I could (would like to) agree with you but after looking at the black/white and hispanic/white achievement gaps (at ETHS ) since 2005 (so 18 years or so!) it's clear that the needle has not moved. That 60% has fluctuated but only by a few percentage points; and when it goes up one year, it declines again the next. Most importantly, t…
I could (would like to) agree with you but after looking at the black/white and hispanic/white achievement gaps (at ETHS ) since 2005 (so 18 years or so!) it's clear that the needle has not moved. That 60% has fluctuated but only by a few percentage points; and when it goes up one year, it declines again the next. Most importantly, this is after extensive resources - financial, staffing, curriculum, policy, etc. - have been poured into addressing this problem. I would also argue that no one is just "shrugging their shoulders" at the gap, if anything we've been doing the opposite - I'd make that case and defend our schools to anyone. What can't be ignored, however, after all of these years of trying is the "inconvenient truth" I wrote about: the school's can't fix this problem...no matter how hard they try. Communities and families fix this problem.
And, to clarify, by "familial forces" I mean the adult(s) who a child spends the bulk of their time with AWAY from school. It's these thousands and thousands of interactions, large and small, over many years (from birth) that form one's personality, behavior, values, etc.
This is what I saw in my years in the classroom. Those students who did well (= achieved and grew both academically and as people), NO MATTER their racial, social, or family make up/background came from lived experiences like this.
So you say to Black parents, “Sorry your kids are performing vastly lower than white kids - consider forming families in my specific way”?
I hear what you’re saying but from a legal and ethical standpoint, you cant just abandon 41% of D65’s kids because you think their family structures are failing them in some non-specific way. It is the role of the community (not individual teachers) to lift up all the kids in a public district, regardless of their home lives or your opinion, thereof.
Yes D65 has thrown insane resources at this issue but my complaint is that they’re held exactly 0 people, except maybe Goren accountable for the problem. Even the folks, like Horton, brought here to tackle this were basically held to zero accountability while he blew out the budget in the name of equity.
I argued that the best approach is to hire the top talent and get them in front of those kids and you don’t even agree with that! So what is your solution if not “shrug it off” ?
1) Nowhere in my response do I tell any group what/how they should define their family makeup (other than "the adult(s) who a child spends the bulk of their time with AWAY from school"). My comment does not single out any racial or other subgroup or imply such. And that was very intentional on my part. In fact, I wrote: "Those students who did well ..., NO MATTER their racial, social, or family make up/background, came from lived experiences like this".
2) You said that I "don't even agree with"... "the best approach is to hire the top talent and get them in front of those kids". However, in my opening post I wrote: "BTW I agree that getting excellent teachers into the classroom is a plus but that only takes kids so far."
3) and my solution to fixing the gap:
First, schools should make it unequivocally clear that their foremost purpose is to provide for and support the exploration of academic knowledge. Additionally, schools should make it clear that the study of knowledge occurs fundamentally between teacher and student and primarily in the classroom – a school’s “sacred space”.
Second, treat every person who enters a school, and especially its students, as individuals first. See them as possessing a free and open mind, always capable of academic growth and personal improvement. Promote a mindset that prioritizes the individual over, but not exclusive of, the group.
Third, honor that we all naturally identify with others. Our group affiliations are linked by many attributes – personality, class, culture, race, geography, language, hobbies, shared histories, etc. Yes, belonging to a group is an essential element of our humanity - it brings us happiness and a sense of being part of something greater than ourselves. But group identity is a complex formulation and it should therefore be up to the individual student to freely decide with whom they choose to associate.
Fourth, require school administrators to teach with regularity. Theoretically, members of a school’s leadership went into education because they liked young people, were highly knowledgeable about a specific subject and enjoyed the unique opportunities that a classroom affords. If we agree that a classroom is at the core of one’s learning experience then school leaders (superintendent, principal, director of instruction, etc.) should be there too, actively demonstrating their love of teaching, modeling best pedagogical practices and participating directly in the growth of students and faculty. They will be better informed and more effective at prioritizing learning as a result.
Fifth, hire teachers who in addition to their proven scholarly interest are well rounded and highly capable. Search out those who believe in the common good; who support fundamental democratic values – equality, the rule of law, free speech, etc.; who endorse a diverse and upwardly mobile society; who are compassionate, team players and socially confident. Find these individuals and then free them up to focus on delivering the greatest instructional and personal impact on the academic journey of all children.
Mark - everything you have said sounds good, but with regard to the unacceptable level of achievement gap, what should 'equity' within the D65 schools and school budget look like to address this, dealing with the sociodemographic cards D65 has been dealt by society, etc.? Tom mentions a ton of D65 resources being applied to address this, but my perception is that these resources have been grossly misapplied, such as to trendy programs and consultants and bodyguards instead of being applied to fundaments such as what would have the most impact on improving math, reading and language skills for the lowest performing 20% of students. As a former LD student myself and as a parent of a LD student, what I see works is large amounts of individual tutoring and placement in classes with a teaching assistant. To me, proper 'equity' within the school budget would be to start budgeting with maximizing the amount of one-on-one and small group support being provided to the bottom performing students. And then only if funds are left over after a proper level of direct academic support for those on the bottom tiers , spend on whatever else, shiny objects, etc., after also meeting whatever is determined to be the solid baseline needs of the students who perform at grade level or higher.
To me the only downside of differentiated classes taught at the level a student is at (and with much more support given for the slower classes) is that the LD students would inevitably be subjected to a higher concentration of BD students as well in the slower classes (which I know first-hand is a major inequity, but not one that justifies holding back higher performing kids just to be able to share the pain).
And needless to say (but needing to be said in D65 it appears), lessoning the achievement gap is of course only worth achieving if it is done by bringing up those at the bottom, not by holding back those at the top of the learning curve. The issue is that students are left behind below grade level, not that someone else is doing better due to unfair advantages of wealth and home life.
It is parental malpractice to keep your overachieving child in D65 if they are not getting placed in a math class level that will appropriately challenge their abilities. And when liberal parents see their own child being hurt by a school's misguided so-called 'progressive' policies and practices, that is usually where a limit is drawn and they leave, politely telling their friends merely that the school district was not a good fit for their child. That is how D65 loses more middle-class families and/or families with parents who value education (families of all ethnicities) and can afford to leave D65 to get it.
Tom,
I could (would like to) agree with you but after looking at the black/white and hispanic/white achievement gaps (at ETHS ) since 2005 (so 18 years or so!) it's clear that the needle has not moved. That 60% has fluctuated but only by a few percentage points; and when it goes up one year, it declines again the next. Most importantly, this is after extensive resources - financial, staffing, curriculum, policy, etc. - have been poured into addressing this problem. I would also argue that no one is just "shrugging their shoulders" at the gap, if anything we've been doing the opposite - I'd make that case and defend our schools to anyone. What can't be ignored, however, after all of these years of trying is the "inconvenient truth" I wrote about: the school's can't fix this problem...no matter how hard they try. Communities and families fix this problem.
And, to clarify, by "familial forces" I mean the adult(s) who a child spends the bulk of their time with AWAY from school. It's these thousands and thousands of interactions, large and small, over many years (from birth) that form one's personality, behavior, values, etc.
This is what I saw in my years in the classroom. Those students who did well (= achieved and grew both academically and as people), NO MATTER their racial, social, or family make up/background came from lived experiences like this.
So you say to Black parents, “Sorry your kids are performing vastly lower than white kids - consider forming families in my specific way”?
I hear what you’re saying but from a legal and ethical standpoint, you cant just abandon 41% of D65’s kids because you think their family structures are failing them in some non-specific way. It is the role of the community (not individual teachers) to lift up all the kids in a public district, regardless of their home lives or your opinion, thereof.
Yes D65 has thrown insane resources at this issue but my complaint is that they’re held exactly 0 people, except maybe Goren accountable for the problem. Even the folks, like Horton, brought here to tackle this were basically held to zero accountability while he blew out the budget in the name of equity.
I argued that the best approach is to hire the top talent and get them in front of those kids and you don’t even agree with that! So what is your solution if not “shrug it off” ?
Tom,
1) Nowhere in my response do I tell any group what/how they should define their family makeup (other than "the adult(s) who a child spends the bulk of their time with AWAY from school"). My comment does not single out any racial or other subgroup or imply such. And that was very intentional on my part. In fact, I wrote: "Those students who did well ..., NO MATTER their racial, social, or family make up/background, came from lived experiences like this".
2) You said that I "don't even agree with"... "the best approach is to hire the top talent and get them in front of those kids". However, in my opening post I wrote: "BTW I agree that getting excellent teachers into the classroom is a plus but that only takes kids so far."
3) and my solution to fixing the gap:
First, schools should make it unequivocally clear that their foremost purpose is to provide for and support the exploration of academic knowledge. Additionally, schools should make it clear that the study of knowledge occurs fundamentally between teacher and student and primarily in the classroom – a school’s “sacred space”.
Second, treat every person who enters a school, and especially its students, as individuals first. See them as possessing a free and open mind, always capable of academic growth and personal improvement. Promote a mindset that prioritizes the individual over, but not exclusive of, the group.
Third, honor that we all naturally identify with others. Our group affiliations are linked by many attributes – personality, class, culture, race, geography, language, hobbies, shared histories, etc. Yes, belonging to a group is an essential element of our humanity - it brings us happiness and a sense of being part of something greater than ourselves. But group identity is a complex formulation and it should therefore be up to the individual student to freely decide with whom they choose to associate.
Fourth, require school administrators to teach with regularity. Theoretically, members of a school’s leadership went into education because they liked young people, were highly knowledgeable about a specific subject and enjoyed the unique opportunities that a classroom affords. If we agree that a classroom is at the core of one’s learning experience then school leaders (superintendent, principal, director of instruction, etc.) should be there too, actively demonstrating their love of teaching, modeling best pedagogical practices and participating directly in the growth of students and faculty. They will be better informed and more effective at prioritizing learning as a result.
Fifth, hire teachers who in addition to their proven scholarly interest are well rounded and highly capable. Search out those who believe in the common good; who support fundamental democratic values – equality, the rule of law, free speech, etc.; who endorse a diverse and upwardly mobile society; who are compassionate, team players and socially confident. Find these individuals and then free them up to focus on delivering the greatest instructional and personal impact on the academic journey of all children.
Mark - everything you have said sounds good, but with regard to the unacceptable level of achievement gap, what should 'equity' within the D65 schools and school budget look like to address this, dealing with the sociodemographic cards D65 has been dealt by society, etc.? Tom mentions a ton of D65 resources being applied to address this, but my perception is that these resources have been grossly misapplied, such as to trendy programs and consultants and bodyguards instead of being applied to fundaments such as what would have the most impact on improving math, reading and language skills for the lowest performing 20% of students. As a former LD student myself and as a parent of a LD student, what I see works is large amounts of individual tutoring and placement in classes with a teaching assistant. To me, proper 'equity' within the school budget would be to start budgeting with maximizing the amount of one-on-one and small group support being provided to the bottom performing students. And then only if funds are left over after a proper level of direct academic support for those on the bottom tiers , spend on whatever else, shiny objects, etc., after also meeting whatever is determined to be the solid baseline needs of the students who perform at grade level or higher.
To me the only downside of differentiated classes taught at the level a student is at (and with much more support given for the slower classes) is that the LD students would inevitably be subjected to a higher concentration of BD students as well in the slower classes (which I know first-hand is a major inequity, but not one that justifies holding back higher performing kids just to be able to share the pain).
And needless to say (but needing to be said in D65 it appears), lessoning the achievement gap is of course only worth achieving if it is done by bringing up those at the bottom, not by holding back those at the top of the learning curve. The issue is that students are left behind below grade level, not that someone else is doing better due to unfair advantages of wealth and home life.
It is parental malpractice to keep your overachieving child in D65 if they are not getting placed in a math class level that will appropriately challenge their abilities. And when liberal parents see their own child being hurt by a school's misguided so-called 'progressive' policies and practices, that is usually where a limit is drawn and they leave, politely telling their friends merely that the school district was not a good fit for their child. That is how D65 loses more middle-class families and/or families with parents who value education (families of all ethnicities) and can afford to leave D65 to get it.