Manual Math Revolution

My Final Speech to Manual (5-22-09)

2009-05-22T11:03:00.006-06:00

As I thought long and hard on how to break the news to my students regarding my departure to the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship next year I concluded that a spoken word poem would be most fitting. And so for a series of days I worked on the words that I'd deliver to the entire school, trying to explain why I'm leaving while sending my love to those who will remain. Below is a copy of what I shared this morning during our community meeting.

This last year of teaching has felt much more like just preaching
Work hard be responsible and do the right thing,
Go to college, get your degree and earn some ca ching.
I’m selling to all, but not all are buying,
Some students don’t believe, they think I’m just lying.
And even some who do and follow my path
Don’t necessarily choose to step it up when in math.
So as the year went on I began to wonder,
What would it take, to make some real thunder?
What if I started much sooner, much younger,
Could we develop an intense academic hunger?

What if I started when you were just three?
What would your future look like, just where might you be?

What if I had Mr. Crews when he was four
and forced upon him education galore.
What if at five I taught Mr. Rice
To work really hard and always be nice
If at six I had Shaqua and worked her each day
Would bad words come out, would f bombs be in play?
At 7 there’s Donovan walking to school
Perhaps he’d be better at following the rule
At eight I see Kquame and his back pack’s a mess
His difficulties now perhaps would be far far less
Dulce and Diana attend when they’re nine
Coming in early, even standing in line.

What if I started when you were just three?
What would your future look like? Just where might you be?

Working at Manual for over two years
Needing to leave nearly brings me to tears
But when I think of Sinamen and Destiny too
I realize quite quickly it’s what I must do
So many of our students are great as they are
Heading to college I know they’ll go far
But what of our ones who can’t read, write or speak?
Whose academic skills are so very weak?
Those for who fractions are scary and hard
Who’d choose over writing to work in the yard

And then there’s character and values on top
Accessing middle class, avoiding the mop
The idea that hard work pays, just compete
Avoiding McDonalds, in the back flipping meat
Perseverance and manners, being polite and on time
All beat the idea of begging for one little dime
Living the good life and striving for it each day
Entering the game of life with a legit chance to play

And so when I think of Latha and Iaisha,
When I consider the futures of Dominique and Kanesha
I’m forced to consider what’s my best form of attack
I can’t watch from a far, I can’t just sit back
I read and research everything that’s out there
Who’s getting it done, who’s making life fair
I conclude one solution to closing the gap
Opening my own school to put on the map

A school for your cousins, your brothers and sisters
Where little kids come to work hard for their misters.
We’ll embed college in their cute and tiny heads
They’ll be lawyers and doctors assigning the meds
Make it Happen Academy will be a great school
We’ll change the community with one simple rule
Every kid has a shot at the life that they dream
No matter their money or race or even their team
At my own school where you’ll start when you’re three
Imagine the future, where might those kids be?

And so I bid goodbye to my Manual crew
My little brother Ronnie, and the faculty too
To Paschall and Frazier, Monet and Ms. Kreiger
I’m sorry to leave, but I must, I’m so eager
To the rest of the staff who I love so very much
I know you’ll get it done and come through in the clutch
And to student like Nichols who taught me to believe
That some TLC can help kids really achieve
I’ll think of you next year as I learn and prepare
To open a school of quality seen far too rare.
That prepares little ones to compete with the best
And ensures them a chance at life’s treasure chest.

What if I started when you were just three?
What would your future look like? Just where might you be?

Spoken Word (4-24-09)

2009-04-24T11:23:00.005-06:00

On weeks like this one I'm forced to question
Whether any student will take my suggestion.
Work hard, be responsible and do the right thing
Let your good qualities shine, for God's sake let them sing.
We work hard at our school to develop a culture
That won't let the world eat them up like a vulture.
All jobs in the 21st century require such thinking
yet so many of my kids continue their sinking.
From cursing to ditching to smoking the weed
Why can't they pick up a book and maybe just read
Decisions, decisions are made each and every day
I watch as each child goes on their own separate way.
Why can't they see, their blind to the big picture
This little community seems like their one and only fixture.
Please look outside of this small five points town
If not your now smile will soon be a frown.
Our great kids are great, but still dissapoint
When we find them on Monday rolling a joint.
We push and we push as the year comes to a close
Get it on track, we speak with such prose.
But results are what matter, can you read, write and speak
I worry, I worry, so many students are weak.
Think of their future, the life that awaits,
Change their ways now or find a series of check mates.

Leadership through Optimism (4-15-09)

2009-04-15T13:01:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of listening to Geoffry Canada, CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, speak at a luncheon for urban education reformers and practitioners. His speech was insightful, engaging and most certainly energizing. Telling stories from the Harlem community he works tirelessly to serve while conveying essential information, the luncheon was a kick in the pants and in the end, a call to action. Reflecting on the speech sometime later, there is one driving message that still stands with me. "Do the work."

Canada explained a great deal about how the Children's Zone functions in Harlem and how each piece of his "support conveyor belt" is connected, but when all is said and done, his message of "do the work" remains. As he shared his experiences, both past and present, he kept coming back to the fact that we must engage in this work at full throttle. Underneath this impetus to push forward was a clear statement of "no excuse is acceptable." He may not have said those words, but it was clear from his tone and his message that there is no room for failure. His approach to problem solving was impressive, bold and a little crazy all wrapped together.

Consider his leadership approach. A staff member on the Children's Zone comes to him with an idea, could be any idea at all. If it is going to have a positive impact on the children in his community and serve their mission of preparing each and every child for college then that idea will almost certainly come to fruition. Canada's response is never in the form "sounds good, but..." or "I like what you're saying, but..." His reaction (from my reading of his text and listening to him speak) is always along the lines of "this is going to work, now let's find a way to get it done." The optimistic approach to leadership, the avoidance of excuses, these are the qualities that seem to ensure the success of his organization. It's so easy to say "sounds great, but we don't have the money," or "that would really benefit our 4 year olds, but we don't have the staff to support it." What's challenging and I'm sure exhausting is always being open to new ideas that you know are of benefit to your mission and in turn, constantly finding ways to implement rather than discussing ways to avoid.

Transfer this idea to any organization, whether in the private or public sector, and it's clear to see that leadership through optimism (as Canada referenced repeatedly in his speech) is the most valuable asset he has. On a micro level, it's easy to consider the classroom, where teachers can look out at their sea of students and say I'd really like to engage my kids with this difficult text, or I'd really like to teach these guys Pre-Calculus, but I don't think they can. Their skills are too low, their attitudes are too negative, their families don't support us. Forget about the negative and take a page from Canada's book...if you know it's in the best interest of your class or organization or business, find a way to make it happen.

When you consider the severity of problems plaguing urban education from teaching capital to funding to high drop out rates to dilapidated buildings to lack of quality leadership it's easy to say forget it. We can't do this. Instead, I urge you to consider the Canada approach. Think about what needs to get done and "do the work." Don't wait for permission, don't read all the rules, just engage in what needs to get done. Success will only come to our most troubled cities when more people follow the Canada way of leadership through optimism blended with a "no-excuse" attitude. Every beat the odds school in our nation has some version of this philosophy running through it's veins. Let's inject a dose into all of us and see what kind of results we can get.

Shoddy Safety Nets (3-18-09)

2009-03-24T09:15:00.001-06:00

I've come across many teachers who believe that one of the most exciting things about teaching is that every day is different. New challenges, dynamic students, "never a boring day," and ever changing content are just a few of the cited reasons for this belief. However, when mid-March comes around and you've spent every day of the year pushing students to learn Algebra while forcing them to abide by the expectations of the school, it's hard not to think that every day is the same.

I still have those special days where kids do and say amazing things. Don't get me wrong, I love my students and I love those moments where magic happen in the classroom. Nonetheless, putting those immaculate events aside, teaching freshmen mathematics in a "no-excuse" classroom is both repetitive and exhausting. How many consecutive days can you hound students to get into dress code, use appropriate language, act appropriately, and most importantly, use every one of the 85 minutes in class to learn mathematics. At some point you’re going to hit a wall. What makes the whole dilemma even worse is that you can never let down. You have to break through the wall. Unlike a job where sitting in your cubicle and fake working for an hour or so each day is common practice, there is no room for such downtime in the “no-excuse’ classroom. Burnout is not just an urban teacher problem as many careers face this same point of exhaustion. However, in our profession, the results are not that of bottom line dollars, but that of human life. Thus, we have no choice but to keep pushing and never give up.

Two weeks ago a couple of homeless adults came in to speak with my advisory group of 14 students. They told us their life story, detailing how they reached their personal rock-bottoms, and described the struggles they go through on a daily basis. Continuing their conversations, both men explained their efforts to get out of their situation and the never-ending challenges they face that inevitably seem to lead them back to the streets. I watched as the “homeless forum” sank into some of my students. It made a difference in their thinking and in mine too.

So often, teachers like me dream of the wonderful places our students will end up. Alma will be a public trial lawyer with a beautiful family, a cozy home and 2.4 kids. Donovan will be a famous public speaker, touring the country and inspiring youth to stand up for their lives and achieve their goals. Ronnie will be the CEO of a non-profit organization working to provide healthcare to every child living in the United States. Lupita will be a respected pediatrician, caring for kids with both extensive medical expertise and an enormous heart, always being sure to provide the young ones with a lollipop as they exit the office. What we rarely if ever discuss is the opposing perspective. What about the kid who ends up addicted to drugs, flat broke, disengaged from society and living on the streets? It’s all well and good to support our students in every way possible to reach their ambitions and to constantly encourage and promote their forward progress, but we must look at the counter-argument. What about our kids who are at risk of becoming homeless adults, and not world-renowned published authors?

After listening to our homeless guests and reflecting more deeply on their experiences I began to realize who exactly was at risk of joining their ranks. What I concluded was that it wasn’t me. Meaning, middle class kids like myself (I’m 27 by the way), who have a college degree, a strong network of close friends, a tightly knit family, and financial independence and saved assets, are very unlikely to live on the streets. There are so many safety nets that would catch me well before I lost everything should my life turn “bad,” for lack of a better word. If I developed a drug addiction or lost my job or was in a horrible accident I wouldn’t be alone in my recovery, whether social, emotional, financial or physical. There would always be someone there to get me back on track and remind me of the life I am capable of living. In extreme opposition to my situation, take my worst off students. Living with one parent who can barely take care of themselves, major deficiencies in skills and knowledge, lack of social skills and awareness of middle class values, a dysfunctional and broken family, and a network of friends who are in nearly the same situation.

If we, the school, don’t ensure that this child is able to prosper in the highly competitive and demanding world that lies beyond our building’s walls then that student may very well end up homeless one day. My intention in that statement is not to simply be negative and say that our students are doomed to a life of stress and struggle. However, it is my intention to say that the school has more of a responsibility than some of us recognize, especially those outside of urban education.

When I hit that wall of exhaustion where I’ve had it with doing the same thing day in and day out I have to consider the opposite perspective to the wonderful dreams that many of our students will no doubt achieve. It’s our job to not only prepare students to get where they want to go, but to also ensure that they don’t end up begging for money on a street corner and moving from shelter to shelter. I have a college degree, am fiscally sound, a caring and capable family and a group of friends who could help me in a variety of ways should I ever need to rely on them. Our students in many cases may not have any of these supports and therefore have a safety net filled with holes. It’s our job to do everything in our power to ensure that they never slip off of life’s trapeze and hit that shoddy net. If so, it may not catch them.

Negative Six Minus Eight (3-5-09)

2009-03-05T11:01:00.013-07:00

First and foremost, my apologies for my recent hiatus. Life has been a little nuts, and as such I haven't been doing as much blogging or none at all for that matter. A big thank you to those who recently posted comments regarding my previous two posts. Your insights are thought provoking and greatly appreciated. Keep sharing as it makes all of us think a little more and that's how we get smarter.

On to today's blog...

Proctoring the CSAP is always the most depressing time of the year for me. Having only taught in the most difficult environments (low socioeconomic, urban) over the past 6 years I have yet to be part of a school that produces results greater than 15 % proficient or advanced on the 9th grade math portion of the assessment (compared to a state average of roughly 35 %). As I read through the directions of the math component on Tuesday and we embarked on the first of three math sections, I watched in complete frustration as my students answered the first sample question. - 6 - 8 = ____. The overwhelming majority bubbled the empty circle next to the response "2."

Nothing highlights my problems in succeeding as a teacher and closing the achievement gap better than that simple problem, - 6 - 8. We've worked with negative integers through out the year in a variety of capacities. From the "drill and kill" perspective, we've spent weeks going through mad minutes directly focused on adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. Not moving on to the next set of skills until we'd seen substantial growth in this area, the typical student moved from doing 4 to 5 simple problems such as the sample in 1 minute to being able to handle 10 - 15. In terms of applying this skill to a meaningful task, students were taught how to find an equation when provided with a set of linear data. Using the linear model, students worked on making predictions about the future and used their equations to analyze real world situations such as cell phone bills, population growth, and job opportunities. This entire process started with finding the slope of a line which requires students to subtract positive and negative numbers on a regular basis. To support this necessary skill, the DO NOW's, starting problems for each day, asked students to find the slopes of points involving both positive and negative integers.

The bottom line is this. We encountered/worked with adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers over a long period of time. Most, if not all students showed growth in this area as they improved their skill set. This growth was evident in their ability to answer 16 simple arithmetic problems, i.e. -3 - 6 or -5 + - 8, in a minute, their accurate completion of DO NOW's on a daily basis requesting them to find the slopes of a line when given two points, i.e. (2, 5), (-3 , - 6), and their ability to utilize this basic skill and apply it to more complex Algebra such as determining the equation of a line when given a set of linear data. Nonetheless, despite all of the data that I've collected to monitor their growth and despite the tremendous amount of practice they've received coupled with intense coaching, the students failed to answer - 6 - 8 correctly. I failed.

Take Aways

The reality is that our students enter the classroom more like 5th and 6th graders in their skills and knowledge, particularly in the area of mathematics. Therefor, it makes sense for us to emphasize and reward growth. Meeting grade level proficiency would be a nearly impossible task for 90 % of our student body as this would mean increasing 3 to 4 grade levels in 3/4 of a year (don't forget, CSAP's in early march). While recognizing improvement is valid and necessary, it doesn't quite get the job done in a "results oriented" society. It's beautiful to bring a 9th grader from 6th to 8th grade levels of proficiency in a year's time, but this doesn't ensure our students the chance to compete with their middle class and affluent competitors.

The biggest take away I have is the fact that we have to change our approach if we're going to get the job done and become true "gap-closers." The obstacles are clear to see, the biggest being how do we ensure mastery of such vast content in such a short time span. This year, more than any other, I've used objective assessment data to dictate instructional and curricular decisions. Although this is a valuable practice, it also throws a wrench in our plan. If we constantly teach, re-group students, and re-teach to ensure mastery than how do we get through the content? Teaching for mastery takes far longer than the traditional covering of content, and in turn, makes it impossible to get through the depth and breadth of material assessed on the CSAP. That is unless we change the system in which we're teaching.

Solutions

There is a reason that highly successful "no-excuse" urban charter schools have a longer school day and a longer school year. Their low socioeconomic students of color need the time to catch up. There's also a reason that a huge percentage of these schools have summer academies before students ever step foot in an actual class come fall of their first year.

My solution to the dilemma of developing proficient 9th graders who come in way behind grade level is multi-stepped.

1.) All students have to attend a math skills boot camp prior to entering 9th grade. For three weeks in the summer students would work on nothing but the foundation skills necessary to engage in Algebra (fractions, percents, decimals, integers, ratios, operations, etc.). Students who feel they already have these necessary skills could test out of boot camp by performing at a proficient or advanced level on a rigorous assessment tool. Students enrolled in boot camp would take this same assessment at the conclusion of their three week period. If at this time they still score below proficient, they are placed in an additional class outside of their Algebra class that runs for a minimum of 9 weeks. At the end of this time students would have another opportunity to demonstrate proficiency on the high-stakes assessment. If they reach a proficient level of mastery they may exit the class and replace it with a regular class from the menu of options, but if they don't they are enrolled in another 9 week session. The entire "boot camp" program/philosophy basically says that improving isn't good enough and that proficiency is all that matters. It also sends the message to students that the school is going to do everything it can to level the playing field, but that it's up to the students to own their learning and to prove their mastering essential content.

- Issues with this plan are both financial (who's going to pay for the program) and staffing based (what teachers want to run a 3 week drill and kill math boot camp). Solve these two potential road blocks and you may have a workable piece to the overall solution.

2.) Urban schools need more time to handle the math dilemma, especially at the 9th grade level.
Schools have to constantly instruct, assess, re-group, and re-assess students. As such, I suggest a norm of 2 hours, everyday of mathematics. Many "beat the odds" school already employ this double math time schedule and their results are evidence of its effects. Should schools use the additional time wisely, creating a sense of urgency in the classroom and making every minute count in addition to constant assessment and monitoring of student learning, the 2 hours a day should be enough to reach mastery of essential content. Keep in mind that in this model students might move around to different teachers based upon their results of their assessments. On a weekly or monthly basis students could be re-distributed to work with other students who have the same learning needs. Rather than force three-tiered differentiated instruction to take place in a single classroom, students could be moved around to work with distinct groups struggling with the same deficiencies.

- There are certainly a slew of issues with this plan from school schedule to staffing capacity. However, consider the notion of going slow to go fast. If 9th graders could get caught up then the rest of their high school career would look a whole lot brighter. It's often said that failing Algebra is a great indicator of student drop outs. Let's reverse the cycle, emphasize mathematics with time, resources, and staff, and really close the gap.

Parent Involvement? Helpful or Hindering? (1-29-09)

2009-01-29T13:26:00.009-07:00

This morning was one of those mornings that throws you off. It wasn't that I got up on the wrong side of the bed, or that I wasn't prepared to teach. I was running a bit late, but even that wasn't much to overcome. What really knocked me off course was the parent/student meeting that started my day.

Parent involvement in their students' school lives is crucial. There is no question that having an engaged family can most certainly benefit both the individual student and the school community. This positive side of the parent coin is one that I wish was the only side. Unfortunately, there is a negative side to this coin, no matter how infrequently it shows.

The parent this morning was such a negative and intimidating presence in the room that you had to question whether involving her at all was a wise decision. As the student sat with tears running down his face and the parent continued to unleash her intensely negative and degrading rhetoric I found myself feeling more and more uncomfortable. Trying to gain some semblance of productivity, the teachers and I continued to go back to the positives we've been seeing as well as interventions that we believe could be used to support this student in improving. No matter what we said it all went back to the same thing.

The parent didn't say it and it wasn't written anywhere, but all I kept hearing was "you suck...what's wrong with you?" Was it really such a shock to see that this student was floundering at school and has been for years? This is a kid who hasn't "legitimately" passed a class since elementary school and has more disciplinary referrals then there are members of the Senate.

After having a few hours to reflect on the experience and others that I've had in the past of similar caliber I derived a few notions. Here they are in no particular order.

1.) How could this parent not be angry?
- Whether she did it to herself, meaning that the parenting techniques used during the student's childhood led to his current state, or this is just how things turned out after a valiant effort as a mother, it's almost impossible not to see where the anger comes from. If I had a financially inadequate and personally unsatisfying job, lived in a run down house and had one child who was completely failing in his academic endeavors for a series of years I too would be pissed. To stay optimistic and provide constant positive support to that student and to the school would become a nearly impossible task. I don't believe this gives a parent the right to degrade their child in front of their teachers, but it does allow me to empathize with her position.

2.) Parental involvement can be a hindrance to our work
- Parents have a right to know about their child's progress at school and to be involved in their child's life. However, once we engage with certain parents and discover that their presence can at times be more harmful then helpful we must take such knowledge into consideration in future attempts to support that student. So many of our students have heard "negative talk" for so long that simply piling more of it on at the high school level won't do anything to turn things around. The famous study titled "The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3" makes a clear note of the differences experienced between children of professional families and those growing up in poverty. According to their study, children being raised by professional families hear an average of 166,000 encouragements compared to 26,000 discouragements over the course of a year. Inversely, children from welfare families will hear an average of 26,000 encouragements versus 57,000 discouragements over that same year. I believe our students have heard enough of the negative. It's time to focus on the positive.

3.) Some of our biggest problems don't have clear solutions
This is obvious, but at the same time needs to be addressed. The student we were dealing with this morning has serious learning deficits in addition to chronic behavior problems and a lack of motivation. Combined, he becomes one of our greatest difficulties when it comes to ensuring that he receives an education that will allow him to thrive in both school and life. Finding solutions to making sure he learns what he needs to be successful from both the academic and character side of the education spectrum is a daunting if not impossible task. However, it is the task that we've chosen to take on and the task in which we must succeed.

This morning was a tough morning. The kind that makes you step back for a second and realize the realities of where you're working and who you're working with. It's scary to think that millions of parents like the one I encountered this morning are raising millions of children across this country. Regardless, it is our job to move past mornings like the one I had and put all of our energy into educating our students. This morning wasn't a new experience for me, but it really does get me each time it happens. Part of you wants to give the student a big hug and another part wants to ream into the parent. When you let your emotions subside you realize that all you can do is work your ass of to make sure you save that student. The parent may be too far gone...the child can be saved.

Math teacher...who said anything about math?

Progressive vs. Traditional – Who’s right, who’s wrong (12-17-08)

2008-12-17T11:26:00.001-07:00

There I was, sitting in the kitchen at an antique wooden table staring at a giant page of numbers. Rows and columns filled with digits jumped off the paper, screaming at me where only an hour ago my mother’s turkey loaf had done the same. The multiplication table was my nemesis (no different then the turkey loaf). I don’t remember what grade I was in or who my teacher was, but the sound of my father’s voice reaming into me about how important it was to master this matrix of data from one through twelve still resonates in my head. As the family embarked into the living room to watch one of the classic Star Wars films on the latest and greatest technology, laser discs, I was stuck at that antique wooden table, staring at numbers and for the one and only time in my life, wishing it was the turkey loaf instead.

School didn’t have to make sure I mastered my multiplication fluency, my family did. In fact, there are a lot of things school didn’t have to do for me.

Here are just a few examples

How to act around professionals: My father always had business colleagues over at the house.
How to advocate and negotiate: I learned this through compromising with my mom from an early age.
How to speak using professional language: It’s all I heard from birth through adulthood.
How to persevere in difficult situations: That’s all I saw. No one around me ever folded growing up. There was no task that couldn’t be accomplished. From starting companies to getting patents approved…anything and everything was possible.

Now let’s go back to that pesky multiplication table. My personal experience strikes at the heart of the national debate between progressive and traditional math instruction. The reality is that not all students from the multitude of backgrounds that we teach need the same thing. In fact, providing them with the same instruction is a complete disservice. To argue for Saxon math (the most traditional drill and kill curriculum I’ve ever seen) or Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP – the most inquiry, discovery based curriculum available) is a ludicrous notion if the students that the curriculum is going to serve aren’t taken into consideration.

The bottom line…I don’t think it mattered what curriculum my math teachers used during my middle and high school years. Regardless, I was going to have my math fluency down…not much of a choice when your father is an engineer. However, when I consider the students that I’m teaching, impoverished minority adolescents entering 9^th grade with only 8 % demonstrating grade level proficiency, it’s clear that my fate as a numerically literate individual is not the same for the clients I serve unless our school does what my family and my school were able to do for me.

It’s no secret that every “beat the odds” school I’ve visited across Colorado and the country uses direct instruction as their primary means of delivering information. Their thinking…we have way too much to cover because we’re already two to three years behind. There is no choice but for the teacher to own the content and for the students to sponge it up. As a result, you don’t see collaborative groups working through open ended projects at their own pace. You don’t see spiraling curriculums in place where the teacher moves on even though the majority of the class hasn’t shown mastery because they know that the topic will come back sometime before the end of the year or maybe next year. In fact, what you see is the opposite. A consistent push for mastery of specific learning outcomes that are the foundation of mathematics understanding.

Coming out of college all I could think about was getting students to see relevance in their mathematics and engaging them in exciting, dynamic learning experiences. I wanted them to discover the big ideas of mathematics with my facilitation, but I didn’t want to force or rush it. I taught with little to no urgency. In contrast, the schools that are preparing our most under serviced youth in this nation, poor, minority students, for college and beyond teach as though every minute was a last breath in an effort to resuscitate a drowning victim. These schools recognize the Lisa Delpit perspective that so cautions us of worrying so much about engaging and encouraging our “behind grade level” students that we fail to teach them the rules of the game.

Her argument is framed around writing and literacy, but its message resonates in the world of math education just the same. If all we worry about is engaging our students in mathematics thinking and we fail to teach them function-notation or the various ways to write a ratio then we are not preparing them for life. There is a way the game of life is played and grammar, punctuation and sentence structure all play a role. Just because a student is able to organize some creative thoughts on a piece of paper doesn’t mean we’ve gotten them ready to compete. Those thoughts need to be presented with a commanding understanding of formal English language if we want them to be taken seriously and accepted when they enter the global economic workplace. Math is no different.

We can’t simply pat our students on the back for finding a pattern in a sequence of numbers. They need to be able to use the professional terms associated with such mathematics. I found the “recursive routine” and the “starting value” is ________ and the “rule’ that gets you to the next “term” is ___________. Students need to engage in the fundamentals and formalize their understanding using the same mathematics language that will be presented to them when they enter college. If we want them to become successful college students then we have to treat them as such from early on. This includes not only our interactions with them, but the way in which we deliver content and what we deem as acceptable mastery before moving on to the next piece of content.

In the end, the debate between progressive and traditional math instruction is one that we all know the answer to, we’re just not talking about it. Picture it as a possible 100 % combination. Meaning, in a perfectly balanced classroom we would see 50 % of one mixed with 50 % of the other. In my case, having been pounded with “math facts” from an early age I would have thrived regardless of the ratio, but it’s clear that a progressive leaning combination might have served me better, say a 70 % progressive/30 % traditional ratio. On the other side of the spectrum, if my students are provided with the same 70/30 split then it is unlikely they would ever really catch up and be able to compete with their middle and upper class counterparts. An ideal ratio for my 6^th and 7^th grade 9^th graders would be the inverse, a 70 % traditional/30 % progressive ratio. As I emphasized earlier, not every child needs the same education and to provide them with the same, even at a high quality, would be doing a great disservice.

There is no singular solution to this national debate between Progressive and Traditional math instruction practices. Both have a place in the American classroom. However, both can’t have the same amount of weight in different classrooms serving different students. We must look at who is producing results, for which students and with what practices. The Avon, Connecticut’s and Cherry Creek, Colorado’s of our nation will most likely prosper regardless of curricular and instructional practices decisions. The same can not be said about the Newark, New Jersey’s and Oakland, California’s. Education reform in the world of schools and math must consider the assets and deficiencies of the clients they are serving if they are to be truly effective.

As the “beat the odds” schools in our country are living and dying by the motto “every minute counts” so too must our push for delivering appropriate and necessary math instruction to our under serviced students. It’s not ok to simply engage in mathematical thinking and to share ideas. It’s a great start, but it doesn’t get kids who are four and five grade levels behind to catch up. If our philosophies clash with our realities then we must waive “bye-bye” to philosophy and “hello” to reality. Results are the only thing that matters and instead of thinking like education reformers lets think more like venture capitalist. What’s the bottom line?

Two weeks till break…two years till radical change (12-7-08)

2008-12-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

I’m currently reading a book titled “No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning,” and I can’t help but feel that I should be using the title as a guiding motto for the next two years of my life. In this upcoming week I have two important meetings scheduled, one with the Colorado League of Charter Schools and the other with a representative from Get Smart Schools. I’m hopeful that both organizations will play pivotal supporting roles as I look to open an ECE – 8^th grade public charter school housed right in the Manual Facility. The school opening date is fall 2010. From this point until that date I would like to follow the no excuse life model.

There are so many reasons why the school won’t open on its scheduled date. Whether it’s the fact that I have no expertise in early childhood education or that I just had my 27^th birthday two days ago, or that I’ve never done any fundraising in the private sector; it’s easy to see the shortcomings I bring to the table. However, I’m going to acknowledge all the possible deficits that I have, do whatever I can to fix them by either improving myself or recruiting human capital, and move forward. There are “no excuses” for why this school won’t open on time and do exactly what it says it’s going to do. Eliminate the achievement gap and prepare impoverished minority students to compete with their middle and upper class counter parts.

As the text I’m reading states, “indifference to minority children who arrive in kindergarten already behind and continue to flounder is no longer an option for schools.” (Thernstrom 3) It’s no longer an option for our communities and it’s no longer an option for our country. I am frustrated, to put it nicely, with the students who walk into my 9^th grade classroom three and four grade levels behind their peers. I think about my own peer group, law school graduates, commodities and insurance salesmen, bankers, accountants, small business owners, and I can’t help but think about whether my students can compete with them. Do they have the academic, social and cultural capital necessary to thrive in our competitive country? Simply stated…no. That’s not to say they’re not able to develop these assets or that they have less innate ability then my friends did at their age, I simply mean that should the school not ensure the attainment of these assets then the students chances of success in our global economy are dire.

For those wondering how I define success I will put it in non-financial terms and simply define it as the ability to do whatever you want in this world without being held back by your deficits. When I think about the quality of some of my students writing and what a cover letter on a job application would look like I quickly see a deficit that could hold them back from achievement. When I say good morning to a student and put out my hand only to receive a barely audible voice in response with a weak hand shake and no eye contact I once again see a deficit that could stop one of our students from getting what they want in this world.

As the “beat the odds” schools are proving and as all research that I’ve been reading states…we must develop the human capital of our students which includes everything from writing engaging, organized and grammatically correct text to shaking a persons hand, looking them in the eye and confidently saying “good morning.” This is the backbone of inner-city academic institutions that are changing the odds for our most underserved student population and this will be the back bone of Make it Happen Academy, an ECE – 8^th grade charter school that will open in fall of 2010 and will ensure that minority students living in poverty can and will compete with my peer group. There are “no excuses.”

Geoffrey Canada and "Directors of Change" (11-25-08)

2008-11-25T09:39:00.007-07:00

I'm almost done reading Paul Tough's whatever it takes and with each page I find myself more and more engaged in the work of Geoffrey Canada. Last night in particular, as I worked through the chapter titled "Conveyor Belt" I was struck by his sediments. The passage that really hit me read as follows.

"Here's the problem with everything that we've been doing in this field," he told me. It was a chilly February morning, and we were sitting at the small round meeting table in his office. "For the last thirty or forty years, all of us have chosen to work in places where kids are behind, with the thought that we would be superheros and we would go in and save these kids." The superhero method was often emotionally rewarding for those who practiced it, Canada said, even if it was also usually personally exhausting. It meant you were engaged in battle in the most hopeless neighborhoods, teaching or mentoring or otherwise rescuing desperate kids whom the system had written off, and if you were good at your job, it meant that you regularly performed miracles.

Canada had felt the sense of triumph that came with those successes. He knew it well, in fact. It could be exhilarating. "But the problem with that approach is you will always have more business than you can handle," Canada said. "You will never solve the problem. You will only save some small number of kids who are on their way to the dark end of things. We've all done it, and we all still do it, and we need to keep doing it. But it is what I've come to think of as the old-fashioned way of working in these communitis."

What the conveyor-belt idea represented to Canada was the hope of a new alternative. "The question is, can you build a system where kids in middle school won't need these kinds of interventions in order to be successful?" he said. "And my bet - I could be wrong, but this is my bet - is if we start with kids very early, and we provide them with the kind of intense and continuous academic rigor and support that they need, then when they get to the middle school and high school level, we're not going to need those superhuman strategies at all."

Whatever it Takes - pg. 196

What Tough pulls out of Canada's philosophy on solving issues of poverty is the exact dilemma that I've been facing since the start of my career and most recently, since helping to re-open Manual High School. How much can we really do when we start with 15 year olds? We know from the studies of economists, sociologist and brain development psychologists that much of our cognitive abilities have already been established by the time we reach the ages of 15 or 16 years old.

The nobel prize winning economist James Heckman does a great job of synthesizing this idea. In essence, intervening with a 16 or 17 year old is too late. "A person's cognitive abilities are fairly stuck in place. But the same level of intervention at an early age can make a very big difference in a child's life." He goes on to illustrate his point. "If you intervene in a child's life early, later intervention wil have more to build upon, which means that they will pay off more as well. But if you don't start early, the reverse happens: each year it gets harder and harder to have an effect on a child's development." (Tough 193)

Where does this leave me?

Simple...Manual High School, regardless of its "Superhuman" efforts, will never save all of its students. We're certainly giving them a way better chance to succeed in life and I'm confident that we will in fact have a lot of successes. However, as Canada stated, we'll only be saving a small number kids. My solution...stop putting so much effort into a solution that doesn't work (or at least doesn't work nearly as effectively as others).

Instead, I propose turning the Manual High School facility into a mini-version of the Harlem Children's Zone. The facility would include everything needed to take a newborn baby from birth through college (the whole notion of Canada's plan in Harlem).

Baby college
Intense Toddler Support
Health Clinic
Early Childhood Education
Elementary, Middle and High School
Alumni Support
Mentor Programs

Canada's entire philosophy is grounded in the fact that if students of color growing up in poverty are given the right, intensive supports through out their life that we can in fact eliminate the achievement gap and in many ways, never see it in the first place. By turning Manual High School into an interwoven community facility, a conveyor belt of programming that works with kids at each stage, our chances of successfully preparing our neighborhood's kids to compete with upper and middle class society will grow exponentially.

To make this vision a reality, one that I believe many would love to see, it will take a few entrepreneurial leaders (amongst millions of dollars and an overly dedicated staff) with time, energy, passion and some serious know how. Human capital is the essential ingredient to any start up company and the same is true for any efforts on the non-profit, educational side of the world; especially one trying to create major social change. What we need to do is find people with specific interests in each of the sections of the conveyor belt. Someone needs to lead the charge on early childhood education. Another individual needs to run our Baby College. Yet another needs to head the health services clinic. The question is, what pieces of the conveyor belt need to be implemented first? It's clear that getting all of these support systems in place at once would be a nearly impossible challenge. Therefor, which ones are top priority for not only future success, but short-term, temporary success as well?

This is the question that I would like to pose to a board of directors that I've fittingly titled the "Directors of Change." Such a group would oversee the effort on all fronts and ensure cohesion between the different sections of the "conveyor belt." The Directors of Change would be the leaders from each intervention effort, i.e. the principal of the Middle School, the Director of the Baby College, etc. as well as CEO's from successful private and non-profit entities in the Denver Metro Area. Beyond answering the question stated above, the board would lay out a mission statement, organizational charts, a detailed plan for staffing, child/family recruitment, and facility usage , and all other necessary endeavors needed to bring the vision to life.

At the end of the day we must stop relying on our "superhuman" efforts to save 15 and 16 year old kids. It's time to stop using what Canada refers to as a "traditional method' of solving our problem and move towards a set of intervention solutions that when tightly woven together actually stand a chance at creating real change. On his march to the White House Obama carried a message entrenched in the notions of hope and change. He wasn't saying that he alone was going to be the change...he was simply planting and motivating seeds so that we could all stand up and act. The timing couldn't be more right for this effort. Let's make it happen!

Input vs. Output (11-16-08)

2008-11-16T18:20:00.002-07:00

I used to love editing video in college. Whether a news story for our weekly broadcast or a highlight video for the sports teams to use for recruitment; The editing room is an exciting place where you can combine creativity and hard work to make a product that you can be proud of. The beauty of editing is that when you're done you get a finished product and your input (time, effort, imagination, etc.) has a direct correlation to the output (the quality of the video).

The world of urban education, however, does not follow this simple input/output model. Many educators in schools in Denver and around the country are inputing a great deal of time, effort, innovation, dedication, etc. and are still not seeing a quality finished product (results). What's the problem? The problem, as I see it, is that we're putting way too much time and energy into a system that doesn't work. The teacher in a comprehensive high school of 2,000 kids who's working insane hours to catch kids up that are 3 or 4 grade levels behind is deserving of great accolades and praise, but how much of an impact can that teacher have? What if we gathered handfuls of these overachieving educators and had them put all of their energy into the early ages of child development?

As I discovered in Paul Tough's "Whatever it Takes," kids coming from poverty are already at a tremendous disadvantage by the time they are 3 years old. Children at this age from a professional family have an average IQ of roughly 117 and a vocabulary of approximately 1,100 words. Their impoverished counter parts score an average of 79 on the same IQ tests and their vocabulary is roughly half with an average of 525 words. Talk about an uphill battle. By the time these same kids reach the high school level it's no wonder there is a significant "achievement gap." That is why our efforts need to shift...not in the energy level and dedication we're inputing, but in where we're putting it.

If the same group of highly intelligent and dedicated urban educators shifted their focus to the birth though 5th grade population we could see some significant results. Maybe our input might start matching our output. This isn't to say that we don't need highly qualified and passionate teachers working at the secondary level. We obviously do and those kids deserve our best efforts to turn things around. However, recruiting a new group of educators and taking some of the current work force to focus in on the age levels where we can really make a difference and ensure that a gap never starts seems to me as the only way to make a dent in this giant social dilemma.

As Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone states so clearly, we must "transform every aspect of the environment that poor children are growing up in." This is why they've created an endless chain that takes kids from birth through college. There are no breaks in the chain. My suggestion is to take Mr. Canada's idea and run with it. We must focus far more energy on the formative years of childhood so that the gap between poverty and middle class never starts in the first place. Let's gather our great educators, those passionate for change, and open more ECE - 8th grade programs, more baby colleges, and more of anything that's going to give our kids a chance to compete with their middle and upper class counterparts long after they leave our schools.

My new "Paternalistic" Classroom (11-11-08)

2008-11-11T19:01:00.011-07:00

"If you don't want to be successful, go to college and work hard every minute of every day then you don't need to be here. There are no excuses in this classroom. We are all here to work together and support one another in learning. There is nothing else. When you walk in the door it's game on! Every day!" I don't think I've ever been so blunt with my students, but my new vision of how class needs to run is a far cry from my progressive, constructivist roots. After visiting schools across the east coast that are making it happen for impoverished minority students, reading "Sweat the Small Stuff," and currently working on Paul Tough's "Whatever it Takes," I no longer have ignorance as an excuse. I know what needs to get done in the classroom and in our school to ensure that our students can compete with middle class America when they leave. Having said that, the transformation of my practice has been both exhausting and rewarding.

Class itself is now comprised of a series of learning activities none of which last more than 25 minutes. Pacing has gone way up as the intensity level and sense of urgency has increased exponentially (I use a timer on my board as often as humanly possible whether it's for 1 minute or 12) Every piece of work done in class is directly related to the day's learning outcome and even when I think I have a good idea about a side activity that could be engaging or interesting if it doesn't do anything to ensure specific learning of the day's outcome then it gets cut out. Moreover, we now have weekly learning outcome assessments that are very much traditional in their format. If a student fails to demonstrate proficiency on their weekly quiz then they have mandatory overtime the following week on Wednesday to receive additional instructional support for over an hour after school. At that point they may re-take the assessment in an attempt to prove a sufficient level of understanding. If they still don't show enough evidence of the essential learning then more support will be provided in the form of lunch and after school support. The classroom continues to move forward with new content being delivered and weekly mastery being shown.

The affect of such a change in my classroom has been noticeable to date. Students are spending more time on task and a greater number are engaged in learning for a higher percentage of time. This phenomenon is also transferring to my teammate's classroom as Ms. Frazier, our social studies teacher is finding that students are less reluctant to start tasks and are exhibiting more on task behaviors through out class. As far as data is concerned, I am not particularly excited about the results of our first week in this new learning environment. Part of the problem lies in an attendance issue as students who were in class Monday through Thursday were far more likely to succeed on the assessment. In addition, students who missed Friday obviously didn't take the assessment and in turn are currently considered "In Progress." Nonetheless, having the data is certainly beneficial as I now know exactly which students need what support. Moreover, the goal of increasing student accountability of learning has been simultaneously heightened as their grades are tied nearly entirely to their prove of understanding on these formal assessments. It's not that I disagree with the notion of examining a students "body of evidence" to prove essential learning, it's that I'm not sure that it's best for my students. They're coming in 2 to 4 grade levels behind and in their time with us we have to prepare them for not only entering, but finishing a four year college. My progressive vision of assessment and examining the whole child over an extended period of time might just not be enough to get the job done.

Please see the graphs at the top of this post to see our first week's data set of both our mad minute (the number of problems we can complete in a minute on a specific skill, i.e. adding + and - integers) and our learning outcome proficiency levels. Both are discouraging at first look, but knowing that this is a new process/system that I've put in place I am confident of few things.

1.) Students will begin to take class more seriously as the expectation levels around demonstrating mastery on a weekly basis have increased dramatically.
2.) Students who show up everyday and work hard will see results and that momentum will spread through out the classroom.
3.) Students who use the additional support and resources provided to help them reach mastery will find a feeling of success that they may have never experienced before, thus giving them drive to push forward.
4.) There will always be a challenge in taking students who are well below grade level and demanding that they show mastery of at grade level skills and knowledge. However, such a demand must be placed on students if they are to get caught up and truly compete with their middle class counterparts.

We have no choice, but to move in a direction that places more urgency on both teachers and students alike. There is no doubt that the effort needed on my end has increased alongside of my students, but what choice do we have if we are to really "beat the odds?"

Williamsburg Collegiate – Balancing rigor and joy (10-30-08)

2008-11-06T13:46:00.002-07:00

“We’ve just wasted 65 seconds,” announced Ms. Ely. “I don’t feel like we’re ready for math class today…let’s start again.” As the students read out the number of problems they got right on the day’s mad minute for the second time it was hard to not notice the highly valued commodities of efficiency and urgency. (For those who don’t know, “mad minute” is a timed computation test in which students complete as many arithmetic problems as possible in a minute. The goal of the process is simply to increase automaticity and fluency) In fact, the entire time I observed the class in action I didn’t notice a single dip in learning engagement. Even when students were in transition between activities, a time when side talk is common, the students were instructed to “write their 8’s” and then their “7’s.” (8, 16, 24, …), which they quickly obliged. The agenda on the board read like a presidential to do list, filled with 9 items all set to a time limit of no more than 20 minutes. The high stakes, “we’ve got things to get done and we’re going to get them done now,” environment was palpable with Ms. Ely leading the charge. You could think of the urgency as Peyton Manning pushing his team down the field with time expiring needing one last touchdown to clinch victory. This class was all business!

Simultaneous to the intense, highly structured environment was a room of 5^th graders who wanted to be there. Constantly raising their hands (it wasn’t uncommon for all 25 kids in the class to shoot their hands to the sky upon being asked a question) and going along with whatever was being asked, the students almost looked like they were part of a gang.

That’s how the school gets it done. A 5^th – 8^th grade middle school with 250 students, Williamsburg Collegiate is an amazing blend of structure, discipline, urgency and fun. Their Special Education expert refers to this mixture as a balance between “joy and rigor.” The school is comprised of 60 % Hispanic students and 40 % African American. 85 % of the student body is on the free and reduced lunch program and 14 – 15 % of the students are supported through special education. The school is part of the Uncommon Schools network, a CMO that acts as the umbrella to other schools including North Star Academy in Newark and Leadership Prep in New York.

What do they do to ensure success?

First off, students arrive between 7:15 and 7:45 daily and don’t leave until 5:30 at night. The staff, an intensely dedicated group, has the same contractual day as the students, with every teach participating in additional student support through the extended day. In addition to the extended day, incoming 5^th graders attend a 3 week orientation sessions.

Beyond the use of time, every individual in the building teaches at least one class, principals included. Thackston, the Director of Operations teaches a math class, while the school’s principal, Julie teaches a science class. Beyond teaching, members of the administrative team meet with every teacher for at least one hour per week. These meetings focus on reviewing lessons, student performance, and classroom observation. The sense of urgency felt in the classroom permeates at all levels of the school.

Interim Assessments – Finding out where students are and doing something about it

Each 6 weeks every student in the school takes an interim assessment to see if they’ve mastered the content from their core classes. The tests are a combination of open-ended, constructed response questions and multiple choice problems. On Monday and Tuesday the tests are administered and on Wednesday the whole faculty assembles to assess the open ended, constructed response problems from the tests. Upon gathering the data from the constructed response problems the remainder of the tests are scanned using a scan-tron and the data is then transferred to a spreadsheet that breaks down each individual student with their level of understanding on each learning objective. This massive, data based document is than given back to the teachers by Friday morning so they may spend the day analyzing it and planning next steps. Many schools are similar to Williamsburg Collegiate in their ability to collect data on student learning, however, this particular 5^th – 8^th grade “no-excuse” middle school does some amazing work after they’ve broken the data down.

There are three major streams of effort that teachers use once they’ve analyzed their data.

1.) Re-teaching the class – If 80 % of students in a particular class fail to show mastery of a specific learning objective then that teacher will make plans to provide a lesson or lessons focused on the weakness of the students. In addition, if a smaller percentage of students are struggling with a particular learning objective then the teacher might include problems that address the student weakness in their “Do Nows” for a series of weeks. (Do Nows are the “warm up” problems that start each class).

2.) Small Group/Individual Tutoring – Since school goes to 5:30 on a regular basis there is already built in time for additional instruction and support. If 20 % of students in a particular class are struggling with the same learning objectives based on their interim assessment then the teacher may have all 20 % work with him or her in a series of after school tutoring groups. By doing so, the class remains on track with its content while students who need it receive additional support to fill in missing chunks of learning.

3.) Pull out interventions – If certain students are really failing to thrive in the classroom environment and are demonstrating little to no understanding on the interim assessment then the school may use pull-out, one on one, or small group time during the school day to provide more intensive instruction.

Regardless of which stream of effort is used, it is clear that an approach in which no child is overlooked and explicit next steps are taken is a model for all of us to follow. In this school it is not ok to not master essential content. Instead, if you show that you are not proficient in essential areas the school does everything it can to get you back on track and ready for your future education, most notably, college.

The College Dream

At Williamsburg Collegiate each student is assigned to an advisory in 5^th grade when they enter. Their advisories are named after college alma maters and their graduation year is based on the year that they should receive their undergraduate degree. In 8^th grade there is a huge emphasis on the college-bound track. Students learn how to calculate their GPAs, take trips to college campuses, and start to examine what a good college application looks like.

On Fridays of each week the whole school gets together for what’s called “base camp.” During base camp students participate in a variety of activities, but everything is framed around “the mountain climb to college.” The school’s transparency about students attending college certainly doesn’t guarantee that every 8^th grader will get there and stay there, but it definitely sends a clear message that such high expectations are common place and simply the way we do business.

What can we learn from Williamsburg?

If you want to see a class where every minute counts then I highly encourage you to visit this “uncommon school.” Their teachers demand the highest productivity rare that I’ve ever witnessed in a classroom. In the past I’ve always taught my students about productivity gaps, the difference between what you could accomplish and what you actually accomplish. The productivity gap for the majority of students in my classrooms has fluctuated from high to low depending on the day, my planning and student attitudes. At Williamsburg Collegiate it seems like the productivity gap says at consistent 0. There is no gap between what could get done and what does get done.

The sense of urgency developed in the classrooms mixed with the teacher’s use of interim assessments to drive instruction is a valuable combination. When you add on the non-stop push to get students ready for college you have a school where everyone has a common purpose and the community is stronger. “Team before individual” is certainly an underlying motto permeating the halls and classrooms of the building. Everyone is doing their part and as a result the school is a highly functioning learning environment with a mix of structure, discipline and achievement.

The do whatever it takes attitude of the school is everywhere you look and their director of operations is no exception. As he says, “you get in the building and we’ll do everything possible to keep you here and convince you that this is where you need to be.”

Baltimore Talent Development High School – “It’s not magic.” (10-29-08)

2008-10-29T21:01:00.002-06:00

“Attention all travelers, the train departing at 12:47 to New York is delayed indefinitely.” This announcement of course put a small dent in my day, but rather than simply hoping for the best I chose to change my ticket to the 1:30 train that cost a little bit of additional money, but was worth my sanity. Delays are one thing…indefinite delays are a whole different story.

As I was changing my ticket at the Amtrak counter the sales agent and I struck up a conversation. After telling him my profession as a high school math teacher he perked up and told me to share a quote with my students. As my trip is all about learning I told him I’d be more than happy to oblige his request. “Where purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable.” “I’ll say it again,” as he leaned closer to the glass buffer that separated us, “Where purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable.” As I walked towards the snack bar to pick out a sandwich his words continued to ring in my head. How did the Amtrak sales representative, with such a simple quote, summarize the core of “beat the odds” high schools. Everything they do is purposeful and as a result they are filled with focused and driven communities of administrators, teachers and students. They are the opposite of the chaotic images of urban high schools that are graphically depicted by Hollywood films.

Without purpose, and constant re-examination of their purpose, none of these schools would be making it happen. Who knew that Amtrak had such an intellectual staff?

Apparently Mr. Jeffery Robinson had the same sales representative at Amtrak over five years ago when he became the principal of Baltimore Talent Development High School.

As he puts it, “we don’t yield or bend” in following our purpose of educating our students in a safe and caring environment. “It’s not magic or out of the box thinking” he continues. “We use good teaching, a strong administration and a curriculum that matches our client’s needs.” Mr. Robinson, dressed in a white button down with a pink sweater vest, is clearly the keeper of the culture along with Mr. Hill and Ms. Carter, the two assistant principals. As Mr. Hill states so clearly, “school climate is everything.” “We greet students at the door every morning and provide them with a school that’s not just a building, but a safe and loving family. These students are my family.”

Following the love and achievement summary that I’ve been using to describe these “beat the odds” paternalistic high schools, BTDHS is no exception. “A lot of our students don’t have a steady family and aren’t loved or appreciated. We make them part of something and that grabs a good percentage of our students.” Hill explains that he and the rest of the administration have open-door policies and are always willing to meet and work with students on any of their mental, social or academic needs. In addition, the school employees a social worker and mental health doctor who are both available four days a week. The nurse’s office includes drug counseling and other support services for students in need of them. With 89 % of their first senior class graduating it’s hard to argue that their “love the kids” focus hasn’t paid off. (For the record, 3 of the students who didn’t graduate are still at school working on meeting the requirements). To put that 89 % number in perspective I have to describe the community the school is situated in.

Baltimore, like many American cities, has some problems, but its problems are more extreme than others and certainly in plain sight. 50 % of the three to four story housing complexes surrounding the school are vacant and boarded up. As the cab driver pulled onto Harlem Ave. into the area of Baltimore where the school is located he quickly rolled my window up and locked the doors. It’s a totally “dead” community filled with gangs, drugs and all of the hardships of poverty. Some cab drivers won’t even come pick you up if you order a taxi in the neighborhood. Despite the community from which the students attend the school continues to succeed. Clearly a “no-excuse” high school, BTDHS once again disqualifies the argument that until an impoverished community is turned around its students can’t be successful.

How do they do it?

Students start with a 2 week “bridge program” in the summer before their freshmen year. The program consists of math, English, science and social studies classes as well as acquainting students with procedures, policies, transcripts and all other components of the school. They also receive their advisors at this time who are in charge of 12 – 15 students. Once attending the school, students are split into teams of 75 – 90 of which four core teachers are responsible for education at each grade level. Groups of students within the team travel with one another to each of their core classes. The teaching teams meet on Wednesday afternoons (half days for students) to discuss student needs and collaborate on instruction. Each team has a lead teacher who is paid an additional stipend for facilitating the group.

Students have 8 conferences with their advisors through out the school year, four for attendance conferences and four for report card conferences. Each conference is a check in with students that may do anything from celebrating their passing of all core classes to discussing what’s stopping them from attending regularly.

Intentional School Culture – What does the school purposefully do to create a safe, loving and focused learning environment?

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the school was a big poster with an illustration of a thermometer. There was a mark at 86, representing the 86 % attendance rate that was achieved during the week of 10/6 – 10/10 and there was another mark at 90 % next to which read “our goal.” Above the poster in large letters was “your attendance counts.” Once the bell rang swarms of yellow polo shirts filled the hallway. Each class in the school is assigned a color and that is the only type of shirt they can wear. The polos have the school name on them and there are also buttoned down shirts.

9^th grade – Yellow (golden rod)
10^th grade – Black
11^th grade – Light, faded yellow
12^th grade – light, oxford blue

As Mr. Robinson took me to visit a 9^th grade class a student asked him why they weren’t given a certain privilege, “you’re a 9^th grader,” he responded, “you have no rights.” At BTDHS your privileges are earned over time and through achievement.

The stairwell that takes you from one grade level to the next (each grade has its own floor), is separated by a division down the middle. “UP” is for the right side of the stairs and “DOWN” is for the left. Although the separation was already there when the school open it’s just another detail in maintaining an orderly and safe school climate. There’s no fighting to get through a crowd as you walk up and down the steps…it’s like forced etiquette.

An additional component of the intentional culture places great emphasis on the student. For example, if they are removed from class they must fill out a form in the office explaining what behavior or incident occurred that got them removed. Then, upon meeting with an administrator they may be “reinstated” into class or further consequences may occur depending on the infraction.

Students who arrive out of dress code, regardless of their excuse or whether or not they’ve come with a note from their parent or guardian are immediately sent home to change. “My dryer broke” is not an acceptable excuse. In fact, there is no acceptable excuse. As Mr. Hill puts it “This (being a student) is a job, you’re responsible for dressing and acting a certain way. Your employer when you’re older isn’t going to accept the excuse that your dryer broke so why should we.” BTDHS really is a “no excuse” high school.

Another anecdote of the intentional culture established in the school happened right in front of me in the office. A male student entered Ms. Carter’s office to request that his cell phone be returned to him. “Was it out in class,” Ms. Carter responded. “Did the teacher have to ask you to put it away?” The student acknowledged the question with a simple non-verbal affirmation. “Then it’s mine…end of story.”

The Classroom – What does it look like?

Ms. Davis, a 10^th grade social studies teacher, held up a font page article in the local newspaper regarding high stakes testing in the Baltimore School District and began a discussion on the impacts that such tests would have on the students in the room. She explained to the students that their scores on tests in Algebra, Geometry, Biology and English (both reading and writing) would have to be passed in order to graduate if legislation was approved. “Do you think this is good for you?” she asked the class. A consistent “no” response filled the room. “Hold on a minute, do you know that if Ms. Davis was asked whether or not the testing practice should be implemented she would emphatically say yes.” Breaking down her reasoning to the disapproving class here’s a rough version of what she shared.

“The standards are already to low for you. People don’t think you can achieve. I disagree. We have to change the mentality of our students and the community. Tests are good for you. If you can’t pass these foundation tests than how will you be able to succeed after high school?” Furthermore, she shared some data with the students to encourage them. “In this class last year we had 76 % of students passing the High School Assessments. Do you know that only 43 % of students in the city passed the same tests? Are we beating the odds or what? We can pass these tests!”

Rather than be afraid of state assessments that hold schools accountable for ensuring that all students are learning Ms. Davis is working hard to make sure her students see the need for succeeding on state exams. It doesn’t hurt that she is also part of the state committee who writes the test questions. She describes them as fair and articulates to her students that what they’ll see in college is going to be far more complex so at the very least they need to be able to pass these foundation exams. (It should be noted that students who are close to passing any of the content area tests may complete “rigorous” projects to demonstrate proficiency of their missing areas. In addition, the tests are only taken upon a student’s completion of that specific course. In other words, they’re not just 9^th grade math assessments; they are taken based on the specific course completed)

All of the classes at BTDHS have some commonalities to them. Each board at the front of the room includes the following…

- Date

- Lesson Objective – “At the end of class today students will be able to…”

o Ex. Identify their roles in a political campaign by completing a questionnaire.

- Drill – Starting problem, question or task

- Class work – Description of what students are going to do during class

- Homework – Details about their assignment

Besides these consistencies I also observed some clear differences. In the two classes that I spent time in, Ms. Davis’s social studies class and a fellow 10^th grade teachers Algebra II class the students acted differently and the classrooms had a different feel to them.

Students who were in proper dress code in the first class then kept their jackets on for the second class. The percentage of focused and engaged students was dramatically different between the two rooms and in the second class one particular girl spent a great deal of time text messaging. There are a few reasons for this shift between classes. One is that the first teacher, Ms. Davis, is clearly a die hard keeper of the culture flame. Constantly telling students quiet down with the “shh” sound and asking them to join her in whatever the focus of the class should be she is relentless in her effort to keep everyone on board. She is also the lead teacher on her team. The Algebra teacher on the contrary is new to the team and still in the process of developing his knowledge, understanding and implementation of the culture.

The reason for illustrating the differences between the two classes is not meant to be a judgment of either teacher. The schedule was abnormal as the classes were shortened for the half day. In addition, I spent less than 30 minutes in each class and to see such a small window doesn’t provide enough information to generalize what happens regularly. Having said that, the anecdote does show imperfection. “Paternalistic” schools are human and to assume that things are always in order and learning is focused 100 % of the time is a false notion. Like any good business, schools are a work in progress. Some employees are further along the learning curve than others and so long as everyone is progressing to the same purposeful goal it can be said that the group as a whole is a success. It’s easy to walk into Ms. Davis’s social studies classroom and say this is how all classes should be; Engaged students listening to one another’s opinions, sharing ideas, and producing relevant work. However, it is unrealistic that everyone can instantaneously replicate such a learning environment.

Assessment and Interventions

The school uses two diagnostic tools to track their student’s progress. These assessments are given three times during the year…beginning, middle and end.

- CTBS – Mathematics

- Gates-Megenti – English

At the beginning of the year the student’s scores on these assessments are used to place them appropriately in classes and provide them with additional supports. In addition to tracking students based on their abilities as diagnosed by the assessments there are additional interventions to help get students caught up.

- Students are pulled out of their elective classes to attend lab sessions where they work with different software to intensify their instruction and act as a supplement to classroom learning.

- There are after school work sessions available for all students. It is mandatory for teachers to stay late at least one day during the week, but many stay everyday. Some are also available before school and during lunch.

As far as school wide norms for each subject area with regards to assessment I didn’t discover any particular consistent practice.

THE BIG QUESTION - What can we take away?

1.) We do or are trying to do a lot of the same things as BTDHS

a. Advisory – Just like BTDHS our students have advisory groups facilitated by an adult advocate who encourages attendance, conferences regularly and creates a family like support system.

b. Teaching Teams – Almost identical to BTDHS, we’re split into teaching teams of core teachers that are responsible for approximately 75 students. Meeting regularly to conference around student needs and collaborate on instruction and assessment; we follow a very similar process to BTDHS.

c. Diagnostic Assessments – Using the SRI for students reading levels, our own writing rubric and assessment practices and our own incoming “Algebra readiness” exam, we have certainly started to diagnose our student’s learning levels as they come into school. However, it’s clear that we need to develop these practices further, including the assessments themselves (perhaps we should look into the math diagnostic test used by BTDHS) and use the data we gain in a more efficient and purposeful manner.

d. Attendance goals – We don’t have the public, wall size poster thermometer illustrating our attendance % and the goal we’re trying to receive (which we easily could and should do), but we’re clearly putting a great deal of energy behind improving our attendance. The recent breakdown in advisory attendance numbers that we’ve been sharing with our advisories and our specific goal around attendance in our School Improvement Plan are both ways in which we’re working to improve attendance.

e. Classroom routines – Much like BTDHS, our Do Now, Learning Outcomes, Agenda, and POP’s posted in each room create instructional consistency amongst our teaching force.

f. Student love – family – At Manual High School one of our greatest strengths is creating a caring and loving learning environment for our students.

g. Summer Academy – Our freshmen academy aims to accomplish the same tasks that BTDHS’s “bridge” program works on during its two week, pre 9^th grade program. Diagnosing student strengths and weaknesses in core academic areas, building a “family-like” community and culture and introducing students to policies, procedures and school expectations are all invaluable to our pre-Manual High School program. As we reflect on our first effort to run a summer academy and revise our efforts we will certainly improve in using the time with new students to accomplish the major tasks more effectively and then use that experience to really jump into the school year.

2.) The biggest take away from Baltimore Talent Development High School must be their “don’t yield, don’t bend” philosophy around school climate and culture.

a. As much as we work to engrain our school’s cultural values in our students it is evident from our constant dress code battles, issues with profanity and vulgar language, high numbers of tardies and other pieces of data, both formal and anecdotal, that we have not yet established the school climate that we’re striving for. This is not to say that a school that’s been around for less than a year should “be there” when it comes to a fully established intentional school culture, but as you consider our school adding an additional 150 students and 8 + more teachers next year the task of maintaining a strong base of students and teachers who are “on board” becomes more overwhelming. Working hard now to make sure that we nail down the expectations of our school with our current student population will take us far when it comes to dealing with the upcoming growth.

b. The “keepers of the culture,” the principal Mr. Robinson and his administrative colleagues, Mr. Hill and Ms. Carter, set a tone of firmness and fairness for the entire school population. Their constant presence in the classroom and hallways is powerful and strengthened more by their ongoing interaction with students. Teachers and students alike witness these interactions and as such I believe become more in tune with the expectations of the school. Teachers who see the assistant principal approach a student about dress code in a “firm” manner while accepting no excuses become more likely to do the same when they find themselves dealing with a student in the same situation. The bottom line is that as the entire school staff and students are accountable for the school climate it is highly evident that the tone is set each day by the constant efforts of the administrative team. Everyone is involved, but the keepers of the flame lead the charge.

The SEED School – An amazing place (10-28-08)

2008-10-28T14:40:00.008-06:00

Sitting in a coffee shop in Washington DC I’m not only trying to digest my espresso, but the information I just spent the last few hours taking in at the SEED School. Located in a poor community in the South East section of DC, SEED is a unique place. How many inner-city boarding schools do you know of? Its student population is 99 % African American and almost entirely of the lowest socioeconomic bracket. Despite the fact that students come in well below grade level when they start at the school in 7^th grade, on average, 95 % of students enroll in 4 year colleges upon graduation. The school completely disqualifies the argument that until impoverished communities turn around schools will be unable to successfully educate their children. The SEED School is truly an impressive place.

How do they do it?

Below I will do my best to break down the practices, policies and systems in place that all work to accomplish SEED’s goal of sending each and every one of their students to 4 year universities. Some of the information will leave you with more questions so feel free to respond through “comments” on the Blog and I will do my best to either answer your question or direct the question to the right person.

College Enrollment and Perseverance – Getting them in and keeping them there

There is 2 full time staff at the SEED Foundation (organization that oversees the school and the replication schools that are being developed) and 1 full time staff member at the SEED school all responsible for getting students enrolled and through college. The foundation staff members work with students once they’re enrolled in college to make sure that they have several adult advocates on campus who they can go to for support and who will check in with them. The Foundation staff also ensures that students who need it continue to receive mental health support once on the college campus. Moreover, the foundation and school send care packages and provide students with a stipend program where they receive $ 500.00 during the first month of each semester followed by $ 300.00 for each following month. The Foundation also provides scholarship money to students and the two staff members in charge of alumni support actually visit students at university to check in with them and see how they are doing. The bottom line…SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT!

Why do students typically drop out of college? Money and failure. If a student is struggling to pay for books, live a similar lifestyle with their collegiate peers (i.e. going out for pizza on a Thursday night), or struggling with classes and mental health issues it is likely that they may not make it through the four years. This is true about students from all socioeconomic levels. However, students coming from SEED are used to a certain level of support from adults in their lives as the school provides endless amounts of effort to make sure students are successful. At lunch today I asked a student what his favorite part of attending SEED was and he was quick to respond “The support…everyone has your back.” What SEED does is exceptional in continuing to support students once they’ve entered college. Their focus on alumni needs is by far the most comprehensive that I’ve ever witnessed. This ties directly with how the students get accepted to post-secondary schools at such a high rate (average around 95 %). When students complete their applications, which everyone must do for at least 2 schools in order to graduate (they have to apply for at least 2 scholarships as well), they include the types of support they’ll be receiving upon entrance into the college. When you put yourself in an admissions officers shoes you can see why a SEED student is more likely to be accepted. They write compelling essays that tell their life stories (1^st in the family to go to college, coming from a tough background, etc.), have experienced an intensive college prep high school curriculum and succeeded, and aren’t coming to college as a single student but as a student with a support network that has their back. Who would you accept…the inner-city graduate who scraped through high school and now wants to make it in college or the inner-city graduate who made it through a four year college prep curriculum, didn’t score too high on college entrance exams, but comes with a support network who will do anything and everything to make sure the student succeeds? You can see the difference pops out at you. Any college is taking much less of a risk on a SEED student.

Although the school is clearly outperforming schools with similar demographics on state tests and closing the achievement gap between minority and white students the school has not performed all that well on the SATs. Nonetheless, this hasn’t stopped them from sending their students to 4 year colleges as they work with each student individually starting in 9^th grade to get them on a plan to attend college. Everything in the school is college. Students wear t-shirts that say “How will you get to college?” The notion that college isn’t for everybody is out the window as soon as you walk through the front door. You’re going to college and here is how we’re going to get you there.

As a final effort to help students prepare for college entrance the school makes sure that students have a variety of experiences before graduating. Students travel the world on leadership programs, attend outdoor wilderness courses, participate in space camp, and do anything and everything that helps grow the whole student. Combined with decent high school grades, a compelling essay, and a backbone that basically comes to college with you, SEED students not only enroll in university, but make it to graduation.

Now, before they ever get to college applications they start as 7^th graders. How does the school educate its students?

The Education – An overview

Before entering 7^th grade SEED students attend a 3 week summer academy. The academy includes preparing them for life in the dormitories, getting them up to speed on the school’s behavioral expectations, which are intense, and assessing their levels in all core subject areas. Before students ever take a step into the classrooms their teachers know their reading and writing levels as well as their mathematical skills and knowledge. The school then uses 7^th and 8^th grade as intensive catch up years. The intention is to have the college prep curriculum start in 9^th grade so 7^th and 8^th are all about preparation. At the end of 8^th grade students must show proficiency in each “strand” (essential learning areas) as they must pass the “gate” in order to move onto 9^th grade. Quite often students don’t’ accomplish this rigorous task of proving understanding of the essential content in which case they are often asked to repeat 8^th grade.

Interim Assessments – Analyzing student learning

Each class is broken into 6 week courses or units that students then take an interim assessment on the essential content. The assessments are written and graded collaboratively within departments and match the style of the state assessments, a combination of multiple choice, short answer and constructed response questions. Through data analysis of the assessments two things are learned...1.) Areas of mastery and 2.) Student deficits. The tests are completely standards driven and through an item analysis give a great deal of information to the teachers. Once data is broken down a variety of interventions are put in place.

Teachers differentiate instruction in the classroom based on the diverse needs of their students.
Targeted after school instruction is provided at a one on one level and in small groups.
A period is available each day during school hours where all teachers are available for office hours. (“college like” emphasis on office hours)
Study hall is available for all students who need more work time.

Upon implementation of interventions students may be re-assessed or they may demonstrate their new understandings on the following interim assessment as all assessments are comprised of both essential learning from the 6 week unit that’s just finished as well as cumulative materials that’s been learned.

The Classroom - Instruction

Like many “paternalistic” schools, the SEED school relies predominantly on direct instruction. The classes are broken down as follows.

1.) Starter question or problem

2.) Direct Instruction – modeling the essential learning outcome. Teachers show/instruct students on how to do a process or task.

3.) Short break

4.) Students practice the learning outcome with teacher support.

5.) Exit Ticket – evidence of student learning during the period.

There is certainly no magic in the instructional practices used by the school. The teachers are highly dedicated and explicit with students in what’s expected from each class period. They run a block schedule not uncommon in many schools and don’t tolerate off task behavior during class. There is a big emphasis on students monitoring other students behavior and teachers always prefer to have the “we don’t act like that” talk come from a peer rather than the teacher. This type of “learning and college is everything” mentality is part of the intentional culture that the school has developed and continues to push regularly.

Creating a Sense of Urgency - Data

The staff uses data to create a sense of urgency for their classrooms. Every other Friday they have the entire day to work with one another and use this time to subjectively analyze their student’s performance. Breaking up discipline data, content area data, attendance data, college entrance data and any other data they can get their hands on the school uses numbers to get “pumped up.” Moving from always talking about student deficits and where they’re coming from, the staff uses data to track and monitor growth and applaud student progress.

Social Workers – Supporting mental health

The school, which currently has a student population of roughly 325 kids, employees 4 social workers during the school day and another 4 during after school hours when students are on campus Monday through Friday living in the dormitories (they go home each weekend). The school isn’t shy about how much effort they put into helping with their students mental health. This is evident in their continuation of working with students once they’ve entered college to continue to seek support in this area should they need it. Mentally and socially healthy students are certainly more likely to be successful and the school clearly puts a lot of its time, effort and money into this component of student lives.

The Boarding Part of it All – Living at school

Each student lives at the SEED School on Monday through Friday and is split into boys and girls dorms. Each dorm is broken into houses (units) of 12 – 15 students that are named after Universities. Today I saw the University of Pennsylvania house. This is once again a push that college is everything. The houses are run by Life Skills Coaches, LSC’s, and work with students on everything from their academic needs to teaching etiquette and professionalism. The school works hard to develop not only academic skills, but cultural capital as well. These houses develop leadership, teamwork and a variety of other “soft skills” that may determine a students level of success or failure upon leaving the school as much as their knowledge of content. The LSC’s act as yet another adult advocate in the students life and work tirelessly with the academic teachers to make sure that students are being supported. Everyone in the school is in constant communication with one another about student needs thus providing endless amounts of support, the cornerstone of the school’s success (from what I can see).

The notion that students are removed from their environments for even 5 out of 7 days each week is essential to providing students with an inviting, comfortable and healthy lifestyle and is clearly an advantage that the SEED School has. Its founders were purposeful in creating this opportunity as they recognized the benefits that could be received should students coming from the toughest backgrounds have opportunities that were equal to the experience of wealthy white students who attend prestigious boarding schools around the country.

THE BIG QUESTION - What can we take away?

1.) We do or are trying to do a lot of the same things as SEED

a. Interim Assessments based on 5 week learning units. We aren’t necessarily doing a great job of the “teach, assess, re-teach cycle”, but we’re on board with the philosophy and have started to develop this process in our own environment.

b. Student Support is a huge part of what we do with our teaming. We also have an advisor in charge of 12 – 15 students much like the LSC’s at SEED.

c. Instruction at Manual follows a similar process to that of SEED with our Do Nows and Proof of Purchases. Not all of our classes are based on direct instruction, but we are certainly explicit about what students need to know and be able to do by the end of class with our learning outcomes. In addition, direct instruction is not the make or break of learning and so long as essential learning outcomes are being taught/learned I believe the process we use to deliver content can be up to us (discovery, experiential type lessons shouldn’t be done exclusively, but certainly have a place in our school)

d. Overtime, frontloading and reading support are all interventions in place to help students who struggle to demonstrate learning of essential content. Although each of our intervention systems needs revision and are currently works in progress they are certainly heading in the right direction.

SEED has been working at their practices, policies and systems for over 10 years so it’s not surprising that they are ahead of us in their success of implementation.

2.) We must learn from their college effort

a. SEED has clearly cracked the code for college enrollment and completion of their graduates. Stealing a lot of their practices would benefit our students a great deal and we shouldn’t wait much longer to start implementing their practices.

b. Calling our advisories by Greek letters is a small step in this direction, but why not be more direct and call them by the teacher’s alma mater.

c. We haven’t laid out how college and scholarship applications might be intertwined with graduation requirements. We should discuss and publicize this to our students now.

d. We need to be developing relationships with colleges now so that we aren’t stuck in a tough spot in 2 years when are sophomores graduate.

e. A plan for how we are going to support our alumni once they’re enrolled in college needs to be developed now so that we not only get accepted, but stay and finish.

3.) We can learn from their work with student mental health.

a. Our social worker is a huge asset to the school community, but as we continue to grow he alone won’t be enough to tackle the issues that our students deal with. We should consider our budget and allocation of funds to ensure that we set aside sufficient funds to afford additional social workers who align with our needs. We may need to raise additional private funds to accomplish this task, but certainly need to do “whatever it takes” to support the mental health of our student body.

A BIGGER QUESTION…

Could (should) Manual become a 6^th – 12^th grade school or possibly a 7^th – 12^th grade school. Rather than trying to play catch up starting in 9^th grade it is clearly a benefit to the SEED School to have their students starting in 7^th grade. With an intense summer academy prior to starting 7^th grade and an aggressive attack on catching up skills that are missing so that all students are a grade level by 9^th grade we stand a much better chance of sending students to college and succeeding on state and national assessments. Rather than blame the system that sends unprepared students from our feeder schools why not become our own feeder?

What would it take to continue to run our high school while starting a 6^th grade class that grows each year until we have a full blown middle school that leads into our high school? Would it be worth the effort? How would the community react? What roadblocks would stop us from doing it? Who should be invited to the conversation?

This “bigger” question may not be a possibility, but it’s certainly worth exploring. Students entering our high school could be on board with our culture, have the foundation skills necessary to succeed in high school and truly be ready for a 4 year college upon graduation.

The Journey Begins...The Learning Continues (10-26-08)

2008-10-26T20:24:00.000-06:00

Tommorow is a big day. I'm heading to Washington DC to begin a week long research trip on urban education and the impact that the new "Paternalistic" schools are having on impoverished students of color. Starting with the SEED School, an inner-city boarding school in the heart of DC's poorest community and moving through Baltimores' Talent and Development High School and onto a group of schools in NYC including KIPP Harlem, I am anxious to begin my adventure.

A mere four years ago I was introduced to the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) and soaked up as much knowledge as I could about the works that started with Ted Sizer and spread across the country like wild fire. Progressive and democratic, the schools created within the CES network opened my eyes to anothe way of "doing school." A way that involves student voice in decision making, a personalized education for all, inquiry and discovery based classrooms with a focus on depth over breadth and whole school communities centered on teaching and learning. The 10 principles laid out by the CES group still impact my teaching career and won't soon be forgotten. The works of Sizer, McCarthy, Meier and many more are astonishing and the effect they've had and continue to have on students across the country are endless.

Tomorrow, however, turns over a new leaf. The new movement of "Paternalistic" high schools that dictate how students dress, talk, behave and "do school" are succeeding and although they are in no way liberal environments run as democracies, they are showing significant results. These schools, which at the core focus on two essential items, love and acheivement, are "no-excuse" schools with extended days (sometimes 7:30 - 5:00), three to four week summer programs for all students, and a drive for succeeding that could only be matched by a young Bill Gates. Although it's at times hard to imagine working in a school with this type of intense focus, it's also becoming hard for me to imagine the opposite. Knowing what's out there and working and not using it to improve the lives of my students.

Our educational philosophies are constantly evolving as we question what's best for students, but I must say that mine has never been questioned in such an extreme way. The bottom line is that I want my inner-city, impoverished black and hispanic students to compete with middle-class, predominantly white America. What I have to do now is put aside some of my engrained beliefs on what school and classrooms should look like and open my mind to what's out there and is really making it happen.

The journey begins tomorrow and I can't wait to engage in new learning that may forever change the way I view what's best for urban education in our country.

100 % success – The impossible dream? (10-24-08)

2008-10-26T20:19:00.000-06:00

Some days you walk into the classroom with more enthusiasm than others. On especially enthusiastic days you may even feel invincible. “Every single student in my class is going to learn today.” I had nearly an entire week of these so-called “invincible” days and let me tell you…I’m exhausted. As teachers we all make commitments to our students that we will do everything we can to help them learn and succeed in our classes. However, the realities of our mortality and humanity often keep us from living up to this commitment. We can’t all be as strong as Abraham in our conviction, willingly throwing our sons down on a slab of concrete to be sacrificed. Nonetheless, there are times in all of our careers, days, weeks and sometimes months, where we are working with undeniable force to ensure student success. The question is; how do we sustain it?

Take Tuesday for example. Moving from class to class, group to group, and student to student, I worked endlessly with each member of my classes doing whatever I could to get them to reach our learning outcome. “Students will be able to create and solve a proportion in order to find whole populations from samples.” A straightforward and explicit learning outcome, it would seem that getting 100 % of kids on board wouldn’t be much of a task. What a false assumption. Regardless of the clarity in the outcome or in its preconceived simplicity, achieving 100 % student success is a dream that all too often doesn’t come true. You can try and try and try and you’ll get close, but like the Patriots of last season, defeat will come. More so, after the days where you seem so close to tasting victory you come back the next day to discover that half of the students who demonstrated mastery yesterday may be unable to do so one day later.

In no way I am suggesting that you stop striving to achieve ultimate student success. In addition, I’m not arguing that one day of instruction on a new topic ensures life long understanding. I’m simply saying that this work is hard.

Beyond the math and the eternal optimism I’ve tried to bring to the classroom this week, we’ve had an abundance of student issues that eventually take an emotional toll. Even Jaws from the old James Bond movies would shed a tear or two if he saw some of the atrocities that we have the pleasure of witnessing on a regular basis. (and he was one tough guy…his mouth was made of metal). From fights to gang activity to arrestings to domestic abuse to harassment…at times it can become overwhelming to maintain your passion for student academic achievement while trying to deal with their personal lives. How can I ensure that my students have happy and healthy lives with strong financial futures including agreeable salaries, full benefits, and a retirement account? As teachers we often discuss the successes and failures of our classrooms. How often do we have the tough conversations about what we’re doing to make sure that these students live rewarding and meaningful lives?

As inner city educators our jobs extend far beyond the content we preach. The new paternalistic schools as amazingly described in Tough’s “Sweath the Small Stuff” illustrate the need to not only teach courses, but character, values, and cultural capital. The KIPP’s and Cistro Rey’s of our country are successfully and purposefully pushing middle class values on impoverished students of color and as a result, enrolling them in 4 year and 2 year colleges and equipping them with the tools necessary for achievement in a highly competitive global economy. I admire these schools while simultaneously cringing at the thought of what it really takes to educate a disenfranchised youth from the community from which I teach.

My unachievable goal this week of 100 % student competency of specific learning outcomes seems miniscule compared to the goal of preparing 100 % of our students for a successful life. Does one lead to the other? Perhaps, but my suspicion is that only 30 % of middle class family parents can’t create and solve a proportion to find a whole population from a sample. Simultraneously, nearly 100 % of these families have access to quality jobs and quality lives (ignoring our current economic crisis).

Where am I going with all of this…I’m not really sure. I suppose our hopes just seem overwhelming at times and it helps to put them in writing. Our students deserve great futures…I just want to make sure we’re setting them up.

"Grow up Count Chocula, Peter Pan..." (10-5-08)

2008-10-05T16:47:00.000-06:00

Teaching to ensure deep understanding and covering content are more different from one another then a 65 year-old conservative Republican living in South Carolina and a 24 year old liberal Democrat living in New York City. It's so easy to teach students terms, procedures and algorithms. What's not easy is making sure that each student can take that knowledge an apply it to a meaningful and complex situation. Here's a simple example that brings my dilemma to light.

Consider the mathematical concept of measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode). These measurements provide us with insight into data-analysis and what's really happening with the data's distribution. In addition, they are used everywhere from describing housing costs to corporations using them to recruit new employees. We hear it all over..."The average (mean) salary of an employee working with our firm is $ 78,000, or the median household value of a single-family home in our neighborhood is $ 245,000." The problem with all of this information is that there are factors behind the numbers that most people don't consider. Is there an outlier in the data that may be skewing the average? Who collected the data? From where? With what purpose? Questioning information is part of being a responsible adult. Unfortunately, most adults in our country don't have a strong enough grasp of major mathematical ideas such as the simple one described in this anecdote to really wonder what the numbers they see represent. Literacy is not the same as critical literacy, the ability to synthesize and evaluate what we're reading, not just surfaced level comprehension. So what's my point in this rambling? What should our goal for a 9th grade student be?

To be able to calculate mean, median and mode when given a data set or to be able to think flexibly and apply knowledge and skills related to mean, median and mode?

Consider the following two questions that could be used to assess a student's level of understanding with measures of central tendency.

1.) The following data set represents student's beats per minute during our 1st block class.
- 65, 72, 88, 87, 76, 77, 89, 95, 98, 90, 82, 67, 80, 83
Using the data set, calculate the mean, median, mode ands range.

2.) A data set of student's beats per minutes was collected by a doctor providing physicals for student athletes. The doctor has misplaced some of the recorded data, but knows the following information. Pulses were taken from 14 kids in total and the median beats per minute was 76. The range of data was 31 with a minimum value of 63. The average beats per minute of the students was 82. Using the known information from the collected data, construct a set of data that could represent the 14 student's pulses.

The two questions are both assessing the same content...calculating measures of central tendency. Although not an exceptionally exciting or meaningful problem, the second question asks students to use provided information in addition to their knowledge base of the content to derive a solution. It puts their skills and knowledge to the "test" by asking them to apply what they know to a real "thinking" problem. The first question, on the contrary, simply asks students to follow a procedure that they have previously practiced over and over.

The issue...which question should be our baseline. Is it enough if all of the students can answer the first, or should we raise the bar and demand that all of our students can do the second. As a follow up, were we to choose the second of these two options, where would we find the time to ensure this kind of deep understanding of essential content for all of our students.

If your thinking aligns with mine (even in a small way) then you may be considering using the second question as our benchmark for true content mastery. It would make sense that in an ever changing global economy that places a premium on critical thinking, creativity and problem solving that we would make this choice without question. However, knowing this simply adds to the stress and fear of our job as teachers. We know our student populations and for many of us who teach in the urban environment it's easy to dismiss our ambitious agenda as a dream that can't possibly come true. Quoting Owen Wilson in one of his finest roles a colleague may look at us and passionately cry "grow up Peter Pan, Count Chocula, I want to be cowboys from Arizona or pimps from Oakland, but it's the fourth quarter of the big game" and you're talking crazy.

So my question to myself and perhaps more importantly to you...how do we get students to all engage and successfully conquer question number 2 and move past question 1 where the uneducated adult society currently resides.

The Number Line (9-18-08)

2008-09-18T13:01:00.000-06:00

Having a firm grasp of your student's knowledge and skill level is essential to appropriate instruction. If we don't know where our kids are at then we have no idea what to teach and more importantly at times, what not to teach. However, once we know, what do we do? You see, it's not the awareness of my student's levels that I'm struggling with, it's the implementation of instruction to meet individualized needs that's both overwhelming and exhausting. Here's a poignant example of what I'm talking about.

In one of my classes we're working on Data Analysis, specifically focusing on different visual representations of data as well as measures of central tendency and spread. One of my students, Mercy, has been struggling with the learning activities all unit long and is really failing to show a grasp of the essential learning outcomes. Today, rather than have her complete the investigation with her collaborative group I pulled her aside and provided her with an individual task. Writing eighteen numbers, each from 1 to 100, on sticky notes I then asked her to put the numbers in order from smallest to largest. The result...not terribly positive. Her list looked something like this..."0, 6, 12, 8, 35, 26, 93, 78, etc." Recognizing her difficulty with simply ordering numbers from least to greatest I had her create a giant number line from 1 to 100 and then use it as support to re-order the numbers properly. Struggling to do this revised task I began to wonder what I was doing. How could I reach this student and teach her Algebra? The dilemma with Mercy strikes at the core of my bigger dilemma. Once you know what misconceptions or struggles your students have,.what do you do about it? To try and create a unique lesson for Mercy and a variety of other students who all need additional support in a multitude of areas just isn't possible. However, it's what they need and my job is to serve my clients with the best education possible while meeting them where they are when they walk in the door.

The confusion for me is not how do we find out where they are...that's the easy part. The confusion for me is now that we know, what are we going to do about it that is both doable and sustainable.

Game On! (8-21-08)

2008-08-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday, it's hot and I'm exhausted. It's amazing how quickly the summer goes and the school year begins. It's as if we never left. Like how quickly Colorado falls become Colorado winters, the school year is in full effect.

Having spent a week teaching both my advisory group and my math classes I must say that I am proud of our start. We may not be off the blocks as fast and fierce as Michael Phelps, but we're certainly taking some solid strokes now that we've hit the water. Already diving into math content, the freshmen seem to be ready to work. I don't remember getting into hardcore mathematics so quickly last year. What I can't figure out is how much of our quickness in engaging kids in real learning comes from the established school culture that we spent over a year developing and how much comes from the incoming class who might just be more ready to learn than last year's group. One thing's for sure...I'm a lot more confident in what I'm doing.

From day one we've reviewed learning outcomes (LOs) for each class, discussed exactly how they're going to demonstrate their learning with proof's of purchases (POPs) and what it means to come into class and get going on your "Do Now." Filling out planners and organizing binders, items that I'm notoriously weak at following through on, have been cornerstones of class thus far. I guess it just took me a year to finally wake up and put my own beliefs aside and instead serve the client's needs. I'm not saying I want the sternness and almost excessive structure of a KIPP school (although it's hard to argue with practices that show results like theirs), but there is certainly merit to not just talking high expectations and instead living them.

Even more so, we've been living proof of our belief in the "do whatever it takes" mission that we preach. Meeting at nearly 6 am on Wednesday morning to revise a schedule that was putting 40 students in some classes and 18 in others we self-organized and solved our own problems. Rob, our principal, loves the notion of self-organization, referencing how small communities pull together when they're trying to get through a difficult time, like the blizzard of 2003 (digging each other out of snow drifts, providing food to one another, etc.) The beautiful thing is that I think the kids are starting to see/understand how we function as a team, as a family.

We've been talking about community, about what it means to work together to achieve common goals. My advisory group in particular seems to have bought into our notion of family. Coming together nearly every day, it's such a pleasure to work on a human level, getting to know students, developing bonds and preparing for a year of ups and downs. On a side note, we've affectionately nicknamed ourselves SQUAD C, for our Community, Commitment to College, Confidence and Courage,

This particular posting may be full of information with no common link or thread, but I guess what I'm trying to say in all this rant is that we're doing better. Students are on board and they're acquiring the cultural values of our school quickly and effectively. My only hope is that we can take this positive momentum and run with it. Let me leave you with a quick anecdote from yesterday's Block 4 math class.

At the end of class I looked at my students and asked how close we were to achieving our learning outcome. Hawa looked at me and without hesitation enthusiastically said, "we're getting there Mr. Singer...I think we got this. I know that we got these fractals down. Aint no thing!."

I love these students!

To see a story about Manual High School and our start to the year check out Channel 7 News...you can even see what I look like. (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/17228309/index.html)

Courage 8-6-08

2008-08-06T09:26:00.000-06:00

When Lizzy, a fellow teacher, approached my classroom with Rosetta under her arm and stated "she's yours for advisory," I was in shock. Just last year Rosetta left Manual because we simply weren't supporting her learning. As much as we tried to work with her and help with her personal issues we were unable to make our school a place where she could move forward with her learning. It was my understanding that she ended up at CLA (a school designed for students who are struggling to gain credits at their home schools). Furthermore, I had heard through other students that she had gotten pregnant and given birth to a baby boy. She's 15 years old.

Walking into my advisory class, a look of fear and embarrassment washed over her face. "Join this group right here Rosetta, it's good to see you." I tried to provide her with an inviting smile. I wanted her to feel good about joining my advisory. She couldn't have entered at a more fitting time. The groups were engaged in a discussion around courage. What does courage mean? Who is courageous? What's an example from your own life where you've witnessed courage?

Here's my new definition...Rosetta. Leaving school (failing out really), getting pregnant, having a baby, and then walking into your old teacher's classroom as a freshmen all over again and deciding that it's time to do school right. If that's not courage than I don't know what is. She may not be standing up to a real lion with a small wooden sword and a shoddy shield, but I'm pretty sure her example embodies a metaphorical lion, one I hope to God she will slay.

The mumbled name 8-4-08

2008-08-04T23:54:00.000-06:00

Having taken a leave of absence from this blog for some time I could start off my latest post in a variety of ways. Perhaps a reflection on last years successes and failures. Maybe a debrief on our state test scores and the feeling of hopelessness that rushes over me when I analyze them. I could even begin by describing my summer break. So many paths, and none of which I'm going to take. I'm sure at some point I'll come back to our CSAP data for a thorough discussion and I hope that before the year really kicks off that I take some time to reflect on last years' experience. But instead, for the time being, I want to talk about the mumbled name.

Our freshmen joined us for their first day of school yesterday. Nervous, quiet, and fairly reserved, I began to wonder if these were really our kids. Did last year's crop start out this way? I'm sure in two weeks I won't be able to stop them from talking in my class, but today there were some students who couldn't articulate a single word, not even their name. I just don't get it. What's with the kid who when asked their name mumbles back to you some sort of incoherent sound that reminds me more of Sylvester Stalone trying to speak with a mouth full of marbles. The mumbled name...doesn't that tell you everything? The confidence of a child bears, the pride they carry with them. It's no different than an interview.

If I walk into your office, offer a limp wristed hand shake, and mumble my name, it becomes highly unlikely that I'm going to be hired. Why? Because I didn't exude any sort of self-esteem or belief in my own value. This may or may not actually be true, but reality is merely composed of our perceptions. As an employer I would perceive these hidden symbols as signs of insecurity, something I don't need or want in my business.

When a high school student struggles to tell you their name while simultaneously offering you a weaker hand shake than that of the branches of a weeping willow you have to wonder how they feel about themselves. Asking a child to repeat their name 3 or 4 times only to discover from your methodical interpretation that the student's name is "Kyle" sends me a message. What has this child been through that they can't speak their own name in confidence and pride? More so, what are we going to do so that by the time we're done with them their shake will grip tighter than a new born baby's hand wrapped around your finger and their name will be shouted from the top of the mountains?

Teaching math? Is that really my priority? Maybe articulation and hand shaking should be my first lesson. Potential Learning Outcome for day 1: Students will be able to introduce themselves with confidence and firmly shake your hand.

Sense of Urgency? (5-22-08)

2008-05-22T09:35:00.000-06:00

Do you remember finals week in college? A ridiculously stressful time when everyone grinds to get it done. From final papers to class presentations to exams, finals week is great for one reason. It prepares you for the future high-stress situations that you're bound to face in your career. Whether it's a deadline for an article or a last minute creation of a partnership proposal for a business...every high-stress experience that you come out on top of builds a sense of confidence and assurance for the next encounter. Like the way Tiger Woods pulls on all of his previous victories to push through to the podium in each of his new successes we need a foundation of positive encounters to act as a catalyst for success in our future.

In our last week of school I am finding myself disappointed with a large group of students who are failing to rise to the occasion. Rather than just providing them with a traditional final assessment I've chose to break their final into two parts...a written component (30% of their final grade) and a presentation on what they know and how did they grow (70% of their final grade). The reason behind this decision was that they have an opportunity to pick any topic from the year that they feel confident in and share their expertise with us. It's unreasonable to think that every kid will be highly proficient at every content topic that we've covered this year. It seems highly reasonable that every student can pick one area that they are comfortable with and demonstrate to the class that they really know their stuff. Thus, I put more weight on the component of their final in which they have freedom of choice and more likelihood of success.

On Monday I provided students with a schedule of their presentation times with each of their time slots clearly mapped out. Today is Thursday and one out of the 6 scheduled students presented. It was like watching the Power of 1...what happened to 17? I guess I'm just disappointed in the seriousness in which our students approach these opportunities to perform in a high-stakes situation. Rather than recognize that they might need to stay after school or sacrifice a couple of lunches to be prepared they choose to fail. A notion that I simply don't get. This is not true for all students as some such as Ron and Armando did what it took to make sure they were ready. Our school's motto and guiding vision is quite simple, "WE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES..." How can we get our students to adopt this vision rather than it simply being a guiding force for the staff?

Today I must say that I am more DEPRESSED than I am IMPRESSED.

Discourse Time Baby! (5-16-08)

2008-05-16T09:19:00.000-06:00

Discourse Time (DT) is a chance for students to debate mathematics. We so often forget that students need a chance to share ideas, listen to other peoples opinions and change their own thinking based on what they hear and see. The beauty of DT is that it brings mathematics to life. Students often get a bit heated as they argue their points and try to convince others of their position. The goal for DT is for students to really demonstrate their problem solving skills, showing how they attack the problem, articulating where their solutions are coming from, and dealing with counter arguments to their thinking.

During DT a group of students ( 4 - 6) sit at a table in the middle of the class and debate the problem at hand. While they're involved in their discourse the rest of the students have one of two jobs. 1.) Taking "I notice" and "I wonder" notes - observational notes of what they're seeing and hearing from the group on the inside. 2.) Scoring participants - this includes giving them points for such actions as stating an opinion relevant to the question, supporting a position with factual evidence and drawing someone else into the conversation.

Below is a scribing of today's Discourse Time. It may be difficult to follow, but you'll get the idea that kids really get into solving the problem and persuading each other. Prior to the documented dialogue is a copy of the problem that the students were solving. Following the dialogue you will see a set of I Notice and I Wonder notes that students and I observed.

THE PROBLEM
Camilla threw a softball straight up in the air. The table at the right shows the height of the ball in feet at different times after she released it. (ex. 0.4 sec - 19.44 ft, 1.0 sec - 30.0 ft, 1.2 sec - 30.96 ft.)
Tell whether each statement is true orf false and explain how you know. (Hint: Find the equqtion for the height of Camilla's ball, using the fact that the general equation for the height, y, of a thrown ball x seconds after it is released is y = - 16x^2 + bx + c)

"Discourse Time Starts Now!"

I said false, true, false, false...Jordy
Wrong, I said false, true, false true...Benito
Hold up, let me see your graph...Jordy
Why was it released from a height of 6 feet?...Saul
Look, my graph shows it that she throws at 4 feet...Jordy
How can there be 19 ft. in a split second? She's not superman...YELLED BENITO

Time Out - CALM DOWN...it's difficult to have a conversation when someone is aggressively yelling...Singer

Would you care to explain your equation to us that backs up what you're saying?...Josh
I got a question...if you don't have your equation how are you proving what you're saying?....Saul
My guess is that 3 out of the 4 are true...Josh
There will be two times when the ball will hit 4 feet, that has to be false...Saul
I guess it's true then...Jordy
What do you have to say about it Josh...Saul
I'm guessing B is false man because I'm looking at the table and there's no value when the height is at 4 feet...Josh
If you throw a ball it's going to pass four feet when it comes down, it can't avoid 4 feet...Saul
How old is the girl, is she tall or short?...Jordy
Does it matter?...Singer
What if you just used your equation to determine at what height the ball was thrown?...Singer
What is our equation?...Jordy
What did you get for b?...Jordy
I got what I told you I got...Benito
You don't need to use the graph to find the C value you could just use the table...Josh
What do you say Jordy?...Saul
I say false, look, you see my graph, it don't get to 3...Jordy
Wait...I messed up right there, I think you guys are right...Jordy
I say true cause as you said on your graph it shows that it doesn't even get to 3 so it has to be less than 3 seconds that the ball is in the air...Saul
Can you guys please draw your graph on the board so we can see it...Singer
Based on the parabola it's clear to see that the curve comes back to the ground before 3 seconds so C has to be true...Saul
The maximum height of the ball is less than 35 ft. has to be true because of the vertex...Benito
Look at the table, you can see that between 1.2 and 1.4 it hits its highest point...Saul
For B what do you guys say...Benito
I say true for B because when she throws the ball it could be below 4 ft. and then when it comes back down it's going to pass 4 ft. again...Saul
What do you think Josh, we need another opinion...Benito
When you throw a ball in the air it's got to be 4 feet of the ground and then basically when it comes back down you've got 4 ft, I think true...Josh
Do you guys realize how tall is 4 ft.? ...Jordy
I change my answer to true for part B...Jordy
I still believe it's false, it's only common sense...Benito
(getting up from the table) Look guys, watch as I throw this ball, you can see that I'm releasing it from below 4 ft...Saul
Look how fast the ball is travelling...Benito
But wait, we only know height from the ground, not the distance it's travelling...Singer
Look at the change from .4 seconds to 1.0 seconds, that's .6 seconds and it's moved 20 ft....it's going pretty fast...Saul
This is my equation...y = -16x^2 + 38.4x + 9.2...Benito
That's the same equation that I got...Iaisha (from the audience)
In . 4 seconds it grew 13 and some change so if you have .6 seconds it's like 26 and if you keep going I think it will be 30 roughly....Saul
Wait...what if you use Benito's equation to test things out...Singer
So when I put 0 in I get 9.2 ft which means that she throws the ball from 9.2 ft. which means that Benito is right...Jordy
She's tall, she threw the ball like that...Jordy
She might have thrown the ball from a platform or a chair...Benito
Or on top of a building...Saul
Unless she's taking steroids...Ron
So B is false...Jordy
And then A is false, has to be because we just solved it and she doesn't release the ball from 6 ft...Jordy
False, False, True, True...GROUP DECISION

I NOTICE
I notice that Josh didn't challenge other peoples opinions...Jessica
I notice that Saul was trying to get in the conversation...Angel
I notice that Benito was acting like he was the only one who knew the answers...Angel

I WONDER
I wonder why people didn't bring Jordy into the conversation...Angel
I wonder why Benito was being so aggressive and angry...Singer
I wonder why the class wasn't all doing their jobs outside of the Discourse Time...Singer
I wonder if Benito was just talking or if he really knew what he was talking about...Sir

The End is Near! (5-13-08)

2008-05-13T09:56:00.000-06:00

The end of the school year is a tricky time to be a teacher. You want the kids to continue to learn and your expectations are in some ways higher then ever. After spending a year setting the tone and making professionalism a top priority in your classroom it's hard to accept anything less. On the flip side you have the students who are ready to forget all about everything you've worked for all year...a professional, collaborative learning community.

The Power of 17 is unfortunately no different. Some students, Mahkena, Armando and a few others still demonstrate immature behaviors and difficulty with their impulse control. In some ways it seems as though some of our freshman have actually gotten less mature through out the year (something that I'm not particularly proud of). At the same time, some students are still struggling to engage in learning. Ron refused to work yesterday and Bonnie spent about an hour outside of class doing God knows what. Meanwhile, despite the unavoidable struggles, we continue to push forward as a class.

Beyond the classroom behavior and focus issues teachers face other dilemmas at the end of the year. With two weeks left should I continue to provide the students with new learning and new information or should I spend the time making sure that they really, deeply understand the big ideas that we've spent a year developing. Having taught for almost 5 full years now I tend to opt for the later of the two. Ensuring that kids really comprehend the essential learning from the year and that they're able to draw connections between what they've learned is more important to me than anything else. As a result, we're focusing on two major end of the year projects/tasks.

The first is a chance for the Power of 17 to analyze three major kinds of data that they've been dealing with all year...Linear, Exponential and Quadratic. Since these types of functions aren't going away from their math education anytime soon I believe it will do them a great service to solidify their thinking and make any possible concrete connections between the three types of data. Since this group of students are the only ones who have spent time with Quadratics it is important that they really see how they're related to the other two types of functions.

The second is an opportunity for kids to show what they know and how they grow. In other words, students will be asked to come up with an end of the year presentation that convinces me and their peers that they have retained some crucial information from this year's course. Moreover, they need to describe how they've grown as a person and as a student. It's my belief that students need opportunities to think about how they've changed and reflect on their own learning. Otherwise school becomes a go, go, go environment with no pauses to stop and really think..."what do I know, how have I changed."

I'll be sure to keep you posted as we work through these last weeks of school. On a side note, I need to give some props to Ladon, Benito and Torian. Ladon and Benito did a great job in the staff-student basketball game. I was really impressed with how they play the game in a professional way and how much hustle they bring to the court. They're also really skilled (much more than me although I will say that I was impressed by my 18 points in our 54-51 victory). Torian deserves props for his coaching of the student team in which he really did his best to help them stay in the game.

True Learners (5/1/08)

2008-05-06T08:09:00.000-06:00

It was a welcomed break from the norm. Only 30 % of our kids were in the school building. A large group had chosen to attend the protest downtown for immigration and another big chunk of kids were at the JROTC district wide reception. Sarah (our English Teacher) and I decided to join our classes rather than teach little groups of 8 or 9 students. So there I was on a bizarrely snowy day in May with a combined class of 17 in which very few students were interested in learning. "I'm not feeling it today Mr. Singer...no one else is here...why should I have to learn...come on, we work here everyday." These were the comments I was hearing from many as I tried to encourage some positive work time. Not to discredit the whole class as there were a chunk of kids engaged in learning. Ron comes to mind as he worked on finding an equation to represent a parabola he was dealing with. Josh was his usual self, taking care of business the way he knows how. Ask questions, get support, move forward. He loves getting it done. Beyond these pockets of students who chose the right path to follow there were two who I must discuss in more detail, Iaisha and Sir.

Teaching Iaisha and Sir reminds me of my own learning experience in college when I would sit in my Discrete Mathematics Professor's office and get help with creating complex proofs. I would sit there asking questions and getting support while Dr. McGivney would hand me different materials to look at that might clue me in on some new information or show me an example of how what I was dealing with might look in a different context. He never gave me answers, but always helped guide me to what I needed to find my own solutions. The same is true for the experiences that I occasionally get the opportunity to bask in with Iaisha and Sir. Two extremely bright students with a passion for new knowledge, Sir and Iaisha bring the same attitude about learning to the table that I did as a college sophomore.

Working as a team (the 3 of us) we were trying to find a way to solve for the exponent in an exponential equation. How do you get the power down from there? was really the question. If you have an equation that represents investing money like y = 12,550(1.13)^t where y is your output, $ in the account, and t is your time than how could you solve the equation for t when given a specific amount of money. For example, if asked when your investment would reach $25,000.00 then how could you solve the equation 25,000 = 12,550(1.13)^t? As we discussed this mathematical dilemma I mentioned to my two math whizes that there is a thing called a logarithm that might help us do just that. Opening a college text book we began to explore what these logarithms were all about and how they might help us crack the case wide open like a young Angela Lansbery. As we went through examples and discussed what all of this new terminology meant we soon realized that nothing we were looking at was getting us too close to our needed support. "Why don't we move a few sections ahead in the text," remarked Sir. "These are just simple examples...I'll bet they'll show us how to use it with equations later in the book." Sure enough Sir was right on the money. A few sections later we found exactly what we needed to answer our initial question.

Over a near 1 hour period of time the three of us were engaged in learning and doing mathematics as colleagues. I simply kept suggesting, questioning and supporting, but never giving solutions. It's amazing how much we can underestimate the talents, intelligence and interest level of our students if we don't allow for these types of opportunities. Think about it. How many 9th graders would be interested in reading through a college math text to discover how logarithms might support them in solving exponential equations for the power variable? How many for that matter have the ability to accomplish this task with minimal guidance from their teacher? I was so proud of Sir and Iaisha as they came to their solution and discovered an entirely new area of mathematics that they may not have even known existed prior to today. Awesome stuff...just awesome!

More volatile than the Dow Jones (4/17/08)

2008-04-17T13:58:00.000-06:00

How powerful is the "power of 17?" I'm not really sure. Right now it doesn't really have the feel of a solid collaborative learning community that I had envisioned when we set out on a mission to create the ultimate class. Today was a great example of just how all over the place we are.

A group of students who initially detested the rules of exponents used to simplify expressions did an amazing job on their quiz to demonstrate their knowledge. At the same time, Ladon took a nap and completed two of the questions and Torian turned in his quiz while demanding to be switched into a different class and proclaiming, "that's it! I give up on math, I'm done." It was certainly a volatile day (not unusual).

Of the 17 or so kids in the class a handful received a grade of "In Progress" on their quiz, which means that they're showing some understanding, but they're not quite there yet. Rather than review the quiz with the whole class and bore the majority with information they already know I decided to split the class into groups. Iaisha volunteered to work with a small group of kids who are struggling with the quiz material while I took the rest of the class so that we could move on with our learning.

It was great because everyone's needs were being met. Everyone that is except for Ladon who was sleeping, Torian who has "given up on math" and Bonnie who ditched for nth time in a row. In one class period you can experience such a variety of successes and failures. It's really amazing how volatile the inner-city teaching profession can be. On the positive side you have a group of students choosing to work with a student leader to clarify their confusion. You have another group of kids ready to move on and learn new material (in this case we've just begun looking at how to use exponential growth to make money). On the negative side you've got one student who's done, another who's sleeping and one more who's way more into her own personal life drama then getting a high school diploma.

Today the "Power of 17" was more like the Power of 12 or maybe 13, but I guess one could argue that we still have the power and that's not so bad in and of itself.

Hip Hop and Math (4/14/08)

2008-04-15T07:57:00.000-06:00

Learning the rules of working with exponential expressions can be a tedious learning experience. 7 properties ranging from what to do when multiplying powers with the same base to how to handle negative exponents. Although not terribly difficult, there's certainly nothing inherently engaging about developing your skills around how to handle (x^3 * x^5)/x^4. As a result, I decided to come up with a way to really get the kids going on learning these properties.

Our kids love music. Whether it's hip hop, alternative, or Latino, they just really seem to love music. As a result I thought why not bring music into the classroom? What if the kids were asked to take a song that they really like and change the lyrics to teach the properties? That was the task I assigned the kids. Making sure you use all 7 properties we've learned change the lyrics to teach the listener how to use the rules.

The beauty of teaching is that just because an idea sounds great doesn't mean it will actually work. As I discovered for the umpteenth time in my career. First of all, my assumption that because my kids love hip-hop means that they could produce hip-hop lyrics was false. Putting the constraint on them by saying your song needs to teach the properties of exponents became too much of a daunting task for many groups. Creating rhythm and rhyme with a set amount of material really is tougher for students than I anticipated. In addition, it takes a long time...something that we are always worried about in the teaching profession. If it's going to take a while then it better be a valuable experience that ensures the learning outcomes are being met. In this case, as two days passed, I realized that it was too much time for too little learning. Like recognizing when to take a loss on a stock that's continuously dropping it was time to sell. I scrapped the project.

As disappointed as I was that the groups were unable to really come up with some amazing songs I was pleased to see Ladon and Torian really take to the challenge. Moving into their third day of writing they have been fully engaged in the activity and it seems as though this project suits their interests and learning needs. We know that all kids learn differently and enjoy engaging with materials in different ways. It's clear that these two appreciate the musical side of things and are able to transfer their knowledge into meaningful lyrics. I'm really excited to hear their final version. If you're curious, their song choice was the rap song that starts "I wish I was a little bit taller...I wish I was a baller..." They're new version starts with "I wish I was a product of a power...it took my nearly an hour..."

What did I learn from my mistake...
1.) Just cause kids love music doesn't mean they all want to create it. The same holds true for video games. Just cause kids love to play them doesn't mean they all want to learn how to make them. (False assumption)
2.) An activity like this one can be really powerful for some, and therefor should not be put in the closet just because it didn't work for everybody. In the future, I should just make it an option in a list of many choices on how students can demonstrate what they know.
3.) As one of my more astute students, Jamel, suggested to me yesterday afternoon, I should have started the activity later on when the kids had more familiarity with the rules and how to work with them. "Hey Mr. Singer, we should have done this after we were already comfortable with the properties...it would have been easier to work with them and write lyrics about them." He was absolutely right...it's far easier write about things you know.

As teachers it is essential that we experiment in our classrooms with any ideas that we believe will further engage students in learning. Sometimes our experiments work and other times they fail, but that doesn't mean we stop experimenting.

Stop Pushing Me So Hard! (4-3-08)

2008-04-03T07:57:00.000-06:00

Although not a part of the Power of 17 I feel compelled to share a story from yesterday.

After two consecutive days of receiving a completely "nasty" attitude from one of my female students I felt the need to ask why. I had enough of "you're not my mommy or daddy...don't tell me what to do...don't ever talk to me again." Here's how the conversation went.

Me: Hey _________, what's going on? Be honest with me. I don't think I've done anything to you to deserve the kind of treatment your giving me. So what's going on?

Student: You really want to know?

Me: Yeah, come on...we have a relationship, tell me what's up.

Student: I'm sick of you pushing me.

Me: What?

Student: I'm sick of you expecting so much from me and challenging me so much. You push me too hard.

Me: (a blank stare with the thought "are your f'n serious?")

Never in my long, illustrious career (just kidding, this is my 5th year) have I heard a student say something like that. "Don't push me so hard!" What am I supposed to do? When I have a student who I really care about who isn't achieving or isn't working to their potential it is my natural response to say "hey, let's get it going...let's make it happen...come on, you can do this...I believe in you." I've always looked at my job as wearing multiple hats. One of which is that of a cheerleader. I'm not just here to teach or facilitate learning, I'm also here to motivate and encourage. Maybe when I'm working with this particular student I'll have to take that specific hat off and be sure just to teach. God forbid I encourage her to achieve great heights and pressure her to be successful.

The more I think about it the more I realize that I assume too much. Not every kid is motivated in the same ways, and this particular student gave me a great wake up call to this understanding.

Farewell to Carlos (3-20-08) You will be missed (?)

2008-03-20T23:00:00.000-06:00

As I've written this blog through out the semester Carlos' name has certainly appeared more than once. Always involved in our class (although not always positively), Carlos has entertained, impressed and annoyed. Demonstrating that he is without a doubt one of the more intelligent individuals I have ever taught, Carlos will certainly be missed. Tomorrow is his last day with us as his family has moved and he will be heading to new school. In some ways I'm happy as a teacher to not have to deal with his "mischevious" behaviors or constant need for engagement (god forbid you ask him to chill for a couple minutes!), but in others I am sad to see him go. I know he's going to be an amazing student one day and that his maturity will catch up with his intelligence so it's a bit sad to only see the 14 year old Carols and not the Senior in High School dawning a cap and gown Carlos. Either way, he's one of those kids that you just don't forget.

As a farewell to our audience Carlos has written a brief story for us that occured on March 3.
He writes...

It was 3/3/08 and I cut my finger with a razor blade. I went to the hospital and there were some seanyers (seniors) ther for cretites (credits) they have to do. Somehow we started talking about math and I started telling them about quadratic equations. I got a piece of paper and showed them (-b +/- radical (b^2 - 4ac)) / (2a). They were like "is your school rich or something? We don't learn stuff like that at my school." I made a graph and found a, b, and c and showed them how it worked with the equation y = ax^2 + bx + c. They were amazed and wanted to konw how to do it at their school.

Carlos told me this story the day after it happened and I remember just feeling pride. Here's a freshmen who causes our school all sorts of trouble who opened a conversation about quadratic equations in an ER at the hospital with a group of Seniors from other schools. How do I know Carlos is going to make it? I know because of three things...1.) He loves learning new things 2.) He has amazing retention abilities. and 3.) He loves sharing what he knows and showing his thinking.

Good luck Carlos...we know you're going to do great things.

It's March! (3-10-08) An update

2008-03-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

I can't believe the school year is 75% done. It seems like just yesterday I was learning the names of my students and all of the sudden I know about their family dynamics, their learning styles, their likes and dislikes and their abilities with mathematics. What happened? As a teacher you are so buried in the day to day survival that you loose sight of the big picture. Like a caveman constantly searching for food its easy to forget that you've got bigger goals than your next meal or in our case, your next lesson plan. What has happened to the "Power of 17?" Did I loose track of the big goals? Let me get you up to speed on what we're working on and then we'll answer the bigger question.

As individuals the students are working hard (mostly). Currently engaged in an extensive project framed around theoretical and experimental probability the students have been using a lot of originality and creativity to complete their tasks. Creating their own game of chance (i.e. I bet I can roll three 7's before you roll a 3,4, and 5) students were then asked to calculate the theoretical probabilities of both positions in order to choose the most favorable stance. (SIDE NOTE: Probability Theory and that entire field of mathematics originated from wealthy noblemen gambling in the 17th century and asking mathematicians like Pierre de Fermat for help - what an opportunity to bring something fun into learning Algebra) Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how to teach the process behind calculating these figures. I had some ideas, but needed some support form others to finalize my thinking. (what a funny notion, a math teacher who doesn't have all the answers)

Posing the problem to a group of colleagues I myself engaged in some pretty rough mathematical arguing. It wasn't quite a Tyson vs. Holyfield rematch, but it certainly had some sweat and a few jabs. After nearly two hours of discourse between the group of math teachers I decided that our findings weren't conclusive enough to say "hey kids, here's the way to do it." Instead, I decided to pose the two perspectives that we narrowed it down to and let my students decide which approach they wanted to use in calculating their probabilities. The exciting part was sharing the work of the math teachers with my students so they could get a sense of how a person trained in working with mathematics approaches a problem. Here were the two schools of thought that came out of the conversations with the math teachers that the student had to choose from (or make up their own).

THE PASCHAL APPROACH
Although each roll of a set of dice is independent a game involving multiple sums that you're trying to obtain has some dependent factors. For example, if I want to roll a 3,4, and 5 then the probability of my second roll depends on which number I get first.
i.e. The 1st roll has a probability of how ever many outcomes there are for 3, 4, and 5 out of the total outcomes possible for rolling a set of dice.
P(3, 4, and 5) = (2 + 3 + 4) / 36 = 9/36
The 2nd roll then depends on what you've already rolled. So if a 4 came up first than you're now looking for a 3 or 5.
P(3 or 5) = (2 + 4) / 36 = 6 / 36
Assuming that we next get the 3 we've been looking for we now have to hope for the 5.
P(5) = 4/36
Using what we know about the probability of multiple events we simply multiply each probability together to get the overall probability of rolling a 3,4, and 5
9/36 * 6/36 * 4/36 = (216)/(36^3) = .0046 = .46 %

Using this school of thought there are a series of scenarios to consider when determining the overall probability. i.e. 3 then 4 then 5 or 4 then 5 then 3 or .... and all of them have to be considered when finalizing your solution. Perhaps finding the average probability of all scenarios is the way to go or maybe just providing the range of probabilities is a better option. Either way, the Paschal method, named after my colleague here at Manual, uses the notion of dependence and scenarios to drive its calculations.

THE JIMMY METHOD
According to Jimmy, an old friend and colleague who is currently back in school studying mathematics education (he's neither old nor is our friendship, but I've worked with him since nearly the beginning of my career so it seems like an old friendship and since he's fairly wise when it comes to math instruction I have to consider him to be "older") the probabilities are not based on multiple scenarios as Pashcal would suggest. Rather, when we look at the probabilities of each scenario the outcome is always the same.

Consider this table.

Ways to win the game, # of ways to roll each number, Prob. of Mult. Events (*)
(3, 4, 5) , (2, 3, 4) , 2*3*4 = 24
(3, 5, 4) , (2, 4, 3) , 2*4*3 = 24
(4, 3, 5) , (3, 2, 4) , 3*2*4 = 24
(4, 5, 3) , (3, 4, 2) , 3*4*2 = 24
(5, 4, 3) , (4, 3, 2) , 4*3*2 = 24
(5, 3, 4) , (4, 3, 2) , 4*3*2 = 24

According to Jimmy's theory the order of the rolls is unimportant since the properties of multiplication will show that there's always the same total number of ways for your favorable outcome to be produced. In the end, Jimmy's thinking states that there are 6 winning outcomes each of which has 24 ways of happening. Therefore, he concludes the probability to be...
P(3, 4, and 5) = (24 * 6)/(36^3) = 144/(36^3) = .0031 = .31 %

The key to student engagement in the project has been its open-endedness. Moving away from simply right and wrong, the project goes on from these calculations to ask student to construct a set of new dice that will favor their position even greater. Whether that means constructing a die that looks like a loaf of bread (Carlos' idea) or simply creating a lopsided pencil, which is really a hexagonal prism (Latha's idea), the students are thinking, creating and problem solving. That's what it's all about. Sometimes I worry so much about kids solidifying procedural knowledge that I forget what being a mathematician or a scientist is all about. Testing ideas, experimenting, drawing conclusions, sharing your thinking and dealing with counter-arguments. This is the stuff!

As we are currently in the midst of CSAP, our state tests, (something I'll discuss in a later blog) I have a chance to stop searching for food and to remember my larger goals; Creating a collaborative learning community (who can think!) Hey, we're engaged in a project that does just that. Although I need to get back to my die hard effort of creating an effective classroom of collaborative learners at the moment I am pleased with the mere fact that we're engaging in real mathematics. Solving problems using multiple pathways and bringing our own thinking and creativity to the table in order to produce something new. Struggling alongside one another, teacher and student, to answer questions and produce work that neither of us know the outcome to. That's collaboration!

Teacher Frustration (2-26-08)

2008-02-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

Why can't all students just listen when I ask for their attention? Have I not earned their respect at this point? Don't I look at them and listen to them when they're speaking to me?

It's not like everyday is frustrating, but today I found myself particularly annoyed. I watched Eduardo talk over my instructions as he distracted Jordy from listening. "You know you could get three times as much accomplished in our math class if you actually worked at the level you're capable of?" I snapped at Eduardo. Occasionally I just get pissed off watching a kid who's so brilliant waste so much time. How could you not be frustrated? It's not like Earl Woods sat back and watched as his son chose not to practice and improve his game. He coached him. He encouraged him. He worked with him. Why can't Eduardo be more like Tiger?

The most frustrating part of teaching at this moment is that I put all the blame of an unsuccessful class on myself. Who else should take the responsibility? I know we're trying to establish a collaborative learning community, but at the end of the day whether or not students are fully engaged in learning is my job. My mission. I guess I'm just in a bit of a teaching funk. The kids are tiring...they get to you. Armando's inappropriate comments and unprofessional behavior, Carlos' inability to get started with an activity half the time unless I hound him, Jessica's changes in mood, Bonnie's visible disinterest in acquiring an education. Constantly having to be the leading voice, the cheerleader with the megaphone, the rock. It's exhausting. Why am I the hardest working student in my classroom? I already know the most math.

Teaching is such a roller coaster ride. Some times I'm so excited to be in the classroom that i have a smile plastered across my face while other times the ride makes me sick and I feel like throwing up. It's amazing how much you can go through. For anyone who's ever gambled at a blackjack table in Vegas you know exactly what I'm talking about. One minute you want to strangle the dealer for the crap cards he's throwing your way and the next minute you're offering him a steak dinner. How can we move things to a more consistent place? All good, all the time. I'm not sure that's possible. Maybe it's more like Abe Lincoln's quote. Something like "you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but never all of the people all of the time."

Teaching is a business who's product is people. We're not manufacturing widgets...we're facilitating the development of educated minds. What a task! No wonder it's so volatile.

Josh - Dice Games and Math Class (2-26-08)

2008-02-27T12:51:00.001-07:00

It was a great day I had yesterday, but at the same time I was mad at two classmates. I got into an argument with Armando and Mahkena. I had realized that those two tried to get me off track of my work. So I relaxed and stayed cool. I began to work on my class assignment by myself because I wanted no more problems.

In the assignment we had to work with skittles. The idea was to pull out a skittle and tally the color you pulled. After that you were to count the total number of tally marks you had. Then you counted the number of tallies for each color and write that number under the experimental frequency section. Last, divide the experimental number by the total tallies to get the observed probability of each number.

At the end of class there was a little game between Carlos and Benito. It was a game to see who can roll a 3 before the other could roll two 7's. It was amazing to see how Benito rolled those two 7's pretty fast and won the game before Carlos could roll the 3.

Student Voice (2-15-08)

2008-02-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Jessica's Perspective
In Mr. Singer's math class I feel as if I am in a learning community that cares about math and their class. Mr. Singer is a very good math teacher. He explains the math problem in a way that you can understand it. I help my partner Angel with scaling and proportions. I feel as if I have made a big change. I went from a student who didn't care about other people's learning to a student who loves to help her fellow classmates. I can't wait to see how the "Power of 17" changes and grows to be a better class.

The following are three student's written responses to our DO NOW from last Wednesday (The DO NOW is just the question or problem that starts each class period). The question posed to the class was "Why is it important to examine one another's work and to present our thinking to each other?"

"It is important to check and revise each other's work to better the Power of 17!" - Ladon

"It is important because we can learn new ways of thinking. Also, to look at the same problem in a different way. To present to the class helps us get used to speaking and we show that we learn our work and it becomes sticky." - Iaisha

"It helps us prepare for our jobs in the future. We'll have to present at our jobs well if we're going to be successful." - Jessica

Iaisha and Mahkena - Collaboration 101 (2-13-08)

2008-02-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

As we start to wrap up our unit on problem solving with ratios and proportions I've been trying to put together some culminating activities. Today's task was split up into groups of three to four and solve a challenging problem involving proportional reasoning. The problems involved exit polls, sampling of wildlife, quality control sampling, similar figures and scale drawings. Once the students completed the task of solving their problem and transferring their work to a poster we then moved to analyzing each other's work. Each group rotated through to examine the problem that was solved and the methods the group used to solve it. Some of the groups were totally into this while others just floated through as if they were riding a tube down the lazy river.

Two students in particular, Iaisha and Mahkena, really went after it, more like a salmon swimming up river. Constantly engaging in rich mathematical dialogue I was so impressed as I listened to them genuinely trying to follow the thinking of their classmates. "What was he doing here? Are you sure that was the right step to take?" They were fully engaged in the activity and by far took the most amount of learning out of it. Full Engagement = Full Learning! What a concept. It would have been beautiful if all students could have followed the lead of Iaisha and Mahkena, but that's not reality and I guess we're not there yet. Overall the students completed the task, but it was 2 students who rose to a new level of collaboration. 2's not 17, but today 2 was a powerful number.

Celebration! 17 is Powerful! (2-12-08)

2008-02-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

How does if feel knowing that every student in this class is passing with a C or higher? This questions was posed to the class at the start of the period...here were their responses...

- "Thumbs Up" - Mahkena
- "Feels great! Take it!" - Armando
- "Torian's the best!" - Torian
- "Hell Yeah!" - Ron
- "It's a damn good job." - Josh
- "Yey!" - Eduardo
- "I got an A!" - Jessica
- "It feels good, we're doing something right." - Iaisha

As you can see, the students are proud of their accomplishment as they should be. I can't remember the last time I taught a class where everyone was passing and where everyone passing meant everyone was learning.

Are we representative? (1-31-08)

2008-01-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

It's an important question to consider...are our class demographics representative of the entire school population. As we continue to study ratios and proportions we're making the move from exploring similar figures to looking at the world of sampling; the idea that data from an entire population can be determined by examining a small random sample. Thus, the question for today...does our class represent the entire school population?

1.) How many boys are in our school?
2.) How many girls are in our school?
3.) How many Hispanic students are in our school?
4.) How many Black students are in our school?
5.) How many Hispanic female students are in our school?
6.) How many Black female students are in our school?
7.) How many Hispanic male students are in our school?
8.) How many Black male students are in our school?

By setting up a series of proportions we can discover whether or not we actually represent the school. Only time will tell as we've just started the activity, but I have a hunch that the results will be disproportional. If that's the case, I'm hoping we can have an open conversation about why that might be. Who says math is only about numbers?

I'm Proud of my Kids (1-30-08)

2008-01-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Today I feel proud of my students. We worked hard, collaborated effectively, and got the job done. Today we "made it happen." The question...what made the difference?

I think the biggest difference was the grouping of students. Randomly arranging them in groups of 3 for our problem solving session they seemed resistant at first, but then did a great job of working with one another. By the end of class Carlos, who was paired with Josh and Lulu, told me that he should keep his group forever. "We did great! We're so smart," he stated proudly. Beyond Carlos' triumphant feeling, Saul also found the power in his group. "Iaisha's so smart...she really explains things clearly," he told me. What I started to realize is that our class doesn't really know each other. If Saul hadn't been paired with Iaisha he may never have realized how much of an asset she is to our class. If Carlos hadn't been paired with Lulu he may have never discovered how bright she is and how much she can bring to our learning community. Beyond the two groups mentioned above I watched as Sir and Jordy worked together to complete the problems. I also saw Benito work much more positively in his new found environment (no insults today, or at least none that I heard).

Moral of the story...don't get lazy Mr. Singer...simply grouping kids in different ways can make a huge impact on student learning and the classroom culture. When you feel like saying, "go ahead and work with whoever you'd like..." Don't! You'll thank yourself later.

I'm just trying to teach math...or am I? (1-28-08)

2008-01-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Benitto and Jessica were really going at it today. So much disrespectful verbal banter. "I'm just gonna keep arguing with you cause if I piss you off enough maybe you'll leave this class," exclaimed Benitto. I'm not sure what Jessica's response was to that one as it's not fresh in my mind at this point, but what is fresh in my mind is the frustration I felt inside as I watched their insults being thrown back and forth like a vicious game of red rover, red rover send another insult over. What do they actually have against each other? Anything? Or, is it just a projection of things that are pissing them off inside and rather than keep the anger bottled in why not let it out...on someone else?

After diffusing the the situation as best I could and encouraging the two students to act as professional as possible while in a classroom environment I realized how innefective my words were. How many times has an adult explained to a child (or young adult) that you're not always going to work with people you like, but you still have to find a way to work in a respectful manner. What a classic speech. A speech that I highly doubt affected either of my intolerant pupils. Benitto even said that he had heard the same thing from his father on repeated instances. I'm pretty sure my words were listened to as much as those spewing from the mouth of Charlie Brown's teacher. Wah, wah, wah and more wah.

The dilemma...how can I put out the fires created by my students, convince them that we should all just "get along," and make sure everyone's learning a challenging level of mathematics, at the same time! Is it possible that not every kid is in a place to engage in learning everyday...most certainly. Is it also possible that teachers aren't in a place to teach everyday, but still find a way to press forward...most certainly. How do adults develop that ability to overcome their "stuff" and still get the job done. Tiger Woods doesn't blame a bad round of golf on the fact that his baby daughter kept him up all night (not that he has a lot of bad rounds). Where does the intellectual perseverance come from and how do we get more of it. "I know I'm having a rough day, I know things in my life aren't perfect, but you know what...I'm gonna get the job done and I'm definitely not gonna stop someone else from doing their job."

We're Pretty Smart! (1-23-08)

2008-01-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

As I walked around the room today and watched students engage in the learning activity I had a realization. "We're pretty smart!" The students were actively trying to discover how changing each coefficient, a, b, and c, in the quadratic model, y = ax^2 + bx + c, affects how the parabola looks. As I listened and watched I heard some beautiful thinking...

- "As the b value gets more positive the parabola slides in the southwest direction." (Armando)
- "When b is negative the parabola moves into the fourth quadrant and when b is positive the parabola moves into the third quadrant." (Torian)
- "I don't see a pattern when I'm changing the b value, the shift in the vertex when I change b seems somewhat random. How can I find the pattern?" (Iaisha)
- "If a is large and positive the parabola is skinny and if a is small and positive then the parabola is wide." (Jessica's group)
- "c just shifts the graph up and down. If c is positive the curve just moves up and if c is negative than the curve just moves down." (Saul's group)

Testing a variety of equations in the graphing calculator and exploring how manipulating the number changes the look of the curve, the kids actively pushed to discover mathematics. They still need guidance, support and modeling. They still get stuck from time to time and don't quite know how to get themselves unstuck. But, they're working hard to learn and when I step back for a moment and observe rather than engage I realize that we're actually pretty smart.

"Quadratics is real simple." (1/18/08) - thoughts by Sir

2008-01-18T13:38:00.001-07:00

Today we prepared for a test or assessment on quadratics. When you think about it, quadratics is real simple. Learn how to graph, find a curve of best fit, and use these four equations. y =a(x-h)^2 + k to find a, y = -b/2a to find b, y = ax^2 + bx + c to find c, and x = (-b +- radical b^2 - 4ac)/2a to find roots. With those 4 equations you can answer almost any question about that graph and equation. After achieving an "A" on that test with ease and a calculator I think the power of 17 may be more interesting and easier than WE ALL THOUGHT.

"It's cause I'm stupid!" (1-16-08)

2008-01-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

"Why am I wrong?" Carlos demanded. "It's cause I'm stupid. That's why." Such a defeatist attitude..."I'm wrong cause I'm stupid." I don't know if he really believes what he's saying, but I sure hope not. After all, he's one of the brightest students we have. "I'm not sure," I replied, "it could be any of your coefficients, a, b, or c. A minor error during any of your calculations could have caused the final equation to be off. Either way, just cause your quadratic model isn't producing the answer we're looking for doesn't make you stupid. Do you realize the intelligence it takes just to put this equation together. Don't sell yourself short Carlos...you're smart."

I really wasn't sure why it was wrong, but something seemed funny to me. Like Columbo finding the last clue before he breaks the case I kept looking at the solution. 18.6 seconds. The rocket would take 18.6 seconds to reach the ground. Based on the parabola on our graphs we were expecting a value somewhere between 30 and 34. Why 18.6? "Wait a second Carlos...let me see your graph...(pause to look at the curve and where it hits the x-axis) ARE YOU KIDDING ME! It's right...it's absolutely right. You were looking at the old data set...LOOK at your graph...WHERE DOES THE CURVE HIT THE X-AXIS?" "At 18," Carlos slowly and quietly rolled off his tongue. "AT 18! Which is damn close to what we got from your quadratic model. You're not stupid, not even close...you're just disorganized and have trouble following directions."

"Now that we've solved that mystery (speaking to the class) use this work (pointing to the modeling I had done with the quadratic formula to find the roots of a parabola) with your a, b, and c values to figure out when you think the rocket ship will reach the ground." As I walked around the room watching the students complete the task I felt a sense of comfort. Nearly everyone was trying to complete it. Nearly everyone demonstrated a desire to succeed. Nearly everyone wanted to engage in learning.

A couple of minutes passed when Josh approached me to share his solution. With a smile strung across his face like a sideways banana and his eyes open wider than a two year old staring at a bowl of ice cream his look said it all. "Check this out Mr. Singer," he said. "31.7 seconds." The evidence of his work was right there in front of me. He was so proud and I was too. Sharing a look of appreciation we hugged it out. Not a womanly type hug, but a man hug with a couple pats on the back. The kind of hug that a tough football coach might give to a player after making a great play. Josh is one of those kids whose just plain hungry for knowledge. How can you not want to give him a hug. How many students do you know that get that happy about performing in math class? He really is a great kid.

Moving away from Josh and continuing around the room my sense of pride and accomplishment grew. I knew I was looking at just 1 class and just 5 minutes and just 17 kids, but everything for that moment felt right. Like we were all learners...like we were all part of a team...like we were a collaborative learning community.

Are we there yet?...No we're not (1/14/08)

2008-01-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

What a mediocre day. Everything just seems so "stale," as my colleague Darren likes to say. The students were stale, I was stale...it was all stale. After breaking into triads and quads to tackle a problem involving rocket ships and quadratic modeling I encouraged the students to work as mini-teams, working through the problem together, sharing ideas, and showing evidence of their thinking. What I got was silence. I'm not sure if they really know what it looks like to be an effective collaborator. In fact, I'm fairly confident that many of them don't. I need to model it, scaffold it and build it into our routine. When you work with a group of people you contribute. You pose questions to one another. You defend your thinking with evidence. You actively engage in the process of learning alongside one another. These are the things I want...they're not the things I'm getting.

Constantly moving around the room and pushing kids to really work with one another was both tiring and frustrating. "Come on Armando, does Jordy even have a clue what you're working on? Have you shared your thinking with him?" "Why is everyone in this group quiet Benito? Is anyone on the same page? Where's the collaboration?" "LaDon and Torian, how is it going to help you learn a new skill by just watching Iaisha write her work on the poster? Don't you need to involve yourselves in the process?"

After countless reminders, encouragements and suggestions the students finally started to work together. Benitto and Ron showed Angel how to find the a, b, and c values of a quadratic model, y = ax^2 + bx + c. Iaisha coached Torian and LaDon on the process used to get each coefficient as well. Carlos paid close attention as I facilitated his independent work (a success considering that his entire group left him after they became too annoyed by his behavior and attitude). Josh, Jessica and Saul worked alongside one another, trying to decide whose curve of best fit was the highest quality so they could use it as the foundation for deriving their quadratic equation. The students were finally starting to look like a community of learners. The only question is, why did it take us half the class to reach this level of collaboration? How can we make these type of student behaviors the norm without my incessant coaching?

When I look back on it now, maybe the class wasn't so mediocre after all. In fact Jessica demonstrated some beautiful knowledge when she stated that "the reason we work with non-linear data is because everything in the world doesn't follow a linear pattern and if we want to work with real data in real situations we're going to have to get used to other types of equations." As Ladon put it, "we're going to have to leave our comfort zone (linearity)." The class ended strong even though it started weak. Now the big question I'm wondering...How can we start strong, stay strong and finish strong? Maybe I need to give out Power Bars and Redbulls 40 minutes into class, or maybe there's another way. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Iaisha's 1st Blog (1/11/08) - A student's perspective

2008-01-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Being in the upper math class so far is giving me a chance to be with students who share the same qualities of learning as me. The first day back we worked on finding what it means to be in a collaborative learning community. So far I think we are beginning to get what it means. I feel that once we fully understand collaborative learning community we will get even farther in math. Yesterday we worked on Excel and Power Point...I helped Saul with his work, and as I helped him I realized that I am contributing to the collaborative learning community. I helped Saul clarify his work! I felt as if that was a step ahead of building a relationship with another student. I look forward to seeing where this upper math class leads to. Also, to experience a complete collaborative learning community. I have faith in the "Power of 17."

Day Three (1/10/08) - The Chant

2008-01-10T23:30:00.000-07:00

"My mom's gonna kill me if she reads this," erupted Carlos as he listened to me share my latest posting with the class. "Maybe you should watch what you say," I replied, "the public is listening."

Class went smoothly as the students were fairly engaged in their work today. They've been creating PowerPoint presentations for an inter-disciplinary project around examining the culture's of countries. The math component has involved linear and quadratic modeling of population data and using those models to make future predictions. Where's this country's population headed and how is that going to effect the people who live there? All of this work has fallen under the umbrella essential question, "What if the future really isn't a mystery?" Having spent a great deal of time exploring the power of modeling data with functions and using those functions to make predictions I think the kids are starting to realize that maybe the future isn't so mysterious after all.

As exciting as the content of our class is (might depend on your perspective)...the biggest highlight from today didn't come from the curriculum. It came from our first go at our new closing chant. I really wanted to give us something to end with every class that would remind us of our goal, the creation of a true collaborative learning community. Since my exhaustion has recently taken over my originality I pulled from the student's definition of what it means to be part of a collaborative learning community that they created jsut a couple of days ago. And why not? Why not use their words? Here's how it goes...

Teacher: "We Sink"
Students: "We Sink"
Teacher: "We Swim"
Students: "We Swim"
Teacher: "Together"
Students: "Together"
Teacher: "We are"
Students: "We are"
Teacher: "Interdependent"
Students: "Interdependent"

The most positive thing I can say about our first crack at this new ritual was that nearly everyone participated without hesitation. My plan for tomorrow and from here on out. Go through it three times gradually increasing the volume from a whisper to a roar..."We are Interdependent." Can you hear it?

Day Two (1/9/08) - A Little Friction

2008-01-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

"Come on Asshole!" blurted Carlos. "You gonna call me an asshole...I'm not helping you." A reasonable response by Eduardo when you stop and think about it. Why would I want to help a student who just called me an asshole and I'm a teacher, not a 15 year old. Moving away from a group of kids who were engaged in a mini-lesson on using Excel to create graphs I felt a bit obligated to speak with the two young men.

"What's going on guys?" "It's simple," replied Carlos,"Eduardo won't help me learn how to do these parabolas." "That's cause he's acting like an ass," immediately snapped Eduardo. "Alright...enough." I just wanted to cut off the banter before it grew out of hand. "We've got a simple dilemma...Carols, there's something you want to and need to learn...Eduardo, there's something you know and have the opportunity to share. You are interdependent...Carlos, you need Eduardo to teach you and Eduardo, you need Carlos so you have a chance to clarify your thinking around quadratics and to solidify what you know. The bottom line, you need to find a way to make this work...you need each other."

As I walked away from the two disgruntled students I wondered what would happen next. I hadn't really finalized things...I left them a bit open (on purpose). At some point during our time together these guys were gonna have to find a way to live in the same house. Forcing boiled chicken down your throat like my grandma used to do wasn't gonna do it. I needed to put it on them.

Ten minutes went by as I continued with the mini-workshop when I glanced over to find Eduardo once again working with Carlos. Eleven minutes went by when I glanced over to find Eduardo and Carlos arguing. Eleven minutes and fifteen seconds went by when I glanced over to find Eduardo angirly moving back to his table with a look of of utter defeat. I guess he knows how it feels to be a frustrated teacher with a stubborn student. God knows I do.

Evidence that we don't yet have a true Collaborative Learning Community...Carlos and Eduardo.

Day One (1/8/08) - Here we go!

2008-01-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

Students will create a definition for collaborative learning community and recognize the value of working within one. That was our learning outcome for day one. To reach this desired result we participated in a variety of activities. Starting with a continuum protocol the students had to take a stance on such statements as I learn more when I work alone vs. I learn more working in a group and a basketball team has a better chance winning with one all star versus an entire team working together. Getting their voice on the table it was great to listen to them open up and begin to share their ideas with one another. "I definitely learn more in a group, said Iesha, because I have a chance to share my ideas." "My education comes first," stated Jessica firmly. "I'll help other people, but not if it's getting in my way of learning." What if the roles were reversed I posed to my firmly grounded student? "I guess it would be nice to get some help," she quietly replied. As the continuum protocol came to an end with the basketball metaphor is was beautiful to watch the entire class move to the side of the room that represented "A basketball team has a better chance of winning as an entire team working together." I felt like Moses parting the Dead Sea (even though the wave only went one way). Everyone agreed...our chances for success increase exponentially when we all take responsibility for the greater good...when we all join a collaborative learning community.

Moving on from the continuum activity students were grouped at their tables and asked to read a variety of short texts that described everything from cooperative learning to community to collaboration. Co-constructing a definition of Collaborative Learning Community, the students read the documents, shared the main ideas and synthesized the information to create one, concise and simple definition. As they worked in teams Carlos, an inquisitive young man to say the least, called me over and said, "Mr. Singer, are you saying you want us to be like the army? Leave no man behind?" After pausing to think..."Yeah Carlos, I guess I am." Illustrating Carols' point even more, Aramando's group, made up of Jessica, Bennito and Angel created the stickiest definition I could have imagined. Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick, would have been proud of the simplicity in their words. "A Collaborative Learning Community" is interdependence, you sink or swim together."

That was it...the seed had been planted and we even did a little watering. I'm not saying you could see a branch, a leaf, or even a weed...but the seed was in the dirt and I'm confident that it will grow with time.

What if your philosophy is wrong? (1/7/08)

2008-01-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Malcom Gladwell, renowned author of national bestsellers The Tipping Point and Blink, does a beautiful job of convincing his readers that word of mouth is one of the essential ingredients in creating epidemics. In a poignant example to illustrate his hypothesis he refers to Paul Revere and his famous ride in which he yelled to the people, "the British are coming." One person acted as a catalyst for creating an epidemic that spread like wild fire. Gladwell, doing a tremendous job of providing countless anecdotal evidence to his theory, shares a multitude of illustrations to illuminate his point. But...what if he had been wrong? What if his beautiful idea about word of mouth epidemics was flat out invalid? What if everything he believed around his theory was proved unsubstantiated when put to the test? What if only one person had listened to Revere's words while everyone went about their business, sipping tea and knitting sweaters (I don't really know what they did in those days)?

That's how I feel at this point in time...like an invalid Gladwell. An amazing theory with no support. My grounding philosophy as a progressive educator framed around heterogeneous grouping has been compromised (to an extent). Although my students have shown growth through out the first semester of school and data from our assessments will support that claim, I still know that their needs have not been met. Sir and Iesha could have accomplished so much more...Milton and Liz learned hardly a thing...McKena did what was expected of him even though he could have rose to greater heights...and Aramis still hasn't proved he can make a prediction using a linear model. I feel like the data that shows student growth is hiding the truth...student's needs were not met to the extent that they could have and should have been.

As a result of this realization we have made changes to our grouping of kids as described in my initial blog. The only way that my mind is able to deal with this shift that goes against my "Wilhelm bottom line" is that it doesn't represent the traditional form of tracking. Why? For two reasons.

1.) Our grouping is fluid. Students can move in and out of the Algebra-X class as well as the Algebra support class and the frontloading elective. Nothing about our sectioning of students is final.

2.) If you examine the Algebra-X class roster closely you start to see that it's not really homogeneous. It's a beautiful mixture of female, male, Black and Hispanic students who encompass a wide range of student categories. Ranging from behavior problems to high performing, mature intellectuals the class really is more of a variety pack than just one flavor.

Perhaps the above is just a cleverly orchestrated excuse in helping me deal with the fact that I've broken my core philosophy, but the objective part of me likes to believe that there is some merit to my argument. If the changes being made create a positive increase in learning for all students then how can such change be deemed unworthy?

Gladwell's theory was right...mine may have been wrong, but...we're doing something about it.

Budapest, Hungary (1/2/08) - The Power of 17

2008-01-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

There I was in a small Hungarian bistro waiting for my bowl of Goulash soup to come out when I left my vacation and traveled back to my classroom. It's amazing how easily teachers can leave their classroom, their school, or even their country, but never escape their profession. The upcoming semester was coming with some substantial changes and I really hadn't spent time digesting how the changes would affect my teaching and the school as a whole.

Finishing our first semester in the newly re-opened Manual High School a group of us realized that we just weren't meeting the needs of our students. The epic question of how wide of a spectrum can be differentiated for in the secondary math classroom was driving us crazy. Students with ability levels ranging from 4th through 9th grade in the same classroom is a daunting task...no question about it. As an experiment and as an effort to meet the needs of our kids we decided to make some changes (using the work of the Denver School of Science and Technology as a model to start from). The major changes were as follows.

1.) A separate class made up of a small group of students would be put together to support kids who just weren't ready for Algebra. These students had been constantly struggling because of the compound number of foundation skills missing from their math background. We wanted to give them a math opportunity where they could feel success and equip themselves with the tools necessary for completion of a rigorous secondary math program.

2.) An elective "frontloading" class would be developed for students who felt like they just need more time to digest the Algebra they're learning. This class would be offered twice a week and would introduce students to upcoming major math concepts before they see them in their Algebra classes. This would mean that students would have their regular Algebra class 85 minutes everyday in addition to two more 85 minute periods of "frontloading." Amazingly, 29 of my 80 students had volunteered for this elective citing that they loved the idea of getting "smarter at mathematics and feeling more confident with the work."

3.) A group of students, as determined by anecdotal evidence and quantitative data, would be placed in an Algebra-X class. Made up of a healthy mix of male, female, Hispanic and Black students (there are no white students on my team), this class would set a higher bar for student learning. Working harder, going deeper and moving faster, this class would challenge a group of 17 to rise to a new level of mathematics learning.

This 3rd change, the creation of the Algebra-X class, is what my mind focused on the most. "The Power of 17" just kept ringing in my head. Over and over and over. "The Power of 17." What could these 17 kids accomplish together. How could they epitomize the mission of our inner city school and act as a model for our beliefs? How could we create a sub-culture of 17 kids who embody what learning looks like in the new Manual High School? So many questions posed and only 5 more days before the start of our journey to answers begins.