Putting a Halt to the Pipeline

No, I'm not talking about the XL oil pipeline in the Midwest!! That being said, the pipeline that does exist between school suspensions and prison are certainly toxic and something has to be done about it. Schools can do their part just as surely as the parents of children.

From a standpoint of schools, as I mentioned yesterday, they need to take a hard look at what they are doing right now in terms of dealing with the misbehavior, or worse, of students.

Allow me to offer this. School personnel need to work at defusing volatile situations. That is certainly not enough but it is a start. When it comes to individual poor choices and actions of individual students, it is critical that schools embark on the path of 1 to 1 counseling. This takes place with teachers in the classroom, Deans, and Social Workers.

At the very least, schools need to look at finding ways to keep students in schools. Too many students who have significant behavior issues are all too happy to get out of school. Let's find ways to keep them engaged and in the classroom.

Dick

Follow Up

As I noted yesterday, the punishment system in use in many schools, which often makes liberal use of suspensions, can have serious and harmful implications for students in the years after they leave schools. It is not unlikely that students who are suspended face serious punishments going forward including imprisonment.

Make no mistake, misbehavior and harmful actions by students who are attending school need to be addressed.

The conversation, as I see it, should shift to examining a fundamental question. As Kevin Gilbert, a member of the NEA Executive Committee, sees it we need to ask this question: "Do our discipline structures help or hurt kids?"
I'd add that it has to be a serious look at what is meant by 'helping' and 'hurting.'

Unless we examine we what have been doing in the past and present with regard to handing out punishments for all sorts of poor student behavior we are not likely to really help students.

Dick

School to Prison Pipeline

I don't often write about school issues but an article in NEA Today sparked my interest. The piece is entitled "The School to Prison Pipeline." There are many important facets to the story but I want to tackle one that deals with how schools handle problems.

Essentially the author, Ms. Mary Ellen Flannery, researches and concludes that the age old system of school suspensions can most definitely lead to prison. Says Flannery, "A suspension can be life altering. It is the number-one predictor-more than poverty-of whether children will drop out of school, and walk down a road that includes greater likelihood of unemployment, reliance on social-welfare programs and imprisonment."

This is a fairly stark statement and hopefully a wake-up call to those running our schools regarding the serious implications and effects of school suspensions.

For me, I have long thought these were not in the best interests of the students growth and maturation. There has to be other ways of dealing with student misbehavior or worse.

Dick

A Great First Week

For most of us, this time of the year is tax season. To a person, we never have fun gathering up our financials and paperwork from the past year in order to file!! Okay, if we get a big return then we might be a little happier with the outcome.

Aside from tax season, March is also the lone month of the year in which Schools Count Corp. raises funds for our many projects for the rest of the year. From buying schools supplies to purchasing band instruments to acquiring warm winter clothing, the funds raised enable us to help thousands of children with the aforementioned.

We always welcome donations of any amount. Be assured that your contribution is tax deductible to the limits of the law. Just as importantly, as in the past, 100% of the funds are used to buy the supplies for the children. We don't use your funds to pay operating costs!!

Yes, last week was a great first week as we raised $970.00. Please consider a donation to Schools Count. It makes a huge difference to the kids and their families.

Many thanks,
Dick

Testing Their Readiness

So the PARCC is suppose to assess the readiness of children to attend college and to be prepared for a career. Is this really the intent? I have my doubts and that is not the small part of my personal skeptical nature speaking; rather, my long understanding that what 'reformers' want is a way to assess teachers...to hold them accountable.

Okay, so they say they are testing for readiness. Students are ready at different points in the lives for college or a career. So the fact that some students in elementary school or high school 'aren't ready' doesn't mean they won't be 'ready' at some point in time.

Let me say this about being 'ready.' Getting decent classroom instruction, over the long haul, will do more to make young people 'ready' for what is ahead. Another point...the true purpose of education has way more to do with helping young people other than being ready for college or a career. It is time to value education for all that it encompasses rather than for job preparation.

Dick

Not Skipping School, Just Skipping PARCC

At least two North Side CPS schools, Nettelhorst and Blaine Elementary, are skipping the administration of the PARCC test which commences next Monday. In fact an "opt-out bill passed out of a House committee Wednesday in Springfield." Still other schools are considering opting out of giving the exam.

The reason for not participating in the testing is simple. As the Blaine PTO put it, "our students can get back 10 hours of vital classroom instruction." The Blaine Principal, Troy LaRaviere, supports the PTA in terms of maximizing classroom instruction. That's it. Parents, teachers and many administrators want teaching and learning to take place rather than spending the time on standardized testing.

Remember CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett doesn't think the test is in the best interests of the students.

Maybe some legislators in both state and federal government circles will start coming to the realization that teaching and learning trumps constant high stakes testing.

Dick

Money Wins Out on PARCC

The brass at CPS has relented on its original pledge to have just 10% of the schools take the PARCC test. The reason for the turnaround has nothing to do with being equipped for the exam or whether the test is worthwhile (that's another can of worms). The bottom line is this...CPS was faced with losing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid if they didn't administer the test this spring.

Yes, the Illinois State Board of Education was going to hold back the funding. Nothing like being held hostage!! UGH!

Just to give you an idea of the craziness of this whole affair, let me share with you the sentiments of schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett. She said, "I continue to personally and professionally believe that to administer PARCC this year is absolutely not in the best interest of our students."

There you have it! A professional, not a politician, speaking out on the issue. So what happens, the education professionals are ignored.

Don't be surprised if a fair number of parents and staff, perhaps the sleepy public, rise up and say no. I'll have more to say on this in the coming days.

Dick