The Value of a Basic Education

Govinda Prasad Panthy and I met quite accidentally not long ago.  Govinda lives in the small Nepalese village of Bageshwori.  Like other villages in Nepal, Bageshwori is poor and agrarian. Children who are able to go to school have to walk miles to class in all types of weather and on roads that are often more mud than road.

Govinda persevered through the same conditions in pursuing his own education.   Although most of his classmates dropped out, he completed his formal educational journey and is now trying to get as many children in his village as educated as possible.

In 1998, Govinda started the Shantideep Adarsh Vidhyasadan (SAV School) with 13 children.  This past school year, that number grew to 127. SAV is an English Medium School, which means that classes as taught in the English language, and goes from pre-K to grade 6.  

Some of the teachers are volunteers and others work for less than $50 a month.  Govinda actually erases and reuses student papers because there is no other way to keep a supply.  Govinda also teaches part time at another school in another village to help pay the school’s expenses.  

Like American kids dream of being the next American Idol, the kids of Bageshwori dream of their own school building.  A simple building to keep out the elements and house books, paper, and pencils.  Govinda dreams of computers, electricity, and internet access for the school. Seemingly simple wants evade them, even in 2011. 

What is the Best Advice You've Ever Gotten?

As kids we heard a lot of advice from a lot of people. Some was good, some not, some was flat scary.

As someone that works with kids and has a four of my own, I am careful to not share a lot of life advice for a few reasons.

1 - I don't pretend to be the wisest person on Earth.

2 - Mis-interpreted advice can be dangerous, especially in the form of a metaphor...which is usually how I speak.

3 - I just don't like to do it.

But there is a need for advice from people who have spun a few wheels already (metaphor).

I must say that the absolute best life advice I ever got was from my old man.

NEVER bring a knife to a gun fight. 

My father was not the kind to carry weapons or even engage in physical confrontations with others.  So what did he mean?

To me, it meant never expect to compete in a speech competition with well-practiced people without being well-practiced yourself.

It also meant never go into an athletic competition if you aren't in prime condition and your competitors are.  

It also meant to never expect to get a job that requires a Master's degree if you are only carrying a high school diploma.

It also meant to not expect to have much success winning business if you didn't do your homework and everyone else has.

And so on.  The applicability is universal. 

What is the Role of High School?

A local radio station spent some time talking about state budgets and how schools fared in them.  One large question came from a listener that had just about everyone stumped.

What is the role of high school?

The conversation went several directions.  Here is a terribly truncated paraphrase:

• High schools are supposed to make kids ready for college.
• High schools should be getting kids ready for careers.
• There isn’t enough money anywhere to accommodate both.
• College degrees have decreasing value.
• Community colleges have the role of vocational education.
• Colleges will lose money if the vocational role is taken by high schools.
• Colleges and universities have become “re-training grounds” for displaced workers.
• A mechanic or plumber making $50 an hour won’t quit their job to make much less as a vocational education teacher.
• Despite efforts to push kids toward college, growing numbers are going to college unprepared.

…and on and on.  This type of re-hashing the problems isn’t atypical.  But what is there to do?

Here are some ideas that will likely never get off the ground:

• Establish and grow apprenticeship programs for high-schoolers and young adults.
• Re-establish standardized tests as minimum skills test and/or prognostic tools ONLY.
• Re-establish the ACT and SAT as the indicators for likely post-secondary success (not the statewide test.)
• Establish Vocational Charter Schools as an educational experiment.
• Establish that “work” isn’t dirty or lower than “not-working", and is very important and vital. 

If any of the above were discussed seriously, mighty battles would start over the details, like tax breaks for individuals and companies that took on apprentices, how many hours should be allowed, what is “critical” in a minimum skills test, etc. 

Then there will be accusations about pushing certain groups into vocational routes to keep them down.  Politicians will always tiptoe around such charges despite their ridiculousness.   

A question for readers, how many of you make more money than your plumber?  More than the guy who inspected your house before you bought it?  More money than the contractor who keeps the country club grass green and draining properly?  More money than the people who wire all newly constructed building for electricity?

You may be surprised.

Youth Competition - The Tale of Two Regions

 Every region is different.  Let’s just get that out of the way.  I moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in December of 2009.  The 28 years before that were spent in South Texas.    Earlier years in my life were spent in South Dakota and Hawaii.  My memories of those last two aren’t as vivid, so this article will only contrast North Carolina and Texas. 

After watching a handful of athletic contests at the high school level and lower, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Chapel Hill area and Texas have very different philosophies about competition.  That there is a difference isn’t surprising, it’s the vast chasm between the two that is eye-popping. 

Exhibit A - San Antonio – My nephew’s 4-year-old soccer league game where the other team has a player named Michelle.  We all know her name was Michelle because she had a soccer bag with her name monogrammed onto the side AND every time she had the ball, someone kept yelling “Michelle, Michelle, MICHELLE MICHEELLLEEE!!”  Michelle’s team wins 14-2 and their parents continue to coach up the kids after the game is over.

Exhibit B - Holly Springs, NC – A 10 to 11-year-old softball league game has one parent bringing her daughter a fruit salad in a bowl with a fork DURING the game.  Each kid gets a snack bar and juice box as they leave and none of the girls have really mastered throwing, yet. 

Exhibit C – McAllen, TX – At a freshman football game that is getting very physical, Luis breaks both bones in his left forearm.  Luis tries to hide the arm from me (his coach at the time) so that he can keep playing.  When his arm is discovered, Luis pleads with his coaches and team trainer to let him play, anyway.  His salemanship fails. Luis defies his coaches and hits the weight room every day, only being able to use his right arm.

Exhibit D – Pittsboro, NC – A “big rivalry” varsity football game is preceded by players doing some dancing and towel waving.  The game starts with suspect ball handling and not a single collision that can be heard from the stands. 

Exhibit E – Austin, TX – At the state track and field meet, Robert vomits from exhaustion and nerves after finishing 2^nd in the 400-meter dash.  His 47.9 second run was just short of being fast enough to be state champion.  After making sure that he is properly hydrated in the 97 degree heat, he gets ready to run the 200m, where he breaks his personal best time of 21.6. 

Exhibit F - Chapel Hill – A junior high soccer tournament is filled with coaching pointers such as “play as a team” and “do your best” and other feel good quips.  Judging from the skill set of the players, that is probably about the extent of coaching that goes on at the practices.  The kids have on some fancy equipment.  None of their uniforms show any evidence of grass stains or dirt...or sweat, even though there is some complaining about the 75 degree “heat”. 

This isn’t to say that either is right, nor is either necessarily wrong.  They are just very different attitudes.  There is plenty in both that can be picked out as “right on” and even more than can be isolated as “needs some changin’”.

Perhaps I’ll keep moving so that I can take notes about how such things are handled in other places. 

Can Reading Be Saved?

In the Education Week Teacher article Can Reading Be Saved?, Kelly Gallagher outlined his vision for correcting a sagging reading level in students.  Gallagher is a 25-year veteran from California and has authored four books on reading and writing. 
   
In the interview article, Gallagher points to the usual suspects for student ill-ability to comprehend what they read…Facebook, texting, IMs…but he reserves most of the blame on teaching strategies. 

“I think what we are doing is selling out the long-term prospects of our kids becoming readers for the short-term pressures to raise test scores.  And the sad thing is, I don’t think that those two things are mutually exclusive.”

His solution is to have kids read books that are interesting at the student’s level.  While its important to offer challenging reading text, he argues, its more important to have books that they can handle. 

“…if you have a high school kid reading at the 4th grade level, he or she should be reading a lot of books at the 4th grade level.   And once they get better at that, then he should be reading books at the 5th grade level.”  And so on.

Mr. Gallagher sees well-intentioned culprits for the lack of reading development.  Here is a brief list:

• Teaching “strategies”
• “Fake” school writing (as opposed to the writing we want kids to do when they grow up.)
• Slowing down stories to recap and explain. 
• Stressing standards at the exclusion of classics.

 All of the above are done in an attempt to help students, but they are counter-productive according to Gallagher.


“More than ever, we need to reintroduce kids to the richness and creative play of our subject.”

A Moment of Parenting Genius

A recent conversation caused me to remember a rare moment from a few years ago.  I was driving my oldest child, then 6, to her first violin recital.  She was all dolled up with her best hair and fancy dress.

Like every 6-year-old, she was unpredictable.  This child was ADHD, showing glowing brilliance one moment and then hanging upside down on the furniture the next.  I wanted desperately for everyone at the recital to see the former and scared that they may see the latter.  To add to the parental pressure, the other performers were all from a music family.

About 1/2 mile away from the recital, I started to think about all of the last minute coaching advice to give her.  "Stand up tall", "focus on what you are doing", "be sure you pay attention to when you are up", and "if you mess up, just pick up where you left off and keep going" all rushed into my head.  Then my mouth opened.

For a brief moment, I was brilliant.

"Have fun" is all I offered.

What did I know about playing the violin, anyway?

On that day she had played as well as I had ever heard her.  In some other recitals she didn't.  But she always looked forward to the recital as something to enjoy.  She did NOT see it as a job where Dad gets all over her or as something to just "get through" without embarrassment. 


I won't take credit for all of that, or her love of competition.  But I can proudly say that I didn't HURT the cause on that day. 

Depts. of Ed. Grow While Teachers are Laid Off

This is a call to all readers to share their stories about the matter.  Since RTTT funds have been dispensed, the departments of education in the winning states have expanded.  At the same time, teachers positions are being eliminated, budgets for basics (like books) shrink wildly, and employee benefits are being reduced.

Instead of laying out the evidence that I have found to support the claim, let's open this up to discussion.  We would really like to hear what's going on across the country.

How Does Cutting Benefits Help Recruit Teachers?

North Carolina educator Shalon Matthews had her salary frozen not long after she started teaching several years ago.  Last week, the North Carolina legislature passed new law that will cost teachers more to receive the same benefits.  Shalon is beginning to run out of reasons to stay in the profession.  “The pay isn’t great.  Benefits were a perk, and now that’s gone.”

She is not alone in her frustration.  And this blog post does not purport that there is anyone specific to blame.  When money and budgets dwindle, hard and unpopular decisions have to be made.  People suffer.

The point of this post is to reconcile the events in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and other states with the current Administration’s plans to make becoming and staying qualified as a teacher or principal more difficult and expensive. 

Becoming and staying a teacher continuously becomes less attractive.  Shalon adds, “Whenever there is a change, its never good.”  She has a point.  Never in her career has there been any news of a pay increase, benefits increase, or new policy that reduces the schools’ overwhelming responsibilities. 

In the mid 1990s, then governor George W. Bush issued changes that increased teacher pay significantly in Texas.  Other than that, all news had been bad news.

Laws continuously change to hold schools more accountable for student learning, well being, and safety.  Fair enough.  The laws also keep increasing the school’s culpability for what happens in a student’s home, how they get to school, how much they eat, what they are eating, the decisions that they make outside of class, what they are wearing, what NOT to say to them regarding what they are wearing, etc.

Teachers' jobs are often held over their heads because of these matters.


Again, its hard to find one person to blame.  But it is the reality of the situation.  Where do we get teachers who want to do all this…and keep doing it when the number of hoops they have to jump through increases while pay and benefits don’t?

Need another reason to question the attractiveness of teaching?  Read this article about abused teachers.

If you have a solution, please leave it here.  The world will be better for it.

What We Can Learn by Watching the Japanese

Unless they were living near Hiroshima or Nagasaki in 1945, the people in southeast Japan have not seen a worse time.  The have faced a magnitude 9 earthquake, devastating tsunamis, and a perilous situation with a nuclear reactor.  Any one of those individually could mark a worst time in anyone's life.  They faced all three in the same day.  The troubles brought by the first two are still very real, as is the third.

So the people wait in line for hours to get the barest of bare essentials.  Water, food, fuel.  Some come up empty handed despite the wait. What is amazing about how the people of Japan have handled the crises thus far is what they have NOT been doing.

To date there are no reports of a single incident requiring law enforcement.  The people are not shoving each other to get a better position in line.  They are not looting stores.  They are not fighting.  They are not going on TV to pronounce that their current leader is the reason for the suffering.  They are not blaming the rest of the world for not coming to their aid fast enough.

Instead these people wait their turn.  They share what limited amounts of food and water that they have.  They hold each other's place in line.  They help their neighbors carry the heavy loads. 

There isn't enough space on this blog to justly qualify how incredible the Japanese people have been.  So why try? 

The Japanese people have absolutely been an incredible testament to what the best of humanity can be.

The Real Value of a Simon Cowell

In his mega-best seller The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman described the “American Idol Effect.”  It happens to people who are facing criticism for the first time and are shocked to hear that they aren’t perfect.  He pulls the comparison to wannabe American Idols when they faced Simon Cowell for the first time and were not ready for what they heard.  

Some huffed, some threw water, and some just melted down and yelled obscenities.  

Friedman was making the point that we are doing a disservice to American high school students when we leave them to incorrectly think that they are performing at a high level.  The longer we put off telling them the truth, the harsher their American Idol moment.  

Simon Cowell delivered American Idol moments like no one else could. He was blunt, succinct, and sometimes over-harsh.  But he told the contestants what they needed to hear.  He send extra sharp words to contestants that didn’t seem to hear normal critique, he used colorful analogies and metaphor for contestants that didn’t seem to “get it”, and sometimes he would say what a contestant needed to get a fire lit under their butt.  He was the best at it and sometimes hated for it.

What Simon did so well is not easy.   By nature people prefer to deliver good news and be liked.  Teachers, parents, friends included.  But everyone needs a Simon.  Whether it was the whiner who Simon told, “never beg” or the many who were informed that they’d be better suited for cabaret singing.  They all needed to hear it.  It is too bad that they had to wait until adulthood.

On the occasion that Simon laid out a compliment or offered a “well done”, everyone knew that it meant something.  It was earned and was a fail-proof sign that a performer was “getting it done.”  The same cannot be said for the multiple (over) affirmations students receive in their daily lives.  They come so often and for so many reasons, the students sometimes never grasp where reality is.

The exception to the rule is students who perform in front of others and allow themselves to be judged.  Kids who perform and compete in band, drama, choir, debate, public speaking, and sports are told daily where they need to improve.  They are also judged (sometimes unfairly) by spectators.  These kids get it.  They face it at an early age and they get the reality of where their performance is.  They also grow as people.

In the cycle of correction, adjustment, performance, and critique are lessons that so many American Idol wannabes don’t get.  And they show the ill effects in the first round, to the sadistic delight of television viewers everywhere.  

What says you?  Leave a comment and let’s get to the bottom of this.

Is STEM Education Getting Too Many Props?

In a recent Huffington Post article, Alfie Kohn takes exception with what he sees as an excessive and disproportionate amount of emphasis given to STEM subject areas.  Using the bet humor he could muster, Kohn tries to make sense of “why STEM subjects consistently attract so much money and attention.”

Among decision leaders and the general public, I suspect that STEM enjoys an immediate advantage simply because it tends to involve numbers. Our society is inclined to regard any topic as more compelling if it can be expressed in numerical terms. Notice how rarely we evaluate schools by their impact on students' interest in learning; we focus on precisely specified achievement effects. Issues that inherently seem qualitative in nature -- intrinsic motivation, say, or the meaning of life -- we consign to the ivory tower. And when questions that don't lend themselves to quantification aren't simply brushed aside, they're reduced to numbers anyway. Witness, for example, how English teachers have been told that they not only can, but must, use rubrics to quantify their responses to students' writings.

Ok then. Where Mr. Kohn gets his figures for Science and Math "over-funding" must a very different source than that used by...well...everyone else.  And if Mr. Kohn could produce a reliable system for measuring student interest, he'd make a killing. 

I will concede a few points, although the author never made them.  First, Science and Math performance is easily compared across countries because of the universal nature of the subject areas.  For Math and Science, we have TIMMS.  Finding a way to compare Language Arts proficiency between American students and students from Singapore is an exercise in futility. An international comparison in Social Studies is even more difficult.  Afterall, General Santa Anna is held as a military and intellectual hero in Mexico and some of the world has yet to see the Industrial Revolution.

The second concession is that a degree in a STEM field does not necessarily offer better career prospects.  No degree is a “guarantee” of anything.

But in response to Mr. Kohn, I must concur with one of the online reader comments:

“I have a degree in the art, but think we have neglected math and science too much…mostl­y because it's hard and we don't want to put too much pressure on the kids. Grrr.

Perhaps if we pushed math and science a little more, people could have calculated their mortgage payments and realized they couldn't afford what a conniving bank said they could.”

Its not that Science and Math deserve more funding and attention than the humanities, it’s that they (Science, especially) have been so under-emphasized in the past.  They have also been taught incorrectly way too often.  Elementary grade teachers are almost always "Reading People" by preference and education.  That is not inherently a bad thing, but we do need to see the situation for what it is.

The habit of eschewing “the harder” subjects is carried by students when they get to college.  The graduation rate of pre-meds and engineers is still severely dwarfed by Sociology majors.  Heck, all majors are dwarfed by Sociology.

Of those that do graduate form an American university with a high level STEM degree,  growing numbers are from other countries.  Why?  Because foreign students are coming to American colleges better prepared for the hard stuff. 

What say you?  Leave your comments here and let's get to the bottom of this.  

School Improvement Initiatives Seem to be More “Show” than “Go"

In the third 2000 Presidential debate, democratic candidate Al Gore proudly announced his intentions for the future, “I am for gun-free schools!”  He said so emphatically as if the idea was a breakthrough.

His opponent responded, “Did I miss something?  He says he’s for gun-free schools.  Who isn’t?”

Fast forward almost 11 years and we have a theme that has been around for years. In his State of the Union speech, President Obama made it clear that he was for high standards for schools and quality education for all students.

Well, who isn’t?

The president is not the only one with such lofty words of expectation.  It is a common rhetoric that’s been around for awhile.  The thing that seems to keep the “show” from a proper “go” is the how.  Here are some examples:

Show: The president has claimed that we are in this generation’s “Sputnik” moment, imploring schools to stress Math and Science.

The Go: Participation in science fairs is dwindling, and student performance in science is still low across the country, especially in minority populations.  There has been no change in the view of how science should be taught.  It’s more of the same, but with more tests.

Show: Many, including the president, are calling for an end to No Child Left Behind and wholesale change to the education systems nationwide.

The Go: Race to the Top (RTTT) has increased the emphasis in and frequency of testing.  More instruction time than ever is taken away for testing and the amount will grow over the next few years.  RTTT funds were dispersed very lopsidedly to the East coast and are being spent mostly on consultants and new hires at state agencies.  Very little if any money will see the classroom.

Show:  “We need high academic standards”.

The Go: Creation of Common Core Standards.  Consultants have made a good deal of money on it thus far.  There is more to be made in curriculum alignments and crosswalk documents.  Teachers were not part of the process and still no one knows how the new standards will affect them.  South Dakota has already decided to not use standards for Social Studies, even though the state have previously committed to adopt the standards. 

Show: “We will replace ineffective teachers and principals and replace them with good ones.”

The go: We may need more thought on how we are going to do that. Teachers and principals don’t grow on trees. 

The show: “We need to have students college-ready and get more kids into college."

The go:  College degrees are issued in record numbers, but they seem to mean less and less.  A new study shows that college students really don’t learn much in their years in college and that college may be a severe waste mistake for many kids.  This may be related to a former “go” in that kids are told that the ultimate path is through a four year university and that working with your hands is for “lower people.”  Unfortunately, it is the sciences that get looked over as a result.

Ok – enough doom and gloom.  There are answers out there and the answers are solid.  Charter schools, home schools, and independent schools have experimented for years on a micro level and have had success.  In some cases, wild success.  You can find some examples here, here, here, and here.  

Arne Duncan, nor anyone at a high national level seem to see the opportunities in learning from the worker bees.  Until they do, the money will keep pouring to their handpicked consultants for solutions that do not solve much.

Should We Prepare Every Student for College?

A group from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education examined the philosophy and effects of preparing every high school student for college.  The study was released yesterday.

The movement started with good intentions to raise the academic standards, expecting that student performance will follow.  For some students, it has been a good path.   But for many others, it has been damaging, according to the study.  Education Week paraphrased the report. 

By concentrating too much on classroom-based academics with four-year college as a goal, the nation’s education system has failed vast numbers of students, who instead need solid preparation for careers requiring less than a bachelor’s degree, Harvard scholars

Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Director Anthony P. Carnevale agrees, “Since 1983 and A Nation at Risk, we’ve been very single-minded about kids going to college. It’s good, but it’s too narrow.” 

The original movement was (at least partially) grounded in sound projections.   In 1973, 70% of all US jobs were held by people with only a high school education.  In 2007, it dropped to 40%.  The future promises to show further decrease.

There seems to be some consensus that some sort of training after high school is the target to reach, whether it is vocational/technical training, an associate’s degree path, or a four year university. 

“Every high school graduate should find viable ways of pursuing both a career and a meaningful post-secondary degree or credential,” the report says. “For too many of our youth, we have treated preparing for college versus preparing for a career as mutually exclusive options.”

How EffectiveTesting Enhances Learning

A recent study performed at Purdue University found that a group of 200 college students were better able to learn material for the long term if they were tested on it.  As the study was performed, it may make modern teaching paradigms seem silly.  It has certainly gotten the attention of many, including several publications.

The study had groups of students study a section of material in several different ways. Some re-read it, others drew concept maps and graphic organizers.  Others took “retrieval practice” tests.  After a week, each student was tested and the “testing” group knew more…a lot more.  50% more to be precise.

 “This type of test is not the type produced by testing companies” says National Education and Assessment Consultant Virginia Malone. “This is an immediate test over fairly small amounts of information.  Testing companies, NAEP, state tests and the like are focused on information on a wide variety of information.  I do think the short tests do indeed help students retain information.”

One of the more surprising results is how much more testing helped students learn material than did concept mapping.  Students that performed the concept maps reported a much higher confidence in their learning the material than did the testers.  This suggests that drawing concept maps creates an illusion of learning that is more imagined than real.  The opposite seemed true for the testers.

Dr. Rene Stofflett warns against reading too much into the study:

It is important to note the congruency between what is being measured and how it is being measured. It may at first seem shocking that concept mapping, which has been shown in decades of research to result in better conceptual learning, was outperformed by the recall methods. However, learning facts for recall is more in line with traditional testing than learning complex relationships, such as those developed in creating a concept map. In addition to looking at issues of information processing, researchers should also consider the nature of the instrument and its relationship to the nature of the knowledge being assessed.

If nothing else, the study creates a new avenue for debate in a debate-battered industry. One place that most will agree is on the value and power of well delivered formative assessment. Unfortunately, what is usually sold as “formative” is test prep.  The truth is most people do not know the difference between the two, even educators. Maybe the folks at Purdue have delivered enough incentive for the education world to get it straight.

Rare Gratitude to Teachers by a Television Celebrity

In an unforeseen moment, public school teachers got props at the Golden Globe Awards last week.  It was a moment that will likely not be seen again, making this a rare gem to rerun on DVR multiple times.  It was a refreshing break from how teachers are normally portrayed on television, which is akin to the Keystone Cops.

While accepting an award for his show “Glee”, writer Ian Brennan said,”Thank you to public school teachers. You do the most important work in America even though you don’t get paid like it.” 

Unlike other “offerings” to teachers in the past, this one seemed genuine.  Almost as if his research for the scripts had given Mr. Brennan an appreciation he would not otherwise have.  If he had more time in his acceptance, he may have gone on to mention what it is about teaching that made it worth so much more than it pays.

Some of the unmentioned travails to having a teaching career are those that people out of the profession can never really appreciate.  Here is a list of some things that most non-teachers can usually do during the day that teachers cannot:

1 – Go to the restroom when nature calls

2 – Run to the bank during lunch

3 – Call in sick, or stay home with a sick child

4 – Submit an expense voucher

5 – Go get a coffee/lunch/newspaper

6 – Let your employer know that they are running late

7 – Leave early

8 – Take an early or long lunch, or even take the time to eat lunch

Then there is the actually job seeking.  There must be a bachelor’s degree and teacher’s license before securing employment.  In the case of many secondary teachers, that means a degree plan that is at least 135 hours, plus a semester of unpaid student teaching.  Many professions require internships, so this isn’t all that unparallel.  

But to be hired at a school, a teacher must submit a very lengthy application, letter of references, and all college transcripts….every time. They also need to submit for background checks, often at their own expense.  People seeking a vice presidency with a major company normally only submit a letter of interest and resume. 

But that is what happens when electing to spend days working with kids, which is something every teacher had signed up to do.  And thank goodness for them.