Attracting these future college graduates will require some inducements, some financial and some "quality of life," and will invariably fall on our politicians and our administrators to provide.

I have studied the stories of dozens of entrepreneurs, and in doing so identified what I believe are the 5 characteristics of successful entrepreneurs: Passion, Organization, Knowledge, an Empowering nature, and mastery at Resource utilization. These characteristics make up what I call the POKER metrics for developing, evaluating, and rewarding teachers; these are the "lenses" in which we will observe our educators. (Time for a "plug:" The company I am trying to build, Entrepreneurial Educators, hopes to one day have these metrics detailed to where a school district can employ them to conduct the observations and evaluations recently mandated by Sen.Ruiz's legislation)

An entrepreneurial educator will demonstrate these metrics in their work, and should be rewarded with remuneration beyond that provided today with the asinine "years of service" model currently employed. I am tired of hearing this method called "the worst, except for all the rest." It is simply the worst. I am not saying that years of service should not be a component of pay, but to have it the exclusive method simply breeds mediocrity, contentment, risk aversion, and lethargy. Believe me when I tell you that my experience as a teacher made it clear that the better teachers at school loathe it. I'm not even saying that money for performance is the only alternative; there are many possible ways of rewarding teachers (having a scholarship created in their name, creating a performance ladder they can move up, giving them "gifts" provided by thankful stakeholders...) in addition to some type of merit pay. The important point is that it is incumbent on us to change, by doing so we may even prod those at the low end of the performance curve to move from the tail.

An entrepreneurial educator should be free to teach whatever they want, provided it meet some connection to the overall goals of school and the needs of future graduates. We simply have too many content requirements in public education, and it is time for those academics in charge of constructing them to stop being so parochial and "snotty" about what graduating students should know. I will go into this in more detail as well, but in short our core curriculum standards should be based solely on what graduates MUST know as a prerequisite for their diplomas, not what they should know or might know or would like to know.

Most adults remember little from the content they learned in high school; it is the skills that are important and the skills that should be the focus. Let the teachers inspire by teaching what they love and by empowering students to do the same. I am convinced that in this environment, with less onerous curriculum demands, that teachers can take the time to truly teach and assess, meaning that the students are actually learning content, not just "getting a taste" of this and that, which is what today passes for learning. Learning is a time consuming process, and by liberating teachers in the area of curriculum design we may find schools where a true culture of learning exists.

So there you have a basic overview of what it means to be an entrepreneurial educator. Think of our teachers as entrepreneurs, think of their course as their work product, and think of their students as future entrepreneurs being mentored by the "owner."

I can think of nothing more exhilarating for education than a school full of entrepreneurial educators. A really creative, thoughtful administrator might even find a way to instill a little healthy competition into the school's culture, maybe be utilizing a college registration type system that will create something akin to a "marketplace of ideas" in the building. I can already hear the complaints from those in love with "Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)" or with team teaching, but nothing I've outlined precludes their existence.

I'll admit to a little bias, but what I've introduced is a school I would love to attend. How about you?
Entrepreneurs have made our nation great, and have generated great wealth. Can't they also generate great learning?

Appearances Can Be Deceiving...the Lousy State of Education in New Jersey

I've been away from this blog for quite a while; quite frankly I got tired of feeling like I was just "spinning my wheels," that nothing I said was going to change a darn thing. And that probably is still the case, but there is just too much frustration bottled up inside me. For those who may not be familiar with my perspective, here's a primer on how I see NJ's public school system and the monstrosity- otherwise known as our state government- that is supposed to improve its performance.

First, there is absolutely no denying that there is horrendous inequity in the performance of our public schools, and that this inequity falls clearly along socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic lines. Put another way, our suburban school are by and large doing reasonably well, leading to the horribly misleading statistic that our schools have among the highest average SAT scores in the nation. The highest performing schools are all found from among the highest District Factor Groups, all  -with the exception of a few urban charters- are from the suburbs, and all are predominantly populated with white and Asian students that come from fairly stable middle and upper middle class families whose parents are well educated and professional.

This inequity has created a chasm so deep that there is almost nothing in common between urban and suburban schools, and that it literally makes no sense to have a Department of Education that sets policy for all schools as if they were more similar. The State is driven by a mentality that believes the purpose of high school is to prepare students for college.

This mentality guides the construct of our Core Curriculum Content Standards and HSPA test for graduation. These are, frankly, two items so removed from reality as to be laughable if the consequences weren't so serious. If the people writing the CCCS had even a nominal understanding about the neuroscience of learning and the time demands inherent in learning and assessment they would realize that their expectations are doing more harm than good.

The general population of teachers are filled with, for the most part, dedicated and well intended individuals that unfortunately lack the passion, knowledge, and personal perspicacity to deliver a high quality product. They are also a very risk averse bunch. This situation is made worse by the State's mandates.

Teacher remuneration is based on a "years of service" system that does nothing to reward excellence but does a lot to breed complacency and  mediocrity in product quality.

Even though the State has begun to implement an evaluation system meant to increase accountability, the unrealistic and onerous supervision provisions, and the overwhelming "paperwork requirements" placed on teachers  will invariably lead to a process that does little to improve performance but will give the appearance of working smoothly.

The demands placed by the State and Federal government on low performing urban schools has done NOTHING to improve performance over time. I have yet to see a longitudinal study that shows demonstrative gains at these schools, and in fact at many schools the trend has turned down.

The reform movement, almost exclusively focused on charter schools, with some cyber and home schooling splashed in, is steered by people with an individualistic, family centered approach to education. And while there is essentially nothing wrong with having a family focus, it does nothing to improve the futures of the vast majority of inner city students not in these schools. The movement really doesn't care about everybody else; they aren't being callous it just doesn't fit into their philosophy to care.

And finally, it is imperative that everyone understand that the failure of urban public schools reverberates through all of our lives. The failure of these schools will result in another generation of young people overly dependent on the State for their survival, and with limited resources, combined with limited opportunities, this will become a prescription for frustration, anger, and potential violence. Yes, I am one of those people who is convinced that our cities will explode like they did in the late 60's and early 70's.

There we have it, my general perspective on the education system in New Jersey. Having taught in West Windsor-Plainsboro for 21 years (pretty darn rich and high performing), but having spent a lot of time traveling through Trenton, I am often close to tears when I see the energy and spirit of young urban students who have yet to understand the challenges that lie ahead, challenges that they must endure simply by the consequence of birth. Where you are born and who you were born to are two things that a child has absolutely no control over, and the luck and chance of birth should not consign a child to a life of lost opportunities and inferior education.

So is there a way out of this mess; is there a way to elevate the quality of urban education to the level of a West Windsor? Probably not, actually, because there is so much more than just the schools that affect learning and future opportunities. A holistic approach, one that treats schools as part of a community rather than a separate construct, would be more successful as an approach but would also be much more costly and thus more difficult to enact. But there is much we can do to the schools, to those that work in the schools, and to the policies made by politicians and "experts" to make a real difference. What is needed is an iconoclastic approach; we have to be ready to "blow everything up" and literally start from scratch. We must assume that students are no longer required to attend school, and then design a school they would choose to attend every morning.

In the next few posts I will outline this iconoclastic approach to urban education. First we will focus on future teachers, the schools and the State, then move on to the families, the communities, and the stakeholders. When 99 of the 100 lowest performing high schools are all urban, something is clearly wrong and something clearly needs to be done. I hope to one day try to lobby Trenton to make the changes I am outlining, and maybe I can impress some of you enough that you'd be interested in joining my fight. It is a worthy fight, but, more importantly, it is a necessary fight. There is simply too much at stake.

The Travesty That is Phys Ed and Why It Matters

Over the course of the last few months I have driven by almost every high school in Mercer County, and on every occasion I saw a phys ed class that amounted to nothing more than kids walking around the track for the entire period. And teachers get paid for supervising this?

I personally consider physical education and health to be one of the most important classes in a school day. Phys Ed is actually one of the few courses that has a four year graduation requirement. But from what I've seen and am personally familiar with (I was a high school social studies teacher, adviser, and coach for 21 years), these classes represent one of the great wasted opportunities to educate teenagers in one of the few courses where the potential for creating "life long learners" is palpable.

Students in phys ed should be learning physical fitness, learning how to stretch, learning about their body and physiology, learning sportsmanship, learning teamwork, learning sports that they can play themselves and with their children.

Some states, Illinois comes to mind, have turned their phys ed classes into fitness centers akin to a Work Out World or Planet Fitness. The kids are proactive, engaged, and receiving an education, not "babysat" as seems to be the case around here.

I knew one middle school teacher, Paul Glass,(he was the head wrestling coach when I coaced freshmen) who took his job seriously, who insisted that the kids actively participate, and who actually taught athletics and the attendent affective skills that went with them. He was a true teacher, and frankly he took alot of heat for insisting that kids actually break a sweat, learn something, and shower. I understand that it is tough to accomplish alot in schools with 40 minute classes, but that doesn't mean that teachers shouldn't try. Make phys ed a "double period" if necessary, or combine it with some health component to create a more comprehensive experience.

The one thing I know for sure is that phys ed classes, as they are currently constituted, are an academic "black hole," and phys ed teachers are all too often "stealing money."

There is a new, highly regarded book making the rounds called "Sugar, Salt, Fat." The book details the incredible lengths that the snack industry has gone to "capture" its consumers and literally get them addicted to their products. The book is a wake up call to those repsonsible for educating our children; that learning may be the only effective countervailing experience our kids have.

Those who regulary read this blog know that I think New Jersey's required Core Curriculum and HSPA exam are a joke. I won't recount my arguments here, but one thing I truly believe is that health and fitness should be a critical component in our Standards, and that our HSPA test should include a full battery of questions focusing on health, nutrition, and fitness.

Phys Ed and Health teachers have a VERY important role to play in the developement, maturation, and education of our teenagers. For far too long they have gotten a free pass. I also believe that teachers should have greater freedom to design their own curriclum and coursework, and this includes our Health and Phys Ed teachers. I'm sure they are each knowledgeable and passionate about some aspect of their department. It's time to hold these teachers more accountable, but it's also time to let them have the opportunity to create their own unique, compelling course.

Let's make phys ed class an invaluable part of the school day, rather than just a period to take a stroll around the track.

A Quick Word About Incentives

In a recent post I strongly suggested that urban schools in particular utilize a system of performance pay or performance ladders to reward exemplary teachers, pressure medicre and lazy teachers, and attract new adults into education. Money is of course a powerful inducement, but there are other non-pecuniary ways to reward quality educators that could also be integrated into any "reward" system offered to teachers. Support for these non-pecuniary rewards could come from not only the school district but from stakeholders that have the means to donate tangible and non-tangible items to the school.

For example, schools could create a pool of money that could be used by exemplary teachers to create scholarships in a teacher's name and under the management of that teacher. Teachers can be rewarded with funds to purchase resources for their curriculum. They can be given "gifts" in the form of vacations, tickets to special events, or other tangible goods.

The point is that creative administrators can develop a workable system of rewards for teachers, and that such rewards are a vital part of urban education reform.

In the next post we will delve more thoroughly into the role of adminstrators and how they can create a culture of learning that will allow entrepreneurial minded teachers (and students), to flourish.

Finding New Entrepreneurial Educators

The next step in this goal of creating challenging, dynamic inner city high schools with a vibrant culture of learning is attracting high quality college graduates and members of our private sector. My goal is to create a faculty of specialists rather than teachers with education degrees, something I consider an enormous waste of time; it is a degree that by and large attracts mediocre students. Learning is the ultimate “learn on the job” profession; trial and error is the defining characteristic of successful teachers, teachers whose desire to improve their craft and improve their work product is never satiated.

Members of the private and non-profit sectors, be they mechanics, electrical engineers, accountants, zoologists, fundraisers, marketing specialists, or a host of other professions, have the potential to be excellent teachers. The most salient issue is the extent to which they demonstrate those aforementioned characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

It is of course incumbent on schools to provide the necessary support for these new teachers, ideally in the form of mentor teachers and clinical supervisors. It has always been my belief that every school in New Jersey should have a clinical supervisor on staff, charged with the sole responsibility of providing this specific brand of supervision to the faculty. As for remuneration, that would of course be up to each school district, but I would suggest something akin for crediting these new teachers with up to one year on the salary scale for each year of experience they bring to the classroom.

Now as for college students, it is time for the state to incentivize the process of bringing students with degrees other than education into the profession. I believe that having a system of performance pay and performance ladders are an attraction for those with the entrepreneurial spirit I seek. Providing professional support in the manner I suggested above will help draw prospective teachers; it will certainly help insure that these new teachers stay in teaching rather than “flee” to the private and non-profit sectors.

But of course the most direct way to attract these college students is to offer some financial inducement such as signing bonuses or the reduction or elimination of student debt. The burden of debt is growing more severe each year, so giving new graduates the opportunity to start their professional lives with little or any debt is incredibly appealing. I would like nothing more than to staff my school with entrepreneurial minded graduates with degrees in a multitude of disciplines.

It is critical at this juncture to try anything and everything we can to develop a knowledgeable, passionate faculty of individuals ready to meet the challenges of teaching. These entrepreneurial educators will provide the foundation for schools that teenagers look forward to attending. Assume tat no teenager MUST attend school, and devise a school program and curriculum that they WANT to attend.

It starts with a quality faculty, but even the best of faculties will stumble and fail if it is not supported by entrepreneurial administrators, professionals dedicated to creating a culture of learning in the school and willing to put in the time and effort necessary to secure the involvement of critical stakeholders, namely the parents and members of the business and non-profit communities. It is through the involvement of the community that students will receive the support and enrichment they need and deserve.

In a future posting we will turn our attention to the management of a school staffed by entrepreneurial minded teachers. It Is this management that will provide the “infrastructure” for our community of teachers and students and the extrinsic motivation to elicit exemplary work from both.

The challenge of creating inner city schools with the potential for high quality learning like that found throughout New Jersey’s suburbs is an enormous undertaking; these communities are hampered by a dearth a dearth of resources and demographics that do not align with those evident in our successful suburban districts. It is up to those who run these urban schools to find creative ways to compensate for those missing ingredients. But it can be done. Frankly, it must be done.