Learn and Earn Early College High Schools

Early college high schools are popping up all over the state of
North Carolina thanks to funding provided by Governor Easley and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Presently, there are 35 early colleges in the state of North Carolina and by the year 2012 Governor Easley would like to have an early college high school in every county in the state of North Carolina. 

Early college high schools are small schools designed so that students can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to two years of college credit toward a Bachelor’s degree. Early college high schools have the potential to improve high school graduation rates and better prepare students for high-skill careers by engaging all students in a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum and compressing the number of years to a college degree. 

Early college high schools are necessary because a postsecondary education is almost essential for financial and personal freedom in today’s economy. A four-year college graduate earns two-thirds more than a high school graduate does. An Associate’s degree translates into earnings significantly higher than those earned by an individual with a high school diploma alone. 

The Early College High School Initiative focuses on young people for whom the transition into postsecondary education is now problematic. Its priority is to serve first-generation college goers, English language learners, and students of color, all of whom are statistically underrepresented in higher education.

For more information about the Early College High School Initiative visit the website at http://www.earlycolleges.org. 

What Really Happen to Student Achievement Levels?

Students across the United States have begun a new school year.  This is a new beginning; a new grade level, new teachers, new classmates, and new experiences.  How soon will the newness fade and the challenges of “passing the tests” begin to set in.  Year after year students and teachers are faced with the daunting task of raising student achievement levels and hard as they try, the growth of  the end of the year test scores is usually equal to or less than the previous school year.  Yes, there are schools that continually and consistently show growth.  What are they doing that the other schools are not?  The former is usually the exception.

There have been several books written about students “falling through the cracks”.  What is interesting to me is that the “cracks” and ”gaps” are expanding.  When interest began in this area of study, reading and math were the focus.  Now we are faced with lagging scores in science and technology as well. In a country whose claim to fame is that we are the most advanced and developed country in the world, why does education seem to fall short?  

Fifty or so years ago, it was a parent’s dream for their child to go to college even if they could not afford to send them.  Most of these were parents whose educational level was elementary at best, encouraged their children to learn all they could at school.  What seemed to happen was that life got easier and education, though important, descended down the ladder of priorities.

Schools of the Future

Having been in education in some capacity, as both a teacher and curriculum supervisor, for the past nineteen years I get concerned when I hear that our schools are not meeting the needs of children.  Having two newborns, I wonder what has to be done to institute such change so that we do meet all learner’s needs.  With technology and the available uses for such, will our schools become virtual in the future?  As I begin saving for college for two babies, I cannot help but wonder what colleges will be like in 18 years.   I have seen so much change since I began teaching that many years ago.  Computers were unavailable at the schools that I worked in during the late 1980s.  They were available, but the schools did not have the resources to purchase them.  I remember seeing the first digital camera in my school in 1996. I remember the date so well because we used it to document for our accreditation.  I also remember when we purchased our first infocus machine a couple of years later.  I think that it was $3000.00.  Now, schools have a plethora of resources.  Why are we still not meeting all learner’s needs?  Where is the root of this problem, and more importantly, can we fix what we report to be “broken”.  As I save for my children’s future, I am wondering what that future might hold.  Is it realistic to think that schools and universities will disappear and virtual learning replace them.  Will tales of “when I was in college” be a grandmother’s tale of how things once were? 

Science Education

Science education should begin in kinder-garden and continue through middle school to prepare students for high school science and possible college. While many K-8 teachers feel intimidated about the content and stressed about the time available within the day to even to begin to address the science content, it imperative to do so. There is no excuse to leave science out of classroom instruction now that many states have developed a standard course of study for science in the elementary level. As a science teacher, I find science education as equally important as other subjects. Hopefuuly other people feels the same way as I do.

Avid Program

I was asked to become an AVID teacher this year and move to an AVID team.  I had no idea what AVID was or what it meant to be on the AVID site team.   In my edublog I will describe what I learned about AVID and how it has changed my teaching style.  

AVID:  this acronym stands for ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION

The program is for students who are served less and are usually classified in the “middle.”  We seem to have programs for the “gifted” students or for the inclusion students, but this program is designed to benefit the students between both of those levels.  The students are pushed to succeed in the curriculum, prepare more for college (with this there is the hope that this will increase students to enroll into four year colleges), and most importantly the program teaches the students to become responsible leaders. 

Purpose:  “The purpose of the AVID program is to restructure the teaching methods of an entire school and to open access to the curricula that will ensure four-year college eligibility to almost all students.”  (This quote is directly from the AVID summer institute 2007 Participate Materials book). 

The students learn how to become better prepared for everyday learning.  They carry one binder with them to all classes throughout the day.  The binder is set up to accommodate every class.  The front of the binder has a pencil pack (pack that holds all materials needed during class; pencils, pens etc.), it is then split with dividers for each class.  The students keep all materials for the class behind the divider of the class. 

Students in the AVID program use a methodology called WICR.  WICR stands for writing, inquiry, collaborative learning groups and reading to learn.  They also use Cornell Notes in their classroom for note taking strategies.  Each student has an AVID elective class (tutorial) in which they have tutors to come in and help with their learning processes.  They take field trips to colleges and universities, they are involved in fundraising activities, and they have speakers come to talk with the students about the AVID program.  The students sign a contract in which they know all their duties as an AVID student.  If for some reason they are not turning in homework, showing a bad attitude, not keeping their binder organized, then they will be asked to leave the program.

The AVID teacher uses the WICR strategies in their classroom as well as Cornell notes.  I enjoy teaching the students using Cornell notes; it helps them to organize their thoughts better than just simply taking notes from the lesson.  It is nice to have the students know they are a part of a program, and if they don’t stand up to the standards they will be asked to leave the program. 

This program is working out wonderful for the majority of my AVID students.  I am hoping it will continue this way all year!

Gang Violence in Public Schools

Gang violence is a growing problem that exists across America, and as each day passes it becomes a more prominent issue in the public school system. This past week, administrators in the school where I work had to deal with an issue that resulted from gang related problems. Being from a rural area, gang violence never seemed to be a concern, but working in a high school I have found that it is a very relevant matter.

There are many factors that foster gangs in society such poverty, racism, unemployment, parenting practices, and exposure to violence. As Dean Walker asserts in his article, “School Violence Prevention,” several questions need to be answered when trying to find ways to recognize and prevent gangs in schools. Those questions are whether or not the school climate and the violence there are related, what role administrators play in violence reduction, and if students can be taught nonviolence. Within each of these components, he makes several suggestions. A widely known policy against violence must be in place and recognized by everyone. Administrators should maintain a high profile and make there presence felt throughout the school. Because violent behavior is typically learned, curriculum and organizations should be put into effect to re-teach children and reinforce positive conduct. Though Walker provides several suggestions as to how schools can eradicate violence, he is adamant that taking students who are predisposed to violence from the school does not solve the problem.
http://edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/09/12/03sacks.h27.html

Every school environment is different, and if you look beyond the local factors that contribute to gangs in these public institutions, you will find that they stem from both national and worldwide problems. On both of those levels, socioeconomic issues such as drugs, poverty, and immigration, initiate events that stimulate gang violence. In any problematic situation, the typical response it to remove the stimulus, but as Walker points out, that does not provide a solution. Even though we are given the resources to identify gangs in schools, and we realize that eliminating violent children is not the answer, it still leaves us with the question of how to solve the problem.
RBB

Complexity Theory and Education

A couple of years ago at the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference, I attended a session given by one of my favorite presenters, Michael Quinn Patton. He introduced an idea that was new to me at the time, complexity theory. He has since co-authored and published a book that incorporates complexity theory into social change, which I highly recommend—Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed (see http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679314431).

What is complexity theory? Complexity theory provides a framework for understanding complex systems. Complex systems are characterized as holistic, non-linear, unpredictable, emergent, adaptive, dynamical, and changing. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts . . . due to the relationships and interactions of the parts. Complexity theory has been used in the physical and biological sciences, in business, and, to a lesser extent, in education.

Can education be characterized as a complex system? I think so. Anyone who has been in a classroom would likely agree that what they witnessed could be characterized by the descriptors listed above: holistic, non-linear, unpredictable, emergent, adaptive, dynamical, and changing. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But do our educational practices account for the complexity of schooling? I’ll leave you with that question . . . TMW