Topic:
How much of what students are learning in school today applies to everyday life skills for future success?
Data Type:
Qualitative
Interview
a. Students- Current, Dropouts, Graduates
b. Teachers
c. Administration- Superintendent/Principal (+20 years exp.)
d. Janitors
Observation
a. Facility- Inside and Out
b. Area/People Around the Facility- Few Block Radius
c. Student/Teacher Interaction- During and Outside of Class
d. Student/Student Interaction- During and Outside of Class
e. Teacher/Teacher Interaction
Interview Questions:
Teachers
1. Are you required to
a. Show or submit lesson plans of your curriculum?
b. Prove by documentation the use of the NJCCS within your curriculum plans?
c. If yes, how is the proof documented; on the lesson plans themselves or written on the board during the lesson.
d. If no, why is there lack of connection between the teachers, state curriculum and the school? Do you think that this connection is beneficial to the students and the school?
2. Do you feel that through your curriculum you are teaching your students the necessary life skills they need for future success post schooling? ie- Critical thinking skills, collaborative skills, reasoning skills, lifelong learning skills?
3. Have the standardized tests changed anything specifically about your curriculum and/or teaching style? If so, what has changed?
4. How important are standardized testing to you? Do you think it is beneficial to the students learning?
5. Have content area class been cut as a result of standardized testing? If so, what classes? Do you feel that these classes are important to the student’s well-rounded development?
6. What skills besides literacy and mathematical competence do you feel your students will need after graduation?
Administration/Superintendant
7. How has the budget been affected, if at all, by standardized testing?
8. Do you find yourself in Trenton trying to collect funding for your schools?
9. How important do you feel standardized testing is for the success of your schools and students?
10. Have you felt a true change in your schools, perhaps more pressure or stresses on yourself or the faculty due to standardized testing?
11.What steps are you taking to ensure that your schools meet their AYP?
Students
12. What is a standardized test?
13. How important are the tests to you?
14. How do the tests make you feel? Do you like them? Do you think that they will help you for your future? If so, in what ways?
15. Have you had any other experiences with tests? If so, what type of tests? Do you like those tests better?
16. Do you think that standardized testing really tests your true abilities and strengths?
17. Do you feel any changes in your classes as you have moved up through the grades about what you are learning?
18. Do you think what you are learning is going to be useful in the real world after you graduate?
19. What skills do you think will be important for you after you graduate?
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?
21. Do you feel that after receiving your diploma, you will have all that you need for success in the future?
22. What are you plans after graduation? Will you pursue further education (where to) or join the work force (in what line of work)?
23. How would you change school if you could?
Data Charts
1. Pie Chart representative of the races/ethnicity of the students and faculty of the school.
2. Pie Chart representative of the social classes and family make up of the school.
3. Bar Graphs representative of the performance of standardized testing broken up into the years, content being assessed, and scores.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Annotated Bibliography
Wildemuth, Barbara M. (1984). Alternatives to Standardized Tests. ERIC Digest.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests Measurement and Evaluation Princeton NJ.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED286938
The use of standardized tests by schools is commonly criticized. The tests do not necessarily test what students have learned. They do not reveal what the student has achieved. Critics have further suggested that alternatives to standardized tests be developed and used for more effective student evaluation. Such alternatives have included criterion-referenced tests, teacher-made tests, contract grading, interviews with students and their parents, and detailed documentation of a student's accomplishments. This paper serves to give a synopsis of the aforementioned alternatives.
Herman, J. L. and Golan, S. (1991). Effects of Standardized Testing on Teachers and Learning—Another Look. CSE Technical Report 334, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)
This paper begins with a review of some past studies on the effects of standardized testing on schooling. It also summaries of the study's methodology and discusses the results. Finally, the implications of the study's findings for educational policy and research are reported.
Sunderman, G. L., Tracey, C.A., Kim, J. & Orfield, G. (2004). Listening to teachers:
Classroom realities and No Child Left Behind. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
While opinion surveys have limits as a source of policy guidance, teachers’ views are very important to the success of any educational reform, including NCLB. This research sought to get the views of teachers on the burning issues as they pertained to the No Child Left Behind legislation. The authors stress that the opinions as expressed by the teachers cannot be interpreted as defensive justifications of failure. The fact that teachers from two very different cities in two very different states that are three thousand miles apart often agree is noteworthy. It is the hope of the authors that that this report will help teachers to be heard as the debate over the law’s future continues.
Noulas, A.G., and Ketkar K.W. (1998). Efficient utilization of resources in public schools: a case study of New Jersey. Applied Economics, 30, 1299 - 1306
This study measures the efficiency of public schools for the state of New Jersey using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method; it also examines the effect of certain socio-economic factors on efficiency. Some of the findings include that the average efficiency for all schools is 81%. The wealthiest districts have an efficiency score of 88% while for the neediest districts the efficiency is 63%. However, when socio-economic factors are taken into consideration, the difference between the two groups becomes smaller.
Council of the Great City Schools. (2007). Raising Student Achievement in the Newark Public Schools. Report of the Strategic Support Team of the Council of the Great City Schools
The Council’s instructional team was tasked with the responsibility of investigating possible ventures that can be undertaken in the view of raising student achievement in Newark Public Schools. They devised and presented a number of recommendations to improve the academic achievement of students. The proposals are built around strategies that have proven to be effective in raising performance in other major urban school systems. According to the council, there is little else in the research or in practical experience to suggest that strategies beyond those described here are likely to have much, if any, effect on student achievement. Governance and other changes in the overall organizational architecture of a school system have rarely been effective in boosting student attainment, despite all the press releases to the contrary. Such changes often have an immediate appeal to the press and some community leaders because they suggest more robust and aggressive action. But there is nothing to suggest that these governance measures have any effect on classroom practice or— ultimately—on student achievement.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests Measurement and Evaluation Princeton NJ.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED286938
The use of standardized tests by schools is commonly criticized. The tests do not necessarily test what students have learned. They do not reveal what the student has achieved. Critics have further suggested that alternatives to standardized tests be developed and used for more effective student evaluation. Such alternatives have included criterion-referenced tests, teacher-made tests, contract grading, interviews with students and their parents, and detailed documentation of a student's accomplishments. This paper serves to give a synopsis of the aforementioned alternatives.
Herman, J. L. and Golan, S. (1991). Effects of Standardized Testing on Teachers and Learning—Another Look. CSE Technical Report 334, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)
This paper begins with a review of some past studies on the effects of standardized testing on schooling. It also summaries of the study's methodology and discusses the results. Finally, the implications of the study's findings for educational policy and research are reported.
Sunderman, G. L., Tracey, C.A., Kim, J. & Orfield, G. (2004). Listening to teachers:
Classroom realities and No Child Left Behind. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
While opinion surveys have limits as a source of policy guidance, teachers’ views are very important to the success of any educational reform, including NCLB. This research sought to get the views of teachers on the burning issues as they pertained to the No Child Left Behind legislation. The authors stress that the opinions as expressed by the teachers cannot be interpreted as defensive justifications of failure. The fact that teachers from two very different cities in two very different states that are three thousand miles apart often agree is noteworthy. It is the hope of the authors that that this report will help teachers to be heard as the debate over the law’s future continues.
Noulas, A.G., and Ketkar K.W. (1998). Efficient utilization of resources in public schools: a case study of New Jersey. Applied Economics, 30, 1299 - 1306
This study measures the efficiency of public schools for the state of New Jersey using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method; it also examines the effect of certain socio-economic factors on efficiency. Some of the findings include that the average efficiency for all schools is 81%. The wealthiest districts have an efficiency score of 88% while for the neediest districts the efficiency is 63%. However, when socio-economic factors are taken into consideration, the difference between the two groups becomes smaller.
Council of the Great City Schools. (2007). Raising Student Achievement in the Newark Public Schools. Report of the Strategic Support Team of the Council of the Great City Schools
The Council’s instructional team was tasked with the responsibility of investigating possible ventures that can be undertaken in the view of raising student achievement in Newark Public Schools. They devised and presented a number of recommendations to improve the academic achievement of students. The proposals are built around strategies that have proven to be effective in raising performance in other major urban school systems. According to the council, there is little else in the research or in practical experience to suggest that strategies beyond those described here are likely to have much, if any, effect on student achievement. Governance and other changes in the overall organizational architecture of a school system have rarely been effective in boosting student attainment, despite all the press releases to the contrary. Such changes often have an immediate appeal to the press and some community leaders because they suggest more robust and aggressive action. But there is nothing to suggest that these governance measures have any effect on classroom practice or— ultimately—on student achievement.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Culture of Self
Growing up in a small fishing and farming rural community of about 600 people (entirely of African descent) on the Nature Isle of the Caribbean, Dominica, I had a very privileged childhood and upbringing. My dad was a successful businessman who was well loved and very popular in the community. As such, I was afforded many opportunities that may not have ordinarily been possible, including entry into the elementary school system at an age earlier than the norm and having guys who were willing to fight battles for me. I had people who assisted me with my schoolwork and hardly did chores at home – since we had attendants to take care of those matters. I was encouraged to strive for excellence and I developed an appreciation for success – hoped to emulate my dad and learnt at a very young age what it meant to be a responsible individual who values and appreciates other people and their culture. I also grew up in a very catholic home and at the age of seven, I became an alter server. My family was so devout that my step mother, dad and myself had a special pew in which we would sit at in church – which seemed to have been unofficially reserved for us by fellow churchgoers. As fate would have it, I spent a great deal of time with the parish priests, learning about the faith and the role of the priest as pastor and teacher. Before long, I was convinced that I wanted to become a Roman Catholic priest. Prayer and family became the foundation on which most of my actions were predicated and as such my life was void of most, if not all of the ills that plagued the rest of society around me. In other words, sheltered and protected was the childhood of the one who now yearns to be a teacher in an urban environment. While religion has played a major role in my life over the years, in retrospect, I am of the notion that my desire to become a priest at the time was as a result of my somewhat limited knowledge of the vast range of career options that existed beyond my closed, myopic view of the world.
I hope the preamble or discourse above serves to give some insight to my responses to the questions and help provide some clarity to the circuitous appearance of my collage. We are the product of an intricate web of factors which includes our family history, race, cultural upbringing and class among others. One’s culture is always very dynamic and complicated in some ways. My forefathers/ancestors were brought across from Africa to the Caribbean island of Dominica in chains by the white/Caucasian colonial masters to work as slaves on the sugar and cacao plantations for the benefit of the British Empire. Upon emancipation from slavery, my ancestors were able to practice various aspects of their ancestral history or culture, coupled with their new adopted culture – that of their former owners or “masters”. The experience of my forefathers at the hands of their “masters”, the journey across the Atlantic in worst than deplorable conditions, the denial of their freedoms, the unfair wages, the suppression and oppression of their culture will never be forgotten and will forever impact how “my people” go forward as a generation. This impacts our association with people of different races and ethnic backgrounds; we sometimes have the natural occurring tendency to sympathize with other blacks while remaining indifferent to the plight of folks of other races. We tend to be more understanding to people of “our kind” while finding it difficult to understand what “other kinds” have to complain about. The same goes for folks who are in a different socio-economic bracket or social standing. We find it hard to comprehend how those people who are in a higher socio-economic standing can complain of having problems or difficulties. Our upbringing also influences how we view people of different sexuality or cultural backgrounds. For example, someone who is raised in a staunch catholic family and vehemently practicing the church’s teaching is expected to shun the idea of homosexuality which is seen as immoral or ungodly and an intolerable lifestyle; the participants of which should meet a dastardly end. If that person’s mentality remains unchanged, this may negatively influence the manner in which he or she deals with someone who is homosexual.
The mentality that one adopts and allows to guide his or her existence ultimately determines the kind of individual they eventually become. My culture and the knowledge I have acquired about my heritage has a profound impact on my life’s philosophy which is, “whatever the mind of man perceives, it can achieve”. This makes me want to be different from the negative stereotypes that are so often associated with my race and makes me strive to help change the unflattering perceptions that people so often have of folks of African descent. This feeling serves to instill in me a sense of pride and a desire to be successful in all that I do or undertake.
My experiences as a learner have left me a more open minded and tolerant individual. I have been fortunate to study and experience life in a number of territories including Malaysia, the UK and Trinidad and Tobago – all sporting mixed populations (of Chinese, Indians and African descent). I must admit that I experienced some culture shock my first few months in some of these territories but mainly because I went in with expectations that there was a greater sense of acceptance and accommodation among such a diverse population but that proved absent. Notwithstanding, I have had the opportunity to work with students of different races, ethnicity and religious backgrounds (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh) and that afforded me an opportunity to clarify whatever misconceptions I might have entertained about them in the past. I recall in Malaysia where I questioned my Muslim classmates about the teachings of Islam and why they thought it was so easily misunderstood by those of us from the Western countries. Their explanation assisted in my coming to the realization that while we may not be able to understand the rationale for the practices of people of different cultures, we should avoid jumping to conclusions or attempting to interpret their actions. We should afford people of different races, ethnicity and religious backgrounds the same courtesies, opportunities and freedom of expression that we would have them give us. In that way the hate will cease to exist and a culture of understanding and tolerance will be cultivated in and around people of differing circumstances.
I intend to bring the mindset of cultural tolerance and acceptance into the classroom. While students may be of different cultures, they should be encouraged to work together and see beyond the physical or ideological difference that may exist between them. Students should be able to share their cultural experiences with each other in an effort to promote an understanding of the diversity which exists. Democracy and equality should reign in the classroom. Every student will be expected to respect the rights of his or her fellow classmates, and their dignity as human beings. As such, in the classroom, neither teacher nor student should denounce someone as evil or radical, just because they have different views or are of differing faith or ethnicity. If this holds true, I am of the notion that an enabling environment will be created and learning will be at an optimum even in the face of cultural diversity within the classroom.
I hope the preamble or discourse above serves to give some insight to my responses to the questions and help provide some clarity to the circuitous appearance of my collage. We are the product of an intricate web of factors which includes our family history, race, cultural upbringing and class among others. One’s culture is always very dynamic and complicated in some ways. My forefathers/ancestors were brought across from Africa to the Caribbean island of Dominica in chains by the white/Caucasian colonial masters to work as slaves on the sugar and cacao plantations for the benefit of the British Empire. Upon emancipation from slavery, my ancestors were able to practice various aspects of their ancestral history or culture, coupled with their new adopted culture – that of their former owners or “masters”. The experience of my forefathers at the hands of their “masters”, the journey across the Atlantic in worst than deplorable conditions, the denial of their freedoms, the unfair wages, the suppression and oppression of their culture will never be forgotten and will forever impact how “my people” go forward as a generation. This impacts our association with people of different races and ethnic backgrounds; we sometimes have the natural occurring tendency to sympathize with other blacks while remaining indifferent to the plight of folks of other races. We tend to be more understanding to people of “our kind” while finding it difficult to understand what “other kinds” have to complain about. The same goes for folks who are in a different socio-economic bracket or social standing. We find it hard to comprehend how those people who are in a higher socio-economic standing can complain of having problems or difficulties. Our upbringing also influences how we view people of different sexuality or cultural backgrounds. For example, someone who is raised in a staunch catholic family and vehemently practicing the church’s teaching is expected to shun the idea of homosexuality which is seen as immoral or ungodly and an intolerable lifestyle; the participants of which should meet a dastardly end. If that person’s mentality remains unchanged, this may negatively influence the manner in which he or she deals with someone who is homosexual.
The mentality that one adopts and allows to guide his or her existence ultimately determines the kind of individual they eventually become. My culture and the knowledge I have acquired about my heritage has a profound impact on my life’s philosophy which is, “whatever the mind of man perceives, it can achieve”. This makes me want to be different from the negative stereotypes that are so often associated with my race and makes me strive to help change the unflattering perceptions that people so often have of folks of African descent. This feeling serves to instill in me a sense of pride and a desire to be successful in all that I do or undertake.
My experiences as a learner have left me a more open minded and tolerant individual. I have been fortunate to study and experience life in a number of territories including Malaysia, the UK and Trinidad and Tobago – all sporting mixed populations (of Chinese, Indians and African descent). I must admit that I experienced some culture shock my first few months in some of these territories but mainly because I went in with expectations that there was a greater sense of acceptance and accommodation among such a diverse population but that proved absent. Notwithstanding, I have had the opportunity to work with students of different races, ethnicity and religious backgrounds (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh) and that afforded me an opportunity to clarify whatever misconceptions I might have entertained about them in the past. I recall in Malaysia where I questioned my Muslim classmates about the teachings of Islam and why they thought it was so easily misunderstood by those of us from the Western countries. Their explanation assisted in my coming to the realization that while we may not be able to understand the rationale for the practices of people of different cultures, we should avoid jumping to conclusions or attempting to interpret their actions. We should afford people of different races, ethnicity and religious backgrounds the same courtesies, opportunities and freedom of expression that we would have them give us. In that way the hate will cease to exist and a culture of understanding and tolerance will be cultivated in and around people of differing circumstances.
I intend to bring the mindset of cultural tolerance and acceptance into the classroom. While students may be of different cultures, they should be encouraged to work together and see beyond the physical or ideological difference that may exist between them. Students should be able to share their cultural experiences with each other in an effort to promote an understanding of the diversity which exists. Democracy and equality should reign in the classroom. Every student will be expected to respect the rights of his or her fellow classmates, and their dignity as human beings. As such, in the classroom, neither teacher nor student should denounce someone as evil or radical, just because they have different views or are of differing faith or ethnicity. If this holds true, I am of the notion that an enabling environment will be created and learning will be at an optimum even in the face of cultural diversity within the classroom.
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