As we come to the close of eight years of one president it is an important time to look at the legacy that will be left behind. President George W. Bush was elected twice to lead our country in times of war and peace. He was tasked with the most prestigious and perilous job in the world. While we all have opinions on his effectiveness, focus and general actions both at home and abroad I want to focus on one very deep impression he left on our education system.
In 2001 President Bush along with the Congress promised us the most comprehensive school reform bill ever passed by the federal government. This was both a campaign promise and a focused effort by the first Bush White House. The administration offered us the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The bill was debated and written with bi-partisan support. While it only required 51 Senators to pass the bill was received with 87 yeas and only 10 neas. Representatives from every state in our nation except Minnesota, Nebraska and Vermont voted for this bill.
If you read the text of the bill (hit the link and it will take you to the complete text) you will find that it offers a promising opportunity to advance our educational system. It addresses a wide variety of situations and needs, offering both carrot and stick to improve schools across this country. Overall the bill gives our municipalities, states and federal government a guideline for improvement and excellence. It sets the rules of the school report card and offers new financial support.
All of these things seem to be appropriate and hopeful. Our nation has been screaming for school accountability and improved consistency for decades. As we trust our most precious asset, our children, to the government we expect that they are doing their very best to teach and prepare our kids and can be held accountable when they are not. Public Education has always been one of the greatest gifts our country has given to its people. No Child Left Behind was written to provide a scorecard and face lift to this system.
In reality the law has failed to provide the type of impact that was touted. The translation of a federal law into practice has taken a hopeful practical document and muddied it up with the realities of inconsistency and the complications of locally run school districts. In every town, in every state parents, educators and administrators have all had to learn, what does NCLB mean to me? For administrators it has been a challenge to rework hiring practices, training, and ultimately budget priorities to meet the requirements laid out by this law. For teachers it has redefined many careers placing a new title of 'highly qualified' into a field that has not been highly regulated beyond the stages of initial license and tenure. For parents it has redefined how we measure if schools are succeeding or failing. More importantly it reemphasized a major burden on our children, the standardized test.
The ultimate impact of NCLB has been the role of the standardized test in our society. Regular consistent testing of our children has been around for decades. The SAT was started in the 20s and has played a key role in the transition from secondary education to higher education. NCLB has forced our schools to focus their attention on the subject matter, process and results of regular testing starting in the fourth grade if not before. While testing is not necessarily a bad thing, the time, focus and impact of these tests has become disproportional to a well rounded education. We are seeing children focus more of their time on how to answer multiple choice questions rather than the critical thinking development we need for our society to succeed.
While that probably oversimplifies the issue the key point is time. Our children spend a limited period of time in our public schools. That time is precious and should be used in a way to prepare each person for the next stage of their lives. NCLB promises accountability and is an effective way to evaluate teachers and schools. Unfortunately its evaluations are based on a very narrow criteria of testing around reading, math and cognitive skills. We need our schools to be accountable, but we need our children to be capable, interested human beings who can engage the problems of our world in a meaningful way. The 'real world' is not a game of checkers or go fish, but a game of 3d chess with potentially tragic results if you loose. Our schools and government need to recognize this challenge.
President Bush left an indelible mark on our education system. It was a mark made with good intention and the support of many of us. His impact will be felt for the years and decades to come as we come to terms with the true meaning of Accountability, Educational Reform and ultimately the success and failures of No Child Left Behind. As he leaves office it is time it dust off the documents, reports and laws that were generated by his administration and learn from both their successes and failures. NCLB is not necessarily a 'bad' law, but currently it is not well understood. Our challenge now is to learn how best to use it to its full potential.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wii in the Classroom???
The Nitendo Wii has made quite a splash. It is an amazing entertainment system that has taken the next step in video games by getting the player to be more physically involved in the action on the screen. I must say I am a huge fan. It is really a great way to get interactive and entertain!Recently, Nitendo and other organizations have started working with various institutions getting Wii into the schools!?! They have been promoting the Wii Music Program and getting it into classrooms around the country.
Check out the press release below:
*****
Jan. 13, 2009 13:00 UTC
Nintendo’s Wii Music Strikes a Chord with Music Educators
New Partnerships Bring Fun Music Software to Classrooms NationwideNOTE: Multimedia available belowREDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nintendo’s new Wii Music™ game is spreading from the family room to the classroom, thanks to newly formed collaborations with select schools and educators. To help inspire students and promote an active appreciation for music, Nintendo is working with teachers to incorporate Wii™ consoles and Wii Music software into their lesson plans to offer teachers a unique tool for creativity and improvisation.
Nintendo’s collaborators in this effort include MENC: The National Association for Music Education, which is recognized as the world’s largest arts education organization and as a teaching resource for all levels from preschool to graduate school. MENC will help teachers in 51 cities across the nation integrate Wii Music into their curricula, making use of the game’s 60-plus instruments and fun array of tutorial exercises in rhythm, tempo and song structure.
“The goal of Wii Music is to inspire people of all ages to enjoy music,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “By partnering with educators and bringing Wii Music into their classrooms, we hope to give students a memorable, hands-on experience that helps them discover their own creative voice.”The Wii console’s motion-sensing controls allow Wii Music users at any experience level to step up and jam, whether playing solo or as part of a group. Using the wireless Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers, players make simple, intuitive movements to strum a guitar, play a trumpet or bang a drum.“
At any grade level, it’s essential to provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to be creative,” said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. “We look forward to collaborating with Nintendo to drive awareness and advocacy for music education through Wii Music.”
Some teachers already have begun to incorporate Wii Music into their lesson plans.
“Wii Music has brought a renewed excitement to music class for students from first grade to fifth, myself and even some of the classroom teachers,” said Helen A. Krofchick, a music teacher at Doby’s Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, S.C. “I love how many music standards can be covered in such a short time. Students also have to use language skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. We have a school very supportive of the arts and Wii Music has empowered our program even more. Any system that is educational and can add a love of music to children’s lives should be in every classroom.”
Other collaborating and partner organizations currently include San Francisco’s Blue Bear School of Music and New York’s Opus 118 Harlem School of Music. Teachers in these programs will use Wii Music to build students’ familiarity with technology while bolstering their ability to create and improvise. Experts in the field of music say getting kids interested in music at an early age can help build a lifelong appreciation.
“The joy of playing music is something that should be experienced by everyone, regardless of age, talent-level or experience,” said Joe Lamond, President & CEO of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants. “Research shows that more than 82 percent of people who don’t currently play a musical instrument wish they did. Wii Music can help address this by providing a positive introduction for millions of people who might not otherwise be inclined to try.”
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com. For more information about Wii Music, visit www.WiiMusic.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.8 billion video games and more than 480 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.
*****
Pretty cool! St. Philip's Academy in Newark is one of the schools trying out this program and I am thrilled to see how it goes. Let me know your thoughts.
Check out the press release below:
*****
Jan. 13, 2009 13:00 UTC
Nintendo’s Wii Music Strikes a Chord with Music Educators
New Partnerships Bring Fun Music Software to Classrooms NationwideNOTE: Multimedia available belowREDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nintendo’s new Wii Music™ game is spreading from the family room to the classroom, thanks to newly formed collaborations with select schools and educators. To help inspire students and promote an active appreciation for music, Nintendo is working with teachers to incorporate Wii™ consoles and Wii Music software into their lesson plans to offer teachers a unique tool for creativity and improvisation.
Nintendo’s collaborators in this effort include MENC: The National Association for Music Education, which is recognized as the world’s largest arts education organization and as a teaching resource for all levels from preschool to graduate school. MENC will help teachers in 51 cities across the nation integrate Wii Music into their curricula, making use of the game’s 60-plus instruments and fun array of tutorial exercises in rhythm, tempo and song structure.
“The goal of Wii Music is to inspire people of all ages to enjoy music,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “By partnering with educators and bringing Wii Music into their classrooms, we hope to give students a memorable, hands-on experience that helps them discover their own creative voice.”The Wii console’s motion-sensing controls allow Wii Music users at any experience level to step up and jam, whether playing solo or as part of a group. Using the wireless Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers, players make simple, intuitive movements to strum a guitar, play a trumpet or bang a drum.“
At any grade level, it’s essential to provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to be creative,” said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. “We look forward to collaborating with Nintendo to drive awareness and advocacy for music education through Wii Music.”
Some teachers already have begun to incorporate Wii Music into their lesson plans.
“Wii Music has brought a renewed excitement to music class for students from first grade to fifth, myself and even some of the classroom teachers,” said Helen A. Krofchick, a music teacher at Doby’s Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, S.C. “I love how many music standards can be covered in such a short time. Students also have to use language skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. We have a school very supportive of the arts and Wii Music has empowered our program even more. Any system that is educational and can add a love of music to children’s lives should be in every classroom.”
Other collaborating and partner organizations currently include San Francisco’s Blue Bear School of Music and New York’s Opus 118 Harlem School of Music. Teachers in these programs will use Wii Music to build students’ familiarity with technology while bolstering their ability to create and improvise. Experts in the field of music say getting kids interested in music at an early age can help build a lifelong appreciation.
“The joy of playing music is something that should be experienced by everyone, regardless of age, talent-level or experience,” said Joe Lamond, President & CEO of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants. “Research shows that more than 82 percent of people who don’t currently play a musical instrument wish they did. Wii Music can help address this by providing a positive introduction for millions of people who might not otherwise be inclined to try.”
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com. For more information about Wii Music, visit www.WiiMusic.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.8 billion video games and more than 480 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.
*****
Pretty cool! St. Philip's Academy in Newark is one of the schools trying out this program and I am thrilled to see how it goes. Let me know your thoughts.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Shades of Green
Sustainability is everywhere! Anywhere you look people are talking about Green Jobs, Sustainability, LEED, Energy Efficiency even Green Cleaning. It is an exciting time to be involved with sustainable initiatives. In schools there are new clubs, committees and task forces starting up to explore ways to make our schools greener. Around the country people are trying to define what it means to be Green and what it takes to get there in time, resources and money. Not an easy task for anyone.
Personally I have been through this process a few times working with various schools, most notably St. Philip's Academy. I have worked with educators, funders, administrators, teachers, students and families to try and figure out exactly how Green they want to be. It is often an exercise in education, negotation and soul searching. Each time I face this issue I ask school officials a few basic questions:
1. Is it more important to 'look green' or 'be green'? In other words is it more critical to your mission to do something obvious, like putting solar panels on a roof, or to do something that may be more effective like adding insulation to your walls?
2. Where do your sustainability goals overlap with the mission of the institution? Is it important to have teaching opportunities? Is it important to spend the minimal amount of money so resources aren't diverted from existing programs?
3. How will you measure success? Obtaining LEED Certification? Lower Energy Bills? Teaching sustainability to your students?
There is no right answer so I am putting these same questions out to all of you. What shade of Green is your school or company? Where do you see opportunities for your mission to be enhanced by sustainability? Most importantly, how do you measure success?
Personally I have been through this process a few times working with various schools, most notably St. Philip's Academy. I have worked with educators, funders, administrators, teachers, students and families to try and figure out exactly how Green they want to be. It is often an exercise in education, negotation and soul searching. Each time I face this issue I ask school officials a few basic questions:
1. Is it more important to 'look green' or 'be green'? In other words is it more critical to your mission to do something obvious, like putting solar panels on a roof, or to do something that may be more effective like adding insulation to your walls?
2. Where do your sustainability goals overlap with the mission of the institution? Is it important to have teaching opportunities? Is it important to spend the minimal amount of money so resources aren't diverted from existing programs?
3. How will you measure success? Obtaining LEED Certification? Lower Energy Bills? Teaching sustainability to your students?
There is no right answer so I am putting these same questions out to all of you. What shade of Green is your school or company? Where do you see opportunities for your mission to be enhanced by sustainability? Most importantly, how do you measure success?
Support our Skate Team??
The town I live in just opened a new skate park! It looks great with plywood ramps, rails, a clear landing area even a waterfountain. The town has agreed to manage the park and has done a great job of promoting it to skaters and bikers (although it did open in the dead of winter). Looking at this new pristine park makes me wonder why more high schools don't build skate parks as a part of their campus?
Athletics have always been an important part of education here in the U.S. Physical education is a requirement and sports have consistently been a point of pride in communities around the country. Our country has generally clung to the great traditions of teaching the big three; baseball, basketball and football to our youth. Many other sports have also had important traditions in various regions and communities. Sports as varied as Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Wrestling, Swimming, Diving, Fencing, Tennis and Golf have all taken hold in communities large and small, rich and poor. So why not skating?
Some people make the argument that skating is dangerous and puts a school district at risk for lawsuits. How is skating more dangerous than football? Football, even with the pads and the refs is still one of the most dangerous sports, causing serious injury to thousands of players every year. Others would argue that skating is not a sanctioned sport, therefore there is not a tradition of competition or leadership. To that I would argue that skating is as legitimate as gymnastics or diving. It is part athleticism, part artistic ability and has been judged that way since the 70s. Skating has gained in both popularity and 'legitimate support' steadily for almost four decades and has some great history to share.
So why not support skating? Start a skating team? Take on the 'athletic establishment'? Why do it at all. Skating is one of the few sports that can be supported both as an individual sport and a co-ed team sport. It has qualities of athletics, art, style, skill and durability. It is also a great way to teach identity, leadership, creativity and pride. It is a low cost sport and ideal for both urban and suburban communities alike. It is also a way to get to some of those kids who haven't found joy in the 'traditional' sports.
What do you think? Are they all just a bunch of punks and we shouldn't give skating the time of day, or is this a legitimate athletic opportunity that should get the support it needs in our schools and communities? Bring it on. Rip it up!
Athletics have always been an important part of education here in the U.S. Physical education is a requirement and sports have consistently been a point of pride in communities around the country. Our country has generally clung to the great traditions of teaching the big three; baseball, basketball and football to our youth. Many other sports have also had important traditions in various regions and communities. Sports as varied as Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Wrestling, Swimming, Diving, Fencing, Tennis and Golf have all taken hold in communities large and small, rich and poor. So why not skating?
Some people make the argument that skating is dangerous and puts a school district at risk for lawsuits. How is skating more dangerous than football? Football, even with the pads and the refs is still one of the most dangerous sports, causing serious injury to thousands of players every year. Others would argue that skating is not a sanctioned sport, therefore there is not a tradition of competition or leadership. To that I would argue that skating is as legitimate as gymnastics or diving. It is part athleticism, part artistic ability and has been judged that way since the 70s. Skating has gained in both popularity and 'legitimate support' steadily for almost four decades and has some great history to share.
So why not support skating? Start a skating team? Take on the 'athletic establishment'? Why do it at all. Skating is one of the few sports that can be supported both as an individual sport and a co-ed team sport. It has qualities of athletics, art, style, skill and durability. It is also a great way to teach identity, leadership, creativity and pride. It is a low cost sport and ideal for both urban and suburban communities alike. It is also a way to get to some of those kids who haven't found joy in the 'traditional' sports.
What do you think? Are they all just a bunch of punks and we shouldn't give skating the time of day, or is this a legitimate athletic opportunity that should get the support it needs in our schools and communities? Bring it on. Rip it up!
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