Policy & Reform

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Bullying, Child Development,

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

Building a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while also using diversity as an asset. If you you listen to this episode of the podcast, and take my advice, you will have a culturally responsive classroom in no time.

References

Culturally responsive teaching is a theory of instruction that was developed by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and has been written about by many other scholars since then. To read more of her work on culturally responsive teaching and other topics, click here to visit her Amazon.com page.

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Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assessment, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Bullying,

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 2: How Edtech Companies Should Start the New School Year

As summer reaches its peak, and fall gears up to make its arrival, students, parents, teachers, and administrators are all preparing for the beginning of a new academic year. So many gains were made last year, and they are eager to build upon that success. When we talk about education stakeholders who are concerned with starting the school year off right, we rarely, if ever, talk about edtech companies. They too are an integral part of the school community, as they provide a valuable service.

So how do edtech companies stay on their “A” games to begin the new school year? Not to worry, we have you covered.

Hello, my name is Dr. Matthew Lynch and welcome to the second episode of The Edvocate Podcast. Today, we will discuss back to school tips that will help your edtech company get off to a running start and sustain that momentum until summer break comes around again.

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Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Bullying, Child Development Tech,

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 1: 8 Attributes of Successful Digital Age Teachers

Regardless of where you go in the world, teachers are the backbone of the education system. Without quality teachers, school districts cannot provide students with the skills that they need to be successful academically. Without teachers, the next generation will not be able to compete in the global economy. These are sureties, and you will find few people who would disagree.

If you have been studying the field of education closely, as we have, you know that it is undergoing a metamorphosis. Students no longer respond to the teacher-centered pedagogy that our forefathers did. No, today’s students are immersed in a technologically advanced world and possess attention spans that last only a few seconds.

Because of this, today’s teacher needs to add a new skill set to their repertoire to be successful. In this today’s podcast, we will discuss the 8 key attributes that successful digital age teachers possess.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform

What You Need to Know About the School to Prison Pipeline

When one student is causing a classroom disruption, the traditional way to address the issue has been removal – whether the removal is for five minutes, five days or permanently. Separating the “good” students and the “bad” ones has always seemed the fair, judicious approach. On an individual level this form of discipline may seem necessary to preserve the educational experience for others.

If all children came from homes that implemented a cause-and-effect approach to discipline, this might be the right answer. Unfortunately, an increasing number of students come from broken homes, or ones where parents have not the desire or time to discipline. For these students, removal from education is simply another form of abandonment and leads to the phenomenon called the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

When if comes to the school to prison pipeline, there are a lot of myths that surround it. Because of this, I decided to pen an article that discuss everything that you need to know this phenomenon. This will help you in your efforts to close the school to prison pipeline for good.

  1. Zero tolerance does not work. The term “zero tolerance” may sound like the best way to handle all offenses in public schools, but it really does a disservice to students. Not every infraction is a black and white issue and not every misstep by a student is a result of direct defiance. Often students with legitimate learning disabilities or social impairment are labeled as “disruptions” and removed from classroom settings under the guise of preserving the learning experience for other, “better” students. I suppose there is an argument to be made for protecting straight-and-narrow students from the sins of others, but at what cost?
  2. The numbers represent a modern-day segregation. An estimated 40 percent of all students that are expelled from U.S. schools are black, making black students over three times more likely to face suspension than their white peers. When you add in Latino numbers, 70 percent of all in-school arrests are black or Latino students. If you want to see the correlation between these school-age statistics and lifetime numbers, consider this: 61 percent of the incarcerated population are black or Latino – despite the fact that these groups only represent 30 percent of the U.S. population. Nearly 68 percent of all men in federal prison never earned a high school diploma. The fact that the U.S. has the highest
  3. School resource officers exacerbate the problem. High profile instances of school violence in recent years have led to a higher presence of law enforcement officers in public schools, often politely labeled as “resource officers” or a similarly vague term. Of course the presence of guns and other immediate danger items in schools are cause for arrest, or at least temporary removal of the student, but the American Civil Liberties Union reports that children as young as 5 throwing tantrums have been removed in handcuffs by these officers. Rather than addressing the heart of the individual problems, it is easier for public schools to weed out troublesome students under the umbrella of protecting the greater good. Convenience triumphs over finding actual solutions.
  4. The school to prison pipeline costs a lot of money. People who fall outside this fringe group of perceived misfits may wonder why the school-to-prison pipeline should matter to them. Outside of caring about the quality of life for other individuals, it matters in more tangible ways. Each federal prisoner costs taxpayers $28,284 per year, which is about $77 per day. That’s a measurable cost. What isn’t measurable is the indirect impact those incarcerations have on the economy in terms of those prisoners not contributing to the work force.
  5. Children often model what they see. In cases when they grow up watching criminal behavior, the odds are stacked against them when it comes to breaking out of the family mold. While parents have an extreme influence children, so does the K-12 education experience. More and more educators are getting behind the idea that removal from classroom settings because of discipline issues is an antiquated practice and one that does more harm than good to students.
  6. The school-to-prison pipeline has a long way to go to resemble any sort of improvement. It is estimated that black K-12 students are three times more likely to face suspension from school than their white peers. When that fact is linked to the statistics listed above, it becomes clear that removal as a form of “teaching a lesson” does not actually educate anyone. Only in homes where parents hold their children accountable can a suspension actually make a positive difference.

Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform, Trending Topics

Pass or Fail: Supporting Teachers to Enhance Educational Value

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively.

While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country?

How do we support teachers to help them achieve the level of competency required in America today? Are we doing enough to support what we expect them to accomplish?

As part of the third-year evaluation activities, one study asked a group of lead teachers to indicate what they valued most in the ORSI effort to enhance teacher experiences and provide supports.

According to the results, teachers most valued informative professional development that they could take back and incorporate into their classrooms. They also reported valuing the experience of being treated like professionals because it helped them to change practices in classrooms when improvements were needed. The study also indicated that teachers valued being part of a network, being able to share information with other professionals to discuss practices that could improve student learning.

When forced to accept a new curriculum and make difficult changes in instructional approach, teachers most valued having access to support groups and workshops on the aspects of effectively teaching new material, especially math and science topics. Listening to nationally recognized trainers were also said to make a positive difference when it was necessary to adopt a new curriculum and make difficult changes in approach.

In other words, teachers value support from the institution of education itself. They also value the opportunity to be exposed to information on best practices for teaching and for information about curricula and standards. Allowing teachers to understand why the system expects them to teach certain knowledge and skills helps them to be more effective at their jobs.

Strategies such as providing regional networking and direct assistance to schools also helped remove the isolation and access issues for teachers looking to acquire new skills. Access to information, including hands-on materials, information on teaching strategies about advanced content, and opportunities to work with other teachers on the same grade level emerged as important support strategies. Teachers also value the administrative support of principals and superintendents who can pass along useful, research-based information.

According to the ORSI, most school administrators strongly supported requests of teachers to attend regional trainings that promise to improve skills in raising student achievement in math and science. One third-grade teacher reported that “ORSI professional development targets specifically the programs we use, and recommends practices for teaching more effectively within those programs.”A fifth-grade teacher indicated that “professional development opportunities now are convenient and well-publicized within our school. We are now encouraged to attend professional development.”

Adequate supports like these help ensure that teachers are consistently able to set students at the center of instruction, helping teachers to guide students and implement practices that enhance and fine-tune the teaching of the individual child instead of the class. Entire districts can benefit when school and district leaders allow teachers to examine curricula and learn new teaching practices by networking with their colleagues.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform

Are Standards-Based Teaching Strategies Killing Creativity? Yes

Guest Post By Chad Malcolm

As the Fall local election time has passed, the elections for school board were more surprising than any others. While driving around constituents read sign after sign about how Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are killing creativity in children. It is amazing as an educator that voters are swayed by signs without understanding the behind the scenes actions.

In the state of Ohio, everyone is running for school board claiming common core is the sole reason the schools are not achieving as parents would like. The toughest part of this debate is Ohio decided over a year ago to drop common core and rewrite Ohio Department of Education standards to move forward. Then to take it a step further, the CCSS are just the guides to get children to mastery levels, yet parents are being lead to believe that these standards are why teachers are teaching content the way they are. Let us look at what CCSS compared to Ohio Model Curriculum:

 

CCSS Ohio Model Curriculum
CCSS.Math.Content.2.NBT.A.2
Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.		 2.NBT.2

Count forward and backward within 1,000 by ones, tens, and hundreds starting at any number; skip-count by 5s starting at any multiple of 5

 

 

As you can see the standards mirror each other in content and level of mastery desired. However, as you can see the standards do not say anything about the “how to teach” the content. Both CCSS and Ohio Model Curriculum allow that freedom to the school district. Once the standards are reviewed a school district will make curriculum choices and buy new textbooks and materials for the teachers and students to use. It must be stated though, that most school districts chose a curriculum every seven years, but budget shortfalls make this a 10-12-year cycle on average.

So, given the information that standards are the same across CCSS and Ohio Model Curriculum, and schools change curriculum about every 10 years we can see a disconnect in how education is conveyed. Teachers are taking the brunt of the education discontent; however, they are trying to do the best they can to make people happy. Teachers are required to teach the curriculums adopted by a district, while making sure that it aligns with the standards the students will be measured against. This is made more challenging when you research the curriculum companies and realize that the major curriculums school districts select from normally are written based on the States of California and Texas standards, because these are the two biggest states to spend money buying curriculum annually. In 2014-15 the State of California budget outlined $77 billion to fund curriculum adoption.

The interesting aspect of the election signs for local school boards, is that CCSS and/or local state standards are not killing creativity. It is the curriculum that the local school district purchased. CCSS or any local state standards do not tell the teachers how to teach the concept, simply the skill that should be learned. The curriculums that schools purchase are the ones dictating the teacher methods. If we were to allow teachers to develop lessons based on the standard alone and teach developmentally appropriately for their individual children education would improve. However, the conversation for over a decade now has been about how teachers are failing. I would challenge leaders at the national, state, and local levels to allow teachers to do what we do. We have learned to develop lessons based on standards in teacher preparation schools, and we know how to teach our kids better than a fortune 500 curriculum mill.

 

 

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform, Trending Topics

4 Things That Educators Should Know About Education Law and Ethics

Ethics refers to the discipline of dealing with what is good and bad with moral duty and obligation. The application of ethics in education is essential for students as well as teachers. It lets everyone know the right thing to do, and provides a moral framework so that schools and students can work together to pursue learning in the best possible manner. Ethical teaching practices create a positive atmosphere for the growth of students and provide them with clear examples of how to live ethical lives of their own.

Law and ethics go hand in hand. Law, however, is enforced based on written principles and regulations by parties who have been given the power to do so, such as magistrates or judges. Teachers are responsible to know their own rights and legal obligations as well as those of their students and schools. This article discusses legal and ethical issues as they pertain to education law and how they ought to be applied to ensure quality teaching and learning.

What are the ethics of education? In solving ethical issues, it is first important to be as informed as possible. What is the situation? What are the students’ rights? What are your rights as a teacher? It is important to be empathetic to all parties involved, but also to know the law and the guidelines of the system within which you work. Codes of ethics vary, but useful codes may be found both in the national sphere, such as the National Education Association, and at the state level. The InTASC Standards may also be useful in discerning the correct procedure in a complex ethical situation.

What are your legal rights as an educator? Laws vary from state to state, but there are certain guidelines that should be followed. Teachers are liable for any harm that occurs to a student under their care, if they personally harm the student, have not issued proper safety guidelines, or are not adequately supervising the student. Title IX forbids discrimination according to gender in the workplace. No teacher should feel discriminated against because of gender issues.

What are the legal rights of school districts? Most school districts around the country now ban corporal punishment (as of 2012, 39 states banned corporal punishment outright). Sexual harassment continues to be a major issue in schools, and in particular for female and gay male students. Over half of female students reported being sexually harassed (AAUW, 2011). The law has taken an increasingly harder line against the use of religious elements such as school prayers, though personal expression of religion is protected.

What are the legal rights of parents and students? Though parents have tried to sue schools over the right to keep their children from learning about condoms, for example, the law generally comes down on the side of the school. Students, on the other hand, sometimes complain that their freedom is being infringed upon. For example, they chafe against wearing uniforms. Again, the law generally sides with the schools in these situations.

Parents have the right to access information about their children, including school records, and should have a say in who gets to view this information. Schools cannot discriminate against pregnant students, and the law is increasingly siding with gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. Students’ rights of free speech and protection from unreasonable searches are protected by law, though schools have more leeway in this area than some other institutions in order to maintain order within the school.

Did we miss anything?

Click here to read all of the articles from this series.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform, Trending Topics

4 Things That Educators Should Know About School Finance and Organization

As a new educator, you may not be aware of the tremendous impact these two factors can have on your practice as a classroom teacher. However, funding underpins the entire educational system and determines aspects as diverse as the salary you are paid, the benefits you receive, the number of students in your classes, the textbooks you use, and the supplies you are able to purchase for your pupils. Funding for education is derived from federal, state, and local sources. The origin of these resources can have an impact on where and how they are allocated and dispersed.

Educational governance also has a direct impact on your teaching practice. Governance largely establishes the curriculum you will teach in the classroom, how and by whom you are hired, who is responsible for evaluating your teaching performance, and through which channels you will make your voice as a professional educator heard. In this article we will discuss 4 things that educators should know about school finance and organization.

How are schools financed? Funding for schools comes from a variety of sources. Federal, state and local levels all provide school systems with much-needed funds. There are often conditions attached to these monies, depending on their origin. Although local school districts are, broadly speaking, more in touch with the requirements and circumstances of their communities, they are sometimes placed at a disadvantage in terms of ensuring adequate provision of funds for the school. Conversely, although states and federal institutions are removed from the day-to-day workings of individual schools to a greater or lesser extent, these levels have access to a greater availability of funds. When all the various layers of funding administration work together, it is possible to achieve several funding objectives for each individual school.

How are schools organized at the state level? At the state level, the organizational governance structure can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and the governor is typically the head of education for the state although the members of the legislature are equally as powerful when it comes to setting statewide policies and regulations. Many states have a State Board of Education (SBE), which is either appointed, elected, or a combination of both, with some members being appointed and others elected. The SBE is charged with implementing educational policy and providing both governance and supervision to all schools located within the state. Most states have a Chief State School Officer, who is directly responsible to the SBE, and normally serves as the head of a state department of education. Lastly, the State Department of Education ensures that all legislation and regulation created by the state are observed throughout the state.

How are schools organized at the local level? The local school board is charged with interpreting state regulations and setting similar policies for their district while creating strategic plans for the advancement of education in their area. In essence they are in control of the overall management of their school district. The school superintendent is charged by the school with the duty of running the day to day operations of the school. The principal manages the day to day operations of an individual school and reports directly to the superintendent or one of their deputy superintendents.

What groups influence public education in America? Many teachers belong to the National Education Association or the American Federation of Teachers, which are highly influential due to their coherent voice at a national level. These organizations have been vocal in support of site-based management, meaning that decisions should be made at a local level.

Parents have an enormous influence on public education, though their involvement varies considerably. Parent Teacher Associations and Parent Teacher Organizations serve as valuable liaisons between teachers and parents.

A fairly recent phenomenon is the impact of large businesses on education. Corporations such as Coca Cola, IBM, and Apple are all deeply involved in education and donate millions of dollars to the public school system. However, some groups have raised concerns that the businesses are focused primarily on molding students to become better workers for their particular industry. Another concern is that businesses contract with schools to exclusively provide their product (such as soft drinks) in return for funding. This creates brand loyalty among this impressionable group of young people.

The federal government, though it has no direct control over education, does pass laws that have an impact on local education. These include laws in the areas of desegregation, school finance, prayer in the schools, and the rights of individual students.

Is there anything that we missed?

Click here to read all of the articles from this series.

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