Why homework is still necessary

There are strong arguments for and against assigning homework to students. When such situations arise, that is when leadership has to be strong. I personally believe that homework is a great thing for a majority of students. It gives students the opportunity to practice and show what they know. Obviously, it has to be used properly. Again, leadership and training should lead the way in this area. I reject the notion that teachers should cease giving homework. I am certain that there are teachers who give busy work to students to take home and complete. That doesn't make homework a bad thing. It only highlights a lack of leadership. Here are three reasons why homework is still necessary:

1. Homework allows for an increase in self-efficacy

I believe that the relationship between the student and the teacher is similar to a relay race. During class, the teacher hands the student a baton. The student is charged with advancing the baton to the finish line. I often tell my students this:

"You do what you can do outside of class so that you can do what you previously couldn't inside class"

When students experience this principle, it increases their self-efficacy and gives them confidence to try when things are challenging.

2. Homework increases soft skills

We know that there is a decline in soft skills in our graduates. As educators, we would be negligent to not address this serious issue. Homework helps to instill in students the importance of responsibility, timeliness, and organization. While these are 'behaviors', they are positive byproducts of a being a part of disciplined environment with high expectations. In a global economy, we must graduate students that are prepared to be competitive.

3. It forces administration to innovate and individualize 

I believe that the main argument against homework offers us the greatest opportunity. If a student doesn't complete homework but shows proficiency on assessments, the answer is not to eliminate homework (or refuse to grade it #SBG). We need to ask the question: Why does this happen? Once again we need leadership in this area. We need leadership willing respond accordingly when the results don't reflect our pedagogy. If there is a student sitting in a class in which they don't have to try very hard, we have to ask ourselves: Are we comfortable with such a scenario? is it possible that that student could be in another environment receiving the challenge they need? The mixed ability classroom creates this scenario. Is there an alternative response? Yes. It takes leadership to find it.

MB

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Growth Through Truth

In 2001, the value of a share of Enron was peaked at $90 a share. By the end of 2001, its value had plummeted to 60 cents a share. Many stockholders were wondering how this could've happened. According to all the company's legal filings per the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, the company was doing just fine. Buying Enron stock was a safe investment. However, certain information was withheld in  what would be a severe violation of SEC Rules. Enron was hiding massive amounts of debt from shareholders. The truth was being hidden. Whenever the truth is hidden, only a few people benefit. Enron CEO, Ken Lay and a few others high-ranking executives who had knowledge of the debt, continued to make large sums of money. However, the truth always has a way of coming out. When it was discovered what Lay and others were doing, they were brought to justice. Sadly, many people lost a great deal of money simply because a few people decided that it was too inconvenient to reveal the truth.

The reality is that truth can have a shocking effect on us. However, we need truth desperately no matter how inconvenient. Growth comes through the revelation of truth.Growth comes through truth. During the mid 2000's in the Atlanta Public Schools, some leaders decided and some teachers agreed that it was necessary to conceal the truth. Those individuals have been brought to justice for their actions. However, just as the shareholders of Enron stock lost something, so did the students and families who were denied precious feedback. When the truth is concealed opportunities are lost. Allow me to explain. When it is determined that a student is not progressing in terms of their reading skills by the end of grade 3, action must be taken. Seemingly, as a result of the limited and misinterpreted data on retention, it would appear that the best thing to do would be to advance that student to the next grade while continuing to work on improving reading skills. This plan sounds wonderful. It is the plan that most schools utilize regarding reading skills. However, it is a fact that since  the implementation of No Child Left Behind reading scores have remained flat. That means that a majority of students who post low reading scores in third grade never close the gap by the time they graduate from high school. This is unacceptable! Once those reading scores were known, what were the other alternatives? We will never know because that opportunity has been lost with the passage of time.

It is my contention that truth is veiled far too often in education.  This is done with good intentions, but there is life changing power when the pure and honest truth is revealed. As a result of the lack of pure truth, the growth is not as widespread as we would like. Just recently Arne Duncan lamented that the US is falling behind in terms of graduation and dropout rates.  It will always be true that there is growth through the revelation of truth because truth is feedback. Feedback serves as a GPS. Additionally, truth demands action. Just like a GPS device, the truth will continue to  highlight the issue until the necessary adjustments are made to address the issue. And once the necessary adjustments are made, then and only then, growth can be experienced.

I don't agree with highlighting a problem without offering a solution. Therefore I offer this solution:

Decisions about student stratification and placement should never be made based on emotions and unproven beliefs. They should be made based on facts and never limited to one-size-fits-all thinking.

Breaking this pattern of behavior in our public schools is most difficult.  It takes a leader to challenge the status quo. It's not easy to question the current method of mixed ability classrooms. It's not easy to  propose a 5 day school week for chronically struggling reading/math student and 4 days for others. While these ideas seem extreme, the truth still remains and it is knocking at the door demanding action. True leaders need to stand and deliver the 100% pure and uncut truth because there is growth through truth.

MB

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What it really means to "Teach the whole student"

When we say that we wish to teach the whole student, what we are saying is that we desire to take on an added responsibility.This added responsibility will require more school resources.Teaching the whole student requires more than content. It is often said that a student doesn't care what you know until they know that you care. This is true. But in the beginning, schools were not designed to fill some of the roles that public schools have taken on in the last 20 years. Schools have adopted numerous programs to mitigate the consequences that come along with living in poverty in hopes to narrow the achievement gap. Many of these programs have found success, but as we seek to change, replace, or revise NCLB, it is clear that we aren't there yet and more needs to be done.

I believe that the issue is that we are missing the "follow-through."If we truly seek to close the gap and help students succeed, we can't take half measures. We have to be "all in." Many of these additional programs have nothing to do with what goes on in the classroom, but if a school decides to adopt a program, the execution of the program has to be excellent. If a student is hurting emotionally it may take months, maybe years to help that student get to a place in life where they feel comfortable enough to pursue their dreams. However the school calendar continues to turn over and there are tests that need to be administered. The student takes the tests and to the student the tests mean absolutely nothing because the student is still hurting and needs help. What happens to the student when he or she graduates? Is it more important that the student is present to take test or that the student is emotionally healed although they may not be present for the test?

Teaching the whole student means that you're willing to make certain sacrifices to make sure that that student has everything that they need in order to be successful when they transition from high school to college or into the workplace. That is what schools are taking on when they decide that they would like to teach the whole student. 

For more, please listen to my latest podcast titled, "Where are the soft skills?"

Marvin Byrd

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Differentiated Instruction and Professional Development

As I was going through my Twitter Feed, I came across the following Tweet from @JennGRoach

A3:Differentiation is the key to relevant PD.Don't ask Ts to sit thru basics if they're outperforming instructor. Rigor&Relevance #satchatwc
— Jennifer (@JennGRoach) March 7, 2015

If we as educators believe in the merits of Differentiated Instruction, then we must act on this belief. I often say the best Professional Development is self-guided. There is nothing stopping a teacher from doing a simple Google Search in order to find out about what additions have been made to the literature.

As districts seek to develop their teachers by equipping them with knowledge and best practices, it is important that the methods contain relevance, professionalism, and mirror the instructional philosophy of the district. For example, a district that strongly believes in Differentiated Instruction and high student engagement should have Professional Development that allows teachers to apply new methods, analyze case studies, and fully engage in the process.

BOTTOM LINE: PD on Differentiated Instruction should NOT be a sit-and-get session.

Marvin Byrd
@MarvinByrd

It Can Be Done

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Parents: Want to help your child succeed in school? Do this............

It is absolutely critical that parents offer their children structure. Structure is preached from the moment a newborn is brought home (Eat, Sleep, Poop every 3 hours). A lack of attention to structure can cause great problems for a newborn. Although parent responsibility changes as children grow, the structure must remain. What is dangerously seductive, is the fact that the consequences of no structure aren't life threatening as children transition into their teenage years. However, the damaging results of no structure place the academic future of children in peril. As I travel the country and speak to parents, I constantly remind them that they don't have to have an answer for every problem. With the advancements that have been made in technology and the emphasis on parent contact, parents only need to offer structure.

I read a study that measured the effectiveness of parental involvement as it relates to Math Homework. You can find the full article by clicking here. The study followed 79 students from low income families as well as their parents and teachers. We already know that the literature is clear that parental involvement increases ALL indicators of student performance and there is no substitution. What this study found is that there is a significant association between structure and student performance in math. Many of the parents in the study knew that their role was to offer structure as opposed to know exactly how to do the math homework. Most importantly, they believed that they were helping.

Lastly, I believe that parents should teach their children how to create structure and order in their life. There is a right and wrong way to conduct oneself as a student. It is critically important that this principle is adhered to as students transition to High School and beyond. For this purpose, I wrote, Make it Plain: Keys to Being a Successful High School Student. It is written to students and in about 120 pages, it breaks down the steps to academic success as a high school student. Without structure, success is left to chance. We can do better for our children.

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Report shows unequal distribution of highly qualified teachers

The Education Department recently published data showing an unequal distribution of Highly Qualified Teachers. Naturally, there is a gap between the schools with the Highest and Lowest percentage of impovershed students in many of the indicators. In short, less qualified teachers are more likely to teach in High Poverty and Minority Schools. You can find the report Here. The Huffington Post has a nice visual layout of the data and you can find it by clicking Here. After reviewing some of the data and reading the HuffPost Article, here are some of my thoughts:

1. The notion that First-Year teachers are not good is False

Newer teachers can be valuable assets to a school. I have trained 2 Student Teachers, and they have proven me correct. Given the constantly changing climate in education, it is a blessing that we have people willing to enter this profession. Although 1st-year teachers have much to learn, they CAN get better. Just as we want students to learn and grow, so should all teachers.

2. This report seems to negate the training and influence of the school leaders

As I go through Twitter, I see thousands of Educational Leaders spreading their words of wisdom. It seems we have many knowledgeable and capable people in these positions in schools around the country. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has changed the position of school administrator. Instructional Leadership is a very important aspect of the position now. As the Instructional Leader, the school administrator is supposed to chart the course that leads to student achievement. Therefore, isn't it possible for the Instructional Leader to train a newer teacher and help them transition to "Master Teacher?" I believe strong leadership as well as training CAN reduce the affect that Growing Pains may have on Student Achievement. Lastly, this report doesn't mention anything about the qualifications of the Administrators.

3. The literature is clear that schools with higher needs experience more teacher turnover

Inevitably, these High-Needs schools have to fill more positions with newer teachers. It is important to mention that these "High Needs" include behavior issues, lack of administrative support, and less autonomy. These issues CAN be addressed. However, this is not always the case. Dealing with these issues is hard work and it requires people to change. This isn't easily accomplished and that is why turning a school around is so challenging.

States must come up with a plan to alleviate the unequal distribution by the middle of 2015. It will be interesting to see what happens. Perhaps, very little. After all, this has bee a topic of research over the past decade.

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Reasons why reading to your children is a habit worth keeping (Article Review)

Everyone is familiar with the highly quoted statement that claims future prison population is predicted utilizing 3rd grade reading scores. While there are some who question the validity of this statement, it is undeniable that it is challenging to close that gap once it has been identified in the 3rd grade. This makes sense being that students are expected to be exposed to grade level material while at the same time, catch up to the level of material. This is challenging, but not impossible. The solution lies within one special habit. This habit is the cure to those winter, spring, and summer breaks within the school year. In many instances, this habit doesn't cost a dime.

Schools around the country encourage this habit often. However, I feel that the message is to important to grow stale. I came across this wonderful article that talks about this habit. I encourage my readers to read this article because it defines reading to your children as a habit. This is so appropriate. Habits are what make us who we are. A habit of reading, or lack thereof, can impact the future of a child significantly.

Here are a few reasons the author gives to parents to encourage them to continue the habit:

1. Students who read 20 minutes per day score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests vs. students who read for 1 minute per day score in the 10th percentile on standardized tests.

     2.  Reading with your child, or alongside your child, models a love of reading for your child.

     3.  Students and children listen better and longer and develop a wider vocabulary.

 

Please find the entire article by Adriana and George Sifakis by clicking here

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