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NELMS NEWS Node 2007
An annotated list of current events & issues related to the middle level
Cyberbullying may leave teens feeling trapped
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/fashion/16meangirls.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
MySpace pages may leave image-conscious adolescents more vulnerable to cyberbullying, some teens and parents say. "Once you're on MySpace, you're trapped," said Jake Dobson, a seventh grader. "You spend all your time online just trying to keep the negative stuff about you from spreading." The New York Times (12/16)
Study: Children left behind before school starts
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09
Four major factors driving students' standardized test performance aren't even within schools' control, according to a new Educational Testing Service study. Simply by knowing the percentage of students who were often absent, raised by a single parent, not read to daily or watched five or more hours of TV daily, researchers were able to predict each state's results on a federal test with "impressive accuracy," The New York Times reports. The states that scored lowest tended to be those that had the highest percentages of children who met each of the four criteria. The New York Times (12/9)
Studies link sleep deficits, student performance
http://nymag.com/news/features/38951/
Sleep-deprived students fare far worse academically and emotionally than students who get adequate sleep. MRI scans show that a lack of sleep inhibits the body's ability to refuel itself. Some districts have tried to encourage students to get more sleep by starting school later in the morning. New York Magazine (10/15)
Get Congress out of the classroom
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/opinion/03ravitch.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
Unless we set realistic goals for our schools and adopt realistic means of achieving them, we run the risk of seriously damaging public education.
The New York Times, Editorial section, 10/3/07
Report: Top teachers help students overcome achievement gaps
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/pittsburgh/print_526792.html
Despite huge achievement gaps, Pittsburgh students who have good teachers are the most likely to succeed, according to a two-year Pittsburgh schools study presented Monday. “In Pittsburgh, the teachers who are successful are successful with black kids and white kids,” said lead author Robert P. Strauss, an economics and public policy professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (9/10)
Research investigates mixed-ability classes
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases
New research from the United Kingdom purports to show that classes in which students of varying abilities are mixed lead to better educational outcomes. One study, conducted by Jo Boaler of the University of Sussex, followed 700 U.S. students over four years, suggests that academic tracks are often assigned along social class lines, without taking ability or achievement into account.
Science Daily Magazine (9/15)
With mentor, first-year teacher sees enormous student gains
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education
Despite starting with her class six weeks into the year, first-year teacher Rachael Pringle saw her fifth-grade students make enormous testing gains. More than 90% were at least proficient in math and 60% were at least proficient in reading. As fourth graders, the students scored 30 percentage points less in math and 20 points less in reading.
The Philadelphia Inquirer (8/20)
Teachers prepare for school, often at own expense
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/NEWS/708200347
U.S. educators annually spend an average $475 of their own money on supplies for the classroom, mostly in preparation for the first day of class. "I think it's pretty much an accepted way of life for teachers," said veteran teacher Barbara Finnan. "And, of course, the districts come to expect that you're going to do those kinds of things."
The News Journal (Del.) (8/20)
Summer camps aim to make middle school less intimidating
www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/31/0731sixthgrade.html (requires free registration)
Two-week camps in Austin, Texas, aim to make middle school a little less intimidating for incoming sixth-graders. The children find their classrooms, meet their teachers, learn school rules and make new friends.
The Austin American Statesman (7/31)
Former Bush education aide urges Congress to revamp NCLB
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
As President George W. Bush asked lawmakers on Monday to renew NCLB, one of the law's boldest critics is a former Bush aide who helped him craft the legislation. Eugene Hickok, who served as the Education Department's deputy secretary, is now calling for Congress to revamp the initiative and said he always had serious doubts about it.
Washington Post (6/26)
Study: Dads shape daughters' interest in math, science
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007
Fathers play a major role in their daughters' interest in math and science, according to a 13-year University of Michigan study that traced the sources of the math and science gender gap. Females and males scored equally well on tests of science and math ability, but parents' attitudes -- particularly fathers' gender stereotypes -- had a significant effect on their daughters' math achievement and eventual career choice.
Science Daily Magazine (6/25)
Opinion: Open-source software offers savings for educators, students
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/57760.html
There's a reason software giants deeply discount their products for educators: The millions of students using those programs every year are far more likely to continue using them rather than familiarizing themselves with another product. Schools should move to free open-source software to save money for themselves and their future graduates, writes Jay Pfaffman of TechTrends. TechNewsWorld (6/10)
Longer school day gives Mass. educators time for enrichment
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0614/p13s01-legn.htm
In 10 Massachusetts schools where students spend nearly two additional hours a day, teachers have time for weekly enrichment classes and some report improved learning; however, behavioral problems are up slightly. "Nobody is saying the agrarian schedule of 180 days, 6-1/2 hours a day is the right schedule anymore," said Jennifer Davis, president of a nonprofit that helped develop the pilot program.
The Christian Science Monitor (6/14)
Most Americans want 'No Child' law left behind
http://www.detnews.com/
Nearly two out of three Americans want Congress to rewrite or abolish NCLB, according to a Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University survey of 1,010 U.S. adults. Slightly less than half said NCLB has had a negative impact and only one-third said they think the law has had a positive influence on public education. The Detroit News/Scripps Howard News Service (5/31)
A Modest Curriculum Proposal–Let’s teach basketball with textbooks
http://www.edutopia.org/modest-curriculum-proposal
The Golden State Warriors, who play in nearby Oakland, California, made it to the NBA playoffs for the first time in thirteen years, and the San Francisco Bay Area went basketball crazy. If this nation could get half as exercised about its public schools as does about its sports, our schools would quickly become performance powerhouses.
Edutopia 5/16
Model middle school focuses on social, emotional development
http://www.nytimes.com
As educators across the country struggle with middle-school achievement slumps, one New York school has emerged as a nationally recognized model of a school that gets it right. Briarcliff Middle School focuses on adolescents' social and emotional development and is rewarded with high academic achievement.
The New York Times (5/12)
Helping hands and "incentives" can go too far
http://www.washingtonpost.com
While parents' involvement in their children's education has long been shown to be important to student success, parents who overdo it through "help" that goes overboard or bribery can negatively affect development, especially in adolescents. Kids need to work through some things on their own, said Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Vanderbilt University chairwoman of the Department of Psychology and Human Development, who researches parental involvement in homework.
The Washington Post (4/16)
Experimenting with web tools
http://cmsprofessionallearning.wikispaces.com/
This professional learning wiki describes some 21st C Learning
initiatives underway at Challenger Middle School in Huntsville AL.
The linked pages offer examples of student-centered activities and
help other faculty learn more about podcasting, wikis, photostory,
and Skype projects. Great resources for any middle grades teacher
thinking about incorporating more Web-based tools into teaching and
learning.
Teacher collaboration key to award-winning schools, educators say
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/
Distinguished schools do more than just post good test scores: Nine San Diego County, Calif., schools that made the state's "best of the best" list feature teacher collaboration, guidance support and a well-rounded campus life. Teachers regularly consult with one another, compare notes and help each other in the classroom. San Diego Union-Tribune (4/18)
Sixth-grade experiment ends with poor behavior, grades
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/
Despite reports that sixth-graders do better in elementary school than middle school, a year long Alabama experiment will end after behavior problems were up and grades were down among select sixth graders chosen to stay in elementary school. Students at the four pilot schools faced a stigma of being "held back," a report found. Mobile Register (Ala.) (4/8)
Getting Ready for High School
http://www.familytlc.net/high_school_pre.html
These tips by a veteran school guidance counselor can help parents think about the best ways to prepare middle schoolers for the inevitable challenges of the high school years. As counselor Louise
Diamond notes: "Many of the choices students make in high school will lead them into adult habits and situations. Students still need direction and guidance from teachers, counselors, and most of all from their parents."
Studies: Homework value uncertain; little change in dropout rate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/18/AR2007031801365.html
A new Center for Public Education review of homework research says there is no conclusive evidence that homework "increases student achievement across the board." The Washington Post (4/6)
Dozens of Republicans Turn Against NCLB in Congressional Debate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402741.html
More than 50 Republicans in the House and Senate -- including a House leader who supported NCLB's original passage -- introduced legislation today that could severely undercut the education law, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates. According to critics of the law, many voters in affluent suburban and exurban districts think their once-innovative public schools have increasingly become captive to federal testing mandates. The Washington Post (3/28)
Classroom Internet Access Increases Nearly Sevenfold
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2007/02/28/
In 2005, 95% of public school classrooms had Internet access, up from 14% in 1996, when the federal E-rate program was first introduced, according to a new report. New legislation aims to keep Web access high, by keeping the program exempt from federal budget rules.
The Boston Globe/Associated Press (3/20)
S.O.S.: Help for Busy Teachers
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/
Sites of the School Days - a weekly update to Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators on DiscoverySchool.com
Site 27
Clip Art Collections
http://www.gpschools.org/ci/graphics/clipart.htm
...the Grosse Pointe Public Schools (MI) offers this site with links to clip art collections, a content-specific clip art list, and links to seasonal clip art
Visit this and previous Sites of the School Days by going to
http://discoveryschool.com/schrockguide/sos.html
DiscoverySchool.com "The Thrill of Discovery in Your Classroom"(3/12)
NCLB prompts successes and failures
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070211/19child.htm
Education experts, such as Jack Jennings of the Center on Education Policy, say the number of schools that enter into restructuring because they've consistently failed No Child Left Behind standards will grow each year. U.S. News and World Report examines success stories and failures of the law as Congress reviews what has worked and what hasn't. U.S. News & World Report (2/11)
Testing too taxing, critics say
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/16739149.htm
Birdville schools Superintendent Stephen Waddell in Texas is among those criticizing the volume of state and federally required testing students must undergo. "A test has never taught anybody anything," Waddell said. "It's designed to figure out what people have learned. The end result is, we're doing less teaching and more testing." Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) (free registration) (2/20)
Poll: Teens feel intense pressure to succeed at school
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/living/education/16211229.htm
More than 40% of teens report feeling overwhelming pressure to succeed at school and 22% admitted they'd cheated on a test in the last year, a Deloitte & Touche USA LLP and Junior Achievement poll of 787 teens found. Deloitte is developing a curriculum for schools' Junior Achievement programs that will teach students how to make ethical decisions under pressure. The Philadelphia Inquirer (free registration) (2/2)
Just for fun: a song for students (and teachers)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6705929
The hosts of NPR's Morning Edition shared this satirical "lullaby for
our times" during their January 1 broadcast. Just in time for the
run-up to spring accountability testing! For students (and teachers)
out there who may be stressed out, the song "Not on the Test" was
written by John Forster and Tom Chapin. This link leads to a page
where you can play the streaming audio. (Requires Real Player)
NCLB has changed schools' landscape
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-01-07-no-child_x.htm
On the five-year anniversary of the signing of No Child Left Behind, USA TODAY reports on changes brought about by the law, including making teachers more test-centered. According to the article, the law also has helped to focus more attention on poor and disabled students in big cities.
USA TODAY (1/8)
Solutions to middle-school woes not easy
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/education/03middle.html
Systems across New York and the nation are struggling to remedy faltering middle schools by grouping students into academies, reconfiguring grade clusters and revamping how students are taught subjects. One New York principal, Barry M. Fein, says clamoring for quick answers doesn't always help, and research shows children have more to worry about than academics. The New York Times (free registration)
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