TMBR

Steve Atwater- A Trusting School Board

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:22:20 -0700

There is much discussion about the best way to educate children. Many education educators provide techniques for not only teaching to the middle. These are valuable techniques for trying to modify a design flaw in our educational system. Teaching to the middle frequently winds up being beneficial to no one. And what about special education? The terminology alone may set up a false promise. It’s not always so special and in many cases the education falls far short of a learner’s potential.

Differentiated education is being viewed by many as a direction that must be assessed. We need to evaluate if this method of educating the whole child has merit—every child at their own pace—intriguing. How can a teacher manage so many different educational paces? We know that every child is different, that not everyone learns the same way, or at the same speed. We already make a differentiated education plan for 10% -12% of our student population that has been identified as having extra needs. That process is cumbersome, very adversarial, and definitely not something we would want to replicate. But if every child was given the help that they needed, at their own pace, it could revolutionize special education and shift it to the norm.

The Chugach school district of Alaska has been using a differentiated education system since 1992 and every child has their own education plan. There was a major paradigm shift as the district disconnected time and learning and every child learns at their own pace. It is a small school district and faces some unusual challenges. They found that one of the central components to success was the teaching of local values and ethics as a component of the curriculum. I was fortunate to speak with three superintendents who have experienced this system to learn what they did and why.

Steve Atwater is superintendent of the Lake and Peninsula School District in Alaska. He decided to try using the Chugach system after viewing their results and believing that it might be a way to aid his school district be more effective in preparing the student for life. In a candid, far reaching audio interview Steve answers all questions about the genesis of the system in his district and how they established local values. We discuss the process of setting up the education method in a school district and where extra care is needed. Can the lessons learned in Alaska be applied to other school district environments including large urban districts? Are we asking too much from our teachers?

Bob Crumley- Everyone at their own pace

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:02:58 -0700

There is much discussion about the best way to educate children. Many education educators provide techniques for not only teaching to the middle. These are valuable techniques for trying to modify a design flaw in our educational system. Teaching to the middle frequently winds up being beneficial to no one. And what about special education? The terminology alone may set up a false promise. It’s not always so special and in many cases the education falls far short of a learner’s potential.

Differentiated education is being viewed by many as a direction that must be assessed. We need to evaluate if this method of educating the whole child has merit—every child at their own pace—intriguing. How can a teacher manage so many different educational paces? We know that every child is different, that not everyone learns the same way, or at the same speed. We already make a differentiated education plan for 10% -12% of our student population that has been identified as having extra needs. That process is cumbersome, very adversarial, and definitely not something we would want to replicate. But if every child was given the help that they needed, at their own pace, it could revolutionize special education and shift it to the norm.

The Chugach school district of Alaska has been using a differentiated education system since 1992 and every child has their own education plan. There was a major paradigm shift as the district disconnected time and learning and every child learns at their own pace. It is a small school district and faces some unusual challenges. They found that one of the central components to success was the teaching of local values and ethics as a component of the curriculum. I was fortunate to speak with three superintendents who have experienced this system to learn what they did and why.

Bob Crumley is currently the superintendent of the Chugach school district. He was head teacher when the school district first started the differentiated education system. In a video interview, Bob talks about how the process got started and how it works, the effects on students in a school district that never had a student go on to college. He shares the effects on the community, the school staff.

GoalView

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:59:01 -0700

There are several converging factors that are driving the acquisition of software systems by schools to assist with the development and management of individual education plans. Costs to administer individual educations plans can never be overlooked, and it takes a lot of time to record, file, and manage student information. When the information is stored manually and put in a file cabinet, it is lost from view, no one sees it, no one can analyze it, and no one can see if the services and teaching agreed to in those plans are being carried out in a timely manner. With a computer driven system all information can be viewed at will. All compliance deadlines can be scheduled and not forgotten. With the expansion of individual education plans for all, a good computerized management system becomes mandatory because of high cost of record keeping manually.

Learning Tools International has been marketing a system to keep track of individual education plans, GoalView since 1999. This is an internet-based system. The President of LTI, Cathy Zier joins me to share what GoalView does and what motivates the people behind GoalView. To some school districts, the notion of computer-based management systems for individual education plans is new. Whenever new systems are set up, it creates concern among staff and parents. Cathy demystifies the process and shares what we can get from a system like GoalView.

Roger Sampson- New Paradigm

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:41:15 -0700

There is much discussion about the best way to educate children. Many education educators provide techniques for not only teaching to the middle. These are valuable techniques for trying to modify a design flaw in our educational system. Teaching to the middle frequently winds up being beneficial to no one. And what about special education? The terminology alone may set up a false promise. It’s not always so special and in many cases the education falls far short of a learner’s potential.

Differentiated education is being viewed by many as a direction that must be assessed. We need to evaluate if this method of educating the whole child has merit—every child at their own pace—intriguing. How can a teacher manage so many different educational paces? We know that every child is different, that not everyone learns the same way, or at the same speed. We already make a differentiated education plan for 10% -12% of our student population that has been identified as having extra needs. That process is cumbersome, very adversarial, and definitely not something we would want to replicate. But if every child was given the help that they needed, at their own pace, it could revolutionize special education and shift it to the norm.

The Chugach school district of Alaska has been using a differentiated education system since 1992 and every child has their own education plan. There was a major paradigm shift as the district disconnected time and learning and every child learns at their own pace. It is a small school district and faces some unusual challenges. They found that one of the central components to success was the teaching of local values and ethics as a component of the curriculum. I was fortunate to speak with three superintendents who have experienced this system to learn what they did and why.

Roger Sampson was the superintendent of the Chugach school district and is now the President of the Education Commission of the States. Roger talks to me about the background that motivated him to try such a bold and creative change to his schools system’s teaching methods. Roger also speaks to the issues they encountered and what their results were, both good and bad.

Marilyn Burns- How did you solve that?

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 17:00:30 -0700

A while ago I went to a School Site Council meeting at the school my daughter attends. At that meeting all the parents participated in a first grade math lesson based on the teaching methods of Marilyn Burns. The parents were read a story and then had to solve a problem based on the information in the story. We were seated at tables and each table became its own work group. Each group addressed the solution in its own way. The experience taught us all on many different levels. It was comforting as a parent to see the gentle, caring method that was being used with our children. After experiencing this (three cheers to the school staff for presenting it) I was eager to chat with Marilyn to learn what the mind that created this method was thinking about education today. This interview was that encounter. Marilyn Burns- How did you solve that?

Paula Kluth- Everyone is Included

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 08:34:23 -0800

For some reason the issue of inclusion seems to invoke strong passions. Everyone views it differently. Add in the prescription for a least restrictive environment, and wow that gets everyone really churning. You can just see everyone in the room tighten their backs as they set their positions in stone. Walking blindly into this loaded mine field, Senior Dad Stan Goldberg meets educator Paula Kluth, a fifteen year veteran of special education. Paula has helped schools and school districts transition from exclusion to inclusion. She has held workshops to broaden the understanding of both parents and educators on the benefits of inclusion. The discussion moves through the hot topics and then on to some common ground when discussing the positive benefits of inclusion (it’s not just that it can be less expensive for a school district).

Paula Kluth- Everyone is Included

Heddi Craft- Reaching Children Differently

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:15:49 -0800

Heddi Craft is an educator. She has taught school on most levels K-6 and has been a consultant for the Curriculum Leadership Institute. After moving to Santa Cruz, California, and beginning to raise a family she noticed how quickly her son learned the lessons from his $12-20 puzzles. Looking around for a better solution than purchasing more learning tools at the pace of her son’s voracious appetite, she founded the Educational Resource Center of Santa Cruz, a membership based lending library of educational toys, games, and learning materials. In conversation with Senior Dad, Stan Goldberg, she shares her ideas of “No Child Left Behind”, homework, teacher retraining and actions for parents. Heddi Craft reaching children differently

Shary Nunan- Teaching a Less Traveled Way

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 09:09:26 -0800

The High School for Independent Learning of Albany and Piedmont California addresses the learning requirements of those students where a typical learning environment has not been successful. This school seeks to enable these students to be successful and enjoy learning, perhaps for the first time in their lives. The student body also includes youth who have work or practice requirements that preclude going to regular school. We talk with Shary Nunan, the Co-Director of the school, who tells us how the school got its start and how the needs of its students are addressed. Teaching a less traveled way.

Mike Klonsky- Social Activist

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 12:06:20 -0800

Mike Klonsky became attracted to the modern day small schools movement when he was exposed to the ideas and actions of the leaders of the movement in the 1960’s. As a teacher, he helped create some of the first charter schools in Chicago. Today he is one of the champions of the small school vision that is embodied by the Chicago small schools movement, pioneered by Chicago’s first African American mayor, Harold Washington, in the 1980s. We discuss the history of the movement, which was motivated by attempting to create the type of school that works best for children, how we should gauge student results, what we’ve accomplished with testing policies, team teaching, how to change teaching, and charter schools. Mike runs a yahoo listserv that is a think tank for small schools professionals called Smallschools@yahoo.com. Mike is firmly committed to equity and social change for the benefit of all children

Sir Ken Robinson

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:57:57 -0800

Sir Ken Robinson is one of the foremost critical thinkers in the world today in the fields of creativity, ingenuity, and education. He is to those fields what Stephen Hawking is to physics. We learn Sir Ken’s views on the best direction for education to change, including No Child Left Behind, Inclusion, ADHD, education and the arts, education for the workplace and equality in schools.

Sir Ken has sampled first hand different types of educational methods. He was born into a modest income family in Liverpool, the fifth of seven children. He contracted Polio when he was four and was sent to a school for disabled children. Later, he was included in a regular school, went on to university, and then on to an outstanding career in education. We learn how his background shaped his ideas and provided the foundation for his insightful understanding of education and creativity today.

June Jordan Small School by Design

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:16:23 -0700

June Jordan High School of San Francisco is a small school, by design. Started five years ago by a group of upstarts, comprised of teachers, students and community activists who were not satisfied with how the system was addressing the needs of underserved youth in the inner city who aspired to attend college. These bold, brash, and outspoken individuals got June Jordon rolling and perhaps ruffled a few feathers in the school district in the process. With test scores sinking, the faculty is becoming aware that solutions in concept are easier to achieve then solutions in reality. We speak with Matt Alexander, Principal of the school about the genesis of the school, the school structure and the challenges the school faces today. Are we seeing a very public, public school sink or are we viewing an intelligent well planned mid-course correction?

Mel Levine- Different Ways To Learn

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 09:22:14 -0700

Mel Levine didn’t do well in elementary or grade school. He had a sense of humor and made his classmates laugh. When his classmates came to his house to play he told his mother to tell them he wasn’t home. He would rather play with his animals and play in his own mind. His older brother got into Harvard and had Mel visit him on weekends. These visits excited Mel’s mind and he became an A student from then on. Mel’s brother found the way in to help Mel learn. Mel graduated first in his class at Brown, became a Rhoades Scholar at Oxford, went to Harvard Medical School and is now the Director of the University of North Carolina Center for the Study of Development and Learning. Mel is one of the leading figures in the world in the study of the different ways that people learn. Mel doesn’t believe that one way or 5 ways or 10 ways fits all. There is a way to reach every child we just have to follow the clues. Mel spurns labels like “Autism”, “Bipolar”, “ADHD” and likes to visualize the child as they will be at 24. Mel founded the All Kinds of Minds Institute and has changed the way we view learning, all because a kind older brother took the time to find the way in. We learn who Mel is and what he thinks of the world around him.

Deb Meier- Founder of the Modern Day Small Schools Movement

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 14:06:17 -0700

The Wisdom of Deb Meier

One of the founders of the modern day small schools movement Deb Meier looks back at the small school movement and sees dangers she never envisioned. Still a supporter of small schools she sees nonetheless a possibility for oppression. Deb tells us what she thought when she started the modern day small school movement years ago in Harlem.

Jose Barillas- Principal Hero

Thu, 5 Jul 2007 19:31:06 -0700

Jose Barillas is the Principal of Thurgood Marshal Middle School in Chicago IL and is a hero. I thought about our conversation for 1 month after we recorded it before I could edit it. His story so gripped and troubled me I needed the time to gather perspective. He has taught for 30 years. His school which is a small school (400 students) has been selected one of the “Schools to watch”. Now in the sunset years of his career he looks at what has changed and what needs to be done. Jose’s school has 97% free lunch and 85% Latino. Jose helps us understand what is happening with parental involvement at his school and how it affects the children.

Parent Panel- How schools can avoid special needs lawsuits

Thu, 31 May 2007 19:40:33 -0700

A few months ago I interviewed Eric Mar, one of the Commissioners of the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified School District. While chatting about some of the issues facing the school board we discussed the expenditure of Board of Education funds to defend lawsuits brought against the SFUSD by parents of children with extra needs, Eric said “there must be a better way”. That statement haunted me the past few months as I learned what parents and children were experiencing as they tried to cope with their children’s needs while dealing with the frustrations of dealing with the San Francisco School system. The Winkelman case, just decided by the Supreme Court, establishes a parent’s right to represent their children without an attorney in a special education matter. This one case changes the playing field from the parents going uphill to level for the first time in history. Last week we recorded a parent panel that analyzed some of the implications of Winkelman, but more importantly we discussed the issues that cause parents to file suit, and as well as ideas for sensible ways to update the process so that both the parents and the professionals in the schools can work in harmony. An important step in moving towards change is for everyone to hear about the impact that our own school system is having on our community. Parent Panel Stan Goldberg, Rachel Powell Norton, Katy Franklin

Kaye Mentley- A gentle way to teach

Thu, 24 May 2007 21:52:58 -0700

The environment that a child learns in can determine outcome. At school how we treat the child not only effects how the child learns but also teaches the child how to treat others. If a teacher uses power, force or abuse to teach, that is what a child will learn. The Grand Traverse Academy in Traverse City MI uses none of these. It is a Bill Glasser inspired school and it uses "a gentle way to teach". Kaye Mentley the superintendent of the school district tells us how they do it

Gayle Andrews- Middle Schools are key

Thu, 3 May 2007 13:21:08 -0700

Gayle Andrews is an Educator. She is the co-author of two books, "Turning Points 2000, Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century" And "Making the Most of Middle School". She is an assistant professor at the University of Georgia. Gayle understands the dynamics of teaching in middle schools. Some middle schools are so large the student can fall through the cracks and get missed. How to survive the transition to middle schools and more.

Ingrid Shafer- Explore All Sides

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:29:49 -0700

Ingrid Shafer has team taught at the college level for 40 years at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She is a Professor of Philosophy and Religion and more degrees to boot. She is a new friend and I asked her how we should teach our quicker learners. That's where our conversation started. I hope you enjoy listening to Ingrid as much as I enjoyed thinking with her.

Jake Vigdor- Should it be K-5 or K-6?

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:42:52 -0700

Jake Vigdor is Associate Professor of Public Policy Studies and Economics of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy of Duke University. Their latest study looks to see if K-6 is better than K-5 for children. The Duke research has a chart that shows a significant improvement in behavior in the K-6 environment vs. the K-5 and that that behavior change carries forward for several years. It also mentions that the students were behind in scores and caught up during the sixth grade in K-6, although that finding needs more thought. There is also the factor that if you configure schools K-6, 7-9, 10-12 the ninth graders would have a more immature social structure and possibly reduce some of the issues connected with being a ninth grader in a high school.

Jo Debolt- Better Scores, Same Teachers

Thu, 5 Apr 2007 07:09:32 -0700

School Districts- Jo Debolt one of three team members appointed by the State of Pennsylvania to be a trustee of the Duquesne School District tells us how the 98% African American School District was turned around without investing tons of money but by actually finding a cause of the issue.

What Happens in Preschool 3

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 07:16:02 -0700

Program 3 What is happening in Preschool. Each of the selected schools use the techniques developed in the Regieo Emilia teaching method. Hear how each school incorporates the method into their daily plan and hear the results they are achieving. Heather Morado, Executive Director, GeoKids,Menlo Park CA

What Happens in Preschool 2

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 07:28:13 -0700

Program 2 What is happening in Preschool. Each of the selected schools use the techniques developed in the Regieo Emilia teaching method. Hear how each school incorporates the method into their daily plan and hear the results they are achieving. Kathy Forhan, Executive Director, Old Firehouse School, Mill Valley CA

What Happens in Preschool 1

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 07:33:38 -0800

Program 1 What is happening in Preschool. Each of the selected schools use the techniques developed in the Regieo Emilia teaching method. Hear how each school incorporates the method into their daily plan and hear the results they are achieving Cathy Green, Executive Director, Kumara School, Mill Valley CA