Recommendations for Education in the United States

1. Democratic Vision of Public EducationA promise of a better tomorrow to the students of todayS-CURVE FIVE: A Recommended Course of Action to Secure the Democratic Purpose of Education

2. We are at a crossroads in the United States when it comes to the education of our children. The citizens of the United States are certainly confronted with a choice; however, the issue of school choice is not as clear as some make it out to be. When the people are in control…they choose. When the schools are in control, operated under the concept of competition, and controlled by business…they choose you. The next S-curve must focus on the true principles of democracy once envisioned by our founders; however, it must also include the elements of social equity, rigor and relevance, and the concept where people improve themselves for the betterment of the others

3. The Big Picture – Do private and charter schools actually perform better than public schools? Proponents of school choice claim many things, but their main claim is that competition and the business model of educating children will only improve the quality of all schools. Really? There is also a claim by proponents of school choice that students considered to be economically disadvantaged tend to perform better when able to choose which school to attend. How did those students perform in public school? A closer look at recruitment practices and demographics may provide a different story.

4. The Big Picture – Do private and charter schools actually perform better than public schools? Private and charter schools tend to have far more autonomy in how resources are spent, how long students spend in class, how students are selected for admission and dismissed from the school, and how parents are held accountable for their role in educating their child. KIPP schools, considered a model charter school program… have longer days and Saturday school mandatory summer school; and require teachers, students, and parents to sign a contract “agreeing to fulfill specific responsibilities” (Ravitch, 2010, p. 135). KIPP schools admit students based on a rigorous lottery system which can be navigated and maintained only by the most motivated parents.

5. Take for example a quote from an administrator of a KIPP Charter school. Our schools are successful in great part because they are selective. First, the family has to select independent education – the family must choose to spend discretionary dollars on nonpublic school for their children. Next, the school gets to select the students and families – Are they a good fit for what we offer? Will the student thrive here? And, third, in spite of a huge push to diversify independent schools over the past few decades, during which we have become substantially more racially and ethnically diverse, we still serve a homogenous population: families who value education, whose parents were educated, who have sought us out, and who prioritize education in their discretionary spending. The school days are longer and the discipline is stricter. (Copeland, 2009, p. 260)

6. The Big Picture – Do private and charter schools actually perform better than public schools? KIPP schools have a high attrition rate (Ravitch, 2010). A staggering 60% of students who started a San Francisco KIPP school in fifth grade were gone by the eighth grade. Most of these students were low performing students. Reports provided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) supported the aforementioned findings regarding public, private, and charter school achievements. The reports on NAEP assessments in 2003 and 2007 found that public schools were outperforming private and charter schools in the area of mathematics, a subject not as easily influenced by factors in the home. Lawmakers want to abandon elected school boards replace them with mayoral control. According to Ravitch (2010), two of the three lowest performing urban districts in the nation (Cleveland and Chicago) are controlled by mayors while two highest urban districts (Charlotte and Austin) are still controlled by local school boards. When it seems that most achievement in charter and private schools, when compared to public, can be attributed to more autonomy, why do so many voices still call for the abandonment of public education and its democratic purpose?

7. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? According to Ben-Porath (2009), choice is only democratic when one understands the characteristics of the choices provided. those who are in most need of the information are also those less likely to receive it school choice options require a dedication that urban or low-income families either do not possess or do not have time to put forward due to working multiple jobs to support their families. Those who do seek the information are typically motivated parents who have the resources and time to devote to the paperwork and choice process (Ravitch, 2010). Families have used school choice to segregate themselves from other religions, ideologies, races, and members of lower economic status (Ben-Porath, 2009). 1954 Supreme Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education, which provided an optimistic view of the future among civil rights leaders, actually led to more covert segregation practices such as district gerrymandering, white flight, and neighborhoods being split into privileged white and poor black/minority sections

8. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? One of the ideals school choice proponents espouse is the ability to choose a school where people enrolled have the same religious background, political beliefs, and/or social background. Those who are in most need of the information are also those less likely to receive it The divisions in society today tend to be more along economic means, but it is no less damaging to the democratic ideals this nation was founded upon It would seem this practice is a giant step backward and only perpetuates the division among the citizens living in the United States of America (Laguardia and Pearl, 2009). IS THIS WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR CHILDREN? Is a country divided along economic and racial differences something we should encourage? Is this the vision our founders envisioned for the United States?

9. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? Who benefits from school choice? Is it the children and their parents? Is it the poor or the rich? Is it public or private/charter? Is it the citizens or the politicians? One could argue for any of these groups; however, it seems as though the groups who have benefitted the most are the private companies capitalizing on privately run schools and pre-packaged education reforms. It has become more common to see boards of education succumb to the pressures of increased accountability toward the purchase of privately developed assessments, curriculum, reading and math programs, and teacher training (Jones, 2008). Last year alone, Pearson PLC was able to boast about $648 million dollars in profit from the school reform agenda (Sonne, 2010).

10. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? After a Nation at Risk was published legislators, almost as if in a panic, began to blame schools for America’s decline as a world power. Resulted in more involvement from state and national governments Decisions influenced by business, not educations Call for more accountability Began calling for national standards, national assessments, and for less focus on subjects that did not contribute to the national economy. School curriculum became streamlined, focused primarily on those subjects used to compare the United States to other countries. The narrowing of the curriculum, under the pressure of state and federal mandates, placed a priority on simple tasks rather than on complex problem-solving.

11. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? Our representatives have tied the hands of public educators with state and federal mandates and the pressure to pass standardized tests. Resulted in more involvement from state and national governments and created a system focused less on the democratic values of the United States and more on the concept of deception and greed that exists in a system based on competition. We should not be fooled by the claims of school choice proponents – Competition will help their pocket books, not the students At the end of day, the end goal of competition is to take out your competitors.

12. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? Competition on this level, where penalties are provided to those who cannot compete, has resulted in a curriculum focused on preparing students to perform well on a test. Under these circumstances one may predict the same outcome in education that the free-market system brings to the business world: cut-throat tactics and cheating. When test scores seem too good to believe. USA Today. Retrieved from http://usatoday.com Charter schools pawn off flunking students. NY Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com A recent study of athletes, businesses, and education providers has provided support to the idea that competition fosters the feeling that one has to assist one’s luck, driving people who normally act with integrity to cheat in order to stay on top of the competition (Schwieren and Weichselbaumer, 2008).

13. Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame? Relationships between people and the concept of a democratic vision of education have been replaced with an emphasis on the individual and meaningless test scores. The democratic vision of public education is being dismantled by the very same people who are elected to protect it. This country continues to deviate from working together for the greater good of all citizens toward a more selfish role of protecting one’s self interests (Callahan, 2004). Competition in the free-market system is about one thing and one thing only – the bottom line. There seems to be an irony in politics: politicians are taking out the very legs of the organization they are relying on as a panacea to the problems this country now faces.

14. Democracy and education have been intimately connected since this country first claimed its independence and many of our founders believed that one could not exist without the other. The business model of education, based on competition, undermines the primary purpose of education in a democracy (Wiggins, 2011). This model has resulted in: a loss of local autonomy for local school boards, an increase in the amount of testing, the shift in the purpose of assessing toward punitive measures, a narrowing of the curriculum in response to the high stakes assessments, a movement to destroy teachers’ right to bargain and fight for their rights as citizen a major slide in the United States of America in regard to achievement on international assessments. The Importance of Democratic Values

15. Reclaim the Promise of a Democratic Vision of Education Based on research from multiple experts in educational reform including: John P. Kotter, Leading Change; Willard Dagget, Rigor & Relevance; Fenwick English, Curriculum Audits; Linda Skrla, Equity Audits; Nan Henderson, Resiliency Model; Robert Marzano, Creating an Aligned System; Jane Pollock, The Big Four; Diane Ravitch, School Reform; and Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley, The Fourth Way. The recommendations will be presented within a larger concept of “Five R’s” in education: Relationships, Rigor, Relevance, Resilience, and Reflection.

16. S.T.A.R. Total School Program to Preserve the Democratic Purpose of Education

17. Relationships Each school/district should establish what Joyce Epstein refers to as Action Teams for Partnerships teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and others can work together to connect family and community involvement with school improvement goals (Epstein, 2009). Role of ATP Review data and develop a one-year action plan for improvement Integrate all family and community involvement Recruit and recognizes other teachers, parents, community members for leadership and participation in family and community involvement activities Implement, coordinate, publicize, and oversee the planned involvement activities Monitor progress, assess the strengths and weaknesses of implemented involvement activities, document results, and resolve problems Report progress to the School Council (or School Improvement Team) and to the faculty, PTA/PTO, local media, and other groups Replace departing ATP members Continue improving the school's program of family and community involvement

18. Relationships Our main recommendation is to end the reliance on competition Rather than supporting competition, where there is always a clear winner and loser, the government should provide funding to schools/districts that collaborate to develop innovative plans to improve instruction for all students. Government Support Government Support Government Support Government Support Figure 1 : Relationship Based on Competition Figure 2 : Relationship Based on Collaboration

19. Relationships Partnerships between schools, which once was impossible due to travel costs and/or distance could be supported through a hybrid model of schooling. Schulte, Brigid. "Hybrid Schools for the Igeneration." Mar.-Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011 Schools (private, public, and charter) could be encouraged to partner with each other to provide a more holistic school program through a hybrid model of instruction. Schools that establish the partnerships would be rewarded for their efforts with additional funding from the federal/state level in order to support infrastructure needed to support the collaboration program. Students spend a portion of the day working on adaptive computer based curriculum designed by instructional staff or companies that develop virtual curricula. Students spend the other half of the day working in small groups to receive remediation or engage in enrichment opportunities (Schulte, 2011). A more comprehensive system of education and supports could be established through school partnerships

20. Relationships Establish advisory periods where each instructor is paired with 10-12 students to offer guidance on academic issues. The lesson we offer our students under a system based on competition? That some students are valued more than others depending on the color of your skin or the amount of money your parents make. How can this system result in anything other than scorn and resentment? The lesson offered under a system of collaboration? We care about you and will work together in order to provide the best education possible regardless of your religious beliefs, skin color, or economic status simply because it is the right thing to do.

21. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE Administrators in private and charter schools, not locked into the accountability faced by public schools, have the ability to try new strategies as well as the room to fail. Administrators in public school are forced to look for the quick fix. Most public schools do not have the freedom to be innovative in their approach to educating students --- all this at time when innovation is desperately needed (Mathews, 2008). The best way to approach the concepts of rigor and relevance is to learn from others – including other countries, private and charter schools.

22. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE Use of a National Curriculum, but maintain local control of how to meet the goals “a substantive national curriculum that declares our intention to educate all children in the full range of liberal arts and sciences, as well as physical education” (p. 231-232). Finland and Japan, two of the most successful countries on international assessments, both operate under a national curriculum focused on teaching students how to apply their knowledge to higher level cognitive processes The curriculum should act as a road map, include the integration of technology, encourage collaboration and relevant measures of attainment, and be focused on providing more depth to concepts in all subject areas.

23. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE Teachers in high-achieving nations focus on depth, not breadth. Several months of school are used to help students learn a concept so the knowledge and skill becomes second nature to the student. The depth provided in instruction enables students to transfer the knowledge to other settings In contrast, teachers in the United States are required to plow through one concept after another, week after week with no regard for mastery. It is common to find students in high school who still cannot work with fractions despite having practiced the concept for four years or more (Linda Darling-Hammond, 2010).

24. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE The practice of tracking students must end. The tracking of students into college prep or general courses sends a strong message to lower track students: We do not believe in you. The field of gifted education and the culture of advanced coursework prides itself on excellence and rigor; often having the most talented teachers (Ford, 2006). Differentiation is already a common practice to support the learning of gifted students Research has demonstrated gains over four years in schools that actively utilize differentiated instruction methods to challenge all learners.

25. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE To ensure achievement for all students, we recommend districts use the concept of “The Big Four Model” described by Jane Pollock. Big Four is based on extensive research conducted by Jane Pollock in partnership with Robert Marzano A well-articulated curriculum, common framework for instruction, varied assessments, and regular criterion-based feedback provides a way for each teacher to improve the learning of every student. Professional development of teachers must accompany a rigorous curriculum Marzano (2010) points to successful districts who revamp their professional development and supervision process so that one supports the other; with both focusing less on expected teacher behaviors and more on developing master learners.

26. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE We also recommend abandoning the current system of accountability and assessment Students in the United States, under NCLB, are required to be tested each year in the areas of math, science, reading, and writing between grades three through eight and again in high school These tests, based on low level recall knowledge are used to measure the quality of schools with stiff sanctions to schools that do not meet proficiency targets. Faced with punitive actions for the failure to reach the targets schools have had no choice but to narrow the curriculum in order to focus on the skills assessed by the state assessment and spend countless days prepping for the test. The problem is made worse when considering that each state has been able to establish its own standards, assessments, and target scores The system is a joke: it has led to a circumstance where a basic student in one state can become advanced by simply moving to another state with lower standards

27. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE Linda Darling-Hammond makes an interesting point in The Flat World and Education (2010). She points to data confirming that NCLB has done more harm than good. In most cases, public school students actually performed better on national assessments between 1998 and 2002 than they did after the implementation of NCLB. The intense focus on passing the tests mandated by NCLB (unrelated skills and knowledge)and the punitive measures associated with NCLB has narrowed the curriculum in an attempt to simply – perform well on these state assessments. Lawmakers want to create a system that punishes schools for not meeting target scores on a test of basic knowledge, but cannot comprehend that doing so forces schools to focus on preparing students for the tests in order to avoid sanctions.

28. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE Nations scoring on the top of international reports spend less time on testing and more time developing the capacity of teachers through professional development and students through a rich curriculum covering core subjects and the arts. The assessments in these countries are not used to punish or embarrass schools; they are used as a source of information to guide future instruction. Our assessment system should follow the lead of these countries: create a national curriculum focused on depth and advanced cognitive processes measured by school based tests and international assessments. The test should be utilized for formative purposes only. Provide classroom diagnostic assessments (based on international assessment expectations) to be used to monitor progress Too much instructional time is lost with the current model of assessment supported by NCLB.

29. RIGOR AND RELEVANCE Technology has resulted in the democratization of knowledge (Lemke and Coughlin, 2009). Utilize this to support the recommendation for Hybrid Schools and School Partnerships Children have access to more information in their homes than they have in school. Technology provides students the opportunity to learn in ways their parents did not. Furthermore, the use of technology can provide a platform for differentiating learning to meet the needs of each child The other way to improve relevance is to integrate service-learning into the common curriculum. Service-learning is a powerful approach to delivering curriculum in a way that combines knowledge and service through authentic learning opportunities that encourage civic responsibility (Kaye, 2009). The practice of service-learning is in line with the democratic purpose of education we advocate for Students learn how to apply their knowledge of the curriculum while engaging in activities that benefit the community.

30. RESILIENCE We recommend that schools need to focus on helping students develop a sense of resilience: power to produce a desired effect and an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change This can be accomplished through the use of goal setting (advisory) and through instructional practices that promote the concept of mastery (hybrid approach to schooling with adaptive curriculum and differentiated instruction). Students in school have one of two views on intelligence: that it is something you are born with and is fixed for life or that intelligence is incremental in nature and can improve with effort (Henderson, 2007). Students with an incremental view of learning (intelligence is not innate) show more resiliency in the face of failure and are more successful in school (Dweck 2004; Henderson 2007). Students with a fixed mindset believe intelligence is innate and place more importance on looking smart than on actually learning something.

31. RESILIENCE Resilience can also be a focus for professional development and teacher recruitment. Recent research points to teacher expectations, teacher quality, and teacher belief in having the ability to impact students. Research has continuously documented the higher achievement levels for students with highly efficacious teachers. This is particularly true for students of low economic status (Hines and Kritsonis 2010). A study on the effect of teacher self-efficacy found that elementary teachers with a high level of resilience/self-efficacy also had students who were more resilient than their peers and experienced more success in school (Logerfo, 2006).

32. REFLECTION Schools need to do a better job at reflecting on the past and present in order to provide a better future for students. Many schools currently undergo a process of strategic planning, but the process barely scratches the surface and rarely places a focus on how to make changes a part of the larger culture of the school. We recommend utilizing the systematic approach introduced by John P. Kotter, author of Leading Change. Kotter (1996) developed his eight step process for change by spending time with companies whose efforts to change were derailed or did not last

33. REFLECTION Kotter’s 8 Stage Process of Change The first four stages are specifically designed to challenge the status quo and provide a reason for change. 1. Establish a Sense of Urgency 2. Create a Guiding Coalition 3. Developing a Vision and Strategy 4. Communicate the Change Vision It is the last four stages where most companies fail as Kotter (1996) describes in detail throughout the second half of the book 5. Empower Broad-Based Action 6. Generate Short-Term Wins 7. Consolidate Gaines and Produce More Change 8. Anchor New Approaches In The Culture

34. REFLECTION The change process described by Kotter is merely a recommendation of how to navigate the obstacles that organizations typically encounter when initiating large reform movements – data still needs to be collected to guide the process. Two pieces of data we recommend that every school pay close attention to is the rigor/ relevance of the curriculum and the level of equity in the daily operations of school policies and programs. The use of curriculum and equity audits can assist school personnel with monitoring these two elements of education.

35. REFLECTION Equity refers to “policies, practices and programs necessary to eliminate educational barriers based on gender, race/ethnicity, national origin, color, disability, age, or other protected group status” (Skrla, Mckenzie, & Scheurich, 2009. p. 3-4 The audit process focuses on three areas: teacher quality, programming, and achievement. Teacher Audit: Are we making available, to every student, a teacher with well-developed skill and knowledge? Do we invest enough of our resources on improving the primary factor for student success – access to high quality instruction? Program Audit: focus of the audit is to evaluate current programs and placement procedures to ensure the school provides equal access to a challenging curriculum Achievement Audit: Graduation rates, assessment scores, and post-secondary enrollment of students is broken disaggregated across race, socioeconomic status, and program enrollment to identify any areas of concern that might need to be addressed.

36. REFLECTION An equity audit can identify an issue a specific group may be experiencing. The district can then take a closer look at policies used to place students in specific programs or conduct an additional audit focused specifically on the curriculum. A curriculum audit is a comprehensive investigation of relevant documents and other data including: curriculum guides, lesson plans, classroom observations, and assessment scores. The audit also includes interviews with key personnel within the district including the administration, instructional staff, and support staff in order to provide a comprehensive report on the rigor and relevance of the curriculum. The audit can also inform staff on the usefulness of the curriculum. In other words, is the curriculum reflected in daily practice or merely a hollow symbol of what the school would like to claim as its mission (English, 2000).

37. A FINAL PLEA TO REVITALIZE THE DEMOCRATIC PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

38. The problems faced in schools: narrow curriculum, unnecessary focus on testing, dependency on simple memorization of isolated facts, and poor performance on international assessments are not the fault of educators. Townsend’s description of the third and fourth S-curve needs to be carefully examined by the very same people the curves address: the government and business. Government involvement has proved to be a benefit to education, particularly when considering the laws that have been passed to ensure all citizens have access to the rights afforded them by the constitution. However, somewhere along the line our legislators, the very same people elected to protect and manage our democracy, have forgotten the purpose of education in a democratic society.

39. George W. Bush was once quoted as saying, “We believe ranchers and farmers and family business owners can make better decisions about the future than the government can.” What is it about politicians that they feel they are more aware of what needs to be done to improve education? It seems as though politicians are more apt to listen to what big business feels should take place to fix education in this country. Could we then assume a recommendation from big business, to base education on the concept of the free-market and competition, would be a simple coincidence they would just happen to profit from? We can believe that, but we can also believe their intentions are purely in the best interests of children. Education is about people, not goods or profit. Education is about accumulating wealth, but not the kind you can put a price tag on.

40. We ask those in government to honor the democratic vision of education once pursued by those who established this country on the ideals of freedom and democracy. Encourage collaboration and provide incentives as a reward for those schools (public, private, and charter) who engaged in innovative partnership as opposed to the current process of punishing schools who fail to reach empty achievement targets. Thank You.