High School Connections

Making the Case for Common Standards

2009-12-18T15:18:37Z

A new brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education offers me an opportunity to share a handy little primer on the common-standards movement, and to say a sort of farewell.

It's not a real hard-line farewell, since I'm still at EdWeek. But I won't be writing this blog anymore. I'll be taking many of the issues I covered here over to the Curriculum Matters blog. For the blog, the newspaper, and the Web site, I'll still be writing about high school issues, but I'll also be covering common standards and assessments. I hope you migrate over to Curriculum Matters with me, and that you keep a close watch on our coverage of these issues at such an important policy time.

You can start by taking a look at the alliance's new brief. It recaps the history of previous attempts to hammer out national standards, and builds an argument in support of the current movement to do so. This push by 48 states has friends in high places (think a big federal agency and a famous columned house painted white), but also has its share of skeptics and detractors. All the more reason to pay close attention as it takes shape.

- Catherine Gewertz

What Makes A 'Good Reader'?

2009-12-17T17:05:51Z

In a guest column on The Washington Post's website yesterday, a 6th grade language arts teacher posed the question: are good readers made or born?

Donalyn Miller is a Texas teacher who is known for her knack for turning reluctant readers into passionate ones. She also writes the "Book Whisperer" blog for Teacher Magazine, which is run by Education Week's parent nonprofit, Editorial Projects in Education.

In the Post guest column, Miller reflected on a recent study that found that weaker readers improved a lot after an intensive remediation program, but were still outpaced by good readers who had not participated in the program. That led her to wonder what these "good reader" students had going for them.

She lists a number of ingredients necessary to making good readers. They are hard to argue with: time to read, access to good reading materials, the presence of adult role models who are devoted readers. These hit a huge 'ding' on the common-sense meter, as overlooked as they might be in too many homes and classrooms.

Reading the column, though, I couldn't help but wonder about the absence of any mention of specific reading strategies, especially for adolescents. With adolescent literacy rising so high on the national radar, and a capstone Carnegie report urging training for middle and high school teachers so they can teach reading across all subject areas, it seems that it might take more than role models, access to good materials, and a passion for reading to become a strong, college-ready reader.

It's easy to grasp the power of tons of free reading time, and the chance to engage with adults who are just as in love with those books as you are. But here's the part that's unanswered for me: how should adults help adolescents navigate the thornier parts of reading that they will inevitably face as they crack open stuff they might not fall in love with, or is simply too difficult to comprehend after a few tries? (Chaucer and a physics textbook spring to mind.)

- Catherine Gewertz

Gender Equity in College Admissions: Do We Have a Problem?

2009-12-16T15:54:03Z

We already know that there isn't exactly, ahem, a consensus on whether there is a "boy crisis" in education. (See some links to stuff on this in my recent blog post.)

One aspect of this debate, as discussed in that blog post, is whether women have too much of a presence on college campuses, and whether admissions practices need to be tweaked to address that. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is investigating this, according to Inside Higher Ed.

The Washington Post reports on how the dominos are falling at some local colleges as that investigation takes shape. And there is some interesting reading, as well, in blog items from the Post's Valerie Strauss (here and here) and a refreshing personal perspective in a column by Petula Dvorak.

See also columnist Mona Charen, who took a tack similar to my own in this blog, suggesting that we focus earlier in the pipeline by grappling with the dynamics that fuel the gender gap to begin with.

- Catherine Gewertz

The Achievement Gap: A Useless Measure?

2009-12-15T15:22:06Z

Narrowing the performance gaps between poor students and wealthier ones, and among students of various ethnic and racial groups, has been a key goal of education reform. But is it misguided?

That's what Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews argues in a provocative column today.

I would love to hear what you all have to say about this. So I'm going to just step out of the way and wait for you to say it.

- Catherine Gewertz

'Nagging And Nurturing' in Middle School to Prevent Dropouts

2009-12-14T16:07:32Z

A lot of attention is being focused on improving high school graduation rates, and the role that spotting signs of trouble early can play. And that doesn't mean just keeping a close eye on those signs as kids enter high school. That means going back to 6th grade.

Researchers have established that tracking certain data points—such as attendance or grades—as early as middle school can help schools identify students who run the greatest risk of dropping out, and step in with help. Work by the Consortium on Chicago School Research and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins will interest you if want to know about early-warning research.

An interesting experiment with early-warning indicators is going on at a Philadelphia middle school, and it's produced strong enough results that the model has expanded to other cities this year. I visited the flagship site in Philadelphia and wrote about it; the story is up on our Web site. The approach is complex and comprehensive; it blends academic support, an early-warning system, and social supports from two outside organizations.

This model is based on research by Johns Hopkins and the Philadelphia Education Fund. Another early-warning-system approach that I wrote about is based on the consortium's work. That one sends key data to high schools on every incoming freshman, so their teachers and counselors know right away who might need a bit of extra support.

- Catherine Gewertz

Students Tell Education Stories in Ed. Dept's Winning Videos

2009-12-11T14:11:04Z

Three teenagers have won the U.S. Education Department's "I Am What I Learn" video contest. Their videos, posted on YouTube, are about how education is helping them progress toward important goals in their lives. (In addition to their moment of fame, students get $1,000 cash prizes from the department.)

The winners are Rene Harris, a 17-year-old senior at Oxford Area High School in Oxford, Pa., who talks about persisting in her education despite some serious personal-life setbacks; Alex Hughes, 16, a junior at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., who discusses his path to becoming a film director; and Jordan Lederman, a 13-year-old 8th grader at Pine Lake Middle School in Sammamish, Wash. Jordan talks about what her classes taught her to help her achieve her dream of owning a chicken farm.

The contest drew more than 600 entries. Finalists' videos are on YouTube as well.

- Catherine Gewertz

Absences Key in Achievement Lag for Spec. Ed. Students

2009-12-10T17:20:07Z

An interesting new study finds that high absence rates are a big reason for the gap in achievement between 9th graders in special education and those in regular education.

The study, by the Consortium on Chicago School Research and the National High School Center, found that absences, course failures, course credits, and grade point average all can be used to predict which Chicago freshmen with disabilities have the highest risk of dropping out. But absences were the most predictive factor of dropout risk, more so than race, gender, socioeconomic status, or prior achievement.

The consortium has made a particular focus of studying the indicators that are necessary to watch closely to keep students on track for on-time high school graduation. (See here, here and here.) Now, those researchers are using that lens to examine the same thing for special education students.

The Chicago Tribune's story on the report points out a chicken-and-egg question: It isn't clear whether special ed. students' absences drive lower achievement, or whether lower achievement and disengagement drive higher absence rates. But the research raises interesting possibilities, and points up the urgency of the problem: Students with disabilities drop out far more often than those without.

- Catherine Gewertz

OMG, You Mean I Can't Facebook at Work?

2009-12-09T16:20:43Z

We know that teenagers love their online social networking. But a new poll hints that a fair number of them might turn down jobs that don't let them have such access at work.

This year's Junior Achievement/Deloitte Teen Ethics Survey, released today, finds that 58 percent of the responding teenagers would "consider" restrictions on their access to sites such as Facebook when weighing a job offer.

While Facebook and its counterparts are gaining more ground with those a bit more ancient than teenagers, they're lifeblood to adolescents. Eighty-eight percent of the teens in the Junior Achievement/Deloitte survey said they use social networks daily, with seven in 10 spending an hour or more a day on them.

The survey was aimed at exploring ethical questions raised by young people's use of social networks at work. (Goodness knows adults have their lapses in this area, as well. But this survey looks only at teens.) And it seems to point up the need for a bit of education to guide young people in their use of social networking in the workplace. Most say they feel confident that they can make ethical decisions about online social networking at work, but they also say they don't think much about the effect of their postings on potentially important people such as future employers.

There were some promising things in the survey, too. Large shares of teenagers said they used social networking to help others or encourage support of causes important to them. (I'm assuming here that they don't mean organizing their friends to skip school on a particularly sunny day or other less-productive pursuits.)

But the fact that so many teenagers would consider their access to Facebook a key ingredient of getting a job is itself cause for reflection. In writing about middle and high school, I've often had educators tell me that students need more real-world applications for their learning. A reality check on what real-world jobs require could be in order.

- Catherine Gewertz

Restructuring Under NCLB: What We Know, What We Don't

2009-12-08T16:00:00Z

In case you missed it, the federal government issued its final regulations last week for $3.5 billion worth of School Improvement Grants. (See our Politics K-12 blog item and our story for more.) They lay out what the feds really want to see from states vying for the money. And as we've seen before, one of those things is a priority on turning around the lowest-performing schools by using four turnaround models.

In a fortuitous bit of timing, just as those regulations dropped, the Center on Education Policy was finalizing a little document of its own. (See my blog post on the study over at Inside School Research.) And what its new report has to say creates an interesting dialog—and tad bit of tension with the feds—about what it takes to make real improvement in our worst-performing schools.

To get to the heart of it: the center argues that the states, districts, and schools it's been studying for years have found that the federal strategies under No Child Left Behind have not helped them exit restructuring.

The center is questioning whether the federal government really has enough research on the effectiveness of its turnaround models to justify the pressure it's putting on schools, districts, and states to use them. And CEP's president, Jack Jennings, made no bones about his skepticism when he aimed a few comments at Judy Wurtzel, the Department of Education's deputy assistant secretary for planning, evaluation and policy development, during a forum here in Washington on the report yesterday. He said he wondered whether the department's advocacy of the four turnaround models is based more on a "hunch" than on real evidence, and said he thinks the feds are being too prescriptive by insisting on these models in handing out school-improvement grants.

Ms. Wurtzel said the turnaround models the Ed Department advocates go "far beyond" those offered under NCLB. As for too-prescriptive? States have had a good deal of flexibility in turning around their worst schools, she said, and they haven't delivered as much improvement as the feds would have liked. (Message: So it's time do it our way.)

Stay tuned for my story on this. (UPDATE: Story is published.) But in the meantime, track how this dialogue unfolds as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization draws near, and note that there is an unusually intent focus on middle and high school improvement in doling out stimulus money as well as shaping a new ESEA.

- Catherine Gewertz

Roundup: Low College Completion Rates, 21st Century Skills

2009-12-04T16:21:54Z

The Education Trust put out a new study yesterday, "Charting A Necessary Path," that shows troubling college completion rates for low-income and minority students. The data come from a collaborative project of 24 public college and university systems that are committed to improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. It's impossible to look at these data without asking what the K-12 system can do to make sure that the neediest students get the strong preparation and support they need to flourish in higher ed. The Washington Post's story about the study is here.

Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews has a nice post today about a couple of new books that take on the 21st century skills debate. Very interesting, clearly-made arguments on a topic that can be frustratingly abstract (not to mention hotly debated). The high school space would be a prime target for change in this arena, so it's worth watching. What are advocates of 21st century skills actually advocating? And how would their vision be translated into curriculum and instruction? Read my colleague Stephen Sawchuk's story on this for another interesting perspective.

And, speaking of things that could be coming to a high school near you, take a look at my colleague Debra Viadero's very good story on a much-argued-about study on charter-management organizations. Districts have increasingly thrown up their hands trying to fix stubbornly bad high schools, and brought in CMOs or private companies to give it a whirl. The feds are hot on improving high schools, and have expressly invited charter-management groups to play a role in that work. Again: worth watching.

- Catherine Gewertz

High Schools Flying Blind Without College Data, Report Says

2009-12-03T17:19:03Z

A new report from College Summit and the Center for American Progress urges the federal government to help high schools get access to college data that will help them provide the best possible college preparation for students. Without knowing how young people are faring in their first year of college ("Year 13"), it says, high schools are forced to guesstimate what works.

"After all, we wouldn't ask air traffic controllers to land planes with radars that shut down at 10,000 feet. We wouldn't let surgeons operate if they could only guess at how previous patients had done," the report said. "And yet at the moment we are asking high schools to deliver students who can perform in college without giving schools the tools to know whether or how their current efforts are paying off."

What should the feds do? According to the CAP and College Summit, they should support the gathering of college-proficiency data by school, disseminate the data, help educators learn to interpret and lead change based on it, and reward high schools for making progress in college-proficiency rates.

The most important data high schools need—both in the aggregate and on an anonymous, student level—are the rates at which their students enroll in postsecondary study within a semester of graduation, and the rate at which they complete at least one year of college credit within two years, the report said.

The report includes some intriguing anecdotes from schools that have worked hard to reshape their offerings based on the glimpses they managed to get into their students' college performance. But it makes the point that these efforts were possible only because of lucky breaks, such as a principal receiving a letter from a former student's mother, who described how her daughter was struggling in her freshman year of college. High schools shouldn't have to rely, the report argues, on chance tidbits; they need systematic, comprehensive information on how well their students were prepared to succeed in college.

The report was released today at a panel discussion with some really smart, informed people on this issue; video of the discussion is available on the Center for American Progress' Web site.

- Catherine Gewertz

Do Men Deserve A Break in College Admissions?

2009-12-03T15:27:09Z

I know it's not news to you that girls have been edging out boys on a number of educational indicators. They outscore boys in reading and writing on the NAEP and on international tests. They graduate from high school more often. And more girls than boys enroll in and graduate from college.

Like most issues that generate a lot of media attention, this "boys' crisis" isn't without its dissenters. But it's still a worrisome topic, and not one that seems to be hovering on the brink of a solution.

Now former USA Today editorial writer Richard Whitmire, who's got a book coming out on this stuff, wades into the thorny area of what colleges should do about the gender imbalance. Do they have the right to extend a preference to men, in the interest of preserving gender diversity?

It's an interesting question. But the higher-ed people in Whitmire's column talk about a college's right to assemble the freshman class it sees fit, and wonder "where the boys are," noting that the applicant pool tilts toward women. But no one mentions the problem of boys' achievement lagging behind that of girls (gee, wouldn't that affect their prospects of getting into college? their inclination to attend college? or both?).

Colleges that value gender diversity on their campuses have a vested interest in teaming up with K-12 to help address the imbalances that are taking root long before boys have to choose what college colors to wear.

- Catherine Gewertz

PTA Seeks to Build Parent Support for Common Standards

2009-12-02T14:36:46Z

You thought the PTA was pretty much about local parents meeting in their school libraries to discuss bake sales? Think again. A story by my colleague Sean Cavanagh outlines the national organization's new strategy to build support among parents for the common academic standards you've heard so much about. The group is planning to win over state boards of education, too.

- Catherine Gewertz

Survey Shows Gaps in Expectations of High Schools

2009-12-01T15:16:12Z

A new survey uncovers an interesting gap between what low-income parents and students want from high school and what high school educators see as their main job. Check out the Deloitte 2009 Education Survey.

UPDATE: Technology issues forced Deloitte to take the report on the study off of their website, but they forwarded it to us so you can take a look while they are solving that problem. Here it is.

The firm asked low-income parents and students to rank the main aims of high school, and 42 percent of the parents and 48 percent of the students put college preparation at the top. Only nine percent of teachers did the same.

The study points up a host of other interesting dynamics, some of which are depressingly familiar refrains from other studies. Here is one: seven in 10 students reported strong intentions to attend college, but fewer than three in 10 said they felt prepared to handle the coursework. Only six in 10 teachers expressed confidence that they know what students really need to be prepared for college.

- Catherine Gewertz

Fortune Profiles College-Admissions 'Smackdown'

2009-11-30T18:51:49Z

Fortune magazine has an interesting piece today about the competition between the makers of the two big college-admissions tests. Check it out.

I touched [very lightly] on some of this stuff when I reported the most recent ACT scores and SAT scores, noting that the ACT was growing in popularity, gaining on the SAT. And my colleague Scott Cech alluded to it, too, when he reported on the College Board's decisions to let students have more choice about which scores they send to colleges and to introduce a new test for 8th graders. Fortune wades smack into it, looking squarely at the competition and sizing up the College Board as being "on the defensive."

- Catherine Gewertz